After months of researching which Cat breeds suited families with young children the best, we settled on the Ragdoll. I spent weeks trolling through sites such as Preloved and Pets4Homes before finding a breeder that I thought was a perfect fit for us.
We contacted them and were ecstatic to hear that a litter was due and we reserved a Kitten! We were so excited at the prospect of finally owning a Cat. Something that was very new to me. I've only ever owned one Cat in my life and he was called Blue.
Blue was a naughty Kitten who had taken to clawing out the black foam that keeps your windows insulted. My mother decided enough was enough and rehomed Blue to my auntie. Unfortunately, he didn't last long with my Auntie as he decided he would much rather live on his own. He went out and never came back.. Or so that's what my Mum told me!
Anyway, Kyle had owned a stray cat named Puddy. He was a loving Stray who would follow Kyle's sister home after School. They slowly began to 'adopt' him and he moved in with them. They had him for around 6 years when the builders came to fit the Kitchen for Kyle's parents. We think something happened with the builders as Puddy was never fond of coming back into the house after that. Did they hurt him? Who knows, but Puddy decided to move out. He then resided in the care home across the street from where Kyle's parents lived. The Elderly folk there adored him! Kyle didn't know about this until he actually got a job at said Care Home and discovered Puddy curled up in an elderly man's lap!
Anyway, moral of that story is... well, there isn't one? I've just never had a real encounter with owning a Cat and now was the time.
I received a message from the Breeder telling us that the litter had been miscarried. We were DEVASTATED. This was something that couldn't of been avoided. It was meant to happen, and so it did. We then jumped back onto the net and searched for a new litter of Kittens.
Then we found them. The perfect, fluffiest Kittens.
I jumped in my car and drove us 20 miles to Sheffield where we met a lovely woman and her kittens. She had around 3 sets of Kittens to chose between, but we went with the eldest of the lot. Which... included Astrid! The breeder told us that she had the perfect companion for us. One that had stood out from the rest. A Kitten that would curl up in her lap whilst she watched the evening soaps. I knew instantly that she was the one we would be taking home that day. Isn't she adorable?
Astrid said her goodbyes to her owner and her Mum. It was kinda emotional knowing she'd never see her mum again. Her Mum was a majestic Seal Ragdoll. I'm curious to see if Astrid looks like that when she's older!
We popped her into a blanket and ran back to our car. Next stop, Lizzie & Joel's. We'd previously told them to prepare for cuteness (they knew we were picking up a Kitten). They were amazed at how cute she was. Even Buddy came and had a sniff! I put Astrid on the floor and her first port of call? She ran under Lizzie and Joel's Sofa Bed. An extremely HEAVY Sofa bed may I add. So we spent a good 10 minutes trying to coax her out with Cat treats before we gave in and had to lift up the sofa to rescue her. My friend Joe took lots of photos of Astrid and the results were amazing!
So yes, we got a Kitten and she's the best thing ever. I am now 100% a Cat person. They're just so easy, and come toilet trained! I LOVE THEM. I can totally see myself becoming a crazy cat lady and owning 100 though.. Please don't let that happen...
See 'We Got a Kitten' for the vlog of that day.
It was time. Download 2017 had finally come. After a year of excitement and anticipation, we were finally about to set off.
We embarked on our journey in my trusty VW Polo and hit KFC at the services on the way down. Last year started with blazing sun, excited gatherers and our lack of sun lotion. Download Festival is usually known for it's rain and submerged camps, thus the nickname 'Drownload' but oh boy were we shook. It was BOILING!
A festival routine as it seems, is to instantly go and watch Five Finger Death Punch as they're always on pretty early on the main stages of both Leeds and Download. They are superb and put in 100% effort every time. I absolutely adore Ivan, so I think I'm a tad bit biased. He's like the Dad we all wished we had.
After that we headed to the Merch stand. Download has 3 stands so it's always easy to go and lineup to get your favourite band merchandise OR Download Merch. They have a wonderful selection. This time I went for a Download Dog plush. Oh boy, he's adorable.
I also wanted to get my photograph in front of the giant Download Dog Head Statue, but unfortunately it was VERY popular amongst everyone and I'm too awkward to butt in front of people watching their fave band play. Maybe next year eh?
