Remembering me

Sometimes when you become a parent - and indeed when general adult life gets busy overall - you can lose track of what it is that makes you you. 

What have you been up to lately? So, what are your hobbies? Often when I get asked these questions nowadays I get a bit stuck - erm...not much, I can’t remember, I don’t really have time to have any...

But that’s sort of wrong. I know deep down I need to make time and not give in so easily to Mum guilt or give excuses not to do things for me.

This month I knew was going to involve a few well overdue days/evenings having fun. Fun for me that is - not laughing at my kids being crazy, smiling at something cute they’ve done, or enjoying watching them making me proud. 

The month’s not over yet and I have to admit so far it’s been great. My bank balance and figure won’t thank me, but it’s been so nice to indulge in a few things I enjoy. 

Eating out

Theatre

Film

Music 

Friends 

Dating

Reading 

I had a girl’s night out at the start of the month, it’s been a very long time since I’ve got together for a girly one and it was great. A perfect combination of drinks, chatting, nice food and a good dance/sing to some ‘classics’. I can’t sing or dance great let’s be honest, but nothing does me the world of good more than a drink or two and dancing like a loon and ‘singing’ along to some old garage songs I used to love when I went clubbing when younger! 

I’ve eaten a gorgeous afternoon tea in London at a swish hotel, gastropub family birthday lunch, tasty bistro birthday meal, a late night ‘fancy’ burger and a steak dinner. All bar one were child free too which make the world of difference as for a change I could take my time, enjoy the flavours and savour my food! 

I watched the Tina Turner musical in the West End which I’ve wanted to see for a while - again I really like a good musical or simply a play at the theatre. This tends to be an annual visit nowadays so I think I appreciate and enjoy it even moreso. The musical was amazing - so much energy and emotion in the performance, it certainly didn’t disappoint. 

My fiancé and I couldn’t properly remember the last film we saw at the cinema and thanks to my in-laws we ended up seeing two films when we went out. Again - as with good music, good books (I’ve been getting into my reading again finally of a night before going to sleep) and a good play/show - I find films great escapism, a fun way to switch off and forget real life for a bit. We had a good mix of a lighthearted kids story and then a more adult Tarantino film. 

And speaking of my fiancé, we’ve had some time just us for a change, which is very rare and makes the world of difference. It’s so hard to even get in a brief conversation most the time - hence why our to do lists and social planing are always so behind! 

Oh and a bit of a lay in and breakfast in bed weren’t all that bad either! Sleep is extremely underrated pre-parenthood! 

I’ve still got a couple more things ahead too - a night out with friends and my fiancé at a ‘silent disco’ and a girly night out with a difference with my Mum, and mother and sister-in-law! I can’t wait!

Before kids we used to go out lots more and my fiancé would find new places to visit (immersive Alice in Wonderland was one, themed afternoon teas, music gigs, stand up shows). I love music gigs, live comedy and things that are a bit different and so I’m going to see if we can both really try to make more of an effort to invest in planning more regular time for us to enjoy these things again. 

Even if it’s a once every few months event, and we have to wait until our budget allows, we need to make sure we’re not missing out. 

Just a few moments rediscovering things I enjoy has made me feel so much like me again and reminded me who I am. And let’s not forget I’ve got to get back on that spinning bike as it’s been a while again now - if only to work off the after effects of all this ‘rediscovery’! 

Tutu-ly beautiful ballet

As one of my Christmas presents from my fiancé I had surprise tickets to the ballet.

Swan Lake.

I've always wanted to see Swan Lake, I remember it from when I was a little girl for some reason but I couldn't tell you why. 

I did go ballet classes for a short time when I was really little so maybe they showed us it, played the music or talked about it. I just remember knowing of Swan Lake from a young age.

Then Black Swan came out a few years back and it reminded me again. 

Knowing this - as he always does - my man got tickets so we could finally go see it.

So on Thursday evening we visited the London Coliseum and watched the English National Ballet. 

Each time I've seen this company I've been impressed, but the dancing in this performance was truly amazing.

Apparently the lead ballerina is 40 years of age? If this is true she is one talented woman. 

I lost count of the turns, pirouettes and pointes. 

The show was split across four acts. I have to say my favourite was act 2, the 'swans' dancing were so beautiful. It was mesmerising.

We were in the dress circle so I couldn't quite see the costume detailing, but I could see the sparkles on Odette's outfit. 

Even the male ballet dancers impressed me, normally I focus more on the females but the lead who played the Prince (his debut in the role that night) was so talented.

Now I can't wait to find another ballet we can go to. 

I was telling someone the other day how a few years back we tried to become more 'cultured' and visited galleries, museums, ballet and the opera.

I have to say ballet is still a firm favourite and it's good because my other half seems to enjoy it too.

The only thing I always wonder is why at times the ballerinas seem like feathers and completely weightless and you can't even hear their footsteps, yet at others it seems quite loud? 

My fiancé laughed at me but last time we saw the company I could swear I couldn't hear their feet on the floor at all. At the start of this production I really did notice the footwork sounds. 

Who I am to comment on their dancing and how light they are on the feet is anyone's guess. I certainly couldn't do it! (As my partner was quick to tell me!) 

If anyone knows what I'm talking about and if it distracts you too I'd love to know!

Regardless, I throughly enjoyed Swan Lake and can't wait for whatever we decide to experience next! 

That theatre feeling

I do love the theatre. 

Ever since I was young I can remember enjoying the experience. 

When little it was all about dressing up smart and going to see pantomimes, then childhood stories and my favourite books being played out on stage (BFG always sticks for some reason).

Then off to see more serious plays for school and college viewing. 

After, my love for musicals developed, all the costumes, songs and feel good factor.

