Note to self...

Sometime this blog is great way simply to remind myself to do things -I think pinterest might be something similar but my techno-interests don't spread that far...anyways Petworth has always been a divine part of the South but I have just found out that this beauty also resides there: The Old Railway Station hotel

http://www.unusualhotelsoftheworld.com/TheOldRailwayStation

 

I must stay here! xxxx

47. Make chutney

Its a rainy autumnal evening and I've made a spiced fruit chutney (Along with some banana chocolate muffins).

XXX

I enjoyed reading these words of advice, and feel there are some useful tips in here for us all:

My posthumous advice for my daughter

Written by Caitlin Moran

Published at 12:11PM, July 13 2013 in The Times

 

My daughter is about to turn 13 and I’ve been smoking a lot recently, and so – in the wee small hours, when my lungs feel like there’s a small mouse inside them, scratching to get out – I’ve thought about writing her one of those “Now I’m Dead, Here’s My Letter Of Advice For You To Consult As You Continue Your Now Motherless Life” letters. Here’s the first draft. Might tweak it a bit later. When I’ve had another fag.

 

“Dear Lizzie. Hello, it’s Mummy. I’m dead. Sorry about that. I hope the funeral was good – did Daddy play Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen when my coffin went into the cremator? I hope everyone sang along and did air guitar, as I stipulated. And wore the stick-on Freddie Mercury moustaches, as I ordered in the ‘My Funeral Plan’ document that’s been pinned on the fridge since 2008, when I had that extremely self-pitying cold.

 

Look – here are a couple of things I’ve learnt on the way that you might find useful in the coming years. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s a good start. Also, I’ve left you loads of life-insurance money – so go hog wild on eBay on those second-hand vintage dresses you like. You have always looked beautiful in them. You have always looked beautiful.

 

The main thing is just to try to be nice. You already are – so lovely I burst, darling – and so I want you to hang on to that and never let it go. Keep slowly turning it up, like a dimmer switch, whenever you can. Just resolve to shine, constantly and steadily, like a warm lamp in the corner, and people will want to move towards you in order to feel happy, and to read things more clearly. You will be bright and constant in a world of dark and flux, and this will save you the anxiety of other, ultimately less satisfying things like ‘being cool’, ‘being more successful than everyone else’ and ‘being very thin’.

 

Second, always remember that, nine times out of ten, you probably aren’t having a full-on nervous breakdown – you just need a cup of tea and a biscuit. You’d be amazed how easily and repeatedly you can confuse the two. Get a big biscuit tin.

 

Three – always pick up worms off the pavement and put them on the grass. They’re having a bad day, and they’re good for… the earth or something (ask Daddy more about this; am a bit sketchy).

 

Four: choose your friends because you feel most like yourself around them, because the jokes are easy and you feel like you’re in your best outfit when you’re with them, even though you’re just in a T-shirt. Never love someone whom you think you need to mend – or who makes you feel like you should be mended. There are boys out there who look for shining girls; they will stand next to you and say quiet things in your ear that only you can hear and that will slowly drain the joy out of your heart. The books about vampires are true, baby. Drive a stake through their hearts and run away.

 

Stay at peace with your body. While it’s healthy, never think of it as a problem or a failure. Pat your legs occasionally and thank them for being able to run. Put your hands on your belly and enjoy how soft and warm you are – marvel over the world turning over within, the brilliant meat clockwork, as I did when you were inside me and I dreamt of you every night.

 

Whenever you can’t think of something to say in a conversation, ask people questions instead. Even if you’re next to a man who collects pre-Seventies screws and bolts, you will probably never have another opportunity to find out so much about pre-Seventies screws and bolts, and you never know when it will be useful.

 

This segues into the next tip: life divides into AMAZING ENJOYABLE TIMES and APPALLING EXPERIENCES THAT WILL MAKE FUTURE AMAZING ANECDOTES. However awful, you can get through any experience if you imagine yourself, in the future, telling your friends about it as they scream, with increasing disbelief, ‘NO! NO!’ Even when Jesus was on the cross, I bet He was thinking, ‘When I rise in three days, the disciples aren’t going to believe this when I tell them about it.’

 

Babyiest, see as many sunrises and sunsets as you can. Run across roads to smell fat roses. Always believe you can change the world – even if it’s only a tiny bit, because every tiny bit needed someone who changed it. Think of yourself as a silver rocket – use loud music as your fuel; books like maps and co-ordinates for how to get there. Host extravagantly, love constantly, dance in comfortable shoes, talk to Daddy and Nancy about me every day and never, ever start smoking. It’s like buying a fun baby dragon that will grow and eventually burn down your f***ing house.

