It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

This morning it snowed!! Not just the usual flurry in the wind, but good old-fashioned sideways snow that settled everywhere within about ten minutes. It never usually snows properly here until January / February so of course the bets have been slashed for a white Christmas. I love watching snow falling, it's so relaxing and hypnotising...

I'm starting to feel really Christmassy now - and I love all of the tv ads featuring the best holiday songs ever! I'd love to spend Christmas in the M & S house :) but we all know that it isn't really Christmas until the Coca-Cola ad! "Holidays are coming... holidays are coming..." I do hope they show the polar bears one again this year!

I've been on the internet for hours today, ordering presents - I simply cannot believe that next weekend is the last free weekend I have before Christmas!! Where has the time gone?!

We're putting the Christmas tree up at work tomorrow to the sounds of a festive CD, it's something that my colleague Amanda and I do every year and we both look forward to it. I've even brought a second tree to stand in my kitchen at home this year!

This is absolutely my favourite time of year and I still get that excitement in the pit of my stomach on Christmas Eve - I think it's because my Mum really loves it all too and always makes the festive season so special.

My sister holding my mum's gingerbread house creation!

The house is always filled with holly and ivy, and the tree is always breathtaking, and we watch the Carols from King's College, Cambridge on tv... then we all hang a stocking and prepare Santa and Rudolf's snacks before my little sister goes to bed - oh I can't wait!!!

Christmas Eve 2007

It's not all a jolly-hockey-sticks English Christmas though, as we always take time to remember absent loved ones. It's a big part of our Christmas, especially as my dear grandparents are no longer with us.

They were always the centre of the entire family, the lynchpins that held us all together, especially at this time of year. Christmas WAS Nan and Grandad. Their house was always the place where we all congregated and spent time together, where presents were hidden and wrapped away from excited eyes, where we all helped to dress the tree and decorate the house after they became too aged to do it themselves.

Nam and Grandad were enormously important to us all. Very much loved and respected, and will ALWAYS and forever be missed.

Nan and Grandad, Christmas 2003

This was the last time that they spent Christmas together at our house.

A lot of people think Christmas is over after Boxing Day; in our family however it continues until the New Year. We don't have presents every day or anything like that - we just have a LOT of family time. Board games, family walks, friends and family visiting, carols, thank you letters... it's all our special tradition that I hope to be able to continue with a family of my own one day.

Christmas morning, 2007

Ant & Dec... two of my favourite men!

What can I say about these two.... gorgeous and talented, they never fail to make me laugh.

I've been a huge fan since I was 12 and STILL have discussions with my girlfriends as to which one we fancy the most! Personally that choice changes all the time and I love them both :) but currently Dec is on the wishlist for Future Husband along with Josh Hartnett... well a girl can dream!

Ant & Dec, you're great - keep up the good work lads xx

Me through the ages???

I just couldn't resist this!! Whilst being nosey at a friend's facebook pictures over the weekend, I found that she had "Yearbooked" herself!!

If you’ve ever been curious to know what you would have looked like in your 50's, 60's, 70's or 80's yearbook picture then you must have a peek at this site! Just upload a photo of yourself, browse through the results and hey presto! Easy!

Just make sure that you upload a suitable picture - mine wasn’t really that great as it didn’t fit properly into the templates but still, the results certainly gave me a giggle!

http://www.yearbookyourself.com/ is derived from the American tradition of the school Yearbook - which isn't common in the UK - but nevertheless the website guarantees hilarious results! I really look my mum in a couple of them!!

Blogger block...

How do fellow bloggers do it? How do they think of eloquent, amusing blogs to post on an often DAILY basis?

My blog is now two days old and I’ve been racking my brains! I think the problem is that I’m not yet sure what is ok - or to be entirely honest - "cool" to blog… I have plenty of mini ideas that have generally formed in the middle of a rambling one sided telephone conversation at work (you know, the kind where you start to doodle on paper and then realise that the other person has stopped talking and is awaiting your reply) and I am sure that I will blog about my passions in high res :) eventually… but right now I have blogger block!

I have enough problems thinking of an interesting and witty facebook status update, so I hope you understand my dilemma...

I really want my blog to be as entertaining and interesting as it can be, even if I’m the only person to ever read it!

So here are my ideas so far…

The Carrie Bradshaw “I started to wonder” Blog – generally consisting of my inevitable future mid-30 crisis worries

Shopping, Shopping, Shopping – OMG I love to shop! Be it 5th Avenue or eBay, I’m not fussy. Have recently bought some amazing handbags, and am seriously tempted to post some pictures!

