Starting Anew

So I think it's fair to say that I have been off the grid for a veryyy long time now, over a year in fact! Although I've had a rather long hiatus from blogging, I'm starting anew and refreshing my blog a little with the hope of bringing you more posts on a more regular basis. 

As I started this blog a while ago now when I was around sixteen (I think!!) and as I'm now reaching the grand age of 22,  I feel like it's about time I make a few changes here and there as I'm certainly not the same gal I was when I first began this clueless adventure. Things have definitely changed as I've gotten older, now with slightly more tattoos to disappoint my family with, a new found love for vegetables that I never thought would happen and having developed a particular skill to intimidate men with my ability to drink a pint quicker than most;  I would like to say I've grown as a person a hell of a lot since I started this blog. With that being said I feel like it's definitely a good time to make some changes around here. 

For any new followers, I feel like I should reintroduce myself as its been a little while... So I'm Francesca but you guys will know me as The Clueless Blogger, as when I began this little venture out of boredom and curiosity, sixteen year old me was completely clueless as to what I was doing here and am even still just as clueless from time to time!! 

So a little bit more about me... I'm a recent graduate from the University of Manchester, having studied a BSc in International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response and despite three years of study I am still just as clueless as ever about what I want to do with my life and am currently finding it very overwhelming adjusting to adult life in the real world. I'm an avid dungaree wearer with a terrible coffee addiction, who eats way too much pesto, is hopelessly learning to play the ukulele, owns more books than any one person could possibly read in their lifetime and is always making new playlists to avoid real life responsibilities. I'm hoping that you're going to be a hearing a lot more from me in the future as I plan on creating lots of new content so keep watching this space. For more insights into my clueless life, you can check out my insta/twitter @francescaalic3

The Clueless Blogger 

New Year, New Reads

Ok so I'm aware January is basically over now and to say that I've been pretty slack at this whole blogging scene, is an absolute understatement but I've decided to put less pressure on myself to create blog content when sometimes it's just not feasible as I juggle university, work and life in general. With that said I'm still super looking forward to making new content this year, it's just taking me a little longer to get back into the swing of things ecspecially with these January blues!

But with all that aside, I've decided that what better way to kick start my blog in the new year, than with my favourite things in life.. Books!! So, I thought I'd put together a little selection of new books that I've recently purchased and am oh so excited to read.

Into the Water, Paula Hawkins
Now, I've already read this one, in fact I read it within two days of me getting it. I'd been absolutely dying to read this as I loved her first novel, Girl On a Train which was absolutely incredible, although the film was definitely disappointing in comparison. Into the Water is a thriller that follows the lives of various people living within a village that possesses a dark history, of which many women/young girls have supposedly committed suicide in this lake in town. With the basis of this plot focusing on the suspicion that these girls didn't commit suicide and rather were pushed to their deaths, it lies behind the characters attempting to get to the bottom of the deaths of their loved ones and has an incredible plot twist at the end. Honestly. if you love books that keep you on the edge of your seat then you should definitely check it out.

The Power, Naomi Alderman
This is another that I've already read now and was another that I was super excited to get my teeth stuck into. The book is focused around the concept of how the world would be if women were to hold the power in I guess what you can say is depicted as a matriarchal society. Basically, all the women all over the world have the power to inflict pain upon men through an electric pulse in their fingertips that has been awoken after centuries by the younger generations of girls. Although, the book was quite hard to get into with a bit of a slow start, I have to admit towards the second half of the book I'd really gotten into it. The concept is so interesting and reflects on issues that exist in society today but from a different gender lens i.e. sexism, misogyny and patriarchy and Alderman does this by flipping it on its head to reveal what it would be like if men were the inferior sex. Although the start was a bit rocky, it's definitely worth a read for the pure concept alone of a female dominant society.

The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead
Once again, this was a book that I'd heard amazing reviews about and as it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2017, I felt like this was a must read( And I mean Barack Obama also gave it an amazing review and if the former President of the US gave it a good review, then I feel it's definitely worth a read)!  Although I haven't started to read this book yet, from what I can gather the novel is loosely based upon the underground railroads that were created in the early 19th century to allow African American slaves to escape captivity and flee to free states and the plot focuses on two slaves who try to do exactly that. I'm really looking forward to reading this one as I feel like it will give a fictitious twist to real life events.

