32 Before 32 - How Did I Do?

 Well I think the answer to that would be probably be 'so-so' accompanied by one of those middling hand movements. 
 

If you look closely you can just see the slight copper/ginger-ish colour in my hair which sort of fulfils number 12 on my list. If you look even more closely, you can see the large bit in the middle which I missed with the hair dye...

 

Let's have a look at how I did on my 32 Before 32 list...

 

1. Go to a bloggers event and learn from other inspirational bloggers
I went to Rosalilium's Blognix event in June 2013 and learnt quite a lot of stuff (full review here) plus I've since been to a few other blogger events as well. Still yet to make it to one of Bristol's Blog Club events though!

 2. Swim in The Tunnels Beaches, Ilfracombe

Nope. Not even close. I'm keeping this one on the list.

 3. Make a really cool 1950's style Christmas dress

I bought the fabric to make a dress and I have a pattern thrifted from a charity shop but operating the pedal on my sewing machine is something I can't do with my dodgy ankle at the moment. I'm gonna keep this one on my list for next year.

 4. Discover a random show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Yep. We went to see 'This Is Your Trial' after spotting a poster at a bus stop during Edinburgh 2014.

 5. Learn to knit
Done. I used the time sat at home after I broke my ankle in September 2014 to get started and my first knitted project was some crutch decorations followed by a scarf, then a hat and I even made some knitted advent calendar bunting.

 6. Walk up Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh

Nope.

 7. Go to a swishing event
Yep. Me and my friend M went to an event in Warminster in October 2013 where I managed to pick up quite a few items of clothing - pictures here and here.

 8.  Do some more work on my family history
Sort of. I ordered some war records for my grandfather and great-grandfather, they arrived and were really quite interesting. There's still lots more I could do but for the moment I'm counting that as one completed methinks.

 

 9. Have a bonfire night/fireworks party
Nope.

 

 10. Visit Arnos Vale Cemetary
We visited once in 2013 when we were Gromit-hunting but we still haven't managed to find the time to go back. Next year hopefully we'll fit it in.

 

 11. Give my wardrobe an overhaul
We have the wardrobes, we bought them back at the start of the summer but they're still in their boxes waiting to be unpacked. Once we've assembled them, I'll be going through all my stuff and sorting it all out.

 

 12. Take the plunge and dye my hair a coppery colour
Kind of done; I dyed my hair for the first time ever in December 2014 with a light copper colour but it ended up being not quite as bright as I'd planned.

 

 13. Complete the NHS Couch to 5K programme
Well we started it (several times) and each time only got to about week three before either it got dark/rainy/busy (i.e. we just got lazy). I don't think running is something I'll be doing anytime soon either.

 

 14. Start digitalising our huge CD collection
I digitised quite a lot of our CDs and we bought a lovely new cabinet from Ikea to store the few ones we're keeping so I'm crossing this off as done.

 

 15. Practice driving Andrew's lorry
I did this a bit last year at one of the steam rallies we took Andrew's lorry to but haven't had much of a chance to do it this year.

 

 16. Have some summer BBQs with friends in our back garden
We had a BBQ with both our families and had some friends round, not for a BBQ but instead Andrew's 4 year old godson helped weed the garden which we thought was excellent.

 

 17. Make a Christmas pudding from scratch
Nope.

 

 18.  Go to London and watch Matilda the Musical again
Yep, managed to complete this in the evening of my 32nd birthday last weekend.

 

 19. Plan an amazing party for my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary in December 2014
Well, their anniversary is on 26th December but they've decided they don't want a huge party. We did plan a big party for mother-in-law's 70th though back in July and even better, she didn't realise what was going on till she turned up at the hall so I'm claiming that as a win.

 

 20. Plan, package and post some pretty letters
I joined Miss Beatrix's Post Circle and sent off some bloggy gift swaps - a Summer Gift Swap, a Secret Santa Swap, a Thrifty Christmas Gift Swap and a couple of Blogger Book Swaps.

 21.Make some bunting for my conservatory
I have the bits and pieces for it, just haven't got round to making it.

 

 22. Finish all my half-started mending and sewing projects
I did quite a lot of darning and stitching while I've been off work and at the moment, I think my sewing basket only contains things which need mending on the sewing machine so I'm crossing this off as pretty much completed.

