Tuesday, 3 January 2017

Goodbye 2016!

Well can you believe that this will be the final post of 2016?! I can't! It feels like just yesterday that we moved house and were ready to start 2016 in our new home-although I was beginning to feel the affects of no internet I must admit! A blogger without the internet is like fish without the sea!
What can I say about 2016? It's certainly not been my most favourite of years that's for sure. Lots happened that's for sure and we lost a lot of pretty awesome people! I could easily sit here and list each personally individually and list the reasons why they've made such a big impact but it would take quite some time. I do however want to mention one person in particular whom I am completely gutted that we lost this year; someone whom I admired greatly and this time last year I don't think I would have believed you if you told me that an entire year later he would no longer be here and that is of course Prince. As you've all probably gathered, I am a huge Prince fan and had the pleasure of seeing him perform live just once and had hoped that I would get to see him live again. Sadly that was not to be. I always hoped that I'd have the opportunity to attend one of his legendary Paisley Park gigs or album listening parties that often hosted for fans and although I won't get to experience this I'd love to visit Paisley Park one day! So once again, thank-you so much for inspiring me Prince in more ways than just one! The music will certainly live on!
Health wise it hasn't been the best of years for me; the past six months in particular has been a battle for me. My pain levels have been particularly high which as you can imagine is particularly frustrating for me. I've been doing my best to manage my pain to the best of my abilities so as a result I haven't been blogging just as much as I'd like to have. I've only been writing when inspiration has struck and my pain has been minimum otherwise I would have been at it for hours trying to concentrate. However in 2017 I want to get back into the swing of things and write more frequently. I have another post lined up to update you with my blog plans for 2017 so please keep a close eye out for that!
It hasn't been my favourite of years that's for sure however there's been a few highlights and despite fighting with pain I've managed to do some pretty exciting things.
Well 2016 saw me advance with my radio slot as I hit an entire year at 3TFM! Can you believe it? I started hosting a show on a Thursday evening and had my first big interview for my show with Graeme Clark from Wet Wet Wet! I said at the beginning of the year in one of my posts that during the year I would love to interview someone and I actually managed it! It was a great experience and it was great to speak with someone who I admire! I'm ever so hopeful that I can get a few more interviews sorted out for 2017!
I also had the pleasure of hanging out in The E Street Lounge at Bruce Springsteen's gig in Glasgow for guests of the band etc and got to meet the very awesome Jake Clemons, nephew of the legend; the big man; Clarence Clemons! Jake now plays sax in Bruce's band following the passing of Clarence a few years ago. I remember seeing Jake with Bruce back at my first gig in 2012 and thinking that he was so cool and wanted to meet him ever since so you can imagine the sheer excitement when he walked in the room! I think it's worse when you don't expect it to happen and I completely didn't! We even had our seats upgraded to the Royal Box which was pretty awesome I must admit!
We also visited what I would now describe as my honorary home 'Liverpool'-gosh I'd move there given half a chance! And of course it was wonderful to return to some of the iconic places that helped shape one of my all-time favourite bands The Beatles and thanks to Ian our tour guide, I even got to see some more unusual sites-pure bliss for a geek like me! But probably one of my favourite parts was seeing the stage from St Peter's Church Hall where John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time as John Lennon was waiting on the steps to perform with The Quarrymen at the Museum of Liverpool. I'm still so excited that the lady let me touch the stage and have a picture next to it-such a geek aren't I?!
And probably one of the other most exciting moments for me this year took place just recently when I had the opportunity to visit the BBC Radio Scotland studios to discuss disabled access at gigs and live events with Kaye Adams. This for me was a dream opportunity and I loved absolutely every second of it! Obviously it was great radio experience but the most important part was discussing a subject which I've been highlighting for as long as I can remember to a wider audience. Hopefully the particular issues that I was there to discuss have been taken on board and rectified.
And finally, I turned 18 years old back in September. It's quite a scary thought that I'm 18 already- time just seems to fly by these days! Of course I couldn't not spend my birthday celebrating good music so I dragged everyone to see the new Beatles 'Eight Days A Week' film which included the live red carpet premiere at Leicester Square in London. And of course I even celebrated with a gorgeous homemade cake and of course The Beatles had to be on it! Such a geek right?!
Anyway, I won't go much further because I sometimes find myself getting carried away and writing too much. Before I go I want to thank-you all once again for the continual support over my blog and I hope that you'll continue to enjoy what I write in the coming year. I have another new post coming up very soon with my blogging plans for 2017, I have a few ideas in mind which I can't wait to put into action! 
I wish you each and every one of you a happy new year and I hope that 2017 treats you well!
Love & Peace to you all!
The Hat Hippie xx

