Happy Valentine's!

Hey Lovers! I hope you all had the mushiest loveliest valentine's day yesterday. To all of you single people, I hope you had great promiscuous sex with strangers/ate loads of chocolate and cried. When I was a little girl I used to think Valentine's Day was a load of rubbish. That's the polite version anyway. I wrote this massive three page poem about how phony it is, why it's a waste of money and why there's no point in it. A part of me still thinks like this. So I can't buy into the hype too much and buy cards and presents with hearts on them. But I love Boyfriend to death and I simply adore his attention. So how can I say no? I can't miss an opportunity to use my glue and scissors and get all crafty. So I only had a memory of what the place looked like where we first ever met. I kind of remembered that it was in Cheltenham, near a garden of flower beds. I think there was a hotel next to me with 'Queen' in the name. Armed with this bucket load of information and google, I actually managed to find the spot. Yeah, I really did. I felt like a bloody god. Printed the map off of the exact spot where we met and made a card for Boyfriend. Ta daa xoxo

Lazy Sunday afternoon.

Where did the week go? Serious, that one completely flew by. Before I knew it, it was Thursday and I'm sure Friday and Saturday snook off without telling us. After a marvellous lie in, I wake up to a big pot of coffee, my scrap book clippings from the night before and nothing to do until 5pm. I think we all know where this is going. I might even go shopping (must clarify I am not breaking the new years resolution - I have a gift card! Win!). 

I hope you all have a lovely Sunday xoxo

Breakfast Time.

It's literally the best part of the day. Morning. Dawn. Sunrise. Breakfast. It's amazing. The air is crisp, the day is yours to do with it as you please. You can have anything you want for breakfast. If I'm ever in a hotel it always has to be eggs and a fruit smoothie. No question. It really is the best time of day. As soon as it hits 10 o'clock the magic is over and it's nearly mid day. Morning is nearly over. It'll be back tomorrow. 

Back on the wagon.

I was moaning and reminiscing about my scrap books the other day and I thought it's better to get up and do it instead of wishing for it to happen. Armed with my March issue of Elle, a handbag sized high street catalogue and my trusty scissors and prit-stick I dived into my little note book. Sundays might be book marked for scrap booking in future. It serves no purpose other than to feed my week long battered ego. Everyone has a silly hobby that has little importance to others, but WHO CARES as long as it makes you happy. I used to draw collages and now I assemble them. Lucky me, to have found a self powered activity to cheer myself up when I need it. A big cup of tea and an hour to myself, flicking through magazines as if I were shopping, collecting clippings in my plastic wallet, saving them for a rainy day. Harmless, inexpensive, me time. xoxo

Happy Birthday Mam xoxo

I would like to shout out to my wonderful Mam, as it was her birthday yesterday. I hope she has a fantastic party tonight! Love you, Mam! xoxo

Yes this photo is super old, I was 19! But it's my favourite picture of me and Mam as we drove from the south coast of Spain, up past Madrid, into France and up the west coast, then a ferry to England in Dover and drove all the way up to Hexham in Northumbria. 

Sucker for Starbucks.

Well, I am such a sucker for Starbucks. I swear if you can point me in the direction of any other amazing carrot cake then please do. I can cope without the warm, cosy atmosphere, without the cute mismatched furniture, without the charming music. But I have yet to find an alternative coffee shop that offers a better experience. I love their coffee, their snacks, their smoothies. Aren't they practising responsible trading now too? Here's our delicious carrot cake and hot drinks. What a cosy end to a weird week. 

xoxo

Sceptics and Mystery.

