4 Days to Go

It's Thursday 29th December and there are only 4 more sleeps until we set off for Sydney. 6 More sleeps until we actually arrive. Our flight leaves from Terminal 3 at 22:30. We are flying with Qantas and I think the flight number is 0030. Or is it 0300...? It's definitely one of the two. I'm giving you all this information on the off-chance that you are able to arrange an upgrade for us... just saying.

I'd like to thank Keiron and Louise for the fantastic surprise party they threw for me and Phil last night - our first one ever. They definitely did a good job of keeping it quiet because I didn't have a clue. It was really great guys, thanks very much and thanks to everybody that came.

The last week has been an emotional one as I've had to say goodbye to the majority of my family for the best part of 4 years. I hope that we get to see as many of you as possible in Oz. Save the pennies for your flight over - I don't want to hear any excuses!

xx

Christmas Traditions

It's Christmas Day and Phil and I are in Manchester spending time with my family. We've eaten Christmas dinner which was delicious - thanks to Jane for the majority, Phil for the beef and Martin for the yorkshire muffins.

I asked some of you to tell me about any Christmas traditions or funny stories that you have and thank you to everyone that contributed. I'd like to share a few of them with you.

I'll start with my Mum. She told me about the time that she bought a turkey and it was only once she had stuffed it, used the giblets to make gravy (yuck), spent hours cooking it and then started to carve it when she noticed that one of it's legs was missing. She was going to accuse my sister of stealing it but the skin hadn't been torn so it must have just been an invalid turkey. We are amazed to this day that it wasn't picked up on.

Might it have been this one?

My Sister Kelly remembered when my Nephew Marc was so excited waiting for his Sister to get up on Christmas morning that he was sick everywhere.

Every year, Diana Yates puts two sprouts on her Daughter Georgina's plate every year and every year those same to sprouts end up on her other Daughter Tracey's plate. Needless to say one of them loves sprouts and the other absolutely hates them. The same girls, along with their sister Emily used to take it in turns to sit between their Mum and Dad in bed every year on Christmas Day morning to open presents and they would never, ever forget whose turn it was to get that prized position.

Whilst Clare's tradition is to have Hanky the Christmas Poo on the top of their Christmas Tree, Lou shared a couple of traditions that she and her Fiance have. Firstly, the presents don't get opened until the afternoon, once Christmas dinner has been eaten and the clearing up has been done; this one would have killed me when I was younger. Huw always got (& still gets) a Beano annual and a selection box to open in the morning (he's now 36). Secondly, there is a family gift of a bottle of really old and pretty dreadful aftershave called 'Tang'. It gets wrapped up and passed around the men in the family each year. I wonder how long it will be before one of her sons - aged 5 and 8 - receive it.

My Auntie Sue told me that her three boys, Nick, Ant and Jordan pull their crackers at the start of their Christmas meal and they wear their paper hats until the very end. Nick's fiancee Nichola has vowed to continue the tradition with their Daughter Jessica. Nichola sent me a lovely message so instead of re-writing or altering it, I wanted to write it exactly as she did:

"We're trying to start our own traditions now with Jessica. So far it's just simple stuff like ice skating on Christmas Eve and reading The Night Before Christmas. We spend Christmas morning with just the 4 of us (I included Monty dog in that!) then Sue, Jordan and Ant come to us till about 4 when we leave to go and have dinner with my family. Not much yet but I get excited about the traditions that we are yet to build for our little family! I want Jessica to grow up with wonderful memories of family Christmas."

I love that. If we aren't doing this for our families and our children then who are we doing it for? We hope that when the children grow up, they'll continue the traditions and keep the memories. It surprises me how different and individual the traditions are and some of these have been years, even decades, in the making.

And me, I have memories of my Sister Lindsay and I dressing the tree listening to Christmas songs and wearing santa hats. We still have the same stockings that we used 20 years ago and every year at my Dad's house, without fail, our Christmas dinner will be served with mashed potato and yorkshire puddings.

