So I did it again! Months have gone by with no updates. Sorry!

I'm not sure what I want to do with this blog now. Do I keep it as a general, this is my life type blog? Or do I turn it into a record of the objects I work on at university?

Since my last post I've had a busy time. I finished my first year at uni with really good marks. I know they don't count towards the overall degree classification but I'm really proud of myself and am using the feedback I got to aim for the best marks I can overall (first class with honours of course!).

After Christmas we were let loose on real objects which was really exciting (although I'm quite sure the iron chisel I spent hours removing the corrosion from is now back in it's owners shed gaining another layer for future students to remove).

I did get to work on what looks like a rather boring and pretty crap object....

Yes, I know what you're thinking! It's a bit of burnt wood! So what??

Ok, it's actually quite an important piece of burnt wood. It was salvaged from the fire at the Glasgow School of Art a few years ago and was used in the research into the materials and finishes used by one of the companies involved in the huge restoration project that is currently ongoing.

My brief was simply to consolidate the wood so that the pieces didn't fall off and so it could be handled without the black residue transferring onto hands or other surfaces.  It was a simple job but I was really chuffed that I had been trusted with it. I really enjoyed doing it and am really grateful to the lovely guys from Crick Smith conservation for all their help and advice and their generosity with their time and objects.

I had almost five months off over the summer which was lovely but I was desperate to get back to Lincoln by the end of it.

We went to see New Order again, in Manchester, again and also got to see the fantastic New Order exhibition at the Manchester Art Gallery while we were there. It goes without saying the band were amazing as usual and it was really good to see them perform their older stuff. They had a synthesiser orchestra from the Royal College of Music and later discovered one of the musicians is the niece of a lad I went to school with. Going to see NO seems to be an annual event now doesn't it??!!

We also rediscovered a mutual love of camping and had several camping trips which was fab. We risked a family camping trip that was a huge success and we're already looking forward to going again next year when the weather warms up again. We managed to miss the big camping show this year but we will be going next year. Coincidentally we're going to be in Birmingham that weekend anyway for a concert but my poor old 17 year old isn't impressed that she's going to spend the day looking at boring tents before she gets to see Imagine Dragons in the evening.

I've been back at uni for three weeks now and already I can see that second year is going to be far more intense and harder work than first year. Already we've been given three objects to work on between now and Christmas and the last couple of weeks have been spent researching the objects and the best way to treat them. I've written my treatment reports ready to hand in this week and hopefully they will be signed off and I can get to work straight away.

I still can't quite believe I'm actually at university achieving my dreams. I love it, even the two hour lectures on things like dust (ok, I will admit, a two hour lecture on stone did almost finish me off) and the only time I missed was when I was really too ill to go in. Anyone who knows me will confirm that I love sleep and being in bed and that I really do not do mornings. So something that gets me out of bed at 6am even on cold, wet, miserable, dark winter mornings when my lovely cosy warm bed is begging me to stay has got to be pretty damn amazing!!

February Update

After my last post things got busy. Very busy!!

In September I started my degree in Conservation of Cultural Heritage at the University of Lincoln and the time has flown by, I can't believe I'm already halfway through my second semester!!

I absolutely love it. I knew I was going to but I didn't realise just how much. It's really interesting and lots of fun - in one class we had to package up an egg stuck to a stone and test the packaging by knocking it off the table, kicking it down the stairs and best of all, dropping it off the roof. So far that class is the best one yet, closely followed by the lecture in which we were shown a New Order video to demonstrate post-modernism.

Because the majority of the course is practical - working on objects and doing scientific testing - I'm travelling to Lincoln four days a week which has been a great opportunity to listen to podcasts on the long drive. We get to do all kinds of different stuff and it's great getting to find out what we like doing and what we don't. So far I've loved gilding but I have discovered I have a huge interest in medieval stained glass so that may be the route I eventually go down.

