2016 is here

Twas the night before the return to work and all through the flat, not a creature was stirring, not even a cat. Laura and Jess lay all snuggled up on the sofa denying the existence of Monday.

Yeah I lost the rhyme there, but I'm sure you get the message. Another Christmas holiday passed, another term looms. To be completely honest though, it's not the return to work that bothers me so much as the return to reality and the loss of escapism that Christmas provides; the unlimited feeling of happy inspired by music, lights, food, friends and family. The one holiday where I can do nothing particularly productive beyond laundry for two weeks and feel not a drop of guilt.

Anyway, it's not all doom and gloom. I'm writing again! It's a new year and that means... resolutions!

It was really funny earlier today when I read back over last year's resolution post and noticed a pattern emerging. Like last year, I haven't written in weeks as the lead up to Christmas and then Christmas itself was beyond hectic (in a good way of course) as always! I did want to try to catch up on some exciting events that have occurred in the last couple of months but then I always remember the 'post-card' idea of my blog and I have to stop myself.

So I shall go for a whistle stop list-esque type thing. Since Bruges there was... the weekend of Death Cab for Cutie then Nicola Benedetti then Liquicity which I believe truly sums up the diversity of my musical taste, I discovered what might now be my new favourite view of London from some enormous man-made hill in Rotherhithe, I finally made the visit to Peterborough to a dear friend, I got the opportunity to sing in the Union Chapel (pretty special) and ventured out of London again with choir to a sleepy village for a day of singing, Christmas exploded once again with new decorations and Cath Kidston mugs a-plenty (I might need a bigger tree next year), there was a Christmas shopping expedition and carols in Cambridge, I actually sent lots of Christmas cards all by myself like a real grown up, I went on a Christmas tree crawl (another crawl invention by me), Ma & Pa kindly whisked me away on a mini-cruise to Antwerp before taking me home which was glorious as always and there I stayed until a few days ago. Phewf.

Yet again, I'm pretty sure I'm repeating myself with this year's resolutions, just phrasing them in new ways but there we go, I still like to try and make a few.

1. Send occasional cards.

Now by this I don't mean occasionally send cards, I mean send them to recognise occasions such as birthdays, engagements, that sort of thing. I always love to receive cards myself (no hints there, honestly) and it's something I always say I'll get better at... then Facebook informs me it's someone's birthday and I'm typing away on there, I didn't send a card, and another year has passed. I figure Christmas cards (which even arrived on time, by the way) were a good start. So watch those letterboxes!

2. Be more adventurous with food.

Is it just me who suddenly notices boring routine when it comes to eating? Then when you try to think of meals past, you can't. Well yesterday, I made a list of every food item left in the kitchen after the Christmas period then I sat down with my pile of cookbooks (which until now I am ashamed to say have been pretty much unused) and got inspired. My delivery arrives tomorrow and most of it seems to consist of weird and wonderful spices that I can't even pronounce the name of. Let's see how this goes...

3. Look after myself.

Yes I know. I had this one last year just with a different title. But I really do need to! I managed to achieve my third resolution last year of spending money wisely and got myself a new and magical bed which I'm now sleeping very well in so I've pretty much got rest down. It's the other things now like eating better (see resolution number 2), actually exercising a bit (let's not get too carried away) and trying not to get another 12 week-long cold (which apparently I'd had this time last year, deep joy).

2015 was a lot of fun and I was actually quite sad to see it go. I can already tell 2016 is going to be busy but hopefully another year of fun? I guess if it is, I'll write about it.

Welcome to the circus

Another year, another excuse for over-extravagant birthday celebrations! Monday 31st saw my turning 23, so I made use of the previous weekend for welcoming in the 23^rd year in true Laura-style!

There’s nothing I love more than celebrating birthdays, and despite the fact that I was expecting them to get dull after 21, I am pleased to report that they have yet to do so; 22 and 23 have both proved equally as enthralling as the years that preceded them, and thus have seen me driven into my usual state of ‘birthday-girl-frenzy’...

