Being the Girlfriend of a Go Kart Racer

Where do I start...

I have been dating this guy for the last year, who once a month, every month, is down at the go kart track racing, getting his pent up anger and frustration out in a safe and sporting way, just like every sportsman does. He knows he can go out there on that Sunday of the month and leave it out there and come away from it a new man as it were. 

Like any sport it has its highs and its lows and everything in between, I love being there to support him (and I wouldn't forgive myself if he got hurt and I wasn't there). I love him and I have to support him with this despite how scary and dangerous it can be sometimes. 

We enjoy the wins and we learn from the unfortunate events to, mechanical issues are always a funny one! especially watching them work away trying to fix one problem to find out it was something else entirely. He isn't part of a big team like most, some aren't as fortunate to spend thousands every weekend, its just him and his dad, on the odd weekend every months. 

Crashes happen sometimes and when it happens in his race my heart stops, thinking for just a split second it might be him until I see him come round that corner, sometimes crashes aren't as preventable as you might think, someone might have hit you causing a chain reaction, you just don't know whats happened in that moment, but you get the people who are too involved who are in it to win it and have temper tantrums when someone beats them, or they get taken out under circumstances out of any ones control, who ruin it for everyone. 

Just last month there was a huge crash, tempers were flaring because it was a hot day and thing happened... drinks and buckets of water were thrown, blame was passed to one person and the affects are still being felt in the build up to this coming race. It is horrifying watching someone go through that, someone you are close to, there is something known around the karting world called "Race and Respect" (i have linked for anyone who want to read.) but this is only really known at the tracks that operate under licence, for the ones that don't... it's a different story, people don't show self control, they don't show good sportsmanship, they only show that they are a sore looser, who will do anything to take the one person who can beat them out despite what the outcome of this might be and only look out for number 1. 

I dont know if anyone reading this is part of the karting world but please think before you act you dont always know the full story. Just think how would you like it if that was you being targetted or if it was your partner/ son/ husband? you probably wouldn't, so why should you cause it to someone else because you dont like how things have turned out?

I will just say the track that the crash i mentioned happened at, delt with it accordingly at the time and was informed of everything that happened after the race finished. So there is no fault on their behalf. 

Race and Respect. 

love always, 

B xx

I know I havent written in a while and this is a bit of a weird topic for me to write about but I had to get my thoughts down and emotions out to process, thank you for reading! 

Three Days In Dublin

Hey Guys, 

I Know, I know it's been awhile but I'm back! and I trust that you have all been well and stayed safe in my absence? 

In this post, I want to share my experiences of going to Dublin for a week with my parents and the exciting things I got up to while I was there. 

Now I live in the East of England and while I was away, it had apparently been terrible weather and no one quite believed that it was lovely and hot in Dublin, so hot that I got sunburned! YES, I KNOW I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE CAREFUL! but when you are having this much fun and your mother forgets the sun lotion you just have to live with it! 

The first day we got there I didn't really take any picture other than on my phone with got uploaded to my Instagram (linked). We just ended up exploring the area around the river Liffey  and getting some dinner in this little American diner style restaurant called "Eddie Rockets" we all agreed it was probably one of the best American meals we have had for a while!

On the second day, we did a Hop On Hop Off Bus tour of Dublin, showing us all the sights and telling us the history of the different areas of the city. Seeing Trinity College, The house where Oscar Wilde was born and the church he was christened, we stayed on the bus all the way around and then walked back to find the places we wanted to visit like the Oscar Wilde relaxing on a rock statue, the statue of Molly Malone and the natural history museum that is known by locals as the "dead zoo"

"The Museum houses one of the world's finest and fullest collections still to be seen today. Two million species, of which roughly half are insects, live side by side with, appropriately for a natural history museum, decorated and sculptured panels depicting mythological figures."

- http://www.visitdublin.com/see-do/details/national-museum-of-ireland-natural-history/31265/#53.339844|-6.253360|16

We then headed up to the Guinness Factory which we hadn't realised was quite a walk from where we were!
Whilst we were there I had my first taste of the drink. and honestly, it has probably ruined all other experiences trying it back here in England because I have heard from so many people how different it tastes! It was a great experience all in all!

