Well, I didn't do too well blogging everyday in May. I managed 15 posts on the chosen topics and 2 random ones.

I did think at the start that I it was a bit of a stretch to think I'd complete the whole thing but I have enjoyed it. It's nice to write about different subjects and it's been a great way to find new blogs to follow, and to get to know bloggers I've been following for a while a little more.

My favourite posts were the Dream Destinations. Not only did I love digging through my photos of travels past but my passion for travel has been reignited. I can't think that I'll be going anywhere soon but the promise of it has inspired me to save and plan.

Huge thanks to Elizabeth for organising this and my apologies for my poor effort.

Dear 13 year old Hazel,

Hiya, I know how you hate to be told that you don't know it all, but sit still for a moment and listen. You're 13, when you reach my age you'll understand that you'll never stop learning, you'll never stop needing advice and you'll never stop growing...

One day you will stop wearing nothing but black, you'll stop back combing your hair but you'll always love and cherish that locket you're wearing.

Try to remember these things, they'll help, I promise.

- It's okay to do things at your own pace but don't allow fear stop you doing things.

- Learn to have those difficult conversations.

- Take lots of photographs.

- Learn to drive as soon as you can.

- Don't drink tequila.

- When people are mean, it normally has more to do with their own issues than it has to do with you.

- Be kind to yourself.

- When someone you care about talks, stop and listen. Really listen.

- Keep a journal - write down all the good stuff.

- Travel as much as you possibly can.

- Never drink on an empty stomach.

- Don't ever get a credit card.

- When you're an adult no one really cares about the size of your boobs.

#BEDM 22

I hope I don't sound smug and make you want to hurl things at me when I say this, but I'm pretty happy with what I am doing right now. Freelance graphic design had always been something I'd thought about and had tucked away neatly in the 'maybe one day' pile at the back of my mind. But being faced with redundancy at the beginning of 2013, with local design jobs as rare as hen's teeth, I decided to go for it.

The one thing that held me back in the past - and this is going to sound utterly, utterly ridiculous - was not really knowing how I would deal with all of the admin and accounting stuff. As it turns out there is an abundance of information available. All it took was a Google search, which tells me that I didn't want to make it happen badly enough. Most people say "I should've done it years ago" when you talk to them about being self employed, but for me I think the time was right. I wasn't ready before. It all fell into place, the stars aligned, the ducks waddled into a row and away I went.

I'm currently gathering content for my website and pinning office interiors on Pinterest - planning my move from the dining room table upstairs to our spare room.

Having missed so many #BEDM posts last week, I've decided to pick and choose from the topics rather than try to catch up on them all.

I rarely do food posts, in fact this is probably the first, but I'm going to share my favourite recipe.

I go through phases of liking different meals but at the moment it's Smoked Haddock and Bacon Chowder. It's prepared in a slow cooker and is so easy. I serve it with crusty granary rolls.


25g butter
1 finely chopped onion
300g diced potatoes
4 rashers diced smoked streaky bacon
750ml boiling fish stock
125g sweetcorn
1 bay leaf
500g smoked haddock
150ml double cream
salt and pepper
(serves 4)

Heat the butter in a large frying pan, add the onion, potatoes and bacon and fry gently, stirring, until just beginning to colour
Transfer the potato mix to the slow cooker
Pour over the boiling stock, add the sweetcorn, bay leaf and salt and pepper
Pop on the lid and cook on high for 2-3 hours or until potatoes are tender

Skin the fish and press it just below the surface of the stock (cutting in half if needed)
Pop the lid back on and cook for a further 30 minutes

Lift out the fish and break into flakes
Stir the double cream into the soup and return the fish
Ladle into bowls and enjoy!


For breakfast I love pancakes, streaky bacon and maple syrup with orange juice and a cup of tea. It's my all time favourite breakfast - except for smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on wholegrain toast but that's our traditional Christmas Day breakfast (neatly covering yesterday's #BEDM) - and yes, I tried it for the first time after Carrie ordered it for brunch on SATC, but the sweet and savoury mix is just irresistible.

