Fangirl: Which Team Are You?

It was New Year’s Eve. The frivolities were well underway. Alcohol had been supped, food had been devoured, pass the parcel had been played. It was a high-class event!

As midnight approached we switched from my lovingly created Spotify playlist to the TV, so we could see in the new year in the traditional way with the countdown to Big Ben’s chimes followed by the riot of fireworks ricocheting off the London Eye.

That was when it happened. Something which caused a debate in the room. Something that split people into two (well OK three camps). The TV sprang to life and there was Robbie. I swooned. My sister-in-law scowled. Hubby turned over  to BBC One where Gary was sat at his piano belting out A Million Love Songs. I rolled my eyes to the ceiling and Sister-in-Law swooned. It was ‘Team Robbie’ Vs ‘Team Gary’.

Now, don’t get me wrong there are some people who love both of the ex-Thatters. But in my experience most women of a certain age have a preference for one or the other and that preference can be almost territorial. As we debated the finer points of who was better (Gary’s clean-cut suave Vs Robbie’s cheeky chappie Stokie blokie) another member of the party bravely waded into the debate. We’ll call them ‘Team Not Really Bothered About Robbie or Gary’.

Gary organised that trip up Kilimanjaro for Sport Relief so I guess he does more for charity.

I don’t know if it was the Rose coursing through my veins but I was keen to defend my Robbie.

Erm, Robbie is a Unicef Ambassador and organises Soccer Aid every two years.

The next morning I realised I’d forgotten to mention his Stoke-on-Trent based charity Give It Sum. Pah!

No one won the Robbie Vs Gary debate. As no one should. They’ve both got their strengths and weaknesses and who you prefer comes down to personal preference at the end of the day. But it did make me think a bit about perception. Gary is thought of as wholesome so therefore is considered to do more for charity than Robbie because, put simply, Robbie has had an addiction filled past and is seen as somewhat of a no-gooder. This shouldn’t worry Robbie or Gary. After all, their personas are part them, part PR spin by their record companies. But it did make me think about how the decisions that we make in life can influence people’s perceptions of us? Just because we did something when we were younger does that make people categorise us as a certain ‘type’ of person even though we’re older (and possibly wiser).

Again, there’s no real answer to this. I’m just musing out aloud to you.

Did any of your Christmas and New Year encounters make you question something?

See other posts about Robbie Williams here and here and here and here.

Festivities: Games for New Years Eve

Here are two fun and easy to organise games which I created for our celebrations last New Years Eve.

Word Bingo

Each player is given a card with five words on, these could be clichés associated with New Years Eve (e.g. Chinese lanterns, fireworks, midnight), or phrases which are commonly used within your social circle.

The game is played over the course of the evening. When a player hears one of the words on their card mentioned in conversation they mark it off. The first person to have marked off all words on their card is the winner and should be awarded with a small spot prize (think something along the lines of a bag of sweets or a novelty gift from the poundshop).

Players cannot mark off words which they say themselves and cannot make other players say other words (e.g. “Say turkey”), but sneakily engineering conversations so the words on their cards come up in conversation is allowed.

Guess the celeb

Players have to guess the celebrity faces within a montage created by the host. All the celebrities featured in the montage should have been featured in the news, or have done something of significance over the year. The one who gets the most celebrities wins a small spot prize.

Creating the photo montage is easy. All you need is some photos of celebrities (use Google images or newspapers and magazines) some scissors and some glue.

What games will you be playing this New Years Eve?

Fun & (not so) Far Away Places: Devon

We started our journey to Devon, to join Hubby’s family on their annual sojurn to Beer, from London. The Robbie Williams gig coincided with the first day of his family’s week away. We headed onto the M25, stopping for Starbucks en-route – hey dancing like a loon to Rock DJ is tiring at our age – before hitting greener A roads, and even passing by the picturesque Stonehenge at one stage. The closer we got to Devon the greener and more twisty the roads became. Until at just a few miles away from our destination we found ourselves on steep, sometimes single track country lanes, surrounded by nothing but fields.

http://instagram.com/p/bLuF3YsAv-/

Hubby’s family have been holidaying in Beer for a number of years and, whilst Hubby had been there before, this was my first trip. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Sure, I’d holidayed in Devon before, but only in the brash family-friendly resorts of Torquay and Paignton, with the odd day trip to Dartmouth and Brixham thrown in for good measure. As we passed through Beer I was struck by its quaintness. Little more than a village with a small pebble beach, it’s manages to combine a trendy vibe with a side of olde worlde Englishness.

