The only time I ever write blogs is under the crushing weight of every other thing I have to do, this time around it's an essay, studying for exams, packing for Vancouver, prepping for working in Disney World next summer (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) among other things - but oh well, motivation is motivation, and I'm not keen on losing it.

Coming towards the end of the year, I've been doing all sorts of dramatic ~reflecting~ on my year, about significant events and people and music and all kinds of wonderful things that I got to do or see, and things that maybe haven't had the greatest impact.

The running theme among these "negative" events has been forgiveness. It's something I've never struggled to do, it's very easy to either blame myself and apologise for something (be it annoying someone, doing something I would perceive as being selfish or just generally not being good enough), or to let something slide because I feel the other person couldn't help it or was just having a bad day. I'd never thought of this as a weirdly toxic trait until recently; it has allowed me to keep every friendship I've ever made, but is that in itself a good thing?

It's much easier to verbally forgive and move on than it is to mentally forgive - and this has been something I've had the greatest trouble handling. It's hard to explain without explicit examples, and I don't want to do that for the very reason that I have already given forgiveness, and by bringing something back up again, I'm going back on my word.

From a very personal perspective - regardless of whether I feel I have given true forgiveness and would like both parties to move on, some things have lasting damaging effects that a simple act of masking over or sweeping under the rug won't help. Sure, I've grown a lot (and learned a lot about myself and my own tolerance levels) from things that have happened this year - but that doesn't mean that I haven't been left thinking about how things could have been should they have went the way they seemed to be going, if I was able to speak up for myself more in the moment, or if I was just generally a better version of myself, in ways I can't learn to be.

I remind myself every day of how lucky I am to have so many wonderful, loving, kind friends and family, people who love me unconditionally, who don't allow me to think of myself as a burden or as useless as I've felt in various scenarios this year. I am also lucky to be living my dreams next year, and all of these little things will hopefully become a bit more superficial; but I'm so aware that it's healthy for me to acknowledge the damage caused for what it's worth. There's no point in trying to diminish my own problems when they are very real and very scary.

Going hand in hand with this is maybe the greatest lesson I've learned this year (whether I actually practice what I preach is something only time will tell): SPEAK TF UPPPP. If I'm not fine don't say I am, tell people that what they did hurt me because they'll grow from that going forward and other people won't get caught in the aftermath, stand up for myself when I'm clearly getting walked over. Don't let people build up promises they never intend to keep etc etc etc.

CHEERS TO 2019 AND SPEAKING UP 4 WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN, MUTUAL GROWTH BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE AND HOPEFULLY NOT SACRIFICING FRIENDSHIPS ALONG THE WAY!

Love, Lucy x

Guess who's back and arguably not better than ever - but giving it my best shot as always. I honestly planned on blogging more back when I could tweet it (pre-suspension lol) and know i'd get more than one reader, but hey ho, this blog isn't for anyone but myself at the end of the day.

I do feel like I turn to writing when I can feel my life shifting and don't know how else to deal with it other than write everything down - which is admittedly stupid, it just means that any blogging consists almost entirely of incoherent rambling. Alas, there's method in the madness somewhere I'm sure.

The past few months have been fairly dramatic - new places, places that were once happy becoming significantly more sombre, new people, new experiences, new experiences WITH new people, new anxieties, learning how to deal with grief and realising that sweeping emotions consistently under the rug in the hopes that it's easier to face them at a later date only ends in prolonging the damage. AND over the NEXT few months, it's only going to get MORE dramatic!!!!

None of it has sunk in yet, and probably won't until I'm actually out there, but moving to Vancouver (if only for a semester) will be the single scariest thing I've done in my life. And I'm afraid.

Sure, I'm BEYOND excited to stay in a city that isn't Glasgow long enough for it to feel like a new 'home', and to -hopefully- make at least a few new friends. Listen to new music, seizing opportunities for personal growth and blah blah blah. Of COURSE I'm excited, but fear is natural with a move this huge, regardless of the time period.

What I feel is a lot less natural, albeit probably understandable, is the ridiculous fear of life going on without me. This sounds more stupid, and I've been told it is by anyone I've admitted this to. I do know that life at home isn't just put on pause while I'm away, and that even while I'm at home, I have minimal control over the changes I fear most. My going away for the semester doesn't mean that all my friends will forget about me, it doesn't mean that the people I love and who love me will fall out of it. I have the social skills and the energy to ensure that everyone I know and love also knows that I'm thinking about them. On a broader point - I fear what I can't control.