Thank you to everybody that contributed to this blog. I wish you all the best of Christmases and long may the traditions continue.

Love to you all xx

 

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve and we're in Manchester! 

It's been a crazy week. Phil and I have both now left work and if all goes to plan, we won't work in the UK again until we return in 2015/2016. We're both starting to feel excited and nervous. As of today, we only have 9 days to go. Hold on, deep breath... ok.

Phil's work did a collection for him and they bought us both a hand luggage bag that is designed to make the most of the space available on an aircraft. They got us a lovely card too.

My work, hmmm, well, my boss couldn't make it in to see me but that was ok. From my colleagues on site, there was no card, no best wishes, not even a goodbye. I really didn't expect anything else though so they didn't disappoint.

Goodbye RCI

We arrived in Manchester yesterday. Phil went out with my Dad, Uncle Steven, Dave and Martin. Jane and I went to Lindsay's and saw baby Paige. She is just so gorgeous but she trumps a lot!! Sorry Linz, it's true though.

Isn't she gorgeous? Lindsay, Martin and Paige will be coming to spend Christmas 2012 with us which will be fantastic. She'll be a toddler by then and I bet she'll be loads of fun. Until then there is always Face Time.

I'll be posting my Christmas traditions post later today so keep an eye out for it.

Merry Christmas Eve xx

My Experience of Working at RCI

When Phil and I found out we were going to Australia I took a part time job with Eurest for Compass Group based at RCI Financial Services in Watford. We agreed that I would work on getting the house ready for renting out and start eBaying the items that we wanted to sell on my days off. I was excited about working part time for the first time and was looking forward to it. How stupid of me.

On my first day, I arrived early and was met by my Manager, who I will call M. He tried to introduce me to my new client, who I will call S. On this Monday, S was incredibly flustered and told us in no uncertain terms that she could not meet me today, she did not have the time and had she known that I was starting that day she would have booked to spend some time with me. I know that she had been emailed previously with my start date so I was taken aback and felt a bit unconfortable. Nonetheless I sat with M and we discussed what my role would be. The Eurest team were really welcoming and made me feel that I was going to be a great help, particularly to the Chef Manager. It was an iffy first day but I could deal with that.

During the course of the week, I passed S in the Restaurant a few times and on the instance that she didn't ignore me, since M was not here, she told me again how M had failed to tell her that I was starting that week and that she was going to have a meeting with M when he was next in to discuss it further. She still did not have time to talk to me and would let me know when she was free.  Fine, I could keep myself busy for the time-being. I put on my best I'm-not-feeling-uncomfortable smile and told her I completely understood, I'd wait until she was ready. It seemed to help a little; she at least smiled at me the next few times I saw her.

When she finally did get to book a meeting with me 2 weeks later it was a full induction that took 3 hours. During the course of it I was told that I was lucky to have been allowed on site because I had not been CRB checked. Are you kidding me? Her reasoning was that their Finance (which she pronounced feNANce) team dealt with sensitive data (don't they all?), so M said that none of his team had been CRB checked, and if that was the requirement he would have to pull all of them out of the building, meaning that they would have no reception cover or restaurant facility. Having worked around that hurdle (I and the rest of the team would need to be checked ASAP), I was then told that I could not have a desk or internet connection, I would need to sit in the Restaurant. Starting to test my patience now but fine, so be it. Each day I would come in and sit in the Restaurant.

On the Wednesday of that same week, I took my place in the corner of the restaurant and S plus the rest of her HR Department came down to have breakfast no more than 15 feet away from where I was sat. I then sat and listened to her talk about me for 45 minutes: how she hadn't expected me, how I hadn't been CRB checked, how bad Eurest were for not making her aware of my start date. By the time they had finished I was so angry. Who does that? What kind of HR person would do that? There was no way that I could not have heard them. I was getting to the end of my tether; I hadn't been that angry for a long time but remembering that it was only for 3 months, I carried on and managed to convince myself to stay.

Things got better - after a month and a half I was given a desk and a locker. I acted grateful, as was expected of me. I attended weekly meetings and did what was asked of me whilst working to get the finances - sorry, feNANces - and invoicing in order before the end of the year.

