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For the avoidance of doubt... Yes... I definitely have an opinion... |
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Welcome to my Blog!! About me: I'm not really a blogger... But I do like to put the world to rights and you can bet I have an opinion on most things. I'm a little Welsh dragon that left the Land of My Fathers far behind me. I've flown far and wide.... and ended up in the land down under This blog is filled with all the stuff that's going on in my life, and in my head, which can be a little cookey on times, so you have been warned!! And let's not forget my opinions and musing - I have a few of those as well. So pull up a pew, grab a hot, steaming mug of something yummy, and maybe a cake to: Life is always better with cake don't you think. And read... ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I just starting blogging with the following groups: ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I also write a Xmas Blog that kicks off 1st December.... "Invalid Item"  ....tag along for elvishness and merriment
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| What is one thing you would suggest to others to help bring peace to our world. I don’t think there’s one thing that could bring world peace – I’m not sure it’s actually possible for the human race to live in peace. We’re a very combative, aggressive, species. Our history is riddled with tales of war and conflict. It seems engrained in us. It’s an unfortunate species’ trait. However, a little understanding or empathy would go a long way. For some reason humanity seems obsessed with the individual rather than the global society. All too often we get caught up in our own dramas and believe them to be the most important and earth shattering trials and tribulation without putting them into context. We don’t seem to see the commonalities we all share. Me and my husband always struggle with money towards the end of the month – the Just Over Broke syndrome – we’re constantly trying to work out when we can get the car fixed, or the drive way done, or the decorating finished, and what we’ll have the “sacrifice” to achieve this. On times it feels so unfair and so difficult – why us? Why do we get the bad luck? But the truth is our lives are nowhere near a struggle. We live in a nice three bed house, we have a good car, and we’re both fully employed with full time contracts and securities. There are a lot of people who are worse off than us living in the UK – never mind in other parts of the world. Of course we’re all the central character in our own personal movies, our focus should be on our own lives because it’s where we have most control and affect, but it shouldn’t make us blind to the plights of others. I truly believe there is nothing that we, as a global community, couldn’t achieve if we only came together and united. There are enough resources around the world that there shouldn’t be world hunger. Enough of the planet is in the prime position where solar energy could completely replace fossil fuels. And if we looked outside our own lives long enough I’m sure we’d realise that. |
| What's your opinion on the concept of 'paying it forward' rather than paying back the person who did the original kindness? Have you experienced this as either the payer or recipient? Tell us about it. In my head the idea of “pay it forward” is simple – it’s doing a good deed, or helping someone out, off your own back, and to me that’s the difference between 'paying it forward' rather than “paying back”. That’s not to say that the good deed wouldn’t be towards/for the original person, but it shouldn’t be just because of their act of kindness. I also don’t think it should be limited to only doing it once, or that people should feel obligated to do it, otherwise it takes to meaning or sincerity out of it. Just last week I was at the super market looking for pistachios (de-shelled) in the baking aisle, and there was an elderly gentlemen there scanning the shelves looking for something. We joked that we could never find what we wanted or that it was always out on stock. In the end I found my pistachios, or rather my husband did. As we turned, about the walk away, I asked the older man what he was looking for – “Pecans,” he said – and low and behold I’d just seen them during my search and was able to squat down and retrieve them for him. This wasn’t a big gesture, or anything significant, but it was a small act of kindness that he appreciated. I’ve also been at the receiving end. Several years ago, before I met my husband, I was on my way down to my parents for Christmas. It was Christmas Eve and I decided to travel down by train. It was snowing and icy, the buses were delayed or cancelled, and I was hobbling/sliding to the bus stop with a suitcase laden with presents. After standing at the bus stop (a simple pole in the ground with a sign/no shelter) for a while a car stop in front of me. The driver, a middle aged man, wound down the window and asked if I wanted a lift to the station. He understood if I said no as I didn’t know him, and he reassured me we wasn’t a psycho or murderer, rather a under the cosh husband you’d been sent out to find a turkey. He used the