July Treatbox

If you didn't know, I absolutely love a good subscription box! There's just something about getting a few treats among all the bills and reminders that makes getting post exciting again.

Treatbox is sent out at the beginning of the month, and has a different theme every month. I love finding out what the theme is and seeing a range of goodies from brands I haven't heard of yet.

The first thing I noticed when July's Treatbox arrived, was the amazing smell! On opening the box I found this smell was coming from the Pina colada wax melts by Simple Candle Co. I can't wait to start burning these and get my flat smelling lovely and summery. One particular thing I love about Treatbox is how they include products from small businesses, something I'm very passionate about!

The July box also featured a selection of patterned straws with summer toppers. I love these (particularly the Dotty ones of course!) and they make me want to organise a summer party, although as I write this it's raining, how ironic...

This box made me feel very excited for summer! I can't wait to add the special Treatbox addition Pineapple pin badge to my collection for when I finally find a nice denim jacket to add them to. I'm loving adding little additions to my clothing and it makes me feel a little bit more creative and crafty! With this in mind I'm looking forward to using the appliqué iron on patches to jazz up a bit of a boring t-shirt! My friend (and designer) Melissa absolutely loves flamingos - so I'm going to give her the flamingo one

I think I might use the 'My Favourite Things' case to store a few essentials in my bag. As it's transparent it'll make finding things a lot easier!

I only managed to get one picture of the Water Melon sours sweets, as I'd couldn't save them for too long with my sweet tooth! I can report they were lush though! 👌

Of course the cute prints; July calendar page, utterly fabulous flamingo print and cactus print are great. I've started a small gallery wall in my room, so I'm looking forward to adding these unique prints to the collection. I like to use the calendar page for my notice board at work too.

 Do you like subscription boxes? Are there any you'd recommend I check out? Comment below!

'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' @ The Mayflower, Southampton - Review

On Monday I had the pleasure of seeing ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ at The Mayflower, Southampton, and it was absolutely fantastic.

I have to admit I was a little sceptical, as more of a musical person I wasn’t sure how I’d find a play after years of not seeing one, and I was interested to see how the book was transferred to stage, as well as how a person with Autism is portrayed.

Curious Incident tells the story of Christopher (played by Scott Reid), a fifteen year old boy with Autism. One night, Christopher finds his next door neighbour’s dog, Wellington, has been killed with a garden fork, and he sets about on a quest to solve the mystery of who killed Wellington. Yet there’s so much more to it than that, and the audience gains a better understanding of how the world is seen through the eyes of a person with Autism.

The play is based on Mark Haddon’s novel of the same name, and has been adapted for the stage by Simon Stephens. Curious Incident won seven 2013 Olivier awards and five 2015 Tony Awards.

Both my partner and I thoroughly enjoyed the play, and particularly enjoyed how people with Autism were portrayed. There were many times where you could laugh at how exceptionally intelligent Christopher is, yet how he struggles to interpret certain elements of day to day life – his misunderstanding of sarcasm, and the unspoken rules of the British culture.

I have to mention the character of Siobhan (Lucianne McEvoy), who was a particular highlight for me. I loved how the story was narrated by her, in the style of her reading out parts of Christopher’s book, and asking him about it. The effects used and the set were also phenomenal, with the use of the lighting to show where Christopher was – such as when he travelled by tube to London. The small cast were also exceptional - playing multiple characters throughout the play.

I really felt uplifted from seeing the character of Christopher overcome certain obstacles in his daily life, and that even though he may see the world a bit differently, he could still achieve great things. Overall, I found ‘Curious Incident’ to be an utterly fantastic production, with a great combination of cast, set and effects, certainly one not to be missed!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is showing at The Mayflower until 1^st April 2017, and will soon begin its second tour of the UK and Ireland.

Special thanks to The Mayflower, Southampton for providing the images in this post.