Showing posts with label my mum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label my mum. Show all posts
Sunday, 19 April 2015
Day off, Cinderella, Lunch and Story Telling With My Mum
I usually have Friday's as my day off. Last week I went to see Cinderella with my mum @createdineire, we had a lovely lunch at the Handmade Burger Company and Mum told the story about her dog who went to school. Oh, and she's getting the vlogging bug, so watch this space! :)
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
My 2012 Birthday
Well, seeing as I recorded my birthday celebrations last year, it must now be deemed a blogging tradition! I think that's how traditions start anyway...
Last year was my 40th birthday! hehee. This year it's the year of my 2012 birthday!
I storify'd some of the few days of celebration. Thanks to my BFF for a fab day in Manchester and my awesome Mum for an adventure in Liverpool. And thanks to all my friends for joining in with the celebrations online too! :) x
Last year was my 40th birthday! hehee. This year it's the year of my 2012 birthday!
I storify'd some of the few days of celebration. Thanks to my BFF for a fab day in Manchester and my awesome Mum for an adventure in Liverpool. And thanks to all my friends for joining in with the celebrations online too! :) x
Sunday, 29 July 2012
My Great British Seaside Holiday with my fab mum
Waaayyyyy back in June (it feels so far away already!), my lovely mum and I took to the English Coast for a seaside holiday.
We had about 6 days away along the Kent coast, and of course, it being a British Seaside holiday, we had rain on all but one of the days.
Canterbury
Of course we had to go to the famous Canterbury cathedral.
We had about 6 days away along the Kent coast, and of course, it being a British Seaside holiday, we had rain on all but one of the days.
My mum chose Herne Bay as our base and we stayed in a lovely 300 year old 4* B&B called The Priory. The free wifi was a bonus too!
I was really happy to meet some fellow tweeters there!
Here's a few of the things we got up to on our hols
Beachcombing
Of sorts. And in the rain. My mum did really well and found such treasures as a rusty wheel, a leather bookmark, a lighter and a dog! :D
Of course we had to go to the famous Canterbury cathedral.
Canterbury Tales
I really enjoyed this quaint attraction. We were led from one darkened room to the next with a new tale of deceit, love, jealousy.... The stories were fun and were told by rudimentary animatronics, some of which were quite grotesque (but in a funny way!).
Margate
My Mum and Dad took me here for a holiday when I was about 5, and Mum wanted to go back again. Luckily we got a break in the rain!
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| Re-visiting Margate with my Mum |
The main attraction of the day was the Turner Contemporary who is playing host to Tracey Emin's exhibition She Lay Down Deep Beneath The Sea. The exhibition is on until 23rd September.
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| A letter from Tracey in a shop window. She is inviting people to attend her exhibition |
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| Rodin's The Kiss |
I loved the TC! It's a beautiful bright white building with amazing view over looking the sea.
I really recommend the Tracey Emin exhibition in which she explore the themes of love and romance in her honest and sometimes brutal way.
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| A few Tracey Emin postcards |
I was so inspired by Tracey's work that I went to the gift shop and bought a pencil, rubber and a little book.
'I'm going to be an artist!', I declared. 'Mum, you can be the subject of my first piece of art!'
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| My mum looking across Margate harbour |
I showed my Mum my wonderful work and she laughed and there ended my career as an artist. If I have learnt anything from the experience as An Artist it's that you have to develop a thick skin; not everyone will understand your art or your message, not even your mum. Everyone's a critic as they say! ;D
Broadstairs
Possibly my favourite place that we visited (on the day it didn't rain).
We visited the Charles Dickens Museum. If you are a Dickens fan then you have got to go here. It's based in a small house where Dickens stayed and is crammed with items belonging to Dickens; from furniture to prints and letters.
Ramsgate
This was the shortest time I've spent anywhere! We got off the bus, I took a photo of the harbour and we got on the next bus! It was the end of the day and we were ready to make the journey back. I'm sure Ramsgate is amazing!
I cannot possibly move. Think a seaside holiday is a nice easy pace? Go with @createdineire!
— karenstrunks (@karenstrunks) June 13, 2012
Dickens World
One day we headed to Chatham for Dickens World. The website made it look quite fun. But to be blunt, I think it's seen better days, but in some ways it was so bad, it was good. Well, not good exactly. Amusing is more like it, but not in the way they probably intended.
I said at the time it was like a theme park that went wrong that you would see in The Simpsons.
