tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40343003670166042142024-02-02T10:37:39.897+00:00BetwixtI always am betwixt something. Could be Dickens novels, creative projects, intelligent thoughts or life changing situations (that happens a lot). Constitution of an Ox may be periodically required.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.comBlogger250125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-12417323115000143952015-01-19T14:50:00.001+00:002015-01-19T14:51:38.853+00:00I WANT I WANT I WANT!I wanted a maternity pillow.<br />
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Nah, don't be daft. I'm not expecting! (Never!) But I wanted a maternity pillow. Fancied one for ages but just never got around to getting one. They cost a few quid!<br />
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I have been doing some tidying, decorating and trowing out recently and I had a load of pillows and cushions that I no longer needed. SO I washed them, took them all apart and made my my massive pillow with a dress lining fabric remnant, and I made 2 covers for it with my favourite print cotton remnant.<br />
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Et voila! A lovely maternity pillow for those with a bit of a sore back and a love of comfort! That's me. Especially happy as it cost no money. I like that!<br />
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And I want curtains! Since we moved into this house 2 1/4 years ago we've never had curtains on the back window. When we decorated the dining room though, I decided I might like to put some up there. But me being me, I'm not just going to go out and buy some curtains. Where's the fun in that?!<br />
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I was in Ikea when I saw the fabric and LOVED it. I love the bright colours and European graphic design. I then noticed it was reduced to just £1 per metre - so I bought 4 metres. I could have easily bought more, but I reasoned with myself and just came away with the 4.<br />
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I already had some curtain tape from some old curtains, so I didn't have to buy that either.<br />
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My beloved machine has recently been serviced by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pontypool-Sewing-Machines/735761813158864?ref=hl" target="_blank">Pontypool Sewing Machines</a> - and it's now like a flying machine!</div>
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SO again, a bit of measuring, a bit of creative thought and I have the funkiest most colourful dining room curtains for £3 - I had a metre left over! Now what to do with that?!</div>
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I just love these - the happiest curtains in the world! </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-2121047439792465462015-01-14T19:29:00.000+00:002015-01-14T19:34:55.205+00:00Big up the Healthy Slow BargainsThis post is dedicated to the slowcookers, the Slimming Worlders, the tight budgeters, the healthy eaters and the time poor. Oh and the snow sufferers!<br />
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We had a bit of the white stuff overnight. Some of us were quite happy about it...<br />
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I didn't really plan to go out, but then the roads cleared a bit and I went - I'm flipping glad I did.</div>
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I had to pop to get something for tea. Morrisons happened to be the closest. I don't usually go there, I must be honest. I noticed they had some nice 3 for £10 meat pack so I thought I might as well grab a set - it'll keep us going a few days. Got a busy few days coming up. But I soon put the 3 chosen packs back (nice and tidily - I worked in a supermarket, you can't unlearn that stuff!) when I saw the reductions section. I got this...</div>
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3 trays of cubed turkey breast, 1 tray of minced lamb, 1 tray of frying steak, 1 tray of turkey breast steaks, 1 tray of spare rib chops and a sirloin beef joint - all for £11.41. This can only mean one thing.</div>
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IT'S SUPER ORGANISED SLOW COOKER TIME! </div>
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I love being organised. Sadly I'm not organised enough to be organised most of the time. It's ver much a "fits and starts" situation. Oh and I'm fat. Me and my Chosen One have put a few lbs on over Christmas, which is a shame as he'd lost 17 kilos on Slimming World prior to that. We need to get back on it, big style.</div>
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I'm a massive slow cooking fan. Low cost, easily healthy and it fits in beautifully with a busy household. Makes your house smell lush too! So, combining my love of Slimming World scran, slow cooking, partial organisation and budget good eating, I have set about my creation. </div>
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I use Home Bargains roasting bags. 10 for 79 or 99p, Can't quite remember which. But they're the ultimate in pre-thinking organisation. Whole dishes go in one bag, in the freezer. Out of the freezer the night before you want them, plop it all in the slow cooker in the bag the next morning. Done. Sans effort.</div>
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22 portions I made from my £11 haul. I just used basic fridge and store cupboard ingredients to make different, convenient, tasty meals in a bag.<br />
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Lots of people talking about how to get good supermarket bargains. Sadly it's not an exact science, just trial and error with a bit of insider knowledge, if you can get it. For example, I used to work in my local Asda. Every morning at about 7am, the date code boys and girls start to gather up all the imminent sell by dated fresh foods. Once they have them all, they all get reduced. A bit. So 10ish is a great time to pick up the bargains that have just been reduced. There's usually a fair bit there, but it won't be reduced greatly. Throughout the day, at periods, the remains of it gets reduced further and further, so it's a bit of a trade off, go early for a bit of a reduction but a fair bit of choice, or go later for massive reductions but not usually on a great deal of fresh produce, often none.<br />
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Like I said, trial and error. Visit your local supermarkets and see if you can suss out the pattern.<br />
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Or you could just go to the butcher, which is usually much cheaper, and better quality so you need less. I like to do both - there's room for everyone and like it or not, we need our supermarkets to sustain a busy modern lifestyle.<br />
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Firstly. Tonight's tea.<br />
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I used the spare rib chops with all the fat trimmed off (there's only 2 of us for tea tonight) with onions, peppers, that sort of thing, and a generous helping of chinese powdered curry sauce from my local butcher. It's super low in fat etc and has minimal syns, but you could use a 0 syn easily. Chucked in, on for a few hours. The Chosen One is currently cooking the rice now to go with it - smells flipping lovely.<br />
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This is the beef joint, in a roasting bag, with red and white onions and a big splodge of wholegrain mustard. I can't wait for this one!<br />
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This is a turkey and spinach fakeaway curry off of the Hairy Bikers. Zero fat, zero syns. Tonnes of taste and gorgeousness.</div>
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Next to that on the right is spicy cajun steaks. They're frying steaks but I don't think it's treason to not actually fry them. Homemade cajun spice mix with leeks, onions, tomatoes, that sort of thing.</div>
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You can't see it too well but on the left is sweet chilli turkey and veggies. Onions, leeks, peppers, all of that good stuff, with a good splodge of Aldi sweet chilli sauce.You'd have to count the syns on that, but per person it'll work out very reasonably. And there's loads of super free veggies in there too. </div>
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I gave away my chinese turkey curry. My daughter was off down her boyfriend's for a night or two so I gave them a ready to cook bag of turkey cubes, peppers, onions, all that, with another good splodge of the magical curry mix from the butchers. I think she was happy with it. Cost me less that £1.50 in total, saves them a load of time and effort.</div>
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I just had to remind her not to put her bag on the heater in the bus!<br />
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So a few labels later (we've all done the "I'll remember what's in here" thing - and promptly forgotten what's in there) and the freezer's full of healthy, low syn meals for the next week nearly. For very few quids.<br />
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The only down side to doing all that prep in one go is you get to clear up a weeks worth of prep all in one go! The only thing I haven't yet used is the minced lamb. Someone made a good point on the Slow Coker Saddos group that it does make an excellent kebab. I think that might be how it ends up. But, to be honest, I ran out of energy and further ingredients for the time being.<br />
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That's quite enough organisation for one day! I'm going for a lie down with a damp flannel. Well I would if I could get to my bed for all the laundry that's on it...<br />
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You can't have it all!!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-61106962736977813672014-11-07T00:19:00.001+00:002014-11-07T00:19:19.105+00:00The Best Bits. Like "scrumps" - before we all got worried about getting fat. Clearly there are loads of inconvenient, upsetting and frankly painful things about having a complicated relationship with your brain (I believe some people call it "mental health problems" but it sounds a bit restricting to me).<br />
<br />
But do you know the best thing? For me anyway, but only because I've amended my attitude.<br />
<br />
They say "youth is wasted on the young" and I think anyone over 22 will agree with that. But I'm 38. I'm just learning things that "the normals" learned 30 years ago. How to play nice, share, wait your turn, that I'm a valid human being with valid feelings and opinions and that each and every one of us can make a difference.<br />
<br />
What booby prize have you been given?<br />
<br />
I love mine.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-83403367477156984322014-10-21T18:09:00.000+01:002014-10-21T18:09:18.131+01:00Unacceptable BehavioursI've got two blogs. This is my "personal" one, the <a href="http://www.bettyredmakeupartist.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">other one</a> is my professional one. I used my professional one to "come out" about my mental health difficulties in a recent post, this was part of my pledge to the <a href="http://www.timetochangewales.org.uk/en/" target="_blank">Time to Change</a> campaign.<br />
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I've transferred my Mental Health rantings now over to this blog. I can bang on as much as I like over here without mentioning make up!<br />
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So today, I stated a page.<br />
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I saw this post on my Facebook timeline a few days ago and was spurred into action.<br />
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Unacceptable. Makes a mockery of the days of thinking and planning and building up of confidence that I, and I dare say many others, had to go through to make their blog posts and pledges. As a long time sufferer of Mental Health difficulties I resent this.</div>
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So I made a page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Remove-the-Quiz-What-is-your-Mental-Disorder-By-I-Just-Quizzed/381709591994251?ref=hl" target="_blank">Remove the Quiz "What is your Mental Disorder?" By I Just Quizzed</a> and it's going really rather well. Why should I have to, though. Is my day off. I should be lying on the sofa watching Dexter.</div>
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One of the things that people with Mental Health requirements regularly complain of is the lack of compassion, understanding and empathy from their G.P. I have very many personal experiences of this. One G.P. told me to "take up gardening" one asked me "what do you want me to do about it?" (and not in a "could you advise me as to what you think might help" way!).</div>
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I have a friend. Difficult to believe, I know. She's a lovely friend. She was terribly upset today after her trip to the G.P. She is in the process of getting a hold on her situation and doing brilliantly. On waiting lists left, right and centre and doing all the right things to get better and back in control. </div>
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When I've been upset like this I find that writing things down is a massive help. I told her she was right to want to complain to the Practice Manager - and to give her the confidence to do it I said that I would format it for her, if she wrote the detail. This is what she wrote:</div>
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<span style="font-family: "DokChampa","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "DokChampa","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>"My
name is Serena and I am 22 years old. I have recently been diagnosed
with High Functioning Autism, better known as Aspergers Syndrome.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "DokChampa","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>I
struggle with anxiety, panic attacks, depression and I have regular melt downs
which can result in self harming. After that I “shut down”. I don’t want to
talk, eat or move. I don’t want to see anybody and I feel like I can’t leave my
house – it’s hard enough to leave my bed.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "DokChampa","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>I
am currently on sick leave from work because I am not well. What I am, though,
is human; a person. I have feelings.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "DokChampa","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>So
I did not appreciate that when I went to see my Doctor, to renew my
sick note (keeping in mind that he is not the doctor I see regularly about my
Autism – he knows nothing about the battle I have been fighting), he asked me
why I was off work.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "DokChampa","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>The
other time I have discussed my Autism with this Dr. was an unpleasant experience
for me. He told me that “You’re too intelligent to be Autistic”. Now I’m sure
that’s called “discrimination”.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "DokChampa","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>This
time, I explained to him that I am Autistic and
suffering mainly from anxiety, his facial expression said it all. What he said
next confirmed that I was right about what he was thinking. He said “Autism
stops you from working?!?!” I have never been made to feel so embarrassed for
having a disability. I tried explaining how my Autism affected me and made me
feel on a day to day basis, and why that made me unfit for work at this time.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "DokChampa","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>I
didn’t have a chance as he cut me off and said “I think you should go back to
work Autism or no Autism. You’re too young to be on the sick, it will affect
your record in the long term”. He refused to listen to anything I had to say.
