Tonight is the night that the NFL season begins. Since February, NFL fans all around the globe have been waiting in anticipation for the new season to start, and the time has finally come. We had the draft - the first virtual NFL draft - but what we really wanted to see was our favourite team playing on the field. Each team has gone through the process of drafting players, like Chase Young and Tua Tagovailoa, and cutting down their rosters to 53, so that tonight the season can begin. The first game is between the Houston Texans at the reigning champions, Kansas City Chiefs. Whilst the season is starting, there will be restrictions in place to keep in line with Covid-safe measures, such as limited-person attendance, but that doesn't mean the games will be less exciting. And, thankfully, the Sunday Night Football song will be back, pumping fans up ready for the Sunday night games. There are great new players on many teams making their debuts, like CeeDee Lamb for the Dallas Cowboys, and players that have moved teams, and even conferences. The New England Patriots have said goodbye to Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski as they've gone to Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cincinnati Bengals have welcomed their new quarterback, Joe Burrows, and Washington have welcomed their new name for this season, Washington Football Team. So tonight, the Thursday night game will kick-off the season. I'm a Cowboys' girl myself, so Sunday night is the night when I will be in full NFL mode but for now... ...Grab your snacks, get your drinks and cheer for your team! Until next time...

Today marks the beginning of September; the month where school starts, the weather gets colder and the time till Christmas becomes less and less. This September will be a little different than usual, with the restrictions from the pandemic, but work still needs to happen…and so does relaxing. It’s easy to get so caught up in your work - whether it be homework from school or tasks to do with your job – and forget about downtime and looking after yourself. I should know; there were times when I wouldn’t stop studying and my parents had to literally force me to move from my desk! But self-care is so important. Everyone needs that time, at some point of the day, to do something they enjoy and find relaxing. For some it might be watching a good movie, or listening to music or playing a sport; whatever it is, you should find the time to do it. During lockdown, one thing I’ve found that helps take away stress and anxiety is colour by numbers. And the way I do it, is by the app Happy Colour. Happy Colour is free to download and it has a plethora of different pictures you can colour. The topics range from art, to nature, to sport, to interiors and now they’ve added a Disney section! Whilst it does require a screen, it is surprising how calming (yet a little addictive!) it can be! If you’re a person who enjoys colouring, or using their devices, then this app may be for you! Here are some of the images that I’ve coloured: If you fancy a break from work, and you like colouring...have a go! Until next time...

How many of you have heard the words ship and canon before? Obviously, a ship is transport used on water and well, a canon (two n’s not three) is a Church law or decree but it just so happens there’s another world in which these words mean something else. This is the world of fandoms. Now, I know what fandoms are but there are some people who don’t, like my parents. So, here’s a quick breakdown… A ‘Fandom’ is a community formed by fans of a TV show, a book, a movie etc. Typically, the world of fandoms has its’ own jargon; the examples below are the ones I think are the most important to know. A ‘Ship’ is the abbreviation of “relationship” and it basically means you want two characters to be involved romantically. Now, a ‘Canon’ is the official storyline of the TV show, book, or movie, and when a ship is referred to as being canon, it means it is real in the show, book, etc. And lastly, the final key piece of jargon is ‘OTP’. An ‘OTP’ is someone’s ‘One True Pairing’, meaning a fangirl’s favourite fictional romance. I don’t have just one favourite fictional romance, and my latest one is actually the inspiration behind this post. My sister and I, being the fangirls that we are, started freaking out over a potential romance that we didn’t realise could happen until yesterday. We’d been watching this show and have loved it, but never thought of these particular characters as a couple before; this show is MacGyver – not the original, the reboot! We have lots of OTPs but haven’t felt strongly about one in a while and the potential romance between two of the protagonists, MacGyver and Riley, has brought out our inner fangirls - we're a bit crazy, I know! We basically had a freak out moment, spurting out all these words that were foreign to our parents – just another language we now speak lol – and so, I decided to write a blog about it. Many of you probably don’t know what I’m talking about and some of you may have just realised you’re fangirls or fanboys yourselves, but this whole fandom business is serious; there are ship names, fanfictions, fanvids and so much more all about fandoms. So, here are some of my fave fandoms and ships: 1. MacGyver – MacRiley (MacGyver and Riley) 2. One Tree Hill – Naley (Nathan and Hayley) 3. Grey’s Anatomy – Slexie (Sloan and Lexie) 4. The 100 – Bellarke (Bellamy and Clarke) 5. The Vampire Diaries – Delena (Damon and Elena) 6. Hart of Dixie – Zade (Wade and Zoe) 7. Teen Wolf – Stydia (Stiles and Lydia) 8. Supergirl – Karamel (Mon El and Kara) 9. Lucifer – Deckerstar (Lucifer Morningstar and Chloe Decker) 10. The Originals – Kolvina (Kol and Davina) These ten fandoms and ships are just from TV shows; I have many more from books, like Hessa and Clace (After and The Mortal Instruments), and movies, like Dotty and Covinsky (Fast and Furious and To All the Boys). It can be quite hard to decide – I would know – but I’m curious. So, what are your favourite fandoms and ships? Until next time...