 

 23. Attend the second study school of my postgraduate degree
Done. I had a week studying and partying in Aberystwyth in September 2013. My top tips for distance learning can be found here.

 24. Make time to go on some dates with my amazing husband

Well, we've been on quite a lot of dates out to theatre shows and comedy gigs and also discovered lots of new places to eat (Bagel Boy (thanks Lily!) and also Grillstock). So I have kind of completed this one, I think the problem is just that after almost 8 years of marriage, both myself and Andrew don't tend to see them as dates!


 25. Explore the cycle paths around our area

Nope. And cycling a bike is something else I won't be able to do for a long time.


 26. Re-upholster my Great Aunt's wicker chair and wicker storage box

I started with this one; I bought the fabric and cleaned the chair and box thoroughly but haven't actually done the upholstery yet. A task for the quiet months in the New Year methinks.


 27. Carry on with my long-running 2002 Golden Jubilee cross stitch sampler

Now this probably needs a bit of an explanation. I have a large sampler celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II which I started cross-stitching in 2002. It's now 2014 (almost 2015) and she celebrated her Diamond Jubilee the other year. The sampler's about a third completed and I should probably write a blog post about it really. This one is staying on the list for the '33 before 33' post.


 28. Take a picnic to Chew Valley Lake and share an afternoon with the ducks

No, we didn't manage this one although we did spend several lunchtimes at work with the ducks there. The problem with Chew Valley Lake is that they charge for parking which puts us off going.


 29. Go to Library Camp Bristol and spend a day with fellow library enthusiasts
Yep, done back in July 2013 when I went to Library Camp South West - full review here.

 30. Raise money for a good cause by taking part in the Marie Curie Cancer Care Ladies Driving Challenge
This one wasn't to be unfortunately as I found out earlier this year that Marie Curie were no longer running the driving days. However, as well as driving weird and wonderful vehicles, it was also about raising money and I did raise £204.60 at work by wearing silly jumpers and selling cakes for Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day back in December 2013. I'm crossing that off as completed as I reckon I made more money that way than I would've done by driving vehicles.

 31. Learn to ice skate properly (instead of hovering near the handrail)

No can do. The last time I went ice skating was at Somerset House in December 2012 (which was amazing) but I reckon my ankle won't ever be strong enough now to support my weight on the ice.


 32. Walk up to the Stone Circle at Glastonbury Festival for an spectacular view of the show
At Glastonbury Festival 2013 I did walk up to the Stone Circle, but unfortunately a large amount of the view was obscured by trees. Pictures of random trees can be found here.

So that makes 16 out of 32 completed and 4 others started or halfway there. That's a 50% success rate - pretty respectable methinks.  I'm about halfway through putting together a '33 Before 33' list which hopefully I'll be able to share on here next week.

 

Have you got a similar list? How are you doing with yours?
 

This Weekend at the Duckpond

We have mostly been...

 

 

 Enjoying - the fabulous Christmas show that is 'Swallows and Amazons' at the Bristol Old Vic. I saw it several years ago when they first performed it and they've brought it back to the stage for this year. What's not to love about a theatre that sells pic 'n' mix in the foyer and lets you throw rocks at the baddie in the closing scenes of the show?

Unpacking - all the Christmas stuff from the loft. Last year I was very organised and packaged it all into large bags so it was dead easy to get out!



Wrapping - a few presents, these ones were being sent off to Canada as part of Janet's Thrifty Christmas Swap.

Dyeing - my hair. That doesn't sound like a big thing but I am actually that girl, the one who's never dyed her hair before. One of the things on my '32 Before 32' list (which runs out on my birthday this Saturday) was to dye my hair a copper colour and I had a light copper dye from Avon which after a bit of faffing about, I managed to use. I think I had images of 1980's horror stories of women ending up with green hair and stuff so I didn't want to go too bright. The end result is quite nice but unfortunately so subtle that no-one has really noticed (and doesn't look any different to normal in a photo so I've no proof sadly). Now I've done it once though, I feel a bit happier my hair's not going to turn purple or fall out or anything so next time, I'll go for a brighter shade and show you all.



Queuing - to get into Frome for their Independent Market on Sunday. I don't think anyone realised quite how popular it would be though as most of the main roads were gridlocked and the park & ride car park was full only an hour and half after the market had started. Instead we cut our losses and headed to another nearby town, Trowbridge and did a bit of shopping there.



