Kook Blogs...

Latest Vlog

2012-02-10T22:12:00.000Z

As promised, my latest Vlog where I talk about recent developments with my MS.

In better news, I'm still feeling really good physically.

Hopefully this continues, It's time to get my ass back in shape. Steroids aren't weightloss friendly as you can imagine!

Kook Is Back In Town

2012-02-09T19:41:00.000Z

I've been bugged to start blogging again. Actually I have been being bugged for months. Problem is, when you've had all the crap that the past 8 months have brought me you sort of don't give a shit about writing anything, let alone write about what's happening in your life or how you're feeling about it all. If I had it would have been enough to drive who ever was reading it to drink. So after a miscarriage, partner fucking off, nervous breakdown and then being diagnosed with MS (Let's also not forget the death of Randy Savage) my answer when bugged about how I should start blogging again has been a big fat “Meh.”

Then there's the issue of my laptop being buggered. After being driven into the ground for nearly 4 years it finally tapped out while I was in hospital. I've managed to bring it back to a semi usable state enough to browse the internet, email etc, but running any other significant programs is a struggle. The main problem I have though in terms of writing is the screen. It's fried along with the graphics card etc. which makes it impossible to write. I can just about see text enough to send a quick tweet or do a quick forum post a couple of lines long but that's it. One thing that does still work though, is my webcam, so I have been vlogging. My iPhone is a godsend.

And, to be honest I have just been too damn busy wallowing in my own self pity to give blogging the time of day.

But I have been doing that for too long, and I could feel depression creeping up behind me like a Minecraft Creeper.

"Oh hey! I'm just gonna come and ruin your life for a bit, k?"

Everywhere I turned it was there, taunting me.

I then reached the stage where I hated myself for feeling like this. Truly hated myself and constantly verbally abused my being in my head. But the part of me that I hated didn't actually give a damn. It just shrugged, said 'whatever' and went back to eating ice cream. That started to reflect in reality too, I didn't care that I looked a mess, that my house wasn't tidy, that I was starting to put on weight again, that I wasn't behaving like my usual self and that I was making a mess of everything.

And then came the realisation of it all, hitting me like a truck. Who the fuck is this person that has been dragging me down and ruining my life? Oh, it's me. And I'm sick of her. So I told her to fuck off and have given her the boot. I can't have this evil twin of mine running my life because what I have left of it is precious and it's high time that I had some fun and lived a little, especially after the news I've just had regarding my MS which I vlogged about and will post it here. I need to get off my backside and start doing things that I want to do. Of course though, this will require money, something that I am severely lacking. I need to find a way of earning in my own time from home that also doesn't require any start up costs, for example needing a new laptop sort of puts a stop on every possibility. Then there's the government trying to cut DLA which is really fucking helpful.

So with the stress of all of this it's become clear that to be able to cope with my disease and life's annoyances that stem from it, I need to take my mind off it all which comes back to doing things that make me happy, or just doing something that I can focus on. With that in mind I guess it makes sense that I do start up my blogging again. This blog has been many things over the years and I still refuse to put a label on it. The point is, it's my blog. Mine. Time to give it a make over a bit more fitting to my style and drag it out of the ground, similar to what I'm trying to do with my life really. Watch this space.

Recovery Update 2

2011-12-06T16:29:00.000Z

In other news, here's my latest vlog

You never got to bloom.

2011-12-06T15:56:00.000Z

I’ve started to write this blog what seems like a million times. There just aren’t really any adequate words to start explaining something like this. So I guess this will have to do and I’m just going to be brutally blunt.

I haven’t really been around much since the start of the year and if I’m being honest when I have been, I’ve been putting on a bit of a face. To put it simply I’ve had the worst year of my life. Earlier this year I met someone. At last right? I honestly thought I had found someone perfect, amazing and after all the shit I’ve been through this was now it. My missing piece. Happy ending.

Suddenly out of nowhere they broke up with me. He had a million reasons such as he was embarrassed by being out with myself and my son in public, he hated when people saw him with Dyllan. He also didn’t want any distractions from his dream that was on the cards which I supported him with everything I had for. I was so in love with him I stood by his decision and just wanted him to be happy no matter how heart broken and hurt I was. I was in complete shock and couldn’t quite believe what had happened. Time to dust myself off though and move on. But one morning I was going about my normal routine and BAM! Something suddenly felt strange. Something wasn’t right. And it was a feeling that was very familiar. Oh yes. I was pregnant. Thanks medication. Let’s skip the few panic attacks and freak outs I had for a few days. When it had finally sunk in that I really was pregnant and this wasn’t some late night cheese munching induced crazy ass dream, it was time for some decision making and soul searching.

I wanted to move away. Far away and not tell anyone here that I was pregnant. I didn’t want to tell him because he had made it clear that having a child would ruin his life. He actually said that to me in those words in a conversation once. I was still so in love with him that I couldn’t tell him. I didn’t want to ruin his dreams. I was convinced to stay though and after a tough conversation with a very dear friend I decided to tell him. I had a cancer scare just before I found out I was pregnant and because we were still on speaking terms I told him about it. I thought that was hard, but compared to this bombshell from the stork it was a breeze. I called him over and sat him down.

I was so scared. I was holding back tears and shaking so much I was almost laughing. It was very strange place to be emotionally. To this day I don’t know how I managed to get those words out of my mouth but I did. After the initial ‘But you’re on the pill’ conversation I told him that no matter what we decide to do having an abortion wouldn’t be an option. There was no way I could do that. He sat there, thought, and the first words to come out of his mouth? “Well, I’ve been thinking a lot lately, and my life’s fucked anyway.” Well, that’s a nice thing to say I thought. He then told me how we were going to make a go of it. Everything will be fine and we’ll make it work. He even went on to say how his Dad will be so happy he’s a Grandad and said excitedly himself “Wow, I’m gonna be a Dad!” I wasn’t really taking all of this in at the time. I was convinced the second I told him he would turn and walk out the door never to be seen again. He hugged me and told me we would be fine but I had to tell him that I didn’t want him to get back together with me just because I was pregnant. He said that he had been doing a lot of thinking and actually wanted to get back with me anyway. I wanted to believe him, but at that point in time I didn’t really care. The millstone around my neck had gone.

In the next few weeks we started to plan things out. We would move away together and start a new life so he could carry on with his dream, I got the ball rolling and put in for a housing transfer and we were aiming to be out by now. I couldn’t wait. I even looked into nursing jobs in the area. Life was pretty damn perfect. He started to say how he was getting excited as the weeks passed, although he still didn’t like me talking about it all with him. We had names but I knew they were a girl. The same feeling I had about Dyllan being a boy. I’d tell him about baby’s progress from those tracker things and say what exactly they were developing in that particular week, He’d always stop me though and say he didn’t want to talk about it. He still looked after me though. I was so frightened I would have another pregnancy like I had with Dyllan which was horrific and I had worse than no support what so ever. He would constantly tell me to rest and banned me from coffee until midwife said that one or two cups a day was ok. Once he even hugged me putting his hand on my tiny belly which was possibly the best feeling I’ve ever felt.

Everything was perfect until one night I woke up to be sick and when I got back into bed I had the most intense pains. They took my breath away. During the day before I had noticed I had a tiny spot of blood, but thought nothing of it as I bled quite badly with Dyllan. I put two and two together and as the pain got worse I knew I was miscarrying. He held me and kept me talking to take my mind of the pain, asking if he should call an ambulance or something but I told him that if I really am miscarrying it’s too late and nothing could be done. He assured me everything will be ok, and if it does happen then we’ll still have each other and we can try again one day. Morning finally came and he went to work while I went to the doctors and then the hospital and after what seemed like a life time it was confirmed that I had lost the baby. They decided against doing a D&C and to let things happen naturally.

After meeting him at the hospital I was completely numb. We came home and I cried and cried, which he then had a go at me for. The only thing that was keeping me going was Dyllan because deep down, I knew he was relieved that I had lost the baby. I can’t even begin to describe how devastated I was and how much I hated myself for losing the baby. Whenever I wanted to talk about it, or cry about it, he’d say he didn’t want to and when I got upset he would have a go at me saying that he had lost a baby too. And then, a matter of days after losing his child, he dumped me.

I was completely and utterly broken. I so desperately wanted my baby back and all I had left was all lies. From the second I woke up to when I fell asleep all I could think about was the baby and how it must be my fault. For a few weeks after I was bleeding on and off and had to have a couple of scans, every time wishing and praying that there had been some mistake and that I was actually still pregnant. And then there was the heart break of the father seeing his chance and running as far as he can. He told me that he wanted to be even closer than best friends, and that he still loved me but he just can’t be with me right now. That soon went out the window when he moved away. He only spoke to me when I would contact him and as for my attack and being in hospital he only exchanged messages with me 3 times for the entire 3 weeks I was in there. One of which was having a go at me for being upset and scared about what was happening to me, saying “Well, there’s nothing I can do about it.” Silly me for thinking he wanted to know what was going on. Since then I think he’s tweeted me twice about something completely random and that’s about it. It was hard for Dyllan too. He was his best friend and for weeks and weeks every day he would look everywhere for him, under cushions, looking out the window, running around the house calling his name. He still does it occasionally and gets very upset when he sees a picture of him. Friends tell me that after what he did it was life’s way of getting him out of my life but no matter how hard I try to think like that I just can’t. That was still my baby. A complete innocent in all this. And they were loved so much. I still wish with everything I have to have them back, I still cry my eyes out daily and there isn’t an hour that goes past without me thinking of my little baby. I still rage with envy at pregnant women. Why did I have to lose mine? It’s not fair. I was so low that if it wasn’t for Dyllan I would have walked in front of a bus. The only thing keeping me alive was Dyllan. Even now there are times when I still feel like that. I also have the problem of the housing transfer as the ball was very much rolling and even though they are doing what they can it still might be too late and I may not have a choice but to still move away. So I lost my baby, my relationship and what’s looking like my home too.

Shortly after I miscarried, a friend of mine who was also pregnant about a week ahead of me also miscarried. Life’s strange hey. But the other day she posted pictures of her scans. I’m so happy for her that she’s pregnant again, but it’s an odd feeling when I still have these pangs of jealousy. I doubt they’ll ever go. But in thinking about that this morning I suddenly remembered something I had done while I was still pregnant.

Just before I miscarried I had a scan, I never told the father as I wanted to surprise him with it (and I had completely forgotten that I had a scan until the morning of it. Baby brain~). I squirreled the picture away and waited for the right time to surprise him. Unfortunately the miscarriage came first and after that I couldn’t bear to show him or even look at the picture. In the stress of everything I somehow forgot about it. I don’t know how and there’s a part of me that feels awful for forgetting it. I battled with a lot of feelings this morning over it. I decided that it was time to stop keeping this to myself and for some reason I want to share it with you.

While I was in hospital someone told me that with Multiple Sclerosis they say it takes one massive stress to bring out your first big attack. Well ladies and gentlemen, this was mine. And my god does it feel cathartic to finally talk about it.

Big Bad News.

2011-11-22T19:51:00.000Z

I've been diagnosed with MS after a nasty attack that put me in hospital for 3 weeks. I vlogged as much as I could though since about the diagnosis and my recovery, better to watch them than me try and type it all. Plus, as an added surprise gift, My laptop has died. So my updates until I get another will probably be few and far between as posting from my phone isn't brilliant. Subscribe to me on YouTube though as I'll be vlogging my updates with my phone.

New Vlog on health, fitness and an upcoming wrestling show!

2011-10-16T21:28:00.000+01:00

Happy Birthday Dyllan!!!

2011-09-19T20:42:00.000+01:00

I vlogged about my style crisis

2011-09-15T20:15:00.000+01:00

Silent Sunday

2011-09-04T10:40:00.000+01:00

Good lord I've been busy.

2011-08-29T21:17:00.000+01:00

If I'm being completely honest, I have had the craziest 3 months of my life. Most of it, has been the best time of my life. Some of it however has just been horrific.