So, whilst lockdown measures have been eased, my family and I are quite content on staying in our home, sweet home. But, eventually there comes a point when you want to do something different – change it up a bit – and so online shopping became useful. When we’re not studying, working, or FaceTiming family, we now have a new hobby. Admittedly one on which we can improve but we’re not too bad, if I do say so myself. And although we’re not experts, it’s a bit of fun that gets us all laughing. This new hobby of ours is…archery. Now, my sister had proper training during her first year at university, with an actual bow and arrow, so she’s experienced and very good. My parents and I, however, have had no training except the occasional go on the Wii – very advanced stuff, I know! But never had the chance to actually do it at home – this is where the online shopping comes in. My dad purchased an archery set from Aldi; a soft archery set, designed by Crane. It comes with a bow – obviously – and three arrows with a suction on the end, and even though it’s a soft set, it does make you feel like The Green Arrow or Hawkeye when you hit the target. So, if you’re bored, or want something new and fun to do at home, I recommend this. It’s great family fun and causes lots of laughter! Until next time…

When someone says ‘work’ people think of their jobs or homework from school and all things similar but one thing I find to be work – or at least difficult – is deciding what dinners to have for the week. In my family, we are limited to what dinners we can have; some of us dislike fish, others dislike cheese and one of us dislikes onion and pepper – me! Now, whilst there is a vast variety of dishes out there, we typically stick to the same meals and rotate them. For example, some of our favourites are: chicken and rice (either sticky chicken, teriyaki or Sweet and sour), carbonara, mince and pasta, sausage and mash, burgers, and a roast dinner of sorts. During lockdown, I have learnt to cook several meals, from carbonara to a joint of roast pork with homemade roast potatoes. And I’ve enjoyed the cooking – and the eating! The problem is we have so many recipe books, including ones from Jamie Oliver and Weight Watchers, but have we actually ever looked in those books? Ermmmm…No! We find it hard-work to come up with our meals for the week and so if you have any dishes that you have often or if you too find yourself struggling to decide on dinners, let me know in the comments section below. Until next time…