Milk and Honey/The Sun and Her Flowers, Rupi Kaur
Now, I'm a big poetry lover but I've never really ventured into reading more modern poetry. Rather, I've always stuck to reading my absolute fave Sylvia Plath and other classics like Coleridge and T.S. Elliot. But after hearing so many good reviews on Rupi Kaur and after one of my best friends highly recommended I read it, I felt like it was about time that I check out her books.



One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey
So, this is the book that I'm currently reading and although I'm not even a 1/4 of the way through yet, I can already tell you that I love it. The novel follows the happenings of a psychiatric asylum in Oregon of which its most recent patient is Randle Patrick McMurphy. Long story short, he feigns his mental illness in order to cause havoc in the asylum. The novel is accompanied by illustrations from Ken Kesey himself who drew them whilst taking part in psychoactive drug trials in a psychiatric institution, his time there also inspired him to write this novel.  I guess my interest in this novel comes from the fact that it was banned in some schools in various states of the US during the seventies, due to its supposedly corruptive nature and coverage of the darker side of society. I cannot express how much I can't wait to get stuck into this novel!


The Death and Life of Sylvia Plath, Ronald Hayman
Of course, Sylvia Plath is my absolute hero so when I found this book that I didn't have in my Plath collection, I just had to have it! And although I'm currently rereading The Bell Jar for about the fiftieth time, I cannot wait to check this book out when I'm done.

So, as you can see I have a whole lotta reading to be doing! I hope I've given you guys some reading inspo and I would love to hear what books you've brought/read recently!!

The Clueless Blogger

Vinyl Haul

Ok, so I've been away from the whole blogging sphere for a while as I've just been finding it impossible to post any content recently. Both due to copious amounts of assignments that I have due in but also because I haven't really had the chance to get out there and take any blog photos or go on any adventures and when I do have time to spare, all I ever want to do is stay in and binge watch Blue Planet. But with all that aside, today's post is one that I've been soo looking forward to sharing with you guys. Over the past month, I've been building up my record collection even more so and I thought I would share with you some of my most recent purchases so you can see whose music I'm digging at the minute and maybe get some inspo for your playlists.

Greatest Hits The Cure
Ok so as a huge fan of The Cure, I felt like I just had to have all of my favourite songs on the space of one record. Despite the fact I probably have all of the songs on various different albums by The Cure, I kinda brought this one to complete my collection but to also make it easier for when I just want to sit and listen to their classics one after the other. Definitely one of my favourite purchases of recent times.

Pills, Thrills n Bellaches The Happy Mondays
Now, The Happy Mondays, what can I say? I absolutely bloody love this album and the band as a whole! It's such a feel good album and puts you in the best mood ever to go on a night out, I cannot waittttt to see them live in December. This record gives you the best feel good days and transports you back to Summer even on the dullest and drizzly of Autumn days.



A Tonic for the Troops The Boomtown Rats
Bob Geldof you bloody genius of a human being. Once again totally classic alternative rock band from the late 70s/80s; one of my faves. Incredible.

Three Imaginary Boys The Cure
Yes, I know another album by The Cure... To be honest, this is a record that I hadn't heard of before I'd actually seen it in a record shop and I was immediately drawn in by the album cover. Its bloody pink and oh so cute for a start and I just absolutely love the artwork of it. Now considering Robert Smith wasn't impressed when they produced/released this record, I have to disagree as I absolutely love love love it.           

Pure Comedy Father John Misty
Ok stepping away from the 80s/90s and now on to some of my favourite sounds of this era. So, Father John Misty's music for me is a pretty recent discovery, I'd never heard of him until a few months ago but when I did hear his music, it blew me away. He is such an incredible artist and his lyrics are so poetic, I bloody love this man. This is honestly the perfect record to pop on if you're in your room reading or when you're getting ready in the morning with a good cup of coffee, it's honestly such a chilled and stripped back album. It's perfect for when you're having one of them days where you're doing nothing except for lying in bed reading.