There was a play in which the costumed 'actors' mimed, MIMED, their way through a 10 minute version of Oliver Twist. Fagan had a big fake beard so he didn't even have to make the effort to move his lips. In the background of the set, a cleaning lady went round and emptied the bins.
The 'characters' on the set would interact, but only if you made the effort and even then, their hearts weren't in it. Half of the Haunted House was broken. It felt like a nineteenth century ghost town - all the life had gone from it. Oh, I could go on. It was all round, just a very bad show.
Talk about ending the holiday on a high note! lol
It was fab to spend quality time with my ace Mum. She's such a laugh. Thanks for an brilliant holiday Mum! Love you!
If you want to catch all my tweets from my holiday, I've got them all Storified :)
Say hello to me on twitter @karenstrunks and my Mum is @createdineire!
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Smartie Pants Of The Week
Once upon a time there was a little girl...
That's me by the way!
My Mum has been having a bit of a de-clutter at home and she handed me this brown envelope recently.
It must be about 35 years old (how old?!) but I remember it very, very well...
Seeing it took me back to when I was around five years old and living in London. I went to a little primary school about 10 minutes walk away from home.
My teacher was called Mrs Murray, and it just so happened that Murry Mints were a popular sweet at the time.
The Murray Mints TV advert at the time had a song which went 'Murray Mints, Murray Mints, too good to hurry mints'. So, poor Mrs Murray was tortured by all the kids in the class singing this tune, but the bonus for Mrs Murray was that she was never short of a Murray Mint herself as we all used to buy her these sweets. I'm sure she was delighted. We thought we were great - how funny that our teacher is called Mrs Murray and we could sing her a song and give her Murray Mints!
So, I've got my award back again. And I will keep it safe. Despite the disappointment surrounding it, I'm actually quite fond of my childhood prize :)
Say Hello on Twitter @karenstrunks
Subscribe via RSS
That's me by the way!
My Mum has been having a bit of a de-clutter at home and she handed me this brown envelope recently.
It must be about 35 years old (how old?!) but I remember it very, very well...
Seeing it took me back to when I was around five years old and living in London. I went to a little primary school about 10 minutes walk away from home.
My teacher was called Mrs Murray, and it just so happened that Murry Mints were a popular sweet at the time.
The Murray Mints TV advert at the time had a song which went 'Murray Mints, Murray Mints, too good to hurry mints'. So, poor Mrs Murray was tortured by all the kids in the class singing this tune, but the bonus for Mrs Murray was that she was never short of a Murray Mint herself as we all used to buy her these sweets. I'm sure she was delighted. We thought we were great - how funny that our teacher is called Mrs Murray and we could sing her a song and give her Murray Mints!
Mrs Murray was lovely. She was very kind and patient and very pretty with shoulder length blond hair. Every week we had Story Hour.
Mrs Murray would sit on a large comfy chair that was in the corner of the room and whilst she was reading that week's story, she would allow one of us to brush her hair. There was always a competition amongst the girls to be able to do this and we had to take turns.
I can't imagine that happening in a class room these days!
Anyway, during this year at school there was the Smartie Pants Of The Week competition. Whatever child had done something particularly well would win a prize. I think that's how it worked. It was probably something that was introduced to make us work harder and do our homework or something.
Each week Mrs Murray would sit in her chair and we would sit on the floor around her and she would pick a child and give them the Smartie Pants Of The Week Award.
There were about 20 kids in my class, and each week someone would get the prize.
I waited and waited.
Nothing.
*hurmph* I tried hard I think. My drawings were very good and I didn't colour over the lines and I worked on my spelling and reading.
Then one week Mrs Murray had us all sitting around again and she had the brown envelope in her hand (it was always a brown envelope and always the same prize).
"I have one prize left. Who hasn't had one yet?"
I raised my hand.
And Mrs Murray, at last, handed me the Smartie Pants of the Week prize!
Well, it was all of a bit of a disappointment as you can imagine! I had been forgotten about, left out and was an after thought!
But it still didn't stop me rushing home to tell my Mum that I had won a Smartie Pants of the Week award. As soon as I got in the front door I put my prize together.
A jigsaw puzzle of....this....thing! :D
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| What is it?! |
So, I've got my award back again. And I will keep it safe. Despite the disappointment surrounding it, I'm actually quite fond of my childhood prize :)
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| Around the time I was Smartie Pants Of The week! |
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Saturday, 25 February 2012
The week that was and what I got up to
I slept really, really well last night and it's no wonder. When I woke up this morning the first thought I had was, 'Did I really do all that this week?!'.
