Celebrating My 18th Birthday!

Thursday the 15th September 2016, I turned 18 years old! Isn't that a scary thought!? It's probably even more frightening for everyone that's known me since I was born all those years ago. I always have the pleasure of being able to say I was born in the 90s! For some reason, I find that pretty cool haha! Anyway better late than never; here's my well overdue account of my 18th Birthday!

I woke up that morning to my family submerging me in balloons with '18' written on them and streamers. I can't say that this was the most pleasant way to wake up particularly when your not a morning person-I could easily have slept for a few more hours had you let me awake with it! But Hey-Ho! My family had other ideas.

Mum had prepared a lovely birthday breakfast for me (Thanks Mum!), she's a fab cook by the way! And my Dad took it upon himself to play Stevie Wonders 'Happy Birthday' alongside 'Lisa It's Your Birthday' from the Simpsons. A quick fun fact for you all; Michael Jackson actually wrote it. Every time I hear that song I like to bring that random fact into the accompanying conversation to which my Sister rolls her eyes and says 'you told me that a million times
before'.

Following breakfast I was allowed to open my prezzies which were positioned on the living room sofa waiting to see the light of day. It became quite a joke about my birthday as my Mum spent the weeks prior constantly asking me what I'd like and she'd receive one of the following answers; 'I don't know', 'I'm not sure' or 'I'll think about it'-useful or what? I mean she was still asking me like two days before the day itself and to be honest I didn't really have anything in mind. I think from experience I've realised that I really don't care too much about possessions. For me, the best things in life are being happy and the memories/experiences-not trying to sound soppy or anything but it's true!

My lovely prezzies-thanks everyone!

Eventually, I did decided on some money to help me towards buying a MacBook which I've been saving long and hard for me. Everyone I've ever spoken to says it's an investment and I feel that I want a laptop that's reliable particularly when I use it for the various things such as my Blog, YouTube channel as well as various other things I'm involved in.

My parents did however, surprise me with some smaller bits and bobs including my favourite Yankee candle 'Witches Brew' (a patchouli scented candle that they bring out for Halloween every year), a gorgeous handmade bead from Soul Silver on Etsy, I'd been eyeing up her beads for years but never got round to buying one so it was a lovely 18th birthday gift. I also received the miniature Zoella perfume set from her new Christmas range as well as few other lovely gifts. My sister Laurel bought me a gorgeous silver necklace with a dream catcher pendant and my Grandparents, Aunt and Uncles all gave me some money which I'm also going to use towards the MacBook. I could easily go on forever but I also want to say a huge thank-you to Heather, Susan, my tutors Julianne and Martin, my Aunt Irene and Kaitlin, Donna, Jean and my Grans neighbours; Margaret, Jim, Gillian, Callum and Kieran for all the lovely presents!

Afterwards I began getting organised for the day ahead when I noticed Mum doing a mad rush around the house; hoovering and making sure that everything was generally tidy. This led me to become rather suspicious, I just knew something wasn't quite right.

As I was sitting in my room applying some makeup, Mum appeared to tell me that there was a visitor here to see me. Confused, I followed her to the door just as my old tutor Winnie was arriving! It was such a lovely surprise to see her and I completely didn't expect it! Winnie tutored me for a while during the early days of secondary school before she moved away however she pops in when she's in the area for a coffee and had contacted my Mum to ask if she could come surprise me on my birthday and my goodness she certainly did!

Following this we headed out to pick up the Birthday cake my Mum's friend had made for me. She created me the most amazing Beatles inspired cake complete with the famous Abbey Road crossing and a yellow submarine! It was so colourful and quirky and just right up my street-I was so delighted with it! The pictures that I've attached don't do it the justice it deserves but take my word for it, it was absolutely incredible! And tasted even better! So Suzanne, Thank-you so much! I loved it!

We pretty much spent the entire journey home holding our breath in hope that we wouldn't hit any major bumps in the road in fear of the cake being damaged. Fortunately we made it home with the cake intact-phew! Mum nipped into the house with it whilst Laurel and I waited in the car before heading out to get a late lunch.

Beatles birthday cake!!!

We decided to try 'Costley's' in Prestwick town as we'd only ever visited the ice shop and had heard the cafe/restaurant next door was equally just as nice. I've recently taken a bit of a notion for egg mayonnaise sandwiches for whatever reason so that's what I decided to order and it was absolutely delicious! At this very second, I cannot remember what Mum and Laurel ordered but they both said theirs was equally as good! So if you're ever in the town of Prestwick be sure to pop into 'Costley's' for a spot of lunch or perhaps even one of their scrumptious cakes-mmmm!

Back home we began to get organised because as soon as Dad got home from work were going to head out to the cinema. Why might you ask? Well, as you all know I'm a bit of a Beatles geek and the new Beatles film titled 'Eight Days A Week-The Touring Years' was due to be released exclusively for one evening only in the UK on my Birthday so of course I wasn't going to miss out?! In fact, I couldn't think of a better way to spend my Birthday!