Our lecturers are experts in their fields so are very knowledgeable and have worked in some amazing places previously like the British Museum, the V&A and top museums around Europe. The lecturer that played the New Order video is an expert on medieval stained glass and has written books on it which I'll have to get out of the library. He co-wrote them with one of the country's leading experts on the subject who just happens to work at Lincoln cathedral and gave us a tour of the glazing department which is where I had my "this is what I want to do" moment.

Funnily enough, Carenza Lewis from Time Team now lectures in history at the university. It was while watching Time Team that I had my first "this is what I want to do" moment when I realised I wanted to be a conservator 8 years ago. I always smile to myself whenever I see her around the campus.

Apart from uni not a lot else has happened. Millie and I went to see Bastille in November almost a year to the day that we saw Imagine Dragons at the same venue. It was a fantastic show and despite being seriously delayed getting there we still managed to end up right at the front and just by the spot the lead singer kept standing. I'm ashamed to say I shouted and sang so much that I lost my voice for several days afterwards. There was definitely a Muse influence in the show, you could tell they had toured with Muse in the past.

So that's pretty much it for now.

Ok, so the prolific posting calmed down a bit and it’s been a month since I last posted anything.  The desk make-over was completed, I just need to write the post and upload the photos, but I’m really pleased with it.

Last year I fulfilled my ambition to finally see New Order play live and that was very quickly replaced with wanting to see them play live in Manchester, my home town where I first started listening to them and of course where they originate from – well, kind of, I know I’m going to annoy any Salfordians reading now, but Manchester and Salford, they’re the same thing really….. (if it’s any consolation my mum is from Salford. No? Ok, I’m sorry.)

Anyway, last weekend they played at the Castlefield Bowl and I was there, at the front, with my wonderful boyfriend protecting me from the over-enthusiastic crowd. It was amazing and once again I stood right in front of where Bernard tends to stand so I was only feet away from him with just a very bored security guard between us (and a steel barrier which I still have the bruises from getting crushed against a few times). I’ll try and upload some photos this week.

We had a great few days up in Manchester revisiting all my old favourite places and discovering some new ones. Afflecks Palace is still there and still thriving. I’m sure the third floor wasn’t open in my day but there’s a great café up there that we visited a few times for cheap but great food and coffee. Sadly the stall where I used to get my New Order 12”s from is no longer there, but there are several vinyl stalls which the boyfriend spent ages browsing and treated himself to some new stuff. I could easily have spent a small fortune in there but was very good and didn’t buy anything, saving my money for NO merchandise at the concert.

In other news, I got my official college results and have had my place at uni confirmed. I’m really excited about September now, not only for myself but also for my daughter who is starting at uni too.

It made me think again about it being a new start and should I choose a new surname to go with the new me but I decided I couldn’t be bothered with the hassle. I do like my surname, I should do as I chose it, so I think I’ll stick with it. I think I might have mentioned before I had a few people ask me when I got divorced if I’d change my name but like I say, I chose my current surname and I don’t know what I’d change it to now anyway. I didn’t like my maiden name and my married name was just awful – awful name, awful family!! Talking of divorce, I can’t believe it’s only 6 months ago it happened, I suppose the fact we split up over 6 years ago makes me think it was longer than that, and I think it would have happened a lot quicker if it hadn’t been for the fact my ex really didn’t want to marry his new girlfriend but couldn’t put it off any longer.

I’m sure they think I’ll be jealous or something when they get married but actually I’ll be really pleased for them, they’ll both be stuck with each other and both too pig-headed to split up so they’ll be miserable together. Anyway, I digress somewhat.

So, already July has been a fab month – I graduated from college, got my place confirmed, went to Manchester and saw New Order and then this weekend it was my boyfriend’s brother’s 40^th. We were hoping to see him but he’s been in the studio recording another album so celebrating will have to wait until over the summer. The children finish school for the summer holidays on Thursday and I can’t wait for them to be at home with no school run to do until September. We’ve got a few plans for things to do so I’m really looking forward to spending time with them and no doubt hunting for Pokemon wherever we go.