The answer was, 'Yes, I did.' ;)
So, without further ado, I'm going to give an abbreviated version of the highlights from this week. I'd love to dedicate a blog post to each event, but hey ho!
Day out in Lichfield
Me and my Lovely Mum, @createdineire, had a jolly nice day out in Lichfield last Friday. I hadn't been there before and it's only about 20 miles away. We had a nice time just wandering around this old city, browsing the shops, having a delicious lunch and of course we couldn't leave without visiting the cathedral.
Top Secret
On Saturday, Sunday and Monday I knuckled down to work on something Big (to me anyway!). My Dad used to tell me 'You don't have to tell everybody, everything, all of the time' and in the case of this Big Thing, I'm keeping it under my hat, for now. It required immense use of my brain power and it may well be one of the biggest challenges I've set myself (as well as NYC that is!). I really had to knuckle down and draw on my resources and hopefully it will pay off. If it does, or it doesn't, I will reveal all either way later in the year!
Speaking at Yardley Photography Society
On Tuesday evening I did a talk at the Yardley YPS. I was booked to do this almost a year ago - they plan their speakers quite well in advance.
I first thought my talk was going to be about 20-30 minutes, but soon realised it was for 90 minutes which made this into my longest talk to date!
It was in two 45 minute sections. The first half I went right back to the beginning of my photography career - how and why I started, what I did next, how I turned my passion into a career for myself. The second half I talked about the 4am Project. I showed over 100 photos in all.
Digital Editor's Network
On Thursday I headed up to Manchester for the day, well to Media City in Salford to be more precise.
As well as looking forward to the Digital Editor's Network event, I was quite looking forward to my first visit to Media City.
I was really impressed with Media City itself. You could live there and never need to leave. It has apartments, a big shopping centre, cinema, restaurants and tons of business and places to work, including of course, the BBC.
The day ahead was all about innovations in Social, Local and Mobile in relation to new organisations.
Speaking at the event were Nick Turner, Head of Digital Content for CN group, Martha Stone CEO at World Newsmedia Network, Francois Nel from Journalist Leaders Programme, Sarah Hartley from the Guardian (and of course talk about local!), Aiden McGrath from Aetopia, Paul Bradshaw from Help Me Invesigate and Greg Hadfield from Open Data Cities.
What a power house of people!
This really deserves a blog post of it's own. This was all about journalism, surviving in these difficult time, how to make money from digital assets (it's the way to go), with some amazing facts, figures and data being produced. You can catch some of the highlights over on the Live Blog and I did a very quick Storify from the hashtag of the day #solomoden (but twitter wouldn't let me catch all the tags) and they are worth a look to get an idea of the amazing discussions that were going on!
Birmingham Social Media Cafe
Yesterday was the 2nd Birmingham Social Media cafe of 2012 (the next event is on Friday 30th March at the Birmingham Town Hall. It's free and for anyone who is interested in using social media for work or play. There were about 40 attendees, so there's always lots of peeps to meet!
One of the reasons I took over the running of the event was that I know that as least once a month I will get the chance to go out and meet people, see friends and Be Social! I run quite a tight schedule work wise so I welcome this event at the end of the month. And if you want to 'pick my brains over coffee', this is the best place to catch me! :)
And that was the week that was!
And the week that will be....
Monday - Liverpool delivering a talk about local workshop
Tues - A day in Fazeley with the talk about local team
Weds - Stoke with Nicky delivering talk about local workshop and Wednesday evening having a phone chat with a lady who loves what I do online and would like help with blogging and starting her own website.
Today I'm catching with with 'stuff' (work) and cracking on with the 4am Project launch (there will be a global date in April), and tomorrow is pretty much the same!
Re availability..... It's very limited at the moment and I'm having to say No more than Yes right now and it will be that way until June, so feel free to ask away, but don't be disappointed/offended if I don't say yes.
Right now, I'm going to do some housework (yaaawwwwnnn!) and try not to throw away my tv (the built-in dvd player keeps switching itself on so I'm having a battle of wills with it at the moment).
Have a fab weekend! :)
Say Hello on Twitter @karenstrunks
Subscribe to my blog via RSS
The answer was, 'Yes, I did.' ;)
So, without further ado, I'm going to give an abbreviated version of the highlights from this week. I'd love to dedicate a blog post to each event, but hey ho!