At this point I felt totally defeated and could say nothing else. My blood was
boiling, my hands were shaking, my eyes were filling up and my heart pounding.
I had to tell him that I wasn’t prepared to leave without my note. After he reluctantly
handed it over I told him I would not be seeing him again. On my sick note he
wrote “Anxiety – symptoms” which further confirmed to me that he didn’t believe
me.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "DokChampa","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>I
also have Asthma and wanted him to check on my lung function as I have a suspicion
there may be a problem but I felt so humiliated and uncomfortable that I felt
unable to stay in his company any further to have him check my chest. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "DokChampa","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>When
I got home, I had a meltdown. What was supposed to be an appointment with
someone who was there to help me to the best of their ability turned out to be
an appointment with someone who judged me, made me feel like a lazy faker, made
me feel embarrassed and hateful of myself and my disability. He made me feel
like a freak, he made me angry to be the person I am. He hurt my feelings and
for the first time in a long time he made me wish that I was “normal” Are
doctors supposed to make you feel like that? <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "DokChampa","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>How
many others have to feel like this before, one day, it breaks someone?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "DokChampa","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>I
am autistic, I am human and I have feelings."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DokChampa, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">No one has the right to make anyone feel that way. Much less a Doctor. It is wholly </span></span><span style="font-family: DokChampa, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">unacceptable and frighteningly common. </span></span><span style="font-family: DokChampa, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DokChampa, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Why is it that this is allowed? I know that society was very different years ago when a lot of these older G.P.'s were trained and put in post, but still, as a primary care giver they have a responsibility to do the best by their patients.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DokChampa, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Many, many times have I come home from seeing a G.P. feeling the way she did. it has a massively negative effect on the way that person feels which can take days and days to start to heal. It makes you feel insignificant, like a terrible waste of air and a freeloader.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DokChampa, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Despite being under the care of the First Access Team for my area, my G.P. keeps putting pressure on me to come off my medication! The board of psychiatrists has met with my case worker and agreed that while I'm feeling the benefit there is sense in taking me off them. I could actually go back onto my original "hardcore" medication at any time, if I chose to, but no, my G.P. (who I've spent less than 20 minutes with - ever) still knows best. Yeah, sure. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DokChampa, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This needs to be addressed. Mental Health patients are being failed by lots of G.P.s. They are over worked, over pressured and financially restricted. Mental health seems to be taking the brunt.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DokChampa, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#timetochange</span></span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-85923991816970960802014-09-19T18:46:00.004+01:002014-09-19T20:51:01.225+01:00Journey Vs. Destination<br />
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<br />
Twenty years ago I said I would learn to ride a motorbike before drive a car.<br />
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17 years ago I passed my car driving licence.<br />
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So when him indoors bought me my CBT for my birthday back in July, I had to put things right and put my money where my mouth is.<br />
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I'm always learning something or other, I seem to enjoy the process. What I learn, though, I normally have some kind of natural very basic ability to start off, and then I pick it up fairly quickly.<br />
<br />
Not this.<br />
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I bought my bike 2 weeks before my test. I started her up in the garden - and pooed myself. I'm pretty tough, but I have an inherent and overwhelming fear of hurting myself*, so wobbling up the grass at less than one mile per hour with no clutch control whatsoever, was a bit of a shock to the old system.<br />
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I spent days randomly asking "I will do this, won't I? I will be alright, won't I?" I had a major crisis of confidence and just couldn't see how I cold make progress.<br />
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I read the book, I watched the video. It didn't really help. I had no natural affinity for this.<br />
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My CBT was HARD. I had never even operated a bike properly before, so I had to be taught to operate as well as ride. We ran out of time on the first go - I wasn't disappointed. I didn't feel I had enough practice to go out on an actual road, nearly 20 years of driving experience or not. I went back the next week - shot through the whole thing, went out on the road and then passed. I was thrilled, as you can see!<br />
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<br />
I get these things in my head. And it has to happen. I decided that I HAD to ride that night. To my Mother's house. Had to be there, nowhere else.<br />
<br />
Cissy (bike - names by Mumatron) wouldn't start. We had her in bits, 2 iPads on the go scouring the net for advice about the problem. Our neighbour (non-biking variety) tried his best to help by repeatedly bump starting it, but would it go? Would it heck as like. A friend of his (biking variety) happened to phone him at the time. He diagnosed and gave us the solution to the stuck ignition switch in a heartbeat - and off we went. On the longest road journey of my life.<br />
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I was rigid with effort by the time I got off, It was dark, late and I was exhausted - but I did it. A couple more runs were had, just little ones. And then we went away for 12 days.<br />
<br />
It totally threw my confidence. I could remember the theory but I couldn't remember what it felt like and I was really scared. It took me a week to get back on after that. This is really not something I'm used to - there's not much in life that I've been like that about; in fact I can't think of anything else at all. I took 3 days to psych myself up to get back on. I convinced James to come out with me - just down to the local industrial estate, just to get a bit of practicing in. Right up until I got around the first corner (wobbling precariously close to the hedge opposite!) and then something happened.<br />
<br />
Like magic, something clicked. My brain thought "I remember this - and it's awesome". I never did go to the industrial estate. I rode around the locality for 2 1/2 hours until he was forced to go home for a loo break - I followed him half an hour or so later. I didn't want to get off!<br />
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And it's been like that ever since really. I ride virtually every day. The only time I take the car is if I have to food shop or give a lift. And it sucks! I really dislike car driving now.<br />
<br />
I just love riding and I wish I'd learned to do it years ago. The freedom, the weather (dry and wet; I kinda like both!) the head space it takes up, the quiet. It's a wonderful, cathartic experience. It gives a break from the constant information barrage that is continuously assaulting our senses the rest of the time. I'm already starting to think that I need a bigger bike - bigger wheels. A bit more power. I'm planning to do my big bike test next year. That's something I didn't think realistically I'd get to at just a few months ago. <br />
<br />
Going through a steep learning curve like this is a great experience. You get to learn so much about yourself and push yourself way out of your comfort zone to see what you can do. And the pride when you start to get okay at doing it is fantastic. It's definitely better to find something hard at the start.<br />
<br />
There's the old bike related cliché about it being about "the journey not the destination". It so totally is right. In all aspects of life.<br />
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Oh and another good thing. Since carrying my daughter 20 years ago, I've had intermittent but regular and very painful sciatica. (I've never heard of non painful sciatica having said that.) Since I've been riding regularly - nadda. Not a twinge.<br />
<br />
I love my bike.<br />
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* Being rubbish at sports and not remotely interested in them, I was surprised to find that I was good at the high jump in school but paralysed with fear at the prospect of falling on the bar!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-912850197520117152014-04-02T13:26:00.003+01:002014-04-02T13:26:38.964+01:00Social Media and SocietyHas it really changed the way we live? Is it really that important?<br />
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I'm asked regularly what I'm studying in uni - the answer "Social Media" can perplex some people. I've had people with "no idea what that is" to "YOU'RE DOING A DEGREE IN FACEBOOK?!?!?" The answer to both of the last two statements is "no".<br />
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As a digital immigrant, I remember what the world was like before the advent of social media and in fact the web. I watched the Tomorrow's World episode that out lined the plan to link the world through something they called "the web".<br />
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Immediately (ish), we had email "simplifying" the way we communicate, then skype and conference calling - the initial main uses of the tech. was for business purposes really. So for people not in business, it didn't really affect them.<br />
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Only since the web became fully accessible, available virtually everywhere, and in our pockets, has it started to scare people a little bit.<br />
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Identity theft. Stalking. Trolling. Paedophilia. Grooming. and the scourge of all evilness - looking at your phone while having tea with your Gran.<br />
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Of course none of these things existed before the internet. Lol.<br />
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Typically the older generation, I know my Grandmother loves this one, loves to point out "I don't know what you lot would do if you didn't have those things in your pocket" as me, my daughter and my mother are all simultaneously watching something dog related and hilarious on YouTube.<br />
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You alter the focus to something they can relate to a little bit though, and they get it a bit more. My Grandmother refused to watch the fairly impressive spectacle of the car park being blown up in Newport recently in real time as she "wanted to wait and watch it on the news". I asked her why, she couldn't really answer - just that was the way it had always been. We're creatures of habit and we don't like change.<br />
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I asked her if she would like to have gone, she replied in the affirmative. I asked her if she would like to go and take her favourite arm chair with her and she again replied that she would but that would be a ridiculous idea.<br />
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I asked her then if she'd like me to bring the car park to her as it was so un-feasible to take the arm chair with us.<br />
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She accused me of being silly.<br />
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So I logged onto the live broadcast, on ipad, and we started watching. It didn't take long - we all watched it, all sat on the best arm chair in the world and for a split second, she got it.<br />
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Didn't last. Obv.<br />
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The world used to be as big as the distance you could travel. Then there were letters, the post. It created opportunities never before considered, and to people who never considered it. It was a huge, but physical change. I would imagine there would have been many resistors - until they received something through the post at last.<br />
