Visiting Hogwarts!

Last month, I visited the Warner Bros studios in London. I had heard amazing things so was eager to at last visit it, and was not disappointed. Inside, there was everything that you could ever possibly imagine and it was done in a really cool and exciting way! I saw Dumbledore's study, the Great Hall, Gryffindor's common Room, the Burrow, Hagrid's Hut, and the list goes on and on. I saw Hippogriths, mandrakes, and all the other beasts and plants. I (stupidly) forgot a decent camera, so here are a few of my favourite (very bad quality) photos. Enjoy!

Ron's howler - 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'

The Marauder's Map - 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'

Olivanders

L x

Welcoming Summer

It has reached that time of year again in England where you feel like you should be able to enjoy picnics in the park wearing floral dresses and BBQs in the evening, however the weather stays pessimistic.

Going away for bank holiday weekend should have been sunny, bright and warm, but instead involved trudging through the campsite in muddy walking boots and soaking cagoules. It is however times like this, in my opinion, where you get the most unexpected laughs; as you sit in the squashed caravan playing all the board games you played when you were little and many you have never heard of. You have the heartiest chats about books, movies, memories that you are so grateful for and that really make you smile. Even though the weather is a disappointment, it really makes the best times and the best memories. For me it helps me to appreciate life to the full extent. And then, when the gorgeous weather arrives, you feel lying on the damp grass with your closest friends and watching the butterflies and birds burst in to life under the painted blue sky and the blaring sun you realise that to get here you had to go through worse but it was worth it, and that all weathers are perfect in their own funny way. I now cannot wait until summer...

L x

Staying Positive

At the moment, I am finding it a particularly hard task to stay positive. I am constantly dragging myself down over tiny little things, things that previously I wouldn't have batted an eyelid at! One reason for this, I think, is probably stress. Another that I am often in my own little world with my favourite fictional characters, that when I do return to Planet Earth, I have to admit its a bit of a disappointment. Many other teenage fangirls will agree that our life is nowhere near as thrilling as Hazel's, Tris', Charlie's, Harry's or Miles' life. The rest of the time I undermine my value, or so so many have recently told me, never thinking I'm good enough at whatever it is that I'm doing. I'm sure many other people feel this way too.

Today, my English teacher reminded me of one of my favourite quotes of all times, which made me feel better. When Christopher Robin said to Pooh:

“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

This, in my opinion, is an important message to always have stored in your heart. Sometimes in life people, whether friends or enemies will need to be reminded of this, and even yourself. There are some days in life, when everything is going against us and we really need people to reassure us of who we are and what we are capable of. Always remember, as Henry Ford identified:

“When everything seem to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it ....”

Never let what you can't do pull you down; instead what you can do push you up. Keep moving forward in life, one step at a time, and sometime you will find something which will make you truly smile. I will try to remember this and put a skip in my step next time I walk into somewhere I don't want to be and smile at the people I don't want to see, as at the end of the day I can slip into my fictional world slightly happier than the previous nights. And I hope you do the same.

L x