Faded Spring

    Dive Into Diwah

    Its a sweltering hot summers day, waves lapping around my ankles like a snake on heat, the blaring rays causing sweat to build on my crinkled forehead. The birds chirp forlornly, craving the kind of shade they can bask in, away from the harsh sunlight that sets them alight. The drinks come swiftly, pina colada, mojito, cosmopolitan, a welcome peace offering from the fierce sun-soaked skies. The vivid blue waves behind me wrap me in a 'rose-tinted' film, pretending to shield me from the droves of rain clouds threatening to spill. In my fantasy I lie at peace in the sand, warm sea water tickling at my sand filled toes. The soft sand envelops me in a sensuous hug , battling the gentle sea waves ... read more

    A Letter To My Eighteen Year Old Self

    You made it this far, you are a champion, a warrior whose scars document the events of years past. You have fought bullies and won and kicked abuse in the teeth. You have proved that your past does not define who you are as a person. I want to congratulate you on surviving your teenage years and learning to stand up for yourself because you are not that little mouse any more. Remember those days when you used to surround yourself with people you knew that hated you because you were afraid of being alone. You were pushed around and called names, made fun of because the bullies saw you as a target. They told you that they bullied you because you were a pushover and you thought to yourself what ... read more

    The Wimbledon Open With Jones and Jones

    As the crowds rise to their feet and clap, I am a vision in angelic white lace, cheering on the British hopefuls who are determined to win the coveted trophy and regain glory for a broken Britain. In a Post-Brexit apocalyptic  universe, it seems our passion and pride in sports and culture remains as optimistic as ever and it is refreshing to note that tennis still remains an exciting British sport, even if we crashed out of the Euro and disappointed die-hard football fans. After our abysmal performance in the Euro 2016, which Portugal won (yay) I was pleased that the excellent Andy Murray won the Singles Title for the second time since 2013 and claimed a third Grand Slam Title. On top of ... read more

    Getting My Life Back With Style Sportif

    There was a time when I was considered ‘sporty’ but years of bad eating habits, illness and exercise related laziness left me out of the ‘sporting loop’ for good, or at least so I thought. I had got into a pattern of excuses, believing that I was too ‘busy’ to exercise and blamed my hectic work schedule for not being able to take time out to exercise. Except of course that was a load of crap and as the years drifted by my refusal to be ‘healthy’ became more and more apparent. There is this misconception that just because someone is ‘slim’ they are healthy when the reality is far darker. I ate sporadically and my diet was terrible, failing to keep to a steady eating routine. Junk food was the ... read more

    House Festival With Samsung & Three

    In a rare sunny spell, Marble Hill was bathed in a soft golden glow, where the gentle rays of forgotten sunshine was beginning to pull through. Festival goers clambered into open fields, eager to enter the excitement that would engulf them beyond the tents, while the sun deepened into hazy euphoria. As a guest of Samsung and Three, I was escorted straight to the tents before being ushered into the growing crowds that awaited House Festival. It was magical; like a scene set in a Midsummer's Night Dream rainbow streamers swung merrily overhead, the gentle caress of the wind like a balm to the sunshine's warmth. The zest of the festival goers was infectious, the laughter and cheers ringing in ... read more

    Faded Spring’s Guide To Purley & Co.

    In my heart lies the free-spirit of a traveler, who over the past four years has uprooted from my village to pursue my dream of a prestigious English Literature, English Language and Education and Social Sciences degree and make everyone proud. During those four years I moved a whopping eight times, graduated with a first and followed my dreams of becoming a real-life blogger and now that journey is about to get more exciting. I am finally moving to London at the end of this month and whilst my dream has already been delayed two months, being one step closer to my dream makes my heart a-flutter. But that is not to say that I will leave behind the memory of my home of nine months so easily; ... read more

    Planete Chocolat Luxury Truffles

    'Dripping its weight in gold, the cookie crumbles, Succulent chocolates tower over mankind,Caramelized strands of rope entwine in harmony,Songbirds tweet a sweet chocolate rhyme, o' sweet one hand me your time, Candy castle stuffed with sweet delights,No more sweet than the secret hidden treasure, A chocolate room laden with the good brown, Belgian, Swiss, the French are good too, The king sits at the centre, his chocolate crown melts, Pooling at his royal feet he takes a lick, sweet god he cries,What is this sorcery, the finest chocolate in the land no less?Truffles sire, made from Belgian cocoa, rest assured its handmade,The revelers rejoiced and the trumpeters played,The court ate till ... read more

    How Unbound Taught Me To Be Body Positive

    When it comes to self-perception of body image I suck, I am constantly berating myself for not having that enviable hourglass figure that society seems to covet and often look at my body as comparable to an eight year old boy's. I am flat chested, slim and nothing like the image of a busty, curvaceous woman that is upheld as the feminine ideal, projected by media, institutions and even through peer pressure. In short I have no curves to speak of and looking at myself naked in the mirror often leaves me in floods of tears because I am afraid of being different. But one day everything changed and I realized something truly beautiful. There is no ideal body shape; short, tall, thin, curvy or ... read more

    It’s Ok To Talk About Sex

    Throughout the ages us Britons have had a love/hate relationship with the word sex; from the rowdy Romans who sought to bring pleasure and fine entertainment to our intimate rooms to the overt gentility and regressive Victorian attitudes towards sex in the 19th century, its clear that sex is a cultural taboo. In many cultures, including those stemmed in religious belief sex outside of marriage is frowned upon while the sexual revolution of the 1960's saw Modern Britain develop more lax attitudes towards sex. Sex was often seen as a deed designed to 'church' a family instead of an act of pleasure or intimacy and the liberalism shown towards sex in the 1960's helped eradicate age old archaic ... read more

    Capture My Heart With Chavin

    No other symbol but a heart could be more synonymous with who I am as a person right now; touched by loss my heartstrings have been tugged and pulled more times than I can imagine. But then my heart has overflowed with love for all the support my fellow bloggers and friends have given out to me, offering me countless salves to soothe my wounded heart. They say loss changes you and they are right but not in the way you think, I always kept my emotions in check because I didn't want people to know that I had worn my heart on my sleeve, that at heart I was secretly a softie. I wanted people to know me as the one who had her friends back and could withstand any storm that life threw at me but I ... read more