Summer is on the way

Happy June! Now it is officially summer (well, sort of - it officially kicks off on 21st June but let's for the sake of it, pretend that it is), any normal, sane person would expect the sun to be shining, the BBQs to be sizzling in gardens, the air to smell of flowers and cut grass, the trees to be blossoming beautifully, people to be smiling, laughing, and having a great time.

Well, that was certainly the case last week. But considering I live in the UK, a.k.a. land of ever changing and unpredictable weather, someone, I don't know who, has decided to smack a few great big clouds over the top of our glorious island, and thus the rainy summer days have begun.

Yes, I'm afraid if you were expecting a bit of a happy, chirpy blog writing from me this afternoon, you are greatly mistaken. Because in fact, I'm in a very bad mood and in definite need of a rant. So if you're already depressed by my solemn and grumpy attitude, then it's perhaps best to stop reading, and to go and do something much more productive and positive with your time.

I should also probably mention that my first year at Uni is in fact over, which is very bizarre considering it feels like I've only just started. And, if I must be honest, right now I'm wishing I was still there. I have been home all of 3 days, and for 2 of these days I have had stupid, ridiculous and tiresome arguments with my Mum which I cannot even be bothered to go into, that's how stupid and ridiculous and tiresome they are. Living in a house with an atmosphere so tense you could cut it with a butter knife is not the best feeling, and right now I'd very much like to re-pack my bags and get on the next train back to Uni. But that won't solve anything, especially considering it's raining and I don't want to go outside, and also - this house has food and my Uni house doesn't. Therefore, I should probably stay where I won't starve to death, or have the temptation to order absurd amounts of Dominos pizza and munch them in front of the telly. So I'm going to stick it out here, for the next 4 months. I'm not sure I'll make it out the other side. But there's no harm in trying. Right?

Also in the news, this morning at 10:30 am, my best friend jumped on a flight to San Francisco and won't be returning for another 4 months. This is another reason why I'm feeling very down in the dumps. She's going to work at Camp America in North California, and I'm so incredibly excited for her, but I'm going to miss her very very much.

And finally, the most significant news of the weekend has to be that it has been 60 years since the Queen's Coronation i.e. The Diamond Jubilee. I'm a bit of a sucker for Royal events - I loved the Royal Wedding last year so I was ecstatic for this year's patriotic celebration. Though, to be honest, it's been a teeny bit pants so far. Yesterday was the parade in town, which as ever was shockingly bad with hardly anyone turning up, and those that did need not have bothered because it lasted about 5 minutes. It rained through the whole thing, so everyone was slightly damp by the end. There was also a funfair on at East Court, which is this massive public park near my house with a playground and mansion for the town council, and huge fields around it. We shouldn't have bothered turning up there either, as it was very boring. Then again, being boring is one of East Grinstead's top talents, so in retrospect it was actually very successful.

The funfair continued onto today, but after the row I've just had with my mother, I very much doubt we'll be doing any kind of celebrating/spending time together until one of us apologises. Admittedly, I did try to about 10 minutes ago but I just got another earful so I quickly made myself a coffee and ran back up to my room to hide for a bit longer.

I think I've vented for as long as I needed to now. It does make you feel much better getting it out of your system. Although, while I'm feeling a bit better, I've probably made everyone else feel a bit worse. Sorry, but I commend you all for an admirable sacrifice on my behalf.

Happy Diamond Jubilee!

Nats. X

What's new

Hi world.

I've just arrived back at University from being at home for a month on my Easter holidays. It went far too quickly, and I'm already a bit homesick, which, to be honest, is pretty bad. I'm 19, I need to man the hell up and stop whining. I'm going back in 5 weeks so I should suck it up and be strong. It probably won't happen, but it's nice to give myself a bit of motivation.

The Easter holidays were fantastic. I saw my friends, I saw my family, I lost my mobile, I got my mobile replaced. I went to the cinema, I went to Croydon, I went to the pub (several times), I went to see my favourite band in the entire world in Hammersmith. I laughed. I cried. I fell over (several times, and not just while drunk). I've worn ridiculous clothes (many thanks to my close "friend" Daisy Ottman for that one). The one thing, I regrettably have to admit that I haven't done, is work.