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Can you imagine the impact that the telephone had on society, business, relationships? Being able to speak to someone miles away without having to walk and go and visit them?! Truly revolutionary! I know that there were recently some aspects of this used in uber-period drama Downton Abbey with Carson being <a href="http://thirdwaythinktank.tumblr.com/post/21323840092" target="_blank">wholly reluctant to the use of the telephone</a> and in fact the safety implications of having electricity in the house. Until something needed doing.<br />
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Likewise with TV - a magical glowing box in the corner of the living room which brought the world to you. "You'll get square eyes looking at that thing!"<br />
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Adapting to technology and change is a huge deal and wholly affects our lives in a massive sense. Not only does it affect the way we do our business, who are customers are and how we serve them but also our relationships, the people we hold dear and the people that we "live with".<br />
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Through social media I expect we all have examples of a friend or family member who we have recently realised we share a tremendous amount in common with, because of the low key, general, lifestyle related posts we regularly see. In essence we are "living with" more people - hundreds of them. Some expose themselves to be not quite what they think, other people we bond strongly with despite there being miles/continents/countries between us and our lives would be very greatly affected by their lack of presence despite often having never or rarely met.<br />
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This is an alien concept to many people and in fact in some circles it's seen to be quite cool to be anti-"social media". The concept of the <a href="http://theantisocialmedia.com/" target="_blank">Antisocial Media</a> movement was something that was introduced to me during the discussions in class around this topic.<br />
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It's true. People don't have much "down time" any more. You're on a train journey, when was the last time you day dreamed looking out of the window or did not become a bit annoyed when your twitter feed dropped of as you went through a tunnel? I try to make sure I do this one. I read a book by <a href="http://www.carlhonore.com/" target="_blank">Carl Honore</a> recently about the <a href="http://www.slowmovement.com/" target="_blank">Slow Movement</a> which talks about hyper stimulation and feeling the need to be connected, active and productive at all times. It can't happen. It's not humanly possible - not without a major psychotic episode.<br />
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Yes, people are looking at their phones walking down a street. It's making a huge generalisation that they must be tweeting - they may be using their G.P.S. and had they not had a mobile that had G.P.S. capability, would they not have been looking at a map?<br />
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Did people not use personal stereos before the ipad, iphone, ipod or smartphone? I seem to remember that people had the same awareness related concerns upon the advent of the Sony Walkman many years ago.<br />
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Older people regularly tell me that they don't trust online banking or money things. I ask them when the last time they heard about an online bank being held up at gunpoint. We all know about bank robbers and their tights on the head related antics. Bank robbery has always existed.<br />
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Stalkers have always stalked. They follow people, they hide, they peep. I'd really rather be stalked on line than down a dark alley on a Friday night. Peeping Toms used to hide in trees.<br />
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Paedophiles - they have always existed and will always exist. They have always "groomed" just in a different way.<br />
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Something that does fascinate me. There's half a dozen of you, sat around a table in the pub having a good old natter. How many are on facebook? Looking at their phones? Pretty antisocial that.<br />
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But what if they're including the 7th member of the group in the conversation that can't make it that night. Is that still antisocial? What if they're taking and uploading photos of some good friends so that the night can be re lived over and over again through the medium of Facebook? Is that still antisocial?<br />
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I think what social media has done is shift the focus.<br />
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I walked down the street the other day with a good friend who saw the husband of another friend of hers. "Hiya! How's it going!?" "off work today?" "Nah just on lunch - off down to Gregg's". That was pretty much how the conversation went, fairly normal really.<br />
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As we walked past my friend said to me "I would normally have asked him how the wife and kids are but he posts so much stuff about them on Facebook that I know they're fine so there's no need for me to ask."<br />
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I thought that was really interesting. Social media now has given us the opportunity to carry on many, many conversations with many,, many different people all at the same time. So we're pretty much constantly engaged in conversation, with any number of people. SO the need when we do meet in person isn't quite so great to divulge tonnes of information - because we already have.<br />
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It's like having a news paper, with several editions a day, written for you by and about the people that are in our lives in many different capacities, often whether we like it or not!<br />
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It's great. Meeting up with someone formally is quite an intimate thing to do. It's also very time consuming. In this world we want maximum return on investment for every minute we have - life isn't a dress rehearsal.<br />
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By sharing information and updates through the many channels we have available to us we can focus in person on the stuff we might not want to share with everyone. Social media has made the world inclusive - everyone can use it in some way and the overwhelming vast majority of people use it in some way whether they know it or not, whether they like it or not.<br />
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In that way it has changed society. It has made it much easier for us to share causes, reach out to people, help people, do business with people - often all at the same time.<br />
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I was interested to read in <a href="http://www.socialnomics.net/about-erik-qualman/" target="_blank">Erik Qualman</a>'s book Socionomics, about Google flu and how Google saves lives.<br />
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Yeah right, i thought. Course it does.<br />
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Turns out it actually does.<br />
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Google has many arms, one of which is a philanthropic arm that they call <a href="http://www.google.org/flutrends/" target="_blank">Google Flu</a>. Google use their infinite data capacity and access to predict outbreaks of influenza throughout the globe and direct the supply chain of vaccinations to new outbreaks. The algorithms created by Googling "flu like symptoms" are enough for Google to be able to track and predict outbreaks - ultimately saving lives. Google gets loads of stick, and rightly so, but I think this is cool as hell.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-3735176666840318042014-02-19T12:53:00.000+00:002014-02-19T12:55:21.657+00:00Brown Dog CentralI have an elderly Spaniel called Gwyn and and a middle aged Choccie Lab called Welly. They don't get out enough and Welly's arse is getting quite big. This morning, in a haze of excited wagging, crying and jumping around, I managed to get my walking boots on (despite a Labrador helping), waterproof cecks, hi viz waterproof jacket and a cap. Yes, I looked like a boy. The good thing about dogs though is that they don't seem to care.<br />
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We wandered across the common land, plenty of road walking for nail filing purposes, but we found a rugby pitch that was fully enclosed. This is excellent as elderly Spaniel loves a little off lead bimble but due to his stone deafness it is generally too dodgy - he can't hear (or chooses not to) to come back. Despite this, he still managed to give me heart failure as he suddenly overcame his fear of kissing gates and headed on to the road. Welly thought this was an excellent game.<br />
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(Of course we did not go on the pitch, that's disrespectful, just around the very perimeter.)<br />
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We went up and down dale a bit, some nice puddles, saw some horses and stuff, was good.<br />
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I was very proud of myself, and then we get to about 200 yards away from our house and my stomach starts leaping about.<br />
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I can see someone, male, in the distance with a large dog. Not close, but close enough.<br />
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You see, 18 months ago we had been out celebrating my daughter's 18th birthday with family. We got home and as I was was having an especially hard time at that time, I decided to take my fur babies out for a late night walk.<br />
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I like to do this, it clears the mind before bed, it's cold (frosty at that time) and I find it really helps to settle a mind before bed. So off we go.<br />
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Just around the village, a couple of streets, it's quiet, crisp, peaceful. Feeling restored, we head home, panting dogs creating clouds of steam, we're all happy. And then I see them.<br />
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There's a dog. A big one. I think its's a Rottweiler. I love Rotties. And a man. So that's okay. Oh, the man appears to be intoxicated. A lot. And the dog not on a lead.<br />
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We've frozen by this time, unable to back track without attracting attention to ourselves. Too late, the dog has seen us. The man, too pissed to notice.<br />
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As the hound comes bounding closer it transpires that it has no collar on either. As it savages my Labrador I am screaming at the man to get his dog under control. It's 01:30, I'm screaming, the dog is relentless. There's blood. Amongst other things.<br />
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We had just moved in, less than a month. A new house, a new area, not through choice but due to the most extreme and difficult circumstances that unbeknown to me were going to get worse. I had no energy to engage in a fight with brand new (chav) street neighbours, no capacity to take them on like I normally would.<br />
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So I did nothing. I couldn't. I hate that.<br />
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And I just can't get over it. The dogs are missing out more than me, but I just can't get passed it.<br />
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I hate that.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-6306539932129709682014-01-22T20:29:00.001+00:002014-01-22T21:22:21.715+00:00Digital Human<span style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">One may have noticed by now that I am indeed a big fan of BBC Radio 4.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #073763;"><br />
I have 2 goals in life, one is to do Judy Dench's make up, the other is to present Woman's Hour.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #073763;"><br />
I love this series by the glorious Radio 4 <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/dh" target="_blank">Digital Human</a>. Does make my blog post seem a bit crap though.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #073763;"><br />
When we started discussing this topic in our lecture we tried to establish what being just a human is. And we couldn't manage to come up with a lot. Well we did, but what we did come up with could be argued against - on just about every point.</span><br />
