The writing of a girl who likes heavy metal and dolls houses, making things and charity shopping

Monday 22 November 2010

Blenheim Palace and a broken car

I had a good weekend. Went to Blenheim Palace with my mum and had a lovely day. There was a craft fair, a couple of dollhouses to gaze upon, and plenty of Christmas trees. It was a great day despite the fact we broke down on the way home and had to sit in the freezing cold on a dark, desolate road for an hour waiting to be rescued. It was still a wonderful day after I dropped my new gloves down the toilet, and it wasn't blighted by the fact it took us 3 hours to get home. A sure sign of a splendid outing!

I'm also feeling happy because I got tickets to the Isle of Wight festival with no bother, and to top it off... today I got a much needed item for free out of a skip.

Friday 19 November 2010

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Sunday 14 November 2010

Vergissmeinnicht- Keith Douglas

Three weeks gone and the combatants gone
returning over the nightmare ground
we found the place again, and found
the soldier sprawling in the sun.

The frowning barrel of his gun
overshadowing. As we came on
that day, he hit my tank with one
like the entry of a demon.

Look. Here in the gunpit spoil
the dishonoured picture of his girl
who has put: Steffi. Vergissmeinnicht.
in a copybook gothic script.

We see him almost with content,
abased, and seeming to have paid
and mocked at by his own equipment
that's hard and good when he's decayed.

But she would weep to see today
how on his skin the swart flies move;
the dust upon the paper eye
and the burst stomach like a cave.

For here the lover and killer are mingled
who had one body and one heart.
And death who had the soldier singled
has done the lover mortal hurt.

Wednesday 10 November 2010

Dear Mr Bon Jovi

Dear Mr Bongiovi,

I am a super huge fan of yours. I've loved you for a long time. I loved you when you looked like this:
 and this:
and even when you looked like this:
And I learnt how to spell your name properly.

I even forgave you for making me watch Ally McBeal, Sex and the City and that film Moonlight and Valentino, because you insisted on being in them and I love you.

So I need favour from you. When I come to see you in Hyde Park next year, please can you play all your old songs? And can you write another really excellent album, because to be brutally honest it's gone a bit wrong since These Days hasn't it?

That's all I'm asking for. Not much, considering the effort I put in being a super fan. I'm sure you must be very busy writing your new should've-come-after-these-days album so I'll say bye for now,

Much love

Rebecca xxx

P.S. You can play 'It's My Life' and 'One Wild Night.'

P.P.S. My boyfriends coming with me to London, so I won't be able to meet up just this time. I'm very truly sorry.

Tuesday 9 November 2010

Hats off to you!

It's taken quite some time to post about the birthday soiree. After a lot of thought and some pilfering off Rhiannons' facebook page, here are some pictures! As you can gather milliners in Warwick did a rip roaring trade in the lead up to the party. Also present was a ushanka (Russian fur hat), a visor, a bright orange turban, a selection of top hats, a couple of witches hats and several woolen numbers....

Of course, everyone was desperate to win the prize for the best bonnet. That title went to my good friend Karen. She'd nobly stayed up to the early hours making her hat and had told me it involved cereal packets.  Understandably, I was expecting more Blue Peter, less film set. Can you guess which one it is? The smiley person holding a bottle of bubbly might be a slight giveaway...    

Wedding sweatshirts
How very rude!
And the winner is! 

Monday 8 November 2010

Ellie and Ross' Wedding

My cousin got married in the Summer and is now expecting a sprogling with her husband Ross. Yay!!!!


They got wed at Wroxall Abbey, which was extra special cos Ellie went to school there when she was a young'un. Here's them on the big day, looking very happy indeed! That's Ellie' Grandma reaching up to tip confetti on Ross.




I got waylayed with finishing their wedding gift, but it is finally ready to give! I couldn't get it just right in the frame so took it to a clever man at Box Trees Farm (it's a craft centre and a farm, cows are no use when it comes to picture framing) who made it look super! I hope they like it even if it is over three months late, oops!


Thursday 4 November 2010

The mission

This is my first draft of the plan to stop recklessly chucking money down the drain and make the most of what I already have:
Food "nom nom nom"
I'm going to make like a Victorian on pancake day and use everything up! This is going well so far, I have a massive amount of soup in the fridge and last night instead of going to bed early like normal tired people do I decided to make date squares. Ours aren't square, and they're quite crumbly but they taste good!
Make-up and toiletries
Using it all up and only replacing necessities. I started doing this in the summer after realising I had about 100 different bottles of things that all do pretty much the same thing. I also buy the things I use often in bulk when they're on offer. I'm now down to one conditioner, but have a bottle of almond oil that works really well so all is well.
Clothes
Really I should say I don't need any clothes at all. But I am hesitating... I've made a real effort to only buy stuff if I really love it when I try it on, not just get it cos it'll do. For the time being I'm going to say, I don't need any: coats, hats or bags. I do really need a belt, so that's allowed.
Books
I love books, looking at them, choosing them, buying them and reading them. Lots of my books are second hand, and I've got so many there's a pile I haven't read yet! No more books until I've read the ones I've got! I'm already thinking maybe a particular book might wing it's way to me for Christmas, oh well, Santa and his giving ways cannot be stopped.
Car
Planning journeys better, walking more (especially to work) and using free parking spaces. Saving money, the environment and forcing me to exercise.

Tuesday 2 November 2010

Working and worriment

Our work rota changes this week because the lovely Melanie left at the weekend. This means we are starting sleeping nights, which in turn means I am worrying. I'm worrying because it's a lot of responsibility, what if something goes wrong? What if I trip over and start crashing into things when I get up to do my checks and wake everyone up? What if I don't wake up and miss the checks completely? What if I get so worried I don't sleep at all and appear like a useless zombie the next morning? What if, what if? Aaaaaarrrrgggghhhhh! I need to stop thinking.
Another thing that's bugging is my endless list. The list that has every single job that needs doing on it. It includes everything from stripping walls to finishing courses. Every now and again I get stressed that the list is not completed immediately and it gives me a headache. So I'm going to ignore the list.
I've also been thinking a lot about my spending habits and have concluded that I am a squanderbird of late. At times I have been very restrained with my cash, two jobs and a reluctance to buy anything costing more than 50p. This has gone right out the window of late, fuelled mainly by holidays I couldn't afford and a job change meaning I didn't get paid for a couple of months. So, I need to change my ways! I will form a plan, (it may involve a list, but not of the hideous endless job kind) and post it here to keep me on track!

P.S. I can spend frivolously on Saturday because mr squire and I are going to a vintage fair. I may make a decision when I see the goods at said fair as to the level of spending. I might take a packed lunch for us to make up for shopping expenditure.