term “good deed for the Christmas holiday” and said he was happy he could help – I took him up on the offer. I’m not sure how long I would have been waiting if he hadn’t stopped, or even if a bus would have turned up – all I know is that I was grateful. This time of year, more than any other, seems to elicit good will to our neighbour. We’re more likely to offer a helping hand. It’s a shame it only seems to happen once a year. I know that I felt good helping the old man find his pecans, and I also felt good receiving the lift – it renewed my faith in people. And with so much terrible news bombarding us on a daily basis it’s refreshing. I’d encourage anyone and everyone one to give it a go. It doesn’t have to be big gestures. Sometime the smallest offering are the ones that mean the most to us; simply clearing the snow and ice from outside your neighbour’s house/road, or asking an elderly neighbour if they want/need anything picking up from the shop… even getting that item off the top shelves for those of us that just can’t seem to reach… it will mean so much and will be remembered. |
| Recently there's been a lot of negativity towards religion circulating, especially in light of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. Take a moment to consider the other side of the coin. In your opinion, what are some of the advantages/pros of religion? I think religion is getting a pretty bad reputation at the moment. In fact you could easily argue that it has had bad press frequently throughout history; IS, KKK the crusades… there are hundreds of other examples. But these are in fact just groups of people or events that are carried out in the NAME of religion – they are not the religion itself or any part of its makeup. People are very good at manipulating things to suit their own needs and IS and the attacks in Paris are only an example of that. A twisted take on something that at its core is peaceful. I often get annoyed that the media even associate these events with religion, and think the stamp should be that these tragic events are incidences of mass murder. I’d take the whole “terrorist attack” out of the equation, since they seem to now use that as a badge as honour. Those individual chose to carry out a massacre on innocent people – they are murderers nothing more, and nothing less. Why does it matter if a victim is black, white, male female, old, young, Christian or Muslim? The answer – it doesn’t. So why do these things matter in regards to the perpetrators. They shouldn’t. Allowing religion to be associate with these horrible events only allows for warped excuses – which in turn allows for stupid comments from people who are fearful of what could happen next. We need to stop blaming the religion and start blaming the people and only the people. As a society I think we put too much emphasis on religion. It’s a personal belief. I choice you make as an individual. It has no say in law – or at least shouldn’t. It is not the Muslim community’s responsibility to voice their distaste against these violent people – it’s society as a whole. We should be standing shoulder to shoulder not blindly pointing blame. I am not a religious person. I don’t believe in a higher being that’s responsible for everything. I don’t judge people that do. In fact I appreciate others beliefs. I remember visiting the Vatican with my husband when we went to Rome for our anniversary a few years ago. Part of the tour/experience was the Sistine Chapel, which to me is just a lovely room with a gorgeous and extremely detailed ceiling I could stare and marvel at. No one is allowed to take pictures and there is no talking – they are very serious about it; there are even guards!! It’s the place the Pope goes to worship so I understand the gravity of it. While we were there I saw a girl/woman, probably in her early twenty. She had walked into the room just before us and was standing staring at the altar. You could see the emotion on her face and the tears in her eyes. It was an important, religious experience for her and that, in my eyes, made it beautiful. To have that belief and to feel it so strongly is wonderful. While I don’t believe in God, Allah or Shiva, or any of the other Gods that can be found in the variety of religions across the world, I do believe that I’m a small cog in a big machine and I believe very much in something bigger than just myself. I believe in being decent; in not hurting others; in offering help and love without expecting something in return. And these, I believe, are just some of the corner stones that can be found in most, if not all religion. |