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From Wikipedia: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: purple;">"<span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Humans are distinguished from other primates by their </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipedal" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Bipedal">bipedal</a> <span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">locomotion, and especially by their relatively </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encephalization" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Encephalization">larger</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_brain" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Human brain">brain</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> with its particularly well developed </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neocortex" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Neocortex">neocortex</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefrontal_cortex" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Prefrontal cortex">prefrontal cortex</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporal_lobe" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Temporal lobe">temporal lobes</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, which enable high levels of abstract </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reasoning" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Reasoning">reasoning</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Language">language</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_solving" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Problem solving">problem solving</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Culture">culture</a> <span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">through social learning. Humans use </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tool" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Tool">tools</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> to a much higher degree than any other animal, and are the only extant species known to build </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Fire">fires</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Cooking">cook their food</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, as well as the only known species to </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Clothing">clothe</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> themselves and create and use numerous other </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Technology">technologies</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Art">arts</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">.</span><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">"</span><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Humans are uniquely adept at utilizing systems of symbolic communication such as language and art for self-expression, the exchange of ideas, and organization. Humans create complex </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_structure" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Social structure">social structures</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> composed of many cooperating and competing groups, from </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Family">families</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinship" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Kinship">kinship</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> networks to </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_(polity)" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="State (polity)">states</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">. </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_interaction" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Social interaction">Social interactions</a> <span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">between humans have established an extremely wide variety of values, </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_(sociology)" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Norm (sociology)">social norms</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritual" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Ritual">rituals</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, which together form the basis of human society. The human desire to understand and influence their environment, and explain and manipulate phenomena, has been the foundation for the development of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Science">science</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Philosophy">philosophy</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythology" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Mythology">mythology</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Religion">religion</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Some of these </span><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">characteristics</span><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> are not exclusively human. Primates share so many characteristics, as do family pets that take on human characteristics (controversial - I'm dog obsessed) through living as part of our families.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">So a digital technology and it's effect on the human is only going to be a good thing, seeing as it's been created as a tool for humans, by humans?</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Part of human nature is to be lazy, (the tiny amount of reading I have done on human evolution tells us that it's so that we can reserve our energy for chasing animals so that we can eat them) and also to take things for granted. We all do this all day every day as we have the power to affect our environments. I can't imagine giraffes "taking things for granted". They merely work with what they have and respond to the environment they live in. They are natives, responsive. The digital age hasn't reached the giraffe population.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">But our generation (define generation?) are not natives to the digital era. We are "digital immigrants". We remember how society functioned before we had all these incredible tools available to us. Within the next 20 years, realistically, most media professionals and professionals in general, will be digital natives and they'll be writing blogs (if they still exist) about what it must have been like to live before the World Wide Web.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Or will they?</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">To me, one of the most useful and valuable aspects of the way that content is created and stored, we have a running social commentary of the entire time the WWW has been in existence, and social media has brought so much information into it form so many "unofficial " sources that we have an almost infinite supply of information about what it is to be human and alive during the time the internet and computing as a whole, and for some time before.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">One of my favourite quotes about technology is that in order to get man to the moon, the Americans used the computing power that is the equivalent of 1/6 of the power of the technology contained in our chip and pin cards. That's one hell of a statistic and it was years ago I heard it so it could be hideously outdated.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">There are actually loads of articles about this but I do not understand most of it as my tech knowledge is limited, to say the very least. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">This one's quite good: <a href="http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/20/how-powerful-was-the-apollo-11-computer/" target="_blank">Comparing the Apollo Guidance Computer to an IBM PC XT</a> </span></span><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">So in a nutshell, there's a lot of information out there. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">An awful lot of people both on and off TV (you know, that thing we all used to sit around and watch the Dukes of Hazard) spend a tremendous portion of their lives, time and energy researching what it was like to be alive in days gone by. We don't have to do that any more. Documenting social history is one of the most important aspects of social media, and media as a whole. To me, anyway.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">So what do we mean by "digital immigrants"? Simple. People who know what it is like to live both in and before the digital revolution. And "digital natives"? People who have been born into the digital revolution. They know no different. Whilst relatively obvious and simple a concept, the repercussions and implications are huge when you think about human adaptability and being affected by the environment.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">I often think to myself when using one of the many appliances we have readily available to us (mainly the dishwasher and washing machine) "how on earth did people cope before washing machines were available?". I then berate myself for being reliant on this technology when I remember my Grandmother hand washing smalls in the sink, every single day. But life was very different then. The demands were different (she didn't work) the expectations were different (child, teenager, work a few years, marry, have children, retire) and the world was a very different size (as big as the life they lead, no bigger, no need). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Even as a child, the impact of global society was having an effect. I grew up with Michael Jackson, the Brat Pack, Freddie Kruger on TV, video, magazines, cinema. It encompassed growing up life at 10 years old and then when a group of pop and rock stars get together to create a worldwide simultaneous concert flying people across the globe and coming together globally for the greater good - as a child it's more difficult to be unaware that global society exists. Up until that point in time, in order to integrate with the global community, one had to work quite hard to seek it out. Before this, of course, the Americas had a massive influence, it just took much, much longer to filter across. We were on different sides of the world. We're not now. Not really. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">You couldn't simply share a silly picture with somewhere in Sierra Leone. I could do that right now if I wanted - I probably have at some point today without even knowing it. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">One of the arguments against social media that we hear all the time is that it creates seclusion. Episode 1 of the Digital Human podcast </span></span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/dh" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;" target="_blank">Adaption</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> discusses and illustrates both sides of this argument beautifully. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">One of the subjects is a blogger. A fashion and beauty blogger. A very good one. It turns out that she has agoraphobia. The argument is used that modern technology is facilitating this mental disorder - allowing her to be successful in her field without forcing her into social interaction. She eloquently explains that the technology has allowed her to gently and safely build her confidence and push her boundaries to the point that she's now able to go out of her front door. Not very far, but out never the less.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">And anyway, hermits have existed in caves since the dawn of time. Does that mean they have no right to participate in society in whatever way they are able?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">When I started writing this blog I found it quite difficult to get going. I can honestly say I could talk about this all night. But I won't, you'll be pleased to hear. Not JUST because I'm currently listening to a podcast about the effect of technological light on the hypothalamus in the night time.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">The people that seem to be finding the digital revolution the hardest are a new category that I've created. "Digital Illegal Immigrants". The guys who are reluctantly trying to get a tiny handle on technology simply because they have to and not because they want to. I do think it must be very hard as it's difficult enough for an immigrant of average intelligence and a keen desire. When the TV analogue signal got turned off, I was a care worker. Not every person I cared for had someone to set up their digital switchover for them. Several people that night were left without their only company other than 15 minutes with me as a result. For some, this lasted days and caused great confusion. That's not good. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">All in the name of progress. Reminds me of a sickly sweet ride at Disney World that shows the "wheel of progress" (I think that's what it's called)</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I loved this! And "It's a Small World" too, obv.</span></span><br />
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I think we're in an age of massive change and rules and procedures we've followed for generations are becoming obsolete. Well, not obsolete, just changing. A lot.</span><br />