When it comes to desserts, I can't pick just one. Chocolate fudge brownie, trifle, cheesecake, pistachio ice cream, Christmas pudding with cream, profiteroles, bakewell tart and custard, fruit salad. Or we could talk about a cheeseboard? Brie. It's not safe for brie to be in my company, especially if grapes are also present.

I'm hungry.

So, having started #BEDM a day late, I managed 12 days before faltering. Day 13 was a horrible day. My boy cat, Socks, went out at 8pm the evening before and stayed out. And then again the next night. At first I was mildly distracted by his absence but this slowly turned into traipsing around in the rain calling his name, to sobbing and feeling sick. And when he turned up he was as bold as brass, demanding food as if nothing had happened. Little git.

He has since been punished with regular cuddles of varying duration. He hates that.

Anyway going back to the post I was in middle of writing, #BEDM 13 was about being 'green'. I do all the normal reuse / recycle stuff and I buy second hand clothes and have been looking into ethical brands too.

After the great shoe throw out, I decided to find me some eco-friendly summer footwear. My first port of call was Spartoo, as this is where my first pair of 'green' boots came from.

Once I managed to find the eco-freindly shoes on the website (it took me a while to find the tab - under 'Styles' fyi) I fell in love with these, they're Dream in Green, like my boots, but they're £70.99. Yikes! That's a lot for such a small amount of shoe! There wasn't a lot else in the eco-friendly range of summer shoes that took my fancy (loads of Birkenstock type footwear if you like it, but I'm not keen) so I popped over to Sarenza to see what they had to offer.

I haven't shopped there before, the eco-friendly tab was much easier to find (nestled neatly under 'women').
These canvas shoes are cute and a possible contender for replacing my Rocket Dogs and at only £25.70 are a good price too. They come in a variety of nice colours but I had to chuckle when I saw they were referred to as 'sports shoes' - what type of sport could you possibly do in these? These were the only shoes, out of 829 styles, that I would consider buying for the warmer months. To be honest there were loads of winter boots in the mix that caught my eye - at more reasonable prices - so maybe I'll end up a seasonal eco-friendly shoe shopper?

My next stop was Style Is, I remembered seeing some nice shoes there... I was greeted with more Birkenstock types, some lovely winter boots but little else for the price I had in mind.
I like these but the colour is so wrong for me, £60.00. They are available in black and grey however I'm not sure they're versatile enough and maybe a bit 'smart' for summer day wear and *whispers* how do they stay on your feet?


LOVE these but £62.50. I'd be happy to pay £20 - £40 for a pair of cute daytime summer shoes, I just don't think I'm going to find it the form of eco-friendly footwear (although I will keep looking - I'm aware that my search has hardly been extensive).

Javari have a good selection, which you can see here, but nothing that met my criteria. From what I have seen so far, there's a reasonable amount of choice but few that appeal to me. I am fussy when it comes to footwear. Eco friendly winter boots on the other hand are right up my street, such a shame I already have more pairs than I can fit in my wardrobe, although that's good news for my wallet.

Any brands you'd recommend for a fussy, style seeking shoe addict?

As a kid I collected lots of different things, stickers, pencil sharpeners, buttons, bits of pottery dug up in the garden - all of which are now no longer in existence but I do have one collection that has emerged as an adult. I didn't set out to do this, it just happened.

I collect charity pin badges. It started when my brother left home and I finally got my mitts on the big bedroom, in packing up my stuff I found several badges and chucked them all in a box together. That was the beginning.

At last count - 88 in total

I designed these two badges for local charities, the one on the left is about 14 years old now!

 

One of my favourites - a cat - of course it is.

Two pins in one - double whammy!

Balls *sniggers*

I think I'm drawn to them because they're small, I know how ridiculous that sounds but I have a love for tiny things. Doll houses fascinate me and it could explain my love of tiny clutch bags that are utterly impractical and fit nothing more than a lip balm and a single key inside. Given the choice I go for the smaller version of something every time*. I LOVE a travel size anything.

