It's been a while...

So I realised I haven’t blogged in a reallllly really long time! I am not really sure why to be honest, I think life just gets in the way from time to time and we can forget to make those important moments to do things we love. But here I am, I am back – no need to worry! So I guess there are a lot of updates that need to be done as it has been a rather busy few months I have to say. October saw a new addition to my life. She is beautiful and cheery and rather hairy – everyone meet the wonderful Fleur! I saw her up for sale on the off chance really as I wasn’t planning on looking for a new horse until mid 2015. She took my fancy and when I went to see her I fell in love! She didn’t seem anything special until I rode her and the deal was sealed so to speak. She came to us the following weekend and I must admit it is one of the best spontaneous decisions I have made. I hadn’t really realised just how much I had missed having my own horse. Because I need to go and sort her out every day it gets me out in the fresh air when I may make excuses and stay indoors. Through the winter I had been riding after work with a head torch and then at weekends. It isn’t always easy buying a horse going into winter but the spring and lighter nights are definitely on the way. I have had some lessons on her with my lovely instructor, Laura and she is coming on in leaps and bounds. She was quite under muscled when I got her so we have been working on getting her stronger and fitter. She is now working much better on the flat and hopefully soon we can start a few small fences J We recently started taking her out to dressage competitions locally just to get her out and about really – she was a star, we couldn’t have faulted her. She took such good care of me and although gets a bit excited at cantering is very well behaved. On top of all that, she never fails to put a smile on my face on a daily basis, I am a very lucky lady to have her.

Second big update is that we are in the process of buying a house! Which is also very exciting. Its an old converted coach house in Cheltenham. We had looked at a fair few and wanted to be a little more rural but discovered that our budget just didn’t get us the size we liked. John has many bikes, and I have many clothes of Fleurs and my own – so we needed something of a decent size really. We really enjoy having people over for dinner and to stay and our kitchen in the current flat is postage stamp sized, so a big must was a nice large kitchen with room for a table. After lots of disappointing viewings and some stressy and emotional weeks we found our house! We are going through the process at the moment and hoping to be in by end of April, fingers crossed. Just in time for summer evenings and BBQ weather which will be lovely.

Apart from that life is the same old really! I have developed a new found love for crocheting so doing much more of that and less sewing. Hopefully when we move and I can actually get to my machine (lots of bikes in the way currently) I will pick it back up again. I PROMISE to write again soon J

Reasons I am happy today...

1. I have the worlds most wonderful family
2. I just had some delicious home made veggie burgers for dinner
3. I have had a long week but doing a job I enjoy which earns me more than enough money to pay the bills
4. I can go to sleep in my home tonight safe - not as common as we think in the world
5. I am warm and cosy snuggled on the sofa
6. Today I saw a double rainbow:)
7. Tomorrow I get a lie in!
8. I am healthy and well
9. I have kind friends
10. I get to spend the weekend with my lovely boyfriend

You don't miss what you've got until it's gone...

It is a bit of a cliche saying but in many respects - SO true. We have all had those times when we wished we hadn't taken something/someone for granted and now they are gone you miss them so much. Well this weekend I had that very feeling. John and I went down to Bournemouth to see our wonderful 8 friends from University. We lived and studied in Bournemouth for 3 years with this incredible bunch, and god do I miss them! We are now all dotted around the country in our various jobs, and the fact we now only get two days off a week (rather than 7 as a student!) we rarely see each other. In fact, it was the very first time we had all been back together since leaving Uni over a year ago. It was just like it always is, ridiculous amounts of fun and laughter and really great to see them all so happy in their lives. On Friday, John and I went for dinner with Abi and Chrissie, the others didn't arrive until Saturday. We went to La Tasca for some tapas, and a good catch up. The others all arrived on Saturday, and despite the weather forecast predicting grey skies and rain we got some great weather. We relaxed in the gardens and had dinner together in the evening. I managed to catch up with everyone on how their jobs were, how Iain's holding out- he is training to be a barrister (hard work), how Becky's travels were and what her next trip will be, where will Lauren move to next, Abi's holiday plans, George's career options, Chrissie's moving plans and what we will do when she lives only an hour away. It was truly lovely. Sunday, John and I had half marathon training to do (no rest for the wicked) so we headed down to the seafront nice and early and had a fantastic 60 minute run. My ankle has been quite sore the past week, I am not sure what I have done to it and it was starting to worry me, but a nice long run seemed to blow the cobwebs away leaving my ankle feeling stronger than ever. There were plenty of people down at the beach, even at 9am they were all cycling, swimming, running, or just relaxing in their beach huts while the kids frolicked in the sand. It was a peaceful atmosphere at that time, nothing like a couple of hours later when the crowds decend! We all had breakfast together before we each had to depart on our respective journeys back home. We did all say we must do it again, and sooner this time. For me, it was a bitter sweet weekend, so absolutely wonderful, but it did make me miss being around the corner from them all, it made me miss giggling in lectures, popping in for dinner, or to watch a film, or to go to the beach. I am so unbelievably lucky to have had three years with them and down by the sea :)