Even at home, I struggle to cope with the idea of people slipping through my fingers if I don't keep a tight enough grip. I hold on to feelings that almost definitely aren't mutual, in the hopes that one day they may become mutual; and my leaving ((mentally)) is the equivalent of letting go or at least loosening my grip, setting them free to find other friends, who don't weigh them down, who are infinitely more interesting or at least less awkward.

The truth is, whether I'm 4 miles or 4365 miles away, I cannot and never will be able to control how I am seen by others. Those who wish to keep me in their life in any capacity will be waiting with open arms when I return.

Cheryl Cole once said "anything that's worth having is sure enough worth fighting for"; and there's a truth to this - but it goes both ways. There is no point in wasting time and energy in watering a dead plant. If a battle is lost, move it and move on - but don't forget it. Salvage what you can, press the flowers and preserve them. They'll never be as bright as they once were, and that's ok.
I'm running out of analogies to use, and after a long day, that's ok too - I told you it would be incoherent.

I'm very sure that I'll return to this topic, whether in blog form or in the form of verbal diarrhea most likely falling upon deaf, or at least unwilling, ears.

Cheers to change and personal growth etc,
Lucy x

Krakow is a great city for so many reasons, rich in history, great prices and GREAT food. Most of our list that we set out to tick off involved food, and it was just as good (or better) than we expected. Surprisingly, this is a city of many (many) Italian restaurants, which we weren't expecting at all but suited me down to the ground anyway. The bakery culture was my favourite part, why can't every city run on pastries?

I debated making this blog a full food diary but considering my weird/restricted eating habits that would have made for an extremely dull and repetitive blog that even I wouldn't want to read over again, so why not summarise this into my favourite snacks across the trip!

- Obwarzanek



Arguably the most basic of the bunch, but you can't been extremely cheap (and relatively iconic) street food. This is a Krakow staple, you can find them in stalls literally all over the city - as a rule of thumb, always try something you can find on a magnet.
These are Krakowien bagels/pretzels, and they are one of the best ways to sample the local culture. We tried some from all over, and you can get all kinds of different toppings, poppyseed, salt, cheese etc. Prices vary slightly but they are all cheap (!!!!), for as little as 50p or less even. It's such an easy snack, or breakfast if that's what you're feeling - paired with a coffee from one of Krakow's many bakeries!

- Pączki



I'd love to tell you that I took this picture but I wasn't that smart, and bought two donuts and only decided to take a photo of it once it had been smashed in my bag - so I thought it would be better to find a picture that actually resembles a doughnut.
I'm not sure whether it's just the icing that differs or whether the jam inside changes with the flavours too, but I chose a rose and a cinnamon (and because of how squished they got in my bag I honestly couldn't really tell the difference between them), and they were both BEAUTIFUL. If you don't like rose flavoured things, then obviously this won't be for you, but I'm lead to believe that the rose flavour is the most famous - and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it. It's the perfect blend of both sweet and floral, and it's not overpowering or perfume-y. Definitely would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't stuffed my face on something else before buying them too lol
(p.s. we bought ours from Grodzka 6 which is just off the main square)

- Mixed berry sweet bread



Honestly don't know the real name for this bread but this will do, because it's exactly what it was. The blueberry jam in the middle was a bit much but I'd have it for breakfast ANY day of the year and I'm kind of sad it's so out of reach. (ft. my chubby hands, all the better for holding sweet breads and pastries with)

- Dark chocolate ice cream 



Obviously ice cream isn't exactly culturally unique or distinct to Poland, but no lie, this was the best ice cream I've had in my life. We stopped at Good Lood in Kazimierz after dinner nearby at Kolanko No. 6, and it might be the best decisicion I've made all year. When they said dark chocolate they weren't kidding, it was so intensely rich and creamy and I'm still dreaming about it more than a month later.
This photo is horrendous but I don't care, I'm immortalising it here. Was I high? No. Was I CONTENT? Yes. Best ice cream of my life (maybe). I love ice cream. Thank you and good night. 

- Poppyseed bun



My favourite discover of the whole trip was these poppyseed buns. I picked one up originally thinking it was a weird pain au chocolat but I have never been so happy to be wrong. The first bite is weird if you don't know what to expect, but the only description I can give is that it's subtly sweet, and delicate and soft which a little crunch around the outside and the added sweetness of the light icing on top (which only 1/3 of the buns I picked up had on them, but that didn't matter). These were GLORIOUS. It might be an acquired taste, and they do look a bit like "spider's eggs" (thanks to Erin for pointing this one out) but there's nothing like it. I could have eaten 10. If you're in and around Krakow (and I think a lot of eastern europe generally?) then PLEASE do yourself a favour and go and find one of these. Life changing.