Day out in Lichfield
Me and my Lovely Mum, @createdineire, had a jolly nice day out in Lichfield last Friday. I hadn't been there before and it's only about 20 miles away. We had a nice time just wandering around this old city, browsing the shops, having a delicious lunch and of course we couldn't leave without visiting the cathedral.
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| Lichfield Cathedral |
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| Mum lit a candle for me saying "This is for you and that you'll get back to NYC. You have a year to get there", coz I won't shut up about the place lol. |
Top Secret
On Saturday, Sunday and Monday I knuckled down to work on something Big (to me anyway!). My Dad used to tell me 'You don't have to tell everybody, everything, all of the time' and in the case of this Big Thing, I'm keeping it under my hat, for now. It required immense use of my brain power and it may well be one of the biggest challenges I've set myself (as well as NYC that is!). I really had to knuckle down and draw on my resources and hopefully it will pay off. If it does, or it doesn't, I will reveal all either way later in the year!
Speaking at Yardley Photography Society
On Tuesday evening I did a talk at the Yardley YPS. I was booked to do this almost a year ago - they plan their speakers quite well in advance.
I first thought my talk was going to be about 20-30 minutes, but soon realised it was for 90 minutes which made this into my longest talk to date!
It was in two 45 minute sections. The first half I went right back to the beginning of my photography career - how and why I started, what I did next, how I turned my passion into a career for myself. The second half I talked about the 4am Project. I showed over 100 photos in all.
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| The very first photos I took with a digital camera. So out of focus! |
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| My published work in the Birmingham Post and Birmingham Mail newspapers |
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| Professional Photography shoots |
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| My first 4am Project photographs |
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| New for this year! My Wedding Photography Services! |
On Thursday I headed up to Manchester for the day, well to Media City in Salford to be more precise.
As well as looking forward to the Digital Editor's Network event, I was quite looking forward to my first visit to Media City.
I was really impressed with Media City itself. You could live there and never need to leave. It has apartments, a big shopping centre, cinema, restaurants and tons of business and places to work, including of course, the BBC.
The day ahead was all about innovations in Social, Local and Mobile in relation to new organisations.
Speaking at the event were Nick Turner, Head of Digital Content for CN group, Martha Stone CEO at World Newsmedia Network, Francois Nel from Journalist Leaders Programme, Sarah Hartley from the Guardian (and of course talk about local!), Aiden McGrath from Aetopia, Paul Bradshaw from Help Me Invesigate and Greg Hadfield from Open Data Cities.
What a power house of people!
This really deserves a blog post of it's own. This was all about journalism, surviving in these difficult time, how to make money from digital assets (it's the way to go), with some amazing facts, figures and data being produced. You can catch some of the highlights over on the Live Blog and I did a very quick Storify from the hashtag of the day #solomoden (but twitter wouldn't let me catch all the tags) and they are worth a look to get an idea of the amazing discussions that were going on!
Birmingham Social Media Cafe
Yesterday was the 2nd Birmingham Social Media cafe of 2012 (the next event is on Friday 30th March at the Birmingham Town Hall. It's free and for anyone who is interested in using social media for work or play. There were about 40 attendees, so there's always lots of peeps to meet!
One of the reasons I took over the running of the event was that I know that as least once a month I will get the chance to go out and meet people, see friends and Be Social! I run quite a tight schedule work wise so I welcome this event at the end of the month. And if you want to 'pick my brains over coffee', this is the best place to catch me! :)
And that was the week that was!
And the week that will be....
Monday - Liverpool delivering a talk about local workshop
Tues - A day in Fazeley with the talk about local team
Weds - Stoke with Nicky delivering talk about local workshop and Wednesday evening having a phone chat with a lady who loves what I do online and would like help with blogging and starting her own website.
Today I'm catching with with 'stuff' (work) and cracking on with the 4am Project launch (there will be a global date in April), and tomorrow is pretty much the same!
Re availability..... It's very limited at the moment and I'm having to say No more than Yes right now and it will be that way until June, so feel free to ask away, but don't be disappointed/offended if I don't say yes.
Right now, I'm going to do some housework (yaaawwwwnnn!) and try not to throw away my tv (the built-in dvd player keeps switching itself on so I'm having a battle of wills with it at the moment).
