the beginning of an end

Hand-me-down Espirit jacket (it looks like my dad's chef jacket which I like), my mum's old picnic blanket shirt, £2 thrifted Topshop dress, eBay docs.

This week marks the start of the final term that I'll be spending in sixth form, and the final few months of living in London. When the realisation hit me on Sunday, I almost cried from relief and happiness even if it means the following months will be full of revision and coursework. Despite all the happy, comforting times that I've had and am going to have here, I'm really grateful to finally be leaving. When I was 12, we had an induction day for our secondary school and I remember that I was scanning the crowds for a friend before looking up at the ceiling of that huge hall and being struck by the enormity of the situation; my brother had just gone to start his course at Imperial university and the next time my parents would be preparing pans and cutlery for someone, it would be me.

In the meantime, I'm trying to get through each day with as much enthusiasm as I can muster but it seems to have already run out.. I'm aching to go to sleep but am desperately trying to practice my violin for a late night run-through of my exam pieces tomorrow. Not to mention countless coursework's and practical's to write up and maths papers to do and finance forms to fill out. Needless to say, it's going to be a tough 'un and this on again, off again weather isn't helping my slowly dampening mood at all; this picture was taken this Monday and ever since, it's been jeans and a coat everyday.

On the plus-side, my Easter went wonderfully! I turned 18 two Saturday's back and was surprised by all my friends for a meal in London at Chiquitos. Urgh, their bean burgers were SO GOOD and it was so ironic because that morning I was just reading about them. I've also been using Motorola V3 phones since I was 11 so it was a kind-of moving coming-of-age moment when my dad handed me his old HTC. Finally! I have a smartphone! I'm hoping it's like a beard-makes-you-wiser kind of a transformation. That would really come in handy right about now.