But all is as good as it can be now and I'm hitting the fitness wagon hard! Now I've lost all the weight I'm now able to exercise and work on my health and now it's time to tone tone tone! So I'm excited about my health and fitness adventure. Once I've got my cardio up to a basic level I'm going to do P90X which is intense but hell I'm going to do it. I've had enough of not being happy with my body and most importantly not healthy!

I've also started vlogging again. Here is my latest vlog, featuring my new tattoo and weight loss ramblings.

And here is a quick introduction to Chester the Carpet Python!

I hope you are all well and I shall be checking back in soon!

Silent Sunday

2011-07-31T07:21:00.000+01:00

Silent Sunday

2011-07-24T08:43:00.000+01:00

Weightloss update ahoy!

2011-07-22T14:19:00.000+01:00

Yep :)

All aboard the Train Walk!

2011-07-19T10:45:00.000+01:00

The National Autistic Society and Thomas & Friends^TM are chuffed to announce the return of our family-fun sponsored walks for summer 2011. Departing from locations across the UK, Train Walks are a great day out for a great cause.

Money raised from Train Walks will be helping The National Autistic Society to support people with autism of all ages in your local area, so what are you waiting for? We'll be there to support you every step of the way with helpful tips and information, so let the fun begin.

On Sunday 24th of July Dyllan will be taking part in the sponsored Train Walk at The Isle of Wight Steam Railway. The resources The National Autistic Society provide to people and families effected by autism are invaluable so fundraising is vital for them to keep up the good work.

If you would like to sponsor Dyllan, please visit the Isle of Wight's Train Walk Just Giving Page. Don't forget to say in the comments who you are sponsoring too!

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: National Autistic Society gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

Thank you once again for helping to raise money for the Isle of Wight branch of the National Autistic Society. Your donation has helped the branch to continue its work in supporting families affected by the autistic spectrum on the Isle of Wight.

Silent Sunday

2011-07-17T15:07:00.000+01:00

Silent Sunday

2011-06-19T08:39:00.000+01:00

Silent Sunday

2011-06-12T08:13:00.000+01:00

Silent Sunday

2011-06-05T10:02:00.000+01:00

Where have I been?

2011-05-30T23:35:00.000+01:00

Well gosh, where haven't I been. Yes it's one of those posts. Where for the past couple of months I have been so busy disappearing up my own backside that it is far easier to update you all with pictures I have snapped with my phone. Most of them my Instagram buddies will have seen already but oh well.

When the sun has been out there has been PIMMS

We have been exploring new fairy houses at Blackgang Chine

Been on trips to the mainland

Had fun with photoshop on Canv.as

Admired flowers

Pissed off my cat

Had 2" cut off my hair

Took a ride in a fire engine

Partied hard

Remembered the great Randy Savage R.I.P

Went to the cinema

Zoomed over the Solent some more

My 24th birthday

Liberated little birthday girls hats and wore them backwards

Dressed up

Spotted hipsters

Chilled out in the garden

Visited pretty gardens

Visited friends (Emma @ Me the Man and the Baby)

Planned some very epic home videos, all will be revealed soon.

But this however was a very big thing. This thing turned our whole lives upside down. The water main pipe burst and wrecked everything in it's sight. Luckily it is all resolved now and I'm looking on the bright side. New kitchen floor. That's about it really for bright sides of this situation as now that my floor is fixed my washing machine has decided to pack up. Woop.

So that is what we have been doing. Life is starting to calm down now the kitchen drama is over, and we are looking ahead to the summer which is supposedly going to be a warm one? I'm sceptical, but I have the surf wax at the ready.

Silent Sunday

2011-05-29T15:20:00.000+01:00

Silent Sunday

2011-05-22T09:53:00.000+01:00

Mighty Meals by Organix - Review

2011-05-17T13:51:00.001+01:00

New from the brilliant Organix brand, Mighty Meals are the perfect solution for toddlers on the go. Providing a yummy wholesome organic meal in 5 delicious choices that can be prepared in under a minute in the microwave, you can be sure your child is getting good healthy food even when time isn't on your side.

What's for dinner? Tomatoey Beef Bolognese , Hearty Lamb Hotpot, Creamy Chicken Pasta, Spinach Falafels and Pork Meatballs.

Dyllan loves the Organix brand. When he grew out of their jars I wished they had something for bigger children because not only did he think they were great, they were convenient and I could be sure that it wasn't any old stuff going in his mouth. Well, thanks to the wonderful people at Organix, my prayers have been answered! Dyllan's diet problems have been getting worse and his fussiness is off the scale so I was nervous as to how he would take to these.

They are the perfect size for toddlers.

Ingredients are labelled clearly as are the allergens, full marks!

I'm am over the moon with this product. Not only is it a brilliant product in it's self but more importantly Dyllan actually eats it! The first of the 2 meals we were sent to try lasted about 3 mouthfuls before it went everywhere. Concluded that if dear autistic son does not want falafels suddenly then get them out of his sight pronto! The bolognese went down a treat though, hopefully a step toward him eating a home cooked bolognese meal? I can but dream.

Organix Mighty Meals (RRP: £1.99) are currently available from the Organix Online Shop and in Boots where you can also get 20% off! (6 weeks from the 6th of May). Then they will be available in large supermarkets such as Asda, Waitrose and Sainbury's from June/July onwards.

Silent Sunday

2011-05-15T10:22:00.001+01:00

Nougat London's Nurturing Hand Cream - Review

2011-04-30T20:05:00.001+01:00

Nougat London kindly sent me a small jar of their Nurturing Hand Cream in Tuberose & Jasmine to sample and review.

First, a little background on the company:

"Nougat London was established in 1990 as a fashion label in London’s West End. Nougat London’s clothes are instantly recognised as being beautiful garments, combining classic styling with a contemporary twist but always remaining undeniably feminine.

In 2000 Nougat London launched the Bath & Body range to enable the customers to further indulge in the sophistication and indulgence of the Nougat brand.

Seven years on the Nougat Bath & Body range goes from strength to strength and is stocked in distinguished department stores such as Harrods and John Lewis through to independent fashion and gift boutiques throughout the UK.

Body to Home is now developing a cult following across Europe, North America and through the Middle East.."

The Hand Cream:

"Available in Tuberose & Jasmine, Fig & Pink Cedar and our fabulous new fragrance Cherry Blossom.

Our Nurturing Hand Cream is specially formulated to soften, protect your hands and strengthen your nails. This rich, yet easily absorbed, cream contains the moisturising properties of Cocoa Butter as well as Almond and Macadamia oils renowned for their ability to hydrate. Also containing natural extract of Comfrey and Vitamin E for to soothe and care for your hard working hands.

Also available in a 50ml glass jar and 40ml and 75ml tube.

For best results use in conjunction with our Caring Hand Wash or our Rejuvenating Hand Polish for fabulously cared for hands."

"All the bath and body products are manufactured in England ensuring we use traditional manufacturing techniques and maintain the high quality our customers have come to expect from us. Each formulation is researched and developed to combine traditional and contemporary natural remedies for the ultimate experience."

This cream is delightful. I have used it for a week and have had plenty of compliments in regards to the lovely fragrance, and my mother loves it (I have even used it on my feet shhhh!). A little actually goes a long way, and is absorbed quickly without leaving a greasy residue. The fragrance is pleasant, although if you use too much it can be quite heavy and over powering, I really wouldn't recommend using this product just before you eat.

It is excellent value for money, a 50ml glass jar like mine is only £7 and a 40ml tube is a snip at just £6 and is perfect for your handbag. If you are super organised and buy your Christmas present throughout the year this is ideal, and after perusing their website I have a few lovely ideas in mind myself!

My only criticism of this product would be that it could be a little more soothing. After a hard day of housework my hands need what I would call 'a drink' and I found that this product didn't soothe and refresh quite enough. Saying that, My hands can get quite sensitive so that is something worth bearing in mind.

In all I do like this product, and so do the people who have sneakily pinched some from my jar ;)

Exbury Gardens

2011-04-29T23:54:00.000+01:00

Yesterday myself, Dyllan, my Nan and Mum had a day trip over the water to Exbury.

It was a great day out, and the garden were of course beautiful. Exbury doesn't have a glass house, but the gardens were still amazing with all the azaleas and rhododendrons in full bloom.

They also have a little steam railway which of course Dyllan loved, especially as we had a double round trip due to the driver taking their driving test! We also had lunch there which was delicious, I recommend the fish and chips.

Time to get on with this massive picture post really isn't it? They're not the best of pictures, Dyllan had liberated my camera on the ferry and not only smeared his grubby mitts over the screen, but also as I found out later, all over the lens. (Any PRs out there want me to try out lens wipes/camera cleaning things I would be more than happy to give them a real test!)

I.O.W Spring Garden Show 2011

2011-04-28T22:57:00.002+01:00

Easter weekend saw the return of the Isle of Wight Spring Garden Show at Robin Hill, a brilliant show for it's size and we return every year.

There is something at this show for everyone. It's not all flowers and the latest hot ride on lawn mowers you know. I could write a whole post on the food really. A food tent showing off some of the south's finest produce and a great selection of hot and cold food for you to refuel with in the catering tent. They also have a Healthy Lifestyle marquee, where they have all sorts of lovely eco things to help make your life a little greener and healthier.

So how was my day? Lovely.

As Robin Hill is a-wait for it, hill, It isn't an easy walk. It can be very steep in places so they have a tractor pulling carriages of people down to the show site which Dyllan thought was amazing. First stop was perusing a few plant stalls, I found a gorgeous light blue Hydrangea that I snapped up and had put side to pick up when we went home. They do have a plant crèche, but most vendors are happy to keep them themselves for you. We then watched a local Falconry display team and it's very lazy owl (those of you who like me are well up on birds know that owls are the laziest and dumbest birds on earth) and then one of it's falcons just sodding off for a while. He was having a great time miles away whilst the less educated, vest wearing, sunburned eejits were asking 'Why doesn't he just get him to come back?'

Time to move on, oh look a wine tent! Wait, a BIG wine tent...with wine... I make a mental note.

Plants and more plants, some very over priced sorry looking plants.

Midday rolled around and we headed to the catering tent. Mum, Nan and Dyllan all went to get their scones but I had something bigger in my sights. The smell from the grill pulled me in like a hyper active great dane. Isle of Wight beef cheeseburger?? Well I don't mind if I do! Clutching my burger like a newborn I walked back to our table when something else caught my eye. In all it's glory, a little bar in the corner with someone pouring out a shot of PIMMS. I place the burger on the table, taking care to make sure it doesn't roll off (we are on a hill remember) and off I went to investigate. PIMMS and lemonade 'with all the trimmings'. Well I suppose if I must. Lovely burger, PIMMS punch was 100% perfect and The rest of the party assure me their scones were lovely. A lovely lunch for a hot and sunny day. Onwards we trotted. I enjoyed the Healthy Lifestyle tent, it had taster sessions of all sorts of holistic therapies, Green and eco living products as well as organic skin care products. We had a lovely time and got lots of goodies, a special mention goes to a lovely gentleman called George who's puddings are heavenly who forced some PIMMS and Lemon pudding down my throat. OK that's a lie, I pretty much leaped from the other side of the tent. For a baker to go mad for someone else's pudding is quite rare, so let me make this clear. His puddings are amazing and they have my seal of approval. What better way to wash that pudding down than with more of that lovely PIMMS?

Day winding down and we had 15 minutes to waste, we sat and watched Vectis Corps of Drums ~~roll~~ march around the ring. I don't know if it was the drink talking, but as a former member of a rival marching band I had the most overwhelming urge to shout abuse. Then I realised most of them were 6 years old. No excuse for sloppy marching either way or their slaughtering of marches. My Nan commented "Do you remember when you used to play that?" to which I replied sounding nastier than I had intended, "It didn't sound like that..."

Yes I was a band geek once upon a time. And at that time we were a pretty shit hot one too. Let me share a secret with you, you know the whole American Pie stereotype of what happens at band camp? or just in a marching band in general? It's true. No, worse. I pondered memories of band drama when I recognised two of this band's members. Good grief. What the hell are they doing!? The two of them could march around that ring on their own and sound better than this drivel. I consider looking them up on facebook when I get home, yet as I write this, I still haven't.