Leading into more moving tales and thought provoking pieces. 

Everything stemmed from there and combined in a varied mix of it all - cheesy musicals from films and books I'd loved, tear jerking shows which set my emotions alight, watching famous stars tread the boards, becoming more cultured with all talking, no interval plays, being bewitched by ballet and opinionated over opera. 

I love it all.

It's now so much more accessible for all too. The one thing I do miss about theatre however is the glamour.

Not, the glamour of the stars and stage. That's of course still there. It's the audience that's lost its sparkle.

People used to dress up to go see a show. Now jeans are more often than not the outfit of choice. 

Tonight I went to see a play called The Weir. I got to go somewhat out of the blue as a friend at work could no longer go and sold me her tickets. 

So off I went with my Mum. We enjoyed a locely Italian meal washed down with red wine and then headed to see what lay in store for us for our £10 seats.

Ah meal, drinks and theatre is such a good combo!

Anyway I have to say we were pleasantly surprised. After my Michael Grandage £10 balcony experiences throughout last year at the Noël Coward theatre I'd warned my Mum how high and far the tickets may lead us.

However on finding our seats I was pleasantly surprised. Pretty good for what are commonly termed the 'nosebleed seats'. 

As for the show it lasted around 1 hour and 45 minutes with no interval.

From rough snippets I'd heard I'd got it in my head that it was going to be somewhat of a ghost tale and may spook us out.

There were some moments that got my skin tingling and my eyes watering (some weird thing I seem to get if I'm getting a bit scared by supernatural/frightening films/stories).

However this wasn't a scary story show, this was about relationships, emotions and humour. 

Set in an Irish pub, it reminded me of elements of the Cripple of Inishmaan, which also had a lovely feel to it and great humour. 

Although the show wasn't quite what I was expecting, I did enjoy it. It offered something different and kept me gripped and hooked on the characters in front of me.

Well known names feature, but that wasn't what it was about, it was the well developed characters who you couldn't help but love. 

Yet again I enjoyed another theatre experience and now it's got me wondering what can I go see next?? 

A little bit of London

This weekend was my boyfriend's weekend off (he does shift work and only gets one weekend in every five off). So of course, this meant two things:

1 - I'd be dragging him to do some form of exercise/fitness
2 - We'd be going to experience some form of 'culture'

Friday evening he was at work until 11pm and after a very long and super busy week at work (again!) and a 5am wake up I was fast asleep by the time he got home. My Friday evening on my own consisted of doing my workout DVD, watching some TV and blogging a bit.

So I was looking forward to the next day.

Saturday morning I of course rushed off to my usual spinning class and my man hit the gym floor whilst I was pedalling and sweating away upstairs. We didn't have very long between leaving the gym and having to get on a train into London so it was a bit of a manic rush on finishing my class (as if I wasn't exhausted enough!)

Where we were going this time?

The Museum of London.

On one of our other visits out and about we'd noticed a poster for a rather gory exhibition - Doctors, Dissections & Resurrection Men. My boyfriend - working in the healthy industry and naturally into blood and guts in general - was sure to be a fan I suspected and so I said maybe at one point we could give it a go?

This weekend was that time, I'd already been impressed when the Museum emailed me to let me know that although we'd paid £9 each for our tickets the date we'd picked was now going to be a 'pay what you can' date and we could pay less if we so wished. Simply notifying us and offering that I felt meant they more than deserved the actual asking price - how often are places that honest with consumers?

Again, I feel ashamed saying this, I wasn't even aware the Museum of London was there, nor what it offered. Furthermore, the fact it sits so close to where I work!

I have GOT to get more familiar with our capital, something I'm slowly but surely starting to do.

What we imagined was going to be a 1-2 hour visit in actual fact turned out to be a 4 and a half hours fascinating walk round a great artistic venue. I loved it!

I was nervous about viewing the exhibition we'd planned to see as I am known to get queasy quite easily. However, I actually found the display - containing a mix of video content, artwork, literature, health specimens, medical models, human remains, animal skeletons and historical artefacts - really interesting and insightful. I won't go into too much detail in case anyone reading this wants to go see for themselves (the exhibition is open until April), but it gave a real mix and kept you entertained and interested throughout. The display wasn't as gruesome as I'd originally expected, but had a few things to keep the bloodthirsty amongst you happy.

Again (as with my recent theatre trip) I was met with a pleasant surprise. The Museum had a host of galleries displaying a history of London - all for free. Wow. This again really was so interesting. Split through the different ages - whether it be Roman times, during the Great Fire Of London, during Victorian times, swinging 60s and all the way through to present day the museum had it all.

I was very impressed with the various modes used to showcase the people, events and lifestyles in each era covered - for once QR codes used cleverly! There were things to feel, areas to walk through or sit in, things to listen to, reading material, actual items used during the time in history on show and lots more. I had so many 'favourite' bits, but have to say two things that really stood out were the Victorian experience, the Pleasure Garden and the elevator from Selfridges (we all know how much I love the Mr Selfridge drama on ITV right now).

My boyfriend will vouch for how annoying I was, constant cries of 'Wow' and 'Amazing' from me throughout.

We walked round for over four hours and by the end of it both of us were exhuasted, but really happy after such a fun and informative afternoon. I would definitely recommend the Museum and will be sure to head there again (the Michael Caine exhibition being put together whilst we were there looked really good too!) Even the photos displayed outside were enjoyable to check out on our way out and don't get me started on how emotional the memorial book for July 7th is.

I'd noticed we weren't far from the Barbican Centre and that a free installation the Rain Room was still showing until Monday, so we walked across to go check it out since it was open until 8pm. Unfortunately when we got there the queue was ridiculously long and they'd closed it off so we had to miss out this time. Our Museum of London was definitely more than enough for our Saturday anyway.