That evening we went over to this kind of canal area near by the river, it seemed to be the favourite hangout for the local business men and women, taking a pack of beer and just hanging out till the sun sets. it was peaceful and beautiful and nothing like we could ever do in England without there being a problem

On the third and final day in Dublin, we had breakfast at the hotel and walked over to the Jameson factory in order to catch the Hop On Hop Off bus tour to do the other part of the city. After an hour and a half wait, we decided it was time to get coffee because we weren't getting the bus anytime soon, that was for sure!
We then walked over to the temple bar district and did a bit of shopping before heading back to the hotel to collect our bags and leave for the airport!

All in all, it was an amazing few days spent with my parents, quality time we wouldn't normally get at home. I would love to go back and explore the city some more, just walking around without a map and getting lost. I feel like that is the best way to explore a place you have never visited before.

Without Further ado I will leave you with some pictures from my trip.
Thank You So Much For Reading This Post!
What do you think is the best way to explore somewhere new?
Love,
B xxx

Birth Place Of Oscar Wilde

            

Oscar Wilde Statue

         

Oscar Wilde Quotes

In the 'Dead Zoo'

                                        

Molly Malone

Guinness

 

Temple Bar Mural 

H'apenny Bridge

Yesterdays World

Old things  have always interested me.

I look through all the things I have collected of my 18 years and all I see is happy memories. 

On one of my parents clear outs of things that they didn't want any more, I found this:

This is a old insert from a Canadian Broadsheet news paper called The Globe and Mail printed in September 1988. 

the main basis of this insert is about film reviews theres for Dead Ringer, and there are articles about Sigourney Weaver, and also tells you all the films that were playing in the cinemas at the time, ( I think this was back when they couldn't go online to read it) 

My mum kept this from her first trip with my dad to Canada as a kind of memento from their trip, 

and here she was about to throw it away but it interested me. I liked how old it looked, and I was also interested to read it (I think the only part I've actually read all of is the comics) 

It was put in a draw and forgotten about until last night. I was going through my draws trying to find something and i found it, tucked away with some photo albums. 

I'll confess I have been struggling to find something to write about on here for a little while, which is why I've skipped a few weeks here and there. So, when I found this old paper I instantly thought this is what I want to write about.

Many of you know I have a connection with Canada that makes me want to be there all the time. I will be going about my day/ week/ year normally but there is always a part of me that wishes I was there. 

The sense of place and belonging I had when I last went there was phenomenal something I had never felt before, although thats probably because in just a few short days I knew we would be with family, family we hadn't seen in a long while. 

This Newspaper is definitely showing its age but thats just what old things do,

they age with time, but that just makes them more precious and worth hanging on to. 

Do you have anywhere that you feel you have a sense of place in? 

let me know in the comments I would be interested to hear your thoughts! 

Love, 

B xxxxx 

A Letter To A Friend

Hey Guys, 

Ever since I was little I would always get excited when there was any form of mail waiting for me on the door mat when I woke up, even if it was something extremely boring, even now I get excited probably every time i hear the letterbox go because there might be something waiting for me to open and read. 

So, back in September when Raiona (mentioned in previous blog posts and owner of raionahope.uk) and I went off our separate ways to university, We decided we would keep in touch by any means possible. We know that we are both adults and may not always have time to see each other as much as we used to or have time to write long winded texts updating each other on what was going on with us.

We chose a method that some teenagers would find rather out dated, we decided to write letters, its not that hard to do, just need some paper, a pen and something to write about, its not to dissimilar from writing a blog post really, except there are more personal things written in a letter than on a website. 

There is something so much more intimate about writing things down in letters, they are something that you can keep forever, where as a text will just get deleted after a while. 

Raiona and I are both keen writers, as shown by our blogs. However we both found knowing what to write in letters to each other hard at first. Its all about getting the right balance of talking about yourself and asking questions the other can answer in their response. 

I get excited every time i see a hand written letter waiting for me  from Rai and I honestly save each one so I can read them back in the future. I love this little tradition we have started in our friendship and I hope it lasts a very long time. 

Do you have anyone you like to write to? 

What are your thoughts on hand written letters? 

Please feel free to answer these questions in the comments below! 

Love Always, 

B xxx

Thank You for 1000 Views!!!

Hey Guys, 

Hope you are all well and are prepared/ excited for the christmas festivities to begin! 

It still feels rather surreal that I am writing this post, because i can't quite believe we have done it. 

We have reached 1,000 views on this blog. 

Image found on google

When I started this little space on the internet back in 2013 I never dreamed it would get this far. For me it started as a kind of diary thing where i would just share what i was getting up to and really I started it because I just thought it would be fun to do! I wasn't very regular with my uploads (Heck I'm still not!) but thats because life always has a habit of getting in the way (At least I'm getting out of the house though hey ;). 