Five years ago it debuted on Broadway; three years ago it came to London; and this weekend, everyone everywhere can be in ‘The Room Where It Happens’ as it came to Disney+. The cultural phenomenon, Hamilton, was made available to ‘Blow Us All Away’ on the streaming service on Friday, leaving many eager fans ‘Satisfied’ over Independence Day weekend. Fans of the musical and those desperate to see it for the first time (Me!), could finally ‘Take a Break’ from feeling ‘Helpless’ and having to ‘Wait for It’. Having only been available in theatre, the concept of filming a live production and making it accessible to everyone means fans can watch it anytime, anywhere (even in a ‘Hurricane’) without friends and family having to ‘Say No to This’. Lin Manuel Miranda’s mix of Broadway, hip-hop, R&B, and jazz tells the story of “America then, as told by America now”, educating millions about the history of one of the founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, and the people who influenced his life (Marquis de Lafayette; John Laurens; Hercules Mulligan; Aaron Burr; and the Schuyler sisters). The musical not only embodies America’s independence, but demonstrates the country’s strength into becoming the constitution it is today and the life of Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton educates people on America’s war of independence from the British, with songs such as ‘Yorktown’ and ‘Stay Alive’ and the life of Hamilton is expressed through lyrics in songs like ‘Alexander Hamilton’ and ‘It’s Quiet Uptown’. The show is extraordinary and whilst it conveys important historic facts and teaches people about Hamilton – one of the most significant people in American history – it relates to the problems and obstacles of today, like gun violence and racism; duels were very common back then, as seen in the ‘Ten Duel Commandments’, and there was still the issue of racism, more so in terms of slavery and not having a ‘black battalion’, but it still existed. The musical has numerous exceptional performances, such as Renée Elise Goldsberry’s ‘Satisfied’, Phillipa Soo’s ‘Burn’, Leslie Odom Jr's 'Wait For It' and Daveed Digg’s 'What’d I Miss’. The 46 songs that make up the show are wonderful to listen to and are just one of the reasons why the Broadway musical has won so many awards: 11 Tony Awards; a Pulitzer Prize; a Grammy Award and many more. Now having seen the recording of the original Broadway show, I can’t think of a more perfect cast. Lin Manuel Miranda did a phenomenal job creating something that has taken the world by storm. If you haven’t seen it, you definitely should. Until next time… Trailer Courtesy of Disney.

When applying for a job, there are two key things which are considered important – grades/qualifications and personality. But what is more important? Grades that you’ve achieved throughout your education are obviously significant and sometimes they are the crucial piece of information which decides whether or not you’re hired; but I believe personality should trump grades. Yes, your qualifications show what you’ve achieved and which areas you excel at, however, nowadays they are more to do with how well you can memorise information and your ability on the specific day of the exam. You could have worked really hard throughout the years, you could spend hours revising and learning all the content; but when it comes to the day of the exam, you could be nervous, stressed and not feel great – this then impacts your ability and therefore your final grade doesn’t truly reflect your knowledge and hard work. Having a grade which doesn’t truly reflect your hard work could be more prominent this year, especially. Ofqual and exam boards have said that a “third” of grades given by teachers will have to be downgraded because teachers have been too generous. Whilst we’re in difficult times, and it’s a new challenge for teachers to predict grades in this way, having grades downgraded for some could be detrimental. If there are two schools (X and Y) and the students are all predicted B grades and above, the students from X might be downgraded because that school doesn’t usually do that well whereas Y always excels. However, students at X might actually be worthy of an A grade, more so than students from Y, but might not receive that. This whole scenario, I think, reflects why personality is more important (in my opinion) for jobs. If you have work experience, a passion for something and can demonstrate a variety of skills – not just academic ones – and are a friendly person, then you could be more suitable for a job than someone fresh out of education. For example, if a company is hiring and there’s two candidates – one is a new graduate with a degree and the other has worked in a call centre for 3 years – then the person from the call centre could be more suited to the job because they’ve shown they can hold down a job, take action when they want change, and they must have good people skills. Grades aren’t everything. My parents told me the other day that as you get older your qualifications become less relevant because they get older, just like you, and reach a point where they’re too old. However, experience and personality never get too old. They are always important. And so, I think the most important aspect of a person when applying for a job is personality. Until next time…