But I'm back now, ready to crack on, take the bull by the horns, etc. etc.... Although, admittedly, I have been awake for the best part of 6 hours, and I am still yet to actually get anything productive done, other than help my housemate unpack his shopping, break the shower, and write this blog.

Tonight, I'm going to a St. George's Day themed party for my friend's birthday. It should be quite interesting, although I'm a bit anxious about how the evening will pan out. First of all, my friend is putting the guys and girls into pairs, so each 'damsel in distress' (that would be the girls) has a 'knight' (that would be the guys) to take care of her all night. And yet in all honesty, I've been having a quick stalk on Facebook of the guys attending this thing, and quite frankly, I'm unimpressed. And while three of my best guy mates have been invited as well, two of them are boyfriend and boyfriend, and have asked to be paired up together, and the other one is no longer going. So I, no doubt, will be stuck with winner of least attractive man of the year award who has more spots than a dot to dot puzzle and a face which looks like it's been hit by a bus. Wonderful.

10 little facts

Hi world. Because I'm a newbie to this whole blogging thing, I thought it would be good to introduce myself properly.

1. I'm British, and I'm proud of it. I have no idea what the most popular nationality of bloggers is on here, but I'm guessing most of them are Americans. I've heard the Americans like the British. So I thought that might be a good place to start.

2. I'm 19 year old - a 'spring chicken', as my Grandmother would say. The world's my oyster at the moment. I'm still figuring out who I am and what I want to do with my life, but enjoying the ride.

3. I'm a first year student at University studying English Literature. I really really love English. It's mind-blowing when you think about the enormity of power that words hold, the way they can change things, the way books can influence a debate, and raise awareness to issues and problems within Western societies and culture. I know so many people who consider English to be such a doss subject because obviously, English people use English as a language all the time. But they're wrong - English is not all it's cracked up to be. It goes way beyond anything you ever learnt at senior school. More English-related blog posts to come. You're probably getting the sense that I like English.

4. Of course, I really should have put this as the number one thing about myself, but to be honest, the thought didn't even cross my mind. If you haven't already guessed, I'm a girl. The name 'Natalie' probably gave it away. I'm yet to meet a boy named Natalie, but if you happen to come across one, tell him I said hi.

5. I bite my nails. It's an awful habit which I've been trying to shake off for the past 15 years. Not having much luck thus far.

6. I am likely to be one of the clumsiest human beings you will ever meet in your entire life. My severe lack of co-ordination is actually prize-winning and I'm surprised I am yet to be awarded some form of certificate or medal for my fantastic efforts in dropping things, breaking things, spilling things.... shamefully the list goes on.

7. I have a bit of an addiction to music and have my radio on every day, my favourite bands being Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, The Vaccines and so on. I'm also a huge lover of the band McFly (most people mock them, I, however, worship them). I'm going to see them for the third time in April with my best friends and we are all very very excited.

8. My ultimate best friend, my partner in crime, my right-hand man (or woman, in this instance), my top amigo, my sister-from-another-mister, is called Alice. I've known her for 8 years, I'd trust her with my life and I know I can rely on her in any situation. We've had ups and downs like any friendship has, but we always pull through and we already know that we'll continue to be best friends until we're covered in wrinkles and liver spots, being carted around in wheelchairs shouting the odds at whoever gets in our way.

9. I also have a fantastic group of mates who mean the absolute world to me.  You know you see in those typical coming-of-age movies about school cliques and little girl troupes parading around, generally being a bit wacky and getting into all sorts of madness? That's us. I have so many great memories being with those girls, and now with everyone off doing their own thing, it's a rarity that we get to be all together again like the old days. But when we get the chance to reunite as a group, it's as though absolutely nothing has changed.

10. Fact number ten. (I'd better make this a good one.) Since I haven't mentioned them, and I really should, I want to talk about my family. Like most people, I have a Mum and a Dad and I've also got two brothers. My family mean everything to me and I'm definitely a family-orientated, 'homey' person. I love being at home, even if we're not doing anything exciting, just being there is fantastic in itself. My family and I gel together so well, we fit together like pieces of a puzzle. I love them to bits and genuinely can't imagine how awful life would be without them.