Who knows what's going on with me? Trying to do all these new things - and finding new things I love is great fun, but even I was surprised Saturday evening when I agreed to watch one of the many DVDs that my boyfriend got as presents at Christmas. We watched the film Warrior - about a family and ultimate fighting. I agreed to try something different and am surprised to admit I really enjoyed it!

For now I've done my workout DVD today, done a few boring domesticated bits - food shop, tidying up, washing etc and we've been to the cinema to see a scary film (more my taste). Now it's time to relax after a healthy dinner and get ready to tune in to Mr Selfridge and hope that I've done enough this week to lose weight in tomorrow morning's weigh in. Fingers crossed...

Always a first time for everything

Earlier this week I experienced two firsts – my first visit to an art gallery and my first visit to the opera. Yes, yet again I've been out and about trying to participate in things a bit more cultured!

My experience was somewhat mixed. I’d already got the opera booked up from a while back – having purchased ‘cheaper’ tickets in the upper circle to a condensed and English version of La Traviata. As it so happened I was owed some time at work and so I decided to use it on the afternoon to make the most of my day.

So myself and my boyfriend met for a quick lunch and then headed off to the Whitechapel Art Gallery – literally 5 minutes’ walk from my office. The gallery is another amazing free offering from our capital and has a variety of different areas exhibiting various artists, which obviously vary and change over weeks/months.

We got to see the likes of Gerard Byrne , Lucy Cash , the Collection Sandretto Re Rebaudengo , Giuseppe Penone and archives of Aspen Magazine

After spending around 90 minutes in the gallery we both came out feeling pretty much the same – ‘I don’t get it’. I think we can safely say conceptual art is not for me and my boyfriend. However, not to be put off I think next time we shall venture to the Tate Modern or similar to see some more standard art – photos, paintings etc and not random video clips and unclear messages.

Saying that I still enjoyed the visit and was glad I gave it a go and there were parts of Cash’s work and Penone’s that I admired.

As we still had some time spare (and we seemed intent on wearing ourselves out!) we then had a quick search online and saw the Royal London Hospital Museum wasn’t far either and was also free! So off we went.

I thoroughly enjoyed this small but item-packed building. Both of us really felt we learnt a lot about the hospital and healthcare in the East End of London throughout the years. I thought the wall at the end showcasing key and memorable nurses from past to more recent days was also a lovely touch. We only had 45 minutes until the museum closed, but this allowed us enough time to peruse the displays and watch a snippet of one of the informative videos (surprise surprise my boyfriend chose to view the one on the ‘elephant man’!)

By this point we were getting pretty tired and so decided to venture closer to our evening venue and go and enjoy some drinks and dinner. A couple of hours later we emerged from the chain Mexican restaurant absolutely stuffed to the brim and headed off to the London Coliseum (seems my favourite place to be this year!) to go and take our seats for the opera.

This two hour, no interval display was put on by the English National Opera and although we were right at the back of the Upper Circle we had a nice view from our seats. When booking it said we’d have no view of the surtitles (which it turned out there weren’t any), but I said to my boyfriend it wouldn’t matter since the singing was in English. Hm…

To summarise, the theatre was absolutely boiling and upstairs they kept letting latecomers in throughout the whole performance which was pretty off-putting – as were the constant coughers and some man who made very odd noises throughout.

However, to focus on the show itself. Again, I’m not sure if I am a fan of the opera or not. I guess we were expecting a rather more detailed set than there was and I expected to understand more of what was being sung. I had purchased a programme before the show started and tried to have a quick read through of what the story entailed, but it wasn’t until we were on the tube home that I finally got to grips with what we’d just watched if I’m honest.

So what did I learn? Well, the lead who played Violetta was an amazing singer and I thought she performed very well, as did the man performing as Alfredo. The talent could not be denied. However, I’d like to try opera again, but this time see it in Italian (if we can’t understand it in English anyway we might as well see it in the language it’s typically played in) and I’d also sit closer to the stage – whether in the stalls or nearer the front of the dress circle. I’ll also read up more thoroughly on the story outline beforehand. I found I was surprised I found it easier in ballet to tell what was going on through mime and dance moves, than being in an opera and watching people moving and singing.

This is the first time in my cultural experiences venture that I’ve not loved what I’ve seen (the ballet, theatre plays, the costume exhibition), so I admit I was a bit sad that I didn’t come away loving the experience. However, obviously you can’t like everything and before I give up on opera and art I’m going to try different variations first.

So the story this time is to be continued…

Snow, dieting and a bit of ballet

I'm sitting in my toasty warm flat - admittedly still in my pyjamas - relaxing as the snow continues to fall outside.

I've just realised I haven't blogged for a few days, so thought it was time for a bit of an update.

I'm considering doing a workout DVD for exercise (which if done will be my fifth day of exercise this week). I don't fancy venturing out in that snow! Last week I managed six days of exercise and healthy eating with a 'cheat' one day when I went out for a meal. I lost one pound. This I found really disappointing.

And of course there's been no booze. I'm still successfully working my way through Dry January, now on my 20th day and only 11 remaining! It's felt great if I'm honest.

Last night I enjoyed another meal out, a two course meal at Prezzo and a little treat of ice cream at the theatre too. Let's hope it's not undone all my hard work this week!

I noticed as well how I'm falling into getting used to not having alcohol - my third meal out now without drinking and I actually felt quite happy with drinking water with my meal. It doesn't seem a big deal anymore and doesn't need to be an automatic association of eating out combined with a big glass (or bottle) of wine.

The best bit of last night though was the entertainment afterwards - the ballet. I was back at the London Coliseum, this time with my Auntie, for her first visit to the ballet.

