Dressing Table

I've had my dressing table for yonks now and it has served me well. It is natural pine, and I've always had it in the back of my mind that I would paint it some jazzy colours and add some funky drawer handles to it. I'm not one to shy away from a bit of up cycling, however I've reluctantly come to the decision recently that the dressing table is physically too big for my bedroom, which is probably why its a project I haven't bothered to start.

So I'm currently scouring eBay and Gumtree like a mad woman for a smaller dressing table in desperate need of some TLC. Until I find one, I will search Pinterest (where else?) for inspiration and ideas of what colours to use for my shiny-new dressing table (when I eventually find one the right size...)

I also have my heart set on a ottoman style seat rather than a stool, one I can cover in lovely fabric and use for storage of my hairdryer and straighteners when they are not styling my locks. Searches for this sort of thing so far have not been fruitful, and I now fear I may have to build one. Anyone who saw my GCSE Resistant Materials (fancy term for woodwork) project of a 'wonky' toy box will know that this is not a good idea.

Wish me luck on my search. In the meantime, here is some Pinspiration....

NB: Judging from my Pins, I clearly really like blue. Blue it is!!

A broken heart.

My wonderful, kind-hearted, beautiful Nanna passed away on Sunday 18th August.

My Dad phoned me at 8:15 on Sunday morning to deliver this horrible news. For a couple of hours, I was OK. I realise now that this was shock, as her death was so sudden and unexpected.

I've gone through varying stages of grief. Sunday afternoon I was inconsolable.

Yesterday while at my granddads I was the rallier and the organiser.

I kept all the visitors there fed and watered throughout the day, listened to those that wanted to talk about her, distracted those that weren't ready to yet. I maintained an air of calm and reasoning. I force-fed Granddad some dinner, as he hadn't eaten since Saturday and was looking grey and weak. I talked about funeral plans with him, what he wanted, what she wanted.

Today...today I feel desperately sad. Numb, My head is all over the place and I just want to run away. I feel so tired, I don't want to be at work, I don't want to think, I just want to go to sleep and make the sadness and hurt go away.

It'll pass, I know it will, but right now my heart is breaking for my Dad, who has just lost his mother. My Granddad, who has lost his wife and best-friend of 55 years. My brother, who is grieving but also getting married on Friday, so is looking forward to that. I know he feels guilty for being excited about his wedding.

And my heart is breaking for me, because I am going to miss her terribly.

Love you always Nanna.
xxxx

A book - The Night Rainbow

credit

The one and only minor criticism I have of my kindle that I have is that I do miss seeing book covers in all their freshly printed, colourful glory. The cover for The Night Rainbow (above) is a particularly pretty one I would've like to have seen on my bedside table.

Moving on...

During one long, hot summer, five-year-old Pea and her little sister Margot play alone in the meadow behind their house, on the edge of a small village in Southern France. Her mother is too sad to take care of them; she left her happiness in the hospital, along with the baby. Pea's father has died in an accident and Maman, burdened by her double grief and isolated from the village by her Englishness, has retreated to a place where Pea cannot reach her - although she tries desperately to do so.

Then Pea meets Claude, a man who seems to love the meadow as she does and who always has time to play. Pea believes that she and Margot have found a friend, and maybe even a new papa. But why do the villagers view Claude with suspicion? And what secret is he keeping in his strange, empty house?


*******************************************************************************************************

Pea is a sweet and complex character. The story is told from her POV, and while on Amazon a few reviewers have complained that the tone and language used it too complex for that of a 5-year-old, I think the author has captured the innocence, inquisitiveness and reasoning of her beautifully. Yes, a 5-year-old probably wouldn't be quite as descriptive as Pea is, but it would be a book aimed at children not adults if it were toned down further.

It did take a few chapters for me to properly get stuck into I must admit, but I'm glad I persevered. It's a haunting, well-told story of love, loss and friendship. I found the premise of the book to be quite unique.

The story is tinged with sadness from start to finish. Its a tough read in that some of the subject matter is heavy and the feeling of grief is tangible throughout.

I enjoyed it and I want you to too so obviously don't want to give too much away. I'll leave it as - a slightly haunting but compelling story with a few good twists and turns which explores a mothers love and unlikely friendship.

The Night Rainbow by Clare King - get it here

What I've Googled this week #3

from here

#1 Threesome
No, no no. Not in the naughty sense - take your brain out of the gutter ladypants! I obviously mean the TV series. Before pressing 'series link' I thought I'd read up on Threesome and what its about. From the adverts, it looks quite funny. After reading the Wiki Page (I seem to spend my life on Wikipedia)....I am undecided on whether it is funny or not, if I like the premise in fact, and haven't yet pressed record. Has anyone watched it? Is it any good?

#2 Little Miss No Name
I'm not entirely sure how I ended up here, I think it was Buzzfeed related? If you are not a fan of creepy dolls, look away now. Or just don't click this link. If you are a fan, click away you strange, strange person.

#3 Chair recovering
I've been gifted with a beautiful wing-back armchair by my mum. Its a bit tatty and doesn't match my décor currently, so I am investigating getting it recovered. Initial findings show this may turn out to be very expensive, so it'll probably end up being covered in a throw. It's going to live in our bedroom and will be my 'its-raining-outside-snuggle-up-book-reading-tea-drinking' chair.

Pay Day Purchases #2

Pay day was a while back now, or at least it seems that way. I am desperately wishing away the days until the next one in fact!