Resting - with a hot chocolate (and sneaky bowl of chips) from Wetherspoons while we were going round the town centre. It was very well-timed as even though I'm down to using one crutch now, I still can't walk long distances so the half an hour sit down was just what I needed!

 

 

 

What did you get up to at the weekend?

32 before 32 - See A Random Show in Edinburgh

My '32 Before 32' list is still looking rather empty and I've only got just over 3 months left but when we were up in Edinburgh at the start of August I actually managed to cross off something from it - 'Discover a random show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival'.

 

Andrew spotted this poster fluttering in the breeze on the side of a bus shelter near the Pleasance Dome; we like Andrew Maxwell and Marcus Brigstocke so we thought anything starring them would have to be fairly good.
 

 

 

 

So we trotted off to the Assembly box office, bought our tickets and walked round to the venue which happened to literally be 'a small box'. I reckon there was only about 30 or so punters and the place was packed.
 

 

 

  

It wasn't until we were stood in the queue that I thought perhaps I should actually Google what the show was about.

So a quick search revealed This Is Your Trial starred Tim Fitzhigham at the judge, Thom Tuck at the Clerk and a changing line-up of QC's each night to either defend or prosecute whoever was on trial.

And the show is very accurately named as audience members are picked at random and then after a few questions from the judge, the clerk invents a heinous crime they've committed. Things like 'attempting to smuggle an Englishman inside a Scottish name' (the guy was from Cambridge but was called Hamish) and 'wearing a hipster sweatshirt for no reason'.

We needn't have worried though, it was brilliant! One of the funniest shows we saw all week, with fabulous performances from the QC's that night.
 

 What made it so funny wasn't necessarily the performances though, it was more to do with the fact that it really seemed as if all the comedians there were just messing around and having a good laugh; like they were all mates playing around down the pub after hours.

Tim Fitzhigham and Thom Tuck made you cry with laughter all the time; I don't know how much they'd drunk before the show but most of the time they couldn't keep a straight face (Marcus Brigstocke though, was amazingly poker-faced during his spiel, not really sure how he managed that!).

All in all, I think that was a darn good 'random show' and if it's back next year, it's one we'll be booking as part of the grand masterplan!

 

32 Before 32 - Six Months Left

Back in June last year I put together the typical bloggers list of a certain amount of things to do before a certain age. I went for 32 (even though that’s this years birthday) mainly because if I’d gone for 31, it would’ve only given me 6 months – and 32 (or even 31) things is rather a lot to complete in a short space of time!

 

But here we are, one year on and with only 6 months til I turn 32 (just writing that feels old) and how many things have I ticked off? Umm…only a handful.

 

Here’s a recap…

 

1. Go to a bloggers event and learn from other inspirational bloggers
(I had an amazing day at Rosalilium's Blognix event - full review here)

2. Swim in The Tunnels Beaches, Ilfracombe

(Umm, nope and I'm not sure when I'm going to fit that in)

3. Make a really cool 1950's style Christmas dress

(I have a pattern and some fabric, I just need to get started with the chopping and stitching now)

4. Discover a random show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

(Not actually ticked off yet but I have left some space in this years Edinburgh itinerary so who knows what we'll find!)

5. Learn to knit

(Nope, not anywhere near, I don't even own a needle yet)

 

6. Walk up Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh
(Still a no, we never seem to have time!)

 

7. Go to a swishing event
(me and my lovely friend M went to an event in Warminster in October 2013 - pictures here and here)

 

8. Do some more work on my family history
(Haven't done much for a few years but I am hoping to order some war records for my grandfather and great-grandfather)

 

9. Have a bonfire night/fireworks party
(Didn't manage it last year so that'll have to be something to do this year)

 

10. Visit Arnos Vale Cemetary
(We did visit briefly last summer when we went Gromit-hunting, I took a few photos but I'd love to go back and take some proper ones)

 

11. Give my wardrobe an overhaul
(Yay - this might actually happen! Our wardrobes are ordered and if we ever manage to assemble them, then my clothes are going to get a good sort out when I move them from one place to another)

 

12. Take the plunge and dye my hair a coppery colour
(Still working up the courage to do this one)

 

13. Complete the NHS Couch to 5K programme
(Well, we got as far as week 3 and then it got dark. And cold. And rainy. Probably need to start it up again really)

 

14. Start digitalising our huge CD collection
(I've made a start on this in readiness for our new CD and DVD cabinet arriving in July. Hopefully I'll get it finished soon)

 

15. Practice driving Andrew's lorry
(I did do it a bit last summer but not actually on the main road - Andrew doesn't quite trust me yet!)