Since starting my Lifes Little Update  back up with a semi-regular upload it has turned into a place where I can write about things I am passionate about, things that have been on my mind for a while and also still as a place where I can write about what I have been getting up to!

I guess all that is left to say is a huge thank you to everyone that has been reading my blog, the people who have supported me from the beginning. Thank you to those who have returned post after post to keep reading! And to those who have just stumbled upon my ramblings about life. Welcome. I hope you stay and continue to follow my journey through life. 

I am only 18, I have the rest of my life ahead of me, and I hope you will join me on my journey into the unknown. 

I will see all you lovely people on Sunday, with a regularly scheduled post, have an amazing christmas! 

Love, 

B x

P.s. If you have a blog, share it with me in the comments below, I would love to find out more about you :) 

What I Have Been Up to So Far...

Hey Guys, 

So I have a confession to make. I have been a very bad blogger. Its no secret that I am terrible at managing my time, I was doing so well this summer to get posts out for you guys to read, and since joining University that has gone down hill. Because of this I owe you an apology, I will try to plan ahead and write more posts in advance so that I have content to post each week!

Since September I have been working Long hours at work, being named "chief weekender" by my manager ( I think this is just because I have been there so long!) On November 21st 2015 I had been at WH Smiths for 2 years, that is a long time for any weekend staff because usually they leave after about a year and a half to go to university, I am very fortunate to be able to keep my job and go to university were I am.

 In University news I had my first deadline on the 13th of November, This was taking up the majority of my time, which is also why this blog had to take a kind of back seat. 

Doing a Degree in photography is different and so much more difficult than A Level, you have to put a lot of time and effort into it otherwise you just won't get the grades. You have to be prepared to do whatever it takes to "get the shot". 

More recently, one of my friends, Raiona (blog linked) asked me to take some pictures for her to use on said blog. If you haven't checked her out you should, she is an amazing, talented writer who shares thoughts, opinions, advice and even the odd recipe! Rai's blog is well worth the read and i can guarantee if you like the things I write about, you will LOVE her! (That might be my very biased opinion but you should judge for yourself), It was about time I shared her content with all you lovely people. I will share the images I took in another post when I have edited and shared them with her. 

You can follow my journey through my degree on my photography blog (linked)

I know this is a short post, but hey its only been a couple of months! 

Love, 

Becca xx
  

University Part 2

Hey guys! 

So, after I posted university part 1 I fully intended to post a part 2 a week later. 

However I got swept up with university life and found it hard to keep on with my blog and getting my assignments done! 

What can I say, 7 Weeks later  and my fears and anxieties are gone. With commuting to Norwich I found it quite hard having got be up at 6:00 every morning just to be in for lectures starting at 9:00 it was physically draining especially with my recent increase in hours at work. i was getting to the point where something was going to have to give. 

I can say now that after the first week i was only having to be in for 9:00 twice a week which made it so much more bearable! and being in work for 7:30 on a Saturday became easier and easier, it is really all about adapting your sleep patterns and your body getting accustomed to the early starts ( it helped that I do drink a lot of coffee!!!!)

I have made so many new friends, that my mum calls "my own kind" which i find quite funny, I am really enjoying my course and I am learning a lot! 

However when we go into workshops we get given a number and told to go stand with the other people that have that number, this is quite a downside when you get split up from the friends you've made an effort to make! 

Despite this it hasn't put me off going into uni, the lecturers and really good and passionate about the subject but they are also willing to help if you need it. I was really struggling at first, I didn't know how to use my camera in manual mode and I also didn't have a clue about the lighting equipment, this was only because the equipment at my old school was very minimal and we barely got to use it. I was like a fish out of water. It was good to make friends that were in the same position as me. 

By far, the best part about my University if our Friday morning lectures, yes it is an early morning one, however each week is a different guest lecturer, some are students that have graduated in previous years and others and fully fledged photographers that have had a long career! It makes me excited to continue with the course and get somewhere. 

The people on my course are all so lovely, we all get along with everyone which makes it so much easier when we get split up into groups. Like today for example, none of my friends were in my workshop because of other things going on and we got split into groups for our lighting workshop (Disclaimer: I had worked with the people in my group before) and the rest of my group helped to put the equipment up ( something I'm still getting my head around) and we just had fun with what we were doing, I haven't laughed that much in  a long while. 