Tuesday, 13 December 2016

Discussing Disability Access on BBC Radio Scotland

Well, what an exciting start to the week! Throughout my time blogging I've highlighted numerous issues with disability access particularly at gigs and live events. My recent article was a rant in frustration about the lift at the O2 ABC in Glasgow being broken meaning that disabled customers cannot attend events within the venue. I decided to contact BBC Radio Scotland about these issues as I was extremely fed up as nothing ever seemed to change or improve.
The BBC Radio Scotland team were kind enough to invite me to visit the studios for an interview on The Kaye Adams Programme to discuss these issues. This for me was a great opportunity to highlight  a subject which I've tirelessly discussed here on my blog and feel passionate about.
On arrival at the BBC Studios, I was taken aback about just how big the building was! Woah! Imagine working in a place like that!? A dream job in my opinion! The Christmas tree had just arrived in the building and was due to go up. My goodness did it look big!
We received our passes from the main reception desk and hung around for a few minutes in the lobby area. After a short while we were escorted upstairs with two other ladies who'd also been invited to discuss various topics on Kaye's show. I was taken aback with just how big the BBC building was; the floors just seemed to keep going! I couldn't help but wonder what wonders lay upon each floor of such an magnificent building!
My visitor's pass
We were ushered through numerous doors, through offices space filled with hundreds of desks of people typing aways and answering telephones. For me, it was interesting to get a small a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes. I mean this is a dream place to work after all! I'd love to be a BBC radio DJ! How cool would that be!?
We were soon taken into what could only be described as a hallway with some seats and what I think was another office space at the opposite end. The hallway was lit by daylight singing through the large glass windows looking out onto the river Clyde. Directly across the river was one of my favourite places in Glasgow; the SSE Hydro. Some of my best memories live inside of that building!
In front of us in the hallway were the radio studios which had two glass windows; on looked into another small hallway leading to the studio and the other; directly inside the studio. Above the grey door was the 'On Air' sign something that in my opinion makes every radio studio all the more exciting!
The first of the ladies was called in for her chat with Kaye about vegan food as we all waited outside. Before long I too was invited into the studio-exciting! I sat down in front of the mic as Kaye was talking with someone via the phone line live on air. It's kind of strange sitting in front of someone you're used to watching on TV. I remember being in Primary school and sometimes being off school ill and often Loose Women being on TV so you can understand why! 
The view from the studio windows
Kaye started with an introduction about what I was there to talk about and just like that; the interview began. Did I feel nervous? Surprisingly not! I got straight into it and hopefully managed to answer questions with confidence and as much information as possible. I finally had the opportunity to talk about a subject that I feel strongly about and want to help change things so really there was nothing to worry about. I know my subject inside out and was there to give my experiences. 
And just like that it was over and I went back outside to wait as I'd been ask to stay on and take part in the call-in at the end of the show. As we waited I was introduced to a lady from Disability Agenda Scotland who'd also be asked to come and discuss the subject. Towards the show we were invited back into the studio and the discussion began. Unfortunately, time was running short so the discussion was brief but worthwhile. 
No sooner than a flash of light, it was over and I'd made my first radio appearance on the other side of the mic and I'm here to tell the tale! I can honestly say I enjoyed the experience so much! It was such a great experience and I would love to do something like that again, strangely there's such a buzz about doing these sort of things! 
A huge thank-you to Kaye and BBC Radio Scotland for having me on the show and allowing me this wonderful opportunity to discuss this subject on such a vast platform. Every piece of media attention makes such a difference!
If you'd like to listen to the interview be sure to click here. My interview with Kaye is around the 1 hour, 50 minutes mark. I'd really appreciate if you could also spare an extra minute to give it a share and help get the word out in the open!
Until next time,
The Hat Hippie xx

Wednesday, 30 November 2016

Song Of The Month November 2016

So I haven't managed to post a song of the month for the past couple of months (shame on me!) so it's about time I get round to eh?! Well, it's the end of November and December is just around the corner-can you actually believe it!?
Yesterday, marked 15 years since a certain gentleman belonging to a band whom I adore so much sadly passed. I was just a small child at the time and have no recollection of the day however I grew up to learn about this legend and his music as a member of two different bands and also a solo artist became an important of my life. It's sad to think that I'll never have the chance to see him perform live.
So that brings us to the Song of The Month: November 2016. 'What is it'? 'Who is it'? might you ask. Well, it's a true pleasure to tell you that the latest song of the month is (drum roll).................

