Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.
Chinese Proverb
Tuesday 31 January 2012
Monday 30 January 2012
The Dilemma
God heard the embattled nations sing and shout
“Gott strafe England” and “God save the King!”
God this, God that, and God the other thing –
“Good God!” said God, “I’ve got my work cut out!”
-JC Squire
“Gott strafe England” and “God save the King!”
God this, God that, and God the other thing –
“Good God!” said God, “I’ve got my work cut out!”
-JC Squire
Sunday 29 January 2012
Friday 27 January 2012
Friday Find
In France it’s illegal for a pig to be named Napoleon.
Also in other Napoleon related news apparently reader, after taking a bath, Napoleon liked his valet to brush him down briskly with eau de Cologne, while encouraging him with cries of: "Harder, harder! Pretend I'm a donkey!"
Also in other Napoleon related news apparently reader, after taking a bath, Napoleon liked his valet to brush him down briskly with eau de Cologne, while encouraging him with cries of: "Harder, harder! Pretend I'm a donkey!"
Thursday 26 January 2012
Things I Love Thursday
It’s Thursday and it’s that time again. Yes as we're slumped in a despondent post-Christmas and for me post-holiday heap, Tilt list time arrives to lift the January blues and remind me of all the great things in life. The blogging equivalent of those pick-me-ups Jeeves used to give Bertie Wooster to dispel hangovers:
Top of my list this week is Gorgeous Girl & Little Man.
There were lots of things to love this weekend. My niece is practically potty trained [it’s been two weeks – good work C] and I was especially impressed with how good they both were and how well mannered they were during the birthday party and well the whole weekend really. They aren’t saints of course and they can sometimes, like most children, become the gruesome twosome but on the whole they are well behaved sweethearts. I am also incredibly proud of how they are dealing with daddy being away on deployment. It can be a hard thing for children to deal with at any age but when they are so wee (four and two) it’s difficult to understand why daddy has gone for a bit.
Speaking of which…this week I am also loving and very grateful too HMS Heroes.
A support network for the children of services families in Plymouth schools. They run a number of initiatives to help the children feel settled, happy and encourage them to be friends and support each other, especially in times of need.
Also high on my list this week are Bang Tidy cupcakes
Instead of a birthday cake my Sister-in-Law ordered some birthday cupcakes from a small local business. Each cake is handmade including all toppers. The cakes were delicious and if you ever find yourself in Devon with a cake emergency (it happens more than you think reader) then I’d highly recommend them.
N.b. I’m not affiliated with the business nor am I being paid/bribed to endorse them
Super cute Cats- visiting my brother & family was also an opportunity to meet the two newest additions to the family- Ben & Jerry. Ben is super snugly and adorable, he likes the quiet life whereas his brother Jerry is a bit of a pest really (lots of pouncing, biting fingers, play fighting) but I am smitten with the pair of them.
Also:
The official Roald Dahl stamps, the satisfying feeling of unpacking, playing hide and seek with the children, catching up with friends I haven't seen for a year, surprise packages made of pure win,
What about you reader? What’s brightening your week?
Top of my list this week is Gorgeous Girl & Little Man.
There were lots of things to love this weekend. My niece is practically potty trained [it’s been two weeks – good work C] and I was especially impressed with how good they both were and how well mannered they were during the birthday party and well the whole weekend really. They aren’t saints of course and they can sometimes, like most children, become the gruesome twosome but on the whole they are well behaved sweethearts. I am also incredibly proud of how they are dealing with daddy being away on deployment. It can be a hard thing for children to deal with at any age but when they are so wee (four and two) it’s difficult to understand why daddy has gone for a bit.
Speaking of which…this week I am also loving and very grateful too HMS Heroes.
A support network for the children of services families in Plymouth schools. They run a number of initiatives to help the children feel settled, happy and encourage them to be friends and support each other, especially in times of need.
Also high on my list this week are Bang Tidy cupcakes
Instead of a birthday cake my Sister-in-Law ordered some birthday cupcakes from a small local business. Each cake is handmade including all toppers. The cakes were delicious and if you ever find yourself in Devon with a cake emergency (it happens more than you think reader) then I’d highly recommend them.
N.b. I’m not affiliated with the business nor am I being paid/bribed to endorse them
Super cute Cats- visiting my brother & family was also an opportunity to meet the two newest additions to the family- Ben & Jerry. Ben is super snugly and adorable, he likes the quiet life whereas his brother Jerry is a bit of a pest really (lots of pouncing, biting fingers, play fighting) but I am smitten with the pair of them.
Also:
The official Roald Dahl stamps, the satisfying feeling of unpacking, playing hide and seek with the children, catching up with friends I haven't seen for a year, surprise packages made of pure win,
What about you reader? What’s brightening your week?