This show gets better every year, I have no doubt it will continue to either.

Silent Sunday

2011-04-17T20:40:00.000+01:00

Silent Sunday

2011-04-10T13:21:00.000+01:00

Our first visit to Wisley

2011-04-05T22:44:00.000+01:00

On Saturday on the way home from the Big Bead Show at Sandown Park we still had the whole afternoon to waste so we decided to explore RHS Garden Wisley. (Also the location of this week's Silent Sunday picture!)

My parents have frequented Wisley for years, but it was to be mine and Bug's first time. We headed straight to the restaurant for lunch and I was immediately surprised at how many toddlers were there, and how accommodating they were for families. They had their own family room in the restaurant with even a small soft play bit, where I spied lots of toddlers having fun while their mummies breastfed their baby siblings. The food on offer for children was also very good, enabling you to make up an 'Explorers Lunch box' out of sandwiches, veg sticks, mini cheddars, cakes, grapes, raisins, fruits and a drink. Dyllan ate all but one bit of sandwich so it has his approval. I had a lovely jacket potato with tuna filling, with a small side salad that was so fresh I found an aphid in it. I couldn't decide whether I was pissed off that there was a bug in my salad, or impressed that it was that fresh. I wasn't eating it anyway.

Then it was on to the glass house. Dyllan LOVES glass houses. He's a real heat freak like his mum, I could have lived in there. Enough babbling, let's look at some flowers! Here is my attempt of 'Point, shoot, hope for the best before Dyllan runs into the ponds photography'.

And the main man:

Can't wait to go back!

Silent Sunday

2011-04-03T10:11:00.000+01:00

Silent Sunday

2011-03-27T10:45:00.000+01:00

Sacla' Sun Dried Tomato Pesto - Review

2011-03-23T19:02:00.000Z

As you may remember from this post I love pesto. It will always be one of my kitchen staples for its versatility and of course, yummyness. I was sent a jar of Sacla's Sun Dried Tomato Pesto to put through it's paces.

"Mellow but intense. A sauce that boasts fragrant Ligurian basil, Italian sun-dried tomatoes, Grana Padano cheese and, as with all great pesto sauces, crushed pine kernels.

Stir it through a chunky pasta (like a good penne,) let it cling to every contour and, finally, let it rain Parmesan.It can also give your soups, gravy and casseroles extra depth - leave aside how good it can make you look in the kitchen." - From the Sacla' website.

Sounds very promising doesn't it? Well let me tell you something. Not only did it deliver everything it promised, but so much more. I have used this in so many things and I'm in love. My favourite experiments so far have been in a seeded bread sandwich with parma ham + guacamole and mozzarella, A simple bacon sandwich in replace of the ketchup (or brown sauce if you are that way inclined!) And in pasta for which I was given this sample recipe:

Fusilli with Sacla’ Sun-dried Tomato Pesto & Crispy Pancetta

Ingredients

450g fusilli

75g frozen petits pois

70g thinly sliced pancetta

300ml crème fraîche

4 rounded tblsp Sacla' Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

1 heaped tblsp roughly chopped Italian parsley

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Put a large pan of salted water on to boil for the pasta and cook the fusilli according to the pack instructions, throwing the peas in for the last couple of minutes.

Dice and fry the pancetta in a pan until really crispy. Then remove from the pan and leave to drain on kitchen paper to remove any excess oil.

Then, to make the sauce, combine the crème frâiche and pesto in a small pan and gently heat through for a few moments, stirring to mix well. Add 4 tablespoons of water and season, stir again until hot.

Drain the pasta and peas in a colander. Transfer to a warm serving dish, stir the sauce through the pasta, scatter over the pancetta and parsley and serve straightaway for a super speedy supper.

Picture doesn't do it justice really, not having much luck with electronics lately.

I really urge you to give this yummy pesto a go, you wont be disappointed!

Silent Sunday

2011-03-20T13:07:00.000Z

Spring has sprung

2011-03-19T16:04:00.001Z

I just wish I could too.

My plate has been very full lately as most of you know. It's made doing the usual early spring things difficult, even just planning them. Current situation and money worries are causing a lot of sleepless nights at the moment.

Today I had a good look around the garden. Oh dear. Lack of motivation in anything over this god awful long winter has taken it's toll on the garden. I never like doing too much to it, as I rent and don't know how long I'm going to be here. I want to figure out a way of growing as much veg as possible in mobile/non permanent/easily moved containers etc. All of this of course with a tiny garden and no money what so ever.

Dyllan liked having a good look around though, showing his toy dinosaur everything in his own silent way. He has been such a little tinker lately. It's getting more and more difficult to occupy him. I don't drive, and buses here are silly money. Around us there's just private land and fields so no where close for us to explore and playgroup is just once a week. There is only so much crafty toddler type things he will tolerate but we get to bed time in the end. As a special treat we were able to go to our Soft Play last week which of course he loved.

What was also awesome, was that I was able to go through the soft play gym with him! Before I was too big to fit which was very embarrassing and I would have to just watch Dyllan from the other side of the nets. So in all it was a lot of fun.

A little weight loss update

2011-03-07T13:17:00.000Z

I'm not gonna lie. I've been CRAP with this diet. It's been a real roller-coaster, some of it my fault and some of it out of my control. It's such a hard core diet, the slightest thing can throw me off course and with everything that has happened since I started, it's been more of a space shuttle launch rather than a throw. But I've come a long way so far so I thought a little update was in order.

October 2010

And February 2011

I'm not going to talk about actual weight, but I have dropped from a size 20-22 to 14.

These past couple of weeks I have been off the diet. So much stress and exhaustion from sickness, I needed the break. But now I'm getting back on it, starting hopefully tomorrow!

Silent Sunday: Mischievous cat

2011-02-27T16:19:00.000Z

Make it! craft fair 2011 and the rest of the day

2011-02-26T21:20:00.001Z

This year's Make it! event was actually quite different to last years.

Last year, it was a really good show. Filled to the brim with craft suppliers stalls from all sorts of crafting backgrounds. The show was so well organised, and everything was spaced out nice and wide so there was plenty of access to disabled people, pushchairs and those crazy ass big trolleys hardcore crafters lug around with them. It was also a bit dramatic, as we were being battered by gale force winds making the temporary building (Think of it as a large tent with steel supports that has been there for 3 years) literally scream and warp. It was deafening, and I managed to get a small clip of when it had calmed down a bit.

The day after this was filmed the show was cancelled due to the winds making it unsafe.

This year however, was a bit of a disappointment. First of all, the layout had changed. They had packed the stands much closer together and not left as much room between aisles as before. I have no idea why, because there were actually far fewer exhibitors this year. This made getting around extremely difficult for anyone, let alone people in wheelchairs or those with children.

I don't know if it's me just losing interest, but I was really pissed off by how the paper crafting craze has just taken over. Since a couple, maybe even a few years ago it has become incredibly in vogue, making nice voids in the market for people to produce cheap crap aimed at the paper crafting mafia. Poor quality, tacky, but most annoying of all is that alot of these sellers are selling these at almost the same price as the big brands. Also, it means that it has taken over every single crafting event. If you are just going to have paper craft suppliers at your show, call it a 'Paper Craft Show' not a 'For all your crafting needs show'. This year, they had literally a handful of jewellery suppliers, even the PMC stand had reduced it's size to a third of what it usually is and the rest apart from ONE was all cheap, plastic crap. One tacky fabric stall, one selling over sized knitting needles, one selling honeycomb crafts and that's about it. I didn't buy anything.

By noon I was done, and so was Dyllan. He is usually able to run around and walk around with us, but this year it was far too dangerous, so we went back to the car to watch some planes land at Farnborough Airport.

Mum joined us no more than an hour later, so with half the day still on our hands we headed back to Southampton and I spoiled Dyllan in Hobbycraft with a basket full of Easter crafting goodies. Then, in one of my less finer moments, we decided I should pick up my new bed sheets from Ikea.

As we got nearer the store, we realised that the queue to get into the car park was past the West Quay Retail Park junction (the multi-storey end) so we went the long way round to park in West Quay Multi-storey so me and Mum could nip round with Dyllan and Dad could stay in the car. Herp De Derp: It's Saturday. The weather is also a bit pants, and the last weekend of half-term. Anyway, we did it. I went a bit mad and got a King size quilt. Always wanted a King size quilt. I think they're so much more luxurious and look so much better on a bed. So, with my quilt that weighed what felt like a house (It's an 'all-seasons' quilt, so 2 that join together for winter) and my new sheets I felt like a queen.

I have a confession to make. For some reason, I love brand new sheets. The 'new' smell, the starchy fabric, everything. So I only ever wash new bed linen if it's for Dyllan. Yeah I know, it's weird.

I stupidly thought that after spending all day on my feet, exhausted, getting home late and generally feeling like utter crap, that it would be a good idea to sort my new bedding out.

Ha.

It took me over 30 mins just to sort out joining the two quilts together. I thought the one quilt on it's own was still a little too thin for this time of year, and what's more fun than nesting in a massive heap of duvet?

What I had also forgotten is that I am a small person. A few extra lbs yes, but in height etc, I'm tiny.

It was me against the bedding.

I almost gave up, but just one look gleefully at my beautiful new sheets that I had wanted for ever spurred me on. They're on now, and I will be dreading wash days, but my god it is beautiful. I would show a picture, but my wallpaper is embarrassing, so here it is from Ikea. I think that's the one anyway. Now, to bed!!!

Dinosaurs and white horses

2011-02-21T20:47:00.000Z

I cannot wait for this awful winter to be over.

It's been miserable for so long, making being able to get out and about difficult. On Saturday, the sun wasn't shining but it wasn't tipping down. I was bored, Dyllan was bored, what better way to fix it than a trip to Dinosaur Isle?

We had lunch at Brading Roman Villa a place we have been frequenting since 2006 and since Dyllan came along, well, let's just say he now runs the joint.

Then onto the Dinosaurs!

He's obsessed with dinosaurs, just like his mummy ;) He had an amazing time!

After that we hit the beach. A tad choppy, but perfect for chasing waves.

There were a few occasions where he didn't quite outrun the waves leading to a swift pick up and run from myself or his Nana.

My not so Silent Sunday

2011-02-20T15:07:00.002Z

Crystal Castles @ Cardiff Great Hall

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-16T13:54:00.000Z

(Crystal Castles after party @ Cardiff Arts Institute 13.02.2011)

The Gallery: Togetherness

2011-02-16T13:44:00.000Z

They say that friends are the family you make for yourself and I truly believe that. I love my friends to bits. They are the type of people that you instantly click with, as if you have known them forever. We don't get to see each other much, which is hard, but when we do we party hard!

Silent Sunday - Yes Dear

2011-01-16T20:50:00.000Z

Hoarders - Season 3

2011-01-12T23:37:00.003Z

"Compulsive hoarding is a mental disorder marked by an obsessive need to acquire and keep things, even if the items are worthless, hazardous, or unsanitary.

More than 3 million people are compulsive hoarders."

Many long months I waited for this latest season, and Hoarders you did not disappoint. Thought the last two seasons were bad? You‘ve not seen anything yet.

This season is their most extreme yet, and definitely the most emotional. I have to say some of them were hard to sit through but Hoarders is one of those shows where you are glued to your seat no matter how shocking it gets, and boy does it get shocking.

Yeah I rocked this face

What makes this show so good is that it’s not just a camera crew going into a house and being all ‘OMG! Look at this! What pigs!’ it goes deeper and is lead by a team of specialist psychologists and organisers/ clearing teams specialising in hoarding cases. It nails the very reasons why these people hoard and how they can get over it, each on their own individual path. There were many times I was in tears watching this season so far, as there were a lot of genuinely tragic reasons why people started hoarding. Seeing them go through their journey of realising the problem, pinning the trigger point and then the recovery process is compelling. Someone having the strength after keeping these things for years that really are precious to them, and then putting a single item on the junk truck is inspiring. The show even provides specialist after care for all cases.