 

16. Have some summer BBQs with friends in our back garden
(We have the garden, just need the sunny weather, some burgers and possibly some friends now...)

 

17. Make a christmas pudding from scratch
(I'm gonna give it a go this autumn)

 

18. Go to London and watch Matilda the Musical again
(Yep, tickets booked for my birthday in December!)

 

19. Plan an amazing party for my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary in December 2014
(We haven't done much on this really, mainly because we've been busy planning something else)

 

20. Plan, package and post some pretty letters
(I joined Miss Beatrix's Post Circle and sent off some bloggy gift swaps - a Summer Gift Swap, a Secret Santa Swap, A Thrifty Christmas Gift Swap and a couple of Blogger Book Swaps)

 

21.Make some bunting for my conservatory
(Not yet, but I do have the fabric ready once we've painted our conservatory)

 

22. Finish all my half-started mending and sewing projects
(Nope, not even close)

 

23. Attend the second study school of my postgraduate degree
(Done - I had a week studying and partying in Aberystwyth in September 2013. My top tips for distance learning can be found here.)

 

24. Make time to go on some dates with my amazing husband
(Well, we've been to lots of comedy shows if that counts as a date?)

 

25. Explore the cycle paths around our area
(No, we have the bikes but not the time)

 

26. Re-upholster my Great Aunt's wicker chair and wicker storage box
(Getting there, I bought some fabric in February, now I just need to clean them and actually get round to putting the fabric on)

 

27. Carry on with my long-running 2002 Golden Jubilee cross stitch sampler
(Zilch done on this)

 

28. Take a picnic to Chew Valley Lake and share an afternoon with the ducks
(Haven't gone there yet but there's still time)

 

29. Go to Library Camp Bristol and spend a day with fellow library enthusiasts
(I had a really cool day at Library Camp SW in July 2013 - full review here)

 

30. Raise money for a good cause by taking part in the Marie Curie Cancer Care Ladies Driving Challenge
(This one isn't going to happen because it seems Marie Curie stopped running the event last year. I did raise over £200 for Save the Children on my birthday last year selling cakes for their Charity Christmas Jumper Day so I think that counts)

 

31. Learn to ice skate properly (instead of hovering near the handrail)
(Nope, but I am planning to go to Somerset House in London for a session at Christmas. This aim would be so much easier if the ice rink in Bristol hadn't closed down!)

 

32. Walk up to the Stone Circle at Glastonbury Festival for an spectacular view of the show
(Glastonbury Festival 2013 I walked up to the Stone Circle, unfortunately a large amount of the view is obscured by trees! Pictures here)

I do have plans to tick off a few more over the next few months but I have a funny feeling that a large proportion of them will end up being carried over into a ’33 before 33’ list…


 

Another Bloggy Book Swap

A while ago I signed up to take part in The Emerald Dove's Blogger Book Swap. I took part in one last year organised by the lovely Rosie (from A Rosie Outlook) and it was great fun choosing what books to buy so I thought I'd give it a go again.

 

I was paired with Cat from Through A Cat's Eyes and managed to find a book I really enjoyed based on the life story of 70s child sensation, Lena Zavaroni from the Isle of Bute in Scotland. I remember learning all about her back when I studied A Level Psychology and when I worked in the local library I spotted Andrew O'Hagan's novel based on her life.

 

Anyway, I packaged the book up and sent it on it's merry way up north to Scotland along with some little chocolates to enjoy. Stupidly I forgot to take any pictures at all of the book I sent but pop over to Cat's blog to see what she received.

 

My package arrived earlier this week and Cat had chosen the perfect book for me - Dewey by Vicki Myron!

 

It's all about a cat (called Dewey, fairly obviously) who lives in a small town library in America and gets into all sorts of trouble whilst winning the hearts of all the borrowers. She'd spotted that I used to work in the library and thought that would suit me, and she was right. Not only am I a fan of libraries themselves but I'm also a fan (albeit a very sad one) of the Dewey Decimal System. It's a brilliant way of classifying books!

 

Books Swaps are great fun - if you ever spot one running on someone's blog, they're well worth signing up for!

