Time to Get Productive

Monday 21^st July; the first day of the first week of my summer holidays. Right now it feels as though the forty-nine days left until we start school again in September will go on forever, but after getting older and experiencing laid-back summers that flew by and the subsequent last week of panic to finish all my summer homework, I have realised that forty-nine days really isn’t that long a time. I need to get stuck into this school work now!

Image: All My Summer School Work

My summer to do list for school isn’t too ghastly this year, if I’m honest, but I still need to get it all done in good time to make more room for the fun stuff. Two parts of Travel & Tourism coursework need completing, which shouldn’t be too arduous a task, however it isn’t the most interesting and exciting part of my summer plans. For English Literature and English Language, on the other hand, I am tasked with what happens to be my favourite pass-time: reading. In Literature we are studying Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy for our exam at the end of Year Thirteen, which I have already started and am thoroughly enjoying. I am currently part-way through Phase the Fifth of Tess, which means that I have two more phases to go before I reach the end of the book, which I will be both pleased yet sad about seen as it is such a good piece of literature.

Image: King Lear
by William Shakespeare

Image: Tess of the d'Urbervilles
by Thomas Hardy

Also for English Literature we are writing a coursework essay on King Lear by Shakespeare, which we will be linking to another text of our choice. Most of my fellow classmates have already picked and are currently reading their chosen texts, but I am indecisive. So my job over the holidays is to read a load of books from the list I have been recommended from my teacher, so that I can then make a more informed decision. When I told my family about my plan they accused me of doing this on purpose; giving myself the perfect excuse to just sit and read all holidays. I denied this but, I must be honest and say that it was a large factor in not coming to a firm decision sooner ;)

And then my summer prospects get even better as I have decided to base my English Language investigation coursework on seduction scenes in novels throughout time. This required me to gain further reading recommendations from the Driffield School English Department, making me extremely happy and excited to start reading. I can’t wait to jump in.

As well as these subjects however, I would also like to pick up another subject to study at AS level when I go back in September; Creative Writing. This course was not offered when I started Sixth Form last year, but now that it is, providing that I can fit the lessons into my timetable, I think I would enjoy it to no end. I also feel that it would benefit me a lot as I plan to do an English Literature with Creative Writing BA Honours course at University next year. I think this would be a good foot in the door. However, for this course I will obviously need to produce some of my own writing, so I thought that whilst I have these 6–7 weeks of freedom I might as well get started on some more of my own work. I already have some pieces I could use...

Image: Terror in the Woods
Written by Me :)

But this school work is all very well and good, but I also have other things I plan to do. Alongside working, doing things and going out with friends, and doing all my school work, I also have big plans for my internet life. I have great ideas for new blog posts that I hope will be entertaining and interesting for you guys, and that I will enjoy making. I also have a secret project that I am working on to help me show off another part of my life, so stay tuned if you want to find out more about that.

So summer for me is not just about having fun and relaxing after the school stress, it’s about using the spare time to get productive. And reducing the pressure of the last-week-of-summer rush! So, wish me luck guys, and to you I hope you have a great summer :)

If you enjoyed this type of post where I just tell you what’s going on and what my plans are, comment below. I would also like to hear your plans for summer.

Thanks for reading. Until next time.

Eleanor :)

Let's Take a Walk

Much unlike the gloomy weather of today, yesterday was gloriously sunny for my town, and that meant that many people took advantage of this all-too-rare warmth and spent the day outdoors. Birds singing, children playing, ice cream vans blurting out music; all spelling out ‘summer’. And summer’s melodious harmonies could all be heard through the half-open window of my room where I was holed up watching my favourite YouTuber’s on my laptop.

Yes, I know, I sound so boring and lazy with the sun shining outside, but that morning I had had my last lessons of Year twelve before the holidays and sitting and doing nothing seemed like a very appealing prospect. However, the evening rolled around and my dog, Mac, needed a walk, and seen as my parents were busy knocking down walls in our new house and my brother had gone off with his mates, the job landed on me.