I've treated myself to a couple of new bits this month, but mainly my money has been spent on wedding / christening-related stuff and a water bill. Amongst all the other boring crap us grown-ups have to part with our hard-earned cash for.

Here's what I've treated myself to...

from here

 

Converse Dance Lace Optical White Exclusive

I've wanted a pair of converse for ages. I did worry if I am too old for them (26?) however I spied these ones in Office and couldn't help myself. To hell with being too old!

They aren't your standard Converse and I like that, they seem a bit daintier and don't make my feet look like boats which was another concern. They are also quite subtle and don't scream 'Converse'.

I've worn them pretty-much constantly since buying them, just to get rid of the Box-Fresh whiteness. They took a couple of days to break in but I can hand-on-heart say they are the comfiest shoes I've ever owned!

from here

Bioderma Sebium H2O Micellaire Solution 500ml (Micellar)

Not a treat as such, but I was in the market for a new cleanser and had heard nothing but good things about this product. So, succumbing to the hype, I bought it. It did prove a bit difficult to get hold of and in the end I bought off eBay. Its a brand new. sealed bottle for those eBay sceptics out there (see the 'from here' link if you'd like to get some!).

A few days into using and I love, love, LOVE it. IT IS MIRACLE WATER. My face feels squeaky clean after use, its gentle, suitable for oily skin (bonus) and smells all cucumbery and delicious. The bottle is 500ml and I think it'll last a while - one cotton pad really does do the trick with this stuff. Will definitely become a staple-product I think!

Have you treated yourself to anything this month? 

The Perfect Wedding Gift.

My little brother is getting hitched in a couple of weeks time.

They haven't set up a gift-list anywhere and didn't give any real indication of what they might like.

Initially, I was just going to bung some Mexican money in a card for them to spend on honeymoon, but then decided I'd like to be a little more sentimental.

So off I clicked to www.notonthehighstreet.com.

Chris (my brother) loves penguins, so when I found this I was sold immediately.

Get it here!

I chose the 'white framed' option, with a 'mouse grey' print. Just like the picture in fact. I personalised, obviously (Chris and Carly would've wondered who Andrew and Orla are) and paid the very reasonable £40. In a couple of days it had arrived and I am so impressed with it.

It's great quality, it looks far more expensive than £40! It was wrapped well to protect it during transit which is really important to me, it shows the company cares I think. And it's just a lovely, sentimental, slightly quirky gift.

I hope they like it!

Hello!

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Hello! Bonjour! Salut! What Up!

I'm back after an unintentional blogging absence. There are a few reasons for this, which I'll run through briefly. There's also just other stuff I'd like to say, so here goes!

Holiday
Stevie and I took went on our holibobs to Rhodes waaaay back in July. It was lovely, we didn't do a great deal more than relax, sunbath, sleep and eat an un-healthy amount of meat and cheese. Heaven. Greece is such a lovely country and I feel so at home there, perhaps I have some greek in me? My skin-tone says no, my big-bum says yes. Who knows.

Unfortunately, my camera cable has decided to go walkies and so I can't share any of the pictures I took just yet. I think its hiding on the top shelf of my wardrobe, and I neither have the inclination or the energy to tackle clearing that out at the moment. Soon my pretties, soon.

Car
My beloved little Corsa broke down just before we went away, and when I say broke down, I mean it literally stopped working. While I was driving round a roundabout. Which was hilarious / mortifying / petrifying in equal measures. A trip to the garage confirmed it was the head gasket and it had blown. After some weighing up, I decided not to get it fixed and to get myself a new car. So I did, and am now the proud owner of a fun-to-drive, petrol-thirsty Mazda MX5. Not the most practical of cars, only having 2 seats and a soft-top, but my god do I love it.

Work
Work is work. Work is work on speed at the moment it seems, I have barely had time to breathe. Whereas in the past I'd bang out a blog post on my lunch break, they have been fairly non-existent over the past 6 weeks or so. Its quietened down now though, so I expect I'll be able to do that again, as well as eat. Aaah, eating.

Homework
I'm not sure if I've mentioned before, but I am currently studying towards my Chartered Institute of Marketing Professional Certificate. I've got an assignment due at the end of August so I've been working on that. I'm still nowhere near finished, and with the next two weekends full to the brim with hen-do's, weddings and christenings, I'm starting to panic about getting it done.
N:B - the course has made me realise that I do in actual fact, hate marketing. I wish I was joking.

Being Healthy
I bought me a bike back in February, it then proceeded to sit in my shed, neglected for a few months, much like my blog. A couple of weeks ago I dusted it off with the intention of getting a bit fitter. Unlike some of my other fitness endeavours, I've actually stuck with this one and in the past week have racked up 60 miles of cycling. Which I'm pretty pleased about? I really enjoy it and its made me realise what a picturesque part of the world I live in. I don't really have time on my cycle to work to take any pictures but on my next weekend jaunt I will definitely take my camera (the one I've NOT lost the cable for) and share some pics.

In other news, I have read so many books recently and I'm planning to share my thoughts on some of them with you over the next few days. I racked up an impressive (for me) 11 read on holiday, some good, some not so good.

So that's it really, I have no other excuses. I have some busy weekends coming up as I said; my little brother is getting married, my best-friends baby is being Christened and Stevie turns 30. I'll really be more organised and plan some posts around these events...promise...because asides from anything, it'll be really nice to document them and look back on in the future!

I hope you're all happy and healthy...back soon. xx