During lockdown I've done many pieces of writing, for competitions and myself, and one of the pieces I wrote was for a challenge organised by Autocrit - a community of authors. The title of the challenge was 'Destination Unknown' and the reason why it was called this was because we had two weeks to write a maximum of 1500 words, but the piece had to begin with, 'We reached the third day of our journey and, to be honest, things were not going well'. A week later, two twists were introduced; the piece had to end with the line, 'I'd rather be a bird than a fish', and we had to have as little repetition as we could. It was a fun challenge. One that made you reach outside of the box. And so, here is what I wrote: We reached the third day of our journey and, to be honest, things were not going well. The weather terrorised us, dragging us down with each step we took, and the internal battle grew stronger every passing minute. It was the middle of Autumn, and we were desperate to get away, to escape the horror we were leaving behind but little did we know what lay ahead. Skeletons of the past; monsters of the present; demons of the future. All things that could destroy us stood in our way, blocking our route to complete freedom. And they were all accompanied by mother nature -- the relentless, barbarous and implacable force of life. The increasingly tempestuous rain came pelting down from above, merciless, ricocheting off our skin; dark ash-grey clouds encased the sun in a pit of darkness, making the terrain more dangerous than ever. There was an absence of light, of hope, as we continued our trek into the depths of the forest. Gusts of wind raced through, knocking leaves from their homes, as branches shivered in the cold, yearning for some warmth. The abandoned parts of the tree flew to us, sticking to our wet bodies, eventually leaving after deciding we were not a good fit for a new home. Even mother nature thought we were bad, troubled kids who weren't good enough. That's all we heard in our lives, that the six of us weren't worth the effort, or the time; we were isolated in our little town, and so we decided to leave. Escape. Run and take our chance at freedom. All we wanted was to be accepted and included but our neighbours saw us as outcasts, as fugitives destined to be locked away in a cell to conceal the truth. The sheriff had arrested us before, claiming we had threatened to kill a classmate; the mayor had persuaded the judge and jury to determine that we were guilty; our parents didn't care (grateful for the opportunity -- good riddance they said); and so, it was down to us to take matters into our own hands. And that's when we escaped from Barhall Prison, and started our journey to exemption. The first couple of days were okay -- we managed -- but the third was when mother nature turned angry, and our internal battles clawed their way out into the open. "I don't care what you think Rowan! I'm more concerned about leaving this damn forest and getting somewhere safe, away from" -- Ada threw her hands around -- "all this." "Well I'm sorry that I worry about my family!" "Why would you? They've never even-" "That is enough! Both of you," I shouted in a rage. They turned to look at me, fear haunting their eyes, as the other three -- Jace, Cameron and Brooklyn -- were huddled under a tree, leaning against the bark. "I know that we're all a bit stressed, and our destination isn't exactly determined, but we need to stick together. If we can't even be civil with each other then," I took a deep breath in, "this isn't going to work at all." "You're right. I'm, uh, I'm sorry," Ada said with her eyes downcast. Rowan apologised quickly after, muttering the words quietly. The rain was finally easing on the evening of our third day, allowing us to dry our clothes, at least for a little while. The sky above was still shielded from our sight by the clouds that formed a protective layer, almost as if they were afraid that we would see something up there, a weapon we could utilise. Lost in my thoughts, fighting with the demons who lived in my mind, Cameron pulled me from the trance asking for my aid with setting up camp for the night. Brooklyn and Jace had started a fire from wood strewn across the ground; Ada was attempting to put up the tents, but failing miserably so Rowan tucked away his pride and went to help. "Come with me to hunt for food." I turned my head to Cameron, who was staring at me expectantly with his hand held out, ready for my grasp. "Fine." Glancing around at our surroundings, I continued, "Do you have something to kill with?" "Something, as in?" "Well, we need some way to capture it otherwise we're going to starve and I for one don't fancy being hungry the entire time we're in this forest!" Looking at me, he pulled a knife from the back of his cargo pants. "A blade. Good. That's – that’s good." We walked through foliage and dodged different things falling from the trees, as we made our way to the little pond situated in the middle of the woods. It was full of iridescent fish swimming in a home of freedom, oblivious to the predators roaming. Water splashed upwards, covering my black boots, making them glisten slightly. Cameron crouched down low; the blade tightly gripped in his left hand. He spotted the one he wanted to catch and when it was near, he lunged at it, missing a few times before grasping it in his right hand. The two of us held the animal down as it flapped about, trying to get free, but it had no luck as Cameron brought the tip down, plunging it into the fish's neck. I heard a crack, and winced turning away. "We should get this back to others," Cameron said, and then we both got up, him carrying the knife with the dead fish attached. Heading back towards our camp for the night, I noticed just how deafeningly silent it was. There was no pelting of the rain, no echoes of wind, no crackle of a nearby fire -- there was nothing; just the sounds of Cameron's and my breaths. As we drew nearer, we couldn't hear the voices of our friends. I spun around, facing Cameron; a look of worry written all over my face. "Can you hear that?" I asked, wanting him to answer yes. "Hear what?" My heart dropped. At that moment, fear became a living, tangible thing that consumed me. My heartbeat started racing to the point of no return, sweat gathered on my palms and one word was ripped from my throat, Run! Sprinting back to camp, Cameron followed closely behind. He was shouting behind me, "Esme! What are you doing? What's wrong?" There wasn't enough time to stop and explain, I just needed to get us back, get our stuff and our friends and leave as fast as we could. That was my plan. But unfortunately, fate had other ideas. When we arrived, the only things that were there were the fire, still flaming strong, and our bags. As we moved around to have a look, to search for the others, acorns began falling and hitting Cameron and I -- or rather it seemed like they were being thrown. Looking up, straining my eyes to see in the dark, I caught sight of it...them. Rowan, Ada, Jace and Brooklyn were all perched up in the branches. Their mouths were moving but I couldn't see what they were saying; and by the look on Cameron's face I could tell he was just as confused as I was. Ada began whispering in a harsh tone, "Climb up. Get up here." Cameron had already started climbing before I registered what Ida had said. The corpse of the fish lay on the damp floor whilst the blade was secured back in his belt. I moved towards the tree I deemed the easiest route and as I was about to lift myself from the ground, twigs snapped and footsteps could be heard surrounding the camp. Flashes of light flickered everywhere, but they ultimately landed on me. "Well, well. Look what we have here, Miss Esme Stewart. Oh, how we've been looking for you!" I twisted my body, pressing my back against the tree to face them. There were about six men, all dressed in soldier's uniforms with a gun holstered to their thighs. I knew who they were, why they were here. "You need to come with us Miss Stewart. You're under arrest for treason of the darkest kind and you can either come willingly or we'll use force." I remained silent, a blank expression on my face. The guard to the right of me snarled, "What, cat got your tongue? Nothing to say?" I looked at him, a wicked smile forming, as I said the words that I hoped the others would understand, "I'd rather be a bird than a fish." ***** Until next time...