For most of the people featured in this series, this is their last chance. They face loosing everything, their homes, families and even their lives. Sadly, not all of them want to be helped.

These amazing people are very much in demand though, receiving up to 3000 applications online every month.
In my previous Hoarders post, I mentioned the cats. Oh how naïve I was. I was going to post pictures here to give you some sort of idea of the amount of dead animals featured in this series, but it was so bad I thought it best for you to see it for yourself. Just going through the episodes and capping them has upset me so I’m not going to be posting them. In fact, no screen cap can even just slightly express the levels of extreme hoarding so I have left them out too.
One case in particular (episode 6) they pulled out cats after cats, after cats, after kittens, all dead. It was just horrific and I lost count of the numbers. A glimmer of hope in that particular episode was when they returned the next day to find that there were literally hours old kittens that were fit and healthy, so were removed in time.

You just have to see this show. Make sure you eat first, and be prepared to be shocked.

The Gallery - Body Parts

2011-01-12T13:25:00.001Z

Determined to get back into the swing of things, the weekly photography feature from Tara of Sticky Fingers I thought would be a good start. Having not participated since the summer I was looking forward to it but was stuck as to what to post. The theme this week was 'Body parts'.

I can't make decisions when there are so many options to save my life so it was actually pretty tough. Then I saw the beautiful Sian's post and it hit me.

I used to be a big fan of body parts. Well, putting needles through them anyway. I loved all forms of body art and modification, having no problem expressing myself and having fun with it.

So when I started nursing, I had to grow up a little bit. I had also become aware that my piercings were putting out the wrong impression and that some people didn't take me seriously purely for the metal in my face. The time had come for me to say good bye to my beloved piercings.

"Pin Cushion"

I do love this picture. It reminds me of when I was happy with how I looked, and that I can look nice. As I'm loosing more and more weight I'm starting to see this person again, which makes me a very happy bunny indeed. I'm trying not to look at the old pictures and get depressed, instead they are my inspiration. Will I ever be this person again? No, I will be better.

Why I hate Christmas. Part 1 - Planning

2010-12-27T00:05:00.001Z

Christmas starts the year before, usually during that previous Christmas and you stop and think to yourself, 'This is shit. I'm not taking another year of it.' You then begin to plan in your head the most fantastic and wonderful Christmas day. It's going to be groundbreaking. The International Space Station is going to hear about how amazing this day was. You discuss your intentions with a select member of your family. Doing this convinces you even more that all of it is entirely possible to do.

So sure you are of this, you announce it to your family. And I really was damn sure.

You see, a lot of things were supposed to happen this year. Moving to a place that would accommodate 6 adults and a child for dinner, Fuck it, lets think big and invite friends too. Meeting my future husband, getting a car, organising my life. None of these things happened. Instead, I got fatter and moaned about it some more.
As the year goes on you realise that you're going to need some sort of miracle to pull this off. Then, so does your family, so they plan Christmas as normal, and everyone bar 2 people start to pray for them to go to Waitrose instead of Iceland, or just for the day to hurry up and get it over with,

As December gets closer, you visit the house that will be the venue for Christmas dinner, as it has for every year of your god damned life. You notice something. Something horrific. There, on the kitchen table, you see the Iceland Christmas party food brochure. You die a little inside. Panic sets in. You offer for the millionth time to get to their house early, cook everything yourself and even pay for everything. But they are stuck in their ways, so you convince them with all your heart that you're the next female Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall as opposed to Heston marry me Blumenthall. But no. The argument that could have converted Saddam to Christianity is useless. For these people are your Grandparents.

Where have I been?

2010-12-26T23:12:00.000Z

This is just a flying post to show you what I've been up to the past couple of months.

Escaped to Wales

Saw Chromeo in Bristol

Marvelled at the Welsh language and came to the conclusion that Dyllan can speak fluent Welsh.

Carried on dieting

Found old pictures

Played with leaves

Visited the Isle of Wight's first Waitrose store

Found fox tracks in the snow

Stared at lights

Went shopping in Southampton

Had accidents in the snow

Played in said snow.

Organix Christmas selection box - Review

2010-11-09T22:09:00.001Z

I love the Organix brand. Organic food for babies, toddlers and children that is also damn tasty. They were the first finger foods Dyllan ever had and as the Island got more varied stock from them they quickly became his favorite. This Christmas they have put together a special selection box and I was over the moon when Dyllan was given the chance to try it out and I could review it.

I wish I had captured on video the sheer joy Dyllan had when he got the box.

Inside they even have a little pop out card "Winter farm" That you can arrange.

Included in the box is: Organic Mini Gingerbread Men; Organic Oaties; Organic Alphabet Biscuits; Organic Apple and Orange Soft Oaty Bar; and an Organic Raspberry and Apple Soft Oaty Bar and comes with their 'No Junk' promise.

Dyllan is a very fussy eater and Organix goodies/finger foods are some of the few things he will eat, so the fact that these goodies are convenient and organic is very important to me. You will ALWAYS find at least one empty Orgnaix wrapper in my bag.

This selection box is the perfect gift for a toddler and I will certainly be buying another box for Dyllan's Christmas stocking and a few more for his friends. If you are stuck for what to get a child who seems to have everything, this will always go down a storm. It's also a great way to try out some of the great products that Organix offer.

This product is definitely Dyllan approved!

The Organix Christmas selection box is available from Ocado now and Boots from the 15th of November and is only £2.99.

"Halloween"

2010-10-31T22:44:00.002Z

Halloween is a fact of life. It’s not going anywhere, whether you like it or not. It can strike fear into parents of over enthusiastic children who like to ‘get creative’ with their costumes a couple of days before the night of a party, and then next year demand that they host their own festivities.

It can also divide people in a split second. There are a lot of debates around Halloween, some of which I have already seen get really quite nasty. (Seriously guys, you don’t agree with it, we get it, no reason to start calling people devil worshippers and bad parent. Come back to earth.)

What do I think about it? Well, let me tell you.

I was brought up in a Methodist household. I attended Sunday school, which was where I first learnt a very loose idea of what Halloween was all about. It was referred to as All Saints eve and we would decorate Autumnal pictures, dress up pumpkins and light candles to remember those who had passed on in a special remembrance service. Then at middle school as it was a C of E we were taught about what All Saints was, a celebration of all the saints in the Christian/Catholic church and how it had become a time to remember all dead as well as all saints. My school had the right idea here, as we were taught how it was celebrated all over the world and why. This only lasted for a maximum over two days but for a C of E school it was an exciting time for pupils, Something different!

The idea of Trick or Treating however was a different story. Both at school and at home it was classed as begging, and my parents would never ever even entertain the idea of dressing up. They have since relaxed and even buy sweets for the Trick or Treaters now. I am firmly of the opinion that they were just saying that to get out of the hassle of letting my brother and I celebrate it. I even said that to my mum today and she asked ‘Wouldn’t you do the same?’ My mother and I have a lot of very different ideas in life.

Then as I grew up my circle of friends grew and I was introduced to Paganism and Druidism. For years I celebrated Halloween as Samhain, The Celtic new year. It was the end of the light half of the year and the start of the dark half.

To me, it meant a day out at Avebury with friends, Bringing with us loaves of specially made bread and cakes. We celebrated the last of the harvest, and the beginning of the new year. A time of great reflection and planning for the year ahead. We would have ribbons representing wishes for the coming year, and tie them to a specific tree along with hundreds of others, some ribbons hanging for years, clinging on for dear life. We weren’t really ones to join in with the chanting rituals, or group cleansing, or even wearing robes. We were happy sat in nice comfy warm clothes on a blanket somewhere sheltered from the wind (and usually rain) knitting and discussing affairs and our plans, lighting candles in crooks in the stones and keeping curious sheep away from our food. Some people, like you find in every religion, were complete nut jobs though. Safer for us to stick together and to ourselves. We did however join in the walk down the Avenue and into the stone circle, an impressive sight for bystanders. Actual new years day was November 1st. That was a day of mass cleaning and restocking cupboards. I suppose the ‘witchy-est’ tradition my friends and I had, would be the restocking of all the complimentary/herbal remedies. We knew people who would refer to themselves as ‘Green Witches’. To be honest with you, if they want to call themselves that, great, I couldn’t care less, but I just saw it as knowing how to use natural resources. For example, Manuka Honey. If you haven’t experienced the awesomeness that is Manuka Honey, you really are missing out. I am not saying however that you should shun modern medicine. Modern medicine progressed for the better for our benefit and I shudder when I hear people say that they will only ever use natural therapies on their children. That’s all I’m going to say on that. We would make our own bath soaps too, as well as the beeswax polish for housework. This had nothing to do with anything spiritual and that it was the first day of the new year so would make everything we did ‘Super good’, It was just a tradition.

And so today. I am not a Pagan or a Druid, but I believe in celebrating the lives of those passed on, I believe that it is the start of winter so the knitting/crochet/sewing needs to be stepped up a gear, I believe in having a feast to celebrate the end of the harvest season and I also believe that it is a fantastic excuse to have a get together and creates wonderful crafty times for children. When it comes to Trick or Treating, I don’t mind children making the effort with dressing up, going around with their friends, having fun and handing out treats and are in bed by 8:30pm. After all, what they are doing is harmless fun. What I do mind however, is beggars. I’m talking about the ‘kids’ who are too old for this, go around causing trouble, don’t bother dressing up or having the cheek to ask for money instead of sweets. It’s shameful, rude and disrespectful.

That’s where I stand. So whatever you class yourself as, enjoy the season, be safe and celebrate :) x

Kook Remembers: Primary School

2010-10-27T16:14:00.002+01:00

Do you ever have a deep thought? Delve back into memories of days gone by and think, I really must write all this down?

Well, during the night my mind was racing. Thousands of happy memories were flooding my head from the time that I was in Primary School. On the Isle of Wight, Primary school was Reception class at age 4, and then years 1-4, ages 5 to 9. For me that was 1991 - 96.

I attended Whippingham Primary School, Here is a pretty crap picture.

It was designed by Prince Albert, his residence only being just down the road at Osborne House (I nearly got married there, how about that?) During his life on the Island he regenerated alot of communities as well as helping to design other royal residencies all over the UK. He died while the school was still being built.

Here is yours truly. Unless you looked really hard, you wouldn't have a clue I had a scar now.

God how I loved school. Both my parents worked full time, So I would have to get up at the crack of dawn every day to be at my Nan's house by 7am. She ferried me off to school for my first day, I remember being really excited but I missed my little brother like mad, he was only 1 and in my eyes, was the best toy in the world. The first thing we had to do, was be shown where we had to hang our coats and lunch box. We each had our names on a sticker above our pegs and mine was next to a boy called Harry. I wanted to be friends, but he didn't want to talk to anyone.
We then all sat in a circle on the floor and had the register. When our names were called we had to stand and say hello to the class. I can't remember the rest of the day too well, but I remember my best friend Maria and I making friends with a girl called Jenna (who I am still friends with) and talking about her to my Nan in the car on the way home (A drive of just 2mins).

There are significant points that make me smile. It was a very small school and when I went there had only just had a new mobile room built and areas divided into more rooms. Before it was just 2 massive classrooms and a dining/P.E/assembly hall. We only had 1 T.V for the whole school. Massive it was, and would have to be wheeled from room to room and a huge stand.
When it was to wet to play outside during lunch break, we would watch the telly. Often being gems such as this...

I remember being all sat on the floor around it, looking up at the sheer joy of the TV. Rain and hail crashing down on the mobile roof so loud it was deafening. Then a clap of thunder and everyone would scream.

While attending there was also the introduction of the Acorn Computers.

I still love them, and the games!

And how about the Valiant Roamers?

Robots in school!? How futuristic!

I'm going to be adding more to these memories when I can find some more interesting things like photos. In the meantime, perhaps you would like to share your favourite Primary (or equivalent) school moment?