Harry Styles Harry Styles
I confess I was one of those kids that was a huge One Direction fan and I also confess that Harry Styles is my absolute guilty pleasure. God do I love this man!! Honestly though, he has developed so much as an artist since leaving One Direction, his music is actual bliss. I absolutely love the way he hs drawn from inspiration from the likes of Bowie and The Rolling Stones, his music just has this amazing rock and roll Bowie-esque feel/80s vibe to it and I loveeeee it.





Something To Tell You HAIM
HAIM are my absolute favourite girl band and listening to their music just gives you the most amazing girl power feels. Such good sounds and such good vibes.

Suck It and See Arctic Monkeys
Absolute belter of an album by an absolutely classic band. What more is there to say?

The Ooz King Krule
I have a whole lotta love for this guy at the minute. I've always been a huge fan of King Krule but since his new album has been released, it's just completely brought back my love for his music. To be honest, it's very different from the music I typically listen to but his sound is so original, I think thats what I just love. Anything quirky and alternative is right up my street.

So, thats about the extent of my vinyl haul and for now, all of the records above are linked so you guys can find a little bit more about them and where you can buy them from. I hope this gives you guys some inspo to check out some of the bands mentioned above and I hope you love them all as much as I do. I'd love to hear what some of your favourite bands/records are as I'd love to check them out and hear what you guys are into!

The Clueless Blogger

Brighton Rock

Last weekend, I had the absolute pleasure of visiting a place that I've been wanting to visit for so so long now, and that place is Brighton! I have always wanted to go (well ever since I watched Quadrophenia when I was about fifteen) but have always put off going because of the long car journey. To my surprise though, my mum and her partner surprised me by booking a weekend away there for us all! It couldn't have come at a lovelier time either as after the joys of being back at university had worn off after three weeks when talk of assignments and reading began to rear their head, it was such a lovely time to get away and have a lil break.

When we arrived in Brighton we headed straight to The Breakfast Club to grab some well deserved brunch after the incredibly long car journey *Yawn*. Now this was somewhere my mum had already told me about and I was informed on how incredible it was and as a huge fan of the eighties classic film of which the restaurant is named after, I was super excited to go. And  I was definitely not let down! The place itself was absolutely adorable it had this whole kitsch tiki kinda vibe with pink flamingos, giant plants and even the most bizarre framed photo of pat butcher, it was just so cool! And dont even get me started about the food, basically the place serves only brunch all day errryday which is perf because I loveee breakfast so of course I ordered a huge stack of bacon and pancakes!!



Anyway after filling our stomachs, we then went and explored the lanes of Brighton and I'm not exaggerating when I say I was literally in heaven! There was oh so many vintage, record and indie shops it was amazing. There were also just so many quirky little places and it was just all so cool, its definitely somewhere I can see myself living when I'm older. We generally spent the day wandering around all the lanes, exploring The Royal Pavilion and sipping on coffee in the many coffee shops that Brighton has to offer. I even stumbled across the most incredible indie shop that sold clothes, pins, records, patches and the coolest art prints but all from various different illustrators. It was just so unusual and everything was just so unique so of course I had to pick up a few things from there, including the most amazing David Attenborough t-shirt, I know, I know sounds incredible right.

Another thing that I absolutely loved about Brighton, was the insane street art. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know that one of the things I love about Manchester, is the amount of street art that riddles the streets of the northern quarter.  So obviously when I saw some of the coolest street art in Brighton, I was super impressed. One of Brighton's famous street artists 'Minty' had soo many incredible pieces pasted on street walls everywhere and they were just so colourful and creative, it just brightened up even the dingiest of streets, it was all just so so cool!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, the weekend was just overly lovely and I can't express to you enough how much I fell in love with the city, from its little pebble beach to the most perfect plant shop to the record shops and the most insane street art, Brighton from head to toe was just incredible. I'm 100% going to be returning very soon and hopefully maybe it'll even be somewhere I call home some day in the future.


The Clueless Blogger

University Room Tour

Ok, so first of all apologies for the lack of blog posts of late.. I really am so shit at posting on a frequent basis! This last month has just been so hectic with moving into my new flat in Manchester ready to go back to the joys that are second year whilst also trying to cram in seeing all of my friends and family before I left and the chaos that is freshers week, it's just been so impossible for me to take a minute out and focus on blogging.