It may have come to your attention that all of a sudden I am becoming slightly more prolific with my posts than I have been previously. The reason for this is that I am suddenly at a loose end and need something to do to fill my spare time other than housework - when my children are at home I spend my time with them.

I finished my college course last week and it wasn't until the day after I handed my last couple of assignments in and got everything signed off that I realised just how intense it has been since September. In that time I have written 42 assignments which looking back I can't quite believe. And I've achieved the equivalent of As and Bs at A-level which isn't bad for a girl who left school 25 years ago with just one grade C at GCSE (maths in case you're wondering).

If you're reading this and are considering doing an Access course then I would say go for it. I've loved it, yes it's been hard at times, especially when I've ended up falling behind - I was really ill for a few weeks and couldn't do any work and then just as I caught up from that one of my friends was involved in a car accident and I was visiting her in hospital most days which meant I fell behind again but got myself caught up.

One of my tutors told us we would get bored very quickly once the course was over and I didn't believe her. I've got far too much to do to be getting bored....  Yep, she was right! I'm even going in next week to talk to the potential new students for this September which I'm quite looking forward to.

I'm quite sad to have left, I loved the history classes and the random discussions with the tutor (the one who said I'd get bored) about all sorts of strange things and we had a really good laugh as we both have the same sense of humour (which is a good job really as I finished one of my presentations off with a very bizarre and amazingly well photoshopped picture of a topless Hitler which she thought was hilarious).

I'm also going to miss the friends I've made as a lot of them are going off to various different universities around the country, but a few are going to Lincoln, albeit on different courses, so hopefully I will get to catch up with them occasionally.

My favourite little pens

The title is slightly misleading as I have a few favourite pens but at the moment I am seriously loving these Inkjoy mini pens from PaperMate. I love them so much I have bought several packs of them, partly because I don't want to run out of them and partly because my children have taken a shine to them too (and yes, I have bought some of them their very own too).

I bought my first pack of them because I thought they were cute but it wasn't until a study skills class at college that I really started using them. The class was on note-taking and one of the tips was to use different coloured pens. Now it sounds like a really obvious thing to do but I hadn't thought of it and once I tried it I haven't gone back to using a black pen. I find having my notes in different colours makes finding the info I'm looking for so much easier than trawling through pages of black writing.

Now, I know this sounds weird but although these pens also come in regular size I don't think they're the same and I will only buy the mini ones. They're really handy to have around and I love using them. They're smooth to write with which is yet another bonus. My only complaint is I used one of the black ones for an exam and after all that writing it went a bit 'blobby' and made a mess everywhere.

You can get them on Amazon cheaper than in the shops although they do tend to be an add-on item but that just gives you an excuse to order other stuff. My local WHSmiths had a load in their bargain bin the other week and the only reason I can see is because it was different packaging to the ones they had at full price in the pen section (yeah, I took advantage of the half price offer....)

Anyone who knows me knows that I have an immense love of stationery. Even as a child my favourite time of year was at the end of August when it was time to go and buy new pens, pencils and pencil cases in time for going back to school. Even now, many, many years later I love that time of year when all the shops have got their stationery ready for that first Tuesday in September.

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology and the internet the options have widened beyond the limited range in WHSmiths or Woolworths and I am discovering that the world of stationery is huuuuuuuge!!! I recently discovered a website called Typo thanks to a blogger who is also crazy about stationery and I had to place an order.

First of all, who are they? They're an Australian gift, stationery and lifestyle brand that have become available over here in the UK. If you like quirky fun stuff then you'll love them (and if you don't, and you prefer boring stuff then you'll probably find them far too frivolous for your liking!!!)

Now, admittedly it wasn’t a big order that I placed, I still have several things saved on my wishlist, but I couldn’t afford to buy everything I wanted in one go. I also just wanted to test out the quality of their stuff first too (and having received it I am disappointed that I didn’t buy everything I wanted lol).

I wish I had taken a photo of the box the order arrived in, it was brilliant, and everything was well packaged inside.