'Here Comes The Moon' by George Harrison


You may not have heard this track before by former member of The Beatles and The Travelling Wilbury's. Considering George's musical catalogue across the years I had an endless choice of songs to choose from to share with you guys. But I decided to choose this more unusual track. Why?
I came across this track some time ago after discovering that George wrote this song with alongside the incredible Stevie Nicks. I suppose you could say it's a sequel to the Beatles track 'Here Comes The Sun' and refers to Stevie's love of the moon. It's a beautiful acoustic number that has both George and Stevie's names written all over it. 
So if you haven't heard this stunning piece of music make sure to click onto the YouTube video linked above and if you have why not have a listen once again and be sure to let me know what you think of it! 
Anyway sit back, relax and enjoy and I'll speak to you all next month. I can't quite believe it'll be the end of the year-what a scary thought! 
Have a good few weeks everyone!

Saturday, 26 November 2016

Being Discriminated Against Once Again!!!


Guess what?! I can't go to another gig because I'm disabled and use a wheelchair!


Recently, my younger sister and her friend wished to attend two different concerts at the O2 ABC in Glasgow. Due to events having specific age limits both girls were deemed as too young to attend unless accompanied by someone over the age of 18. I'm 18 now which means by rights I can take on the big sister role and attend gigs such as these ones with my younger sister. Sadly, this would be the case if I were abled-bodied and didn't use a wheelchair.
On hearing of the gigs I visited the O2 ABC's website to gather the necessary information regarding purchasing wheelchair access tickets for the events. Most venues have specific policies for people like me who have specific access needs regarding ticket purchases and I completely support the policies considering previous experiences with other venues who openly sold disabled access tickets online to everybody and anybody that could find them. As I scrolled through the website I came across a statement that stated the following message 'We're sorry to inform you that our lift is temporarily out of order. Operating over four floors, our custom-built lift currently has a mechanical fault at ground level and requires a full replacement'. The statement also asked that any customers with access requirements please contact them in advance prior to purchasing tickets. So I did and asked them if it would be likely that the lift would be back in full working order by February (the date of the first gig that I wish to attend). I later received a response stating 'unfortunately we have no definitive date on when the new lift will be made & installed. All I could say for now is buy a standard tickets for the event and if the lift is still broken you would be issued with a full refund.' I can't say I was particularly chuffed to hear that the venue did not know whether their lift would be back in working order three months later! Surely you'd have a rough idea.
I was later made aware that the lift by other wheelchair users that the lift has in fact been out order since July at least! That''s four, almost five months it's been out of order and they still can't guarantee that it'll be fixed by February (7 months later!). Yes, I could easily go purchase a ticket on the off chance that they might get their act together and have the lift up and running but may I also add that I wanted to attend the event as a guardian for my sister and her friend so why would I let them get their hopes up and have to disappoint them on the day of the show and tell them they can't go because I can't physically get inside the building!? People often forget that people like me not always attend an event for themselves we might go because a loved one wishes to attend, we are normal people after all!
I've ranted on a number of occasions in past and this for me is the final straw! I am seriously fed up of just having to accept the fact that I can't do something because my legs don't work properly. In the past 12 months I've had issues with at least six different venues in Glasgow alone due to my disability  and it's disgusting in this day in age. I've been researching a number of people whom I can contact that may be able to help me in anyway that they possibly can and am pleased to say I've had a positive response to my first email (more details to follow I hope!). However, during my research I came across an old article which you can check out by clicking here from last year about a gig held in the O2 Academy specifically for people with disabilities and it was in support of the making a change regarding the very issues I've faced. Notice, that it was held in the O2 Academy? Yes, a sister venue of the O2 ABC; the venue that don't know when their lift will be fixed meaning that disabled customers haven't and will continue to be unable to access events within the building! Can you actually believe that?!  
Anyway, I must thank you for taking the time to read yet another article filled with frustration. I seriously feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall-when will the message get through to people?! I really appreciate your support and would be ever so grateful if you could once again give this article a share and please get in contact with me (details in the contact page above) if you can help in any shape or form or know someone who will. In the meantime I'll be sure to keep you all posted with everything that happens!

Saturday, 12 November 2016

The Hat Hippie Turns 2!

