Another VW Sunday

This afternoon we have once again met up with the lovely people of East Coast Air Cooled, for a meet at West Raynham. The sun was shining, and we were allowed this time to have photos taken next to other cool buildings on this old RAF base. Unfortunately the camera battery died just after arriving, so we had to make do with my mobile phone. I still think we got some great shots. 


Here are a few photos of the afternoon. 

Music to gym to - Playlist 2

Ok, so I've been a really naughty girl and haven't been to the gym since I posted playlist number 1. However, I've still lost weight and inches, and for the first time in 2 years, the scales have read less than 10 stone. Not sure they still will after my naughty steak and chips tonight though, so I need to punish myself by working extra hard at the gym tomorrow morning. 


So here is the playlist for tomorrow, Gym Playlist number 2: 

The Presidents of The United States of America - Volcano

The Presidents of The United States of America - Lump

Foo Fighters - Have it All 

Foo Fighters - Matter of Time 

Foo Fighters - Hell 

Feeder - Come Back Around 

Queen's of The Stone Age - Do it Again 

Weezer - Beverley Hills 

Alter Bridge - Ties That Bind

Alter Bridge - Break Me Down 

Manic Street Preachers - You Love Us 

System of A Down - Toxicity

Foo Fighters - White Limo 

And to cool down................

Semisonic - Chemistry

Fountains of Wayne - Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart 

Fountains of Wayne - A Dip in the Ocean 

Fountains of Wayne - Radiation Vibe

Little People in the City

Being a fan of all things quirky and unusual, I was intrigued by the book that was delivered to my husband this morning. The book, with the same title as this post is photos of the street art of Slinkachu, a street artist in London. 


This guy glues plastic figures to walls & pavements in London, and in my opinion is absolutely awesome. This has definitely made me smile this morning. Wanting to find out more about this artist, I am now following his blog. Take a look at his work, and see what you think. 


http://slinkachu.com/home
http://little-people.blogspot.com/
http://streetartlondon.co.uk/blog/slinkachu-little-people-city/

Hooray for the weekend

It's Friday night, and as usual I'm feeling ready for bed at 9pm. It's been quite a quick week at work, even though I haven't been very busy. It's been quite a positive week, with hints of some exciting changes on the horizon, which has made me feel better after the horrible comments that were made by a colleague last week. I need to learn not to take things to heart, but it's easier said than done, especially when I don't think that highly of myself anyway. Although, these comments still play over in my head, I can laugh them of as stupid thoughtless things, especially after telling a close work colleague about the incident, who thought they were stupid too. Add this to some positive comments made by two bosses this week, and I feel much better about things. 

Anyway, back to the weekend, and the plans I have made for it. Tomorrow my husband is taking his Dad to Wimpole Hall for their 1940s weekend, and I have the house to myself for the afternoon. My plan is to finish cleaning my sock creature room, and then get busy with the sewing machine. On Sunday we are heading over to West Raynham again for another VW meet. This could possibly be the last outing in the campervan this year so will be making the most of it, and hope for lots of great photos in front of the old buildings. Then it's time for an early night, as I have an early start on Monday to attend a Conference with work. This will be the second time I have stayed away for this job, and although I'm going to miss my husband lots, I'm looking forward to the experience of going away with work, meeting customers, and learning more about the industry in which I am working. I'm also secretly looking forward to dressing up on Monday night as Britney Spears, in naughty school girl outfit!

Following on from yesterday's post...

On the way to work this morning, I was thinking about more things that made me smile. I started thinking about a few You Tube videos that made me smile, and thought I'd share them with blog readers. 

A cute cat one

A cute baby one

And a funny spoof one

Hope they make you smile too 

The Best Things In Life Are Free...

..or almost free. Here is my top ten list of free, or almost free things that make me smile, or make me feel good. 

1. Getting into a freshly made bed, especially when the sheets are also fresh off the line. 
2. A stranger holding the door open in a shop or other public place. 
3. Someone letting you go before them in a shop queue because you only have one item. 
4. The smell of rain. 
5. The smell of freshly brewed coffee. 
6. The smell of freshly baked bread. 
7. A hug after a bad day, in fact a hug at any time. 
8. Seeing children playing, using their imagination. 
9. Getting into a pair of jeans that used to be tight. 
10. Being paid a compliment that gives a confidence boost. (especially important for those of us with low self esteem) 

Please feel free to add yours in the Comments section. 

