Dreaming of blue skies

The weather is FINALLY warming up! Other than a handful of days this year, I honestly don't think the temperature has made it past 5 degrees. Not cool when it's already the end of March! I'm dreaming of the days when I don't need a coat, scarf and gloves before I'm prepared to leave the house (some people might think that's excessive now, but I'm always cold)!

Being able to sit outside for my lunch break today and actually enjoy it rather than freeze has made me remember just how much I love the sunny weather! It honestly makes me feel so much brighter and more energetic when it's nice outside - I've really missed it! Not to mention that everything just looks so much prettier when it's bathed in sunlight or surrounded by flowers 🎕.

example a) my university

example b) my garden

I'm hoping it stays like this for tomorrow, because I'm going out for a pub lunch and then to watch the Oxford Cambridge Boat Race. It's going to be a nice day out for my boyfriend and I before I move out of the flat on Sunday! He's been a total star to put up with me for so long after I told him I'd just be staying at his for a few weeks back in September (oops!). We'll move back in together (hopefully in a shared flat, not just me invading his) when I've got my life together and got a job, but for now I'm not thinking about work because... In 12 days I will be on a plane to Singapore on my way to explore Malaysia and Australia!! ☀

I am SO EXCITED! 50% of that excitement is due to the fact that I can wear dresses and sandals and bikinis and get a tan, and 50% is because I'm visiting family who I don't see anywhere near as much as I'd like and friends who I haven't seen in a while. It's going to be great. I've been glued to scrolling through travel photos on Instagram and Pinterest and pouring over travel videos on Youtube. My uni housemate moved to Sydney in January and her vlogs have been making me green with envy! If anyone's got any top tips for things to see or do or eat in the following cities, I'd be really grateful! Singapore ✈ Melbourne ✈ Cairns ✈ Whitsunday Islands and Fraser Island ✈ Sydney ✈ Kuala Lumpur.

This trip is one I've been thinking about for so long now, I can't quite believe it's really happening! I considered it in the Summer before going to uni and every Summer since, but haven't been able to afford it. I've always had the travel bug, and am lucky to have visited quite a few countries. In my second year of uni, I went to Malawi, which was totally unlike anywhere else I've been but was such a beautiful country. In 2016, I went interrailing around Europe with two of my best friends and it was AMAZING. We had so much fun, and got to explore 8 amazing countries! One of my cousins lives in Canada, so I've spent a few weeks seeing the sights there too. The list of places I've been isn't short, but the list of places I want to go is very long! 

I kind of wish I'd booked to be away for longer than 6 weeks but I'll be on my own for parts of the trip (and I'm not all that good at being on my own), so I wasn't brave enough. Maybe I'll come back a changed person with a desire to backpack the world solo, who knows?! But at least for now, I'm comfortable with the amount of time I'm away. Also I'm looking forward to it so much, I think it's a good balance. I'm not stressing about being away for ages but also I'm away for long enough that it'll feel like a proper break. Plus, I've actually got no plans afterwards, so maybe I'll just hop on another plane somewhere else...