COCKTAILS
I debated making a whole other blog about this and I might regret not doing that but I didn't want to write a half-blog on this when I have too much else to say (that ultimately I don't even think anyone else is going to read but o well this blog is for me anyway).

All I've done for this whole blog is gush over everything and I'm going to keep that going! These cocktails were the best I'd ever had, and some of the cheapest I've ever had too.

- Oriental Chacha / Rebecca's Touch


These were two very similar cocktails we got from Cheder in Kazimierz. They were some of the most original and simple cocktails that I've tried and I fell in love with them, although drinking it on an empty stomach wasn't my wisest move.
Oriental Chacha (pictured) is made with oriental liqueur, apple juice, honey and cinnamon - and it reminded me of how much I LOVE cinnamon. It makes everything taste better, and paired with apple? A holy combination.
Rebecca's Touch wasn't my drink but I tasted it and it was really similar to my drink, but instead of the liqueur it was made with Krupnik vodka, and the cinnamon was swapped for lemon. This one wasn't as suited to my tastes because vodka is disgusting (sorry), but the apple/lemon/honey made it work. It was still a gorgeous cocktail.

- HEVRE



Truthfully I can't remember the name of the pictured cocktail, but we had this round in a bar called Hevre in Kazimierz which I would recommend to anyone going to Krakow. It's an old synagogue that's been converted into a bar/night club and it was one of the most fascinating places I've been to. Plus it's got a whole range of unique and reasonably priced cocktails (although a little more expensive by Krakow standards).

- White Russian



Also pictured is a tequila sunrise which was good and reasonably priced but nothing spectacular compared with how the Polish (or at least in Krakow) does a White Russian. Something as simple as swapping milk for cream makes a HUGE difference. I can never go back. It was almost like a creamy chocolate milk. Simple and amazing and I don't know why other bars haven't conned on to how BEAUTIFUL this is.
We got these drinks from a bar called Baroque which we spent the whole trip looking for and found on the last night! It was great but you can get this standard of White Russian pretty much anywhere in the city that we tried. 

- Raspberry Daquiri



Last but CERTAINLY not least, the best cocktail I've had in my life, this raspberry daquiri. We got them with our dinner at Da Pietro in the main square, and were speechless. These were like JAM. As if they just pureed straight rasberries and added some rum for a kick. I'd fly to Krakow for this cocktail ALONE. As someone who wants alcohol without the distinct alcohol taste, this ticks every box. It could almost pass for a smoothie, or a hard raspberry coulis. I'm still speechless, nothing I can say does this justice. I'm also aware that I've used the word "beautiful" to describe too many things on this list but I can't think of a better word to describe it - and I'm not even going to try to. So GOOD.

BONUSSSS
- Elderflower Fanta



It's not distinctly Polish by any means, or food, or a cocktail, but there was no way I was posting this blog without giving it a mention. This flavour is so common too? It is available pretty much everywhere in all kinds of different sizes and it tastes so fancy, I was so impressed. It was another highlight of the trip. I'm jealous of myself for ever being able to drink this casually without having to smuggle it onto a plane or something, and I'm jealous of anyone else who could just leave their house right now and pick up some like it's nothing. Liquid GOLD.

With that, I'm going to finish this blog with a plea to both the good people of Krakow and Coca Cola as a company to please send all the goods (everything in this list) my way :-)

Every time I take a step away from writing and come back I feel like I'm starting this blog all over again, which is great in terms of motivation but not so good for post consistency, but let's roll with it.

I've been sitting exams since I was 13/14 years old, so I've seen my fair share of exam seasons, and this past month has been the worst by far. I love learning more than anything in the world, but eventually there comes a point (especially in a law degree) where I'm learning names two hours before an exam and the test is really just a memory game - which quite frankly, is shit. It's demeaning. I know it's my own fault for doing extra credits this semester, and that my drive is dwindling with every passing exam, but wow, I've never felt so uninspired. That might be to do with physical/mental/emotional exhaustion, and the effects of maybe 3-4 hours sleep a night for the past month and a half - but it's time to start fresh. Exams are over, and I'm excited to have a breath of literal fresh air.

So naturally, less than 24 hours from that last exam, I'm back on my laptop - but this time I'm looking for something.