My whole life I have been surrounded by people who have very different beliefs. A community of women taught me that your fundamental truth as a being in this universe is found within your own expression of self (deep shit, I know). Sometimes I feel this to be true. Yet I have always respected the argument that there is little evidence or many documented learned facts on this subject, why is it always weirdos in tie-dye and billowing skirts that profess these opinions? Despite feeling a certain mental pull leading me to believe all of this (I just get a gut feeling, it feels like something I've known all along), I feel a bit sceptical. Crystal healing, or just coloured rocks? Meditation, or just an excuse to lie down? Believing what you feel deep in your soul, or being realistic and sticking to the status quo? Please, do not think me ignorant, I respect both sides of the debate. This mysterious truth many of us feel is quite undeniable. Scientist have infact begun to document practises to prove (and theories to describe other possibilities about the universe) that matter and particles are all one*. But how many oddballs have interpreted this as the right to fail to commit to society and act in the name of  'peace and love, dude'. I agree that major business leaders in our world have lead to the destruction, bullying, extortion and ruin of most of our planet and it's mostly dormant and accepting population. But we, 'The People', have let them get away with it, so we are all to blame. I usually see two types of people. One will live in a eco-home, brandish slogans such as 'Cameron is a C*nt', steam roll conversations of global warming, of food companies poisoning the world, burn a whole lot of incense and eat organic food. Nothing wrong with that. The others will happily install electric in their homes, brandish opinions of don't bite the hand that feeds you, become best friends with consumerism, fall in love with the false hoods of the cosmetic industry, see nothing wrong with eating foods that are killing our bodies faster than they should. Nothing wrong with that. I would be a fool to say I was whole heartedly involved in either party. Strangely enough, I feel I belong in both worlds. I think both parties would be able to find a world wide resolve if they both became allies, both respected each other, both listened and took action together. They both have the right answer. But by hating each other they will forever be at war. Perhaps we all need to go back to our roots to move forward.
Suppose I'm a mysterious sceptic.

*Search quantum physic theories on entanglement.

Scrapbook Life.

It's been a long time since I added to my scrapbook. My last one (pictures shown below) was full and finished within weeks. My second one however is still mostly empty. I have loads of clippings in an envelope but I haven't actually sat down and assembled them yet. I love the finished result and get a bit excited when I find anything I've been focusing on in the high street. Time to get stuck in again. 

Serious, it's okay. I like who I am.

I can't tell if milk is off or not, so sometimes if I'm not feeling very confident I avoid it or make someone else smell it. I have the straightest hair you can imagine, even when I go to a salon and they professionally curl it the whole lot falls flat within the hour, but at least it is easy to style in the morning (one look wonder). My general stupid accidents are so regular now that if I have a calamity free day I get scared at what might happen because I know it's going to happen soon - scared of my own shadow. I call my Mam pretty much every evening and talk for about an hour about all of the things that happened that day because she listens best. When I am loud I feel happy, I mean really loud, I don't know anyone with a voice quite as loud as mine (that's an open invitation to any competitors). I can't whistle very well. If I don't have a stash of basic pharmacy supplies I feel a bit unprepared, like plasters, face wipes, ibuprofen, dry shampoo, cotton buds. I have a serious condition called ohshitimusttakeaphotoofthat. I might at least like my own self, but I don't know my own self. I can't even predict my mood for the next hour (sucks to live with me like that). I want a cat, but I mean I really want a cat. But there's no way I can have a fuzzy grey short hair cat because Boyfriend is ultra super sensitive allergic. Boyfriend or cat? No brainer. Shame I'm not really a dog person. I like to read, but I like information and not great three thousand page novels, but I do envy people who have read heaps of wonderful story books and have glorious shelves full of great books. Old libraries are peaceful. Flat shoes for everyone! If there is any woman who can bear the crippling agony of high heeled shoes I would like scientific proof. I have tried them all, low heel, wedges, open toe, courts, stiletto, block heel, platforms. Nothing ever works for more than a few hours. Nice, well fitted, fashionable, coordinated gorgeous flat shoes are the next big thing. I think. Don't quote me on it. I'm a scrapbook fanatic, I have a whole huge chest full of fashion, travel and furniture magazines and guides to look through for anything interesting to snip out and glue in my book. One day I will learn to cook and it will be fabulous, I'm sure. I really need to buy an electric mixer as I can't mix for shit. Boyfriend is like an athlete when it comes to cooking and I am put to shame. I love driving, bikes, cars, vans, whatever. Flinging yourself and vehicle down the road stretching ahead, what joy. But. I haven't driven for about four years. I'm sure I'll pick it up again soon. Tea or coffee? How about both, okay. I have them both totally different, tea has to be strong with a small bit of milk. Coffee has to be even stronger and black with about two big spoonfuls of sugar. If I'm not sure about the milk I stick to fresh coffee, as I whip up a mean batch at home.
That feels better. xoxo

Maddie's Cupcakes.

The lovely Maddie has graced me with her experimental baking skills again :) It's amazing what a little thing like a cupcake can do. She made a whole batch and could have kept them all for her and her fiancée, but she had a little thought of me. She had the kindness to think to bring me one in work (where, let's face it, we can all do with a pick-me-up now and then). She boxed it up and made sure to check we had the same lunch break. She is so lovely and maybe I just need to go to bed, but I don't know which is greater, how wonderful the golden syrup icing was, or the sentiment in preparing and bringing me a treat in work for a mid day 'pick-me-up'.
Thank you! x