| How many of your childhood family traditions have you/will you pass on to your own children? Have you or your children created any new traditions? I didn’t realise how important or how many Christmas traditions I had or wanted to introduce until I got married. Before then it never really occurred to me. But the minute we got married I started to think about the type of memories I wanted to create with my husband and our little ones when they came along and Christmases are a BIG memory. My whole family love Christmas and that feeling of joy and celebration is definitely something I want to pass on. I hear so many people say that they hate Christmas, or they think it’s a waste of time, which I think is sad. It’s never because of religious or politic reason; or very rarely, most of the time it’s because of what they experience growing up. It makes me very grateful for my childhood and the effort my mother made this time of year. My mum use to decorate the tree and walls with things we made in school. My Christmas fairy stayed at the top of the tree for years. We all use to help to put the tree up and put the baubles on – a few candy canes may have gone AWOL in the process. My husband and I start to get a few “nice” / “special” decorations each year to build our own collection year on year. And we’ve decided to let the little one pick a tree bauble out each Christmas to. I think it will make for an interesting haul in a couple of years. Santa was, of course, a large party of our family traditions growing up. I had to go to bed early or he wouldn’t come and deliver the presents. I’m quite a bit younger than both of my siblings but they kept the magic alive for me for as long as possible – even making an elaborate story of how they’d seen his sleigh pulling away. It’s definitively something we’ll be introducing to our children. I don’t remember writing letters to Santa, but I do remember my mum taking me to see him. I was always so excited and never questioned why he looked different each year. I think things have changed these days, the post office now get involved and there are even places that will respond to your little one’s letters. I mean you can even track Santa these days via NASA. I want start a tradition of writing letters. I envisage, early in December, sitting around the dining round table scribbling our lists and letters – decorating them glitter and tinsel. It’s a great family activity and a great way of finding out what people want – I can send it one to my parents then!! My mum’s house was always filled with Christmas smells – homemade mince pies – yummy – And that’s something I have taken on. Each year I make at least one batch, but there are also shortbread cookies. I want to try my hand at a gingerbread house, and this year we have a mould for a reindeer sleigh and a recipe for cranberry and pistachio biscotti. Growing up I remember our stocking were laid at the bottom of our beds and we’d wake up the next morning with them full. We were allowed to open the stocking, but nothing else until after breakfast, and breakfast was an event. Not as much as the dinner later the day, but an event, in its own right, none the less. I’d often press my face up against the glass door that led into the living room to see all the presents. Once breakfast was finished and cleared away – and the table set of dinner – we were all allowed to enter the living room. It was always so exciting. We’d take turned in opening presents so we all got to see what each other got; it also helped slow down the experience. My mum made a point of making sure we knew who gave us what, so we could thank them later – again something I want to pass on. Dinner was always a three course feast and we always over stuffed ourselves; prawn cocktails or melon to start; turkey and beef with pigs in blanket, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, and sprouts; and for dessert mince pies or Christmas pudding with brandy cream. There was also tonnes left over and it served as cold cuts for later on in the evening and Boxing Day. And as we got older we all started to play board games in the evening – until a family squabble broke out over who was cheating….. I really feel that the traditions my mum created for us growing up MADE our Christmas special. They made it memorable and enjoyable and instilled the spirit of Christmas. It was always more than just about the presents. It was about family.  |
| Tell us about a Christmas or holiday memory from your past. One of my favourite Christmas memories is of our (me and parents) first Christmas in Saudi. It was a strange one. In the June my mum and I had moved out there to live with my dad; he worked over there and was only able to come back to the UK twice a year. My older sister had started her own family and my brother was in the army, so my mum thought it was the perfect time to join my dad. Unfortunately the unrest in the region – the first gulf war – meant we were evacuated back to the UK in the September time, but for some reason we were allowed to go back out there for a week at Christmas – bizarre. We didn’t have any Christmas decorations and couldn’t just go to the shops to buy them as it’s a very religious – Muslim – country. There was no festive wrapping paper, no depictions of Santa Claus, and certainly no chance of snow. We didn’t even have a Christmas tree. It was the opposite of every Christmas I’d ever known in my short 7/8 year life. But, it also turned out to be one of my favourite. While there was no celebration of Christmas as such in Saudi, that didn’t stop the shop keepers stocking up on “seasons greetings” cards – most of which had palm trees, or the back rooms filled with items that could loosely be described as festive – it was like a Black Market Christmas. My mum and me decorated the house as best we could. There was a tree made of cards on the wall, and we got