I got the A2 mat for my ‘new’ desk (another post for another day), a lovely rose gold pen holder and a box of fab map pens (maps are another big love of mine, so maps and stationery in one are even more exciting than either on their own!!!)

So, would I recommend Typo? Hell yeah!! When you sign up for their newsletter you get a 20% discount code as well which is fab. I will definitely be back there for more goodies sometime in the future.

Muse - April 9 2016

As my eldest son, R, is a huge fan of Muse and they announced a new tour just before his birthday it seemed like a great idea to get him tickets as his birthday present (fortunately he agreed this was a great idea). My partner is also a Muse fan and has wanted to see them live since 2003 so he too was very excited about going. Now, I have to admit to not being a huge fan, in fact not really a fan at all. I thought their music was ok, although I absolutely love Psycho and find myself singing one particular line in my head when dealing with particular people. One of these days I’m going to end up singing it out loud though, lol. Anyway, I went along for the ride especially as it was in Manchester.

After a day wandering round my home town and introducing R to the delights of some of my old haunts we joined the crowds heading to the Manchester Arena and found our seats. By the time we’d booked the tickets back in September there weren’t a lot left so we were right up at the top in tier two which for me and R wasn’t exactly fun as we looked down from a great height, at least until the seats in front of us filled up and we felt a bit more secure that if we were to somehow fall we would be caught by the people in front (that was until it was pointed out there would be a domino effect..)

It’s been two weeks since the concert and I’ve been trying to think of a way of describing it other than AMAZING!!!!!! But I can’t. It was just amazing. And I wasn’t even a fan until about 30 seconds into the first song. Then they played Psycho second and that was it. You know it’s a good show when it’s finished and you think “oh, is that it??” and then look at your watch and discover that actually 2 hours have just flown past in an amazing, breathtaking blur! Now, I love New Order more than any other band on this planet and their show last year was amazing but, sorry guys, it was nothing on Muse. I still love you, but Muse were just even more AMAZING!!! (Am I getting across that I like it at all??)

I would love to talk you through it song by song but as I say it passed in a blur so I will just show you some of the photos we took. I must apologise for the fact they are not great quality as they were taken on my phone.

This guy, and another one, spent the whole show on the rig waaaaaaaayyyyyy up above the stage.

This gives an idea of how high up we were

Throughout the show these globes came out from above the stage and floated around above the audience and then went back onto the rigging again, they also changed colour.

At intervals throughout the show screens dropped down from the rigging that had images projected onto them. During 'The Handler' holographic hands appeared above the band with strings coming down from them so the band were puppets being controlled by these huge hands in the sky. It looked amazing (have I used this word too much yet???)

At one point during the show huge balloons were released into the audience. The idea, I think, was for the audience to knock them around and eventually burst them, releasing confetti onto those below. One ended up on the stage which the bass player popped with his bass and then of course the rest of them ended up on the stage so he chased them around bursting them to huge cheers and much applause from the audience. That was definitely the funniest part of the show.

Above are some of the images projected onto the screens.

The only thing that could have made this show any more amazing would be them flying a plane round the auditorium above the audience.

Oh........

Yep, they even flew a plane (ok, maybe it was a blimp thing, but who cares??) around above the audience. How amazing is that???????

Next time they tour I'm getting tickets for two shows because I really regret only seeing them once. And yes, I am now a huge fan of Muse.

But, just to show that I still love New Order, here's a quick photo from their show last year....

Yes, we were *that* close!!!

Weekend in Whitby

We have just had a wonderful weekend away in Whitby and now I feel very relaxed and refreshed (after a good night's sleep!!)

A while ago my best friend asked if we fancied going away to Whitby for the weekend with them as they had booked to go for her birthday so we of course said yes. Funnily enough, it turned out that the B&B we booked was only a few doors along from the one they were staying at which was quite handy. As it was Adi's birthday last weekend we decided that gave us yet another excuse to go and then my divorce came through so that meant we could make it a triple celebration!!