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Some of the other arguments against the digital revolution are unknown dangers, stranger dangers, unwanted attention and information theft.</span><br />
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Well, the way I see it, there have always been unknown dangers. They key is in the name. Strangers have been lurking behind trees and posing as others for hundreds of years. People have been subject to unwanted attention since they've been subject to attention and information theft has existed since information existed.</span><br />
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The dangers and the negatives are still the same - they just present in different ways. In the future, children will be taught how to cross the information super highway at the same time as Tufty has taught them how to cross the road. Information security will improve at the same speed as it did when money came into existence and people realised that keeping it under the mattress wasn't the best place to keep it.</span><br />
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Same, just different.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-22778756290341187462014-01-17T15:00:00.000+00:002014-01-17T15:00:32.263+00:00The Future of the WebSince we last spoke (yes, yes, yes, it was a while ago) I've been given a task. Homework, if you will.<br />
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As part of my Foundation Degree in Social Media (year 2 now I am) I have to do LOADS of coursework. It feels like loads anyway. And I'm using my blog to facilitate one of my pieces. Hope one doesn't mind.<br />
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So, what do I have to do? Write a blog, obv.<br />
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What about? The future of the 'net.<br />
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So here goes:<br />
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I find it quite hard to imagine what the future will bring as far as the internet goes as it has already surpassed anything I could imagine before. If some one had told me 20 years ago that you could keep your entire and infinite collection of music in a cloud I'd have had them sectioned.<br />
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I think the buzz word of the future will be "integration". It really already is but I think it will quickly progress to new ways of interaction. We've seen the shift away from the search engine and towards the app already and I think there's more of that to come. Up until recently we accessed the internet via a computer screen, now the vast majority is done via smart phone. And a lot through an app rather than Google. There are already refrigerators that are connected to her Majesty's interweb so that we never run out of milk or Yakkult. I think that's how it's going to be. Less "screen based" more appliance lead and integrated into everything.<br />
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I can't begin to think how a washing machine might benefit from connectivity other than the reordering of detergent - although having said that it could be possible to set it to work via your smart phone to ensure your precious cream slacks don't have to lie creased up in a drum for a moment longer than they need to.<br />
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In my kitchen, I have a beautiful "old" analogue Roberts radio that I use all day every day. If I'm not listening to it then my dogs are.<br />
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My daughter and her boyfriend were in the kitchen; it was the first time he'd been to the house and he was fascinated by it's appearance and the fact that it has chunky buttons you need to push in and dials to turn. She, however had never batted an eyelid at it up until now.<br />
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He's examining the FM/MW/LW buttons etc. and turns it over. Baffled by the luggage tag of frequencies, he says to her (they think I can't hear) "so how does it work then?" "No idea" she says. "I don't even know how it's connected to the internet."<br />
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True story. I think that's a little insight into the future. Everything will have connectivity.<br />
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Google glasses are quite topical at the moment and I enjoyed the fact that the new BBC Sherlock 3 parter's ultimate "baddie" was utilising a version of said glasses. Whether they'll be anything like he was using, who knows. But they're going to happen for the average Joe, not just tech wizards and the mega-wealthy. I can't see how, but then I didn't see satnav coming. I dreamed about it; but not being a technical whizz, I wasn't aware that it could possibly be even likely.<br />
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Cloud technology has to improve I believe mainly due to the phenomenal and infinite barrage of information constantly being added to the already phenomenal and infinite barrage of information that exists. I think that the inconvenience of storing things in hard format, be that on a disk, hard drive, pen drive is something that will soon end and we'll all be able to access all our information anywhere we need to. I know that services like "take me to my pc" have existed for years through Citrix I think but I think it will quickly become a given. No more putting of hard drives in the freezer to repair them. Has that ever worked?<br />
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Passwords. They're on borrowed time really aren't they. And good riddance to them too. There are currently supercomputers capable of using algorithms that can generate something like 39,000 password guesses per second. "Special characters" don't stand a chance against that. I listened to a really interesting programme about passwords on Radio 4 yesterday.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03g9dqg" target="_blank">Invalid Password: The Password, the History of Failure</a><br />
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Medical technology is the area I think we see a lot of "miracles". Think MRI scans and ultrasound. Already there's 4D capability with neo-natal ultrasound and this will quickly become usual I think. I think that once technology proves a significant financial benefit to the NHS we'll see uptake of devices and equipment that monitors constantly, rather than having to get a GP or Nurse appointment for a test. Blood pressure monitors, blood sugar monitors, that sort of thing. People will be able to go home from hospital sooner knowing that they are being monitored constantly and because of web connectivity the results can be calculated and presented in real time. Infection rates will be down and care costs with it. This should free up resources and THEORETICALLY improve care standards, I would say.<br />
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Also medical apps. My best friend has severe Diaphragmatic Endometriosis and she uses an app to collect, monitor and manage her symptoms so that she can present her surgeon with a comprehensive and accurate representation of her current and recent states. This is now acceptable to forward thinking consultants and medical leaders.<br />
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We have auto complete and "you may like" suggestions and code designed to funnel information down to us, I think this will really take on a new life. I think in the future, the web is going to be whatever we want it to be, based on our usage, preferences, history, personal information and web content so much so that we will see it as almost being psychic. Everyone will have their own agenda, appearance and ability to access more readily the bits that really are of most interest to us. Glad I'm not writing the code for it.<br />
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There are some (me) who are looking forward to the adaptations and revolutions that the internet will no doubt go through in the near future. The same generally that anticipate it changing and enhancing their lives, allowing them to free up time from mundanities in order to spend our precious time on more meaningful activity (candy crush). But there are those (mostly Hollywood screenplay writers) who envisage a much darker outcome.<br />
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The whole "machines taking over the world" theory. I don't know if it's naive of me to think that a human will always need to programme the machines that take over the world, but, what can I say? I'm a glass half full kinda girl.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-81623878280608703912013-10-15T16:04:00.001+01:002013-10-15T16:04:23.547+01:00Ch-ch-changesLife changes. We know that.<br />
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My life seems to change more than most. I guess that's down to my attitude that "life's to short to do anything all of the time".<br />
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I've been struggling with what to do with this blog as a result of these changes. My whole life has turned upside down not once but twice (maybe even 3 times) since I started it, I've changed as a person, learned a vast amount and had a terrific amount of personal growth to enable me to deal with things as they've arrived.<br />
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I now have <a href="http://www.bettyredmua.wix.com/bettyred" target="_blank">my own business</a>, that's in keeping with my original philosophy. But at the time I started I had never mentioned working in the beauty industry or becoming a make up artist. At that time I didn't think I'd ever have the opportunity to do anything like that as a business, despite my lifelong fascination with it and my (limited) artistic abilities.<br />
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But as life changed, I realized that there is a place for the "superficial" and that sometimes the "superficial"(I hate that word in this context) can actually impact dramatically on the way people feel in horrendous situations. The voluntary work I now do with <a href="http://www.lookgoodfeelbetter.co.uk/" target="_blank">Look Good Feel Better</a> demonstrates this beautifully. They are a charity helping ladies to deal with the physical effects of the treatment for cancer. The spring in the step of these ladies at t he end of the session is proof enough for me.<br />
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When I started this blog I was "against supermarkets" (an exaggeration for the purposes of illustration),now I work for one of the big four in order to support myself during the infancy of my business. I don't mind telling you that I love working there.<br />
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The business I work for employs so many people locally and promotes, trains and develops them to a worldwide standard. That cannot be a bad thing for a tiny valley town. The waste situation is now nothing like what we had been lead to believe and the environmental policies are far superior to the effect on the environment that the multiple smaller businesses that would have to exist to fill the demand, could ever be.<br />
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I'm not saying they are the be all and end all, they most certainly are not. But what I've noticed of late is that we now shop for different things in smaller businesses. Of course I've done some Christmas shopping in work, but the majority of my gifts will be bought from small local business, primarily namely the O'Donnell Bakehouse, a variety of non"thing" gifts (experiences and trips out rather than things to dust) and some hand made stuff, which I really need to get on with.<br />
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I've been doing some house stuff of late and once again marveling at the amount of money people waste, spend on superficial nonsense and throw into things that aren't broken. Most of the things in my house have bee acquired from somewhere or other, and I love that. Story behind most of it.<br />
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Have a little look at this blog post <a href="http://www.nigelsecostore.com/blog/2013/10/02/how-to-furnish-your-home-for-free-and-have-fun-doing-it/" target="_blank">Nigel's Eco Blog</a> I read this morning - it is smashing. Maybe I'll take you through my bedroom overhaul, "Betty style", now I've found my focus again and come clean!<br />
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What a BEAUTIFUL autumn day - what's it like where you are?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-16449733195801291162013-06-05T13:52:00.002+01:002013-06-05T13:52:57.421+01:00Best Bunting in the WorldI think we've established that my creativity comes in waves.<br />
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I was propper chuffed to be asked to knock up a bit of smashing bunting for my home-girl SBH of SBH Events. Not least because I hadn't fabricated anything with a machine for ages, it really got me back in the mood.<br />
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Now I have the mood, but not the time!<br />