This blog is my creative outlet. As a creative person, choosing to pursue a law degree might have been a stupid move - I haven't read a fiction book for my own enjoyment in over a year now. There's no scope for creative writing in our essays, or free thinking in an exam scenario. The stifling of creativity is suffocating and I'm now, at long last, able to breathe some life back into myself, and recapture what's left of my personality after the trauma of a commercial law exam.

But there's a lesson that's came from all of this, and it's that creativity can come in the smallest parts of your every day life. It's in making your dinner, it's in making a playlist that will help you enjoy a boring task, it's searching out NEW music and developing your tastes, it's using different coloured pens, it's going for a walk in the morning, it's choosing to shake up your gym routine if you have one, it's choosing to walk to work, it's telling people stories and listening to others, it's positivity and it's teaching yourself to open your mind to comfortably acknowledge and accept differing opinions - regardless of how you might personally feel about something.

Keeping an open mind, about everything, being non-judgemental, and actively looking for fresh ideas is what keeps me going. Seeking out opportunities for personal growth, and reflecting on my attitudes and emotions in different scenarios over the past year in particular has been one of the most rewarding things that I've could have done for myself. Change takes time, whether it's gradual, or whether it hits you immediately, and is beneficial not just for you, but for other people around you - it shapes how you handle your emotions and ultimately helps you become a most considerate and supportive person. Change is arguably the most important form of creativity, and creativity is driven by positivity (and maybe vice versa).

At a more superficial level, creativity also comes in the form of new experiences and the development of different projects, whether it's a painting or creating an outfit for an upcoming Taylor Swift concert (lol). This summer I'm placing a focus on that, I want to paint, bake, write, run, listen, read, and see and do things that I've either been putting off or never thought about doing in the first place. I'm travelling as much as time and money can afford (including going back to DISNEY!!!!!!!), going to concerts, road trips, cutting and highlighting my hair, getting my ears pierced (if I can pluck up the courage), listening to new albums (to me personally - whether released yesterday or 30 years ago), supporting friend's projects, meeting new people, and I'm entering my 20's.

This summer will be wonderful, because I'm going to make it wonderful. I know that live can change in an instant, for better or worse, but regardless I want to take every step with a positive outlook, a clear mind and a smile on my face. :-)

Before I travel anywhere I look up these "____ in a day" blogs, as a means of highlighting the best, must-see attractions to place at the top of these itineraries, and I'd like to throw my hat into the travel blogging ring with my own take on these!

I'm hopefully going to do one of these kinds of blogs for all the cities (and other places, maybe theme parks etc) that I've been to and remember enough about to write something decent. It only makes sense to start with Krakow, while it's fresh in my head from last week :-)

FIRST THINGS FIRST - YOU CANNOT DO THIS CITY IN A DAY. 
This is purely down to the fact that if you are in Krakow, or anywhere in the vicinity, I would urge you to take a day out to visit Auschwitz - whether you have done it before or not, it is extremely important. I'm going to write a whole other blog about how thought provoking and moving the whole experience was. It's just too significant to miss out, and because of how far it is from the city (about an hour and a half at best), you can't just squeeze it in to an afternoon, and you shouldn't try to either.

However, if time truly is of the essence and you are really keen on one single day in Krakow, then here is my take on everything you should squeeze into a day:



Main Square (Rynek)
To make the most out of your day, start as early as you can. Maybe around 9am.
Head into the square and grab breakfast, it can be from anywhere - if it's warm enough you could sit outside at one of the many restaurants that line the square, or you could sample Krakow's copious amounts of bakeries and grab a fresh juice from down a side street.
Spend some time walking around and familiarizing yourself with the heart of the city, there's plenty to see. Wander in and out of the little churches and shops, or just spend time admiring the architecture. It's a BEAUTIFUL city.

It's here that you can hear the Hejnał (Kraków's Bugle Call), which is played from every side of the left tower of St Mary's Basilica every hour on the hour. This was honestly one of my favourite parts of the whole trip, something so simple and traditional that is a staple part of the culture of the city - and if you look up and spot the trumpet players, give them a wave. We got a little kick out of them waving back!
(I wish we knew the history of this beforehand, you can read up on it here: https://www.inyourpocket.com/krakow/The-Hejnal_3755f)

St Mary's Basilica
At 11.30am, the main church will open up to the public. Grab tickets in the shop just across from it, and head in. The church is breathtaking, lined with beautiful hand painted detailings from floor to the stars on the towering ceilings, long stained glass windows, and one of the largest alterpieces in Europe. It drips in gold, and while due to restoration works we couldn't see the bottom part of the alterpiece, you wouldn't even notice. There is so much to see, and so much detail and storytelling put into the art work that you could spend hours walking around and admiring it all.