Wow! I can't quite believe it! My blog turns two years old today! Two years ago today I clicked publish on my first ever post! The time has flown by and in that time so much has happened!
I just wanted to take the time to write a short post to thank you all for following me on my blogging journey over the past two years and showing me as much love and support as you have. It honestly does mean the absolute world to me to log into my blog and receive such lovely comments and messages from you my wonderful readers!
It's amazing to look at my blog stats and see just how many views my blog has received and see just how vast the audience is. I've had views from all around the world which is crazy to me. It's so cool and very exciting to know that there's actually people in other countries sitting down at their computer or on their phones reading the words that i have written. That's the power of the internet for you!
Throughout the time I've been blogging I've met and spoken to so many wonderful people and done some pretty awesome things! Not many 18 year olds can say that they've had the opportunities that I've been fortunate enough to have had. I'll never take them for granted either, I'm one lucky girl to have done what I've done. Yeah, perhaps I have my struggles with health and pain but without those struggles I wouldn't have the enthusiasm nor the confidence to go out there and achieve my dreams. Instead I'd still be sitting in a boring classroom bombarded with constant tests and pressure as I've noticed with many others of my age and younger. Although I'm still in education, I don't have to face that each and every day. I don't have to be pushed into the box of if you don't get an A and strive to go to university, you're a failure. I'd hate that and I hate seeing that being pushed upon many other young people at the present day. In fact I'd happily tell any teacher that because I for once have proof thanks to my own circumstances that there are other options and many paths to get to the final destination. 
So I want to say a huge thank-you to you all for continuing to read each of my blog posts, sharing them and of course you constant support and enthusiasm. To reach the two year milestone in my blog is simply wonderful and I'm proud of such achievements. I look forward to continuing with my journey and to see what adventures are still to come. So until next year; my third year in the world of blogging I wish you all the best and sincerely hope you'll continue to enjoy reading what I share with the world! 

Thank-you so much and a huge Happy Birthday to The Hat Hippie!!!

Love & Peace to each and every one of you! xxx

Sunday, 30 October 2016

Deacon Blue Live at HMV!

If like me, you're an avid radio listener particularly of BCC Radio 2 you'll be more than aware that Deacon Blue have just realised a brand new album titled 'Believers'. Tracks from the new album have received airtime across the station as well as appearance from the band-their performance of The Chris Evans Breakfast Show was fab might I add!
They're heading out on tour next month in support of the albums and I was gutted that I was unable to get tickets-the cons of needing accessible seating eh? But we'll not go there today. However, I did manage to get one better and thanks to HMV I had the chance to see them perform live in the Argyle Street store in Glasgow as well as meet them afterwards at the CD signing. You might remember me mentioning that I'd spotted Ricky and Lorraine at Bruce Springsteen's gig back in June whilst in The E Street Lounge but it wasn't the time or place to go say hello as like me, they were there to enjoy the gig. They weren't there as Deacon Blue and I respect that. So I was rather chuffed to actually have the opportunity to attend this event.
Firstly, I want to give a big thumbs up to HMV! The staff couldn't have been more helpful and thorough regarding the wheelchair access and as result everything went so smoothly. This is a very rare occurrence at these sort of events unfortunately. However, they made sure we were escorted to the basement floor where the gig took place before the rest of the public and were able to watch the gig right up close to the stage, with no one in front of us; just the stage!
There was only one other lady in a wheelchair who I enjoyed chatting to as we waited. It's become a bit of a habit for me to find someone to blether to at gigs-it happens every time without fail now! I never used to be as sociable haha! But I do love meeting other people at events who share the same interests as me.
We didn't have a very long wait as the band were soon escorted through from the mysterious world behind some random door in the shop and got into place and immediately started to perform. Now, this was my first time hearing them perform live however my Mum, who'd seen them on a number of other occasions said that they sounded just as amazing as they did back in the day; if not even better. So there you go folks! To me, their sound was so strong and pure! I only have the records to go by but in my opinion, singing live, they still that crystal clear sound. Perfection!
It was an acoustic gig-my favourite type of gigs! They performed a set list consisting of songs, old and new. Most of the songs performed were from their newly released album which by the way is amazing! If you loved the classic 'Deacon Blue' sound, then you're bound to love their latest addition to the music world! But like I said, they performed a couple of the much loved classics such as 'Dignity' and 'Real Gone Kid' with an acoustic arrangement which I for one completely fell in love with! There are without a doubt stunning musical compositions!
Afterwards the band were escorted to the table for the signing to take place. Everyone began to queue up to have their copies of 'Believers' signed and myself and the lady who I'd been chatting to were taken by HMV staff to the front of the queue which was really good of them to do so. From experience, queues in a wheelchair are not a pleasant experience so it's greatly appreciated when staff at these sort of events go the extra mile!
It was so lovely to chat with the band as they signed my copy of the album for me, they all were extremely friendly and genuinely interested in everything that their fans had to say. I love having the chance to speak with musicians who I admire as I find them so interesting and am extremely fascinated with their craft. Definitely a highlight of 2016 for me!

If you haven't heard Deacon Blue's new album, be sure to pay a visit to your local music store to purchase a copy! If you already have a copy, be sure to leave a comment and let me know what your favourite track is from the album!

Tuesday, 11 October 2016

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