Sacla' Pesto Review

2010-10-26T13:53:00.001+01:00

I'm sorry did someone say Pesto? I'm in ;)

There is always a jar of Sacla' classic Pesto in my fridge. I'm so lucky that pesto is one of the few things that I know Dyllan the two year old terror will always eat. It can go with so many things!
I love it in a toastie with mozzarella and tomatoes, Dyllan's favourite is a mix of pasta, shredded chicken, tomatoes with pesto all over it along with lashings of Parmesan. I even put it in mash potato.

I was sent 3 jars of Sacla' Pesto to try out, including the Classic Pesto, Wild Garlic Pesto and Fiery Chilli Pesto.

Aren't they just handsome?

As I said, the Classic Pesto is so versatile, and if you're not hooked at first taste, there's something wrong with your tongue ;)

Now for the new members of the family. Let's start with Fiery Chilli...

"There's a real kick in every spoonful of our fiery chilli Pesto. Just stir through your favourite cooked pasta and serve with a glass of robust red. Be inspired - brush generously on to skewers of chicken, wrap in pancetta and simply grill. Buon appetito!" - The Sacla' Website.

I love spicy food. It's not all about the heat, it's about the taste. Sacla' really hit the nail on the head with this. It is the perfect balance of heat to taste. The sweetness calms the heat whilst still giving you that 'kick' of chilli. I can imagine this being really good in the summer for BBQs, even just to dip yummy food in.

The Wild Garlic Pesto.

"Our new Wild Garlic Pesto is truly irresistible. The combination of gorgeous Wild Garlic and fragrant Basil will tantalise your taste buds. For a deliciously simple supper, just stir through your favourite cooked pasta and shower with Parmesan. Be inspired - spread a generous spoonful onto a sliced ciabatta and bake. For the ultimate comfort creation swirl through creamy mashed potato and serve with love. Buon Appetito!" - The Sacla' Website.

Oh my goodness. This was simply heavenly. Being an Isle of Wight'er I can eat wild garlic until it comes out of my ears. This Pesto did not disappoint me. I could have eaten it by the spoonful out of the jar. Perfect too for keeping vampires away this Halloween ;) I loved it so much, I made a vlog of me cooking up a quick meal of just Spaghetti, stirring through the Wild Garlic Pesto and covering with Parmesan cheese. Unfortunately, it came out almost black and you couldn't see anything :( Something I will have to add to this post later.

I urge all pesto lovers to try these new flavours. If you have never tried pesto before, Sacla' is your way forward!

Find lots of delicious recipes and the product range on their website, http://www.sacla.co.uk/

(PS; there is also a competition to win a trip to Rome!)

**I enjoyed my week off the Cambridge Weight Plan as you can see ;) For those wondering I was advised to pause it because I was poorly, back on it now.**

Haters to the left!

2010-10-24T20:57:00.000+01:00

I wasn't going to breathe a word of this, because to be perfectly honest with you, I couldn't be arsed. But today I read Liz's post Two sides to every story and it got me thinking.

I thought about these 'people' and how lucky they are. Lucky to have the time to be totally consumed by matters that they feel compelled to follow people around online, talking shit, spreading rumours and generally trying to get to you.

These people are called Trolls.

I've had my fair share in the past, and lately some very colourful ones. I have my little haters relating to a previous relationship sending me nasty e.mails and laughable questions on my formspring and other places. I even have some little darlings through the blogging community sending me hate mail.

And do you want to know what I think whenever I read one of these e.mails or messages?

You see, you don't bother me :) And this sort of behaviour shouldn't bother anyone else. Because they obviously have nothing better to do, and have a very slack outlook on reality and the things that should really matter. You know, like real life?

So if you ever become a victim to these little trolls (bless them) just think of this...

Awful few days.

2010-10-20T20:41:00.000+01:00

Life can really kick you in the teeth sometimes can't it?
Certain things have happened over the past few days that have given me so much stress I have had to 'pause' my diet as I was getting quite sick.
Because of one particular incident I have lost alot of stuff, All of which is money I simply don't have. That isn't my only worry when it comes to money either thanks to another situation that appeared on Tuesday.
I've also had no internet or phone since Monday, thankfully today it was fixed.

All of this and I have a very poorly toddler with a nasty ear, nose and throat infection.

I just want to curl up and cry for days until life stops shitting on me.

Garofalo Pasta - A very tasty review!

2010-10-08T23:25:00.001+01:00

I know I'm putting myself through hell doing this because of my diet, but my family has finally eaten enough of this delicious pasta to give me some honest verdicts.

I was sent some wonderful pasta to try from Garofalo and what followed was a life changing experience when it comes to what pasta I choose.

I am a massive Italian food fan. My whole family is, so to say I was excited about trying this is a bit of an understatement. When the parcel arrived I was really surprised at the weight, far too heavy for pasta surely? Nope it was the precious pasta! And bang on lunchtime too! That day, was a great day.
I decided a simple Schiaffoni* with Mediterranean sauce would do for the family lunch (I was staying at my mums and have parcels delivered there as someone is always in. Winner all round). As soon as I examined a piece of the pasta, as you do, it became obvious very quickly how different this pasta is. Garofalo have been perfecting their pastas for over 200 years and boy does it show. Only the finest semolina wheat is used in their products, and check out this awesome bit of info from their site:

"Garofalo performs over 25 quality checks on each of its Signature cuts and runs all standard industry controls twice to ensure unmatched quality for its Signature line of pastas."

Talk about passionate, and eating their products I can see why. I am totally converted. The pasta itself is so dense and filling which is why it felt so heavy. The taste? Amazing. My family agreed, and of course so did Dyllan. Over the last month my family and I have polished off the rest, including the Spaghetti. The overall verdict? Awesome. Not all pastas are created equal and I will definitely be ordering more when my diet has finished. You can buy it at Ocado, and other good delis.

Final word is if you see this pasta, buy it. You'll see just why I love it so much as soon as you have your first dish! Go check out their website above too, they have some really tasty looking recipes for you to try their products with!

*I think that was what it was, my Mum had bundled it into a special jar and thrown the packet before I could check :(

CWP Day 4 - A day of feeling very sorry for myself :(

2010-10-07T15:26:00.002+01:00

I'm gutted today.

I was feeling very positive. My consultant saw me yesterday and I have already started to loose weight. I'm on top of my cravings and hunger, and generally just getting on with it.

But today I have realised something which hit me like a knife through the heart. Most of you will know that deep down my place is in the kitchen. I can cook up a storm and I am at my happiest when cooking.
This is Autumn. My favourite time of year for culinary delights. I look outside, see the leaves falling in the Autumn sun and my head starts filling up with recipes for various pies, cakes, stews and soups.

My ritual of the first Rabbit Pie of the season has gone. So has the annual goody making for the children for Halloween, Collecting game meats from friends and gorging myself on apple pie.

As I read that last paragraph I can taste everything :(

So while you're all enjoying the season's gifts, please spare a thought for me :(

Wordless Wednesday (lol version)

2010-10-06T15:37:00.000+01:00

CWP - Day 1

2010-10-04T21:12:00.003+01:00

Today I started the Cambridge Weight Plan. Not exactly the best starts to be honest.

I had planned to enjoy my weekend and whilst not pigging out, still enjoying some treats. I bought lots of chocolate goodies and even had an Indian last night. Problem was, over the weekend I have developed a bug. I felt 'icky' from about Friday, but last night I was non stop puking :( So I still have bags of chocolate left over :(

So 11am this morning rolled around. I had felt so crap all morning I didn't even want to look at the box of shakes. But, I still had to eat, so forced and I really mean FORCED a banana shake down me. Could've tasted alot better, but wasn't at all horrific. After napping I had the Chocolate and Mint shake which is contrast was heavenly. Then this evening I had the Spicy Tomato soup which was also lovely :)

I also had my first challenge. Dyllan always offers me the last bit of his KitKat. Of course I refused, and he was disgusted with me. How dare I not eat what he offers! So I pretended to nibble on it, and then gave it back :) WINNARRR.

One thing I am struggling with is the water. I have to drink 4 litres of water a day and it's really hard. Especially for someone who finds it hard to drink much anyway.

So I suppose it's time for some 'Before' pictures. (dang it)

Please excuse the state of my mirror and floor. I've been decorating!

My journey begins!

2010-09-29T22:47:00.000+01:00

I'm not gonna lie. I'm fat. And have been for far too long.
There are many reasons why my weight problems started.
Ultimately though, I wasn't being force fed.

I have tried various diets and weight loss programs, none of them have made me loose a significant amount though. But I have been researching this particular one since Febuary, and decided that it's time to stop thinking about it, and just get on with it. I have a couple of friends who have been on the plan and sing it's praises. I am so up for this, I really am. Enough is enough and it's time to be 'Jaymee' again.

So here I go! I would post a current picture, but I want to do my first weigh in next week first ;)

Wish me luck! :D

Your Fantasy Husband/Wife

2010-09-25T19:46:00.002+01:00

So I'm going about my twitter business, and the lovely @MrsLJHall of http://mrsljhall.wordpress.com/ alerted me to her new blog post on your Fantasy Husband or Wife. Originally from a Living with kids' post by Liz Jarvis.

By kookoocachu at 2010-09-13

A chance for some major male sexiness pictures??? Oh hell yes!

By Kookoocachu at 2010-09-20

So allow me to introduce you to the men that live in my fantasies.

Number 1.

Leonardo Dicaprio.

There's something about this man that I just can't shake off. As a teenager he was a crush, and he has just blossomed into one of the finest ~~peices of ass~~ males to grace the earth with. He is also one of the most underated actors of his time. Chromeo put it perfectly when describing how it's better to be with an 'older guy' (With a little bit of life experience, the right clothes and the right appearance) Just seems like he would be a real classy guy to 'court with'. (I wont mention the bright green trainers he was wearing not long ago coming out of a night club...)

Number 2.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

By kookoocachu at 2010-08-18

By kookoocachu at 2010-08-18

*ahem* SWOOOOONNNN!

Yeah, so he's a bit of a hipster, and his girlfriends a bit... meh. But my GOD does this man rock a suit.
Now, he's all well and good, but when it gets down to it (giggidy) I like a man with muscle. This is where number 3 comes in...

Number 3.

Tom Hardy.

And may I direct ALL of your attention to this.

My reaction?

Another underated actor.

Now people might understand why I saw Inception 4 times. You know, apart from it being one of the best movies of the decade....actually make that of all time.

Number 4.

Snake.

Yeah I'm a gaming loser. And what?

So there you have it. Who's your 'Fantasy Husband or Wife?

Dyllan's Birthday Weekend

2010-09-18T17:40:00.000+01:00

We kicked off Dyllan's Birthday celebrations yesterday by taking over Southampton city centre with Steph of imcountingufoz.
He had quite a few tantrums, but looking back today his cold is really bad so probably wasn't feeling well at all.

The plan had been to kit him out with a new wardrobe as he is ever growing, but that didn't go so well. Why the hell are kids clothes so expensive? What also annoys me, is the only nice stuff for boys you can only find in places like GAP or Pumpkin Patch (same people). H&M will occasionly have nice boys clothes but even they arent exactly cheap.

After giving up we hit the playground for a few present openings and mass play!!

I think someone had a fun day ;)

Toddler scarf

2010-08-31T16:09:00.001+01:00

It's that time of year again. Where you get miserable abnormally cooler days that remind you winter's coming. also in the same category as the 'I just want to sit on the sofa and knit/crochet' days.

So time for a scarf for Dyllan. Crocheted with one ball of Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton.

Damn. I wasn't going to start another ball so close to finishing, So I made the fringe slightly longer than planned.

It came out perfectly though :)

Secret rocket testing site on my doorstep!

2010-08-30T22:27:00.002+01:00

First of all hello again! I've been taking a break from blogging and alot of other things over the summer. Had so much going on yet not much worth blogging about! It's nice to have a break once in a while though, no?

It's not very often I will go somewhere on the Island that I have never been before. I know of all these places, just never been.
I went to one of these places yesterday, whilst out on a drive about.