Tuesday 24 January 2012
Thoughtful Tuesday
The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things. Henry Ward Beecher
Thursday 19 January 2012
Things I Love Thursday
Yesterday was my gorgeous niece’s 2nd birthday so this weekend I am off a-visiting Today though it means that the house is in packing chaos so I think its time for a cup of tea and to reflect on the things I love this week…Let the gratitude commence:
I have something fun/exciting to look forward to for the first four months of the year niece’s birthday, hen party, girlie weekend and a wedding. My bank balance is less pleased but as this is a ‘things I love’ list I’m choosing to ignore that fact.
On the topic of budget squeezing I am very thankful for cheap but nutritious meals. Post -Christmas my waistline is also very thankful for these simple culinary delights.
Also high on my list this week is this parody of beauty advertisements:
Other:
Sherlock Holmes though with particular mention to BBC Sherlock, this how -to glittery gold clutch ideas-appeals to my inner magpie,
Whats making your week glitter and shine reader?
I have something fun/exciting to look forward to for the first four months of the year niece’s birthday, hen party, girlie weekend and a wedding. My bank balance is less pleased but as this is a ‘things I love’ list I’m choosing to ignore that fact.
On the topic of budget squeezing I am very thankful for cheap but nutritious meals. Post -Christmas my waistline is also very thankful for these simple culinary delights.
Also high on my list this week is this parody of beauty advertisements:
Fotoshop by Adobé from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.
Other:
Sherlock Holmes though with particular mention to BBC Sherlock, this how -to glittery gold clutch ideas-appeals to my inner magpie,
Whats making your week glitter and shine reader?
Tuesday 17 January 2012
Thoughtful Tuesday
Out of clutter, find simplicity, from discord, find harmony, in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein
Thursday 12 January 2012
Things I Love Thursday
I’ve been a tad unwell so my tilt list this week is rather heavily influenced by things that helped put a spring in my step:
First and foremost though top of my list is that after a year and a half my mum finally has a diagnosis (hopefully). It’s like my very own New Year’s miracle. There’s still a long way to go but its half the battle and it removes a whole lot of anxiety.
Best of the rest:
Hot water bottle, tea (always but especially this week), Doris Day films, chocolate,
First and foremost though top of my list is that after a year and a half my mum finally has a diagnosis (hopefully). It’s like my very own New Year’s miracle. There’s still a long way to go but its half the battle and it removes a whole lot of anxiety.
Best of the rest:
Hot water bottle, tea (always but especially this week), Doris Day films, chocolate,
Tuesday 3 January 2012
Thoughtful Tuesday
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. Mother Theresa
Sunday 1 January 2012
2011 Year in Review
1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
Erm...visited Brian Turner's restaurant and Peppa Pig World (the latter with my nephew & niece)
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make any formal resolutions for 2011 but I did make a list of things I would try to do/be better at. This is an ongoing project and I’m adding several others to it as I go along. The main one at the moment is capitalize more on the opportunities that come my way to help someone.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
There seem to be babies everywhere at the moment, but none of my family or close friends gave birth this year.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully no
5. What countries did you visit?
Latvia
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
Clarity.
7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
No specific dates that will remain etched upon my memory this year but lots of happy memories of wonderful times spent with friends and family (Butlins week, Russell Howard night and visiting a dear friend in London for the weekend to name but a few).
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
2011 was a year for supporting other people. Big things were happening to the people around me this year, and it was my job to help them through it as much as I could. I like to think I did alright.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not fighting hard enough to pursue what I want/ lacking confidence to prove my capabilities.
10.Did you suffer illness or injury?
I was pretty healthy this year.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Train tickets/petrol money to visit friends
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
A good friend of mine is dealing with some incredibly difficult things with remarkable grace and maturity and I'm so proud of her.
13. Whose behaviour made you depressed?
I was disappointed by those who celebrated in the deaths of Osama Bin Laden and Kim Jong-Il.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent, food, shiny treats
15. What events did you get really, really, really excited about?
Visiting K/M’s birthday weekend, Surprising my mum with a trip to see Top Hat, camping with dear, dear friends
16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO I couldn’t escape it in the latter part of the year thanks to one of the youth groups I work with … “Everyday I’m shuffling”
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i.happier or sadder? In general probably about the same
ii.thinner or fatter? Fatter but only a little bit
iii.richer or poorer? Poorer
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I wish I’d spent more time on creative endeavours.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Procrastina… eh, I’ll finish this answer later.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I had a wonderful Christmas day spent with family and a hilarious boxing day spent with dear friends. I am so privileged and blessed in the people I know
21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Tan
22. Did you fall in love in 2011?
no
23. How many one-night stands?
none
24. What was your favourite TV programme?
New in 2011 favourites included The Hour, Silk, Twenty-Twelve
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No
26. What was the best book you read?
There are two books that win that accolade for me this year- Summer Moonshine by PG Wodehouse and Agatha Christies ‘Star Over Bethlehem’
27. What was your greatest musical discovery or rediscovery?
Caro Emerald
28. What did you want and get?
My answer is the same as last year- opportunities to spend time with the people (family and friends) I love most in the world
29. What did you want and not get?
A diagnosis for my poor mum
30. What were your favourite films of this year?
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part II
31. What did you do on your birthday?
The day itself was a quiet one but a couple of days before it I went to see John Barrowman with some friends and the weekend after some other wonderful friends took me out for a meal and cocktails.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
I wouldn't!
