Peddling between the travel urge and the maternal urge!

Aug1

This weekend my boyfriend and I decided to get all energetic and go for a bike ride around Riverside Country Park. I think my parents were pleased that it meant I took my bike with me finally; they have wanted it out of their shed forever. Mum and Dad thought once my brother and I had gone, they’d have more space but so far that space hasn’t really materialised, much to their disappointment! The ride was most enjoyable although my bum didn’t think so; I paid for it the rest of the weekend! It’s so nice to have such a lovely country space on your doorstep. The smell of seaweed is quite overpowering though. We followed one of the cycle routes but hope next time to do the longest one, now we are reacquainted with two wheels. It got me thinking though; is our life laid out like a cycle route or are we free to peddle off the beaten track?

We went to a friend’s BBQ where three girls were mothers with young babies, one baby of which was my niece. They are all so gorgeous, I got all broody. Society seems to dictate that you should have kids in your 20’s but is this right for everyone? Yes the biological clock is ticking but are there other dreams we hold too? Is it better to be a younger or an older Mum? As I sat with some friends discussing holidays, I thought maybe there was more I wanted to see before becoming a Mum. I’m definitely getting the urge to travel again, my New York holiday seems a million years ago despite it actually being only 4 months ago.

My first ever holiday without parents was to Zante and I had such a wonderful time despite having a reaction to a henna tattoo, a rash caused by a horse and something in my eye! My friend was surprised by the first aid kit I brought with me but by the end of the holiday we had used it all between us! It has always been an in joke between my brother and me that I will manage to fall over on every holiday! After that I want on various beach holidays; some with friends and some as a couple as well as Dublin, Prague and New York, but the holiday that really opened my eyes to travel was the one I took to Morocco with two friends. The souks of Marrakech have to be seen to be believed: health and safety is really not even a second thought out there. People weld in the street without masks and when walking down the narrow streets you have to dodge the crowds, motorbikes and donkeys! The people there are wonderful though and it really widened my outlook on life.

With my partner I then went to Egypt last year which was equally fulfilling; Cairo and the pyramids were out of this world. Camel rides were interesting in both these countries; they are about as comfortable as a bike saddle. Riding a quad bike through the dessert after using the shisha pipe was also an experience!

This year we only ventured as far as New York which don’t get me wrong was fantastic, especially for shopping;

but I’m craving visiting a completely different culture to our own. My friend has not long been back from Bali which I really fancy but my biggest dream is still India. At the BBQ we talked about a girls break to celebrate our 30^th. Perhaps New York or perhaps Italy. One friend went to Verona this year and I must admit I would love to see Juliet’s house. I don’t think Italy would agree with my partner seeing as he doesn’t like cheese or pasta! Another idea I have had though is more responsible tourism which may also help me with my future career of a teacher and that is to go to Peru and volunteer in an orphanage.

As close as I get to being a Mum at the moment is Rufus. Rufus amazed us this week, mastering his ramp to go in and out between his run and his hutch. I then managed to get him to go in at night, just by telling him it was bedtime. I guess my sense of pride is similar to how parents feel when their child does something for the first time.

I suppose when you are a child you are guided by your parents, much like the way your bike has stabilisers but then you are on your own, balancing on your own two wheels or stilettos as the case may be. I have constantly carved out my own path; ending up working and then doing a degree through Open University and only finally deciding on a career at nearly 28. I guess life is all about balance, just like riding a bike. Perhaps we all just envy what we don’t have; much like in a restaurant where you always want what someone else ordered! There’s some food for thought for my readers and I’m going to get back to my glass of vino!