Now I'm coming to the end of my time here, I wanted to reflect on how it has been and what I need to avoid in the future. I'm done with Facilities. My heart is no longer in it. When we get to Oz I'm going to look for an administration role and if I get bored, well then that's just tough.

I can't say I'll miss my time with S and each time I see Nanny from Count Duckula, a bulldog chewing a wasp, a face that only a mother could love, or a disgusting pair of teeth, I'll be reminded of my short stint at RCI.

For old time's sake I thought I list my top 3 moments at RCI:

At number 3 - after being told that I would have to sit in the restaurant, as the work that RCI do is too confidential for me to be allocated a desk, then being told that I could not sit there between 12pm and 2pm because they needed the table space. This one doesn't sound so bad until I explain that at least 60% of the tables were free every lunch time.

At number 2 - S wheeled around a box full of mince pies and gave one to every person in the building on behalf of RCI. She offered one to the people on my bank of desks, looked at me, and wheeled them away again. I don't like mince pies anyway but really?

And topping the bill at number 1 - the time that S farted in one of our feNANce meetings. She did not apologise, or excuse herself, but blamed it on the sausage sandwich that she'd had for breakfast that morning. You stay classy, S.

A Happy/Sad Poem

Christmas comes but once a year
Bringing all our loved ones near
To spread and share the Christmas Cheer

Fun and laughter to be had
With sisters, brothers, Mum and Dad
This one might be a little sad

Nearly time to say goodbye
Just 20 days until we fly
Across the ocean in the sky

New Year with the Olds, drinking wine
Hands joined whilst singing Auld Lang Syne
Knowing that it'll soon be time

How brave we will both have to be
I'll comfort Phil and he'll comfort me
When leaving friends and family

Come visit, what have you got to lose
Share our home and gorgeous views
Banish those cold December blues

Just 4 short years and we'll be home
Our nieces and nephews will have grown
We might have children of our own

Time is flying by to our dismay
We'll miss you when we go away
But we've still got 20 precious days

Skype Name: nicolawclement

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from The Clements


xxx

20 Days to Go...

Only 20 day to go and things are starting to get tense. I've been worried over the last few weeks as I've been feeling a bit numb to it all. The question of "are you excited/nervous?" has been met with an uncomfortable shuffling of my feet and an "errrm...". I wanted to be excited but I was having difficulty summoning the feelings.

I spoke to my Mum on Friday and she made me feel better, as she so often does. She told me that when she books a holiday she gets really excited. Months later when it's almost time to go you have generally used up your excitement but just before she leaves it comes back with a bang. She's right - the move to Australia has been nearly a year in the making. We've already got excited about our new life and where we will live and we've also got upset about leaving our family (although I'm sure that's going to have nothing on how difficult it will be to actually say goodbye).

Little did I know that I only needed to wait until Sunday and I would have realised that I was worrying over nothing. I'm starting to feel a bit nervous. Ok, I'm freaking out and Phil's not doing too great either. I don't like to fly but usually I get through it by thinking about the amazing holiday I'm going on. Well this isn't a holiday. No, really, it's not. Plus, I'll have just said goodbye to almost every important person in my life. Of course, the most important person will be sat there with me but he'll be in the same position as me.

I decided that we need to get the initial excitement back so last night we went out to dinner, I put our Sydney book on the table in front of us and we read about all of the things we have to look forward to: Australia Day, Chinese New Year in China Town, Mardi Gras, and all of the obvious things like weekend snorkelling, beautiful beaches and gorgeous weather. We feel better today thanks very much and we agreed that we need to talk about the positive aspects of "The Big Move" every night before we go to bed. Most of all we need to be there for each other. Just 20 days to go... Oh crap, I think I better phone Phil for a pep talk.

Did You Know...

I came across this list of interesting facts so I thought I'd share them. I'm hoping they are all true as they seem to make sense. Otherwise I'm going to look like a gullible idiot.