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Came out nice though?<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-4851817060775530372013-03-08T19:13:00.002+00:002013-03-08T19:13:36.425+00:00Yes, I get it, I'm CRAPI really, really am.<br />
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Not written this for a million years. Feels like it.<br />
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And I made loads of stuff too.<br />
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This is a baby shawl for a new baby girl what I am going to visit this evening. Her Mam's been a bit poorly. </div>
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And I had some left over grey from the wrap I made for my Grandmother's birthday/Christmas, so I took an unprecedented step and made myself something. I'm really proud of this and I've worn it loads. </div>
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So it's Mother's day this weekend AGAIN! I can't believe a year has passed so quickly. I normally do something special for Mammy's day craft wise but this year what with job hunting, trying to set up my business, college, photo shoots, sorting the house out and spending time with my loved one, I ain't had time to do any more than cards.</div>
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Those who expect to receive them look away now please! Birthday card for Lady J too.</div>
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So what with a couple of house moves for me and my nearest and dearest, the ever pressing conundrum of "stuff" has once again become important. Like, how much of it do we actually need? A lot less than most of us have.</div>
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I've done a fair bit of <a href="http://www.freecycle.org/group/uk/wales" target="_blank">Freecycling</a> today and over the last few weeks. Seriously bonkers the amount of stuff we all have. So I have a new policy for presents. I'm only buying things that don't last for ever. Shall I explain?</div>
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Stuff. It takes over your life given half a chance. It breeds and multiplies. I don't want to add to people's stuff hoards, so, I'm buying gift vouchers for cinema/kindle books/treats, flowers (they die eventually), yummy treats (they get scoffed), toiletries. No one buys toiletries any more! I was hoping to get a shed load for Christmas but the haul was minimal. Lady J and I have had many a convo about this of late. It's her birthday this weekend. </div>
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Guess what she got?!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-12024798860342910872013-01-19T20:44:00.001+00:002013-01-19T20:44:21.253+00:00Saturday Night SlapI'll tell anyone that will listen that the thing I find most difficult about make up artistry is the constant references to the faces of women from the world of celebrity and popular culture.<div>
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I can't stand it. I despise the X Factor, the Voice, Big Brother, all such nonsense, and I find it galling to have to know what particular celebrities have been wearing on their faces when they mime to their songs written by someone else on prime time T.V.</div>
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One of my least favorite celebrities is Kim Kardashian. Having never watched their T.V. show I have no idea what they are all about, I'm sure they're all perfectly nice people, but I can't stand the furore that surrounds them/her.</div>
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Unfortunately, her make up stylist is really very good and uses unusual techniques to create her bespoke look that has now become her trademark.</div>
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I watched a brilliant tutorial (about 6 times as it's brilliant, quite complicated and reallyclever) and really wanted to practice the technique, so I bribed Meg with the gorgeous curry the boyfriend made us all for our tea.</div>
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Apparently I still owe her custard though. She's got a heavy cold so did NOT feel like it at all.</div>
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SO here's the before shot:</div>
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Freshly cleansed toned and moisturised, primed using M.U.A. face primer and M.U.A perfect eyes primer.</div>
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Mid way scary shot:</div>
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Several layers of 2 shades of foundation, high use of extreme highlighting/concealing and extreme contouring. It's quite liberating applying make up in this way but really quite scary. You can easily see the way it's going to work though.</div>
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Finished product:</div>
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Normal flash</div>
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Lovely vintage Instagram filter. Want to follow me on Instagram? Betty Red17 is my username.</div>
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I really like this look and technique and while Meg looks nothing like Kim, it's very flattering and I'll use it in the future. Could use a bit more practice on it though. Volunteers always welcomed!</div>
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Betty </div>
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xxx</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-83984866580249276612013-01-06T18:19:00.001+00:002013-01-06T18:19:11.768+00:00Crochet Heaven - or Hell?We all do it.<br />
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We have great Christmas ideas months before the festive season.<br />
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Then something happens. Then something else, and before you know it you're racing to complete something for the big day.<br />
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Well this year I failed.<br />
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It's my grandmother's birthday on New Year's Eve and she's really tricky to buy for so I thought I'd make her a crochet wrap. She likes things like that and I've never made anything for her before, other than food!<br />
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So, I managed to finish it today. Fringing done - it's actually really nice. Very lose crochet which makes it light. I have a considerable amount of wool left so I'm considering knocking myself up something - I'm feeling a tank toppy thing - something thin but warm I can wear under my new motorbike jacket I had for Christmas for the many, many trips out we'll be having very soon.<br />
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This is the wrap - what do you think?<br />
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"Lady J" met her crochet nemesis this year too. Her gent Glen (keep your eyes peeled for his new blog!) wanted a crochet blanket, a granny square one, so, relative newcomer (2 years) to crochet Lady J, knocked out this blinder.</div>
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Ihave to say though, there was some choice language being thrown about by the end of both of these projects, I don't mind telling you!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-2044838843639418742013-01-03T14:49:00.003+00:002013-01-03T14:49:52.436+00:00This Is Your Life2012 was a difficult year for an awful lot of people.<br />
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Don't get me wrong, I do know a few people for whom the year wasn't totally horrendous. But not many.<br />
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They say that we are given the life we are able to handle and at no time has that been truer than the last year. A lot of people very close to me have been tested to their limits. And for some it's not over yet.<br />
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<b><i> But this is a new year, and I demand more from it than last year put out.</i></b></div>
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And a lot of people are making good progress already. My best friend is about to move back home with her gorgeous gentleman who is going to be starting a new blog himself. I've missed her. Things are starting to move for her now.<br />
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Another good friend who I met through this blog actually is thinking of starting her own and she has a lot of skill to share. C'mon Karen! Let's get going!</div>
<br />The diary is starting to fill up already. Don't be taken in by the gloomy economic climate and weather - we can force the sun to shine on all of us.<br />
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An email received from someone I barely know but have great respect for reminded me of how "feisty" I am. I've not felt it particularly for a while, but actually, my strength is coming back. It's time for me to take control back.<br />
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2013 is full of promise and potential for all of us. I will set up my business, I will be successful, I will see my friends, family and loved ones happy and if things go down for one of us (it's inevitable at some stage I suppose), we will all be there for each other - no matter what.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">THIS IS MY YEAR</span></div>
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Wanna share?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-13814816797497485322012-12-27T18:55:00.001+00:002012-12-27T18:55:25.762+00:00Homemade STILL rocks.There's been a lot of it this Christmas I'm really pleased to say.<br />
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From our little Gwdihw door stop to replace the one chewed by brown and white Spaniel made by gorgeous El:<br />
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And the home grown veg chutney, again, hand made by El:</div>
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To my lovely cinnamon whirl brooch, made by lovely Liz:<br />
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And the pretty and useful grey wrap for my Grandmother's joint Christmas and birthday present, made by me...</div>
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... yeah you guessed it, I haven't finished it yet. Not like me one bit, is it?!<br />
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This is one I DID manage to finish by the skin of my teeth! It's another of the frilly scarf/wraps that seem to be very popular currently...<br />
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... with a bit of a gratuitous spaniel shot in the back ground!!<br />
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The radio <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pg4s1" target="_blank">(iplayer link)</a> was fantastic fun on Christmas eve and I got to meet the music historian and fabulously unbelievably geeky (in the best possible way) Phil Davis - you really should listen to his programmes, they are fantastic, but I had to work hard to not be star struck to meet <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/jeremy-vine/videos/terry-walton/sowing-seeds/" target="_blank">Terry Walton</a><br />
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And what a lovely pair of gents. I could have sat there with them all day! And then pressies!<br />
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Louise so kindly bought me a lovely craft book, useful and inspiring it is too with some really unusual projects I'm just dying to have a go at.<br />
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Speaking of projects - you remember I taught Barry boy stand up comedian and Elvis impersonator <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Bubbins-Comedian/120465385931" target="_blank">Mike Bubbins</a> how to make a Christmas cake on Radio Wales a few weeks ago? Well here's the picture he posted Christmas day and it was a triumph! I didn't doubt it for a second, Michael. ;-D<br />
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It was lovely to spend some time with Meg just before the chaos too We went to Manchester to see Thunder - one of our fave bands, little did we know when we booked it back in the summer that we'd be travelling on the worst weather day of the year. Flooding, train cancellations, motorway closures horrific driving conditions and a £6.50 single whisky!<br />
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Its all part of the fun though, eh?!<br />
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Got some great ideas for next Christmas too......Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-80757649684198819432012-12-05T13:17:00.002+00:002012-12-05T13:17:30.951+00:00FestivitiesIt's feeling quite festive here today.<br />
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I replaced my slow cooker yesterday so the smell of a peppery pot roast chicken in wafting through the house as I put the finishing touches to the Christmas cake I'm doing in Blue Peter "here's one I made earlier" stylee for the radio show tomorrow.<br />