‘Just Friends’

Jul28

I would like to think that you had been on the edge of your seats anticipating my next instalment but I guess that would be wishful thinking on my part. I would however like to apologise for the tardiness of this new blog; its writing was impeded by my eye problems. The so called experts are still no nearer to really knowing what it is. The latest guess is a viral infection. Anyhow it has caused me to be signed off sick for the first time in my life. As a result I have become quite well acquainted with daytime television. I have now had my fill of property ladder, a place in the sun and wife swap plus some reruns of great British comedy; My Family, Keeping up Appearances and One Foot in the Grave. It did also give me the opportunity to finally watch a DVD I got for Christmas called Priceless which I greatly enjoyed whilst eating a remaining Easter egg! All of this was watched through one eye though which was not greatly comfortable. My boyfriend attempted to make me an eye patch but unfortunately it wasn’t a great success and I resorted to just putting my hand over my eye. A couple of friends suggested I could make a fashion statement with an embellished eye patch and perhaps make my birthday BBQ a sexy pirate theme!

The Sunday before last saw my first Sunday morning without the News of the World. My kind boyfriend still made me a sausage sandwich in bed and as it happens my eye was so bad that I wouldn’t have been able to read it anyway. The best bit of the paper, ‘Fabulous’ magazine appears however to come with Saturdays ‘Sun’ so all is not lost. My theory is that they started providing magazines with newspapers so that men could read the sport in the paper uninterrupted! I am however fed up with the news being dominated by the News of the World phone hacking scandal; is there really nothing more important happening in the world? I regretted asking this rhetorical question this weekend though when the phone hacking became old news after the terrible atrocity inNorway, followed by the death of Amy Winehouse. It is so sad that she is the latest addition to the so called 27 club, which for those of you who don’t know is the result of a number of musicians dying at 27; Kurt Cobain being another. I titled my blog this week in honour of her as one of her songs was ‘Just Friends’.

http://www.muzu.tv/gb/amywinehouse/just-friends-music-video/254719/

It is also rather ironic that I left 27 behind this week and became 28. The day of the birthday BBQ finally arrived and thankfully the weather held out as our house would have been very cosy with nearly 30 people! We definitely lined Tesco’s pockets for the weekend! I was really touched that so many of my friends made the journey down and greatly enjoyed the celebration, despite my eye condition which was not helped by the BBQ smoke and also meant that I couldn’t wear eye make up. I made up for it though with some statement 4 inch glittery gold shoes!

I rolled back the years with some Bacardi Breezer’s too. Mum made me a wonderful cake with a shoe; very fitting. I enjoyed showing off my finished wardrobe with the new addition of pink fairy lights which my boyfriend kindly fitted that morning. One of my friends commented that my wardrobe was a shrine to clothes!

As the party died down and there were just a few of us hard core partiers left; my boyfriends friend started to tell us about his PHD in engineering ceramics. Us girls were looking a little confused, are ceramics not pottery and tiles? Apparently he says ceramics are used in kitchen knives, thinking we would understand this association. I then said is it like in hair straightner’s and suddenly we were all back in the room!

My boyfriend went away again this week for work. This doesn’t get any easier for me despite it not being the first time and only being a couple of days. What was worse was I was awakened from a deep sleep by a loud bang which sounded like a bullet out of a gun. Turns out it was in fact a balloon from the party popping! I did feel silly.

I was spoilt on my actual birthday with many wonderful presents. It is lovely to see that my friends and family know my tastes so well. Most cards were shoe, shopping, cocktail, VW Beetle or butterfly related! I share below a picture of one very apt card which sums me up.

My boyfriend left a huge bunch of flowers on my dressing table in the morning which was very romantic.

Anyways, I’ve bored you long enough, plus I need to check out some shoe sites to spend my birthday money on! Until next time…….

Kilts vs Hot Pants?

Jul3

The week started with a blow to fashionistas and chocoholics, ‘Jane Norman’ is in administration and ‘Thorntons’ is to close 180 shops. Now I know some of ‘Jane Normans’ stuff could leave a bit to be desired but I have always found their dresses second to none. Admittedly they could be quite pricey but always had very good reductions in their regular sales. Last chance to grab some sale bargains! Rather ironically it looks as though ‘Edinburgh Woollen Mill’ who I worked for quite some years ago may buy out ‘Jane Norman’ and its stock. It remains to be seen what this would do to the brand considering the large gap in target age range; with ‘Jane Norman’ being 15-25 and ‘Edinburgh Woollen Mill’ being 45-60 year olds. Perhaps they will meet somewhere in the middle at a target age of 35?!