Wawel (Krakow's Royal Castle)
Wawel castle is situated on a hill just south of the Old Town and boasts beautiful views, a cobble stone court yard and a number of architectural styles. The castle is also steeped in history, the first cathedral on site was built in 1000AD and was used by Polish royals until the 17th century. During WW2, the castle was used as the headquarters for the Nazi Governor General, Hans Frank.
If you are only in Krakow for a day, you won't have enough time to do all the exhibits, and as they are almost all ticketed, this might save you some money! We only did the main cathedral, which was free to enter.
I wish we could have done a few more exhibits, like armory, but we were pushed for time and money too - and hey, it gives me something to do the next time I'm in Krakow!



Schindler's Factory
This museum is especially important if you can't get to Auschwitz while around Krakow. Not only does this museum tell the story of Oskar Schindler, and how he used his factory to protect as many Jews as he was capable of during the Nazi invasion, it also details how Krakow as a city was affected by the invasion, about the lives of the Polish people during this time, about Jewish ghettos and stories about the concentration camps. We spent 2 and a half hours in the museum and it didn't feel like that at all. So deeply interesting and an important part of history to learn about whenever you get the chance. I can't recommend the museum highly enough.



Kazimierz - Jewish Quarter 
We ended up going to the Jewish quarter for both a bit of lunch and dinner one day - and we had some of the best food and drinks that I'd ever tasted. I'll go into it a bit more in a later blog, but there are so many great cafes and restaurants around this part of the city. Alongside huge amounts of culture, nightlife and 500 years of history. Even just walking around this district, ducking into vintage shops and admiring the many murals, can take hours in itself - let alone the amount of wonderful cafes to pop into.
For lunch we popped into Cheder, which is a gorgeous cafe some adorned with books on Jewish history in a number of languages. They serve mostly middle Eastern/Israeli style food, and the most delicious cocktail that I think I've ever had. (order the Oriental Cha Cha or Rebecca's Touch - both beautiful and so unique, not overly sweet either.) 
For dinner we headed back to the Jewish Quarter and went to Kolanko No.6 - which had been recommended to me from 3 different sources before arriving in the city, and it completely lived up to my expectations. The restaurant is so much bigger than it looks from the outside, and even has a little garden in the centre. It's open all day, and if their breakfasts are as good as their dinners, I'd wholeheartedly recommend it (and cocktails too, I don't think I actually had a bad cocktail the whole time I was in Krakow).


Back to the Main Square


There is so much more to do than what I've included in this list, but from experience I think this is the best way to see the highlights of Krakow, and I know that doing all this in a day is also do-able! We spent a full 3 and a half days in Krakow and it felt like the perfect amount of time, we were able to pack so much in while still feeling relaxed - even if the service at the train station completely messed up our timing.
I hope this helps anyone at all, whether you've booked your trip or just contemplating it! :-)

EDIT: I started this the day the album came out and ran out of time before slipping off on holiday. Apologies for how late this is now!!

Honestly I feel like I've been waiting for this album for years (technically I have but obviously unannounced) and I have SO MUCH to say and so little time to do it in. I thought the best way for me to share an unbiased opinion on this album is to share my literal first thoughts, with no time to think it over or rationalise, but I've always been a huge Kacey Musgraves fan, so can't say that this review is completely unbiased - however, I'll always have my opinions, and I'm not (completely) afraid to share them when needed.
I exercised all the willpower my little body could exert in avoiding the songs before the "official" release, going so far as to avoid Kacey's instagram clips of the songs I hadn't heard - BUT I could never resist listening to the studio version of Slow Burn as soon as it was available. More on that in a bit.

I know personally this isn't the best way to review anything because generally the songs I don't like at first become my favourites over time, but hey ho, let's go for it anyway :-)

OK HERE WE GO;

1. Slow Burn
"Old soul, waiting my turn / I know a few things, but I still got a lot to learn."
As I said before, I couldn't resist listening to this before the 'official' release, despite holding off with the rest of the album. This has been a favourite for a loooooooong time and getting a studio version has made my heart swell about 10 sizes. The production, tempo, vocals and lyrics are completely flawless. The subtle pick up in the second verse is almost moving, which I can't explain (well).
I know it's kind of autobiographical, and that obviously it doesn't tell a story that I can completely relate to, but it still makes me really emotional. It's beautiful. It's raw and sweet, and it means a lot to me. This isn't just my favourite off the album, but it might be Kacey's best song ever, and it's becoming one of my favourite songs of all time. I could talk about it for years and I probably will, which is why I'm not going to have a full discussion about it here.