For anyone that is worried about starting university in September ( I know its less that a year away but still!) I would say don't be, it is one of the best experiences you could have, everyone else is in the same position as you, and there is always help available if you need it. I have always been quite a shy reserved person but I found just going up to people on your course and saying "Hi" is one of the best things you can do! 

And just remember, Be you, there is no one else better. 

Love, 

Becca xx

P.s. If you want to read my photography blog i have put together for my course the link is:

rebeccaedwardsphotography.blogspot.co.uk

Exam Results... EEEK!

Hey Guys!

I'm so sorry I have missed three upload days. I found that I didn't really know what to write about. However out of nowhere I have found that inspiration. 

So, for many of us in the UK the last two weeks have really been hell. Last week for me was A Level results day, where we get given results from a standardised test which are designed to test your memory rather than how good you are at the subject. I took combined English, Media and Photography. All subjects that I love however, It comes down to the fact you need to write a certain way or edit photos in one singular way... Our whole lives we are taught to be true to ourselves and express who we are. If this was truly the case, why are we made to do something one set way? That I just don't understand!

photo credit to google images

Now don't take what I just said the wrong way, I did quite well in my A Levels... All things considered. In my mind as well I don't think i would have got that far without the amazing support network my college had to offer or the immense support my family gave to. 

To get into my first choice university I needed to get three Bs. This is what the university has said I should achieve to be able to get when I was predicted two Bs and a C... I did not get this when results came out.

We are told that results are everything that they shape our future. Letters on a page tell you what you can and can't do, when in reality we make our own future, we define who we are as a person. This is something that a bit of paper can't do. I once knew someone that didn't take her GCSEs to prove a point. She wanted to prove to everyone that you don't need qualifications to get a job and you can still do well for yourself regardless.

This just proves that it isn't the end of the world if you don't get the "right" grades. There are always options available to you no matter what happens.

At the end of the day I was lucky despite not getting the conditional 3 B's, because I was still accepted into my first choice University.

As teenagers in todays world we are lucky to be able to go further than our parents may have had the opportunity to.
We get out of the world, what we put into it. If you work hard for what you want then you can achieve anything you set your mind to.

Just remember to breath!

Love,
Becca

A Day In Cambridge

Hey Guys,

So I know every time I write a post, I say I'm going to get more active on here and write a lot more posts (the same with my YouTube really) but then life gets in the way as it always does and I found that I didn't have the time to sit in front of my computer and just type like I am now. Enough with the excuses though! this will probably only be a short post because I don't have a lot to say but here goes nothing!

Today I took a trip into Cambridge, armed with my trusty camera and tripod to finally get that photography work I had been putting off done.

The exam word I chose to focus on this year is "solitude" probably one of the hardest ones to do and I found myself losing a lot of motivation for the art and not wanting to be out with my camera. however with a week until the final 15 HOUR! exam, and with a lot of nagging from my parents i went out and actually had a lot of fun!

the concept for this shoot was to capture crowds in long exposure to show movement and also convey a sense of being lost like you weren't actually there, a ghost.how does this link to solitude? well it proves ho alone you can feel sometimes, even in a crowded place. 

the whole morning i was out my mum came with to be my "assistant" for lack of a better word, and we had a lot of fun (she was mainly laughing at me getting annoyed with my camera but that's not the point!) by the end of it we came out with some pretty good shots and had some good quality time together, We even had our photo taken quite obviously by a older man with his SLR camera, quite creepy but hey ho what can we do! 

So without further ado, here is a few photos from today that i think turned out the best!

ENJOY!!!

Love, 

Becca x

Life little update

Hey Guys!

So I haven't blogged in a while, and trust me there is a good reason! Life just got in the way, I've had a tone of exams to revise for and even finding time to go to work has been hard but I've managed! 

So what's been going on behind the scenes?

Well a couple of weeks ago me and a friend were lucky enough to go to the Birmingham LG arena to see McBusted it was so good! probably the best concert I've ever been to (although I don't have a lot of concerts to compare them to!) I was young when Busted broke up and I used to listen to the only album it had on repeat do it was a dream made reality to go see an ultimate super group LIVE! It was definitely the best break between exams, which I have finally finished yesterday!!!!! Now I am free to live my life without having to worry about college, which I spend mostly on social media or sleeping (I know living life to the full!!!) 

That's about all from me, I shall leave you with some pictures from McBusted! 

Updates to come soon! 

Rebecca x