Have a fab weekend! :)
Say Hello on Twitter @karenstrunks
Subscribe to my blog via RSS
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
What I have done and what I am going to do.
I fancy doing a quick re-cap of what I have been up to, and what I've got coming up soon!
One of the things I've loved about having this blog in the last year is it's a great place for me to keep track of what I've done and it makes it easy for me to refer back to an event/occasion - plus I get to share it with you too! :)
Last Thursday took me to Speke in Liverpool to deliver a talk about local training session with my colleague Mike Rawlins. There's a whole heap of potential for this area when it comes to having an online voice, and we helped representatives from organisations in the area get up and running with their own Wordpress website which will act as a 'hub' for all their activities, and we will be going back later in Feb to finalise the training.
Then on Friday it was the first Birmingham Social Media Cafe event of 2012 and it got off to a great start! Over 60 attendees from all sorts of industries met, networked and talked social media and the coffees were kindly sponsored by Meegloo - a great, free social media app! The next event is on Friday 24th Feb at the Birmingham Town Hall. It's free. So if you are interested in using social media for work or play, and want to meet like minded people, then please come along! Check out the Storify from last week where you can see photos/video and what people were tweeting about the BSMC!
On Saturday I had a Very Nice Day Out with my Mum in Warwick. I thought I hadn't been there before, but actually I had, many years ago, but I didn't see very much of it back then. I was really impressed with this small town. I have been to the famous Warwick Castle before - it's well worth a visit. I really loved the dungeon part!
There seemed to be more independent shops in the High Street so that was a welcome sight. And there are lots of antique shops with unique items such as
And although I didn't buy the earrings, my mum treated me to a new purse, and I treated me to a new red handbag!
On Sunday evening I went out with a few friends to Loco Lounge in Kings Heath. It was my first time there, and I really liked it! It was quiet as it was a Sunday night, but that more than suited me and was a lovely night chilling and chatting and sharing a few drinks.
This Wednesday I'm going all the way to Redruth (pronounced 're-DRUTH)' in Cornwall and delivering a talk about local workshop. I'm meeting Nicky there and we are staying overnight as the workshop is early on Thursday morning. It's looking to be a great workshop with over 20 attendees! I also can't wait to see Nicky, as she moved away from Birmingham in the new year, so it will be great to have a catch up!
View Larger Map
On Saturday I'm off to Preston to Local Gov Camp North West.
And whilst I'm in that neck of the woods, I'm meeting up with my best friend for dinner and a catch up.
It's going to be a great day!
There we go. That's what has and will be keeping me busy for now :)
Say hello on twitter: @karenstrunks
One of the things I've loved about having this blog in the last year is it's a great place for me to keep track of what I've done and it makes it easy for me to refer back to an event/occasion - plus I get to share it with you too! :)
Last Thursday took me to Speke in Liverpool to deliver a talk about local training session with my colleague Mike Rawlins. There's a whole heap of potential for this area when it comes to having an online voice, and we helped representatives from organisations in the area get up and running with their own Wordpress website which will act as a 'hub' for all their activities, and we will be going back later in Feb to finalise the training.
Then on Friday it was the first Birmingham Social Media Cafe event of 2012 and it got off to a great start! Over 60 attendees from all sorts of industries met, networked and talked social media and the coffees were kindly sponsored by Meegloo - a great, free social media app! The next event is on Friday 24th Feb at the Birmingham Town Hall. It's free. So if you are interested in using social media for work or play, and want to meet like minded people, then please come along! Check out the Storify from last week where you can see photos/video and what people were tweeting about the BSMC!
 |
| Photo by Adam Yosef |
On Saturday I had a Very Nice Day Out with my Mum in Warwick. I thought I hadn't been there before, but actually I had, many years ago, but I didn't see very much of it back then. I was really impressed with this small town. I have been to the famous Warwick Castle before - it's well worth a visit. I really loved the dungeon part!
There seemed to be more independent shops in the High Street so that was a welcome sight. And there are lots of antique shops with unique items such as
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| In the olden days, men with mustaches used to use these tea cups to keep their upper lip dry! |
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| I have my eye on these beauties. If you don't mind, ta ;) |
And although I didn't buy the earrings, my mum treated me to a new purse, and I treated me to a new red handbag!
This Wednesday I'm going all the way to Redruth (pronounced 're-DRUTH)' in Cornwall and delivering a talk about local workshop. I'm meeting Nicky there and we are staying overnight as the workshop is early on Thursday morning. It's looking to be a great workshop with over 20 attendees! I also can't wait to see Nicky, as she moved away from Birmingham in the new year, so it will be great to have a catch up!