We stayed at Launceston Villa which was absolutely lovely and we would highly recommend it. The owners are lovely and the place was spotless, the breakfast was amazing too.

On the drive up we stopped off at the Humber Bridge foreshore for a quick walk and an Abbyo's ice-cream - this is no ordinary ice-cream van!! It is amazing ice-cream and well worth the diversion. I had the hazelnut one and have already decided to try the honeycomb one next time.

After we checked into our B&B we wandered into Whitby and grabbed a coffee then had a mooch around the streets looking at all the little shops and deciding which ones to go into the following day. We found a pub with a lovely view over the harbour to wait in for Mel and Steve and after a couple of drinks went off to find food. After an amazing meal we went onto another pub which had live music playing. I will admit the walk back to the B&B's wasn't quite as pleasant as the walk into the town - living in Lincolnshire for 13 years has ruined my ability to walk up steep hills so I was quite breathless by the time we got back!!

Saturday was spent sightseeing - we did the abbey which may have been more enjoyable had it not been chucking it down with icy rain and a strong wind, but it's a tick on the list of things I'd like to do. There's 199 steps up to the abbey. There is also a road leading up to it with a carpark at the top. Our excuse for going for the easy option was that afterwards we went to Robin Hoods Bay which is lovely, but the steep slope is, well, very steep!! We had another wander around Whitby in the afternoon, had sandwiches in a lovely little cafe with a 1940's blitz theme and bought a few bits and pieces for the children.

Saturday evening was spent relaxing with our friends again - fish and chips (of course!!) then onto another pub that had live music and real ales which we had to sample - it would have been rude not to!!

After a huge breakfast in the B&B on Sunday morning we checked out and headed to York going via the North Yorks moors rather than taking the main routes. It's beautiful up there and has been added to our list of places we want to go camping.

We both love York and really enjoyed our wander round, taking the occasional stop off for a coffee in some of the lovely independent coffee shops around the city.

While we had a fantastic weekend, I have to admit it was lovely to be back in my own bed last night and I had the best night's sleep I've had in months after all that fresh air and exercise. Now I'm home and refreshed I'm ready to crack on with my outstanding assignments for college and to enjoy the rest of the Easter holidays with the children when they come back later today.

Long time no see....

So, it’s been two years since I last updated my blog. Once again I’ve been useless at this blogging lark. Does it make it any better that I have regularly thought about writing posts for the blog, but the longer I’ve left it the harder it’s been to actually get round to it.

If you know me, or you’ve followed my previous blogs, you’ll know things tend to change a lot for me!! My last post was about me having met a lovely guy (G) and being really happy and of course things have moved on somewhat since then!!!

I’m no longer seeing him, we’re still friends as he is a really nice guy, but two years ago I decided I wanted to be single and stay single. I loved having my own space and spending my time how I wanted to and not worrying about anyone else apart from my children. I decided that I would stay single until my children were grown up and then I’d consider another relationship, but until then I’d be happily single. There was no way I would consider having anyone move in with me, as I say, I liked my space far too much and really didn’t want to share it with anyone else apart from the children.

A week or so later I got a message from a friend I’d met at dancing a couple of years earlier but who I hadn’t seen or heard from for over a year. He wondered if I fancied meeting up for lunch and a catch-up…

Well, to cut a long story very short, despite me being adamant that I was staying single and under no circumstances would be allowing any man to move into my house we have now been living together for over a year. Sometimes, no matter what you do or say, if you’re meant to be with someone then you’ll end up together….  And yes, I am happier than I ever could have imagined!!

One of the (very many) things I love about Adi is that right from the very start he has been adamant that the children come first and has always taken a genuine interest in them and wanted to get to know them, accepting that each one of them is an individual and that they all have their own quirks and likes and dislikes. The first time he came round to meet the children they immediately took to him and there was a moment when my youngest asked him if he’d play a game with him. Adi got straight down on the floor and played the game with him and that little voice in my head said, “He’s the one!!”