Horrible Wedding Cliches

The idea behind tonight's blog topic comes from one of my favourite TV programmes, How I Met Your Mother. Last night's episode was Something Blue, the last episode of Season 2, where Lily & Marshall got married. Before the wedding they were making a list of horrible wedding cliches that they didn't want on their big day. This reminded me of a similar list that we made before our wedding day. We also had a list of cliche wedding photos that we asked the photographer not to take. 

So here is my list of horrible wedding cliches: 

1. Cheesy disco songs - These got a whole list of their own. We had a firm 'No-playlist' which included the likes of 'Grease Megamix' & 'Oops Upside Your Head'
2. Cheesy disco dances - These often go with the above, and also include 'Agadoo' &  'The Conga'
3. Horrible poses for photos - The linked arms with the champagne glasses, The bride being lifted up and laid across the arms of the groomsmen, The veil being blown out by an invisible wind, and the one where the bride looks like she's going to be snapped in half by the groom tipping her backwards. 
4. Drunk bride 
5. Bride & Groom feeding each other cake
6. Baby Photos of the Bride & Groom projected on the wall 
7. Removal of the Garter by the Groom - There was only one person who removed that garter from my leg and that was me! 
8. Throwing of the bouquet - What a waste of money throwing a £40 bunch of flowers. 
9. Sugared Almonds - Does anyone actually like these?

I'm sure I'll probably think of more later. I would like to apologise to any blog readers who had any of the above at their wedding. It's not my intention to cause offence, I'm just sharing my thoughts. 

Music to Gym to - Playlist 1

Since starting my diet I have also started going to the gym again. A few people have asked 'Don't you find it boring?' Well the answer is 'No'! Well I probably would if I didn't have my iPod with me. The secret to a good gym workout is a good playlist, filled with songs that have just the right beat to workout to. I have about 6 gym playlists on my iPod now, each one carefully planned out carefully to fit to my hour long workout. 


Playlist no.1


My routine at the gym starts with a 5 minute warm-up on the bike, and kicking it all off with 'Survival Car' from their debut album, is Fountains of Wayne. 

My bike warm-up continues with Weezer, and 'No-one Else' from The Blue Album

Next, it's time for 10 minutes on the Cross Trainer. This is where things start to speed up a little, and I need music that will help me keep the pace, especially for the last few minutes. 

Stereophonics - The Bartender And The Thief 

Foo Fighters - Back & Forth 

System Of A Down - Chop Suey - This is the one that helps me get through the last few breathless minutes. 

Next up is the stepper, 10 minutes of burning in the backs of my legs, starting with Biffy Clyro - Shock Shock

Queen's Of The Stone Age - Hangin' Tree

Weezer - Everybody Get Dangerous 

My time on the treadmill varies between 10 and 20 minutes depending on how tired I'm feeling. This is probably where the music gets a bit heavier 

Foo Fighters - DOA 

Alter Bridge - Rise Today 

Alter Bridge - White Knuckles 

Foo Fighters - Rosemary

After this, I do a few weights, some sit ups, generally slower paced, cooling down exercises. This part of the playlist features a mixture of Fountains of Wayne and some slower Foo Fighters tracks, including Wheels. 

Another Happy Post

Tonight I picked up my new glasses, and as well as them fitting perfectly and looking great, they have nice thin lenses in. For the first time ever, the right lens doesn't resemble the bottom of a milk bottle! I felt so comfortable in my new glasses that I haven't taken them off since leaving the opticians. Also for the first time ever I have 2 pairs of glasses, which means I can change them to suit which outfit I am wearing. I now can't wait to wear them to work tomorrow! 

Quick glasses flash

Morning Blog Readers, 


Tonight I will be picking up my new glasses. I thought I'd just share some photos of my new specs, so you can see why I am getting excited. 

Photos from www.specsavers.co.uk

Happy Happy Happy

Just a short post from me tonight. Thought I should write something, seeing as I haven't updated for a couple of weeks. So I'm going to write a brief summary about how I feel my life is so good right now. 


Last weekend was the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and watching the memorial ceremonies and thinking about all those people who lost loved ones, made me think about how much I have in my life to be thankful for, how short life is, and how we should make the most of every minute. 
So what do I have to be thankful for? 