The most amazing part of chilling out on the grass is watching the planes go past ahead. They're so low it feels like you can almost touch them. This is due to the airport being literally next to the Fest itself. We sat on the grass and watched Cypress Hill from a distance. They played 'Insane in the membrane' and it was amazing! SUCH A BOP AMIRITE?
Ohmygosh, the festival food is just THE BEST. We had wood fire Pizza and Hot Chocolates. Ya gotta treat yo'self when you're out in a field all day, right? Seriously, all diets went out of the window that day.
Then it was time for SOAD. I wanted to get to the front so bad but I'm legit too small and would get crushed. So we stood to the side with a family of around 5. The parents were in their 40's and they were drunk, it was the funniest thing. Their kids were NOT impressed at their dancing. I also witnessed someone pee into a bottle, drop it, and a passer by pick it up and hand it to the original owner thinking it was a drink they accidentally dropped... oh gosh, the memories... my poor eyes!
We sung our hearts out to SOAD and danced like morons, but that's what festivals are for. To say it was 10pm and a field in Donington, it was surprisingly warm. I honestly enjoyed that day so much. The parking and access to and from the car parks were great and we were out in less than 10 minutes. They'd completely re-arranged Download, and it worked! The layout was amazing compared to the previous years.
See Download Day 1 for the vlog of our Friday
We started off Saturday donning beautiful bright Bandannas, it's the only time it's really acceptable to wear them. I was super excited for Saturday because this was the day we got to watch NXT, and new wrestling fans we were READY. Creeper were the first band we saw that day, truly fantastic band. They gathered up quite a crowd, and everyone seemed to be a dedicated fan as they knew every lyric! Props to Creeper for having such a cool fan base.
Off we popped to the Impericon tent. Impericon are a clothing site that sells Alt clothing and also band merchandise. We were hoping to find some inspiration for future looks, although we do tend to buy everything online, but it doesn't hurt to look! The merch tents at Download are some of the best, especially for kooky hats, shirts, you name it!
Next band to see on the list were Alestorm. A funky Pirate themed Band which unfortunately, don't dress up as Pirates. In my dreams! They were super fun to watch live. We've been wanting to see them for a long time and find ourselves giggling every time we sing their lyrics. I honestly recommend watching some of their music videos, you're in for a wild time!
Then to see NXT Live. We'd never watched wrestling live so it was great to see some moves in person. We didn't know any of the stars that were there that day but it didn't stop us enjoying what they had to offer. The tent had seating surrounding it, and also giant screens in case you couldn't get too close which were perfect for us as we didn't get to snag a seat.
We got more food after NXT because watching wrestling is tiring right? Then we headed to Knuckle Puck and Crown The Empire. Both are such good bands, I recommend checking out Evergreen by Knuckle Puck as it's currently one of my favorite songs!
The press area at Download is an incredible place. We got up and close with the infamous Download Dog! He's so cute? I mean, he's a giant Red Dog.. Is that cute? Also in the press area is free water and toilets.. TOILETS THAT AREN'T GROSS. It's truly a luxury.
A Day To Remember and Biffy Clyro were next on the list. We've seen both bands so knew what to expect.. EPICNESS. Then, Rob Zombie! I saw Rob Zombie at the previous Downloads but Kyle hadn't seen him before, he was sure in for a treat. Rob was amazing, he had Anime on his screens and sung like a Trooper.
The end of the day came, we got back into our hotel and realised, we should of brought the sun tan lotion. Our faces were red like giant Lobsters, uh oh.
See Download Day 2 for the vlog of our Saturday
We started Sunday quite late as there wasn't much on during the morning that we wanted to see. We headed for breakfast. We also started missing our pets and Dante a lot so wanted to go home and be re-united with our babies (I know, we're weak!) We saw Blood Youth on the Dog Tooth Stage, who were insane. Kyle also ended up with a giant hand print slapped over his back from his mission of destruction in the pit. I'd never seen Blood Youth live before, but had actively listened to them throughout the year and I was extremely happy with their performance. They're also local to us and live in Yorkshire! How cool?
After watching them, we decided to sit down for a while and catch our breathe. I then won £5 in a bag of Walkers Cheese & Onion, that was a lucky, sunny day!