Q. Why do men's clothes have buttons on the right while women's clothes have buttons on the left?

A. When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left. Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid's right! And that's where women's buttons have remained since.

Q. Why do ships and aircraft use 'mayday' as their call for help?

A. This comes from the French word m'aidez - meaning 'help me' - and is pronounced approximately, 'mayday.'

Q. Why are zero scores in tennis called 'love'?

A. In France , where tennis became popular, round zero on the scoreboard looked like an egg and was called 'l'oeuf,' which is French for 'egg.' When tennis was introduced in the US, Americans (mis)pronounced it 'love.'

Q. Why do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses?

A. In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document and the kiss eventually became synonymous.

Q. Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?

A. It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted his host, he would touch or clink he host's glass with his own.

Q. Why are people in the public eye said to be 'in the limelight'?

A. Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and theatres by burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the theatre, a preformer 'in the limelight' was the centre of attention.

Q. Why is someone who is feeling great 'on cloud nine'?

A. Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest. If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares.

Q. Why are many coin banks shaped like pigs?

A. Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense orange clay called 'pygg'. When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as 'pygg banks.' When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a container that resembled a pig and it caught on.

Cake Pops

This week I will be mostly making Cake Pops for the Southern leaving party. I've made them before and they turned out amazingly. I received lots of compliments about them.

I thought it would be nice if I shared the recipe:

1 large plain sponge cake - I did the easy version and bought a packet mix

1 tub ready-made buttercream frosting. They sell really good Betty Crocker tubs in the Supermarket

Lolly sticks - available from craft store or cake craft store

1 x large bar of chocolate or 1 x bag of dipping chocolate from a cake craft store - I used Cadburys which was probably a little thick in the end. Nice though.

• Using a fork or a food processor, break the cooled cake up into crumbs.
• Spoon in some of the buttercream frosting and mix. Continue adding the frosting until your cake mixture becomes sticky and holds together.
• Roll the mixture into balls, put onto a greased baking tray and put into the fridge for at least 15 minutes to set the mixture. If you don't do this they will likely fall off the sticks.
• Melt your chocolate in the microwave (it's ok to do this as long as you are careful not to burn it). Transfer your melted chocolate into a tall thin-ish cup/beaker/tub. It is easier to submerge the entire cake ball into the chocolate this way rather than trying to roll it around a bowl. I used pint-sized plastic cups.
• Dip the end of your lolly stick into the melted chocolate and push halfway into the cake ball. Once you have done them all your first one should have set so you can go back to your first one and dip the whole ball into the melted chocolate. Did it straight down and then take it back out. The longer it is in the chocolate the more likely it is to come off the stick or break apart.
• Tap the stick very very lightly to get rid of the excess chocolate.
• If you have a polystyrene block you can push the sticks into that to dry or you can put them pop-side down onto a piece of greaseproof paper. If you want to decorate with sprinkles, buttons or smarties then do this before you put them down.

Extra tips:

If you let your pops dry upside down on greaseproof paper, you might find that there is a patch of uncovered cake when you peel them off later. Melt a little more chocolate in a cup and just dip the very end into the chocolate. You should be able to stand it in a up in a cup now without the chocolate running down the stick.

Don't overheat your chocolate - it will become too thick and will also crack once it dries due to the difference in temperature with your chilled cake balls. 

If you want to see just how far you can go with these, have a look at www.bakerella.com. She is the Queen of all things sweet.

Here's her YouTube video on how she does the basic kind:

Happy baking!

Visas Approved!!

I try not to use too many exclamation marks when I write which is difficult for me as I am usually excited or trying to make a point. In this instance, the title has the exclamation points because I am excited.

The visas have landed!!

We got the confirmation last week that both mine and Phil's visas have been approved. There are no restrictions against either of us working or studying. This was the final hurdle and we've been asked for preferred flight dates and times so that the relocation team for Deloitte can book our tickets. We are going for 2nd January 2012. I hope there won't be any issues with this date as my parents are coming down from Manchester especially so that they can be at the airport with us. My stomach is turning just thinking about it. So it is actually going to happen. As the late Michael Jackson once said, "This is it".