View Larger Map
On Saturday I'm off to Preston to Local Gov Camp North West.
LocalGovCamp is an unconference (no charge, no agenda) for people mostly working in or around Local Government to get together for a few hours and talk about stuff.There's nearly 100 people going, and there will be lots of talk of new digital developments, social media, data, and how to share what's going on, just for starters!
And whilst I'm in that neck of the woods, I'm meeting up with my best friend for dinner and a catch up.
It's going to be a great day!
There we go. That's what has and will be keeping me busy for now :)
Say hello on twitter: @karenstrunks
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Day 3 of Operation Re-Charge Glitter
aka: The Big Winter Relax
I haven't done a thing for the last 2 days. Not a jot!
Oops, I've already told a lie. I went to the Boxing Day sales in the city centre. Looking back on that experience I can see it wasn't my brightest idea. I blame my naivety in that area. I honestly thought if I got into the city centre early in the morning it would be nice and quiet. By 8am there was hardly a car parking space to be found and packed buses were already delivering loads of shoppers to the city centre. In fact, some shoppers must have had a huge head start (Next!) as they were already loaded down with armfuls of bags. I even saw some ladies trying on clothes in the car park. I only wanted some make up, so I put an invisible shield around me, kept my head down and decided to get what I wanted since I'd made the effort to get up early, and then get the hell out of there. I got speaking to a man waiting outside a shop. He said his girlfriend had already shown him (before Xmas) what she wanted, gave him a list, and his job was to now get these items. He gave me some tips on coping inside the shop, the best one being, "keep your centre of gravity low". Ha. I picked up some make-up and perfume and some lotions and potions and was home again for 10am, but I don't think I'll ever do that again!
But apart from that, I have barely done a tap. The night before last I got 10 hours sleep! That only happens about twice a year. Heavenly!
I have managed to watch a lot of films; March Of The Penguins, Tamara Drew, Monsters v Aliens, Son of Rambow, Rosemary's Baby, The Man Who Would Be King and Mary and Max (again, coz it's the best film in the world, ever. Fact). Lots of bubbles baths have featured in Operation Relaxation too. I've barely tweeted, checked my emails or read my favourite blogs. I've put my phone on silent.
I'm not used to this change of pace at all. It's only been 2 days so far and at times I've felt like I should be doing something more productive, and then I have to remind myself to just chill and stop putting pressure on myself. There will be plenty of time to 'do' soon enough and I want to hit the new year at full speed so I'm seeing this time as reserving and storing energy up for that. I've felt quite tired actually and half suspected I was getting a sore throat, but that doesn't seen to be making a proper appearance.
I spent Christmas day with my ace Mum and my fab step Dad. My Mum wanted to do her own Queen's Speech!
I've just realised that there is only 4 days left of this year! Flip. I haven't been keeping track of the days very well. I'm too relaxed!
I've got a good idea of what I want from next year so I'll be firming up those plans (and having a review of my goals for this year).
Today I think I may do a little light premature spring cleaning, ready for the new year. A tidy house is a tidy mind, or something. I think. Otherwise the day will consist of more bubble baths and films.
Hope you are all having a smashing Christmas! :)
Say Hello on twitter @karenstrunks
I haven't done a thing for the last 2 days. Not a jot!
Oops, I've already told a lie. I went to the Boxing Day sales in the city centre. Looking back on that experience I can see it wasn't my brightest idea. I blame my naivety in that area. I honestly thought if I got into the city centre early in the morning it would be nice and quiet. By 8am there was hardly a car parking space to be found and packed buses were already delivering loads of shoppers to the city centre. In fact, some shoppers must have had a huge head start (Next!) as they were already loaded down with armfuls of bags. I even saw some ladies trying on clothes in the car park. I only wanted some make up, so I put an invisible shield around me, kept my head down and decided to get what I wanted since I'd made the effort to get up early, and then get the hell out of there. I got speaking to a man waiting outside a shop. He said his girlfriend had already shown him (before Xmas) what she wanted, gave him a list, and his job was to now get these items. He gave me some tips on coping inside the shop, the best one being, "keep your centre of gravity low". Ha. I picked up some make-up and perfume and some lotions and potions and was home again for 10am, but I don't think I'll ever do that again!