We were there to see The Sleeping Beauty. I wondered whether it'd feel so magical this time round - not being my first visit or still around the 'festive' season. On Friday as the snow came down I was also concerned the show might be 'snowed off' or we just wouldn't be able to get there ourselves.

Thankfully the snow held off and we trudged up to London in our wellies without issue.

In terms of the show? I wasn't disappointed. This time we were to enjoy the story of beautiful Princess Aurora and the curse set on her to fall into a deep sleep if she is ever to prick her finger - only a true love kiss from a Prince can awaken her.

If I was impressed last time at the Nutcracker, this time I was absolutely wowed. There seemed to be even more astounding displays of dance talent. 'Aurora' (Tamara Rojo) was so so talented. I couldn't believe how she moved and you were mesmerised by her pirouettes (I hope this is the right term!)

Again I recognised Daria Klimentova and Crystal Costa from The Nutcracker and this time they seemed even better if possible.

The costumes were again so so beautiful, the colours, detail, sparkle and amazing movement as ballet dancers leapt, turned and floated across the stage.

I think we can safely say I will be booking up to go to the ballet again!

As I relax today I really hope I get a good result in tomorrow's weigh in. I'm finally not quite so achey. I hit the gym on Friday for an hour's workout and decided to do a little bit of weight work near the end as I haven't done it in so long, then Saturday morning I did spinning as usual. I've been in agony since, so achey!!

Thankfully after a long sleep my muscles don't seem as bad and I can brave my Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD later. Although again I've not done this in a long time so I might find I can't walk too well for work tomorrow (not ideal when you've got to negotiate snow and ice too!)

The Joys of Commuting

Shoulder barging, elbow digging, someone sitting over your side of the seat
Wide newspaper reading, super loud music listening, someone with something very smelly to eat

Rain blows across the platform, soggy umbrellas knock legs, sodden clothes and damp feet
Damp smells fill the carriage, your hair now windswept and wet, where it had been so neat

Treading on toes, knocking bags, rushing to get that seat first
People don’t move down the carriage or across the seats, lack of manners just gets worse

Tannoys announce more delays, service disruptions and cancellations
Trains stop on the tracks, making you late, everyone letting work know in phone conversations

People blocking station entrances, walking super slow along the platform, generally getting in the way
Trying to make that fast train, people bang into you, no apology or checking you’re okay

Huge sighs go out as the driver reveals passengers have set off the alarm, you stop on the track
People leaning into you more and more, it’s not a post to lean on, it’s my back!

Summertime, super sweaty trains, clammy skin touching yours, awful smells whatever the time of day
People feeling faint, the heat is so strong, people push on already-packed trains anyway

Coming home late at night with drunk people, fast food odours and rowdy crowds
Falling asleep, trying not to miss the stop, others shouting and singing so loud

Pleased to make the earlier train and looking forward to getting home early
Then you wait ridiculous amounts of time for a bus and end up later than you are usually

Businessmen selfish with their space and huge papers, workmen covered in dust and paint splattered overalls
Elderly people struggle to balance, pregnant women having to stand, no offers of seats or help at all

A new year approaches and brings with it news of an increase in travel fares
Nobody can understand it, no improvements evident anywhere

Settling down to read your book in peace, you’re joined by oddballs who won’t leave you alone
Nobody ever smiles at one another, all straight-faced or playing on their phone

Distracted Mums ignore the noise as their children scream and shriek
Earphones blare out too loud music and non-muted phones make noisy bleeps

Embarrassed to be seen by those you know, you become so moody on these journeys
Knowing exactly your spot to stand at and being sneaky to nab that seat in front of somebody

Then there’s that day you catch eyes with someone across from you and see a friendly smile
Something funny happens in the carriage and you end up speaking for a while

Someone lets you on in front or helps someone in need near to them
But that’s the odd day and then the moods and rudeness continue all over again

Lunchtime thoughts

I'm sitting on my lunchbreak in a coffee shop trying to keep warm and shelter from the rain with my skinny mocha. It's on days like this I miss working in Canary Wharf. There just don't seem to be any good places to sit round here indoors and in the warm, unless you want to pay. The shops are rubbish too.

It's funny, yesterday we obviously went to the marathon, we went to a variety of spots - the ones I usually go to though - to try and catch a view of my man running. Canada Water/Surrey Quays, Rotherhithe, Canary Wharf, Embankment and Westminster.

I found as we got to Canary Wharf I'd missed it. Now I'm no train spotting enthusiast or fan of station architecture, but I felt sad as we arrived there.

Later as we navigated the maze-like system of the shopping centre - in order to simply get to the other side of the road for a better view - I felt sad. I remembered my lunchbreaks of sitting in the warm centre reading my book when it was cold and bitter outside. I remembered numerous lunches spent mooching round the many shops and the successful shopping trips on a lunchbreak where I could buy most things I needed.

My sister in law suggested I can go there any time to see the shops, but it's not the same I argued. It's ideal for lunchbreaks but I wouldn't want to go there on my weekends I admit.

So, yes, the marathon. Well my man completed it, in 5 hours and 19 minutes, a 40 minute improvement on last week's run. He's gutted he didn't get a sub-5 hour time, but after all he's been through I think he did amazingly!

However, the ongoing issue of raising the funds remains, we're still on less than £1,000 so over £600 to go. I'm trying not to dwell on it for now and hope over the next few weeks he secures it. After all he's just managed to complete two marathons and I want him to enjoy being employed again!

As for the marathon and London's transport system and organisational skills, I said I'd let you know.

Hm, well, overall the service itself was good. There weren't any line closures impacting on the journeys we had to make. Granted we had to queue to get into Canada Water, but it did progress relatively quickly. Although one of the station worker's manners left a lot to be desired when my Aunt simply asked him if there was a toilet in the station.