 

In 2014 I Hope To...

New Year's Resolutions - they're a funny sort of thing. I've never been the sort of person to make resolutions in January, I'm more the sort of person who thinks that if you're going to resolve to do something, it doesn't matter what time of the year it is.

 

But in the spirit of pretty much all bloggers I thought I'd write down a few little things which I hope to achieve in 2014. I can then do what everyone else does and look back on them - if nothing else, it'll give me the content for a blog post next year. :-)

 

So in 2014 I hope to...
 

tick a few more things from my 32 Before 32 list
 

try and feature a few more craft/food/outfit type posts on here
(I'd originally planned to feature a bit of all of them but they seem to have fallen by the wayside!)
 

take part in Janey's (from Is That You Darling) Photo an Hour challenge once a month
(the first one's coming up on Saturday 18th January)

wear brighter lipstick
(after a chat with the lovely Lily and SJ on Saturday, I realised I should stop feeling so self conscious and just do it, as they say)
 

make more time to sit down and read books
(despite training to be a librarian, I only ever seem to have the time to read when on holiday)

take part in Ema's 52 Lists project
(the first one is all about goals for the year, so consider this post it) :-)
 

try and keep my life a bit simpler
(my diary looks cram-packed all the time, perhaps it's time to cut down on the amount of things I try to fit in)
 

and there's an obvious one (to do with our IVF treatment) which I don't know whether to list or not - I'm not a superstitious sort of person but it also feels kind of wrong to list it down as a resolution!

 

Have you made any resolutions for 2014?

A Thrifty Christmas Gift Swap

I took part in two Secret Santa swaps this year - a Bloggers Secret Santa organised by Hannah from Hannah Bee (pictures and presents here!) and a Thrifty Christmas Gift Swap organised by Janet from Words That Can Only Be Your Own.

I've followed Janet's blog since May when she took part in Rosalilium's 'blog every day in May' challenge and when I spotted she was organising a thifty Secret Santa, I though that would be a great thing to be involved with as well. Plus Janet being the fab lady that she is, was letting non-bloggers take part as well so I excitedly told my friend M all about it who signed up there and then as well.

 

 

The idea behind the Thrifty Christmas Gift Swap is that presents should be either handmade, secondhand or thrifted with a suggested spend of around £12. I was emailed a few lines about the lady I was sending to, Leanne who liked Christmas, wine, the theatre and reading and had recently started crafting.

 

I started thinking and eventually this is what I came up with...
Mini perfume
Christmas tree bubble bath
Crafty card making kit
A set of rubber stamps
Homemade bunting
Homemade Christmas tunes mix CD
Some assorted chocolately bits and bobs 

 

 

The 'make your own cards' kit and rubber stamps I discovered in my craft stash when I gave it a good sort out the other week - neither of which I'm ever going to use (I think I had ideas about making cards years ago and then realised I was much more interested in sewing than papercrafts).

In amongst all my Avon lady bits and bobs I also remembered I had a Christmas tree bubble bath and mini perfume which I thought Leanne might like.

 

I also made some Christmas bunting and a Christmas tunes mix CD with an explanation as to why I'd picked those songs (including weird things like The Tweenies 'I Believe in Christmas' and The Accelerators 'Christmas is a Pain in the Arse').

 

 

 

 

I collected my Thrifty Christmas Gift Swap parcel from the delivery office on Monday and placed it under the tree naively thinking I'd keep it til Christmas...

 

So it was opened on Wednesday instead (that's only a week in advance, not that bad surely...)

and I think, quite possibly it might just be one of the best Christmas presents I've ever received.

My Secret Santa lady, Charlotte had really gone to town with the presents, they were all so thoughtful and perfect!

 

My box contained...

 Circus/fairground style fabric

Lovely little Christmas gift tags 

 Chocolate reindeer noses

 Mini nail files
The most gorgeous little duck buttons
Duck stickers
A design your own bunting set
Chocolate chip cookie mix
The Holiday DVD
A book of fab Christmas things to make and do

 

 

I absolutely love it all!
The little duck buttons are so sweet and the book of Christmas recipes and how-to's is brilliant - such a good idea (and with plenty of things I'm going to have to try out). The Holiday is also a film I've never actually seen but my friend M always goes on about how good it is so I'm looking forward to watching that over the Christmas break. The bunting kit is fab as well; it's wooden bunting for me to use whatever paint I want and design them myself - I've never seen a kit like that before and luckily after redecorating one of the bedrooms recently, we've got quite a few tester pots lying around.