* Except mini skirts and cakes.

This is a tricky one. As soon as I read the subject for today's #BEDM post my mind went blank, I couldn't think of a single book or author!

I have a massive pile of books waiting patiently to be read. I don't favour a particular genre or eagerly wait for the arrival of a new novel from an author. I just go where the reading mood takes me.

I've really enjoy Alex's A Blogging Good Read series as a way to find new books to add to the waiting pile. I took part in September last year, Alex disliked my book but I adored her choice, Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer and have picked it up and dipped into it many times since.

I'm currently reading Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre. I grabbed this for 50p from a table top sale in my local Sainsburys foyer. Inside it has £1.25 CRUK, so it was bought new, donated to Cancer Research and then donated to Sainsburys, I'll then pass it on. I love the idea that a book gets read more than once and has a story of its own to tell. And the smell of old books - love that!

Before Vernon God Little I read
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larrson
The Girl on the Landing by Paul Torday
The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis
The last two were the result of A Blogging Good Read reviews.

The Night Circus I struggled with, but ploughed on through as so many people told me that it was worth perservering. Sadly, I don't think it was. It was well written and beautifully descriptive and I wonder if I just wasn't in the mood for it. The others on the list I really enjoyed. I'm definitely going to read more by Lindsey Davis, particularly the Falco series. In my head Falco looks like Robert Downey Jr, which I think probably made the book all the more enjoyable to read.

So, not exactly a definitive list, it's more rambling than anything else but I think that just about sums up my reading style.

What are you reading at the moment?

There are many places on this earth that I would like to visit, right now a remote, exotic island with turquoise waters and room service sounds wonderful but there is one place that I am determined to visit before I depart this earth.

The Giraffe Manor, Nairobi.

Back in July 2012 I spent a few days in Kenya before moving on to Zanzibar for my best friend's wedding. During our stay we went on a drive through the Nairobi National Park and then to the Giraffe Centre.

This is where I caught my first glimpse of giraffes in the wild. I don't know what it is about them but I've been fascinated by them since I was little.



And that's the story of how I come to dream of staying at The Giraffe Manor, as the tagline states, it's 'The only hotel in the world where you can eat breakfast with giraffe'.

After that I'd like to go on safari. I don't want much do I?

Tonight I'm going to dream of dining with the raffies.

Part of Elizabeth's Blog Everyday in May Challenge.

Twitter is my favourite social media channel.

Total cope out for a post, will try harder tomorrow.

I've had some pretty awful jobs in my time but my first was probably the worst. I spent an entire summer holiday packing tomatoes.

I was 13 at the time and I had to lie about my age to get the job - I told them I was born in April instead of August. Earned £1.13 an hour, working from 7:30am - 5pm, with half an hour break for lunch and two 15 minute breaks morning and afternoon, I packed tomatoes into various sized punnets to be sent out to supermarkets such as Tesco and M&S.

I cycled 13 miles a day, with my best friend, to get there and back. We were paid weekly and having about £50 in my pocket made me feel rich beyond my wildest dreams... I also had no time to spend my earnings, when I got home I ate and then slept. At the weekends I slept or sat in the sun, it was a good summer weather wise.

We played the soundtrack to Good Morning Vietnam over and over and over again, any track from the album takes me right back.

I hate tomatoes, always have. I don't even like the sound of a knife cutting through them.

This post is part of Elizabeth's Blog Everyday in May challenge.

My cats, Socks and Tink? Where do I start?

In cat years they're 37, mentally they're about 4.

They're brother and sister. Socks, the boy, is the hunter, the aloof one, sits on no one's lap but mine (when, and only when, he deems it necessary). Tink, is the girl, she's petite, a bit daft, scared of her own shadow, a total flirt (especially with the male hoomins) and sleeps on my pillow every night.

They wake me up at stupid o'clock, claw at me for food, cover everything in fur or mud, often both. They ignore the scratching post in favour of the coffee table legs and they fight. Noisily. In the middle of the night.

Socks drags animals through the cat flap, he eats half of his prey and leaves the rest for me to find.

