I like mine... #totesbig!

Some of you may be reading the title of this post and thinking, what on earth?, but I promise, it's not as weird as it seems!

Cath Kidston are currently running a promotion for their new range of tote bags; encouraging girls to snap a picture of what's currently inside their bag of choice, and which they prefer - big or small. The contents range between all kinds of things, and although mine is pretty standard* (*boring), I thought I'd give it a go anyway! Apologies for the awful quality of the photo, I'm not a photographer in anyway. 

My bag itself is a results day treat to myself from Accessorize. It's on the larger side, with two large pockets and a middle section. It's a gorgeous tan and has handles the perfect length to carry on your should. It cost me just under £35 with student discount.

• In my bag I normally carry a few things. I'm never without my iPhone 5 & of course, earphones. I love listening to music, especially on the go, and never fail to post a quick tweet, or miss an Instagram opportunity!
•  I've also popped in a bottle of water - I find it really difficult to keep hydrated on the go and so I try to carry water with me, especially if it's a day where I'm singing or performing. 
• My house keys are just next to the bottle of water - I'm absolutely useless at remembering these and am permanently locked out/having to bang the door down before I can get back inside! The key ring attached is a cute tortoise made out of coloured beads that a friend brought me back from a trip to Zimbabwe.
•  Underneath those is my notebook & a fine liner. I got this notebook from John Lewis & I love the print on it. I use it to scrapbook/document my day to day life, and also to make notes of anything that I've got to do.
• My sunglasses also go in on sunny days- these are a couple of years old now, from Topshop. They're black with gold hearts on the sides.  
• Below my sunglasses is my purse - I hate carrying cash as I find that it's easier to spend, but my cards & any loose change are just in this Cath Kidston coin purse. I like that it's oil cloth and I think the pattern of the fabric is really cute, but I'm currently looking at saving for a purse that's more of a wallet, so it's easier to find things.
• If I'm going on a longer journey, like over to my aunt's or up to London on the train, I'll pop my current book or my Kindle in my bag as well. This is 'Oryx & Crake' by Margaret Attwood, that I'm reading for English next year. I really like using my Kindle on journeys because it's so light, and I have so many books on there that I can pick whatever I fancy. It's a lot less bulky than a paperback, although I still don't think anything can beat holding a book whilst you read. 
• Finally, I've just got a lipgloss (a lovely Bourjois pink, which is my current fave).

How about you? What do you keep in your bag? And perhaps more importantly...are you totes big or totes small?! Let me know!

Helena x

Dogfight at the Southwark Playhouse

On Friday the 8th August I headed up to London for the day. I had two plans; take my driving theory test, and to see the first preview of the European premiere of Dogfight - one of my favourite shows! Sadly, I'd never actually seen it before, due to its only prior performances being in America, although the cast recording has been on repeat for at least a year. Needless to say I was incredibly excited for this, although slightly nerve wracked by the prospect of my theory test!

Luckily I passed my driving theory, and with a few hours to kill in the London Bridge area, Mum & I grabbed a quick drink in Costa (their ginger beer is gorgeous!), and headed down to the Hayes indoor shopping area. It backs directly onto the River Thames, right next to the HMS Belfast. It was quite touristy, but lovely & definitely worth a visit. I picked up a book for English & then we walked about a mile down to the Southwark Playhouse.

I'm by no means a theatre critic/professional at all, and I want to make this short, so I will just give you a few of my thoughts on the production!

Personally, I absolutely adored it. I thought the casting was brilliant, down to each ensemble member - you could really see exactly why they had picked each actor. 

It was quite a small performance area, with a cast of around eleven actors. However, this definitely worked in it's favour as it gave the performance a very intimate, personal feel, which made the stark contrast of war very shocking and emotional. The audience on three sides also meant that there was a lot of movement by the actors, which kept it energetic and meant it was very naturalistic. It was an incredibly clever use of space and the choreography especially really enhanced this - it felt like such a big cast and it really conveyed the excitement of these six laddish young marines, heading off to war! The set was very simple but worked effectively, and the pieces, such as a bed, a few chairs and a table enabled layers to be used well to create interest.

I've not gone into the plot in much detail at all as it's pretty easy to find with a quick google, so my parting remark will just be to urge you to go and see this show. Full of emotion, and superbly acted, sung & directed, it's definitely a must-see! 

Dogfight is running until the 13th September at the Southwark Playhouse & tickets can be bought directly from their website. ☺️