For starters there's my husband, a.k.a. Mr Perfect. For years I waited for him, wasting time with Mr Wrong and watching other women get married, start families, and be happy. Then along he came, and although some people may think things moved along pretty quickly, the only thing I wish had happened differently was that we'd met sooner.  


Then there's my family. I have wonderful parents who have brought me up well. Although they may not live nearby, I know that they are at the other end of the phone and would support me through thick & thin. There's my siblings, younger and older who I love dearly, and 4 lovely nephews who I am so proud of. I mustn't forget my beautiful step-daughter. 


I'm lucky to have lots of friends, both in the real life and in the virtual world. I may not have one close friend like most women have, but I know there are many I can turn to in times of need. 


Then there's my job, which in some ways is similar to my husband. I spent years in the wrong job, working hard for little reward, going home in tears week in week out, after being made to cry by the boss. This year, I got out, got myself a new job, and things have never looked so positive. I now work for a great company, with a great boss, and great colleagues. I never thought I'd say it, but I actually look forward to going to work in the morning. 


To cap it all off, I am on a diet and starting to get my body back to looking how it did before the wedding. So far I've lost four and a half pounds and it's only been 2 weeks. 


Let's hope the happiness continues. 

Another reason to stick to the diet

Earlier this week I joined Weight Watchers. I've known I've needed to lose weight for some time, but I've been struggling to do it on my own, so I decided that this was the answer. Having the willpower to turn down all the foods I love is really difficult, and swapping chocolate bars for fruit was starting to get me down this week. That was until my husband found a photo of us from 2008 that shocked me so much. So here is my inspiration for losing weight. Every time I crave that Galaxy Bubbles bar, or that Maple Pecan pastry, I shall open this blog and remind myself why I need to do this. (Please excuse the bad hair day & poor quality photo)

Me & Husband in August 2008

Me in August 2011

Entertaining Olly

Today we have been doing some baby sitting for some friends of ours. Olly is nearly 2, and this was the second time we have looked after him, and the first time during the day, and in our home. It's been a while since we have had a toddler in the house, and it's not really very child friendly, with plenty of clutter, and breakables at child height. We also had the responsibility of providing lunch, with the worry that he might not eat what we do. I needn't have worried, as it turns out he loves roast dinners. It's not very often you see toddlers picking out the broccoli & carrots to eat before the Yorkshires & roast potatoes. I was amazed by how much he ate, and how well he behaved at the table. For me, I feel that sitting at the table and eating as a family is very important. Sadly, not many families eat this way.
The other thing I have been reminded of today, was that children don't need expensive toys to play with. Olly came to our house with a bag of Mega Blocks, an electronic car dashboard toy & a toy trumpet. Apart from a few minutes spent with the bricks, the rest of the time in the house was spent in the kitchen with the washing machine. When the washing machine was on, he stood in front of it, getting excited every time it started to spin. This is very funny and very cute to watch. When the washing machine was empty, he spent about an hour putting many things, including tea towels, fridge magnets & bottles in and out of it. It's been a long time since I've seen a child so easily pleased by something so simple.

Childhood Memories

Last night's blog about the opticians, and how I felt as a child, got me thinking about my childhood. There's a lot of things you forget as you get older, but most people have some very early memories. Some are significant, some are just random. I'm going to share a few of mine. I have no idea if these will be in a proper timeline, or if the details will be entirely correct, but they are things that I remember. 

The Fall

If what I remember matches the story my mother tells, then this could possibly be my earliest memory. I remember crying, and sitting on something high, possibly the work surface or the washing machine. My mother was touching my face and feeling my nose. I remember nothing else of this incident, but the story is that I was two and a half years old, and I took a tumble down the stairs. I frightened the life out of my parents, and they thought that I had broken my nose. After checking me out and being unsure, I was taken to hospital, where I had an X-Ray that showed no damage. Once home, I reenacted the hospital visit with my Sindy dolls. 

The Chocolate Blancmange

I probably remember this because it was horrible at the time, and I thought I had a wicked mother. Now, I realise that she was trying to teach me a lesson. Again, parts are a bit hazy, and I don't remember if the packet of blancmange mix was already in the cupboard or if it was something I had pestered my parents to buy, but I asked lots and lots of times if I could eat it. After being told many times that I wouldn't like it, I still wouldn't let it go, so it was made for me with the warning 'If I make it, you WILL eat it'. Now, I'm pretty sure my parents wouldn't have allowed me to starve, but at the time it seemed as if they would. This blancmange was given to me for lunch, tea, and then breakfast again the next day, and it was one of the most disgusting things I've ever tasted. It's also something I have no desire to ever eat again!