Thank you very much Charlotte for my wonderful presents!
And huge thanks to Janet for doing all the hard work of organising it all.

 

 

Bloggers Secret Santa Swap

Back in the summer I took part in Rhiannon from The Sparkly Panda's Summer Swap and loved putting together a package of summer themed goodies to send on it's merry way.

 

So I was on the lookout for any Secret Santa gift swaps and stumbled across two of them - one run by Hannah from Hannah Bee and another run by Janet from Words That Can Only Be Your Own. I promptly signed up for both and set about finding some little things to package up.

 

 

First up - the Bloggers Secret Santa as organised by Hannah.

 

My Secret Santa recipient was Jenna from JennaSuth who happens to live in a town in the north of Scotland where I've actually been camping several times before!

 

I spotted on her blog that she liked cosying up with a hot chocolate and some Haribo so I thought a present themed along those lines would go down well.

 

 

 

I included Haribo PJ's, an mug, Clipper drinking chocolate, two chocolate stirrers (from our local farm shop), three packets of Christmas-themed Haribo and eight sachets of different flavoured hot chocolate.

 

 

I wrapped them all up in a shoebox sent it on it's way across the miles.

I know Jenna recieved it safely (she popped a picture up on her blog) but I think she has far more restraint than me and has kept it til Christmas day!

 

 

 

 

 

My Secret Santa was the lovely Abigail from Tuesday's Girl who sent me a fabulous package of gifts - all perfect for a cosy Christmas night in.

 

 

 

I unwrapped a huge wine glass, a large box of Lindor chocolates, a Cath Kidston mushroom keyring, a Cherry Vanilla Yankee Candle, a Sunlight on Snow Yankee Candle and some candy canes.

 

 

 

It's all very exciting, not only had Abigail managed to hit the nail on the head with the chocolates (Lindor are my absolute favourite), she also included two Yankee Candles - I've never even owned a Yankee Candle before!

(I know, a blogger who's never had a Yankee Candle, wtf?)

Plus a gorgeous pink and clear wine glass and an incredibly cute keyring - I haven't decided yet whether to add it to my keys or use as part of the decoration in my sewing area.

Either way, it's all fab!

 

 

 

Thanks very much Abigail! And thanks to Hannah for organising it!

 

 

 

Coming up in the next couple of days - the Thrifty Christmas Gift Swap by Janet :-)

 

 

Have you taken part in any swaps this Christmas?

Blogger Book Swap

A couple of months ago, the lovely Rosie from A Rosie Outlook decided to organise a Bloggers Book Swap - the premise being that everyone has books they've really enjoyed but don't always have anyone to recommend them to or pass them on to.

You had to submit your name and what genres you liked or didn't like (if any) and then Rosie would allocate you with a book swap partner. It was a straight swap rather than a secret one - I was paired with Laura from Me, Michael and M.E. and as soon as I got the email telling me who I was buying for, I started thinking about what to choose and what to get.

I love the idea of a book swap; when I worked in our local library, I spent many a time recommending things to people and talking about different authors so this was right up my street (and coincidentially that's actually where I bought my books from - Street in Somerset!).

For Laura, I chose The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

(apologies for the crappy phone photos)

 

 

The Ship of Brides I bought first - I quite like reading stories set in the early to mid twentieth century and this one is set in 1946 telling the story of wartime brides from Australia. Young girls who'd married their American GI boyfriends during the Second World War were then shipped across the world to spend the rest of their lives with their new husband - sometimes all went well and sometimes it didn't. I love the fact that the story is based on what happened in real life - there were thousands of brides who travelled to foreign lands just after the Second World War in pursuit of happiness.

The second book I bought was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, although I sort of cheated with this one as I actually had it out from the library and was reading it at the time. I was about halfway through when I sent off my book package so I posted a copy off with the recommendation that I was really enjoying it so far (I've finished it now and yep, it is fab!). It was only when I was wrapping it up that it suddenly dawned on me that this book was also set in 1946!

 

I included a few little chocolately treats as well, wrapped it all up and sent it on it's merry way to Laura.