The Work Rant – as in posting various “overheard” snippets from bosses and colleagues. May sound boring but you haven’t been to my workplace! The Office has nothing on this place. And I’m not joking.

The Life And Times Of… – basically my life story!

The Lunch Hour Musings – exactly what it says on the tin. Possibly including details of my lunch, depending on how desperate I get for motivation.

The I Woke Up This Morning And… blog – you get the picture. Hopefully wont be resorting to this just yet, but obviously it has crossed my mind!

Harry Potter – As I said, I like Harry Potter a LOT. I don’t care if you think I’m juvenile, it makes me happy, ok!

Whatever I decide to write about, it’ll be nice to look back on one day…

Oooh, I just realised! I’ve written another blog! Even if it is just random thoughts about general nothingness, fingers crossed... I think I’m up and running!!

In the beginning...

I’m really new to this blogging thing and don’t really know how to start, so instead of trying to think of something cool and interesting to write for the first one, here are some of my little secrets that don't really matter if I tell you seeing as none of you actually know me.

1. At the age of 30 I still can’t curl my hair at the back.

2. I can't put on eyeliner without it looking like it was done by a drag queen so I tell people I'm allergic to it. Which is entirely possible. I know I’m allergic to something.

3. I take paracetamol as a cure for everything: Headache, stomach ache, period pain, hunger, sadness. The list goes on and on.

4. I hate how I look because of my wobbly legs so I wear stuff that blends me into the background. Actually I’d REALLY love to wake up with the confidence to wear clothes that I want to wear e.g. short dresses etc like everyone else, but I can’t face the inevitable staring and laughing.

5. I didn’t eat beef or gelatine for eight years after the Mad Cow Disease fiasco.

6. I didn't know how to pronounce miu miu so I googled it. Ditto long words that I’ve been using when half the time I don’t know what they actually mean.

7. On a good day I actually enjoy walking but I don't want to lose face and give in to my family and friends after 30 years.

8. Sometimes I honestly believe something amazing is going to happen to me one day and my life will turn out perfect.

9. I dance and sing round my house when I'm alone.

10. I love the Harry Potter films so much that I have been known to stalk through the actors’ private pictures on Pottershots. And log into the Forum to read all of the bitchy comments. Great form of escapism!

11. I wish we lived in the good old days when men were men and women dressed as ladies.

12. Sometimes I suffer horribly with hypochondria and have spent many a miserable evening absolutely convinced that I have a serious health condition and am going to die alone, to be found a week later half-eaten by my cat.

13. I have a phobia of thunderstorms, which really annoys me. I’d love to watch the lightning show but instead am hiding under the duvet, or under the bed if the cat lets me. (I’ve tried hiding in the airing cupboard but I don’t fit what with the ironing board and hoover). Also, I leave a window open so that the thunderbolt can escape… don’t ask.

14. When I was younger I wanted to be a Meteorologist and used to read the weather map before the presenter did. My dad was impressed, anyway.

15. I can’t look at myself in the mirror because I’m so hideous.... yes I know that is strange but I can't help it.

16. I wish I could be entirely honest and tell my friends when they look dreadful instead of telling them that they look fine and smirking when they aren’t looking. (OMG that sounds sooo bad, I just don't like to upset anyone!)

17. I close my eyes and hold my breath when I close the curtains in case an axe murderer wearing a Scream mask jumps out of the darkness and knocks on the window.

18. I pass the time at work by having imaginary arguments with the office bitch and kick her down each time. In real life I mumble under my breath when she says something, kicking myself that I can’t say it out loud. I try, but I seem to have an inbuilt “mute” button where she is concerned. Most odd.

19. I’ve had such a weird fascination with Britain during WW2 since I was nine that I privately wonder if I died in the Blitz in my past life…

20. I daydream that I’m going to land a fab acting role and be able to stick two fingers up to anyone that’s ever laughed at me, bullied me, doubted me or told me that I’ll never do anything.

22. I’ve only been to London twice in my entire life. The first time was when I was eight and we went to the Zoo. I nearly fell off a camel. Scarred me psychologically for years. Second time was when I was 13 with my mum and step-dad… if Heathrow Airport counts then I’ve been three times, four including the return journey… but I’m digressing…

When we went to New York last year, we lied and said that we lived in Chelsea and were chauffeur driven everywhere. The people we met just accepted this as normality for English girls… worryingly. We didn’t mean to lie, it was just quite funny because the Americans we met kept asking us to say certain words repeatedly and talk to them because they loved our accents, and we got swept along with it all. We did feel slightly guilty, but it was v funny…