But apart from that, I have barely done a tap. The night before last I got 10 hours sleep! That only happens about twice a year. Heavenly!
I have managed to watch a lot of films; March Of The Penguins, Tamara Drew, Monsters v Aliens, Son of Rambow, Rosemary's Baby, The Man Who Would Be King and Mary and Max (again, coz it's the best film in the world, ever. Fact). Lots of bubbles baths have featured in Operation Relaxation too. I've barely tweeted, checked my emails or read my favourite blogs. I've put my phone on silent.
I'm not used to this change of pace at all. It's only been 2 days so far and at times I've felt like I should be doing something more productive, and then I have to remind myself to just chill and stop putting pressure on myself. There will be plenty of time to 'do' soon enough and I want to hit the new year at full speed so I'm seeing this time as reserving and storing energy up for that. I've felt quite tired actually and half suspected I was getting a sore throat, but that doesn't seen to be making a proper appearance.
I spent Christmas day with my ace Mum and my fab step Dad. My Mum wanted to do her own Queen's Speech!
I've just realised that there is only 4 days left of this year! Flip. I haven't been keeping track of the days very well. I'm too relaxed!
I've got a good idea of what I want from next year so I'll be firming up those plans (and having a review of my goals for this year).
Today I think I may do a little light premature spring cleaning, ready for the new year. A tidy house is a tidy mind, or something. I think. Otherwise the day will consist of more bubble baths and films.
Hope you are all having a smashing Christmas! :)
Say Hello on twitter @karenstrunks
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
A weekend in York with my mum!
Wow, November has been a bit hectic. All good, but pretty non-stop. I'll try and catch up with events of this month, but to kick things off, here's the story of a weekend in York with my mum from the beginning of the month.
For my birthday present (which was in October) my mum arrange a weekend away for us. We hadn't been away since our trip to Palma, and it's always so much fun hanging out with my mum.
She had it all organised and booked us into a little B&B about 10 minutes walk from the city centre. She also bought a 2 day Yorkshire Pass. You use it to get into all the attractions and it works out great value for money. We did a quick calculation and reckon we saved about £80 between us by using the pass rather than paying to go into each attraction individually.
I was SO impressed with York! I hadn't a clue what to expect really. Normally I try and do a bit of research before I visit a new place, but hadn't got the chance this time. But that made everything even more of a surprise when I got there!
So what did we get up to?!
LOTS!
York Dungeons
Get your scares here! A fab hour long terrifying experience with chilling tales of York and you'll meet plenty of interesting characters along the way.
The Viking Museum
York was the Viking capital of the world once. I think. History isn't my strong point, but viking definitely lived in York at some point and this museum can prove it! There's lots of old viking relics here (pots and jewellry and swords etc) but the bit I enjoyed the most was travelling back in time and journeying through a viking village and seeing how they used to live. They even re-created the smell of the vikings!
Betty's Tea Room
Step back to the 1930's at Betty's Tea Room. It's divine there! And very, very busy. We went late on a Sunday afternoon and just managed to get a table. When we walked passed it at other times, people were queuing around the block to get in. I'm not sure if you can book ahead, but I would definitely recommend doing so. It's well worth the visit.
My mum took the opportunity to read her own tea leaves. (I'm sure she made half of it up!)
York Minster
I'm not really into old churches (or even new ones), but this is impressive just by it's stature alone. It was built between 1220 and 1470, in fact there's building work going on there now. There's actually a lot to see and do when you are inside including a guided tour, plus some vaults downstairs too. And my mum told me that this is where my step Dad proposed to her! So on that fact alone, it make the Minster special to me :)
Haunted House
I love a good ghost story and couldn't wait to visit the Haunted House on Stonegate. You go into it through a magic shop. We went early in the day and had the place to ourselves. The building is 700 years old and an audio story guides you from room to room (9 altogether), and up and down crooked wooden stair cases whilst telling you the stories of the house's past and it's sad tales of it's former residents. It's very atmospheric which is heightened when you are plunged into darkness at times too!
Clifford's Tower
We marched right up to the top of the hill. Then marched back down again. It was closed. It's only open for 2 days a week (weekends I think). Built by William the Conqueror in 1068, it's got quite the horrible history.
York Castle Museum
We visited the museum over two days! There's so much to see. I really liked the recreated Victorian Street and the prison. They also had a street dedicated to the 60's. My mum loved it and she told me lots of stories about her memories of that era. A great place to spend an afternoon.