hold of polystyrene baubles and teddy bears, which we covered in glitter and sequins. Orange slices were baked in the oven, and added to cinnamon sticks. We stuck cloves in oranges and criss-crossed them in ribbon. I think we even made pop-corn garlands. It was a truly homemade Christmas. My dad also managed to get a turkey – bless the GI-JOES and their secret ways – to cook on Christmas day, even though we was going to be working until 14:00. We didn’t open any presents until he got home. Although I may have opened my stocking – a brightly coloured sock we bought especially. I have a feeling the presents we just wrapping in plain red and green wrapping paper and drew holly on it; maybe we cut them out and stuck them on. It was weird. But it was great. A make do Christmas that turned out to be one of my favourite memories growing up.   |
| When many people are celebrating Christmas this year, what will you be doing? We celebrate Christmas ever year and we love it!! It’s probably my favourite time of the year if I’m honest, as well as the most expensive, which is funny as I don’t spend a lot of people and don’t drink so parties and evenings out are few and far between. There are so many traditions that me and my husband are taking from our childhoods and “borrowing” from friends as we make our start on creating our own Christmas traditions. It’s exciting. It started in early December with putting up the Christmas tree and sending out Christmas cards. Lighting the advert candle each night and treating ourselves with the chocolate variety to – even got one for the dog – canine friendly of course, each evening. Of course then came the present buying – supplemented with festive hot chocolate and lattes to keep us going while we wandered through the Christmas markets and stalls, as well as the usual shopping malls and bouquets. And now that we are in the final week there will be lots of baking and prepping for the day itself. This year we are spending it with my family; my mum and dad, my sister and brother-in-law, my brother, and my nieces and nephew. We’ll have Christmas Eve to ourselves – just me, my husband and our four-legged fur baby, where we’ll swap “twas the night before Christmas” gifts of PJs, before settling in for hot chocolate, panettone and a festive film – And cuddles – of course. Then on Christmas morning we’ll have a yummy breakfast of pancakes or waffle or eggs benedict before opening our presents to each other. It’s our last Christmas just the two of us – well three if you count the puppy, which we do – as next year there will be a little one running around, so we want to enjoy it. We’ll head to my parents around lunch time, with the car laden with gifts. The roads will be quiet because everyone will be busy opening their present or preparing Christmas lunch. And we’ll be singing Christmas songs – probably badly and definitely not in tune – to keep us entertain all the way there. My mum will be flapping and stressing (she is completely incapable of not flapping) over the turkey and beef joints, my dad will be winding her up, while the rest of us dress the table and generally try and avoid the mayhem. It will be a three course dinner and I will stuffed very early on. After dinner and before I slip into a carb-coma we’ll open the rest of the presents. Before we head home, we may be taking a niece or nephew with us…., we’re going to do flying visits to my aunties and uncles so they can see the ever growing bump. Then we’ll head back up the motorway to an evening of board games and films – and probably an early night. After all the next day is the start of the sales and we have a pram to buy!!!   |
| If you had a choice between only celebrating one holiday a year (your choice) or birthdays, which would you choose? I love the holidays; Christmas, Easter, and Halloween etc.… and I love hearing and seeing celebrations like Diwali, but I’m not a religious person so, for me personally, I don’t feel the weight and importance that I assume others would. I actually enjoy seeing the joy these events bring to people who have strong beliefs – it’s a very powerful image; one I fully appreciate. All that being said I have to say I wouldn’t swap them for birthdays. The holidays are great. I love the idea of families and communities coming together and the atmosphere and anticipation that’s created, but celebrating one day for a special someone, to tell and show them how important they are, and how glad I am they are in my life trumps all other celebrations. I think it’s more personal and more meaningful. Although, I also believe that all celebrations/holidays seem to be balancing on the knife’s edge of commercialism at the moment – sad but true. Birthdays are spread throughout the year and because they are linked to individuals rather than events there are more of them, which mean more chances to celebrate with the people I love. The parties and celebrations are unique to the individual; a party for an 18 year old is different to one for a 5 year old; both are joyous and fun, but probably for very different reasons. Next year my husband and I will be celebrating the birth of our first child and I can honestly say I can’t wait to organise the raft of birthday parties that will follow in the coming years; teddy bear picnics, pool parties, and sleep overs; cartoon character cakes to one shaped like bottles of champagne; dinners out, BBQs to family buffets… the list is true endless and only limited by our imaginations. You don’t get that with holidays.     |