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Lady J's Yummy Honey Christmas Cake is a hit with everyone. It contains little flour, no eggs and some fun chemistry and makes the most moist, beautiful gooey, yummy cake in the world - I think it's all the honey.<br />
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The decoration is also Lady J's idea - she's good at those and favours a no nonsense approach. I like that.<br />
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The baby sock advent calendar is a little late going up but today I think it might have to. We're still settling in here you see and there's decorating to be done so I'm reluctant to put up the decs yet as I'm hoping to bash out a bit of painting in the Cwtch ready for Christmas.<br />
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But it smells Christmassy, it feels Christmassy - we're spending the day with my Brother and Sister in Law, their 3 boys, my Mam, Stepdad and Grandmother - a real family Christmas. We ordered the turkey crown yesterday - and I'm going to make a Christmas pud. Another first!<br />
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I still don't have a tree though. Fancied making one out of wire. Do you dare me?!?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-56622128935502881922012-11-22T22:13:00.000+00:002012-11-22T22:13:21.817+00:00Oh Lordy.I LOVE learning things. I love learning about myself, and I love learning about life.<br />
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Part of learning is forgetting things then remembering again.<br />
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I think it's fair to say that these last few months (years) have been really stressful and demanding, but I've started to see the light at the end off the tunnel. As my page says "THIS is my time to shine. Is it yours?"<br />
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Creativity never really leaves you but it does have times where it's less prevalent.<br />
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With my radio stuff, the alterations I've done for a few selected friends, and , of course my make up artistry, I've been plenty creative. But there's a few things I've managed to overlook. Well I have been kinda busy.<br />
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I've managed to overlook the fact that I have a whole house to turn into a vintage paradise.<br />
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And the great thing is that it's all mine. I answer to no one, I do it as I want it.<br />
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Sounds awfully grand and expensive but I think we've established that I'm pretty damned resourceful and can probably do the lot for £100. I have a lot of materials that I can use and adapt, you really can polish a poo. Makes for an interesting talking piece.<br />
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I just made a lovely but obsolete duvet cover into a set of curtains for my romantic vintage bedroom, but I did it out with necessity, not love. I've forgotten to love it.<br />
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So I picked up my bits and bobs crochet blanket I've been putting off, I moved some of my gorgeous furniture about and the project starts right now. I can't believe I've forgotten how much I love home design and how happy it makes me.<br />
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Wow, I am seriously lucky. Working towards the career of my dreams, my friends are the most amazing creatures in the world and I have a fabulous house in a fabulous place and it's mine, all mine. CREATIVITY IS MY HIRAETH.<br />
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Stay tuned for crochet, baking, LOADS of make up, dress making, interior design and general vintage junk. I am so excited I probably will not sleep tonight!<br />
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Damn you Kirsty's Vintage Home!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-24201946807357750532012-10-23T13:55:00.002+01:002012-10-23T13:55:42.387+01:00My Week in Pictures...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know you'll find it very difficult to believe but I'm very excited and been very busy.<br />
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Finally, my CRB check has come back, they know I haven't been in prison now so I can return to work.<br />
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Let's hear it for being a fully contributing member of society!<br />
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I've been lucky enough to have a plethora of (mainly) ladies who require the services of my make up artistry in learning. And I have so many more to do it's so exciting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3L62g5sq_eYKVcEz6InoAyydF7fDZg7p3b5TXUfF8Okcfmqialpv6vedSpmukPs7XF_u4k4da63P3MQcZLNDe3rsDSCPFzkp1MpDXZNtd3HmXdijoB3i4N2E_5WuswJq84BIBVaoKCyx/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3L62g5sq_eYKVcEz6InoAyydF7fDZg7p3b5TXUfF8Okcfmqialpv6vedSpmukPs7XF_u4k4da63P3MQcZLNDe3rsDSCPFzkp1MpDXZNtd3HmXdijoB3i4N2E_5WuswJq84BIBVaoKCyx/s400/004.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Andi, make up or not, she always looks amazing. Gorgeous face.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3wVRuKAqoXbFl7gQBuDMLhHKeel754ZFpYRBOPXMezqAOD_WTaJYSnnoTymhBeo6K26zES9q8IZkYdc-dTpCyXtI03rp4Z74wS87I-NjsdEu926XkxKKvD8yKE7YGAuXiwCUXmGET42P3/s1600/074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3wVRuKAqoXbFl7gQBuDMLhHKeel754ZFpYRBOPXMezqAOD_WTaJYSnnoTymhBeo6K26zES9q8IZkYdc-dTpCyXtI03rp4Z74wS87I-NjsdEu926XkxKKvD8yKE7YGAuXiwCUXmGET42P3/s400/074.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty Peacock color eye I did on me that I could NOT get to show up on the camera! Need some darker pigment - hello Mr. & Mrs. Bourjois</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new MAC 187 limited edition foundation stippling brush. 'Tis a joyous thing!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpl5Mjd4gRV8OjD_SOAT84IIDW1mnZzZrkI_aO2dHC2HEfegmy3H9T81P3A_Kg5ALjegie9ow0IPnVWnzy7KZpiUAf8g4cRRG1NVo8O2bBvbDJA5Df3rd6hxh5JkNzftJ_E6-5ZKTyIPS8/s1600/032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpl5Mjd4gRV8OjD_SOAT84IIDW1mnZzZrkI_aO2dHC2HEfegmy3H9T81P3A_Kg5ALjegie9ow0IPnVWnzy7KZpiUAf8g4cRRG1NVo8O2bBvbDJA5Df3rd6hxh5JkNzftJ_E6-5ZKTyIPS8/s1600/032.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practicing Edward Scissorhands make up on my arm</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meg's Make Up Yesterday</td></tr>
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I've been asked to do some make up for a burlesque show next week and a whole raft of other things which is fab and a very well respected photographer has given me their approval too.<br />
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I'm also excited about the MAC event I'm going to tomorrow. It's keeping my mind off Lady J's surgery tomorrow. Already got everything crossed for you, oh lovely bezzie.<br />
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Anyway, her'es some photos of my disembodied hand I've been making too inspired by a similar thing the full time version of my course are doing.<br />
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And I finished the scarf/wrap thing commission I have been asked to do. Must be honest, I don't want to send it! It really is gorgeous. Forgive me modelling it myself but the dogs wouldn't stay still ;-D<br />
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Must dash, got radio show prep to do. Traa!!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-79208296939609857332012-10-14T19:00:00.001+01:002012-10-14T19:00:26.882+01:00Slow Down! It's the WeekendNo chance. Too much lovely stuff going on!<br />
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At this time of year it's so lovely to get a gorgeous day like today has been especially when you get to spend it on top of a mountain with one of your very best friends and 4 silly dogs.<br />
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We walked and talked and walked and talked for miles, my legs were all tingly when I got back from a combination of the exertion and cold. They've been doing that a lot recently - but for a different reason than today.<br />
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SO the dogs are all shattered and sleepy, not to mention smelly from swamp diving all afternoon again, Meg and I have just scofffed and washed up after a "pretend Sunday dinner" as we like too call it and I've dispatched some of or furniture to my Grandmothers house for storage until such time as the new house situation rectifies itself. Universe - I have faith in you - throw me a bone?!?<br />
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I've realised recently that I can realistically only achieve half of what I set out to on a daily basis but I still find myself pushing for more.<br />
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I can't wait to get settled and creative again. With Meg now being fond of a sewing machine too there's going to be much fun had. My MUA training is more than keeping me going creativity wise and I was lucky enough to work on 2 new friends last night who were really thrilled with their results and I've got 4 booked in for this week. I'm after some photo shoot experience now so I've approached some local photographers offering my services and I'm really looking forward to getting called on. "Lady J" has furnished me with some make up challenges to be going on with.<br />
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So while I try to keep my eyes open for Downton, I look forward to another packed week of (hopefully) work, fun, friends, creativity, making up peoples faces, dogs family and loved ones.<br />
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And I really hope to finish this beautiful commission piece for my lovely twitter friend Cwtchy ...<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-10498667125550964302012-10-06T20:18:00.000+01:002012-10-06T20:18:45.498+01:00So, lots of exciting stuff going on.<br />
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Some of my girlies have kindly allowed to colour their faces in so my abilities are growing and I'm learning every time. Been messing with my eyes today while listening to my mates<a href="http://www.ableradio.com/" target="_blank"> Ian and Toxic's rock show</a>, and did my own eyes to match my favourite specs.<br />
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My first regular slot on BBC Radio Wales with the gorgeous <a href="https://twitter.com/LouiseTalks" target="_blank">Louise Elliot </a>went really well despite my being incredibly late and parking shockingly under the watchful gaze of the lord of the airwaves that is Roy Noble!<br />
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<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01n2pzc/Louise_Elliott_04_10_2012/" target="_blank">Thursday's Show</a></div>
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Then, I get into the studio only to discover that the guest due after me was FAR more organised than I so the lovely Liz Tobin of <a href="https://twitter.com/vivinowines" target="_blank">Vivino Wines</a> was swapped with me. This would not be remarkable if I had known of Liz for 7 years as she is the sister of a bloomin' good friend. We couldn't believe that we bumped into each other there of all places!<br />
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I'm feeling a wine shop coming on!<br />
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I'm working on a crochet commision piece at the moment similar to the teal wrap/scarf I did for myself the other day, and when I'm not doing that I'm packing boxes and having lovely chats ;-DAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-45408679236590126292012-09-19T20:42:00.002+01:002012-09-19T20:42:38.875+01:00What Time is it? It's funny how some articles (some may call it "tatt" - I did) come into your life, you HATE them, but then when they go, there's something about them you miss.<br />
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In this particular instance it is a clock. Friends that know me know exactly which clock I mead and exactly how vile it is. There is only one person who did not think this clock to be utterly vile, that was the person it belonged to. It truly was vile.<br />
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And now it's gone<br />
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... and I miss it.<br />
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Well, actually, let's be a bit more specific here. I don't miss "it", I miss it's tick.<br />
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I love a tick tock. Apparently, some people find it immensely soothing (me) where as a lot of people find it to be incredibly disturbing. I'm glad I'm the former.<br />
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So I needed a new tick tock for my bedroom.<br />
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Go and buy a new clock?! Don't be silly.<br />
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From this brand new but unattractive clock, and these bits and bobs...<br />
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I made this.
