Say hello to the University of Stirling's latest graduate! After four years and a lot of hard work, I have somehow managed to receive a BSc in Psychology with first class honours! 

Tuesday evening, I zipped through on the train from Edinburgh to Stirling after work (still feels strange to say that!) and met my family at the station. I got a blessed night in a hotel - a stark change from the student halls I had been staying in temporarily - and a free breakfast the next morning before we all piled into the car and drove to campus. 

It was a lovely day, despite the splattering of rain towards the end and the fact that the entire ceremony reminded me of a school assembly... I was 'doffed' by none other than James Naughtie (it was bizarre putting a face to the voice that lilted out of our kitchen radio as I powered through the International Baccalaureate) and the keynote speaker was Dr Rita Colwell who was being given an honorary degree for her contributions to marine biotechnology and and environmental microbiology. Super interesting woman, very glad I had the opportunity to hear her speak.

Above all else, it was so wonderful to see all my friends again! I brought my 'goodbye book' - the notebook I've had at every leaving day and graduation I've had since I was 10 - and received some very lovely and heartfelt messages. Everyone was in good spirits and overall it was a brilliant day!

Time for some gratuitous photos, I think:

Hopefully we can manage Adult Life better than our robes... although me tangled in a robe with a glass of prosecco isn't changing any time soon
Doffed

The 'Rents
With Mama

With the Sibling
When I wrote In 10: Fourth Year, I didn't know whether I would be in England or Scotland, if I'd have a job or if I'd still be applying for them... All I really knew was that I really didn't want to leave Scotland. At all. I was predicting getting very emotional at graduation but having crossed the "so what are your plans after uni?" bridge by the time graduation came around, I was on much firmer footing  and therefore wasn't a teary mess... 

That's not to say I'm not sad to be leaving Stirling! I've made some amazing memories here and met lifelong friends. I'll miss orienting myself using the Wallace Monument, quiet walks around the loch to clear my head and the incredibly distracting view of Dumyat from the psychology labs...

So here's to four freshers weeks, 22 exams and approximately 60,000 words in essays. To ASH, Wallace Street, Haultain Street, Pendreich Way and Willow Court. To studying in two of the most beautiful countries in the world and climbing to the roof of Africa. To moral support, face paint, sea monkeys, climbing into buildings through windows, roast dinners at midnight, ceilidhs, pub crawls, adventures in the snow, impromptu road trips, hikes to the viewpoint, bonfire nights, open mics, zoo trips, barbecues, Game of Thrones viewings, pumpkin carving, flat banquets, and last but not least, a cardboard cutout of Zac Efron.

Time passes – Gardeners die – They are remembered

So May and June have been busy. Really busy. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll have noticed a few trips back and forth to Edinburgh and that's because I've got myself a graduate job! I'm very excited to be staying in Scotland but understandably things have been a little hectic trying to get organised and "officially" move myself out from London. 

A trip to Birmingham to pick my brother up from his first year at uni almost felt like a holiday. Yes, I was buried up to my head in bags and clothes and textbooks sitting in the back seat but as a reward for managing to get the boot shut, we went to the Botanical Gardens.


Although it was cloudy and spat with rain a bit, it was still warm. We explored a good portion of the grounds, which reminded me of a scaled down Kew Gardens. There's actually a lot of horticulture packed into a comparatively small area and a nice (albeit expensive) tea room.

Plants aren't particularly a passion of mine (perhaps that will change when I have a garden of my own) but I really appreciated the herb and health garden and the historical gardens, built to reflect the styles from Roman, Medieval and Tudor times. 


The birdhouse was a pleasant surprise too! 


Truthfully though, this trip was an excuse to brush the dust off my macro lens and get some pretty photos of plants...
1 - Into the Woods
2 - October
3 - Bonfire Night
4 - Flat Christmas
5 - Dissertation Lab
6 - 'Adventure'
8 - Balquhidder and Loch Voil
8 - April Showers?

9 - Bluebells in the Hermitage Wood


10 - Riverside

At the risk of becoming far too emotional (I'll save that for the graduation post!), I'll try to keep things brief! This year has flown by faster than any other academic year in my memory. I've lived with wonderful people, conducted my own psychology experiment, written a hefty dissertation, and somehow still found the time to explore new parts of Scotland. 

My room is all packed into boxes ready to be loaded into the car and it hasn't quite hit me that I won't be returning to this beautiful campus in September. I won't have another year of attempting to navigate the labyrinth of Cottrell, the weekly pub quizzes at the union, or narrowly avoiding an altercation with the swans when walking to the Atrium... 

All I'll say is people better watch out at graduation. There will be enough bittersweet tears to create Loch Airthrey three times over. ;)