Sorry for the late post – life’s been a bit hectic during the lockdown. We’re into our second week of lockdown – I think, I keep losing track of time! – and the weather is brightening up enticing many to enter their gardens, me included! One problem, however, is that many movies have become unavailable due to the delayed release date. BUT there is a saviour in our midst… …Disney+ Disney+ was released in the UK around a week ago, and its arrival was long-awaited. The streaming service not only includes Disney classics such as The Lion King and Dumbo, as well as the reimagined versions, but also Marvel movies, Star Wars films and various original TV shows – including High School Musical the Musical the Series (a mouthful, I know!). It has brought a little magic to our lockdown, filling our time with programmes and movies that conjure laughs, smiles and sometimes tears. This time is hard for many because of the separation from loved ones, the scariness of the virus, and the unknown. Many of us are stuck inside and whilst there’s very little that will help with the situation, Disney+ has given us some magic and light in the dark world we currently live in. And so, if you want a little magic, Disney+ is the answer! Enjoy! Until next time…

As many know, education has been put on hold for some whilst others have been working and learning from home. Like me, Year 13s and 11s have had their education abruptly stopped and for some it is proving to be quite a struggle. I know that I need to keep my brain engaged and working; however, without actually being taught this is quite hard. So, in order to keep my brain alive I’ve enrolled on an online course. And you can do the same! There’s such a wide variety of courses online, many are even free, and they are a great way to keep your brain active and working whilst gaining new skills. If you’re finding yourself to be a bit bored and a bit lost during these hard times, then take a leap and join an online course now. Some are available at: Open Learn Open University FutureLearn OnlineAcademies Reed Until next time...