(Photo courtesy of Google images July 2011)

It’s sad if ‘Jane Norman’ does disappear being all the years it has been going; I remember my Mum telling me that she used to shop there. She also shopped in the high end, iconic store of the 1960’s ‘Biba’ which has now had some what of a revival. Unfortunately it’s rather out of my price range and so I had to settle with a small purse which was still nearly £40! My Mum often tells the story of when she was in their Kensington store and they had communal changing rooms. She was trying something on and when she looked round, someone was trying on her dress that she had come in wearing!

Now for all you like minded shoe lovers, I have discovered a fantastic site thanks to it being mentioned in ‘Look’ magazine, ‘Shoeaholics’! They sell hot designer shoes at seriously cut prices. I feel my bank account getting a hammering again! Also in the current ‘Look’ magazine; Olivia Palermo, the US socialite is shown with her infamous ‘Sondra Roberts’ hot pink clutch, priced at $99. I went in to a boutique called ‘Torza’ and there was an almost identical clutch at a fraction of the price. They also had it in champagne colour which is what I ended up buying as I thought it would be more versatile.

Saturday night was an opportunity for a girl’s night out to celebrate my friend’s birthday and an occasion also for my new playsuit to be worn. My present to her was a personalised compact mirror as I believe no girl should be without a good compact; or two in cases where I have forgotten I had bought one for someone and gone and bought another!

Whilst I was waiting at the bar to be served it struck me that perhaps if I complimented the barman on his tie, I might get served quicker. It was truly quite unusual though with a piano keyboard design. A guy also at the bar waiting then turned to me to request some fashion advice. When you wear a long sleeved shirt he asked, where was it appropriate to roll the sleeves too? I advised just below the elbow and another girl agreed. He then asked the barman. I said what would a man know, even though he has a good tie, a girl would have chosen it for him as in my experience most men unless gay have a poor sense of style. The barman was forced to admit that he hadn’t in fact picked the tie out for himself. It takes me back to my boyfriend and I in ‘Fenwicks’ where each shirt he chose I looked at in disdain and ended up choosing two for him, much to the shop assistants amusement! My final decision on the subject of shirt sleeves is that they shouldn’t be rolled up so far that it looks like the skin is being pinched.

Some cosmopolitans later I made my way home. The tube was packed out and it got me thinking about my week of commuting. The hot weather inevitably makes the people who avoid deodorant stand out. You know who you are! It’s not pleasant when you are all packed on a train like sardines!

I will leave you with some of the funny things I have heard people say this week.

‘What business does a fly have on a train?’

‘Why do they make the railways so wonky?’ (Said as the train was rocking about)

‘Why don’t they have the US Open in America?’

Until next time, happy shopping!

A Sight For Sore Eyes

Jun27

Have you ever wondered if anyone uses the St John’s Ambulance at big events? Well I did at Wimbledon this week. My eyes were hurting so much and my sight distorted so I was struggling to see the ball; a bit of a disadvantage when watching tennis! A lovely guy went through my symptoms, even with my blurred vision; I could tell he was fit. A lady then administered a saline wash. She asked if my mascara was waterproof and when I said no, she said well its not running, so I informed her it was Chanel and she said the girl knows what she is doing! Later that evening, I ended up at casualty as my eyes were even more painful. Someone at this hospital had a warped sense of humour; they had Holby City on in the waiting room, just what you want to be watching. I’m telling you though A&E can be quite entertaining and certainly a good place for people watching. When I was up there with my boyfriend at Christmas, there was a bloke who could only hop as he had injured his foot but still managed to hop outside about 5 times in 2 hours for cigarettes! There was the drunken girl who started off saying she hadn’t drunk anything and then each time a different person asked her, the amount of drinks increased. Then there was the guy dressed as a woman – even the lady on the tea bar couldn’t keep a straight face at that one! This time there was a drunk, abusive guy who was eventually arrested along with a guy who had hit his finger with a hammer and his family were frightening him with horror stories of what might happen and another guy clutching a rather private area!