Having moved from Manchester to the South of England around 7 years ago I am already one step removed from my family. I've had to say goodbye many times and whilst I don't cry on the journey home anymore, it's still upsetting when you know you aren't going to see your family for a while. My Mum and I have started to Skype, although the signal is never very good and we end up with frozen screens a lot of the time. Despite that, it's a really good way to keep in touch and it's free. I'm hoping that we can use it to try to keep the home-sickness at bay. We'll see.

So here is my mantra: "This is an amazing opportunity. It's only for four years. Make the most of it. This is an amazing opportunity. It's only for four years. Make the most of it. This is an amazing opportunity. It's only for four years. Make the most of it". Repeat and fade

Skype name: nicolawclement. Please add me to keep in touch.

Manners

Phil and I have been living with Mo and Dave for nearly two weeks now. I have to confess that initially I was worried, which was completely unnecessary as I'm having a really good time here. Usually, I'm the type of person that needs space and I enjoy spending time on my own so I was anxious. Thankfully, Mo and Dave are the type of people that you want to be around, so it balances itself out. 

I'm also a bit of an over-thinker and before we moved in I was having nightmares about what would be expected of us and I wanted to set some house rules such as who would buy the food and toiletries, who would cook etc. It helped that I talked it through with them before we moved in and I have been told in no uncertain terms that this is my home. I should feel comfortable and shouldn't need to ask if I want to use the bread, milk or Molton Brown - I'm still working my way up to the Molton Brown; I don't want to get used to it and then have to go back to Bayliss and Harding!

Despite being told that I don't need to ask if I can have something (drink, sandwich etc), I just can't help myself. I was brought up to have very good manners (thanks Mum) and whilst sometimes we can go too far with it - yes, I have been known to say thank you to a cash machine and an automatic door in the past - it's something that I'm not likely to change. I like my good manners and it saddens me that something so basic eludes some people (and even whole nations but I'll not go into that *tongue firmly in cheek).

Here is a list of basic behaviours that I believe everybody should adhere to:

1. Say 'Please', 'Thank you' and 'You're welcome' as necessary. As my entire family will tell you, even my Nieces and Nephews under the age of ten, manners costs nothing. 
2. Form an orderly queue - if you queue jump and push in front of me I will give you a dirty look behind your back.
3. Thank me if I hold the door open for you. I'm going out of my way to help you. The least you can do is acknowledge that.
4. If you bump into me, say 'Sorry'. I will probably say it too, even if it was your fault.
5. Do not speak to me with your mouth full of food or make smacking noises as you eat; close your mouth and I will do the same.

Good manners display respect, care and consideration. So, Mo and Dave, no matter how many times you tell me that I don't need to ask for something, please don't be surprised if I insist on doing so. Love you x

Joke of the Day

My Husband left me because of my unhealthy obsession with touching pasta.


I'm feeling cannelloni right now...

He liked it

My Perfect Day

Today is the one-year anniversary of my perfect day - 25th November 2010. The kind of day where you expect it to be good but are astounded at how amazing it turns out to be. We don't get a lot of these and I wanted to put it down in writing so that I can remind myself of it every now and then.

This time last year I was on my Honeymoon in Maui with my new Husband Phil (I might have mentioned him before). We got married in Leek in Staffordshire on 20th November and had a fantastic day with only a couple of hitches that got sorted out relatively painlessly. We had two wedding songs - These Foolish Things by Frank Sinatra and Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. The second is played at the very end of my favourite film 50 First Dates and I fell in love with it the moment I heard it.

For our Honeymoon we were going to Maui for one week and then Hawaii The Big Island for the second week. We'd made our mission to see a turtle whilst we were there and we had even agreed that get turtle tattoos if we saw one. On this particular day we woke up in our gorgeous private villa and after breakfast, we packed our things into our red convertible Mustang and headed out. I'd read about a small cove at the top of the island that sounded amazing so we gave it a go. We swam quite far out - Phil in particular - and found some amazing fish. There was lots of frantic pointing and OK signs to each other when we saw a new and vibrant species. After we had spent some time there we went back to the villa and packed our things for the beach. We were staying at a place called Kaplua Golf Resort and there was a beach within the resort called Kapalua Bay Beach.