So to get back into it I thought Id kick off with a lil tour of my uni room as all I've been doing the past week is sorting and decorating it all on some very hungover mornings during freshers. Hopefully I can give you guys some inspo for decorating your own uni rooms and making your own cosy little getaways to disguise the ugliness that is student accommodation.

To start with I thought I'd share a little bit about my uni experience just as a lil run down so you can get to know what I do and where I spend my time. I'm currently going into my second year at the University of Manchester where I study BSc International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response. In first year like most students I lived in halls which was an absolutely insanely incredible experience but I have now moved into a house with five other friends and I absolutely love it, theres just something a lot cosier about having your own house with a cute little garden and your own space free to hang things on walls as you please without having to take them down for monthly checks in halls *urgh the struggles of first year*.

In my opinion, making your room into a cosy lil haven is essential for settling in! I think you have to make yourself feel like your at home because at the end of the day you're going to be spending the majority of your year here so you want to make it as homely and cosy as possible. I mean hang fairy lights up; get some posters of your favourite bands; stick photos of all your family, friends and things that just remind you of good memories and even get some lil plants to add a touch of nature for that super calming feel. It really is super important to create a space where you can getaway and forget about them awful uni days you have to endure sometimes or where you can hide and never leave your bed on them hungover freshers mornings.

I mean I definitely always go overboard with bringing all my favourite things from back home to uni with me, I'm such a pain for my family who have to help me transport it all the way to manchester and then make countless trips up stairs to cram it all into a very small bedroom but ah well this is why I love them. For me, bringing my favourite items like my record player and typewriter definitely make the difference; these are just a few of my favourite things in the world and having them with me just makes everything better.

Below/above you'll see all of the ways that I've decorated my room to make it feel that extra bit cosy. Obviously, my room is decorated personal to me so for yourselves you might not be in to going to gigs and may not feel the need to plaster your walls with old gig tickets but this is where you can get creative and decorate your own walls with whatever is meaningful to you.

  

I hope this has given you all a lil bit of inspo on how to create your own little home away from home because we all know how tough uni can be and having a little haven to escape to makes it all the better! I'd love to hear how you guys have all decorated your rooms to make them personal to you!

The Clueless Blogger

London Calling

So this weekend me and my family went on a much anticipated trip to one of my favourite places.. London babyyy! We decided to head on a little family roadtrip to Cockfosters so we could hop on the underground and take a trip to my all time favourite place, Camden Town.

We headed to Camden straight away and of course spent the entire morning roaming around all the little quirky shops which I absolutely loved. After spending far too much on jewellery, records and artsy prints we then decided to head to Camden locks and find some amazing street food to dig into and omg were we spoilt for choice! There was just oh so many incredible food stalls but in the end we settled for some chinese street food and oh, was I so pleased that we did, it was incredible! We also grabbed some fresh orange juice from the most adorable little stall ever and after taking many a photograph around Camden, we decided to get on the underground and catch the next tube to Notting Hill so we could head to Portobello Market.

Now, I have never been to the flea market at Portobello but I have heard so many great things about it and It definitely lived up to my expectations, I was certainly impressed. The market stalls went on for absolutely miles and there were so many quirky, antique and vintage stalls to look around, it was one of the coolest places ever! The streets were also full of the most amazing pastel painted houses,it was just all soo bloody lovely. We ended up indulging in more street food before we headed to the Hummingbird Bakery to grab some of the most adorable lil cupcakes to take home with us.

Originally Notting Hill was going to be our last stop before we headed back on the tube to Cockfosters but we decided to take a little venture to Carnaby Street, somewhere else I have never been to before! And I'm oh, so happy that we did as this turned out to be one of my newest favourite parts of London, there were so many amazing shops that I ended up spending way more than I should have but oh well I was in London babyy!! I mean come on how could I pass on shopping when Cheap Monday and Monki were standing right in front of me ey?

After Carnaby Street, we then headed back home much to my dismay. I absolutely love London and I just want to spend all of my days roaming around the streets of Camden and Carnaby Street; spending copious amounts on lovely things that I dont need. It was such a lovely little day and the weather was absolutely insane, we truly were so lucky to have spent what seems to be the last of the summer weather in one truly amazing city. I hope you've enjoyed the photos from my little London adventure and I'd love to hear all about your favourite parts of London, I'd love to check out some new places next time I visit!!

 Until next time London..

The Clueless Blogger