Sunday

52 Shoes XI

I know I haven't exactly published my 52 Shoes series every week, but with the current weather it's been tricky to wear a different pair of shoes each week. I only have a certain number of impermeable shoes so I need to wear the same pair over and over again. When the weather dries out, I'll take some extra ones to make up for it.

Yesterday, I bought some new shoes. One of the girls at school said to me "Remember to buy new shoes over Easter". I couldn't let her down now, could I?
 I got them in Peacocks, which is a really great place for shoes. I have a fondness for silver shoes, since they're perfect for Florida as Slytherin-inspired footwear! 
Look at them! Look how shiny! 

Easter eggs

Aren't Cadbury Easter eggs just the best? Nothing tastes better than one of their Easter eggs! This year, my job brought me an unexpected bonus- An armful of chocolate! I'm a very lucky teacher! 



Whatever you're up to, I hope you have a lovely day!

Saturday

30th March 2013

 Hat: Ebay
Top: Primark
Dress: Topshop

When I was 17, I went to a fancy dress party as Alex from A Clockwork Orange. I wasn't a fan of hats but the bowler hat looked awesome on me. I ended up going to the local rock club for the first time that night, and started going every week. I had this notion that the hat softened my round face and made me look older, so I'd wear it every single week. I was fiercely protective of  it (it's amazing how many drunk men want to wear a bowler hat!), and I became known as The Girl in the Hat. 

Eventually, the plastic hat crumpled and split, and got lost in the confines of my youth. For years, I've coveted a real one but they're so expensive! Then the miraculous happened- The bowler hat came into fashion and cheap reproductions were all over the high street. I actually got this one on ebay, since it's cheaper on there. 

I love my hat! I feel like Madeleine in this outfit, and I can dance around with it like this: 
Plus, I can still pretend that I'm in A Clockwork Orange!

Oh, and if you wanted to see the original outfit from 2005, here you go:
Wow, camera phone technology was certainly fantastic in the mid-00s, right! 

Word of March review

I have to be honest. I started the month with really good intentions. Then I complete forgot that I was trying to achieve my potential.

I did manage a couple of things though. For one thing, I've taken on a little extra work with a year group that I don't have any experience with, so that's definitely going to push me career-wise. 

As for my blog, well, I've kept it going. Oh, I'm going to a bloggers' meet up tomorrow, actually. I'm terrified about it but I'm going to do it. I can reach my potential. I'm not sure if non-socially-awkward-potential is a thing, but I'm going to achieve it! 

I've chosen a much easier word for next month, and it's one that I'm very excited about achieving! You'll find out all about it in just a couple of days. 

Friday

FF XXXIV: Easter Special

These crochet chicks and eggs are the cutest thing ever! They can be removed from the egg. I think I need one in every colour. 
This is a cute story about a woman who discovered an unwrapped Easter egg in her mother's home, dating back to 1957. 
Isn't this the prettiest Easter egg ever? It's totally acceptable to spend £60 on chocolate when it's this beautiful, right?
I absolutely love these Pantone-decorated Easter eggs. 
Just look at Jenny's adorable vintage Easter bunny!

101 in 1001 V

Time for another 101 in 1001 update. I'm really starting to get into these. 

#57 Collect my perfume wishlist
Yep, this one is still going. Let's face it- It will never end! I love Marc Jacobs Daisy, so when I heard that a special limited edition called Daisy Sunshine was released, I had to have it. Plus, the bottle is just so cute! Look at it! 

#67 Read 14 books
I mentioned last week that 14 books is pathetic. Yes, I'm a little embarrassed to make that my target. However, I've read 5 books in the past month, so I think I can start upping the ante soon. This month, I've read Catcher in the Rye, It's Not Me, It's You, Witness, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Virgin Suicides. Phew! The most recent ones have book reviews all lined up and scheduled for the coming weeks. 

#68 Buy a granny blanket
I've wanted a granny blanket for the longest time. Although I see loads of them out and about, there's always something getting in the way. Either they're super expensive, or the colours aren't right together, or I'm a long way from home and the blanket is massively heavy. Finally, I found the perfect blanket in a charity shop 5 minutes away. It's pink and it was only £8. They also had a blue and a yellow one. I might need to pop back on payday! 