It was idyllic - gorgeous white sand, fairly quiet and the sea was calm. We sat in one corner of the beach but then moved to the other end to get more of the late afternoon sun. We went into the sea to do some more snorkelling (Phil is a bit of an addict) and were amazed at the how clear the sea was. We'd thought that the water at the Cove was great earlier that day but we were in for a huge treat with what awaited us at the Bay. You could see individual grains of sand, every arm of the amazing coral and an abundance of colourful fish. We saw many of Hawaii's national species - the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a.

We really wanted to take some pictures so Phil went to ask if he could rent an underwater camera from the hut at the end of the beach as unfortunately, his waterproof camera had proved itself to be a not-so-waterproof camera. He was unable to rent one as it was too late in the day but he asked the man if he knew where we could find a turtle. He came back and told me that there was a turtle really close to the beach so I let him go and investigate. The wild hand-waving about 5 minutes later told me that he'd found it so I headed in.

When you are snorkelling you can only really hear your own breathing and the echos of other sounds. It's quite relaxing and a little bit eerie. I was swimming to where Phil was snorkelling hoping that I'd get to see the turtle before it was too late. It was only when I was about 6 feet from it that I saw it. I'd been expecting a little turtle nibbling away at the coral but this one was about 5 feet long and I was instantly frozen to the spot. We couldn't take our eyes off it - it looked so sleepy eyed and just mesmerising. It would go to the bottom to nibble at the coral with it's bum in the air, come to the surface to breathe and then bob along to another bit to eat some more. At one point I drifted into it's path and we nearly touched. I panicked, stuck my head out of the water and decided that if I couldn't see it it wasn't there. We'd wanted to see a turtle but we had no idea that it would be that impressive.

I have to point out that this is not the turtle that we saw - as I mentioned earlier, Phil's camera had been put out of action at the Cove.

After watching him for about 20 minutes we decided to give him some space so went back on the beach to dry out and talk about what we'd just experienced. Once on the beach we saw a collection of people in the corner where we were originally sitting. A Groom was awaiting his bride and within a few minutes she walked down to meet him. The Hawaiian Ceremonial Pu Horn sounded and we watched them get married. If this had happened a week earlier it wouldn't have affected me but since we had just got married I knew exactly how they must have been feeling and it is the best feeling in the world.

Not long after, a man settled his chair about 20 feet from us, set his music out and started playing the Ukulele. He played a few chords and I instantly knew that it was Somewhere Over the Rainbow. He played and sang the song and we listened. He wasn't busking and he wasn't putting on a show - he was a guy that had come to the beach to practice playing. Phil and I were sitting next to each other holding hands just listening and it was at that moment that I cried. It felt like everything was just right - we were right where we were supposed to be doing exactly what we were supposed to be doing. I hope that everybody gets to experience that feeling because you will never forget it. It is nothing that I can describe and I would be doing it an injustice to try. As we left I went up to him to tell him that he had played our wedding song and to thank him for playing so beautifully. He told me that he was still learning and that he wasn't very good but I insisted that we'd really enjoyed it.

After our memorable day we went back to our villa and opened the bottle of champagne that we'd bought and watched the sun behind the sea. When we had finished the champagne we got ourselves ready to go out for dinner. It was Thanksgiving so most of the restaurants were full but we were able to get a table in a place in walking distance from the villa. I had a pasta that had more garlic in it than anything I had ever tasted. I LOVE garlic. I think I spent the whole meal dancing, which I do when I am enjoying food. We ate our food, had a couple of drinks and then left to walk back to the villa, both of us glowing - a little from the day in the sun and a lot from our perfect day.

So did we get the turtle tattoos? Well, that would be telling...

Song of the Day

I Giorni by Ludovico Einaudi.