This year all began with a surprise birthday party for myself and a work colleague with whom I share my birthday 2 years apart (25 was clearly the bigger milestone of the two, so I felt even more lucky to be celebrating mine). The night was spent playing with inflatable palm trees, sword fighting, playing pass the parcel, and alternating between pirate hats, Minnie Mouse hair extensions and tiaras for head-wear. SO much fun! Turns out my body on a Friday night felt like I was turning 46, not 23, as an early start meant an early finish and I was still in bed by 11 (I suppose it’s a good sign that I can have that much fun, yet still manage to be snuggled up by a reasonable hour? ... it’s not. I’m old before my time).

Having broken the alcohol-hiatus spell on Friday night, I awoke on Saturday morning feeling better than I had in weeks (worrying? I’m really hoping it was more to do with working hot water for the first time in a while and not a sign of how much my body had missed gin)! Saturday saw the arrival of the most highly anticipated event of the year (admittedly, not much of the year has been yet, and it was my birthday, so I may have been biased), the Dark Circus Party, courtesy of Belle Epoque.

I really wasn’t entirely (or let’s face it, at all) sure what to expect, but I’d been to the Prohibition Party also at the Bloomsbury Ballroom in February hosted by the same event company and had the most amazing time there, so didn’t think we could go too wrong with this one. I’m not quite sure how to explain or describe the experience, but suffice to say, it went completely above and beyond my expectations and I will absolutely definitely making a reappearance at the next one in May (if anyone cares to join me?)!

Initially when we walked in we were a little dubious as although the place was kitted out in the most wonderful way (a Big Top covering the centre of the room, a cage at either end, one labelled ‘Monstrous Menagerie’, the other donning a sign which read ‘Sideshow Freakshow’, the promising sight of a suspended hoop, well-dressed bar staff and monkeys offering guests popcorn), it did not seem as busy as the Prohibition Party... hang about though, I seem to have skipped a little too far ahead of myself here.

Let’s re-trace our steps to the beginning of the day.

I was lacking in anything to wear (well, I had shoes, but I wasn’t sure they’d be appropriate on their own... turns out I probably could have gone with the ‘just shoes’ plan in the end) which meant that Saturday turned into rather the shopping extravaganza; took the bus to Dalston for a fancy dress shop that I then couldn’t locate, off to Oxford Circus, Soho, back to Oxford Street, and home again (with McDonalds gorge in between to keep us going). It may not sound like we covered much, but in 2 or 3 hours with such a specific mission, we sure worked up a sweat of sorts! Somehow three of us without costume managed to find something to wear before rushing back to mine for burnt pizza (not intentional) ready to leave at 8... yeah. I think we always knew that part of the plan was not going to be feasible.

When we attended the Prohibition Party in February we missed all of the acts bar one, so this time we decided we’d attempt to make an earlier appearance and acts were due to begin at 9. However, despite our much later than planned departure, upon arrival we discovered that they didn’t start as early as we’d thought, so we were actually in perfect time!

The journey to the Bloomsbury Ballroom this time had a very different effect on the general public. Where last time our costumes had sparked great discussion on escalators and the tube, received compliments from elderly gentlemen, and caused a sense for all those who joined us in our train carriage of travelling back in time, the effect of circus costume was more one of shock, despair, and general disapproval. Jacquard leggings, corsets, leotards, stockings, leather, tattoos in all the wrong/right places, feathers and hats galore, accompanied by our two very own suited and booted men, we perhaps did look like some sort of ‘organisation’ shall we say? As we teetered along underground tunnels, we prayed that we might see fellow circus-goers in order that we may stand out slightly less (although on the other hand, we did all agree that it was rather empowering to turn so many heads and drop so many jaws)! However, none appeared (because clearly they were all sensible and listened to their friends when they suggested getting a taxi) so we assumed the position of circus-themed Pied Pipers, leading the way along subways and up escalators (in fact, even almost leading some poor, unsuspecting males into the party because wherever we were going ‘we want to be there’). 

From the Underground, my directional abilities were miraculously right on point and we descended upon the ballroom to discover our skills in the art of perfect timing!