However, the organisation in the meet and greet area was horrendous. Normally we exit Whitehall and join everybody in the meet and greet area on the huge expanse of gravel/sand (whatever it is!) Unfortunately this year for those running over 5 hours the end was somewhat wet as it started to rain (yet again, what is it with all this rain of late, these April showers have featured enough now I feel!)

Meet and greet was a disaster, people leaving and arriving were let in/out the same route and so it was a mass of people barging all over the place in wet coats and carrying massive umbrellas. Not fun. Even those who'd just run the 26.2 miles had trouble getting back, my man waited 20 minutes in the rain just to get to his family.

Trying to leave was the same mess, no systems, no organisation, just people stuck all trying to go in different directions with nobody able to move!

As we finally emerged I noticed a lot of police and talk of crowd control so perhaps later on (when there'd be much less people anyway) they did sort something out.

My 'London is rubbish at organising thing's' rant continued this morning when it seemed yet again Greater Anglia trains couldn't cope with the simple Monday morning rush hour.

That was fun. What was even more entertaining was how our driver kept highlighting this was the Olympic host for 2012 as we neared London. He was telling this to a train packed full of grumpy commuters, on a train that was running over 20 minutes late on a standard working day. Not the best of timings...

Anyways time is getting on and it's time for me to brave the wet, busy streets of the city and get back to work. I've got more to say re my weightloss/exercise/diet plan though so you may well hear more from me later on...

A marathon achievement

This morning felt a little like Groundhog Day if I'm honest. We woke up, we had a late breakfast and we had a woman on TV cooking in her kitchen in Paris.

We got washed and dressed and then headed out to a marathon expo. Yep pretty much exactly the same as last Saturday. Well, apart from one thing, we weren't walking along a sunny seafront strolling to the exhibition, instead we were tubing it to London.

Now don't get me wrong, grumpy me was still evident to see as we got on the grimey District Line and people cut us up left right and centre throughout our journey. But I was pleasantly surprised by something I noticed. The transport system.

I used to regularly travel through West Ham and get the Jubilee Line - or depending on the journey the DLR. For once I'm going to praise the Olympics! If this is the influence of the Olympics coming to London then perhaps I have witnessed today a positive impact on our transport system - those trains were so regular and seemed to whizz out of the station!

The feel in the expo compared to Brighton last week was absolutely buzzing! It was packed with stalls and charities and had loud music pumping out giving a boost to energy levels.

Maybe it was the charity element but the thought of everybody coming together to support each other like that was a very nice feeling indeed. And dare I say it, it did make me think of the Olympics. If everyone comes together to will everyone on in Britain to do well in the Olympics it will create an amazing feel in London. Something I feel seems to be lacking at the moment (my slightly negative slant on things a good example of this I know!)

I found myself looking at Olympics related goods and feeling proud. I think this could be the influence of the marathon though, so please don't get celebrating (or sulking, depending on your views) just yet that I've suddenly become an Olympics fan!

I really can't wait for the marathon tomorrow in London, last week in Brighton was great and was so much fun standing with hardcore semi-pro cheerers!! It does make a difference if you really get into the supporting.

However I have to admit you can't beat the feel of the London marathon (Brighton of course is on a smaller scale and is still in its infancy to be fair).

I'm well prepared for tomorrow, I've got myself a supporters pack from Whizz Kidz (the disabled children's charity my man is running for https://www.justgiving.com/trevsolympicchallenge2012), which includes

Balloons and stick holders
Banging sticks
T shirt
Supporters guide so we know where to watch

Then I also nabbed some freebies, so I'm also equipped with banners and trumpets too! I can't wait to cheer my man - and others - on!

This will be my fourth marathon in London now as a spectator. I have to say every one I've attended I've thoroughly enjoyed, the atmosphere is amazing, the crowds are so friendly and London feels a very safe and close capital.

I'll admit I do tend to have a whinge about the trains on marathon day as they always end up temporarily closing stations and there's normally at least one or more lines with issues.

However this year again I feel I should thank the Olympics because there doesn't really seem to be any line closures on the tube this weekend. If the trains run as fast and as regularly as today it'll be amazing. What the stations themselves are like I'll only find out tomorrow.

So as I pack my bag and plan my outfit for tomorrow's events, I am feeling optimistic about the Olympics and excited about the atmosphere awaiting me in the capital tomorrow. Plus I have an overwhelming sense of pride and love for my man right now for all he's achieved and I can't wait to be there at the finish line for him tomorrow. Him breaking through that finish line tomorrow will be symbolic of more than him just finishing an actual run itself and I can't wait to be there to support and congratulate him.

The City

Sirens wailing, car horns beeping, everybody rushing rushing
Shoulders barging, bags banging, everybody shoving pushing

Train announcements – more delays, everybody complaining moaning
Non commuters walking slowly, buggies, cases in the way, everybody sighing groaning

Free papers thrust in your face, freebies being given away, everybody grabbing trying
Traffic rushing past, people running and taking their chance, lights so slow to change, everybody feet tapping stamping

Chain bought coffee cups held out in front, people distracted by their phones, everybody texting talking
Crumbs dropping as hurried breakfasts eaten on the way to work, everybody munching chewing

Charity workers on the approach, Big Issue sellers saying ‘hello’, everybody ignoring hurrying
Someone trips and drops their bag, nobody has time to stop, everybody staring nosing

Tall office blocks towering above, shiny windows glinting in the sunlight, everybody at doors opening revolving
Unique boutiques opening up shop, staff starting their day, everybody chatting smoking

A dip in the noise, only latecomers rushing in to the office, everybody laughing relaxing
Workers on their way to meetings, clutching their tablets or laptops, everybody prepping briefing