 

 

 

 

I actually sort of received my package from Laura before I'd even posted her package out; I had a 'Something for You' note from the postie saying it was waiting for me at the delivery office but working late and silly opening hours at the office meant I couldn't pick it up for a few days. Once I'd collected it through, I was in such a hurry to open it, I took a look in the car on the way back home!

Laura had chosen for me two books I haven't read before but look fab - Bloodstream by Tess Gerritsen and The Charmer by Mandasue Heller.

 

 

I'm really looking forward to reading them; I have read some crime fiction before but not those authors - although Tess Gerritsen is one I kept meaning to read when I worked at the library.

I'm planning on enjoying them over the Christmas holidays (which seem to be creeping up on us far too fast) probably in between eating too many sweets and playing too many games!

Thanks Laura for my lovely books! And thanks Rosie for organising it!

 

Swish, Swish - New Clothes for Old

Last Friday night me and my lovely friend M went to out very first ever swishing event (which is also another thing ticked off my '32 Before 32' list').

 

Swishing is essentially clothes swapping but with bunting and sometimes a few nibbles. We headed over to The Organ Inn in Warminster where the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust was hosting the event with help from Jen over at My Make Do and Mend Year. Entry was simply a donation plus at least one item of clothing. Me and M took 10 items each (and I don't know about M, but I could have taken about another 10 bags as well!) and we both managed to collect a fair few items between us to take home as well.

 

It was a really good night; a bit strange a first as we weren't sure if there was any sort of etiquette or organised method but after putting our clothes out for display, it was pretty obvious that you just had to get stuck in and have a good old rummage!

 

 

 

 

There ended up being lots and lots of clothes to look through with new items arriving all the time as people turned up for the event. Looking around, the table with the most items on was the trouser table - clearly proving the point that trousers are the most difficult thing to buy and get right.
Obviously lots of people had made mistakes!
 

 

It was good fun pulling out different things to look at, and one more than one occassion I found something I though M would like and she found things she knew I'd like.
There was a makeshift changing area at the back of the room (which was a bit surreal getting your bits out whilst surrounded by strange women) but being involved with performing on Carnival floats I've got changed in public car parks numerous times so I was pretty used to it :-)

 

 

 

I picked up two tops, two cardigans, a swimsuit, two dresses, a skirt, a bag and a necklace. I'll do another post at the weekend to show you what I took home - at the moment we're driving both to and from work almost in the dark so I'll wait til the weekend when we actually get some daylight to take photos!

 

Have you ever been to a swishing event?

 

 

The Bloggers Summer Swap

Back in July I signed up for the lovely Rhiannon's Bloggers Summer Swap. Rhiannon blogs over at The Sparkly Panda (go check out her blog, she covers all sorts of fab things!) and thought a summer-themed swap would be a good idea to keep the sunshine-y feeling lasting that little bit longer into September.

 

We were all instructed to aim to post our packages in the first week of September and mine popped onto my doorstep midweek.

 

 

It was a brilliant DIY bunting kit from Hannah over at Dainty and Ivory and she'd included some lovely little bits like 'handmade' labels and a dolphin wind chime.

 

 

 

She'd spotted on my '32 Before 32' list that I wanted to make some bunting for my conservatory and thought that would do nicely - and she's completely right! :-) I'm looking forward to putting together my bunting over the winter and then I can hang it up ready for Spring and Summer next year.

 

 

 

I was paired with Georgina from Working Welsh and my package to her was a bright and cheerful box of summer sunshine. I scouted around for yellow items that would travel easily and eventually ended up with:

Pantone Yellow Mug, Tea Towel (used for wrapping the gifts), Maryland Cookies, Mr Kipling Lemon Slices, Wispa Gold Chocolate Bar, Caramel Highlights Sachet, Narcissi Bulbs, Hair Clips, Carmex Lip Salve, Toblerone, Jelly Tots, Tunnocks Tea Cakes, Quavers, Original Source Shower Gel and an Ice Cream-shaped Ice Cream Scoop.

 

Phew!

It sounds like a lot but I just kept finding little things to include and in the end I didn't know what to leave out so I just used it all.

 

 

I wrapped it up and decorated the box with ribbons and bows, making sure to include a little card saying 'hello!'

 

 

 

 

I really enjoyed taking part in the Summer Swap and I think Rhiannon is planning on doing a Winter themed swap later in the year. Might be worth keeping your eyes peeled over on her blog if you fancy taking part!