We were sharing a holiday bungalow with Hubby’s family, perched high on top of one of Beer’s many hills. The bungalow was a good size and offered amazing views over the coastline. The cottage also boasted it’s own resident seagull who regularly swooped in to see what was going on.

We stayed for three nights, and enjoyed relatively good weather, although our break was unfortunately pre-heatwave! Some of the highlights of the holiday were…

• Being taken for fantastic food at Gina’s, the small but perfectly formed Italian (and Thai) restaurant in Beer – freshly made Thai fishcakes, followed by a huge portion of steaming hot Cannelloni. All served in a relaxed, home-cooked, style
• Returning to Gina’s to collect some of the most delicious take away pizzas we have ever tasted
• Taking in the view from Beer Head during an evening stroll
• Visiting the beautiful Lyme Regis, taking in the sea front, the fantastic sandwich shop, the cob and Rinky Tinks for a cupcake! It’s a shame one member of our party got muggedd…by a seagull!
• A delicious three course lunch in Steamers
• The opportunity to get to know the in-laws better
• A delicious BBQ in the garden of our holiday home
• Fits of laughter over lunch in Sidmouth where the alcove we sat in seemed to render us all incapable of hearing what anyone actually said. Cue interesting conversations along the lines of “That bowl of veggies looks nice.” “What bowl of budgies?”
• Being tea connoseiurs and each trying out a different Tea Pigs tea over the same lunch
• Being cheeky to my Father-in-Law by suggesting that a mobility scooter might be a better choice of new vehicle as opposed to the sporty number which he had his eye on
• Watching a man rescue a dog by swimming out to sea to save it

It felt really good to have some chill time and as a result I didn’t really take many photos. I guess that’s partly a shame, as there were some really pretty sights, but d’ya know what? It was kind of nice just to completely switch off for a few days. Hopefully we shall be returning in 2014.

Where’s your family get away destination?

Far Away Places: A Cruise? I’m Still Not Convinced

You may recall we were invited on a cruise by the in-laws on new years eve. Whilst the thought of going on holiday with the family appealed, we just couldn’t get excited about the cruise bit. It just wasn’t us and so we declined.

It seems this is a common objection which those sneaky cruise sales people face if this advert is anything to go by…

I work in marketing, so I may be over analysing this slightly. But  hear me out. This is a cruise company trying to get people who aren’t very keen on cruises to rethink the concept and part with their hard-earned cash, right? So portraying them as grey, boring stick in the muds perhaps isn’t the most flattering beginning to the advert. But it’s OK. The people in the advert can be redeemed. They can push the ‘Switch on Fun’ button and be immersed in all that’s good about  a cruise. Which according to the advert is a swimming pool, an aqua park and some waiters serving you cocktails on some sun loungers. Erm, right! So that’s the same as any other holiday then… Is it just me or did they not pick the right things to try to convince us non-cruise types to change our ways?

Either that, or this is really an advert giving those people who already go on cruises an opportunity to laugh at the foolishness of those who haven’t cottoned on yet. Being as the cruise liners already have their custom that doesn’t seem very likely.

I’m sure there are many wonderful things about going on a cruise… seeing lots of different places, the evening entertainment, waking up in a new place each day. But the advertisers seemed to overlook all of those things and focus instead on a swimming pool. You’ll have to work harder than that to convince me…

Personally I prefer this cheese-fest, although I’m still not convinced…

Where as this would almost make the pain of child-birth worthwhile… almost.

Have you ever been on a cruise?

Far Away Places: Holiday Plans

January… month of resolutions, diets and dreaming of escaping from it all… if only we could decide where to escape to.