Lunchtime comes, hustle and bustle and long queues, everybody eating drinking
Outdoor areas taken over by those on their breaks, everybody talking relaxing

Suited and booted, slick haired ‘cityboys’ and smartly dressed office girls pound the pavements, everybody’s shoes clicking clacking
Laid back Shoreditch types saunter along, dressed in the latest trends, everybody strolling wandering

Red faced execs strolling out of bars and restaurants after entertaining clients, everybody yawning smiling
Those who have no time for breaks, rushing to grab a quick bite before heading back, everybody stressing running

Local people walking round, going about their day, everybody buying viewing
Streetworkers clearing the paths and roads, everybody cleaning sweeping

Then time to go home, crowds swarming, everybody walking leaving
Trying to make that fast train back, getting through the crowds, everybody diving weaving

Bags knocking knees, elbows knocking backs, train engines starting, everybody sitting unwinding
People outside hailing cabs, meeting friends, everybody shouting greeting

And then darkness comes, after work drinks ending, everybody swaying giggling
Late night munchies, fast food places open, everybody queuing munching

Streets covered in litter, unwanted papers and flyers, everybody travelling sleeping
The odd car along the road, shops closed, odd office lights on, night staff, everybody cleaning tidying

That’s it for another day, silence apart from taxis and emergency vehicles, drivers, everybody concentrating tiring
Until the morning when it all begins again, everybody rushing rushing

Snow

Wow, so the snow came as predicted then.

Having already got tickets to the Kisstory clubnight at Indigo2 at the London's o2 and finding it wasn't cancelled me and two close friends stuck to our plans and went out last night.

I feel I should also add I'm writing this after around four hours sleep or so, so excuse any mistakes...

We'd already arranged for both my friends to stay at mine and for my boyfriend to come pick us up at around 230am (the event finished at 3am). I don't think any of us really suspected the snow would be as bad as suggested. Come on they get the weather wrong ALL the time!!

What resulted was a 'fun' series of events which I'll round up below:

Boyfriend drops us at local station to get train into London, snow starting to lightly fall, at around 8pm
We get on District Line train and get stuck with some drunken rowdy West Ham fans on the tube, me panicking as always thinks they're having a row with supporters in the next carriage so we move
We get on the Jubilee Line - still running at this point - with only a light dusting of snow at West Ham we skid our way onto the tube
On getting off at North Greenwich we are faced with another oddball commuter (this was a common theme on our night - odd/annoying people)
After walking/tiptoeing along the partial undercover path we get into the o2, with people having snowball fights around us, so as you can tell the snow was pretty thick already at this point

What then followed was dinner at Frankie & Benny's - after a long time waiting in a pointless queue in the cold. We had an odd experience with a slightly nutty (but trying to be friendly in his own way) waiter and kept getting drafts of cold air as they kept leaving the side door open

Following our dinner we went for drinks at Slug & Lettuce and at around 1030pm saw the Olly Murs' concertgoers walk past, clearly their gig had finished.

Around elevenish we then went to go in the Indigo2. Now I've been to Kisstory in this venue before. About March time last year I think it was. The experiences did not match up.

We had bought tickets way in advance, around £20 each cost-wise. After trying to get in at two entrances we were told we weren't 'guestlist' or 'VIP' and told to go round the corner to the left to the side entrance.

This so called side entrance was actually outside, where we had to walk through the snow and were herded like cattle by the bouncers and told we had to 'carry our own ticket each'.

When we got in there was a cloakroom clearly labelled, but which after queuing turned out not to be a cloakroom but a makeshift extra bar... In the end we just kept our coats on us all night

We then hit the bar.

Where we proceeded to wait 40 minutes to be served thanks to the sheer and utter incompetence of the bar staff (and one guy in particular).

Thank goodness the Kiss DJs were playing some great tunes to keep our mood up! After a £45 round(!!) we went to go dance.

The rest of the evening saw us entertained by Kiss DJs Justin Wilkes and Jez Welham, Dane Bowers (who I'm ashamed to say I loved!) and the lady from Alex Party ("Don't give me your love your love gimme your love...")

Unfortunately my garage hero DJ EZ was "snowed in" and never turned up. We had a great time dancing regardless and my complaints are certainly not with the Kisstory night itself.

That great time dancing was of course spent around the sheer panic of the snow and transport situation and worrying for my boyfriend's safety.

We kept updates via text and that was how I found out the Jubilee Line had shut early, Olly Murs' fans were stranded and that the o2 was allowing people to wait in there to keep warm etc.

Unfortunately this didn't seem to get passed on to the 'lovely' security staff of the Indigo2 venue.

My boyfriend left at just before 2am to get us. The event finished at three so we tried to stay in the venue as long as we could to keep safe and warm as it became apparent my boyfriend was going through one hell of a journey.

When the event finished at three, the security staff - that couldn't wait to get us all out - knew nothing re the rest of the establishment and keeping warm etc. The DJ had warned everyone earlier on there were no trains, a three hour cab queue and little traffic getting to the area.

We were treated like rowdy yobs when simply waiting for our friend to come out the bathroom and were then shifted to various areas around the room and cloakroom area.

After around 30 minutes of trying to stay warm in the venue and ask about staying in the o2 itself we - along with many other people - were just herded out the Indigo2 into the cold.

I've since heard people stuck after Olly Murs were allowed in the o2 and into the VIP room to keep warm etc. When we'd asked we were told the main o2 shuts at 1am and nobody could get in there. End of.

We then tried to stay by the edge of the building to keep warm and eventually had to carefully walk towards the station. We ended up getting to my boyfriend and his car at gone 4am. He had been carefully trying to get to us all that time and had a nightmare simply getting close to the venue once he was near.