The inspiration for Ludovico Einaudi's album 'I Giorni' was a 12th-century folk song from Mali about a hippopotamus who was cherished by the residents of a nearby village but killed by a hunter. 'The song,' writes Einaudi in his succinct liner note, 'is sung as a lament for the death of a king or a great person or for the loss of a loved one.' 

Difficult Times and Facebook

Charles Shanks: 3rd July 1982 to 16th November 2011.

The last week has been a strange and difficult one. A close friend of Phil's - Charles (Bub) Shanks - passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday 16th November under terrible circumstances. Certainly for Phil and I it came as a shock. I loved the close relationship that he and Phil had and every time I saw him he had a grin on his face. He had an infectious laugh that filled any room. He was the instigator of the infamous "Rum Challenge" at the Notting Hill Carnival and was definitely the life and soul of any party. He will truly be missed and this is most evident if you look at his Facebook page. There are numerous messages and tributes and I hope he knew how much love his friends and family had for him.

Being as private as I am I have made the decision not to leave personal messages on Facebook. My status updates are usually light-hearted or humerous (I hope) and I have to admit that I get a little uncomfortable when some things are broadcast using a social network. I understand that as more and more of the younger generation start to use Facebook I will be in the minority; my Nieces and Nephews are proof of this as some of their status updates have made me cringe and there have been occasions when something they have written has made me furious. 

When my Nanna passed away recently, I didn't put any message to her on Facebook like much of my family did. I'm not saying that people shouldn't put messages to the bereaved on Facebook - I guess it is a way for them to let their friends know that they are hurting and to invite supportive and sympathetic messages - I'm just saying it is not for me. I know that on the anniversary of her death many of my family members will leave notices of remembrance - RIP Nanna, Mum etc - and I know that I will not. That's ok, I just feel differently. Just because my Facebook status does not say that I am feeling sad does not mean that I am not actually feeling sad.

Anybody that knows me well will know that I am a very private person and I'll only divulge personal information or talk about difficult things when I am ready. I'm not overly touchy-feely (thanks Dad) and usually only dispense hugs and kisses when I am made to and I have no other choice. There are a few exceptions to the rule: Phil, my Mum, my sisters and Mo and Dave. In fact, Phil is lucky if he can leave the room without giving me a kiss goodbye. I have a closeness with Phil that I haven't experienced before and if we are together we are usually holding hands. When I'm with Phil all of the rules get thrown out of the window. Love you Nimlet x

The Tragedy of First Position

Favourite video at the moment: the tragedy of first position.

If this ballet class represented a social situation then I would be this little girl. I'm socially awkward and often end up saying the wrong thing. I'm not good with new people and usually try too hard and it never ends well. I would guess that confidence in social situations requires confidence in yourself. Maybe I need to work on that and the rest will follow. 

Decision made: I need to work on my "first position" before we get to Australia. There are many new friends to meet.

Feeling Crafty

A few weeks ago I started making Christmas decorations to sell on eBay. They haven't sold as well as I would have liked but I got some real enjoyment from designing and then creating them. I remembered that I'm artistic and that I enjoy crafts. In an ideal world I'd be doing something like this for a living but as it stands, it's not going to happen. At the moment I have a craft box but one day I'd like to have a craft room. Just somewhere to put all of my unfinished products until I decide to finish them.

I'd like to carve and sell pumpkins at Halloween. Ok, the work is seasonal but surely there is a market out there for it? Maybe I could decorate cakes. I make some excellent figures out of clay so why not out of icing? My problem is that in order to do a good and professional job you'd need to spend money on tools and supplies. That's not something that I can do for what would be a part-time hobby. I have many years of work left yet so I guess I've got time to look for something that I could making a living from. Any ideas would be appreciated here.

