Shopping Trip - Edinburgh

I love Autumn and I think that'll become clear over the next few days, but one of the places I think that makes Autumn even more special is Edinburgh.

After late night texting last night, my friend and I decided to get the train the next morning (today) and go into Edinburgh. The main intention was to shop but I think we both knew that we weren't going to spend a lot but were going to do a lot of walking about.

So after arriving early at the train station and bumping into my English teacher, I then had to wait for Pocahontas (she wants to remain anonymous!). Panic struck and I wasn't sure if she maybe thought that we were meant to go the day after, turns out she was just late! We ran and caught the train just in time. I was told that it was meant to be cold so I wrapped up warm but by the time we got  to Edinburgh the bitter chill in the air had disappeared and I was left boiling in my multiple layers.

I wore a H&M dress (can't find the link!), a pair of leggings as tights (to keep me warm), a woolly jumper from F&F at Tesco, a handbag from New Look, a tube scarf from H&M, black converse and a silver jacket. As some of my clothes are really old they aren't sold anymore!

We first started by walking about aimlessly and then decided that we should get an early lunch (Pocahontas had become too distracted by her TV to eat breakfast and I had only had a small breakfast). After debating while walking down multiple streets we decided to go to TGIFridays as Pocahontas had never been and I didn't believe it was too expensive. We arrived at 12 o'clock and it was reasonably quiet and got seated quickly. We quickly realised that it wasn't as cheap as I remebered it being and we began panicking (we are both trying to save up). In the end I ordered a Chicken Caesar Salad (it was only £10.99) and my friend ordered a Quesadilla  (also £10.99).

I loved the salad but Pocahontas wasn't too keen on her meal. The portions are huge, so she had some of mine, and the atmosphere is amazing. Would be amazing with a large group of friends!

We then began wandering and ended up in H&M, boots, superdrug etc. The shops weren't too busy as everyone was having lunch and there was a lot of summer sales (I feel another post coming on). We then began walking down Rose Street which is probably one of my favourite and there were many locals and tourists alike, including a group of teenagers from Colombia on an exchange programme. The atmosphere is amazing and I always feel like I'm in a different country. On our travels we found a lovely bakery, called Bibi's Bakery, where we both got a cupcake in a box!

My friend and I then went to Starbucks as she was wanting a white chocolate hot chocolate. It was super busy and they took our orders as soon as we walked in the door and then we would pay for them when we got to the till. They didn't have what my friend wanted, so she got a Vanilla Hot Chocolate and I ordered a Hazelnut Hot Chocolate. They were both "to go" and we headed to Princes Street Gardens. When we got there we sat on a bench and relaxed. Just people watching as tourists took photos, kids ran on the grass, couples held hands, and dogs sniffed the "wildlife". I had jokingly said that my name was Paula in Starbucks, which caused my friend to explode with laughter. She had never been to Starbucks before so this was a big moment but she loved it! We sat there drinking our Starbucks while taking ugly pictures of each other and looking at what we had bought (not that much). We then continued shopping and went to New Look and a phone case shop, the aimless walking continued and we then decided that it was time to go home and looked for train times, a 20 minute wait! So we went to WH Smith and looked about and then Boots, where my friend bought us popcorn. Can we please note how most of our money was spent on food!

We then caught the train and stuffed our faces with the popcorn. When we got back we said our goodbyes and that is my friend on holiday for a week, enjoy your travels Pocahontas!

Love,

Lauren

My Back to School Series: Supply Haul

For back to school everyone buys tonnes of supplies and a month in everything has disappeared except that 1 freebie pencil that you're unsure if the hotel wanted you to take!

I was like that but now I know how to avoid losing all of my stationary and ensure that I have all of the right stuff.

So I wrote a list and bought all of the stuff (mainly from Ryman). Here is my list (sorry there is no pictures):

1. Pens - A necessity but I only use blue ink (I think it looks neater) but for correcting my work I use red.
2. Pencils - I use mechanical pencils as they NEVER need sharpened.
3. Eraser - This comes in handy as I always make mistakes.
4. Tippex - I use the tippex mouse as liquid often spills and if you use it too much the pages can begin to crackle when you turn them.
5. Highlighter - I only bought 1 highlighter this year and it is bright green. I don't use them too much but they are really helpful for ensuring I memorise the most important points. (This is the closest I could get to what I bought).
6. Multi-Coloured Pens - When I want to pour some colour into my notes I use these pens (fineliners) to write them.
7. Ruler - It is required to have a ruler (30cm) for maths in my school but they are often too big to carry in my bag so I got a collapsible one!
8. Maths set - required.
9. Calculator - these are also required!
10. Pritt Sticks - Although our my school gives us glue sticks, for gluing in extra notes, they always run out or dry out within a month of school - so I bought my own.
11. Folders - carry jotters, homework or projects. Great and cheap!
12. Post Its - I use Post Its to keep note of homework and anything I'm likely to forget (doctors appointments, coffee dates etc). They are also great as quick revision notes that I leave about the house (learning some -ER verbs while making tea!).
13. Flashcards - great for quick revision while out and about, a lot of people swear by these but only use them if they help you study effectively.
14. Notebok (large) - I use this for studying at home as I like to copy my notes out until they are in my head.
15. Notebook (small) - Sometimes teachers only want you to take down certain notes but I want extensive notes, as it helps me while studying. This is when I might take down the extra notes in here. I also use this when doing last minute studying at lunch or if a teacher tells us to study for a test while in class.
16. Homework Diary - I love these! I honestly swear by these and I believe that these are one of the few things that help me stay organised. I also use mine to keep note of my social life and other random stuff, I keep these in sync with my calendar in my room and my phone calendar as well as the taxis calendar (also known as my mum and dad's calendars!).
17. Pencil Case - I saw this pencil case while shopping and fell in love with it; it is quite big and so pretty!
18. Lunch Box - A great size as it isn't too big or too small! How cute is it!!!!!
19. Water Bottle - This bottle is AMAZING! I heard about it a while back but after hearing another couple of people raving about it I decided that it was time to get it; the bottle is basically just a nicely shaped clear plastic bottle with a carbon filter.
20. School bag - I got this bag back in January and I love it! It is perfect; pretty, quite big (but not too big), great shape and good quality! (This is the closest I could get to my bag).

This post is mainly for me as it will help me next year to see what I bought. I hope that it might have also helped you and I have 2 more posts in this series unless there is any requests!

Love,

Lauren