2. Lonely Weekend
"Even if you got somebody on your mind / It's alright to be alone sometimes"
Honestly this song isn't lyrically amazing but it's still good. I can tell that it probably won't grow on me too much, but it's still a good song. The bridge is 100% the best part, but to be honest, I say that about most songs. It appears to be a shared opinion that although it's almost the exact opposite in lyrical meaning, this is kind of the Late to The Party of the album (which never really grew on me either, kind of why I already know how I'll feel about this song over time).

3. Butterflies"Kiss full of color makes me wonder where you've always been / I was hiding in doubt till you brought me out of my chrysalis"
I'm SO happy that this was chosen as the first single of the album. It's an all round great song and a perfect first taste of this album, especially in the transition from Kacey's older work into her new style. I've been obsessed since the first listen, and need to give props for the production on it. Honestly, I just simply love it.

4. Oh, What a World
"Northern lights in our skies / Plants that grow and open your mind / Things that swim with a neon glow / How we all got here, nobody knows"This song is beautiful and almost celestial, and a kind of weird spin on a love song. I'm so conscious of repeating my praises of the songs on this album because they're all so cohesive, but in a good way. This is a great example of an album being a standalone body of work - but one where each song makes sense and sounds good as it's own unit.

5. Mother
"And she's probably sitting there / Thinking 'bout the time that's slipping / And missing her mother, mother"
I'm really glad that this is the shortest on album, it leaves it simple and emphasises the almost basic emotion behind the song, if you can call this kind of nostalgia and longing "basic". I picked the last part of chorus as my stand-out quote as it resonates with "remember that she's getting older too" from Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift. I once wrote a whole essay worth of thoughts and emotions that were brought on by that line, and I stick by it. It's so easy to forget that parents have their own lives, and that they were children too - once dependent on their parents in the same way that I am now. This song brought back all those thoughts, which one day I'll try and dig up and write in length about again.

6. Love is a Wild Thing
"Oh, I can feel it, magic in your fingertips / And I can hear it in the words coming off your lips."
This song is arguably the song that resonates the most with Kacey's first two albums - where other songs on Golden Hour have been influenced heavily by added production, this sticks to it's almost acoustic roots, while simultaneously feeding into the psychedelic feel of the album.

7. Space Cowboy
"Sunsets fade and love does too"
There's so much to say about this song. Upon the initial release and our (kind of) first taste of the album, I had preferred Butterflies, and honestly still kind of do, but my god is this a good song. I personally think this song is lyrically one of the strongest on the album, but this is one of few occasions where I have let my preference for the sound of another song influence my opinions on another overall - regardless of the lyrical content. Nevertheless, this song marvelously encapsulates the emotions that go with the discovery of a lost love, and the pain of letting go when it's due, and is one that I'm sure will grow on me alongside my own age and experiences.

8. Happy and Sad
"But when everything is perfect, I start hidin' / 'Cause I know that rain is comin' my way"
There's a warmth and familiarity in the writing of this song that makes it my favourite of the songs that I heard on the official release of the album. This song is truly the new-gen Kacey Musgraves that I was looking for with this album. It is completely in sync with the "galactic" feel of the album, while being reminiscent of her older songs, but with significantly more raw emotion, and hints of 70's pop. Put simply, it is a great song - and one of the most relatable of anything in Kacey's repertoire.

9. Velvet Elvis
"I don't really care 'bout the Mona Lisa / I need a Graceland kind of man who's always on my mind"
I can clarify from seeing this live that if nothing else, this is an incredibly fun, disco-esque song, but that doesn't mean the country doesn't come through loud and clear. I think this is similar to High Horse in it's strange etheral country-disco feel. 

10. Wonder Woman
"Bet all that gold gets heavy weighin' on her / I wonder if it's scary, always tryin' not to get hurt"I think this song sounds really similar to Happy and Sad, but isn't lyrically as strong. The intended  emotion definitely comes across across but I don't personally feel that it stands out on the album - although, I know it will grow on me over time (they always do).

11. High Horse"Darling, you take the high horse and I'll take the high road / If you’re too good for us, you’ll be good riding solo"
Everyone knows one person that this song describes perfectly - AND it's the perfect song for a disco-infused rodeo, what else can you ask for? The sound and production is maybe the furthest from anything that Kacey has officially released before, and the song is all the better for it. I've seen too many comments say that this song is a cross-over sell out and I wholeheartedly disagree. This is one of the most unique sounding songs to hit country radio; and all I can hope is that people take pleasure in embracing it as a massive glittery middle finger to anyone who enjoys raining on your parade.