     This week has been a busy week with work, well at least that's what it's felt like. Either way I'm glad it's Friday. It's also the start of the last weekend before . It's time to relax and enjoy the final lead up to the big day. The  have been bought, and just need to be wrapped. The cards have be written and long since posted. And there is a mound of baking that is calling out to be done - my  cutters are feeling neglected.We have the final shop to do too, but that won't happen until Wednesday/Thursday next week. I think it will be an early start of Eve.Today is the pubs version of Black Friday - Booze Friday. Apparently people will drink more tonight than any other night of the year - even New Years. The pubs are gearing up for mayhem, as are the emergency services. I will of course be at home with a hot chocolate, cuddling into my favourite Akita, and Guy will be hard at work until 22:30 - I doubt I will be awake when he gets home. I can't think of anything worse than getting drunk at . These days it takes me far too long to fully recover that I'd probably be still feeling awful on Day. But that didn't stop me from making favoured vodka for everyone at work as a present. I made a  and a Buttered Candy Vodka. I have no idea if they taste ok as I couldn't take them. The buttered candy one smelt VERY strong though. So far they have gone down very well - although obviously no one has actually tasted them yet.It's surprising easy to make - just vodka and your choose flavouring. I'd started work on them on the weekend by filling two large mason jars with three litres of vodka (it's best to use a good brand of vodka otherwise it will be harsh on the throat), and then add crushed candy canes to one jar and crushed buttered candy to the other. Let them do their thing for 4/5 days, stirring once a day to ensure all the sugars dissolve and there you have it flavoured vodka. Obviously when the time comes to decant into small, portioned size jars/bottles, you need to use a muslin cloth to ensure there are no littler bits left over, and you must sterilise each jar as well, but other than that it's plain sailing. It only took me about an hour to prep and about an hour to distil. I then had the fun of decorating with ribbon and present tags. The end results were quite good - if I don't say so myself. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I like the idea of home-made . I find I'm drawn to it more and more each year. Home-made jams and pickles. Jars of hot chocolate mix, or cookie ingredients. One of the girls at work was going to make soap - which I thought was a lovely idea. I think it's much more personal. It's not just the idea or thought, but also the time and effort that they spent that makes it so special.I think more people should give it a go. It also takes away some of the commercialism that seem to plague this time of year so often. It's not cheap, which is a common misgiving, unless you are making huge batches or have left over ingredients and jars. And the results will differ depending on your experience and skill level - hell even your mood or stress levels will effect each one. But again that's what is so nice about this idea - at least that's what I think. |
 Sometimes things happen that put everything into perspective. They make you re-evaluate what's important. That happened this morning for me and Guy. Guy went into work as normal at 05:00. I'd gotten up to drive him in so he didn't have to walk or get a lift. It's a pretty usual occurrence these days, and while I'd rather be snuggled up warm in bed for another couple of hours I don't mind dropping Guy off. At least I know he's safe then. Don't get me wrong I do grumble about it sometimes - it's 05:00 in the morning after all - but it's a small price to pay. At about 07:30 I got a text from Guy. I very blunt, matter of fact text. One of his friends/colleagues/manager, call him whatever you want, lost his wife last night in a car crash just before 21:00. We don't know what happened or what caused it. All we know is there was a three vehicle crash (a lorry and two cars), and that, unfortunately, his wife died at the scene; she was the only fatality. I've seen some of the pictures of the scene. The two cars look horrific. I'm surprised the other three people; the lorry driver, and the driver and passenger in the other car escaped with only minor injuries - they were very lucky. As for the lady that died, I didn't know her, or even her name. I don't know her husband - only what Guy's told me in his rants about work - or her family, but I do know she was only 49 years old and leaves behind people that love her very much, and that's all I really need to know. It's all that really matters. She loved them; them love her and now she's gone. Losing someone is always difficult, regardless of whether it was expect or not, but car crashes always seem more brutal some how. Bring in the time of year - which for some reason makes it resonate even further - and it's utterly heart-breaking. There won't be a Christmas for her family, at least not the one they planned; the presents will be left unwrapped; the dinner not cooked, and it will forever be tainted by this dreadful accident. This news was like a reality check for me really. A suddenly awakening. It makes you want to hug your loved ones a little close and tell them you love them one more time. The stresses of this time of year pale in importance. I don't care that Guy spent way too much on presents and completely blew the budget. I don't care that I have to travel for three hours to see my family on Christmas Day. I just care that I have them in my life and I get the share my life with them. Year this I am truly grateful for that. |