When we left there were still queues of people waiting for taxis and nightbuses.

Around 5am we made it home, along the A13 and then on dangerous un-gritted/not cleared roads nearer home. Me and one of my friends must have been a funny sight in heels trying to push my boyfriend's car through the thick snow on my estate to get it to move.

Then we all walked to my flat after thankfully safely parking the car nearby and traipsing through snow which came over our ankles depth-wise.

As the song goes 'oh what a night'. We were lucky not to be one of those poor stranded concertgoers that were quite simply stuck thanks to TfL and our country/capital yet again not preparing for weather we knew about.

I don't feel quite so lucky being a so-called privileged 'o2 customer' and bothering to pay my money to enter a venue so badly run and staffed by morons. Well done to those people working in the main o2 area who opened up the VIP room and looked after customers. It's a shame your Indigo2 colleagues were not in the same league...

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

There is something about the zoo that turns me back into a small child. I get so excited it’s ridiculous. When we went to a zoo a few years back with our nephew I kept trying to show him how to feed the animals in the petting zoo. When he got fed up of trying to hold his hand out properly I was delighted – more food for me to feed the animals with!

This Saturday I’d been with my boyfriend for a whole six years and we decided to celebrate by going to the zoo for the day. Thanks to V festival at Chelmsford, Colchester Zoo was not an option so we opted for London Zoo instead; somewhere I haven’t been since I was very young. (Note: this was also the first year in about 3 or 4 that we haven’t been to V, hence the bitterness towards it this year!)

I was so excited; I couldn’t wait to get there. I was slightly concerned if London could match up to my beloved Colchester Zoo. I used to go there every Summer for years with my Aunt and Uncle, without fail. On the drive on the A12 to get there we’d also stop on the way at either the Happy Eater for toasted teacakes, or the Little Chef for pancakes or ice cream. It was like a big adventure for me, but without fail I would always end up getting over excited whilst we were there and I’d end up tripping over and scraping my knees or similar. I didn’t care though, nothing could ruin the fun of the zoo.

Well, I actually found I was pleasantly surprised. I still feel I prefer Colchester Zoo (to be fair it has got years worth of memories on its side), but London had some really good areas. I must admit I am quite bad in that I don’t consciously think about the size of the enclosures for the animals when I go to the zoo, something that was brought to my attention when I told a friend about my upcoming visit. Although I have, unfortunately, been to ‘zoos’ on holiday where the animals were in a right state and it broke my heart. I still to this day say I should have sent my photos off as proof of animal cruelty when we came back from our holiday in Fuerteventura and had experienced the hotel ‘zoo’. Awful.

Anyway at London I did find a lot of the spaces were of a good size (well let’s face it nothing is going to be as good as the wild and the natural environment they belong in, but still). The best bit I liked were the number of special areas where animals were allowed to roam free amongst the visitors. The signs were clear not to touch as the animals could bite, or you could pass you germs on to them, but it was a nice feeling being so close to nature. Highlights were Butterfly Paradise, Meet the Monkeys, Blackburn Pavillion and Rainforest Life. All of these exhibits involved the wildlife jumping, running, flying or crawling in a more natural environment around you, the visitor. It was great. Now, I know I’m a bit of a freak for taking photos, but I took 140+ photos on Saturday and the majority of them were at the zoo. It was fab.

Also, being the mug that I am for all things tourist I also spent quite a bit of cash there, the tickets alone were around £19 – either I am getting really old or the cost of things has really gone up extortionately! Anyways, although the fantastic weather forecasters had predicted a super hot day on Saturday (one of the reasons we picked the zoo), it did in fact start pouring with rain about half an hour into our visit. Therefore the first purchase (for my boyfriend, as of course Little Miss Anally Organised here already had an umbrella packed) was an umbrella to keep dry.

Now, I also feel I need to share with you another reason I love the zoo – monkeys! I absolutely adore chimpanzees, teeny tiny capuchins and loud and dominant gorillas. Not to forget fiery red-faced tamarinds and the big friendly giants that are orangutans. Love. Them. All. The fire of my monkey madness had already been stoked by my recent visit to see Rise of the planet of the apes. I really did enjoy that film and fell in love with Caesar – how cute is he? That bit when he’s all wrapped up in the red blanket, aw… I actually told my boyfriend I want a monkey (well, sorry ‘ape’ and obviously it’d have to be after I’ve got my micro pig!) Can you believe, yes I’ll admit it, I cried more than once in Rise of the planet of the apes, I had tears running down my face over a computer generated image! Oh dear…

Although there were no chimps to be seen at London Zoo, we did enjoy the sites of the humongous gorilla and his friends playfighting and what felt like them putting on a show for us visitors. The picking (and then eating what they discovered) of each other’s bottoms wasn’t quite so appealing, in the same way the aadvarks who slept with their heads in each other’s nether regions was pretty gross, if rather amusing.

So of course as a souvenir I had to buy some monkey-related presents. I am now the proud owner of a tiny toy chimpanzee and a snuggly, cuddly, rather realistic-faced gorilla. Oh and a whole London Zoo photobook of cheesy images of me and my man and an I heart London Zoo bag (hey it was £1 when you brought items in the shop, give me a break!)

Much to my boyfriend’s amusement, I took great care in getting my new pals home and agonised over naming them – they’re called Archie (chimp) and Toby (the gorilla) if you’re interested. See what I mean? Take me to the zoo and I turn back into a child every time!

On that note I feel I have embarrassed myself enough. I won’t tell you how I shrieked more than children around me in disgust at the nighttime and bugs exhbits over rats, spiders and scorpions. Or how I spotted ‘Dorey’ and ‘Nemo’ in an aquarium area before most of the kids there too. Oh and did I mention how long I spent staring at and photographing the pelicans and just had to tweet how ‘Melican’ was ‘meeting the pelicans’.