Bye Bye M25

 I am no longer a resident of the M25 area! Woooooo! I cannot express just how happy it makes me not to have to drive on that dreaded road every weekend! So, as part of the graduate scheme I am on I am doing a new 9 month placement in Bristol. As John already lives in Cheltenham, we decided it would be nice to live together. We know the area now as John has lived there a while, and its a lovely town. We got ourselves a nice little flat close to the M5 to enable me to get to Bristol promptly. It is still really close to John's office though he only has a five min walk. The move was, well, a bit manic to say the least. I hired a man with a van - can't go wrong. Loaded all my stuff, of which I have far too much, in Crawley, drove four hours to Cheltenham, drove to new flat, unloaded my stuff, drove to Johns flat, loaded Johns stuff, drove to new flat, unloaded Johns stuff. Phew. Lots of heavy objects, lots of stairs and 28 degree heat. It was exhausting stuff. Our nice van man left us to it, and we thought it would be wise to decorate before unpacking. So Friday evening and Saturday was spent doing a lot of painting. I think it will be a while before I take a career as a painter/decorator. I managed to get paint in a lot of places it shouldn't be (skirting boards, plugs, lights etc) whooops. Although hard work, it was so worth it as now the bedroom is a bright white with one blue wall rather than sicky green! No sicky green headaches for us in the mornings. On Sunday, Janet and Neville came to help us build the wardrobes. Well, Neville helped John, whilst Janet sorted screws and did our ironing (star!) and I made cups of tea (essential to any DIY task). So come Sunday evening we were pretty much exhausted. We had sorted the bedroom though and unpacked all but our clothes. It felt so nice to be in our first home together - one that we can make ours. We have had a great first week, both a little tired as still lots to do, and I have started my new role too. I've been to Crawley and Basingstoke in my first week so again, a little manic! But at least we wont be bored hey. We have had lots of cards from friends and family with well wishes for our new little home, which is so lovely. This weekend brings a trip to Ikea - for those much needed home items, oh, and Dime bars mmmm.

A trip up the M1

This weekend I have taken a rather long trip, around the M25, and up the M1 to see my lovely family. By family, I mean Mum and Nana as Fraz is currently in Thailand and Russ was busy working. The trip up was a bit of a ballache. M1 on a Friday- I should have known better really. 5 hours it took. I got there in the end though. As much as I love the south, there is something really homely and special about Sheffield. I love how you can be so close to the Peak District yet still be so close to the city centre too. I love all the little independent restaurants and shops, something you don't see a lot of in many cities these days. So what did we get up to? Well Friday night I was pretty shattered so we got an early night. Saturday morning, John, Mum and I went to a cafe we found last month. One of our wonderful friends Hazel recommended it and it was nothing short of brilliant! They do a delicious brekkie so we all tucked in; that set us up for the day. I had to go into town to collect my photos from the exhibition as it ends today (sob). So we did that, and had a mooch around town. We went to the winter gardens and had a browse around the museum at the back. All over the city centre there are yellow bikes placed, to mark the start of the Tour De France in a few weeks. That will be the next time we are up north, to watch that! Sheffield is a city that takes pride in its heritage and people from the city, as well as what is happening there, so it was great to see the Tour being promoted in such a creative way. We headed home and had a simple but tasty dinner,even Mum enjoyed my veggie cooking! Today we met up with the lovely Mark and Liz, and went for a walk with our cameras. This was the first time we had met Mark and Liz properly, so it was great to put a face to a name and have a good old natter. And even the weather was good! On leaving Mark and Liz we met up with Nana, Mimi and their brother, Uncle Anthony and his wife Elaine for some lunch. The 5 hour drive there and 4 hour drive back was so worth it. Nothing can compare to spending some quality time with loved ones, in a city you love, enjoying good food, walks and laughing lots :)

Cravings for Tempeh

Ah Tempeh! I would love some right now. Tempeh is a delicious food found only in Indonesia, it is made from soya beans and then fried. Last year when I was there on my travels I ate it every day for lunch. I actually found a place online here in the UK that sold it, I ordered some but it just wasn't the same- maybe as I was eating it in dreary Crawley and not on a tropical Indonesian beach with the waves lapping at my toes! Yes, that could be it! I was driving home earlier and started to think about my travels last year. I was wondering what Rony the surf instructor we met is up to, and Felice who ran one of our favourite restaurants along with an orphanage. I so want to go back. Get me back to Indonesia! It is such a beautiful place, with such happy people. People who have very little but are still honest, kind, and most of all, happy with what they have. I want to see the black sand again, the rice paddies, the bright colours of the offerings to gods. I want to eat tempeh and square rice again, and taste the delicious pineapples. I want to feel the warmth of the Indonesian waters while I'm swimming with their beautiful fish. I want to talk to the locals about their lives and how things are for them. I want to see the kites again. I want to feel the homely feel there, and just walk for miles along the shore watching the world go by. I want to smell the eclectic fragrances at the market and buy batik sarongs. I want to sit on the deserted parts of Kuta beach and watch the locals fish when the tide is out. I want to see the banyan trees and their crazy roots. I would even stretch to getting chased by monkeys if it meant I could go back. One day, one day soon, I will be back in the beautiful Indonesia ....

Super powers

Hello hello! Long time no write I know, I'm sorry! It has been a very busy few weeks here. There are just not enough hours in the day for all the glorious things I want to do. If only I had a super power which meant I didn't need to sleep. Then I could get it all done! What is this long list I hear you ask? Well, I'd like to write more, take photos more, sew more, paint more, crochet more, I have a list of odd jobs to finish my bedroom as long as my arm, read more (long list of books waiting),cook more, bake more, walk more, exercise more, talk to friends more, ride more, learn french more.. the list goes on! Unfortunately I have boring tasks to do as well, such as a day job, food shopping, washing and so on. I do get time to do some of these nice things among the compulsory ones but only for an hour or so each evening. I need a clone of me! Or someone to invent this super power- imagine the things I could do! The other super power I would choose would be teleportation. I am sure there must be some clever physicist out there who has invented this already, but could he hurry up please so that when I fancy a pizza I can go to Italy, or I could go back to Bali to surf for a day, or to Beijing and walk along the Wall of China at sunrise before work. What with teleportation, and the need for no sleep, life would be incredible. Even more so than it already is :)