Tink brings in the teeniest tiniest mice, drops them on the carpet, looks at me for approval and then trots off for a nap (hunting is tiring work), leaving me to play the game of 'catch and release'.

They have ruined countless clothes with their claws and worry me silly by disappearing for hours in the summer evenings.

But I love them, they make me laugh, calm me down, comfort me when I cry. They make my house a home. Nothing beats a cat curled up on your lap asleep and purring.

Socks once brought a weasel into the dining room, this little thing was fierce, it screamed and made a really, REALLY bad smell. This thing looked me straight in the eye as if to say 'touch me and I'll take your arm off'. I didn't fancy my chances. Out came the colander and the spare oven gloves (kept especially for occasions such as these) - trapped it, slid a magazine underneath (oven gloves on throughout) and set it down outside. Before running away he turned, sat up on it's back legs, let out a high pitched scream and looked at me - with his eyes he said 'sleep with one eye open' and was gone.

The smell lingered for ages.

Yep, I love my cats.

Now that I'm self employed, bank holidays don't feel the same as they used too but I love them none-the-less. I've done a smattering of work so that I'm on top of things but mostly, I've just done as I please. And for me that's what bank holidays have always been about, I hate the thought of a mad rush to go and do something or get away, I much prefer to keep it simple, just enjoy the time at home and avoid the crowds.

On Saturday I pottered in my greenhouse, I'm totally obsessed with my salad leaves and radishes that have sprouted and are growing at an amazing rate. The herbs have yet to really do anything much at all. I really think they need to try harder. I then pottered for a while and tried once again to eliminate some items from my wardrobe, it's a long running battle and one that I don't think I'm winning, but I refuse to give up just yet.

In the evening Mr WoJ and I went to a 40th party, it had a non compulsory 80's theme. I didn't dress up, I'm still in the process of trying to destroy all the evidence of my 80's fashion crimes so I wasn't about to add more fuel to that fire. The music was all 80's and the food too - monster munch (totally not as big as they used to be), party ring biscuits, pick and mix, iced gems - I was in heaven! It was a late night, we dropped into bed at 1:45am, which is utterly out of character. I love bed, I love sleep, I'm normally tucked up by 9pm with a book and a cat or two.

So, Sunday morning I didn't surface until 10am and my first duty of the day was to chat to a lady carrying out a wildlife survey on our pond - not easy in your PJs, a little hungover, with your wellies making fart noises with each step you take.

I then didn't do much until after a medicinal dirty Burger King, the sun inspired me to wash the greenhouse, I've been saying for ages that I wanted to do it, so when the inclination hit I just grabbed a sponge and bucket and off I went. It gleams now.


I spent today with my Mum, she came over and we sat making fairy wands. I mentioned the Guinness World Record attempt recently and we're making wands to sell to raise funds and as a way to advertise the event. It's amazing what you can do with a plant stick, some ribbon and sequins. In all we made 21 wands and consumed 6 cups of tea and an entire packet of Foxes Crunch Creams.

Now that's how to rock a bank holiday weekend.

This post is part of Elizabeth's Blog Everyday in May challenge.

It didn't take long for me to mess up and miss a day of this challenge - yesterday just came and went and I forgot all about it.

Today's topic is about how I stay fit and healthy?

*whistles and looks about the room, shuffles about a bit*

I'll say this - my running trainers are the cleanest footwear I own, I bought a skipping rope a few years ago and it's still in it's packet and my Cardio app has never been used.

Simply put I'm a fitness failure.

When it comes to eating, I try to limit the bad stuff and eat lots of fruit and veg. My promise to eat breakfast every day is often broken but I'm trying.

It's become apparent to me that this challenge is going to expose all my faults anf folibles!

It's been a lovely sunny day today, I've been taking it steady, just a little light gardening and nursing a small hangover - nothing too horrendous.

Hope you've had a lovely day.