Prior to 2010 hubby and I had never been outside of Europe. Then our telly box tempted us to the east. We watched the Malaysian Grand Prix and a documentary about orangutans and the next thing we knew we were on a Malaysian airlines flight to Borneo, stopping over for a few nights in Kuala Lumpur en-route. I remember landing in this far off, distant and incredibly humid land and worrying that we had made a big mistake. We hadn’t. The food, the culture, the tropical storms, the people, the sunsets, the walks through the rainforest taking in the unfamiliar animals and plants, the luxury hotel – this is where our love affair with the east began.

We returned for our honeymoon in 2011, taking in the delights of Singapore and the beauty of Langkawi. 2012 saw us pay more attention to our finances and adding some character to our new-build apartment so a big holiday wasn’t on the cards. And now 2013 is upon us. There’s still decorating to be done and money to save, but there’s no denying that a break from the daily grind would be nice.

On New Years Eve hubby’s family invited us to go on cruise with them. I’m lucky enough to get on well with my in-laws and loved the idea of going on holiday with them. However, the thought of going on a European cruise left me and hubby cold. We tried to challenge ourselves. We checked brochures, we tried to look at the holiday objectively. It didn’t matter what we did, we just couldn’t get excited about it. When we found out how much it was going to cost the decision was made. It would have been lovely to go away with the family, but it would be foolish for us to pay that much money for something we’re not that bothered about. Don’t get me wrong, if it’s something you want to do it’s good value. But at the end of the day it’s all about perceived worth isn’t it?

Once we found out how much the cruise was going to cost I took a look on the Kuoni and Travelbag websites to see where we could go for the same amount of money, or less. I found five-star resorts in Sri Lanka, five-star luxury in Crete, long weekends in New York and even an action packed trip to see the Northern Lights for less. And, it wasn’t so much that these holidays were cheaper, it was more that I could get excited about them. “Look at that view”, I yelled at hubby. “Baby elephants”, I squealed.

It soon became obvious, we’d spoiled ourselves. We’d done long-haul luxury for a couple of years, now anything less than this just wasn’t going to measure up. A bit like trying to go from ‘Tesco Finest’ to ‘Tesco Everyday’ (or whatever they’re called nowadays). Not that the cruise wasn’t lovely, but it was Tesco Finest Cannelloni, not the Nasi Goreng which we’d become accustomed to.

We do have a long-weekend in Madrid in April  to look forward to (I gave hubby tickets to a Real Madrid match for our first anniversary…how good a wife am I?) and we’ve since been invited to Devon with the in-laws in June which I’m weirdly more happy about than being invited on the cruise… that’ll be perceived worth again I guess. Will we jet off for a big holiday this year? Who knows…

Where are you holidaying this year?

Fun: Reasons to be Cheerful

In lieu of this morning’s gratitude list (I was too busy scoffing down brunch to write it) here are my reasons for feeling so darn smug at the moment…

1. I wrote myself an extremely long to do list yesterday and actually got most of it done – hurrah for productivity!

2. We hosted an impromptu drinks party for hubby’s family last night and had so much fun…

3. …plus we got to drink this…

4. It’s 2013! The scent of expectation is floating through the air. Let’s not just hope it’s a good one – let’s make it a good one! And let’s not pretend it’s going to perfect. Nothing is perfect – pretending it can be is setting yourself up for failure before you’ve even begun.

5. The sun shone absolutely beautifully today

6. I had this for brunch (bacon and poached egg on muffin with maple syrup, washed down with a huge mug of Twinnings Breakfast Tea)

7. We went for a walk around the park…

8. …and had the most amazing hot chocolate from the cafe there (sorry it didn’t last long enough to make it onto Instagram)

9. We only have a three-day working week this week office bods

10. Last nights fireworks. Oh my god – the fireworks! (although slightly peeved that the beeb has missed off Seb Coe’s fab closing statement in this vid.)

Happy new year guys! If 2012 was the year of inspiration what with the Olympics and Paralympics, then 2013 is the year of perspiration. Taking that inspiration and making it happen! Enjoy, endure, but most of all come out the other end smiling.  xx

Fabulous Fridays: Today I Marry My Best Friend…

On Friday we enjoyed a day filled with love, laughter, fantastic frocks, delicious food and booze (lots of booze) when we attended the wedding of one of my oldest friends.