Okay, that’s enough, I think we’ve got it pretty much confirmed, I am not to be allowed to the zoo again. Never mind all this animal safety malarkey; it’s clearly not good for my mental health either!

London's Burning, London's Burning

I woke up this morning and actually felt quite sick when the images I saw last night rushed back into my mind. The events in Tottenham last night almost seem like some sort of film or bad dream.

Just having enjoyed a lovely relaxing hot bubble bath listening to some chillout music in my little flat, it’s easy to forget that other people today have found themselves homeless and surrounded by utter mayhem. Whilst many of us slept safe and sound at home, the people of Tottenham faced fire, petrol bombs, destroyed shops and homes and people that were quite simply out of control and had no thought for anyone it seems.

The reasoning being given behind the actions yesterday were in protest to a shooting on Thursday whereby a local young man was shot dead by police. Whether this should or shouldn’t have happened is currently under investigation, but before people could wait for an outcome a peaceful protest was planned outside Tottenham police station.

Unfortunately – although reports clash as to why – the protest took a nasty turn and the action in Tottenham switched from a peaceful protest to - as the media reported - a ‘disturbance’, to then a full on ‘riot’. This involved cars being burnt, items being thrown at police, a bus being set on fire, shops being set alight and looted and innocent people’s homes being broken into and damaged.

And how did I first find out about these events? Social media. I happened to check Facebook and noticed somebody’s comments about Tottenham, at which point I then turned on the news channels on TV – BBC News 24 at first. What I saw completely shocked me, I actually couldn’t believe what people had done and were still continuing to do. I also found myself increasingly frustrated by the confrontational and frankly childish behaviour of the young men and women on screen trying to disrupt the news reporting.

It’s on seeing people like this that you realise unfortunately things took a more negative turn possibly due to people going along for a bit of ‘fun’ and using the proceedings as an excuse for violence. People keep arguing how ridiculous it is to damage the area where you live in protest. However, perhaps it got to this level because a strong number of people then involved later on weren’t from Tottenham and on hearing of events had turned up to just cause trouble, with no particular reason in doing so.

It may sound sick, but I found myself hooked on the footage. We’d gone to my parents for the afternoon/evening and didn’t end up leaving until around 130/2am because I couldn’t tear myself away from the screen. I just couldn’t seem to understand why this was happening and that people in this day and age would act in such a way.

Now, I can’t comment on the reasoning behind the action and of course I don’t know how it feels for those people who have lost someone, who have had bad experiences with authority or feel targeted against due to their ethnicity. However, no matter how hard I try to identify or understand, I just cannot find a reason for people to cause such havoc and also cause so much hurt for innocent individuals around them. If this guy was shot wrongly, what does burning down a local businessman’s shop achieve? How does that fix things?

On another level I found myself feeling quite emotional at the fact that if my boyfriend was working he may well have been called to the area to be on ‘standby’ in his role as a student paramedic. Although he argued it is part of his job and he probably wouldn’t have actually had much to do and it would be an interesting career experience, I just felt ill at the thought that he would have his life potentially put in danger. If you’d have asked me earlier in the week if I’d be pleased about his current ‘break’ from work (long story) I never would have expected that a few days down the line I’d be pleased he was at home and not out on the road.

Feeling pleased he was safe by my side I ended up staying up until gone 3am in the end watching reports. Although I soon found myself more heavily reliant on social media, namely Twitter, to find out what was happening (often as it happened, in tweets reported by people who were actually there).

I watched live as the poor BBC reporter and camera crew came under attack and later saw images of the satellite van that had been smashed in, as people reportedly felt the media were going to use their footage as evidence for the police and were in fact the enemy too. Both BBC News 24 and Sky News had to withdraw from the area and stop live filming as their lives were being put in danger and I completely agree with them for moving and getting to safety.

However, what I then don’t understand is that BBC News 24 moved to a programme on the Olympics…Sky News went on to show the same loop of footage over and over (which clearly couldn’t be helped), but why weren’t they reporting on people’s comments and anecdotes that were going on live online? Listening to the ‘news’ on TV, compared to what people were saying on social media was laughable, the news was so far behind.

Also you could get a more balanced view on Twitter – those who lived there, people who worked for the media, people who supported the violent actions and so on. The news tended to be quite one-sided and I found Sky News constantly spoke to police and those in authority and didn’t tend to talk to the local people as the BBC had. Proof again what a great tool and how powerful social media is and how it is certainly not showing any signs of stopping any time soon.

There are claims the rioting may well continue again tonight and also spread further afield to more areas. I just hope people see sense and stop. Mark Duggan’s family have been on TV speaking exclusively to Sky this afternoon saying themselves they don’t want to be associated with this violence and that they don’t want their dead relative associated with these sort of actions.

Some residents speaking on TV, involved in the original protests argue the police cars were first attacked as they were like a “red rag to a bull” after over four hours of waiting outside the police station wanting answers. Some say this action reflects action back in 1985 when action started off the back of an alleged ‘murder’ of a black female. People feel the police are to blame by not coming outside and talking to the people and providing answers as requested, but if they aren’t allowed to speak due to the IPCC investigations what are they meant to do?

Whatever happened and whatever the outcome of the investigation, one things for sure, the acts of the violence involved have not achieved any more answers, but led to destroyed lives, lost homes, a torn apart community, regeneration severely damaged and held back and local businesses wrecked. With all that is going wrong in this country - and indeed the world – right now, it’s a sad day when London’s residents feel it’s right to resort to this sort of behaviour and cause more hard and depressing times for our capital.