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Showing posts with the label 25 Facts About Me

Something for the weekend - Girls Night In

The world is a busy place so sometimes it's nice to slow things down and catch up with the important people in your life Every month or two I get together with my closest friends and have a girls night in.  Going out is great, I love going to restaurants, to the theatre, to the movies but sometimes being out socially doesn't give us a lot of time to catch up fully on what's going on in everyone's lives. So we will do things like; Have Afternoon Tea A 'formal' meal A buffet with board games This Saturday we had decided on a Games Night, so this is how I prepare; Generally cleaning my house  Setting the table  Preparing the food  - baking cakes, cooking pastry etc.   As we use the evening to catch up and relax I tend not to cook a formal meal, I create more of a buffet that we can snack on throughout the night as we talk.   I love cooking and baking so this gives me a chance to try out new recipes and relax in my kitchen I make sure I

What's In My Handbag

I know a lot of people invest heavily in handbags - I'm not one of those people, I tend to change my bag a lot, and well I don't want to pay thousands of pounds for something I take to my day job where it may well get damaged.  But I do like to have nice bags! I 've discussed in an earlier post what my style is so when it comes to bags it should be no surprise that my current bag is quite a classic shape.  Granted it has the pompom flash of fun but other wise it's a classic black tote. So, what's actually hiding in there; 1. My purse My current purse is from Fiorelli and is black and cream.  I like this one as it has a lot of spaces for my cards and a clear pocket where i keep a photo of my parents which I like to have with me all the time - since I lost my dad this is a precious keep sake. 2. My Phone Like most people my phone is never far away from me.  I'm currently using an I Phone, which I love as it connects me to my network of laptop, PC a

What's My Signature Style?

If you're like me, it may have taken you a while to figure out your signature style with a few missteps along the way.    When I was a child I didn't really go in too much clothes, make up on the other hand was a staple from a young age a tool to hide behind.   In a way make up is still a mask for me, but not in the sense of hiding myself any longer I use make up to find the best version of myself. The same goes for my clothes, it took a long time for me to become comfortable in my own skin and therefore comfortable in the clothes I wanted to wear and to become comfortable with what suits me.  I'm now thirty something, so the experimental  clothing of my early twenties is over.  I've changed my look several times over from the colour and style of my hair I've been brunette, red head and blond.  I've adjusted my makeup from the influence of my youth the colours of the 80's when I was first learning to put on make up - I remember a lot of blue eyeshadow

Dealing with Disappointment - Working Life

So, there are times in  life when things happen that disappoint you for whatever reason.  As human beings and individuals we all have ways of reacting to those things.  This week for me has been one of those weeks where I've had to deal with a Work Life disappointment. I'm a novelist, first and foremost, but to pay the bills I also have a full time job in a 'professional' environment.  It's in this job that I've found myself disappointed this week.  It's been building for a while, with the current economic climate all business are looking at how to save money and stay profitable.  The industry I work in is no different and they have been making plans, changing things and consulting with personnel on how/why they should do things. This week they made their announcement of change and parts of how this was managed was disappointing to me.  The detail isn't important for this post, the point is how I deal with that issue. 1. Be Professional You have

GoodBye Summer...Hello Autumn

Summer is on the wane now September is here, although there is talk of an Indian Summer next week.  For me however I'm ready for the cooler weather, heat has never been a best friend to me.  I'm pale skinned and I take after my grandad when I get too hot.  It just doesn't agree with me.  I like a few weeks of summer but clammy nights takes it toll on me as sleeping when you're just too hot is not easily accomplished. On the no so selfish side, it's also a lot better for my dog, Hero, when it gets cooler, his thick fur coat becomes more helpful than a hindrance. Besides, being born in September also makes me an autumn child, there's just something about the start of this season that is rather exciting.  So this blog will be me discussing why it is I love this season.... 1. The colours of Autumn Summer is bright and bountiful, the colours are amazingly bright, light and cool.  You wear clothes that are light in shade, aqua and yellow look brilliant in

When Life Gives you Lemons....

I was catching up on my Face book groups the other day and someone had asked the question, if you blog and work how do you fit it all in and it got me thinking how do I fit it all in and am I achieving what I set out to? Well as the old saying goes - "When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade" 1. Day Job As an independent author I still need a 'day job' to earn a living, I'm not in a position yet where the money I earn as a novelist is enough to cover my expenses,  I am working towards that but for now I need to support my writing by working. I'm a Personal Assistant in the Fire Service, I'm lucky in terms of my job is flexible.  A lot of writers and bloggers starting out are in jobs where the time they are in the office is set and unchangeable.  I'm lucky that mine is flexible.  Having this flexibility allows me to plan my days effectively. Most days I'm at my desk by 7.30,  depending on what the day holds which being an emergency servic

25 Facts About Me

I was reading a friends blog the other day and she was doing a 25 Facts About Me Tag, so I thought I'd give it a go for today's post, so hold on tight here's a whistle stop tour of me; 1. I'm English, born and raised in Sunderland Northeast England, this is on the north sea coast and it can be rather cold! 2. Being from Sunderland I'm classed as a Mackem, but I don't have a strong accent 3. I lived in Bellingham WA when I was at Uni as an exchange student and came home with a strong American accent - go figure! Visit to Seattle in 1998 4. I hated school, I was bullied from the age of 5 till I was 16, the worst years being between 8 and 12 so School was the worst time of my life.  It's something I still struggle with to this day. At a time when you should be learning to be confident, build relationships and all the social skills you need for life, I was taught the opposite.  I still struggle with confidence in myself and my appearance and I