34. What kept you sane?
My nearest and dearest. They know who they are, and I’d have been lost without them this year!
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most/least in 2011?
The usual suspects, can’t think of any 2011 specific crushes off the top of my head
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The cuts. The riots.
37. Whom did you miss?
My grandparents and the beautiful people I’m lucky enough to call friends
but who live far away.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
RC, I met her in late 2010 but got to know her this year and I’m really glad I did
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011:
Our paths aren’t necessarily direct from point A to point B. Sometimes it appears we are drifting or rambling and that’s okay as long as it’s not all the time. Rest when you need it. Taking a morning/afternoon off on occasion is not a bad thing.
40. Sum up the year in a song lyric/quote
I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing. -Agatha Christie
Erm...visited Brian Turner's restaurant and Peppa Pig World (the latter with my nephew & niece)
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make any formal resolutions for 2011 but I did make a list of things I would try to do/be better at. This is an ongoing project and I’m adding several others to it as I go along. The main one at the moment is capitalize more on the opportunities that come my way to help someone.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
There seem to be babies everywhere at the moment, but none of my family or close friends gave birth this year.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully no
5. What countries did you visit?
Latvia
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
Clarity.
7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
No specific dates that will remain etched upon my memory this year but lots of happy memories of wonderful times spent with friends and family (Butlins week, Russell Howard night and visiting a dear friend in London for the weekend to name but a few).
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
2011 was a year for supporting other people. Big things were happening to the people around me this year, and it was my job to help them through it as much as I could. I like to think I did alright.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not fighting hard enough to pursue what I want/ lacking confidence to prove my capabilities.
10.Did you suffer illness or injury?
I was pretty healthy this year.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Train tickets/petrol money to visit friends
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
A good friend of mine is dealing with some incredibly difficult things with remarkable grace and maturity and I'm so proud of her.
13. Whose behaviour made you depressed?
I was disappointed by those who celebrated in the deaths of Osama Bin Laden and Kim Jong-Il.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent, food, shiny treats
15. What events did you get really, really, really excited about?
Visiting K/M’s birthday weekend, Surprising my mum with a trip to see Top Hat, camping with dear, dear friends
16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO I couldn’t escape it in the latter part of the year thanks to one of the youth groups I work with … “Everyday I’m shuffling”
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i.happier or sadder? In general probably about the same
ii.thinner or fatter? Fatter but only a little bit
iii.richer or poorer? Poorer
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I wish I’d spent more time on creative endeavours.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Procrastina… eh, I’ll finish this answer later.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I had a wonderful Christmas day spent with family and a hilarious boxing day spent with dear friends. I am so privileged and blessed in the people I know
21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Tan
22. Did you fall in love in 2011?
no
23. How many one-night stands?
none
24. What was your favourite TV programme?
New in 2011 favourites included The Hour, Silk, Twenty-Twelve
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No
26. What was the best book you read?
There are two books that win that accolade for me this year- Summer Moonshine by PG Wodehouse and Agatha Christies ‘Star Over Bethlehem’
27. What was your greatest musical discovery or rediscovery?
Caro Emerald
28. What did you want and get?
My answer is the same as last year- opportunities to spend time with the people (family and friends) I love most in the world
29. What did you want and not get?
A diagnosis for my poor mum
30. What were your favourite films of this year?
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part II
31. What did you do on your birthday?
The day itself was a quiet one but a couple of days before it I went to see John Barrowman with some friends and the weekend after some other wonderful friends took me out for a meal and cocktails.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
I wouldn't!
34. What kept you sane?
My nearest and dearest. They know who they are, and I’d have been lost without them this year!
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most/least in 2011?
The usual suspects, can’t think of any 2011 specific crushes off the top of my head
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The cuts. The riots.
37. Whom did you miss?
My grandparents and the beautiful people I’m lucky enough to call friends
but who live far away.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
RC, I met her in late 2010 but got to know her this year and I’m really glad I did
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011:
Our paths aren’t necessarily direct from point A to point B. Sometimes it appears we are drifting or rambling and that’s okay as long as it’s not all the time. Rest when you need it. Taking a morning/afternoon off on occasion is not a bad thing.
40. Sum up the year in a song lyric/quote
I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing. -Agatha Christie
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