Christmas Decorations

   

Pumpkin

Cakepops

Favourite Audiobook

The Help - written by Kathryn Stockett and narrated by Jenna Lamia, Bahni Turpin, Octavia Spencer and Cassandra Campbell.

http://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B002UZKYDQ

I have been travelling quite some distance to work over the last 12 months - 50 miles to Southampton and back and now 41 miles plus lots of traffic to Watford and back so I've really gotten into listening to audiobooks on the way home. I don't know whether it is just me but the way a book is narrated can either make or break the book and I've had both good and bad experiences. Being an avid reader I always have to listen to the whole thing - good or bad - which can sometimes mean up to 20 hours of terrible story/narration so I try to be very careful when choosing an audiobook.

A book that I listened to recently was The Help by Kathryn Stockett and it has really stuck with me. From the moment the CD started I was hooked. The narrators have done an amazing job and I cannot recommend it enough. Of course, a book is a very personal thing and I myself do not often act on recommendations; it took me 5 years to start the first Harry Potter book despite many conversations with my Mum about how fantastic they are. Anyway, if you are willing to take a chance and you like a good fiction novel with a little comedy, a lot of heart and an important message behind it then you will enjoy this book.

On a separate but related note, once I'd finished listening to the audiobook, my sister and I went to watch the film at the cinema where I wore my dinner badge for all to see (KFC chicken gravy). I'll admit that I didn't think it would live up to the book as I'd never seen a film that has but on this occasion they really did it justice and we both had a laugh and a little cry. Thanks Kel x

My Bucket-Type List

I've decided to create a bucket-type list. I don't want to call it a Bucket List as that is a list of things to do before you die which sounds a bit morbid and final and like we are all running out of time. Mine is a bucket-type list which I've decided is a list of all the things that I'd like to do in my lifetime. Same thing? Not really.

So here is what I have so far:

Own a sofa from the Sofabed Company

It might not seem like a great thing but it was the inspiration for my bucket-type list. Walking in Bath at the weekend I saw a Sofabed Company shop and decided that one day I would own a sofabed from there. I've always gone for the cheaper option on everything and inevitably it never lasts as long as if I'd splashed out. The Sofabed Company to me represents quality and maybe subconsciously I'm thinking that if I can afford nice furniture then I'll be living comfortably with a good lifestyle. Quality furniture = quality life? I'm sure it fits together somehow.

Live in America

This might sound funny for a person that is about to spend 4 years in Oz but since I've spent my teen years and 20's watching lots of America sitcoms, it's just something I want to do. I might be past the days of taking my lunch to school in a brown paper bag and swapping my PB&J sandwich in the lunch hall but maybe, one day, someone will indulge me. Plus, I just know that I'd find a group of 5 great friends - one would be a good-looking Italian guy that loves food, one would be a blonde hippy, one would be very sarcastic, one would be a neat-freak and one would be a Paleontologist. I'd be the one with the great hair :)

See the Polar Ice Caps

I've always wanted to see them but even more so since watching 50 First Dates (my favourite film). They look incredible and they won't be there forever. Whenever Phil and I have gone on holiday, we've always headed for somewhere hotter than the UK. When we live in Australia maybe we'll want to head for somewhere cold. Or maybe we could take the easy route and do it as part of a cruise. Can you go on a cruise before you hit 50? Only joking!!

Play with an Orchestra/Band and perform in a concert

Something I've done before but I've not played the flute for a while now and I am in no way to a standard where I could actually perform with a band. I need to stop using money as an excuse - lessons are expensive don't you know - and throw myself back into it. Maybe if I bought myself a new book at a lower grade and started from the beginning again. We'll see.

Watch a show at the Sydney Opera House

This one is almost within my reach. Ideally it will be a musical or if it is going to be an opera then it will be Madame Butterfly or Tosca. Even better, it could be a collection of all of the best Arias from the best operas performed by the best performers like Alfie Boe or somebody equally acclaimed in Australia. Yes, that is what I would like to see.

Phil has given me a few for his list like seeing Dilated Peoples live and learning to surf but one that I think he'll need to do without me is to go to the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge. I have difficulty standing on the third step of a set of ladders - no joke - so this is a no-go for me.

I'm sure I'll add more ideas as they occur to me but I think that's it for now.