#82 Watch the backlog of films I've downloaded
I have an insane number of films that I (Rich) have downloaded but never watched. This month, after reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I decided to watch the film. Surprisingly, it was one of those rare instances when the film is actually better than the book. That might have something to do with the fact that the director is the author of the book. 

Thursday

Book Review: Witness

Witness - David Smith with Carol Ann Lee
Witness: The Story of David Smith, chief prosecution witness in the Moors Murders case
I'm very interested in true crime, especially serial killers. It's an interest my dad shares, so he always had lots of crime books around the home and, as an inquisitive, reading-obsessed child, I'd soak up these books. One day, I came across a book called something like "The Black List". It was all about prisoners who will never be released, and had the infamous Myra Hindley mugshot on the cover. I was surprised to see a woman, and asked my dad who she was. When he told me, he was so full of hatred for her that my interest was immediately piqued. I've always had this morbid curiosity so I wanted to find out more about who she was and eventually ended up reading quite a lot about the Moors Murders. 

I think I felt the need to preface this review with that just so you know I'm not a total weirdo! I know there are a lot of fellow crime-interested people out there who will understand that I have no desire to break the law myself! I just find the psychology behind it very interesting. 
Extract of Witness by David Smith
I chose this book after reading Carol Ann Lee's One of Your Own last summer. I found her writing style very accessible and her insight into the mind of Britain's most famous murderess was fascinating. Reviews on Amazon showed that this book was just as critically acclaimed, so I gave it a go.

True to form, I very much enjoyed this book. David Smith, Myra Hindley's brother-in-law, was the chief prosecution witness in the trial, but many people believed that he played a larger part in the murders than he let on. He was hounded by the British press and public, eventually moving away to Ireland with his second wife. He died in May last year, but there was no mention in the press about it. There are many people out there who still believe he was a central figure in the murders. Winnie Johnson, the mother of Keith Bennett, believed herself that David Smith was just as bad as Hindley and Brady. 
Book written by David Smith, who reported Ian Brady and Myra Hindley
In a way, it seems wrong to say I enjoyed it. Smith's life was wrought with trauma, from his mother abandoning him as a baby, to his involvement with Hindley and Brady, to his suicide attempt. However, the book is told through his own memoirs and in his own words for a large part of the book. The rest is written by Lee, using information garnered from her meetings with Smith and his second wife, Mary. 

It's his opportunity to tell the world his story, away from the sensationalism of journalists, or the motives of Hindley and Brady. He is frank about the wrongs he has done- He planned a bank robbery with Brady, attacked a man in a pub, euthanised his father- but never makes excuses for his actions. It's easy to understand the way he has acted and it makes the reader wonder how they would react in his situation. 

Eventually, the book opens up to a message of hope. Smith eventually settled down with Mary, opened a B&B in Ireland, and lived a life with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Every aspect of his life is so interwoven that we are led to wonder whether he would have had the peaceful retirement that he ended up with, albeit it with the dark memories that haunted him into his 60s. Does Smith regret the path his life took? We're left to make our own conclusions. 


Buy Witness here

Affiliate links have been used in this post

Wednesday

My Lipstick Collection

I love lipsticks. Especially red lipstick. Funnily enough, it took me about 6 months to find the first red lipstick I was happy with. These days, I can pretty much pick up any red lipstick and know it will suit me. 
 My favourite of all time is MAC Lady Bug. What's yours? 

Tuesday

Book review: It's Not Me, It's You

It's Not Me, It's You by Jon Richardson
 I see a lot of myself in Jon Richardson. For those who are not UK-based, Jon Richardson is a comedian whose work is mostly based around his obsessive quest for perfection in everything around him. I find his comedy hilarious as he pretty much speaks my mind. Ok, I'm not as pedantic about tidiness, but I certainly have an irrational hatred of incorrect apostrophes and believe in the power of eating dinner in the "right" order. 

It's Not Me, It's You is a written account of his quest to find love. Understandably, it's difficult to find someone when your mind is preoccupied with wondering how the future will pan out even before the first text. It's a funny book and it made me laugh out loud several times. Maybe just because I relate to so much of it.

Despite the comedy, it is a little bleak too at times. It's easy to understand how difficult Jon Richardson's life must be and, although he makes light of it, I can imagine it must be incredibly lonely at times. 