The film included the red carpet footage live from Leicester Square in London which reminded me of the antics of the evening we went to see The Rolling Stones 'Crossfire Hurricane' premiere back in 2012-that however is a story for a later date! I love how much technology has moved on even since 2012 when I'd never heard of a cinema showing a live streaming of an event such as this whereas in the past year I've seen a Take That concert streamed live in the cinema and now watched the premiere of a Beatles filmed live-it's so weird when you think about it! Anyway, the premiere saw a whole host of well known names arrive including Madonna, Stella McCartney, Yoko Ono, Liam Gallagher and Sir Bob Geldof. However, the highlight is undoubtably the arrival of Sir Paul McCartney and Mr Ringo Starr!

This was of course followed by the main attraction; the film itself and at the very end the moviegoers were treated to around 30 minutes of unseen Shea Stadium concert footage of The Beatles back in the 60s. I must say I was slightly taken aback by many of the other people in the cinema who I'm afraid to say can only be described as a bunch of bores-no offence! Some left before the concert footage even began, some talked through it and others sat in silence as if it was a serious matter. Not I! Don't play Beatles gig footage and expect me to sit without the song lyrics to escape my lips as well as the odd cheer and clap! Needless to say my Sister shot me the odd death glare which of course was ignored. She hadn't seen anything yet; she never went to see Paul McCartney with me last year! I left with no voice, death ears but my philosophy was that 'I'd never seen any of these people again'. Haha! How wrong was I? As soon as we got back to the hotel and queued up for the lift, the two ladies in front of us turned out and started laughing as they'd been seated along from us at the gig and had enjoyed watching me throughout the show! I'll still never learn my lesson though!

Unattractive photo of me blowing out my Birthday cake!

Anyway, back home we lit my Birthday cake and enjoyed a slice each which was just amazing! Such a good cake-I'm hungry just thinking about it!

The following day we went out for a family dinner to my favourite restaurant which of course was great! My family even surprised me with two large 18th Balloons on the table. So that was good!

Anyway, I'm rambling on a bit so I better bring this post to a close. I just want to say a huge thank-you to everyone who took the time to send me a birthday message-I received so many and really enjoyed reading them all! Also a huge thank-you to everyone for the lovely presents and cards, it really does mean a lot! I had a lovely 18th birthday and can't quite get over the fact I'm already that age. It's the start of a new chapter which I hope will be a continuation of all the mad things I've got up to over the years! Who knows what it might bring?

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

1 Year of The Hat Hippie

Hello Everyone!

 

Today marks exactly an entire year since I posted my very first blog post here on The Hat Hippie and I thought I'd write a little post in order to celebrate! I can't quite believe it's been a year since I clicked published on my very first post on the 12th November 2014. If you're new to my blog and would like to read my very first post click here and if like me, you've been here since the beginning why not go read it all over again!?

It's certainly be an exciting and eventful year since I first started my blog! On reflection, I can't quite believe all the amazing things that has happened this past year and I'm so glad that I decided to create it when I did. Had I not, I wouldn't necessarily have had a way of looking back and reliving all those memories that I've made. For me, it's amazing to think how much I've grown as both a person and in confidence during the past 12 months and I'm so proud of all the things I've managed to achieved!

Some of my biggest dreams have been made a reality this past year; it's been a long battle over the years with my health and it was nice to finally have some good things happen for once! In such a short period of time, I've met some lovely people who have truly inspired me in many different aspects of life and I'm such a lucky girl to know and have met all of these people!

My dream of being a radio presenter finally came true and I currently have a weekly show on a Thursday afternoon which is the best thing ever! I've learned so much during my time at the station, had some good laughs and of course, have enjoyed playing some great music and hosting a show! There's still ALOT for me to learn but just like living life, I learn new things each and everyday! So a huge thank-you to everyone at 3TFM for having me on board and making me so welcome! I really appreciate it!

A huge thank-you to all my close family and friends for the love, support and encouragement you've given me throughout my entire life! I don't know where'd I'd be without it! I want to say a huge Thank-you to my Mum in particular who is my hero and biggest inspiration! Without her I wouldn't have the confidence or oomph to do everything I've done. She's always there for me whenever I need a hug or some encouragement! Words cannot describe just how much I love you, Mum! Thank-you for all that you do!

Finally, I want to say a huge "Thank-You!" to you, my lovely readers, my amazing friends! Every time I click publish on a new post, it's so lovely to receive all the lovely comments and messages you send me! They put a big smile on my face and encourage me to work hard and fight for what I believe in! Your support throughout this past year has been absolutely incredible! You all never fail to brighten my day and I hope that I can bring a little light or cheer to your day in some shape or form!

Really!? A whole year of "The Hat Hippie"!? How, did that even happen!? It's certainly been one incredible year and I can't help but wonder what this next year will bring? I suppose I'll just have to take each day as they come and watch the year unfold and I hope you'll all continue to join me on the journey!

 

But until then, keep dreaming!

 

Lots of Love, Peace and Best Wishes,

The Hat Hippie xxx

My 17th Birthday!