Saturday brought a rather better reason to visit a hospital; my gorgeous new baby niece was born. My brother and his girlfriend are such proud parents. As I gave her a cuddle I marvelled at the small but perfectly formed finger nails. I wondered what she was dreaming about. The innocence of a new baby is so lovely, they don’t have a care in the world and everything is new and exciting. Children embrace change whilst adults resist it. As I tickled her tiny feet, I thought how much fun I would have buying her shoes. Talking of which, getting back to my toddler niece who already has a passion for shoes; my boyfriends sister tried to give me a pair of shoes for the new baby that her daughter had grown out of but she was having none of it; whether they fitted or not, there was no way she was going to be parted from her shoes. To be fair I can understand it, I wouldn’t want to part with any of my shoes; even the ones that cripple me!

Sunday’s heat meant a trip to a different kind of medical place; the vets. Poor old Rufus was not coping well at all with our newly found summer. Turns out he has a problem with his teeth too so he has got to go in for an operation on Wednesday. Fingers crossed he will survive the anaesthetic as the vet hardly put your mind at ease when he said it was very risky for rabbits to be anaesthetised.

This Thursday I will be revisiting the eye hospital and hopefully that will then draw a close to the frequent visits to hospitals and vets. After this week, I think I have seen enough for a very long time!

Broke and Home Alone!

Jun19

I checked my bank balance last Saturday and wished I hadn’t, it was not a pleasant surprise shall we say and still two weeks until payday! What made it even worse was that it was only that morning I had taken scissors to my credit card. It had been a necessary operation, not least to protect my relationship! (Note to self, sneak in last parcel very carefully and when wear the playsuit and/or wedges make sure at least £10 is knocked off their price!) Women have been doing this trick for years; men just don’t recognize good investments when they see them! A girl at work also suggested another good tip; when they say they haven’t seen an outfit before just say, ‘I’ve had it for ages, you mean you have never noticed me wearing it before?’ Trigger a guilt felt apology and your secret is safe. Why is it when you have no money it becomes even more of an urge to buy? Emails promising 20% off shoes and free delivery keep hitting my inbox. The latest addition of Glamour arrived and advertised a website called Vivien of Holloway which sells vintage clothes. I have already fallen in love with a 50’s style dress on there which could hopefully flatten even my curvaceous figure (as my boyfriend delicately puts it.) Asos is auctioning Cheryl Cole’s outfits and the biggest sale in the news at the moment is Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress from the film ‘The Seven Year Itch’ which has sold at auction for $4.6 million. Its torture I tell you.

My boyfriend had to go away for this week to work. You would think that this would be a nice bit of space from each other but in reality it was horrible. Suddenly I had a whole house to rattle around in with only Rufus for company. Don’t get me wrong, I love Rufus to bits but he can’t protect me from would be burglars!

Burglars were the least of my worries it turns out. I had a very different kind of intruder to deal with, an unwelcome visit from a slug. There I was making my hot chocolate before bed in my pyjamas, not bothering to put the kitchen light on (I know old age is setting in, lol) and then I saw it out of the corner of my eye on the floor; it was mere luck I hadn’t inadvertently stepped on it. Panic rushed through me, I hate the slimy things and there was no boyfriend to call to deal with it. I grabbed the salt out of the cupboard and showered it with it. Mean I know but at least it stopped it in its silvery tracks. I then shoveled it outside and cleaned the floor. I half expected to come down to more in the morning but thankfully it seems to have been a lone ranger. I had to put the bins out myself too. Isn’t it funny how despite our feminism; there are still certain jobs we class as the mans? My boyfriend shares the cooking and the housework whilst I assist in the DIY, albeit usually getting more paint on myself than the walls! When it comes to the spider removal, the bins and other dirty jobs though we still call on the man! My boyfriend is my hero.