All in all, it's a good book for a light, entertaining read that gives an insight into what it's really like to have these funny little quirks. Though I'm going to protest that being pernickity about apostrophes is perfectly reasonable! 

A Day in the Life of Becky: March

9am Why do I always wake up early on a weekend? Is it too much to ask for the ability to sleep through until lunch on a Saturday?

10am Some Friends with my breakfast. Can't go wrong. 

11am Time to put my face on! 

12pm I discovered this little pink ribbon in my wardrobe and thought it would look cute in my hair. 

1pm The charity bookshop down the road from us is pretty much my favourite shop in the world! 

2pm A little walk in the snow.

3pm A mid-afternoon sticky bun treat. 
4pm Taking some photos for le blog. 

5pm An early bath time...Nobody wants to see a photo of that! 
6pm Wallowing in my post-MCR misery

7pm Time to edit the photos I took earlier in the day.

8pm Diary-writing. This is actually a safe-to-share entry from a couple of weeks ago. I don't want to be revealing my innermost secrets with the world! 
 9pm Onesie cosiness. 
10pm Some bedtime reading before snuggling up for the night.

Monday

Call to Sponsors: April

Drip drip drop little April showers and all that! Can you believe we're already a quarter of the way through the year? It's going so fast! If you were thinking about sponsoring a blog this year, you'd better get moving. Only 9 months left, after all!

If you're a blog or a business, big or small, and you're interested in sponsoring Becky Bedbug, I'd love to hear from you!

All sponsors get an advert in my sidebar for 30 days, reaching out to my 1100+ followers across GFC and Bloglovin'. You also get a shout out on Twitter and, with the Dinosaur Bear, Daddy Bear and Mummy Bear options, featured in a sponsor post on Becky Bedbug. Plus, I'm working on some really exciting new features that will be part of each package. Better yet, these extras will be free for April! I'll be revealing all next week, so keep your eyes peeled! (Or email me, if you simply can't wait!)

Prices start from just $6/ £3.70 so there is an option to suit all budgets! You'd better be quick though, because this is the last month at this price. For May, I'm going to be increasing my prices slightly. Don't worry too much though. I promise they'll still be affordable! 

Full details can be found on my sponsorship page. I'm also happy to host giveaways and review products, so get in touch if this is something you're interested in. I look forward to having you on board! 

Snow in March

It's snowing. Again. Seriously, this is the end of March. Want to see what I was wearing this time last year? 
And what am I wearing now? Erm, this...
 These photos were taken exactly one year apart, to the day. England is crazy. 
Although snowy- and I really hate snow- it was a nice day. We popped down to the charity shops, where I managed to resist everything except a couple of books, and then had a little walk in the snow. I have to admit, I do love taking photos of snowy landscapes. 

Saturday

25 things fat people shouldn't do #12

"25 Things Fat People Shouldn't Do is an unabashed middle finger to the preposterous idea that any human who weighs more than the status quo does not deserve to live a full and well rounded (ahem) life. The list of 25 is composed word for word from direct lists of sheer assholery found on the internet. These range from the absurd to the profoundly shameful, and I will be disproving this offensive notion with style. May the Chub Club live long and prosper!"-The Militant Baker

Be Straight
I'm not quite sure how this one works out. Fat people can only be gay, I guess. Because straight guys wouldn't like a fat woman, so fat women can only be lesbians? But then what about fat men? I don't know. Some people are crazy. 

Anyway, as you probably all know, I'm engaged to Rich and he's pretty damn awesome. And infuriating. You know how it is. I recently wrote a post about him so I won't repeat myself now. All you need to know is, I'm marrying a man and I love him. There. Deal with it. 

A note on My Chemical Romance

I was hesitant about posting this. The internet is currently full of teenage girls sobbing into their pillows and I didn't want to come across as annoying or whiny. However, MCR were such a huge part of my life as I grew up that it doesn't seem to right to just ignore it and carry on as normal. I want to be honest.
~~~
This morning, I woke up to the news that My Chemical Romance have announced their split. As I've mentioned on many times before, most recently two days ago, MCR played a very important part in my life.
My Chemical Romance gig

Friday

FF XXXIV

I want to live here
Ok, I need this notebook in my life! 
Such a pretty font
This photo is beautiful.

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