The Needles Battery at the most Western point of the island is quite an important player in history. First built in the 1860's for defense against the French it continued to be part of the south coast's defense in the two world wars.

France is that way.

The coolest thing about this place though, is it's involvement in the Cold War. Secret rocket testing anyone?

Go to this guys post over on Derelict Places. for some amazing photos and more about the history of the rocket testing.

It's no wonder they used this site, it's so tucked away, surrounded by sea. Lot's of it. The exhibition was closed when we got up there. It was late in the day so I just got some odd shots in.

Getting blown away!

On the left is the mainland, the right the island! You can jet ski, windsurf or kite surf over like the guys in the picture! :)

Needles!

Give away time!

2010-07-30T13:34:00.000+01:00

To celebrate my Blog's facebook page getting over 200 fans, I'm doing a little giveway!

Head on over to the page, comment on the giveaway post by 5pm and thats it!

Shortly after closing the giveaway I shall announce the winner :)

REVIEW: Interflora Corsages

2010-07-30T13:23:00.000+01:00

I have been given the opportunity to write a review for Interflora's new Corsage service, as I had my best friends wedding coming up I snapped it up and on the 24th July got to road test it.

The new service is a choice of Four corsages to add that extra special touch to your outfit for that big event in your diary. Just choose your Corsage, tell them the date of the event et viola! It is delivered to your door and the panic of finding that perfect outfit accessory is all taken care of.

I chose the Orchid corsage and it was delivered to me the day before.

The flowers and decorative ivy leaves are attached to a metal plate with small metal flaps and a bit of glue to keep them in place.

As you can see from this picture, the bottom orchid could have been secured a bit better, but apart from that it was beautiful, and throughout the day I received some wonderful comments from people who told me they would consider using the service.

I chose the orchids because I felt that it would compliment my black dress the best. On reflection, learning from this experience it was perhaps not the best of ideas as where the orchid is such a delicate flower and the wedding being an entire afternoon/evening affair, it wasn't long before it looked a little tired. The bottom orchid that I was worried about falling out did before I got to the church but I managed to secure it again under one of the metal 'teeth'.

At some point in the evening though it did go AWOL :(

Overall I was very pleased with my corsage and I am happy to recommend the service. Only advice is to just be aware of the type of event you are attending and to bare that in mind when choosing your corsage.

INCEPTION POST!

2010-07-25T21:04:00.000+01:00

I'll start off by saying this post is going to be spoilerific!!! If you haven't see the film yet, why not? and if you intend to, please don't read this :)

Everything about this film is perfect. I LOVE the Nolan brothers so have been very excited about this film for a long time and it did not dissapoint!

Let's take a look at the beautiful cast shall we?

From left to right: Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Leonardo Dicaprio and Cillian Murphy

On set, JGL and Tom Hardy play fight.

Between Leo and Joe is Marion Cotillard

Michael Caine is also in there, but it wont let me upload his photo :(

Anyway, Let's perve some more over Joe. Yes? Yes!

Some people would call me obsessed, I call it in love <3

What makes an awesome film even more awesome?? Facts of course.

There are plenty of scenes in this film that they could've used a Green screen for, but didn't.

In this video you can see they actually made spinning rooms. Yup. Nolan is that good.

Then there's the score. I've never bought a films OST before, but had to with this one. The music is so perfect and compelling. Of course it is, it's Hans Zimmer.

Interesting fact?

The music they use in the film to signal the 'Kick' in the dream is 'Non regette rien' by Edith Piaf.

Now watch this video to see 'what they did there'

See?

Now because this film is so full of win, it has become the internets boyfriend. Leading to some very funny fan made pictures and general lulz.

And because I know you all like an internets funneh, I shall show you some :)

I have hundreds, but here's a select few.

BONUS Discussion and JGL .GIF...

For those of you who have seen the film, what do you think Cobb's Totem is?

A hint: It's not Mal's spinning top ;)

And because he is so damn fine...

Busy busy busy

2010-07-25T17:44:00.000+01:00

Gosh I need a rest!
I've been constantly on the go for so long now, but I have had a couple of little breaks including seeing the most awesome film for years, Inception, which I shall brag about in a later post.

But first theres the matter of a wedding! The best wedding you could dream of. My best friends wedding.

Perfect day was perfect!

I always knew this wedding would be awesome, but it was 100000 times more than that :) The ceremony, the venues, the food, the drink and of course the company. I had a lovely day surrounded by lovely people!

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Chapman!!! <3

The Bake it! club.

2010-07-13T13:30:00.000+01:00

Welcome to the Bake it! Club!

The club is hosted by the lovely Amy of http://amylane.wordpress.com/ and in a nut shell is a group of people who bake a chosen recipe for that month, then blog about it :)

Want to join in? Then hop on over to her blog above and get baking!

I can't wait for the first recipe :)

Dear Proctor and Gamble....

2010-07-08T12:13:00.000+01:00

First of all, thank you everyone! We have had such an amazing response from you all and are glad you are all on board :) This campaign really is going from strength to strength so keep spreading the word!

In my last video, I explained why P&G refused to put a warning on their packaging, That there "Wasn't any room".

Well.

The Argentinian Ministry of Health managed to find space!

Source

"FROM SEPTEMBER 2009, THE ARGENTINE MINISTRY OF HEALTH ARE ORDERED TO PUT A WARNING... IN JUNE WHEN B...REAKS OUT THE POLEMIC WERE ADDED TO THE PACKAGE... "... WARNING:... "THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS CHEMICAL AGENTS, IN THE CASE OF HYPERSENSITIVITY MAY CAUSE IRRITACION DERMICA..." THE QUESTION FOR THE PEOPLE OF PROCTER IS: THE SKIN OF A BABY IS NOT ALWAYS HYPERSENSITIVE? BY NOT TAKE THE CHEMICAL AGENT THAT CAUSES IRRITACION DERMICA?"

Broken English, but I think we can all get the idea ;)

Pampers Part 3

2010-07-04T01:41:00.002+01:00

Again, apologies for the sound!

Pampers Part 3 from Jaymee Bundell on Vimeo.

Analysis: P&G's Pampers leak market share:
http://www.reuters.com/article/globalMarketsNews/idUSTRE6613S820100702

Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/?page=1&sk=messages&tid=1426713319496#!/group.php?gid=112466695451972&v=wall&ref=ts

Forum Discussions:

http://community.babycentre.co.uk/find?show_results_count=true&q=pampers

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.netmums.com%2Fcoffeehouse%2Fchildren-parenting-190%2Fnappies-potty-training-toilet-issues-549%2F412882-pampers-simply-dry-injured-my-baby-anyone-noticed-active-fit-become-much-thinner.html&h=287a42ggJKEWyO8I0ECHet9c0Yw

http://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/children-parenting-190/nappies-potty-training-toilet-issues-549/425725-pampers-active-fit-watchdog.html

http://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/children-parenting-190/nappies-potty-training-toilet-issues-549/403311-pampers-active-fit-so-called-new-design.html

http://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/children-parenting-190/toddlers-pre-schoolers-12-months-4-years-59/402665-those-you-who-use-pampers-nappies.html

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/nappies_potty_training_etc/972224-PAMPERS-NAPPIES-WHATS-GOING-ON

Baby Centre related topics:
http://community.babycentre.co.uk/find?show_results_count=true&q=pampers

My meeting with Proctor & Gamble

2010-07-02T19:21:00.000+01:00

Today along with some other parents, I met with the people behind Pampers at Proctor & Gamble. It was all the way up in Woking, so it has taken it out of me and Dyllan a bit, especially as I'm so drowsy from my painkillers.

I'm going to sleep on it, so that in the morning I can write it up properly with a fresh mind.

Stay tuned x

The Mad Tea Party

2010-06-27T22:18:00.001+01:00

http://afancifultwist.typepad.com/a_fanciful_twist/2010/06/mad-tea-party-2010.html#comments

So, It didn't go exactly as planned. I was going to coincide it with my friend's little girls birthday party.

But only 3 children showed up :(

And then, My camera was dying! so I only got a few snaps before it died :(

In short, I was very bummed out. Nightmare couple of days before hand, and then when the big cake went tits up, and all the food was melting and frying in the sun, it didn;t make for a very good tea party at all.

When the kids got tired though, and the sun got too much, we all retired to one of our houses and watched Alice in Wonderland....twice lol

Also, how rude are some people!? How hard is it to let someone know that you wont be able to make it?

But the birthday girl was very happy, and the children that did come were lovely.

I think what I may do, Is try and arrange another one that will replace this post eventually. Think of it as an 'UN tea party' party lol

Please follow the link above to see everyone elses parties that will without a doubt, piss all over mine lol

4th Birthday cake

2010-06-27T21:08:00.000+01:00

Just flying by with a picture of a cake I did for my friends little girl on saturday.

Bit of a nightmare this one.

Came down the next morning and with the heat, it had cracked all over. Had to recover it, and completely change the design.

But she got her cake :)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-23T22:22:00.000+01:00

Pain :(

2010-06-20T05:38:00.001+01:00

As I write this I am in tears.
My tooth, which I fear is now 'teeth' is back raging war against me.

It's unbearable.

I've been up all night in agony, desperately trying to make it to the morning so I can go to the out of hours service at the local hospital, and not have to go to A&E which would just be full of drunks.

The Gallery - Motherhood

2010-06-17T12:15:00.000+01:00

My official post for Tara's Gallery.

I've finally found a picture that I think encapulates what motherhood means to me.

Dyllan is running, as usual.

Running away from Mummy is his favourite game. He is so independant and really is allways running and never looking back.

This is how it is going to stay forever.

Allways running ahead, with me, desperately trying to catch up.

He has his own life and I will never be ahead of it.

The Gallery: Motherhood - A background

2010-06-17T11:40:00.001+01:00

I don't usually join in with Tara over at Sticky Fingers with her Gallery posts, but I do enjoy reading everyones posts every week.

The theme for this week is Motherhood. I had such a hard time trying to pick one picture that encapsulates the essence of motherhood, especially when I suddenly realised alot of my favourite pictures of both Dyllan and myself are now lost.

So I shall whittle it down to a few.

To me, Motherhood starts as soon as you see that extra line on your test, or when somethings 'different' before you take your test.

For 9 months you cook that little baby, keeping it safe, talking to it, preparing for it and in alot of cases, suffering for it.

I had such bad Hyperemises from 6 weeks I was hospitalised, lost my dream job, developed SPD and by 19 weeks was on crutches and coming up to the end was told I had to use a wheelchair (which I didn't, by then I'd had enough). My relationship with his father was breaking down right from the start and there were a couple of occasions where what I was going through at the time very nearly made me lose Dyllan. But through all of this, someone was still cooking...

Then there was the birth, which was just a barrel of laughs. Too long of a story to tell you here.

(But look! Mummy and Baby are still with us! :D)

Then, you blink. And suddenly they are nearly two.

(1st Birthday)

(1st snow)

(more snow)

(Summer fun)

I might add to this later, when Dylls a napping and my heads screwed back on. But for now, this will do :)

When it gets too much.

2010-06-16T15:07:00.001+01:00

Do you ever feel so low, stressed and upset that your heart races? see red? you shake? throw up? cry? All 5?

All together now!

I wish I knew how to snap myself out of this.

Fed up of it all.

Fed up of being let down, running against walls constantly. Fed up of not being able to do anything, not being around my friends and not being able to get to them.

I'm trying so hard to start my new life and I somehow keep being dragged back. I know nothing is going to take my current stress away. But I keep getting shat on from a great height by life in general and other people who should be there to help me through it all. One thing followed by another and just when I think it can't get any worse, some how it does.

ARGH!!!!

!UPDATE!

And I've just had more bad news.

And I've snapped.

So if you will all please excuse me, as all I have in my head right now is a constant *beeeeeeeeep* And this:

PASS THE BALL :D

2010-06-10T13:38:00.001+01:00

The lovely people over at Green Kiddie have created a blogging challenge in light of the World Cup celebrations called Pass the Ball, where you reccomend 3 blogs that all have something in common.