Now as you can expect, I had the typical teenage reaction of “Urrgh, effort!” but once I had resolved myself to completing the task, the less of a ‘task’ it became. As I had said, yesterday was beautiful, and as the day was drawing to a close less people were out and the heat was easier to handle. Walking around the silent roads to get to our destination turned into a peaceful journey, as normally I would walk the dog with my brother and we’d mess around, sing and talk all the way, but I found that having a quiet walk by myself was also very enjoyable.

Image: A Bench In Kings Mill

For those of you who have read my About page, you will know that I live in Yorkshire, England and attend the Sixth Form in Driffield. Well, Driffield is the name of the town where I live and people who know the place will also know that there aren’t many places you can go for a walk and also enjoy a beautiful setting. However, since moving from one side of Driffield to the other, I have had more of an opportunity to explore an area of Driffield that we call Kings Mill.

Kings Mill consists of a big open field with benches and information plaques, small expanses of trees with countless winding paths dispersed between the trunks, and a large lake where all the local ducks can be found, including some of the newly-hatched ducklings as I was informed by a friendly passer-by who found Mac irresistible to play with. As we arrived and I took off Mac’s lead so he could run around, I took advantage of the fact that I was alone and went to explore this place for myself.

Image: Mac In The Woods

Image: Path 1 of 1000's

And what I found pleasantly surprised me as I had never realised how large this place actually was. We first went through the woods to the lakeside where I found it so stunning to look at, especially with the sun beaming through the leaves and branches above, that I had to take some pictures. Luckily I had my iPod in my back pocket, and although I do apologise for the camera quality not being great, I really like some of the scenes I captured.

Image: Climbing Frame (a.k.a. Tree)

Image: Sun Setting Over The Lake

Image: Ducks and Ripples

Running around and throwing sticks for Mac was a lot of fun, making me feel as though I was a small kid again as I jumped into boggy puddles and clambered onto low-hanging tree trunks that hovered over the lake, nearly falling in on more than one occasion. And I also must admit that I found myself talking aloud to Mac as I did all this, laughing as if he were a companion who could actually understand me, which turned a little embarrassing as I spotted a fellow dog-walker through the trees. Oops. Hopefully he never heard me.

Image: From Where I Stand

Image: Dem Leaves

After roaming the woods and getting a little lost we eventually made it back to the more well-known area of the field, from which we then ventured down a small cut-through which took us to a dark and scary pathway through a more densely-packed area of trees and, looking at this picture, does it not remind any of you of that scene in the first Lord of the Rings? No?

Image: My Own Picture

Image: The Actual Lord of the Rings "Get Off The Road!" Scene
Source: culturalembrace.blogspot.co.uk

Mac gets so excited whenever you have a ball or a stick in your hand and is oblivious to anything else around him. This picture of him is only mild compared to some of the other faces he can pull whilst mesmerised.

Image: Mac on Crack

Also, as it is now summer all the wildlife, grass and plants have come out to play. Nature is in full swing, maximising the beauty of the place and making it glow. This is something else I love about going places in the summer months; things look more alive and therefore make you feel more alive in yourself. It’s a very refreshing thing to do; to immerse yourself in nature by simply taking a walk, and just admiring it for what it is.

Image: That Tree Is Growing The Wrong Way ;)

Image: Purple Flowers

So I guess one of the main points to this blog post was to highlight the importance of just going out and exploring. It’s quite amazing what you’ll find in the same town you’ve lived in for five years, the same town that you thought you knew like the back of your hand, when you actually look. I highly recommend this and suggest that you guys – unless you really have ventured to every last corner of the place you live – to go out and actually have a look around. You never know what you might find, and I would love to hear about it. Comment below if you go out and stumble upon any hidden wonders of your home town.

Thanks for reading.

Eleanor :)

Author’s Note:

I realise that this is only my first blog post and I have only just started. I know this means that I probably will not have any followers just yet or many – if any – people reading my blog at all, but I will remain to write as though I have an audience by just pretending you are there. Hopefully my content will attract people to my little space and readers will then come in time. Thank you.


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