Last Tuesday, the 15th of September just so happened to be 17th birthday! To be honest, it only feels like yesterday since I turned 16-this past year has seriously flown in! So I thought in my next blog post I'd write about what I got up to for my birthday last week. So here it goes.......

Like every weekday morning I got up at around 7:30am (or thereabouts) to open my presents and cards with my family before my Dad went to work and my sister went to school. I was a bit sleepy headed I must admit, I am by far more of a night owl rather than a morning person. However, I received some lovely cards and presents including a Beatles t-shirt, hoodie, purse and lanyard that I'd picked out in Liverpool back in May, jewellery, Cathy Cassidy's Looking-Glass Girl book, a new hat (of course!), chocolates and some money from my family and close family friends which I'm going to put towards purchasing a new camera that I've been saving up for. So a huge thank-you to everyone for their kind gifts of money! I am extremely excited to buy my new camera which I'll be able to use to take photos for my blog, for personal photography and I also hope to experiment with the film features in order to create a YouTube channel. I received some truly lovely gifts and my Mum even managed to find wrapping paper with my all-time favourite fictional character Peter Pan printed on it! How cool was that!? Yes, I get excited about the simplest of things in life!

After Mum and I dropped my sister Laurel off at school that morning, my Grandparents came down to visit with my birthday card/present. I had music tutoring in the afternoon meaning that time would be too tight if we decided to go out for lunch so instead we went out for a birthday breakfast, which was lovely! My music tutor arrived at around 2pm like he does every Tuesday afternoon for my bass lessons. I know not everyone would be too chuffed about having education of any sort on their birthday but I for one was actually quite happy! My music tuition is never something I dread as I enjoy it so much and like I said before I am now learning to play songs rather than learning the basics like I started off with. Now, if I remember right last week I was learning to play the bass line to Band on the Run by Wings which was great! As you all know by now, I am a huge Paul McCartney fan so actually learning to play one of his songs is absolutely amazing! All I'm waiting for now is that all-important phone call from Paul himself inviting me to come perform live on stage with him! One can dream right?!

Anyway, after Mum and I picked my sister Laurel up from school, it was a mad rush back home to make dinner because just a short while later I would be heading out to The Gaiety Theatre to see a Beatles tribute band. For dinner, Mum made me probably one of my very favourite meals; roast chicken, mashed potatoes and vegtables-mmmmm! It makes me seriously hungry even just to think about it!


Me and my birthday cake (please excuse the bad lighting!)

And of course it wouldn't be a real birthday without a cake; or at least not in my world! Ever since I was little I have always had a major obsession with birthday cake. As weird as it may sound to some, I think that there's something really exciting about birthday cake; always have and probably always will! So of course everyone sang Happy Birthday to me, took a few photographs (which I'll try and add to this post in the editing stages), made a wish and then I attempted to blow the candles out but there's always that one that chooses to be difficult and takes a couple of attempts to finally blow out! But we always catch it out in the end!

After blowing out the candles, we soon realised that time was ticking on and that I needed to leave the house soon or I'd be late! So it was kind of rush round the house as I flung everything I needed into my bag, popped on a coat and hat and tied up the laces to my Dr Marten boots. Thankfully, we made it to the Gaiety Theatre in time for 7pm for me to meet my friend Heather. Once we met up, Heather and I went inside out of the cold (typical Scottish weather!). Thankfully, the doors to the actual theatre itself were soon opened meaning that we were able to find our seats in plenty of time before the show began at 7:30pm. It looked like the theatre was almost a full house so fortunately, when Mum and I had booked the just tickets a few weeks earlier there were a couple of seats remaining in the second row which of course we snaffled up meaning that we had a great view of the stage! The show itself was absolutely brilliant! Both Heather and I couldn't get over how a like the gentleman playing John Lennon looked in comparison to the real thing-it was unbelievable! If you closed your eyes, it could easily have been the real band performing right there in front of you. Overall, both Heather and I really enjoyed the show and would definitely go again if they were to come back in future! If you'd like to read more about the Cavern Beatles show click here to be directed to the review link on my music blog.

 

After the show, Mum picked us up and gave Heather a lift back home on route to our house. Heather had surprised me with a lovely card and gift which I opened when I arrived home. I don't know how she managed it but a few weeks ago when we went shopping together and popped into the town's new record shop, I'd been eyeing up a Beatles record and unbeknown to me as I later discovered Heather bought it for me as surprise for my birthday! I was absolutely delighted about that! Thank-you so much Heather! To finish off my special day I tucked into a delicious slice of birthday cake before heading to bed just a short while later.

Before I go I just want to say a huge thank-you to all my friends and family for the lovely cards and kind presents that you kindly gave me for my birthday! I really appreciate it! I also want to say a huge thank-you to everyone for the sweet birthday wishes you sent me across my social media sites; it was so lovely to read them all! Here's to a great year as a 17 year old-I wonder what adventures it'll bring!?

Anyway, I shall love you and leave you all for now!

Sending you love, peace & Best Wishes,

Rob, The Hat Hippie xxx