It’s lovely to see how well all of the children get on with him, he treats them with respect although he also regularly makes them groan with his awful jokes. My eldest especially has developed a good relationship with him and they will have a laugh and a joke, often at my expense, lol.

Apart from all of that excitement there’s been lots of other things going on too.  I’m no longer studying with the Open University, instead I’m currently doing an Access course at my local college and have been offered a place at Lincoln University which I am incredibly excited about. I had signed up to do the Access course way back in 2009 but a wobble in my confidence about my ability to do it and no support from anyone around me meant I gave it up before I even began, but studying with the OU made me realise that I could easily do the Access course if I could cope with the equivalent of second year at uni level study and Adi has been incredibly supportive, to the point of giving up his job and taking a more local one with flexible hours to help me out when I’ve needed it. I know if I’d ever had a moment where I thought I couldn’t do it then he’d have done whatever it took to make sure I didn’t give up.

In other exciting news I am now divorced at last. It’s been six years but I now have that piece of paper that marks my freedom.  Once I’d got over the initial excitement of receiving the final paperwork I did feel a bit like when it’s your birthday and you don’t actually feel any different to how you did the day before but every now and then I have moments when I think, “I’m free! I’m free!” The children all took the news well, as I had expected them to as it’s been so long since I left their dad anyway. They did ask if I was going to change my name now but I like my surname, I chose it for us when we all changed our surname about 10 years ago because my married name was just so horrendously awful. So, the answer is no, I’m not going to change it just for the sake of it.

As exciting as getting divorced was, something even MORE exciting happened last year – I went to see New Order play live for the very first time (for me, not for them!!). I’ve been a fan of theirs since the late 80s when I was growing up in Manchester and I still have very vivid memories of listening to their CDs on my discman on the bus to college of a morning. Yet in all that time I’ve never seen them live. Adi bought me the CD of them playing at Bestival and I told him that next time they do a concert I’m going to see them no matter how much it costs, so you can imagine my excitement when they announced last year that along with their new album (which is fantastic) they were doing a tour and I managed to get the first tickets for their Wolverhampton gig as soon as they came on sale.

The show was amazing, not only were we first in the queue (much to one fan’s disgust as he apparently is always the first in the queue but we’d been there for an hour already when he turned up) but we also got to the front of the stage and just happened to be right where Bernard stood for most of the show. I can’t put into words how fantastic it was to actually see them play live and to be in a crowd of several thousand people all singing along together.

Of course, being human we’re never satisfied, and getting to see them once wasn’t enough, next I decided I have to see them live in Manchester where it all began. No prizes for guessing where we’re off to in July…..!!!!!!

I’ve seen quite a few music and comedy gigs over the past year or so – Josh Widdicombe with my eldest was just brilliant. He is absolutely hilarious live, we will definitely be going to see him again next time he tours. Joe Lycett was really good too although I was really surprised that he was on in such a small venue with only a couple of hundred in the audience. Sarah Millican was good, but not as good as I was expecting her to be from seeing her on TV.

We took my 15yo to see Imagine Dragons last year and they were amazing. I have to admit to not knowing their music that well until that night but the show was amazing and I am now a huge fan. We hadn’t planned to take her to it, but I got two of my other daughters tickets to see Panic! At the Disco and didn’t want M to feel left out so knowing she liked Imagine Dragons I looked to see if they were touring and it just so happened they were on in Nottingham the following Friday, hence a very quick purchase. It was M’s first concert and it was so lovely to see her face, she absolutely loved it, and I happened to bump into someone from college too   Panic! Was fab too. That was S’s first concert and she loved it too despite the noise. Amazingly, although we were a long way back in the queue we managed to get into the front row for that too so both girls were extremely happy!! Next week it’s my eldest son’s turn and we’re going to see Muse which I’m sure will be great too.

Happy New Year!

So, it's New Year, the time to look back on the previous year and look ahead to the new one stretched out in front of us like a big blank page ready to be filled in with all the things that happen to us over the next 12 months.

