Sunday 30 June 2013

Le weekend - ups and downs

In reversal of fortune style I'm starting with the downs:
  • My ipad broke, hardware issue, gutted
  • I threw up from consumption of wine
  • Then woke up with a stonking headache
  • Putting my new bike together was a nightmare due to lack of instructions
  • And then the pump wouldn't work so I couldn't go out and play
 Ups:
  • First bike ride. Sweet sweet ride. This is only the second brand new bike I've had in my whole life, all the others were secondhand or hand-me-downs. I think I'm in love...
  • Speaking to JC, my tech support for above ipad issue, funny, sweet, loveable drawl, we talked coffee and Mountain Dew and removal of "sweaters" (that's jumpers to the British readers, teehee). He truly did take some of the pain out of my broken ipad
  • Embracing my creative mojo by painting everything that didn't move (photos will follow of some of my handiwork)
  • Morning shopping with my lovely Ma
  • Sticky toffee pudding with custard served up by the Gingerbread Mam, she rocks that mam, truly she does
To sum up then, le weekend was a bit of a mixed bag. I have high hopes for next weekend as Tizz is coming home, she is, (sing) she's coming home, she's coming home, Tizz is coming home (stop singing) whooooop! It seems like it's been forever since we've seen each other and I absolutely cannot wait. We will post the adventures. Here's to le week, let's hope it runs smoothly.  

Tuesday 25 June 2013

Will I ever learn?!

Today should be renamed sore foot day. Yes I was wearing shoes that I bought in the sale, yes they only cost £7, possibly they were a smidge too tight, but I was convinced that they would stretch...turns out not after all. Turns out I have blisters all over my feet and had to hobble out to the nearest shop to buy plasters. Turns out that I may never learn and am destined to eternally buy cheap shoes that might ultimately make my feet fall off!! Turns out that my feet are spoiled by Toms that feel like slippers. Ouchie ouch ouch, my poor footsies. 

By the by, I read on a blog the other day that you should never use your blog to be negative and it should always be somewhere that people want to visit and take time out to read. Who wouldn't want to read about my cheap shoe pain?! I reckon our blog needs updating so that we can make it more glameroonie and more of a place that people want to visit - what say you? 

Friday 21 June 2013

First day of summer

It's raining. What a surprise. This is England and summer has officially started, it makes sense that it would rain. But I am defiant! I fully intend to enjoy the next few weeks before the dark nights set back in and the weather turns once again. I am defiant with rainbow stripes:

And mint. Because mint is the vital ingredient in lots of yummy summer dishes. Oh and cocktails. And Pims. Whoop!

Friday 14 June 2013

Zowie!

It's cocktail hour! And seeing as it's almost summer I would highly recommend Elderflower and Lime Martini as made by the utterly delightful Rachel Khoo. Salut! 

Wednesday 12 June 2013

Parts of me

I've been adding quite a few blogs to my Feedly of late. I'm not sure what has prompted this resurgence of interest in finding new blogs that amuse and fascinate me, I think a part of it is seeking inspiration for myself. The fascination comes in how people are using their blog almost as their job, they get free samples to review and have adverts and sponsors, I don't mean that I want that for myself but I'm intrigued at how you would even go about that. Imagine calling up Benefit and asking for free makeup (yes please!), that must be a pretty sweet deal if you can make it happen. 

I've also noticed that the blog world is full of very glamorous young women posting daily photos of what they wear, where they bought their outfit from in case someone wants to replicate it, and it's not just one photo, it's about 10 of different parts of their outfit. I think these women must have someone who walks around and takes their daily photos as it's quite tricksy to take good photos of parts of yourself as I discovered earlier. Just for a laugh, I thought I'd give it a try for my outfit for today. Several disasters and deletions later this is the only one that was anywhere near useable:



And just in case you should want to replicate my look (and somehow I doubt this) here is the information:

  • Battered old shoes: New Look, at least 2 years old, which is actually some kind of miracle for me, the killer of shoes
  • Orange sparkley tights: no idea. But they've got a big hole at the top of the leg. Classy, eh? 
  • Floral skirt: this one I can do. Marks and Spencer. It's actually from this season but I got it for less than the price of £30 as my Ma had some discount vouchers, sweet!
 And for the things you can't see:
  • Pale blue Oxford style shirt, H&M, last year at least
  • Battered black vest, £3 from Peacocks. They've closed down now so you can't buy from there anymore, sad face
  • Hoop ear-rings: who knows where?!
  • Multiple rings: um, yep, no idea. But won't have cost more than a fiver
  • Just got out of bed hair, all of my own making...
I'm not sure how all these glamourous girlies manage it. I couldn't help but descend into not taking myself seriously but they so do. Fascinating. Maybe I shall try more "parts of me" photos. If there is still anyone out there (and I do so wonder about this) feel free to join in...