The Chocolate Advent Calendar

This was possibly one of the naughtiest things I did as a child, which in hindsight is a very minor thing. My sister is nine years older than me, but for some reason we still shared some things, including, one Christmas, an Advent Calendar. This was the first time we'd had one with the chocolates in, so it was quite exciting. The sad thing was that we had to share it. We'd take it in turns to open a window, meaning only one chocolate every other day. Now, I'm still not sure why I did this, but one night I went downstairs to the toilet and on the way took the Advent Calendar off the wall. I carefully opened up one end and slid the tray out. I guess the numbers must have been in order as I was a clever child, but not quite that clever. I worked out which chocolates belonged to my sister, and I took a small bite out of some of them and then put them back. No-one knew until she came to have her turn the next day. As I said, I have no idea what made me think this was a good idea, and as a result, she was given all of the chocolates for the rest of the month, and I was given a very sore backside.

I have many more memories I could share, including those of deep snow, nettle filled ditches, and baking at school. Unfortunately I'm out of time, so will share those for another day. 

Thanks for reading

Helping my eye sight or updating my image?

For as long as I remember, I have had to wear glasses. I believe I was about 3 years old when I got my  first pair. Some of my earliest memories are of trips to the hospital to see the eye specialist. I will need to clarify this with my mother, but in those early days I think I used to make that trip every 6 months. I have many memories of coming home wearing rather unattractive patches over my left eyes in an attempt to make my lazy right eye work harder. I also remember times where I had to have drops in my eyes. I remember having to follow the woodpecker on the stick and look at the pictures on the flip chart on the wall. Many times I wanted to have a change and read the letters instead, after all I could read at an early age and was more than capable of doing this. Now at 31, it would make a nice change to have pictures again! 

After the hospital visit came the dreaded visit to the opticians to pick out new glasses. Children who need glasses today don't realise how lucky they are to have the wonderful choice of NHS frames. Unfortunately, my parents couldn't afford to pay for my glasses and the NHS choice consisted of thick plastic frames in beige, blue & pink. These were the frames that caused some very miserable days at school. I know other kids with glasses got teased too, but it still didn't make it easier. Deep down I know that nicer frames, probably wouldn't have stopped being called speccy 4 eyes, although it might have stopped me from spending years taking my glasses off on the way to school so that I'd get a break. Maybe if I'd just worn them I'd have better eye sight now.

These days I only have to go to the options every two years as my eyes haven't improved since I was about 10. Regrettably I haven't been for 4 years, due to lack of funds for glasses. It may be vanity, but I can't bring myself to get cheap frames as it's a painful reminder of my childhood, and unfortunately I worry about what other people think too much. For the last couple of years I've been desperate to change my glasses as I feel they are out of date and other people will see that too. So tomorrow, I'm really excited about visiting the opticians, getting my eyes tested, and then picking out some new fancy glasses, that will probably cost an arm and a leg, but will improve my image, in the same way a new hairstyle does. 

Now I'm older and wiser, I'm no longer ashamed of how I looked as a child, even if my glasses do make my husband giggle. So here it is, the first time I've shared it so publicly.........

Another week has passed.....

...and again I haven't blogged. I seem to be spending more and more days struggling to come up with something interesting to write about. Maybe it's because I have an uninteresting life, maybe it's because my brain is now being kept a bit busier at work and it's too tired to think when I get home at night. Either way, it's getting annoying, as I really wanted to keep it regular this time. 

Since last week, my life hasn't been completely uneventful. I have been on a mini camping trip with my lovely husband, step-daughter, and her friend. We spent two soggy nights in the Norfolk Broads. It was the second time we have taken my step-daughter camping, and although the weather wasn't quite as bad as last time, she's not getting a very good impression of camping holidays. Luckily it stayed dry enough on the Friday afternoon to take two bored 14 yr olds to the Pleasure Beach in Great Yarmouth, where they made us adults feel ill watching them go on some scary looking rides. Unfortunately due to the amount of rain, we didn't get to take many photos of the weekend. I made the decision to hide from the camera for most of the time it was out. This was due to me doing my 'mummy' thing whilst packing, and spending so much time making sure everyone else had everything they needed, that I forgot to pack my make up & hairbrush!