2013 was quite a good year for me.  I fulfilled several ambitions, started on yet another Open University module, made a big decision and had a lot of fun times with my friends and children.

It didn't end too well, my Christmas plans went out of the window when J developed appendicitus and had to have surgery on Christmas Eve.  He was such a brave little man, didn't complain too much, was really good when they gave him the anaesthetic and when he came round afterwards he told the nurse looking after him that "It hurts a bit but that's to be expected as I have just had an operation".  Awwwww!!!!!

He recovered really quickly and was eating and drinking very soon after he got back up to the ward.  We had to stay in two nights so we woke up on the ward on Christmas morning and being very tired and a bit emotional I shed a tear or two when I discovered that Santa had left a pillowcase of presents on J's bed overnight (I must have been fast asleep as I normally wake up at every little sound when I'm in that place).  What a lovely thing to do for all the children, and he even left me a box of chocolates.

We did get a big Christmas dinner in the hospital before we came home which was nice, then it was back to the house to wait for the rest of the children to come back from their unexpected stay at their dad's and opening more presents.  Three of J's older sisters and his brothers all made him get well soon cards which he seemed pleased with (his eldest sister didn't as she was at home alone keeping things running here).

We had our Christmas dinner on Boxing day and then a quiet rest of the week as I was exhausted and a bit stressed out plus J needed to fully recover as well.

So, it wasn't our best Christmas ever but I will hopefully make up for it next year with them as long as there are no more emergencies.  It wasn't my worst one either though.  That was 10 years ago when I lost a baby just a few days before Christmas and then the central heating broke down at 7pm on Christmas eve.  Now *that* was a shit Christmas!!

No photos as they're all on my phone, sorry.

Your best year yet?

If you read my previous blog you may recall that this year I've been Creating my Best Year.  At the start of the year I wrote a list of all the things I'd like to do and achieve this year and it's been really satisfying to tick them off as I've done them.  The latest tick on the list has been learning to dance the Shim Sham which was great fun.

I'll definitely be getting the 2014 version and if you'd like to create your best year yet I recommend you get yours here

A small review

First of all before I begin I need to point out that although I do know the person whose website and products I am about to review I have not been asked to write about it, nor have I been given any incentive to write about it.

Right, that bit out of the way I want to recommend The Indigo Chick candles and wax melts.  Now, I am very fussy when it comes to scents.  There are very few perfumes that I like and although I do love Yankee Candles I never buy them without trying them first.

As I was a bit worried about buying something that I couldn't sniff first I decided to order a set of the wax melts that Rozelle makes as a way of deciding which candle(s) I was going to order.  That was months ago and I still haven't decided because they are all so gorgeous!!  I had promised myself that I'd get some for my birthday and just haven't managed to whittle down the options still and now she's only gone and brought out a load more fragrances for the Autumn/Winter/Christmas seasons.

Buy with confidence as I am sure you will love whichever fragrances you go for (and if you don't you can always send them to me instead lololol).  I can't even recommend any ones in particular because they are all so lovely.  The great thing about the box of melts is that it made the room smell gorgeous just sitting on the side (it still does despite only having a couple left!!)

One little tip if you go for the melts is to pop them into those silicone muffin cases you can buy quite cheaply from places like Wilkos and put that onto the dish on your burner.  You then don't have the problem of not being able to remove them from the dish and can swap fragrances over much easier.

So instead of buying from a large company buy from Rozelle, a work at home mum. :-)

Shop here

I love Autumn – the nights drawing in, the temperature dropping, the perfect excuse to light the fire and close the curtains early, cosy slippers, warm clothes and a bit of knitting and crochet to keep my hands busy while catching up with the TV I’ve recorded.

I have several projects on the go at the moment.  Socks for the boys which are slightly fiddly on 2.5mm dpns but I do enjoy making them.  The first pair is this rainbow one for Jack.