I love to craft. I live for crafting. Having alot of stress in my life I need something that I can pick up whenever I can and put it back down when I need to. Crochet and knitting are my number one quick fix.

Here are 3 blogs that I love to read, sometimes over and over. They are 3 lovely ladies who share my passion and who I have looked to for inspiration on countless occasions.

So! I pass the ball to....

Dragonflies and Chickens

"I'm a Mum, dog-owner, keeper of chickens, knitter, gardener and grower of vegetables, lover of cooking, needleworker, reader of books and listener to music. This is my place to share the many balls I strive to juggle..."

Do you mind if I knit?

"Thank you so much for visiting my blog, my name is Vanessa Cabban, and I'm so pleased you've dropped by! I'm an illustrator of children's books, working from home, and happily married to Hugo, with two Miniature wire-haired Dachshunds, Ellie and Douglas. I love being part of the blogosphere, reading your lovely comments, and feeling like I'm part of a community. I like to put up blog posts on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I hope you enjoy reading about my little world!"

Attic 24

"Hello! Thank you so much for visiting me in the Attic, it's lovely to see you. My name is Lucy and I'm a happily married, stay at home Mum with two young children and a new baby. We live in a 100year old Victorian house in the North of England which we are slowly renovating, and here I spend my days :: mothering, decorating, crocheting, baking, sewing, crafting and gardening. I hope you enjoy your peek into my colourful little world. xxxx"

I can't speak highly enough of these blogs!

Thankyou.

2010-06-09T22:37:00.000+01:00

There are occasions in life that pop up in the madness of everyday life, that make you stop and smile to yourself.

For the past week I have been going through hell with a tooth. I never would have dreamt that a tooth could cause so much pain. Not just any pain either. I'm talking agonising, disabling, exhausting, take your breath away pain. So much of this pain, it makes you sick.

I never imagined that while all this was going on, I would have so many kind and supportive messages, 90% of whom I don't even know. In the thick haze of my painkillers, that gave me highs I'm pretty sure some people would pay for, these little gestures of care and thoughtfullness have kept me going.

When you're a Mum, you're not allowed to get sick. And when you're a single Mum, you're not allowed to even notice you're sick.
Bless Dyllan though! For a 22month old he can be quite the carer! He allways knows when something isn't right, still not at all easy though.
I can't afford any help. My Mums not well herself and she has my Dad to look after. It's just myself, Dyllan and some very kind and loving people that allthough they are far away, they're close enough.

So thankyou, readers of my blog who emailed me, wishing me well.

Thankyou to everyone on Twitter, who put up with my constant ramblings as I physically can't talk!

And thankyou to all my wonderful friends, the family that I have made for myself.

I love you all very much xoxo

Pampers Pt.2!

2010-05-29T00:18:00.000+01:00

Thanks for watching guys x

WTF pampers???

2010-05-23T00:10:00.002+01:00

I hope you can all take the time to watch this, and check out the links underneath.
Not an amazing Vlog but I hope I get my point across. Sort of hard when your fighting to stay awake!

KookBlogs: Pampers!? from Jaymee Bundell on Vimeo.

The Netmums.com thread
BBC Watchdog's article with video

Seemed like a good idea at the time...

2010-05-21T22:08:00.000+01:00

I have been tagged by the charming Jon at JustaTypicalDad for his very first, very own meme!

*Drumroll plz*

5 Things I have done in my life that seemed like a good idea.

At school I decided that bunking off (playing truant) and hanging around with the wrong type of people was far more importnant than getting my GCSEs. My whole attitude was 'I'll worry about that later.' and in alot of way, it still is. I am glad that I got this rebel inside me out early, it's just a shame I didn't realise just how hard it would be to get qualified as an adult.
Very few of my relationships have been great. Why can't we have crystal ball when it comes to potential partners?
That burger. And those biscuits. And that pizza....the double dozen Krispy Kremes. 4 stone later...
There was once a...erm...encounter...of a sexual nature...and the lady and I were a bit (Ok, a lot) drunk, and things got quite...mad? Anyway, we're going at it like we were pornstars (you know, as you do) and in the throws of passion I somehow managed to fall (or fly) off the bed with my head hitting the bedside table. HARD. I had split my head open and there was blood everywhere. I needed stitches so off to A&E we went. We are both nurses and that night we knew all the staff that were on duty. They know what we're like, what's the harm of joking with them and telling the truth? The harm is my friend, that after 4 years people still talk about it.
Speaking of nursing, there have been thousands of occasions where on reflection perhaps should have been handled differently. Such as taking Mrs X off the commode, changing Mr Y's dressing before he had his bowels open, Letting Miss Z brush her own teeth and then finding the brush dissapearing down her incontinence pad.

So, off the top of my head, there are 5 things that really did, seem like a good idea at the time!

Now, for some tagging!

RULES!:

1. you have to thank the person that tagged you by tagging them back!

2. Use the picture in your post.
3. Tell everyone 5 things you did in your life that seemed like a good idea at the time!
4. Nominate 7 other people to do the same and link to there blogs.
5. Let the people you have nominated know!

GO!

BabyFirstTV - We are NOT happy with Sky!

2010-05-17T23:27:00.001+01:00

BabyFirstTV is a wonderful channel created for babies and toddlers that provides parents with an interactive tool to aid their child's development.

I first discovered BabyFirst while I was pregnant, channel hopping for hours on end. I thought it would be perfect for my little boy when he finally got here, as all the other childrens channels were for a much older age group and from what I had seen, much more informative and catering to baby's developmental needs. A tool rather than a baby sitter.

As soon as Dyllan could see the TV (allthough now that I think about it, probably before then!) he was hooked. One of the things that really appealled to me, as well as fellow BFTV watchers, is the fact that it was a 24/7 channel. Meaning that it was allways there when you needed it, which was sometimes crucial at night. After bedtime its programs are soothing, perfect for wind down time and getting them off to sleep.
One of the night time programs featured kangaroos hopping about. This was the first thing Dyllan ever chuckled at, he thought it was great.

The programs are colour coded to help parents get the most out of their baby's viewing,

Yellow Flower for Thinking Journey
Blue Flower for Numbers Parade
Green Flower for Sensory Wonderland
Red Flower for Language Playground
Orange Flower for Feelings Garden
Pink Flower for Imagination Lane
Multi-Coloured Flower for Rainbow Dreams

Also, its content is multi-layered, so that babies of any age can enjoy each program on their own levels.

All in all, a brilliant channel, the only of its kind to be on Sky TV.

SO WHY HAVE THEY AXED IT!?

With pretty much no warning or explantation from Sky, BabyFirstTV has been withdrawn. And boy, the mums/dads and carers are not happy! Yes, you can still watch it online, but seriously, we've all been there trying to get baby to watch the monitor and things flying off the desk, or them getting down because sitting still is just so much fun!! - Note the sarcasm. I'd love to see someone trying to play along with baby gym infront of their pcs.
Please pass the chocolate tea pot.

Over the past few years, Sky have really gone down in my estimations. Charging prices that are for some people mortgage worthy and then axing good channels. I find myself saying more and more often that even though there are hundreds of channels, there's nothing on!
And now they have thrown away the babies' favourite and best channel. Nothing even compares to BabyFirst.

Everyone I've spoken to is disgusted that this channel is gone. Are you? Y/Y??

I shall be contacting Sky myself to see if I can find out why it has been axed and to try and make a plan of attack in getting BabyFirstTV back on the air.

Want to help? Watch this space, tell your friends and hopefully soon we can have quite a big campaign going! Don't these people know that Mums/dads and carers do not let these kind of things go without fight?

Barefaced Cheek!

2010-05-14T23:29:00.001+01:00

'Hurr hurr!' I thought to myself as I saw the latest blogosphere trend.
Started by a blogger in Australia, http://mummy-mayhem.blogspot.com/2010/05/bloggers-without-makeup-day.html who, just happens to be, naturally beautiful. The gauntlet had been thrown down. Mummy bloggers over the globe began burning their bras and reaching for the cotton wool pads to reveal to the world their BARE faces.
The twitter trend started, #bloggerswithoutmakeup and blogs were adorned with fresh faced mummies - The ultimate sin to 99.9% of them!

No way, never! You would never catch me doing that! Even tweeting my determination not to get drawn in.

I'm not that brave.

Not me.

Then I read everyones posts on the subject. Most of them also expressing the 'I must be mad!' horror story.
And aside from being a little liberated, I felt....Left out! lol

So here I am, as I sit here now writing this up, after a long hard day of cleaning puke and trying to entertain said puker.

All I have on my face is moisturiser from this morning. I would like to take this oppertunity to thank the lighting, and flickr for making the colours look alot prettier!

Got your copy?

2010-05-08T21:53:00.000+01:00

Has everyone got the latest copy of Easy Living Magazine yet?
If not, WHY NOT?

June 2010

I've read Easy Living for a long time, It's one of those magazines that I can read over and over.
But why am I telling you all to go and buy this issue in particular? Well my lovlies, you might have to sit down for this!

The latest issue of Cath Kidston magazine and a fabulous FREE tote bag!

But wait...Theres more!...

An exclusive reader offer of 15% off at Cath Kidston!!!

Oh yes! Talk about goodies! And the CK magazine is jam packed full of gorgeous summer style for fashion, home and kids!

You know what to do!

It's DIY Friday!!!

2010-05-07T14:39:00.000+01:00

What do we think???

As some of you might know I'm in the process of redecorating my house. The whole house that is.

The other day I picked up the majority of supplies to get me started. The paint, plaster, paper and some tools. What I have planned is nothing fantastical, but it will be hard work seeing as not only was it left by the previous owners in a state, I'm going to be doing this all by myself!

As this is going to be a long process, I thought it would be a good idea to set a day where I shall share whats occuring on the decorating front and anything that's to do with DIY really.

So obviously not much to report today, but hopefully by next week things shall be moving along nicely!

Now here's an idea!

2010-05-05T21:47:00.000+01:00

Whilst I was at the Robin Hill Spring Garden Show 2010 I got talking to a gentleman in the footprint trust tent about a new concept aimed to tackle the traffic congestion on the island that seems to be never ending.

The idea is, pulling the island into the 21st century (hauling, dragging, kicking and screaming no doubt) by installing a new network of sustainable and very green Tramcars.
However these are not ordinary tramcars. These are Translohrs.

The Translohr in action on the Clermont-Ferrand network.

Unlike traditional guided buses, the Translohr provides a much more tram-like experience. With spacious vehicles and level boarding, quiet operation and no fumes, Tyres rather than steel wheels and
plenty of space for wheelchairs and pushchairs, it makes for an extremely comfortable ride. Its comfortable on the stress levels too, as they run "On time, every time!". That alone would be a very welcome change to what we are used to!

Making use of some of the original rail routes that are long lost, it means that the proposed route is easily attainable.

Artist's impressions:

I cannot stress enough how beneficial this would be to the island. Anyone who has had to rely on the current public transport will know just how poor it can be at times. Aside from the fact that we desperately need to be modernised, apparently, we're trying to be the 'Eco Island'?
Surely this is a perfect solution?

This proposal needs your support. We shouldn't have to struggle with the current services, bottom line is they are stretched beyond breaking point and a new transport system is long overdue.

If you have 5 minutes, please check out the Tranzwight website. There you will find all the techie bits and other important information about the concept.

Better late than never.

2010-05-03T21:30:00.001+01:00

Just a flying visit to dump a couple of pictures of my latest silver work.

In progress...

And finished...

The Mad Tea Party 2010

2010-04-30T14:18:00.002+01:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Familiars and Wild things...

You are cordially invited to the Mad Tea Party 2010, Hosted by the fabulous Fanciful Twist!

The date has been set so it's all systems go for the Tea Party of the year!
For more information on the parties and to sign up, hop on over to Fanciful Twist's invitation post

I Can't wait :)

Gratitude

2010-04-29T12:47:00.002+01:00

This award has been passed onto me from the lovely Suburban Mummy!