Absence definitely made the heart grow fonder in both our cases. We went out this Saturday evening with another couple to enjoy a meal at TGI Fridays and the next installment of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’ The film was certainly not a let down, just as good as the other three in my opinion and Johnny Depp still looks just as sexy as Captain Jack Sparrow; we know we shouldn’t fancy someone dressed as a pirate but we cannot help ourselves.

Talking of our male hero’s, today is Fathers Day. What better time for us to celebrate the first man in our lives? My Dad was always able to wipe my tears away, fix my toys and make the world seem a better place. Even now I call on him for certain jobs, such as wallpapering and building a book case. He did kind of talk himself into these jobs though when he commented ‘that’s not difficult at all!’ My brother and I often refer to him as the oracle as he can generally answer any question or if he can’t, knows where to look for the answer. In recent years even Dad’s fashion has improved. I never thought I would see the day he wore a pair of jeans; this was the man who used to wear a shirt and tie to the beach! They do say that women look for a man with qualities like their father and men look for women with qualities like their mother. I’m not sure how true this is but I will say my boyfriend, like my Dad is pretty good with his DIY and not so hot on fashion, lol!

Anyway I will sign off here, Happy Fathers Day Dad.

Desperately Seeking Coffee

May14

Morning readers, hope you all got through Friday the 13th unscathed. This morning would you believe I repeated my previous mistake of clicking like to my own post in trying to view the blog of the latest kind person to click like on mine. Can someone please help me out here? How do I look at someones blog who has liked mine? I really do feel old now, asking technical advice. I shall definitely stay well clear of twitter for everyone’s sake!

Saturday Morning at London Kings Cross station. I’m on my way to Bradford to see some friends. As per usual this morning has been a mad rush. Even though I promised my boyfriend last night that when the alarm went off at 6am I would get straight up, the inevitable happened and snooze got hit twice! Probably had something to do with not settling to sleep until 1.30am as finances were playing heavy on my mind and then my boyfriends snoring keeping me awake. Last night my boyfriend and I went to 24 hour Tesco. This is absolutely the best time to shop as the place is deserted; except for shelf stackers who seem to be chatting more than they are stacking! How things change; gone are the boozy Friday nights and in its place supermarket shopping – I’m sure I shouldn’t find going to Tesco an enjoyable Friday night past time! Some how our bill was the wrong side of £150-I’m sure things are getting more expensive by the day. I could think of many better things to spend that amount of money on.

The concourse at a mainline station I have discovered, is a great place to people watch, it’s a melting pot. People range in age from the new babies to the elderly. There is a continual hum of chatter and laughter. There are goodbyes along with old friends being reunited. I often look at people and ponder their life story. There are students, vicars, families and tourists-all brought together as they wait for trains to take them on their onward journeys.

I head over to the coffee bar, needing something to wake me up and then rush to the platform to board my train. I must look quite a site – wobbling in my impossible high heels – wet hair down my back, not a scrap of makeup on, trying to keep hold of my bags, my blackberry, my purse, my bank card I didn’t get chance to put away, my ticket, a coffee and a muffin. It’s something of a military operation to negotiate getting my ticket in the barrier without dropping anything. Anyway finally I make it on to the train. I take my time choosing a seat, only to find I have still managed to plonk myself opposite the most annoying man-who seems to think it’s perfectly normal to remove your shoes and spread your legs out all over the place! As I draft this, I realise my handwriting is quite large and he can probably read what I have just written about him so I quickly cover it!

I make a silent promise to myself to try and get up earlier and be on time for once in my life, but I also know that is about as likely as me winning the lottery! Speaking of which I could be a millionaire now as I forgot to bring home a copy of the syndicate numbers for Euro Millions; deep down though I know this is a pipe dream -things like that don’t happen to people like me. Anyway I will leave it there now as I’m dying to get into my book – ‘Sweet Valley Confidential’ so I can reminisce to being 11 and reading ‘Sweet Valley High’ as well as watching it on Saturday morning television. I’ll let you know if it’s worth picking up to read. Happy weekend!

blahnikgirl

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