 This weekend saw the last of the being bought for both Guy and I - thank goodness. Our next step is to wrap them. are always a tricky thing. I always struggle a little bit with deciding what to get people, and how much to spend on each person. I went into Bath to finish off the last few outstanding items. I had my list so roughly knew what I wanted to get for Guy, and where I needed to go. My brother's and nephew's were a little more problematic, but I managed to get it all done. I even managed to pick up some hot chocolate, a tin for my cookie cutters, a new address book, and some baby toys and books. We're also the proud owners of a pudding cookie jar!!Adding up how much we've spent this year in kind of frightening - so we won't dwell on that for too long. I also bought the ingredients for my colleagues presents on Sunday - /peppermint vodka and butter candy vodka. They are currently sitting in my cupboard waiting for the flavours and colours to leach into the vodka. They both smell yummy. I also got some muslin clothes ready to strain them on Thursday night. Friday is the last day everyone is in the office so I will probably be baking on Thursday at some point as well.I was really good with and started looking for idea very early. I actually got my niece's back in June/July. I went down the scarf and slippers route this year. Each year I find myself leaning towards one type of gift more than others; last year was jumpers. It's funny how that happens. I try my best to stay away from the shower gel/spray selection boxes - actually I just stay out of those shops all together. Although next year I am seriously considering gets a handmade "smelly" set for both of my nieces - I guess will see.I only bought one thing on-line, which surprised me as I usually shop a lot more on the internet. Most of my shopping was done in town, rather than the outlet stores; although three did come from an outlet shop. I'd best be described as a list based shoppers. I create a very specific list of ideas of what I want to get each person in October/November each year. It can help to spread the cost a little as well. Guy is a bit like that, although he tends to go above any budget I give him. I think lists make everything easier. It doesn't have to be a hard and fast with shops etc... although I do like it when that happens. I'm just as happy with a "scarf" entry against my brother's name. It gives me focus. I need focus. Guy and I get each other a main (or a few smallish ones), and a  . I always get a board game to add to our collection as it's something we can do on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. This year its Trivia Pursuit - Family edition. Guy hates question based board games, but seemed to like this when we played it with my friend's children. We also get each other "night before" presents as well; it's just new PJs and possibly slippers/socks usually, along with hot chocolate and snacks. Then we can settle in for an evening of Christmas films on Christmas Eve.Next year I have the dilemma of whether or not to continue getting everyone . I will obviously get my mum and dad something, as will the baby, but I'm not sure if I can justify the money on my sister, brother-in-law, brother, two nieces and my nephew; it all adds up to a lot; especially as we'll be on maternity next year and money will be tight. And we'll have the little one to buy for. I'm not sure if people will expect one from Guy and I, and a separate one from the baby. At some point it all gets a bit too much. We only get token presents for Guy family - mostly because Guy is useless and doesn't organise anything until it's too late. Because they're in Australia we have to be careful what we send - can't get anything too heavy for example, or made of wood, unless it's treated. I did get them cards and two little tree decorations (British red phone boxes), but other than that... nothing. I always feel a little mean, but I do think it's Guy's responsibility. Next year will be Bump's first Christmas. We saw so many things we could get next year. They'll be 9 months old and will probably be walking, or starting to, so it should be a lot of fun. We've discussed how much we're going to spend, although whether we'll stick to it is another story. I can't wait!! Christmas is definitely about the Children, so it will take on a whole new lease of life from now on. Santa will of course be taking centre stage over the next few years to. |
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