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It makes a lovely tick.<br />
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I love a collage.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-70959149284831206602012-09-17T00:00:00.004+01:002012-09-17T00:00:52.975+01:00My GenerationI had some left over yarn from my wrap I made last year (funnily enough it was the night Downton Abbey started last year that I'd started that!) and because I bought the wool when I was away on holiday I bought an awful lot more than I needed. I had no idea what to do with it, it wasn't quite enough to make a jumper and I didn't know what to do with it.<br />
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A little while ago when I made my regency dress I made a shawl to go with it. Remember that? Well it's dead useful, if you're a bit chilly it just sits on your shoulders enough without being too heavy or bulk, so I thought I'd make another. The teal wool is my favourite colour, so I knocked up this baby and I'm really in love with it.<br />
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My beautiful (borrowed from gorgeous Roo) vintage mannequin Anna is modelling it. Isn't she gorgeous I'm not keen on giving her back ever, but one day soon I'll have to. :(<br />
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Can you see my little Cath Kidston pin on it too It has a mini sewing machine, scissors and cotton reel on it too.<br />
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So, generations.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meg's first seams! All tidier than mine, I should add!</td></tr>
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For years I've been trying to get Meg interested in crafts and making things and creating clothes. Gradually it's happened with modifying and personalising garments, charity shop shopping and car booting, so imaging my DELIGHT when she comes home from a college "what to do" crisis (her original course choice didn't work out) to tell me that she's on a full time Fashion and Design course and can I teach her how to thread my sewing machine!?!? I can barely contain my excitement.<br />
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Things are great for us at the moment. I originally thought that going on my media make up course would be for recreational purposes but having spoken to some people, done some research and thinking, I'm going to go for it. I want to set up a freelance business doing everything from kids face painting and bridal stuff to full on media T.V. work etc. With my arty abilities and drive, Meg's contacts - we'll be fine. Looks like we both have new careers to look forward to.<br />
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Meg's currently in London having catwalk modelled for the first time today for a hair competition. Sadly the team didn't win, but she did because she looks bloody smashing.<br />
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Oh and this weekend I did something I said I would NEVER DO.<br />
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For years, I have had recurring nightmares about being in school. I despised every second of it you see. I was very "good" but the teachers had no time for me because I was easily capable of being a straight A student but I have just never been interested in academia, and being a "stinking sweaty" (local term for a fan of rock music) my tiny group of friends were regularly abused, spat on, pushed kicked all that. SO I hated it. I said I would NEVER go to a reunion and that I was still in contact with the only people I was interested in from school. But Sarah really wanted to go, and she encouraged me to go with her, so I thought "to hell with it". And my goodness did we have a good time. Not had a nightmare since either ...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Sarah - friends for over 30 years! (Before we were born :D)</td></tr>
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I had a bit of a dodgy emotional day yesterday due to lack of planning, but I feel so much better today. I must dash, got stuff to put in my diary. Whether I'll make it to all of it I don't know because I'm very excitedly going back to work!<br />
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So anyway, Downton. My friend Becky asked me for a "brief history of Downton" as she'd not yet seen it. I facebooked her this précis and it went down quite well so I thought I'd share... GOD BLESS DOWNTON!!!!<br />
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<span style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.111111640930176px; line-height: 15.555556297302246px;">Old money family gets skint so Lord Grantham marries rich beautiful, kind but savvy american socialite and has 3 daughters, Edith, Mary and Sybil. Edith is bitter but romantic, mega jealous of her prettier sisters, Mary is beautiful but heartless. She shags a Turkish bloke that comes to stay in the house (Downton Abbey) who very sadly had a heart attack in her bed so her, the 2 sisters and the Mother have to move his body back to his room where he can be "discovered", This is hidden from Lord Grantham to protect Mary's reputation. Lady Sybil is a bit of a suffragette and loves politics, despises inequality. She has run of with her beau (the former chauffeur) to marry him and live in Ireland much to Lord and Lady Grantham's digust.Because the Granthams had no sons, the fortune has to be left to the upper working class cousin Matthew who is lovely but doesn't want it, eventually he learns to live with the responsibility and as he's feisty and different he and Mary fall in love despite his being engaged to another bird (luckily she died of Spanish flu so he didn't have to marry her). The Dowager Countess is Maggie Smith and Lord Grantham's Mother and she disasproves of everything and everyone generally unless she has something to personally gain from it but underneath is actually a bit of a softie but she loves a fight and "keeping up appearances", Below stairs, Bates and Anna managed to get married but Bates is now in jail as the crown thinks he murdered his lunatic wife who tried to blackmail everybody, Daisy married her sweetheart on his deathbed despite not loving him so refuses to claim her war widow's pension and she's being trained up by Mrs. Passmore the cook to help her more in the kitchen. Mrs Passmore got cataracts and because Lord Grantham is such a top bloke instead of sacking her he paid for them to be removed. Lady Grantham got pregnant and it was a boy but miserable maid (can't remember her name) deliberately put soap under her bath so she would fall and hurt herself and she did and she lost the baby. This season we should see Mary and Cousin Matthew finally get married after she got shot of her newspaper owning horrible beau, Bates SHOULD get out of jail and the 1st world war has just finished. During the war the Granthams turned their house into a recovery centre for injured officers where they THINK they found the other heir to the fortune who was thought to have drowned on the Titanic. This hasn't been pursued but if it DOES prove to be him with amnesia then cousin Matthew is off the hook but it means Lady Mary will marry a humble solicitor and not keep the aristocracy profile.</span>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-82457743581477800992012-09-02T19:32:00.006+01:002012-09-02T19:32:56.752+01:00Never Happier Than When I've Glued My Fingers TogetherOkay so for some reason (!) I seem to have a little blog-phobia.<br />
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This is ridiculous so I'm weaning myself back into it by just doing a small one.<br />
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Today, I have done the most creative thing I have done in some time. Don't get excited, it won't be in the Tate, but it made me happy for a few hours and now I have no finger prints.<br />
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In my drive to turn my entire house into a big pink ball of kitsch-retro fluff, I turned this:<br />
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That is all, thank you and good night.</div>
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Hi five me.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034300367016604214.post-45695847951000862552012-07-15T11:32:00.003+01:002012-09-02T19:38:52.346+01:00It's been a while AGAINI swear I'd not recognise my life if it wasn't full of some drama or other.<br />
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A couple of weeks ago, I went to my lovely friend Helen and her Sister Ruth's quilting group exhibition. I have seen their work before so I knew the quality of the work would be extraordinary, but I had no idea there would be so much and such incredible workmanship.<br />
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The girls have also been making cooling neck ties for soldiers serving in Afghanistan. These have been a resounding success and they have another 100 to make!<br />
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The quilt show made £188 for Help for Heroes. Well done girls - that's brilliant.<br />
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And Ruth's going through another health drama - sorry to hear about your ongoing ordeal, Ruth, love to you and your family.<br />
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This table runner Helen made to match her crockery. I am unable to do this as I break so much crockery!<br />
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This quilt was made by the group and will be donated to an injured serviceman. The Americans do this regularly - a real gift of love.<br />
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100 year old quilt and the story behind it.<br />
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I love these "Wee willy winkie" style figures Ruth made.<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><i>Betty xxx</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02577126966043487833noreply@blogger.com0