I also have a crochet blanket on the go.  I have to admit to having a bit of an obsession with making blankets, you can never have too many, perfect for throwing over the back of a sofa or chair and to have to hand for children falling asleep on the sofa or when they are poorly and need to snuggle up on a makeshift bed on the sofa.  Or just for covering up when it’s chilly.

The pattern is from Attic24 and the yarn is Stylecraft from Deramores.  I’m about three quarters of the way there with this one but I’m already planning another couple in different colours.  I love the granny stitch stripes and it’s nice to work without having to actually think about it, it’s perfect for doing while watching television.  Another nice thing about making blankets is that once they get to a certain size they are big enough to cover you up as you work and keep you nice and cosy at the same time.  J  This one is so big that it covers three of us in a row so it’s going to be lovely and cosy once it’s finished.

This is Amos enjoying it while I'm working on it.

November is also when we celebrate the last two birthdays of the year.  Both children had a lovely day and were very lucky to get lots of lovely presents.  Now we're looking forward to Christmas and then the birthdays start again in February when I have three in three days to celebrate (and not a lot of chance of me forgetting G's birthday when it's sandwiched in between two of the children lol).

Why The Girl With No Regrets?

For many years I listened to a song on the Terry Hall album Laugh called The Girl With No Regrets and wanted to be her. To have the courage to leave my unhappy marriage. Eventually I did leave and I have no regrets.

 as the world keeps on turning she needs to stand still
she's given her everything it's making her ill
 so tired of loving someone she hates
to leave now or never it's getting so late (she just can't wait to get away)

 but who in the world would care for the girl with no regrets
whose party days are over
all she needs is to breathe
 just a little time to breathe

 she slips on her raincoat and heads for a storm
 been driven to hell and back weathered it all
 she keeps her resistance with vitamin c
then takes off that wedding ring that spells misery (D.I.V.O.R.C.E.)

 she knows that if she breaks him then maybe then she'll make him
 the kind of fool who falls for the girl with no regrets
whose party days are over all she needs is to breathe
just a little time to breathe

October update

Since I last wrote anything quite a lot has happened – it’s been over 10 months!!! I know, I know, I’m terrible at this blogging lark lol

In one of my last posts I mentioned I was doing a year planner with a list of things I want to do this year – one of them was to see Anna Fur Laxis perform live. I didn’t achieve that but I did go one better!!

 A local(ish) burlesque club organised a pin-up hair and make-up workshop which was run by Anna so I actually got to meet her. I was soooo star-struck I made myself laugh. After she did my hair for me I decided I was never washing it again but sadly despite trying not to move overnight my victory roll had fallen out by the morning (and yes I have washed it since then lololol).

Anna was lovely, I’m even more in love with her than I was before I met her and I am determined to see her perform live next year when she’s back from performing in Shanghai’s Cirque le soir. Oh, and I didn’t leave the workshop empty handed……

Yes, I went home with a pair of her shoes. Ok, they’re two sizes too big for me but I really don’t care and yes, I do sometimes take them out of the wardrobe and stroke them – I wish I’d got her to sign them for me. ;-)

This is a photo of all of us ladies after we’d finished applying our make-up.

Photograph reproduced with permission from Louise Searby of PJS photography

 In August it was the third anniversary of me and the children moving here. I can’t believe it’s been that long since I made my bid for freedom and left my husband. Looking back over the past three years I have changed so much from the person I was then to the person I am now.

 In September I reached the big four-oh – I’d been dreading it until a couple of months beforehand when all of a sudden I found myself looking forward to it. I finally feel grown up now!!

 Also in September was R’s 18th birthday – the fact I now have two adult children makes me feel even older than turning 40!!

The other big event to happen in September was another milestone – my youngest started school. For the first time in over 20 years I have no pre-school children. I was expecting to feel a bit sad about it but I actually feel really pleased that I have now moved on from the baby/pre-school stage.

 I’ve just started a new module with the OU. I decided to change my study path from history to the social sciences so it’s going to be interesting getting to know a whole new discipline but I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into it.