The next and FINAL band of the day were Fizzy Blood. Once again, they're local to us, based in my very own home city of Leeds. These were mind blowing. A band on the smaller size that gave out such a HUGE show. I sung every lyric of their songs and got as far to the front as I possibly could. Their bassist is also hilarious (the faces he pulls are just the best).
Unfortunately, these were all the bands we saw, not many I know, but hey! We enjoyed it, and that's what festival spirit is all about. Having a good time and listening to good music.
See Download Day 3 for the vlog of our Sunday
Hey guys! The time for another Download Festival is fast approaching and to get me in the mood I've decided to write a Blog post about my favourite acts and what I'm excited for!
Download Festival is a rock Festival that is held yearly in Donington Park, Leicestershire. It's been going since 2003 and this will be my third year attending. Wow how time flies! The first time I attended was actually the first time i'd met my best friend in person. Listening to music and drinking helped our friendship blossom into what it is today, and now we attend as a sort of 'anniversary' you could say! It marks the very special time that we first met eye to eye, and that will forever be special in our hearts.
Download Festival has recently partnered with WWE which is amazing! We watched NXT Live last year and it was one of the best things I've ever experienced at a Festival. Wrestling and Rock Music go beautifully hand in hand.
This years lineup is amazing. I have been waiting for around 15 years to see SOAD and now is my chance. I cannot wait, I could cry with how excited I am!
DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2017 LINEUP
My Top Picks this year are;
- Five Finger Death Punch
- System of a Down
- Good Charlotte
- Sum 41
- State Champs
- Creeper
- Of Mice & Men
- AleStorm
- Knuckle Puck
- Crown The Empire
- A Day To Remember
- Biffy Clyro
- Rob Zombie
- Fizzy Blood
- Moose Blood
- Basement
We've learnt from previous years to print out a Clash Finder page so we know which bands we can attend and which ones we can't. The bands listed above are the ones we will definitely be seeing, I am so excited!
We also learnt to stay in a hotel rather than camp too. The weather is unpredictable at Donington and 2016 was known for it's heavy rains. This time we have booked ourselves into a local hotel and we will be driving to and from the event.
Download is something I look forward to attending every year and I always vlog my trips there purely because I enjoy it so much. If you want to watch my 2016 videos you can do so here;
Thank you for reading and I hope to see some of you there!
Slam Dunk 2017 Line Up
So Slam Dunk is fast approaching. I am attending Slam Dunk North for the third year & I'm VERY excited. The Line Up for this year is insane. Slam Dunk is an all day festival held in Leeds City Centre. Bands play across a multitude of areas, in the o2, in pubs and other various venues. It's an amazing atmosphere.
Leeds is a beautiful City and being outside, listening to music, and drinking combined makes Slam Dunk one of the best Festivals out there. It's not just held in Leeds, there is Slam Dunk Midlands held in Birmingham, and also Slam Dunk South in Hatfield.
I find weekend Festivals quite tiring, and so a Festival that only lasts one day is perfect for someone like me.
My Favourites from the Line Up;
- Enter Shikari
- Bowling For Soup
- Bear Tooth
- Neck Deep
- We The Kings
- Crossfaith
- Reel Big Fish
- Cute Is What We Aim For
The Bands i'm seeing (CONFIRMED) are;
- Enter Shikari
- Bowling For Soup
- Crossfaith
- Reel Big Fish
The only thing that's quite upsetting is that some of my favorites clash. I'll have to miss some bands to see others and I hate when that happens, but at festivals this CANNOT be avoided. Sacrifices have to be made, and so I can't see certain bands, but I can see others!
Going with a group of friends helps a lot. I know me and my friend group will be splitting up through out the day to see different acts at different times. I for certain will be watching Enter Shikari's Take To The Sky 10 Year Anniversary set, where as my friend Tim will want to watch his favourite band, Bowling For Soup.
I'm so excited for this, I paid the ticket price purely just to see Enter Shikari. The set is going to be AMAZING, and they're playing a personal favourite album set. I last saw them in 2012 at Leeds Festival and so I'm excited to see them again.
Hey maybe I'll even get to meet some bands this time?
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see some of you guys there!
Instagram
Eligibility to Enter
● The Promotion is open to residents of the UK aged 18 or over, excluding employees of
the Promoter or its affiliate companies, their families, cohabitants, agents and anyone
connected with the promotion.