As you probably know, the UK’s lockdown has been extended for three more weeks. Whilst this is obviously necessary and essential in the fight against Covid-19, it can affect people’s mental health causing extreme anxiety and other problems. The impact of one’s mental health can be detrimental and sometimes one needs to escape reality. One way to escape reality is reading. I love reading and have done for most of my life; I like loads of different genres ranging from romance to crime thrillers. Books are packages of creativity that allow you to be transported to a different universe and use your imagination. Escaping reality through books is a good way of looking after your mental health. So, here are some book recommendations: Harry Potter Series – J.K Rowling The Comfort Food Café Series – Debbie Johnson The Mortal Instruments Series – Cassandra Clare Roy Grace Series – Peter James From Manhattan with Love Series – Sarah Morgan Alex Cross Series – James Patterson If you fancy an escape, try some of these. Until next time…

Over the past three days, the NFL 2020 Draft took place. It was supposed to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, but due to recent circumstances it was held virtually. We saw potential players, head coaches, team owners and the commissioner, Roger Goodell, carry out the draft from their homes – and some of the houses were very nice! Now, Thursday night saw round 1; Friday night was round 2 and 3; Saturday night was rounds 4-7. Each night, teams drafted new players to join their roster in hope of strengthening their team well enough to win the Superbowl at the end of the season. And I must say some teams are looking strong. I could go on and list all picks for all 32 teams but I am a Cowboys Fan and so I thought I’d list the drafted players for America’s team, and then give the top 10 draft prospect rankings. So here goes… Dallas Cowboys Draft Picks 2020: Round 1: Ceedee Lamb, WR Round 2: Trevon Diggs, CB Round 3: Neville Gallimore, DT Round 4: Reggie Robinson, CB and (from Philadelphia) Tyler Biadascz, OL Round 5: Bradley Anae, DE Round 6: No one Round 7: Ben DiNucci, QB Round 6 saw no picks for the Dallas Cowboys due to their trade with the Dolphins for Robert Quinn, DE. The extra 4th round pick is from their trade (the first in 10 years) with the Philadelphia Eagles; the trade saw Dallas surrendering No. 164 and a 5th round pick in the 2021 draft for Philadelphia’s No. 146 pick. And now for the top 10 draft prospect ranking: Name; Position; School; Drafted Team 1. Chase Young – DE - Ohio St. – Washington Redskins 2. Joe Burrow - QB – LSU – Cincinnati Bengals 3. Isaiah Simmons – LB – Clemson – Arizona Cardinals 4. Jeff Okudah - CB - Ohio St. – Detroit Lions 5. Tua Tagovailoa - QB – Alabama – Miami Dolphins 6. Derrick Brown – DT – Auburn – Carolina Panthers 7. Tristan Wirfs - OL – Iowa – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8. Jedrick Wills – OL – Alabama – Cleveland Browns 9. Javon Kinlaw - DL - South Carolina – San Francisco 49ers 10. Ceedee Lamb – WR – Oklahoma – Dallas Cowboys I realise that some of you may not know what the positions are by the initials given and so here is a quick breakdown: QB QUARTERBACK WR WIDE RECEIVER CB CORNERBACK DE DEFENSIVE END DT DEFENSIVE TACKLE DL DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OL OFFENSIVE LINEMAN LB LINEBACKER By the way, these are just a few of the positions – there are a lot more! Until next time...