12. Golden Hour"You're my golden hour, the color of my sky / You've set my world on fire"This is the perfect title track to the album - and is currently competing for my favourite song. Although being late on, it captures the tone of the album perfectly, and almost coming full circle with Slow Burn. The song speaks of a beautiful, gentle love, and does the best job at describing the place that Kacey is in right now. You can hear the happiness in both her voice. Her love is dripping in gold, illuminating her world - and heavily impacting her writing. I think anyone would like to relate to this at some point in their life.

13. Rainbow"Oh, tie up the bow, take off your coat and take a look around / Everything is alright now"
Rainbow has always been a fan favourite, and I'm so happy that it after so many years it made it's way onto a record. I'll be quick to admit that although I recognise their importance, "stay strong" songs (for lack of a better name for that kind of sub-genre') have never been my favourite. They too often use cliches, or can be overly cringe worthy. However, this is a prime example of a song that delivers this message well; with a soft tone, and a gentle reminder that you can't always see your own strengths - and while you can identify and perhaps envy the different strengths of others, they can't see their own strengths either. Rainbow acts as the perfect final track of this album, rounding it off with a showcase of Kacey's beautiful voice, writing and the sound of a simple piano.

Overall - I think overtime this will become my favourite album of Kacey's. It is gorgeous, and so different from anything that she has released before, while her roots are still apparent. The beauty of country music is that it owes itself to lyrical depth and storytelling, and with that in mind, anyone who accuses Kacey of losing her country edge is dead wrong; however, this has also proved that modern country is in no way confined to one sound.
Patsy Cline almost turned down Walkin' After Midnight because she felt that it wasn't country enough - where would the industry be if no one took a risk? 

Literally every year after Country 2 Country, I spend the next fortnight (at least) rolling in my own sadness, mourning the passing of the best weekend of the year.

It's no exaggeration saying that extending the festival to Scotland has done the most for the growth of the country music community up here than any move made before that. Not only does it allow fans to see artists they could only dream of seeing before (someone like Brad Paisley who I'd wanted to see live for almost my entire lifetime, but had always avoided performing in Scotland) , but it provides a platform for acts to showcase their work and introduce a new wave of fans to their music - while simultaneously allowing them to market returning tours to the UK. In the past 3 years alone, with the help of C2C in one way or another, and without leaving Glasgow, I've been able to see around 30 country acts, and many more than once. I'm now part of a growing community of wonderful people who also probably underestimated just how many country music fans there are around the country (and beyond).



This year I was lucky enough to be able to find tickets for the Q&A at BBC Scotland for both the Friday and Saturday, and unlike previous years, some of the artists gave a couple of acoustic performances - having fallen in love with Midland's debut album from the day of it's release in September, and not being able to afford tickets to the actual Friday night show (although Little Big Town are a definite favorite of mine, having just seen them in September and at their last C2C appearance in 2016, it wasn't totally essential - and I would have been going almost solely for Midland), this was might have been my highlight of the weekend. Midland are spectacular, their harmonies are flawless and almost ironically the classic country sound is totally refreshing. Like they said during their interview, the Texas sound gives an edge to their music that can be lost in the very pop/RnB influenced current country charts. Lukas Nelson's acoustic performances completely blew me away, with my dad fumbling for his phone to record a snippet to show his friends - which is honestly rare. Although I wasn't able to attend the Friday, I heard that due to sound issues, his performance in the arena itself left a bad impression - and I would encourage anyone who was left with a sour taste in their mouth to listen to his music, or at least to the acoustic performances that will be released in coming weeks.

<-Midland                         Lukas Nelson->

Unsurprisingly, Brett Young's performances at the Q&A were smooth and beautiful, and he was as charming as ever. Having missed a lot of his set when he opened for Lady Antebellum, being front and centre at such an intimate performance made up for it beyond anything I could have imagined.
Although disappointed Kelsea Ballerini didn't perform, being so close to someone I've admired for so long - having followed her career from the release of her debut and being able to see her at only her second performance at the Grand Ole Opry - being able to just listen to her talk about her career and the industry (AND ANSWER ONE OF MY QUESTIONS!!!!) was wonderful. She was bubbly and friendly and easily the best interviewee of all the sessions in terms of her answers and interactions with both Ricky Ross and the crowd.