● No purchase necessary.
Method of Entry
● Starting on 9am on February 19
th 2017 to 9am GMT on February 24
th 2017. As a
registered Instagram account holder, entrants can enter for a chance to win by
commenting @yammy_xox designated Instagram post with why they love glamglow,
followed by the hashtag #prizepromotion. A limit of one (1) entry via the entry site per
valid Instagram account/person will be accepted
● Entry must be made by the entrant, only at the Entry Site. Entries made by any other
individual or any entity, and/or originating at any other address, including but not limited
to commercial competitions, subscriptions, notification and/or entering service sites, will
be declared invalid and disqualified from this Free Prize Draw. The use of any device to
automate the entry process is prohibited.
● Entrants must not use multiple accounts to enter. Entries made by entrants using
multiple accounts will be declared invalid and will be disqualified from this Free Prize
Draw.
● The Promoter will use each entrant’s personal details for the purpose of administering
this Promotion. Please see our Privacy Policy [insert hyperlink] for further details.
● No responsibility is accepted for any entries that are incomplete, ineligible, corrupted, lost
or delayed or are unable to be sent because of any technical or other reason. Proof of
sending the entry will not be accepted as proof of delivery. The Promoter does not
accept responsibility for network, computer, hardware or software failures of any kind,
which may restrict or delay the sending or receipt of your entry. Entries must not be sent
in through agents or third parties. Incomplete entries, and entries which do not satisfy the
requirements of these terms and conditions, will be disqualified and will not be counted.
Prize
● There will be 10 winners. Each winner will receive a prize consisting of one Gravity Mud
Treatment (40g) and one Limited Edition Sonic Gravity Mud Treatment (40g).
● Should an original prize, or any part of it, become unavailable for any reason beyond the
Promoter’s reasonable control, the Promoter may substitute a prize of comparable or
greater value.
Winner Selection
● The Free Prize Draw will be carried out on February 24
th 2017 under the supervision of
an independent observer.
● The prize-winners will be the first 10 names drawn at random from all valid, completed
entries.
● The prize-winners will be notified via the Instagram post within 7 days of the Free Prize
Draw and asked to provide their name, complete address, telephone number, date of
birth and email address.
● Should a prize-winner not respond to the Instagram post within 60 days the Promoter
reserves the right to allocate the prize to another entrant.
● The result of the Free Prize Draw is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Promoter’s Liability:
● So far as is permitted by law, the Promoter and its associated companies and agents
exclude responsibility and all liabilities arising from:
a) any postponement or cancellation of the Promotion, and
b) any changes to, supply of (including, without limitation, prizes which do not reach the
intended recipient), or use of the prize, and
c) any act or default of any third party supplier,
which are beyond the Promoter’s reasonable control.
● Nothing in these Terms and Conditions in any way limit the Promoter’s (or any other
person or organisation’s) liability for (i) fraud, or (ii) death or personal injury caused by
negligence.
General
● If the Promoter has grounds to suspect any entrant or third party of cheating, deception
or fraudulent or unsportsman-like conduct of any kind (including, without limitation,
manipulating the promotion, choice of prize winner(s) or any entry) the Promoter
reserves the right (in its sole discretion) to disqualify any entrant, entry or person it
reasonably believes to be responsible for, or associated with, such activity.
● Where the Promoter is unable to satisfy certain terms and conditions of this promotion
due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control, the Promoter may modify such
terms accordingly or, if necessary, suspend or discontinue the promotion.
● By entering the Free Prize Draw, entrants agree to be bound by these terms and
conditions and that their names and counties of residence may be released if they win a
prize. They also agree to participate in any post-event publicity.
● This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with
Instagram. Entrants agree that they are providing their information to the Promoter and
not to Instagram. By entering, you acknowledge that Instagram bears no responsibility
for this Promotion and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, you release Instagram
from any liability whatsoever in connection with this Promotion.
● These terms and conditions and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with
this Promotion are governed by the law of England and Wales and you irrevocably agree
that the English courts will have exclusive jurisdiction.
● Promoter: Glamglow UK, One Fitzroy Place, 6 Mortimer Street, W1T 3JJ
