The year is 1995. The location is Glastonbury. Myself, and eight close friends, have just finished our GCSEs, some of us that very morning. We are 16, full of hope, full of confidence, energy, eager for more excitement. We are young. And we are at a festival. This weekend will forever remain one of my most truly treasured memories. We were a group of schoolgirls, but good friends, who took ourselves off, drank a bit, smoked a bit, danced a lot, talked a lot and really just had a bloody good time together as friends. It was magical. I suspect none of us then had any idea that ...
O is for Olfactory
I took W to the park earlier today and on passing a couple of gossiping girls I caught the unmistakeable whiff of Jean Paul Gaultier La Femme. I was instantly transported back to my sixteen year old self. Young, confident, vibrant and hopelessly in love with a wrong 'un. It was amazing the rush, and strength, of emotions and memories brought about by a simple quick smell of a perfume that I used to wear. It got me thinking. I guess we all relate certain smells with certain memories or feelings. Here are some of mine... Chanel No. 5, my wedding day. Tom Ford Leather, Mr ...
N is for Next, supporting Team GB and Paralympics GB
To celebrate London 2012 Next has designed and produced two gorgeous scarves, cleverly designed to mark London's hosting of the Olympics, as well as representing the 900 athletes of Team GB and Paralympics GB. All profits from these souvenir scarves, sold exclusively at Next, will directly benefit the British Olympic Association. Here is W working his... So, to pick up yours head on over to the Next Wear it, Wave it, Win prize draw page and show your support for our athletes. Here you can also enter their giveaway where you could win tickets to one of the major ...
M is for Magpie
On entering the park with W today I spotted a lone magpie. I automatically saluted in order to try and counteract the superstition that the sight of one magpie will bring sorrow. "One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told." I am not sure where I picked up this particular superstition though it may have been my Dad as he spent my entire pregnancy updating me on the predicted sex of my baby according to the number of magpies he had spotted that day. I have also picked up a few others along the ...
L is for Lipstick
I recently spent a week back at my folks place over Easter and, on leaving, accidentally forgot to pack my make-up bag. (I also forgot my hair-straighteners, diary, W's night-lights and my work-key. Disaster.) This actually concerned me more than I thought it would. I am not a HUGE make-up wearer you see. I know plenty of friends who would not dream of leaving the house without their lipstick or mascara on but I have never really been one of those women. In fact the only lipstick phase I went through was in my teens where Rimmel's pale sugary-pink, (think Twiggy) or black-cherry (think ...
K is for …
I love people-watching. Correction, I used to love people-watching. Before I had a toddler. Now I daren't take my eyes off him for a second incase he accidentally causes some formidable catastrophe by way of his ever-jiggling arms/legs/feet. Airports are the best places ever for people-watching. Mr B and I spent two years commuting weekly between Cardiff and Dublin so we spent a lot of time doing this. While waiting for our normally delayed Aer-Arann twin-prop we would often pass the time looking around at our fellow passengers and trying to guess what they did, or where they might be ...
J is for…well you’ll never believe me.
So, this blogging challenge is beginning to take its toll. I have been racking my brains all day to come up with ANYTHING beginning with J. Well anything other than jbmumofone as you must know all there is to know about the me by now. I was actually so desperate for inspiration I began browsing the Collins English Dictionary and, blimey, it was the best fun I have had in ages. Some words are just so cool. I will be saving some up for later in the challenge but here are my top three J's that I now don't know how I have possibly survived so long without knowing. Jack-by-the-hedge: ...
I is for Inquisitive
Overheard: At the Grandparents Child: Mammy what is this? Mum: It's a bacon sandwich. Child: No what is this? *Points to bacon*. Mum: It's bacon. Child: Mammy who made it? Mum: Granny made your sandwich. Child: No Mammy who made the bacon? Mum: A piggy. Child: Mammy who made the piggy? Mum: Another piggy. Child: But who made that piggy? Mum: Piggies make baby piggies, who make other piggies and then we eat them. *DEAFENING silence as we all wait to see where this is going to go next.* Child: Oh. *Eats sandwich*. Related Mum of One posts that you ...
H is for Hilarious!
Ok, so this is kind of cheating as I am going to point you to hilarious stuff that other people have written, but I figure that is in keeping with the spirit of the blogging from A-Z challenge. It is all about finding great new blogs right? Here are five posts that I have recently read that not only made me laugh on reading, but also later when I would randomly recall them at work, unprofessional, in the supermarket, embarrassing, in the middle of the night, does not aid insomnia. But I promise, they are worth it. They are just brilliant. Q and A with Harriet Spinster from ...
G is for Gecko…but also Guile…with a little goodness and generosity thrown in.
In 1991 my life took a rather dramatic turn. My Dad's job moved us from the quiet suburban life of Stratford Upon Avon, to a small island in the middle of nowhere the South Atlantic, the island of St Helena. For those who don't know this is the Island that Napolean was finally exiled to and he died there, though his body was later repatriated to France. I was twelve years old when we set sail for the island and during the voyage I made great friends with another young expat girl called Lucy. We were pretty much the only children on the boat and we remained great friends during our ...