<- Brett Young          Kelsea Ballerini ->

The beauty of the Hydro is that every seat has a great view, so for where a lot of the intimacy of past C2C's in the Armadillo was lost, I would trade it any day for a good view (rather than that of the nosebleed seats we had a few years ago for Miranda Lambert) - and even better, people in the upper levels don't get SCREAMED at and almost forced back down after standing up, and don't have their phones practically ripped from their hands when recording their favourite songs (which from my video of Carrie Underwood surprising us with a duet with Sam Hunt, I have both audio and visual proof of). Despite this, I would have still liked to see some of the acts in a smaller setting, but don't feel like we lost out on too much - and hopefully as the community only grows, more seats will be taken up, and the arena will be a little warmer.

Although the overall lineup didn't (PERSONALLY) quite match up to last year, as I honestly don't think you could top seeing Cam, Jennifer Nettles, Chris Young and Brad Paisley in the same night, and that doesn't include seeing LEGEND Reba, my new favourite Darius Rucker, queen Maren Morris and the list goes on and on - basically, I loved every single artist, it was a dream come true. HOWEVER that in no way lowered my hopes and expectations for this year seeing Tim McGraw and Faith Hill was a bucket list item, and Kacey Musgraves is someone who helped strengthen my love for country music with the release of Same Trailer Different Park when I was in high school - again, not to mention seeing Luke Combs and Sugarland in the same night.



The highlight of the Saturday night was maybe surprisingly Kelsea Ballerini - my hopes were SKY HIGH for her set, having seen her twice before, I knew she was amazing and a born performer, and she exceeded them. I totally can't wait for her to come back with a (long overdue) headlining tour in the UK, where I'll be front and centre. I only say 'surprisingly' because I expected the highlight to be Tim McGraw and Faith Hill - and while SCREAMING along to This Kiss and Live Like You Were Dying might be tied for the best moments of the whole weekend, a couple technical aspects let down the performance overall a little bit. Being high up, the lack of screens was a struggle, as I couldn't see them a lot, and occasionally the band overpowered their vocals. Aside from that, I can't fault it. It was still a dream come true.

The overall highlight, and my personal favourite set of the two nights, came from Luke Combs on the Sunday - his album is solid country gold, in the words of Midland. It's just fab, his voice in unreal, and he undoubtedly managed to create the best atmosphere. Everyone was out of their seats, everyone clapping away. Incredible. SOOOO excited to see his headlining show in October!!

Sugarland mean more to me than most acts, as Baby Girl was the song that initially helped me realise how much I love country music (alongside Online by Brad Paisley, I talk about Brad Paisley a lot but can't explain how much he impacted my taste in music). Seeing it live for a second time, and with the full band this time round, was so important and so moving to me. It's one of my favourite songs of all time from one of my favourite albums of all time. Sugarland means the world to me - and crying along to Stay was just the cherry on top of a wonderful country cake :-)))

I haven't seen Kacey Musgraves since 2014, and she was every bit as good as I remember. I had mentioned before how wary I was of her being a headliner because as much as I love her and was extremely proud of how far she's come even since the last time I saw her, I know others didn't feel the same way. My favourite songs are those that tell stories, and country music is filled with them, with Kacey Musgraves being one of the greatest songwriters and storytellers of recent. Her music is beautiful, and the show was vocally unreal - she hit every note, sang every word with crystal clarity and brought her classic sparkle to the stage. Her slow songs are her best, I know that with plenty of years of experience, but I couldn't help thinking that her set was MOSTLY sad songs. I could listen to endless sad, or slow, beautiful songs rich in visuals, and ultimately poetry - however I know many weren't quite as content with ending their weekend on anything other than a party. I get that, I do, but you can't put Kacey down as a performer. She is spectacular and always has been. Sure, I really would have liked to see Dime Store Cowgirl, My House, Pageant Material or Blowin' Smoke played - but I had also longed to see Fine, and could never pass up on It Is What It Is. Life is about compromise I guess, at least the compromise wasn't quality (or the amount of glittery sparkles).


If anyone has read this far, I applaud you (or myself, in the future reading this back). Country music means the world to me. It is something that runs in my veins, and something that I'll always naturally gravitate towards - evidently even if I can't afford to lol. C2C only breeds that love; it gives me an outlet where I can express myself among people who share passions that I had only ever previously found online. It is a celebration of songwriting and storytelling, of different personalities, and the continuously growing love of country music in all it's many shapes and sizes.