The night was so much more than I ever could have expected, with something happening wherever or whenever the head turned; fire eating, pole dancing, feathers, tassles, acrobatics, cabaret singing, tails, top hats, frills, horn-playing moneys, Marilyn Monroe strip teasing, cake and cocktails galore! With a truly interactive feel, even those of us who weren’t professional performers became part of it all through simply being there; it was a magical kind of surreal!

The circus was certainly quite the contrast to Friday night’s ‘kiddie’s party’ and a fish and chip supper on the evening of the birthday itself (always important to bring a little ‘home’ with me wherever I go). Each year I wonder how I’ll ever beat the last, yet each year so far I seem to have managed it – who knows what’s to come?

 Welcome to 23, me.

A park/green space a Sunday/weekend keeps the doctor away

Woke up with what appeared to be the beginnings of a cold (dread, oh dread) this morning! However, after a mug of Twinings Defence Tea (I know, shocking that I would abandon my Earl Grey kick-start... I had one shortly afterwards, panic not) I felt quite alive!

12 days into the New Year; so far, so good. Had a highly productive morning after what can only be described as the most surreal week. No tube or heating on Monday, hospitalised children on Thursday morning and afternoon, a bandaged kitten and time off work on Friday, and yet seemingly a positive and productive week, so this morning was really a natural progression!

Adhering (of course) to my New Year Resolutions, I have managed to make and eat sandwiches for lunch every day this week and have then eaten substantial food in the evenings too – impressive! I have then made this weekend a ‘real Laura time’ weekend, as a sort of reward for being so good during the week (is that really very sad?).

Saturday was spent in Norwich where I was blessed with glorious weather once again! Determined as always to fit as much in as possible so as to make my visit entirely worthwhile, I first took a detour into town from the train station along the river and through the Cathedral close. For lunch I paid a visit to my favourite Fish & Chip shop (I refer of course to the Grosvenor Fish Bar) to sit on a wall on St Gregory’s Green for a spot of people watching and ‘Big Mack’ eating. I then headed to The Egg for hairdressing – after years of suffering in a hate-hate relationship with my hair, I finally landed myself with a style I can almost deal with, and a good hairdresser is like gold dust, so trips to The Egg form the reason for my Norwich visits! As well as providing good hairdressing, they conveniently provide a good excuse to visit my home from home from home; can’t complain!

Interestingly/bizarrely, I always seem home with more shopping bags from Norwich than I do from any days spent in London. The convenience of shops in Norwich and my familiarity with them makes for far too accessible shopping opportunities! After storming around the shops to cram in as much as possible, I settled down for what Norwich is best for, tea with a friend.

Owing to my absence on Saturday, I knew that today had to be highly productive. In my experience, this can be a rather large risk, as I always find that when I really really need motivation and energy, distraction and procrastination rear their ugly heads, and my day is spent browsing SoundCloud, Youtube and Spotify (instead, I spent the entirety of the London – Norwich part of my journey partaking in SoundCloud browsing, causing my phone battery to die in the other direction. I was actually extremely impressed as it did make it as far as Stratford before giving up on me!). Somehow this weekend, I have managed a healthy balance of both of those things, which leads me on to the true ‘real Laura time’ nature of this weekend.

Today, I made the decision that at some point, I was going out for a walk. This meant that a, b, and c had to be done first. So they were. There are a good selection of sizeable green spaces in my part of London, and having already discovered and enjoyed a few, I decided to venture to pastures new today. Armed with Google maps in my ear so I could march along through shadier parts (or rather hurdle my way across an unhealthy amount of dog mess piles) looking like I knew exactly where I was going, I headed for Downhills Park. The perfect combination of cultivation, sport and recreation, play structures, wooded areas and an open common (not forgetting the toilet ‘for ‘everybodies’ convenience’), it was a very pleasant place for a stroll. Perhaps I may change my mind or find a better location, but I could almost picture it in the summer, a potentially ideal spot for outdoor productivity!

A surviving scattering of pink amongst the greenery

Although the Google maps lady kept interjecting, my ears were also filled with new music that I have finally given myself the opportunity to discover this weekend! Although my initial plan was to take work to do on the train, at this end of the weekend I'm feeling very glad that I allowed myself the down time.

Just feeling very positive really - keep it up 2014.