Time to share with you all the things I am grateful for.

My Son - He is my everything. He is the reason I'm here and he is what gets me through.

My Friends - There are certain people in my life who I love so very dearly. Some are close, some are far away and some I have never even met face to face. These wonderful souls have kept my head above water and also kicked me up the backside when I needed it. Living in this little bubble of mine means my friends are my only key to the 'outside world'. They are proof that there are still good people left in this world. The support they give me is irreplaceable, especially when it comes to parenting. If I can be half the mum imcountingufoz and suburbanmummy are then I'll be happy :)

Strength - My life may not be perfect to some people, but I'm still here. And I'm not stopping any time soon.

These are the three most important things to me in the whole world. After you have had everything ripped from you, you realise bad decisions. Also, after a time, you realise that it could be the best thing that ever happened to you. Good riddance to bad rubbish right?

Having these things in my life, I can do anything!

I'll tag some people when I have them ;) lol

Adventures in the sunshine.

2010-04-25T21:44:00.001+01:00

So where have I been? All over the place if truth be told!
First there was Avebury.

Avebury is a neolithic henge in Wiltshire. It is the largest megalithic complex that has ever been made in Britain.

I used to come here alot some time ago, when I was into all the neo-paganism and druidism. But even as an adult I'm still impressed at the sheer magnitude of this site and the fact that you're surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain.
Its a wonderful walk, and I strongly encourage you to pick up a guide so as you walk youre almost 'in tune' with the history. Dyllan loved it. There is so much space he can run around until he drops like alot of the other children that visit the site. The day we went there were groups of Mums and babies, playgroups, local druids, photographers and general ramblers proving that anyone can appreciate the stunning surroundings.
So please don't be put off by the stereotypical touristy 'Love spell' packets! Oh and the local pub is also worth a mention, right in the heart of the circles!

Links:
Avebury Web - A really good site explaining all significant stones, the ditches and the circles themselves. A recommended guide!
Avebury Wiki
National Trust

(This stone is MASSIVE!)

Then there was a lovely Saturday with my BFF Steph. I dont see her enough, I love her and her family to bits! It was just a simple day really. A bit of shopping, a Nandos lunch and then lazing around on the grass drinking beer in the sun, finished off with another amazing meal at my favourite resturant Zen Southampton. Simple, but perfect!

Later that evening we got caught up in the celebrations of P&O's new ship the Azura, which as far as ships go, is quite pretty. It was the official naming and the docks were filled to the brim as the fireworks started. I'm not really a fan of fireworks, stems from an incident at a school bonfire night when I was a young child, But I can appreciate the huge pretty ellaborate ones. These, pissed all over Cowes Week fireworks from start to finish ;)

Yesterday, we went searching for 'THE' Eagle. For the past couple of years, this bird has had the local bird watchers up in arms. Could someone really have spotted an Eagle??? On the Isle of Wight? Reports of sightings trickled in and rumors were rife. We have a pretty good variety of native birds of prey here, but an Eagle?
Well, it must like it here, because not only has it been sighted more and more, it has been photographed. Positively, most definately, without a doubt, EAGLE.
Now, my Dad is a bird watcher or, 'Twitcher' as they are commonly known. He has waited and waited to see this eagle with his own eyes and on Thursday, he did. Did he have his camera out? Hell no. Too engrossed in the awesomeness of this huge bird.
Dad confirmed that it was indeed an 'escapee' from somewhere, as it had the remains of Jesses on its legs, allthough it looked like it had been out in the wild for sometime as there was hardly any left from where it had been trying to chew them off over time.
So we decided to stop off at the top of St Bonniface down, to see what we could see. Its a lovely view up there anyway, looking down on Luccombe Chine. We didnt see the eagle, but it was mid afternoon so we were really expecting much!

I did find this confused building though...

Oh, and for those interested, here is the eagle in all its glory!
IOWBirds - Golden Eagle.

Normal service shall resume shortly.

2010-04-23T22:42:00.000+01:00

I've had a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions lately. The kind of stress and worry that makes you stay away from your blog in the great fear of writing it all down and it actually becoming 'real'.

This is just a flying visit to say that I am still here (I think...) and that soon I'll be posting properly, sharing what I've been up to with lots of pictures!

Love and wine, xxx

Easter

2010-04-06T17:02:00.001+01:00

It was a very different Easter for me this year. No orders for cakes, cards or even eggs made for a very strange run up to Easter period. The biggest difference, was that all my gifts for people, such as eggs and cakes were store bought, something that I thought would never happen. I always try even in the midst of baking and chocolate making chaos to give as many homemade goodies to family and friends as I can.
A combination of things contributed to this, such as not having an oven. I do have an oven, a brand new one infact, but for some reason, my countertops are unusually high, and I need a kitchen fitter to build a base for the cooker to stand on before it can be connected to the gas. All in all, I'm fed up with it.

Easter Sunday was fun. My brother noticed that the 'big blue gates' of the 'big blue fence' that surrounded the old nature reserve for the past 7 years had been knocked down. This area of woodland was boarded off to be sold to developers, much to everyones disgust as it was a nature reserve, good place to walk your dog and was an important part of the East Cowes Castle estate. They have finally started building on where GKN and Westland Aircraft once was, and we should have a waitrose by the end of the year!
I spent so much of my childhood playing in these woods, it was begging to be explored!

Now, a guilty pleasure of mine is trespassing, but I am in no way encouraging anyone to do it. OK? Besides, the door was open :3

The local children were all in on the act too. My brother and I had to tell them to stay back though as the areas we were trying to get to are pretty dangerous.

This is where they are building the new Waitrose. Back when GKN was still operating here, this place was so much fun for sneaking around at night, dodging all the security guards. When Metal Gear Solid was released we couldnt help but try and recreate missions etc from the game. This place was just too perfect for it. We used to make little dens or 'Bases' as we used to call them in their dump area. Full of huge wooden crates and furniture, perfect!

The Red Funnel Ferry being all Ninja like...

You see this tree? This was the ULTIMATE climbing tree. Once, I climbed right to the top, but then fell down into the brambles that surrounded it :( Yes it hurt, but I felt awesome.

And, I managed to snap this little guy before he flew away! :)

Hoarders.

2010-04-03T13:03:00.001+01:00

Hoarders is a show over the other side of the pond broadcast on the channel A&ETV.

In a nutshell, it focuses on compulsive hoarding. But this is no ordinary hoarding. You need to be rivalling Mr Trebus , and living like the Troll Lady from the film Labyrinth to even be in the running for the chance to get on this show.

But wait, theres more. Its not just trash and poop thats hidden, or should I say on public display, in these homes. These people also like to collect decomposing and mummified animals. Cat lovers or the sqeemish? Look away now.

Oh yes. This is the kind of dedication you need to be on this show.

The woman in this particular episode (Season 2 Ep01) commented on this wonderful event of finding not one, but TWO very dead cats, saying that over the years, cats have gone missing.
May I point out that through the clearing process, the team came to the conclusion that these cats had been there for at least 9 years.

So next time your feeling a bit worn out with housework, give this show a watch. You'll laugh, cry and be generally mortified all at once!

R.I.P Elspeth Thompson 1961-2010

2010-04-01T23:01:00.000+01:00

A co-writer of one of my favourite books, 'Homemade' has passed away aged 48 :(

She was so inspirational, and taken from us far too soon.

The Telegraph have an obituary for her.

My thoughts are with her family and friends xxx

Time to relax.

2010-04-01T22:09:00.000+01:00

Gosh, what a month that was!

There were some good points though. The sun has been out, the weather has been...interesting?

My son turned 18 months, and he had his little photoshoot for the Island's Child of the Year contest. I think for 99% of the mums, this contest is more of a pride thing, as the disabled kids always win.

And of course, flowers always cheer me up!

I had to share this next picture with you!

The other morning I was washing up before breakfast, and things in the living room suddenly went quiet. A little too quiet...

Thankgod he was still in his PJs!!!!

A very personal post...

2010-03-19T14:03:00.000Z

Why are we taught that people who are abusive, behave the way they do because they are troubled themselves? In thinking this way, we automatically brush off negative behaviour towards ourselves and become more concerned with the abusers feelings and trying to help them.
The problem is that not every abuser has problems, and that having this outlook on their behaviour just prolongs your suffering and will ultimately destroy you.
We should be taught to know the difference between the troubled, and just plain trouble.
Libraries can be full of text on how to cope and helped the troubled, but why is it considered allmost taboo to talk about the type of people who can't be helped? We need to know how to spot these 'emotional vampires', how to get away and also to stay away.

You cannot help these people.

Attempting to do so will only be damadging to yourself and loved ones.

The attitude towards abuse in the home needs to change.

Happy Hinamatsuri!!

2010-03-03T23:18:00.000Z

Today, March 3rd, is Hinamatsuri, the Japanese festival of dolls also known as, Girls day.

Want to get clued up on the history of Hinamatsuri? Go here!

And to get you into the party spirit...

A song about Hinamatsuri!

What a weekend!

2010-03-01T22:10:00.000Z

I feel like I have been dragged through a hedge backwards, and on friday, I nearly was!

I kept trying to post an update, but the signal just wouldnt hold out :( might have had something to do with the fact that we were in the firing line of gale force winds. When your in a huge 'tent' it can get pretty scary. The structure of the building itself is pretty much, a huge steel frame with canvas over the roof and plastic boards for the sides. Yeah it was interesting. There was one point where people were leaving it was getting so hairy, and there were a couple of panels that blew out too. I managed to snap a quick video at the quietest point of the day, I wouldve got a better one but I was paranoid about my battery.

The steel beams are supposed to bend and I'm sure theres been worse winds, but when you see and hear them really being put to the test its pretty awesome. And the noise, was deafening!

Saturday and sunday I was looking forward to playing with my goodies and sharing them all with you. Unfortunately I spent every spare second I had fixing my parent's computer. I'm so traumatised by it, I'm not ready to talk about it.

I did managed to start on a few things though, but sharing them all would be terribly naughty of me. There suprises instore ;)

Blogging fail.

2010-02-25T23:10:00.000Z

Yes ok, I know. I suck.
First off I really ballsed up with the dates of the Make it! event. Turns out its actually this weekend and I'm going up tomorow (I know I should be in bed!). Still looking forward to it like mad, craft shopping is good for the soul!

I confess, I have had distractions as of late. Last week consisted of several surprises, 99% of which I have just realised, involved a hospital. Everything and everyones fine though which is a relief. Other distractions have been getting myself back on the bike in an attempt to shift these 'Michellin Man' style rolls of flab that are eating ME alive. I stepped up on the scales earlier and hey hey! I've lost another lb! Its really slow going, but for someone that hasnt cut out the crap foods completley, 6lb in one month I think, is quite impressive ;)
Another distraction is something secret. What I can reveal to you though is that even though I've got alot of crap going on at the moment, I have never been happier ;)

I decided the other day that I should really pull my finger out and start painting again. I never used to earn alot of money, but enough to have some pocket money. I've also got 3 sets of wedding stationary to do all booked up to do by the summer so hopefully that will bring back my little spark.

I shall be reporting straight from the event tomorow. Until then, I must sleep x

Love is...

2010-02-17T00:13:00.000Z

Having the best friends anyone could ever ask for. These are no ordinary people, they are some of the kindest, thoughtful and amazingly awesome people to ever walk this earth.
And I am so so grateful that I can call them my friends.

To me, Valentines day isn't just for couples. Its a day where you can go totally overboard expressing your love for someone, be it a family member or a friend. So consider this please, my little tribute to all the people in my life who keep me going. I love you all so much xoxo

I can't tell you how excited I am about this coming weekend. Its the big 'Make It!' event in Farnborough and I live for it! The only thing that dissapoints me with these big events, is that there are never any sugar craft exhibitors. Ok, so we have our own show, but surely just one stand of decorators supplies would be beneficial to the scene? Especially when at the moment everyones going batshit for home baking, AMIRITE???

I'll post the details of the show for you in the morning x