 

Love, Mummy."

 

 

A New Goal

Darlings,

I'm fresh off the plane from Chicago and had a glorious time exploring a new city (photos to follow), and trying out a few stateside yoga classes with Core Power Yoga and Trump hotels' Sunrise Yoga, and fresh from the feeling of opportunity and reinvention that holidays can bring on, I present you with a new goal:

53. Do a teacher training course via the Yoga alliance and teach Yoga

I've often pondered the possibility of packing in the office job and teaching yoga, and whilst I still would like to focus on getting a Job working with animals - I think that in the future I would like to train so that I could teach yoga part/ or full time. Courses are usually a 200hr programme and cost around £2,000

Its also one of those jobs like hairdressing and nursing that is universal and in theory I could go anywhere to teach yoga -tho of course USA would be where I would most like to go to teach!

So there is today's new goal, and I feel confident that whilst it may not be right for me right now - it will be a great challenge I can take on one day.

XXX

30

This little video is interesting: '30 is NOT the new 20' - I can't say I've ever said or thought this anyway. I am under no illusions that my 30's will be very different in my goals and life than my 20's but I do appreciate that many things people used to do in their 20's: buy their first home, get married, have babies is often happening in the 30 years now.

But the points here being made are not to waste your 20's, and the importnace of these three things:

1) Get identity capital - add something to who you are, make your work count
2) Urban tribe is overrated - expand your circle, use your ties
3) Start picking your family - As in, intentional picking your mate - who and what you want

I'm not sure how much a agree with, but take a look if you have 10 minutes to spare, its interesting viewing.

XX

Monday Monotony

As I have just text a friend of mine to say -it is entirely too easy to be a dosser in my office - I'm here on my own (the other 2 inhabitants are both part timers) often and this can be very nice for playing classic fm and writing blogs, researching Internet fluff and booking holidays;

but with an incredibly fuzzy job role such as mine I can pretty much get a way with doing VERY little work some days. Today is one such day. So far I have booked a pedicure (not usually my thing but I got  cheap deal on groupon) and found an exciting new jerk shrimp recipe I want to try. (I tested out jerk chicken this weekend for some friends and it was a delicious success.) I've looked on all the job search websites I can find and have found no exciting jobs to apply for.

I've also had a good trawl through that fabulous Messy Nessy Chic Blog as it is full of beautiful and interesting distractions. She has a fun regular post of interesting things she has found on the Internet
e.g which offer fabulous little snippets of interest.

I had a go myself, on a smaller scale, its harder than it looks, after all the Internet is awash with information, so seeking and finding interesting little snippets took longer than I thought, I started off by googling 'Art Deco', and tried to find tales of some varied things!

5 thing I found on the Internet today

1.  A beautifully restored art-deco garage in West Sussex 

Full article in Mail Online

2. A Selection of Beautiful and sad abandoned mansions

Full article on Travel Oven

3. A very pretty Gibson Girl Tattoo - that I'm not sure I actually like - if the artwork and subject are beautiful does that make a beautiful tattoo? I'm not so sure...

Found on Sailor Andy 's  Blog

Some more info on the ideal of the 'Gibson Girl' on Wikipedia

4. This village in Giethoorn, Netherlands has no roads. You take a boat to go to travel anywhere

From the very engrossing facebook page Places to see before you die

5. 5 Social skills everyone should have, according to Boston.com's Miss Conduct. Found here
I'm not sure these 5 are really THE definitive 5 most important, and quite culturally specific as I'm pretty sure most English people could cook a 1 pot meal - whereas stateside it is rarer.

My 5 would definitely include being able to ask someone to get out of the way politely, being able to make small talk with a stranger for at least 5 minutes, and the ability to tell a waiter/hairdresser/designer your not happy with their service -a very tricky one! oh and of course my top social peeve - not checking/playing with your phone during a conversation with someone!

1. Giving and receiving compliments gracefully.
2. Writing a thank-you note.
3. Writing a clear and courteous business letter or e-mail.
4. Admitting when you don't know something and taking appropriate action.
5. Making a tasty one-pot meal (e.g., chili or a nice chicken soup).

here are some extra pearls for those keen to be a proper lady!

 

XXX

Summer Suppin'

A summer tea party at my flat

XXX