"Non, je ne regrette rien," "Vraiment? C'est possible?"

Actually, I don't know about regrets. I don't want to regret anything that I did academically, because I worked as hard as possible, so I really do hope that I achieve the results that I (along with my teachers) want. If I do, I'll have no regrets in terms of school.

As for regrets in other areas of life, I've never really done anything serious that's worthy or regret. Through what is essentially my own doing, my life has been sheltered, so I've had no opportunity to make some of the stupid mistakes that youths are supposed to make, according to newspapers, anyway.

But, on a more indulgent note, I think my parents and I regret the fact that we haven't been on more holidays abroad together. We've visited France, Belgium, Spain, Monaco (which is so small that it barely qualifies as a country - the country equivalent to Pluto, perhaps) and Ireland. Of course, we're lucky to have experienced these trips, as there are many families who can't afford any holiday at all, let alone one outside the UK.

However, yesterday my mother and I were thinking about our holiday past, and we realised that we should do more. We can get away with the environmental impact - we're recycling vegetarians without a car who fly no more than once a year, if that - and my parents are good with money so we'd have enough to do something nice.

One of the main problems is my aversion to heat. I just can't take it, and I burn so easily that I'd probably spend most of the time applying sun cream. Inevitably, this limits out holiday options. At some point I'll probably brave a hot country, but I'd need to build up my resistance - starting with an activity as simple as spending a few hours in the sun (well protected, of course), or visiting the beach for the first time in around four years

So, Barcelona...

It was highly enjoyable, however:

• The room at the hostel housed six people and was incredibly small with only one bathroom, making the whole living experience unpleasant
• We walked almost everywhere, taking the Metro only occasionally, so I spent 6-8 hours a day on foot and consequently I'm now limping
• I felt a bit isolated for part of the trip, but I went to join a different group of friends and then it all got so much better

And though we were supposed to return home at around 1 am on Tuesday morning, our 8 o' clock flight was cancelled so we had to spend another night. At first I panicked - I'd really been looking forward to going home - but then Easyjet provided us with a rather luxurious, four-star hotel which was a stark contrast to the ghastly living conditions in the hostel, so that whole experience turned out to be rather wonderful in the end. I unabashedly declare that the hotel stay turned out to be the highlight of the visit.

Sorry Sara - there was no chocolate turron! It must be a Christmas thing...

I don't do small talk, but let's discuss the weather

So far this year, the snow has visited and left my city many times, however this is only its second genuine settling. Yet, as soon as the first few snowflakes floated down, the complaints began to waft up.

I know we all have different weather preferences, but unless the snow is could have a severely detrimental effect on our lives we really are foolish to complain. Come mid-March, assuming that Spring will then have spread itself fully across the UK, we may miss the snow. And what about those hideous summer heat waves? Though we often can't sufficiently predict what the future months hold weather-wise thanks to global warming, if the previous few years are anything to go by we can expect intense, sticky heat. Then we'll yearn for those precious few snowflakes that we once scorned.

In fact, how are we to know that the snow will return at all in the near future? It could be years, even decades, before we feel that satisfying crunch and heart-fluttering slip under our feet again.

Personally, I've never been fond of warm weather. It's very restricting to know that there are only so many layers that you can take off to cool yourself, whereas there are always more garments to be put on. Besides, I like the security and comfort of wearing a coat. Who cares about that green jumper and standard blue jeans that I've worn time and time again if they're concealed by a rich, regal teal-coloured coat?

It would be wonderful to choose the weather, and though I know I'd eventually tire of this combination, my current ideal is heavy rain from April to September and a generous snowfall from October to March. Yes, a lovely, British, cold and wet climate, minus the occasional heat waves we experience. Actually, in general I really do love the unpredictability and spontaneity of Britain's weather.

It's not an escape from reality...

It's a return. To me, it's still my hometown. My current location just happens to be a place that I am begrudgingly forced to live in.

Yes, it's London. When I'm there, I feel like there's nothing stifling me at all. I feel that I can do almost anything there.

Lots of people go abroad to foreign, sunny destinations. I hate sunbathing and though I love travel, finding vegetarian food is often a big problem.

But London's perfect just as it is. I'll visit museums and art galleries and probably eat some sushi along the way. If I were an art and food critic, I could do that everyday :)

See you in three days.

I know I'm not very British

Commenting on and complaining about the weather is a very British thing to do. I don't do it. I'm only half British anyway - the other half of me's Irish. I'll say one thing, though; I like the rain. I like it so much more than the sun :)

I'd love a digital SLR camera with an amazing shutter speed. Specifically one of 1/500 of a second so I could take awe-inspiring pictures. I know that this is a good shutter speed because recently in a newspaper I saw a picture of a bubble popping that was captured with a camera with that amenity. I want to take the kind of photos that can only educe the word 'Wow'.

It's unfortunate the rain is an amazing time for photography when so many cameras aren't waterproof.