Kelly and I have known each other since we were about five-years-old. I don’t remember exactly when we first became friends, but I do remember spending summer afternoons sat beneath the tree which corners the crossroads of where our parent’s streets meet playing Dingbats. I have happy memories of innocent times spent playing Swingball in Kelly’s garden, raiding the cupboards in my house to make a “George’s Marvellous Medicine” (no matter what you put in it turned out brown), whiling away afternoons playing “Oh Mummy” on my Amstrad. Those were the days!

In our younger years

At senior school we grew apart a little.She was cooler than me, I swottier than her so our social circles didn’t always intertwine (Annoyingly she’s now cooler than me and swottier than me, having just completed her Masters – it’s a good job she’s lovely!).

When we left school we lost touch…until Facebook. We met up for a coffee about five years ago and we’ve been regularly meeting for coffees ever since. Sometimes we seem to get on a little too well and it’s been known for us to miss both trains and motorway junctions because we were too busy gossiping.

Seeing someone that you’ve known for so long get married is always going to be emotional,  but even more so when you see how in love she and her husband are. Obviously you would expect this of any married couple – but with some it’s just more noticeable than others. Kevin looked cool as a cucumber as he waited for his bride, even seeing her looking stunning as she walked down the aisle didn’t seem to shake him. Then came an emotional reading from his mother (the same reading which I did at my best friend’s wedding, which made me blub). You could start to feel the love in the room – little tiny invisible love hearts floating all around. The vows, the promises, the exchanging of the rings – BAM – the love hearts were multiplying and flitting dizzingly above everybody’s heads.

The happy couple

I was determined not to cry, but it’s difficult not to when you’ve know someone for so long, you can see how happy they are and you just feel so bloomin’ proud of them. I held it together until during Kevin’s speech at the reception when he turned to Kelly and said:

You’re my best friend. You know everything about me and you still love me.

An uncontrolable tear dribbled down my cheek before I regained my composure. But that’s what marriage is all about isn’t it? Loving someone – warts and all. Loving their annoying habits alongside their cute nuances.

The beautiful bride

The wonderful ceremony was held at Warwick Registry Office, with photos taken in the garden outside – complete with views of the towers of the gorgeous Warwick Castle in the background. The weather was perfect – bitter but sunny and dry. We were greeted with Winter Pimms at the wine bar reception venue before being treated to a delicious buffet lunch and serenaded by a Rat Pack style singer. The decorations were amazing and the favours were fantastic. The bride looked beautiful. And everything was just fabulous. The speeches were excellent, there were some comedy moments. I saw some members of her family who I haven’t seen for years. As I said goodbye to her Dad as we were leaving, he said something which I thought was really special. He said:

The thing with you and Kelly is that your friendship hasn’t changed. You’re just the same when you’re together and that’s just lovely.

And he’s quite right. OK so we don’t make “George’s Marvellous Medicines” together any longer – we go to cupcake classes and make those instead – but the firm friendship, the laughter and the support are still just the same as when we were kids.

Feeling full of love and being all dressed up me and hubby decided to try a pub in Warwick before heading back and ended up in the Rose and Crown which was utterly, utterly charming. We then headed into Birmingham for some food at The Oriental before treating ourselves to a taxi home.

Our view from the pub

What a fabulous way to spend a Friday! Congratulations Mr & Mrs White and thank you for inviting us. xx

Fashion and Festivities: Saturday Shopping

Sometimes I’m not entirely sure I’m cut out for this blogging malarkey.

Y’see I got so carried away catching up with my lovely mommy; eating, drinking, being merry; and trawling the shops for Christmas presents for my nearest and dearest that the photo diary didn’t happen. Oops!

On the plus side, I often think life is better lived in three-dimensions instead of through the lens of a camera/iPhone.

So… apologies you missed out on the fun times in this instance. I would post photos of my shopping trawl, but being as it’s all Christmas gifts it would rather give the game away…and we don’t want a double oops now do we?

P.S. White Stuff didn’t have any of the clothes I’d ear-marked from their catalogue. Boo hiss!

 

Fashion and Festivities: Saturday Shopping

Today I’m off to Solihull to partake in some Christmas shopping with my lovely mommy.

You can find my photo diary on Twitter: @samheathcock.

What are you doing today?