Wake up with a cat in my face.
Get up.
Feed cats.
Make essential first cup of tea of the day.
Shower etc...
Make toast.
Remove cats from worktop.
Start working day by writing a to-do list.
Remove cats from keyboard.
Mid morning break - drink more tea and water seedlings in greenhouse, watched closely by boy cat, Socks, who falls asleep in a sun spot.
Remove other cat from keyboard.
Resume work. 
Finish every thing on to-do list.
Lunch - eat tuna and cucumber sandwich, watched at all times by both cats.
Resume work.
Remove cat from desk.
Get scratched lip while removing cat from desk.
Get distracted by Pinterest.
Give girl cat, Tink, the biggest of cuddles hoping that she'll slope off and sleep.
She doesn't.
Remove cat from desk.
Remove cat from desk.
Give up removing cat from desk.
Allow cat to sit on my arms.
Achieve nothing, but have warm arms.
Try to write this post by peering aeound girl cat.
Decide to learb to touc h type.
Try to distract cat with a pouch of Whiskers Bit and Chew.
Get exactly one minute of peace.
Give up trying to work.

Go to bed, get up and start all over again.

Yep, I LOVE working from home.

At 7:30am today I decided to sign up to Elizabeth's #BEDM challenge. Some of these posts will be (very) short, see yesterday's post, but it'll be nice to give my blog some much needed love and attention.


Today the topic is 'spring' and hasn't it been a long time coming! It's so nice to finally see some sun although it could be warmer, I love this season. It's a time that feels full of promise and hope, my energy and enthusiasm levels rise and I shrug off my winter fugg.

It's so nice to see things growing and turning green, I've planted some salad and herb seeds and they're already sprouting. It's such a treat to eat something I've grown myself, I have bigger plans for the greenhouse in the future but I'm keeping it small scale for now... too many balls in the air!

Are you taking part?

At the beginning of the year I anticipated change and a third of the way through the year, my life already feels entirely different, which is largely due to all the work nonsense. What followed was me setting up as a freelance designer. It started out being hectic, but it's pace has slowed a little now.

Before I would play out a scene which you are probably all familiar with - rushing around to get to work, rushing to meet deadlines throughout the day and then rushing home to find supper hasn't cooked itself (or managed to drag it's sorry arse out of the freezer). Evenings where spent crashed out, thinking about all the housework and exercise that wasn't getting done.

Looking back I was exhausted all the time. Running on auto pilot. And now that I have more time, what do I do? I berate myself for not living in a spotless house, with meals planned a week in advance, laundry done, blah, blah. Blah. How can these things not be done when I have All. This. Time? Why do we do this to ourselves? Put ourselves under so much pressure?

I have freelance work to do, I'm covering maternity leave for Bethanie and looking after her blog, I have this blog, I'm on the committee of a local charity, do any design work they need, run their social media and help out at fundraising events (including organising a clothes swap every six weeks), I have recently started working with a local company, setting up and running a social media campaign for a Guinness World Record attempt, for the largest gathering of fairies (in aid of the afore mentioned charity). I am slowly building my own website and am learning to crochet and trying to get through a mountain of unread books. In addition to all the house stuff.

So when I say I have 'all this time', I realise that that was just an expectation I had of not being 'in work'.

I love the freedom of being able to work at anytime of the day (or night) or go food shopping mid morning, when it's not so busy and have the flexibility to come and go as I please but the problem with having no set routine is that I can become unfocused and jump from one thing to another, on the flip side I easily become engrossed in something and before I know it hours have gone by, leaving no time for anything else.

A few months in and niggles surfaced. I was jittery and couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't achieving anything. But this morning I realised that I'm in control, it's all entirely down to me. First of all I needed to give myself a break, let it go, shrug it off (an actual massive, who gives a damn, tension releasing shoulder shrug) and simply set out a bit more of a routine. I realise that so far the worst consequence of my 'failings' has been running out of bread on occasion - Mr Joy had to buy his lunch. And we've run out of milk a few times which means drinking herbal tea. And the house is a mess sometimes. Not exactly disastrous is it?

So, despite the randomness of my first few months as self employed, I've decided I'm doing okay.