Saturday 8 June 2013

Giving Thanks

The last assignment of the year is fully complete and submitted. I have got my life back! Not quite sure it's sunk in yet, seeing as I'm sat in exactly the same place as I have been for the last 6 weeks typing this. I've also sat outside in the sunshine and read my book. Just a normal book. Not one about risk management, yip yip! And I've baked some yummy cakes, I've so missed baking. Let's face it, I've missed everything. Woooo! 

I'd like to say a huge thanks to Wavey. During this last couple of weeks and the grimness of risk management he has been utterly fabulous. Let's face it, he is obviously a total dude anyway, and now he's a risk management dude too. 

I'd also like to thank tea. Yes without this precious brew I would never have made it through the last 6 weeks. Oh and chocolate cornflake clusters too, but a cup of tea is a much nicer picture:


Over and out.

Thursday 6 June 2013

Tissue Boxes

A-CHOO! Who gets a cold when the sun shines? Oh that would be me. Since I got up this morning I have done nothing but blow my nose, it's utterly rank and I've almost been through one box of tissues. I've had to go out and buy fresh supplies or I might have to resort to using my sleeve. Grim times. I'm keen to assign blame but I can't decide between Stormin' in my theatre group or Tea Lady from the trial who was sniffing and snuffling. Either way, thanks so much for sharing. 

Having so much extra stuff going on in my snuffly head is not helping with assignment lockdown either. I've managed to put together two paragraphs but it's very half hearted and I'd really just prefer to lie down on the sofa and feel sorry for myself. To be fair though that has pretty much been my attitude throughout this whole assignment so blaming the cold is a poor excuse for what is essentially zero motivation/interest in the subject that is risk management. What's wrong with risk anyway? Sometimes risk can be a good thing. The literature would describe this as an 'opportunity' but it's a tactic few are brave to take. It would seem they would much rather assign some random number, simulate the chuff out of it, and inform the world that this risk is high and should be dealt with immediately or disaster will fall and the whole world will be wiped out! 

Ugh. The sooner my life is rid of this current risk the better. The cold can get lost too. Go on. Shoo. The pair of you.  

Wednesday 5 June 2013

On Trial

I blogged a while ago about a couple of interviews that I'd had but I never really followed through with that which is very remiss of me. I thought now would be a good time to remedy that, mainly because I have zero motivation to write about cumulative distribution curves and Monte Carlo simulation and because blogging is just so much easier. 

Two interviews, two jobs. Well actually one job and one trial. Yesterday was the trial. I was really looking forward to it as working in a tea shop is so very far removed from what I had been doing before and it's such a lovely and charming place to go, enjoy a cup of tea, drool over the cakes, and other niceties like that. I was there for 4 hours in total and I worked blimmin' hard! Lots of brewing tea, emptying tables, cleaning tables, washing up, chitting the chat with customers and the owner, the time flew by. I was thrilled to be given actual money at the end of the shift, my first pay day in months, I felt beyond rich! I found out last night that I didn't get the job and I think I surprised myself with how philosophical I am about it all. It would have been nice, but it's not the end of the world. I'm a firm believer in what will be, will be and obviously this wasn't meant to be. Sometimes things fall into place but more often than not they don't. C'est la vie.

I'm pretty sure that I feel this way as I know that I have another job to go to. This job is also exciting but in a very different way as it is a marketing job! This is the area I am interested in pursuing at the end of this student adventure so I was thrilled when I got the call to say I had been successful after my 90 minute interview. I start that job next week and I literally have no idea what to expect. My experience of marketing is very limited and most of it has been done from this very chair and laptop, but this is a whole new ball game. A real company! Paid! 

I went to the interview during the dog-sitting stress and I think I was so relieved to be away from that dog that I just chatted and chatted and I was full of ideas...I'm hoping this translates into manageable real ideas once I'm there. I'm excited, nervous, keen to please, but most of all so chuffed that I'm being given a chance to do what I want to do, be myself, and see what happens. I'll let you know how it is when I get there... 

Monday 3 June 2013

A day of rest

Whizzy weekend! Saturday was spent battling with the ongoing assignment saga. By the end of day Wavey was literally sat by my side at the official deadline end of the table helping me to get through question 1. Apart from a few layout and page number niggles I am pleased to say that question 1 is now fully complete. All 6 evil effin parts of the mutha. Just two more questions left and then I am done and I fully intend to make it my business to avoid risk management for the rest of my life. 

Sunday rolled around and it was declared the official day of rest. Well, I say rest but in our world that means that we pottered around the garden, Wavey laid the decking path and I literally pottered, well actually potted all the veg on in the greenhouse that has suddenly gone bananas in the sunshine. Yes I said sunshine. Yippee! From there we went to an afternoon tea that was rather disappointing, had a lovely stroll along the river, and ended the day watching one of our favourite bands for the bargainous price of one five pound note each and they were absolutely bloody marvellous. My ears are still ringing in joy. 

Here's a few photos from our river stroll:





Saturday 1 June 2013

First...

...ripe juicy strawberry of the season.