I was quite taken with this little coin operated machine.
Grand Opera House
We had an even free so booked some last minute tickets to see a show here. We were quite in luck I think, as Fascinating Adia were performing! I remember them from years ago, but didn't know they were still on the go. They've been on the go for 27 years in fact. It was a great night and their song wickedly funny. Here's one of my favs from the evening...
I'm sure I've left something out.
Oh yes! A ghost walk. There's quite a few to chose from in the city. There's the ghost walk, the ghost trail, the original ghost walk, the ghost hunt... take your pick!
And I managed to fit in a hair cut...
And FINALLY I got some new boots! I've been searching high and low for new boots since last winter.
I must have tried on nearly 100 pairs in the last year. There are so many essentials needed for the right boot.
They must be leather, they must be knee high, they must have a little (but not too little) heel, they must have good souls (for gripping on icy streets), they must fit snugly on my calves, they must fit snugly around my ankle, they must be black....
I found them. And I loved them. And then after all that, I nearly didn't buy them as the sales girl was so moody! :D
If you would like the condensed version of the York trip, you I've also handily Storify'd it for you!
A big THANK YOU to my Mum for the best weekend away! Love you lots. You are the best!
Say hello on twitter! @karenstrunks
For my birthday present (which was in October) my mum arrange a weekend away for us. We hadn't been away since our trip to Palma, and it's always so much fun hanging out with my mum.
She had it all organised and booked us into a little B&B about 10 minutes walk from the city centre. She also bought a 2 day Yorkshire Pass. You use it to get into all the attractions and it works out great value for money. We did a quick calculation and reckon we saved about £80 between us by using the pass rather than paying to go into each attraction individually.
I was SO impressed with York! I hadn't a clue what to expect really. Normally I try and do a bit of research before I visit a new place, but hadn't got the chance this time. But that made everything even more of a surprise when I got there!
So what did we get up to?!
LOTS!
York Dungeons
Get your scares here! A fab hour long terrifying experience with chilling tales of York and you'll meet plenty of interesting characters along the way.
The Viking Museum
York was the Viking capital of the world once. I think. History isn't my strong point, but viking definitely lived in York at some point and this museum can prove it! There's lots of old viking relics here (pots and jewellry and swords etc) but the bit I enjoyed the most was travelling back in time and journeying through a viking village and seeing how they used to live. They even re-created the smell of the vikings!
Betty's Tea Room
Step back to the 1930's at Betty's Tea Room. It's divine there! And very, very busy. We went late on a Sunday afternoon and just managed to get a table. When we walked passed it at other times, people were queuing around the block to get in. I'm not sure if you can book ahead, but I would definitely recommend doing so. It's well worth the visit.
My mum took the opportunity to read her own tea leaves. (I'm sure she made half of it up!)
York Minster
I'm not really into old churches (or even new ones), but this is impressive just by it's stature alone. It was built between 1220 and 1470, in fact there's building work going on there now. There's actually a lot to see and do when you are inside including a guided tour, plus some vaults downstairs too. And my mum told me that this is where my step Dad proposed to her! So on that fact alone, it make the Minster special to me :)
Haunted House
I love a good ghost story and couldn't wait to visit the Haunted House on Stonegate. You go into it through a magic shop. We went early in the day and had the place to ourselves. The building is 700 years old and an audio story guides you from room to room (9 altogether), and up and down crooked wooden stair cases whilst telling you the stories of the house's past and it's sad tales of it's former residents. It's very atmospheric which is heightened when you are plunged into darkness at times too!
Clifford's Tower
We marched right up to the top of the hill. Then marched back down again. It was closed. It's only open for 2 days a week (weekends I think). Built by William the Conqueror in 1068, it's got quite the horrible history.
York Castle Museum
We visited the museum over two days! There's so much to see. I really liked the recreated Victorian Street and the prison. They also had a street dedicated to the 60's. My mum loved it and she told me lots of stories about her memories of that era. A great place to spend an afternoon.
I was quite taken with this little coin operated machine.
Grand Opera House
We had an even free so booked some last minute tickets to see a show here. We were quite in luck I think, as Fascinating Adia were performing! I remember them from years ago, but didn't know they were still on the go. They've been on the go for 27 years in fact. It was a great night and their song wickedly funny. Here's one of my favs from the evening...
I'm sure I've left something out.
Oh yes! A ghost walk. There's quite a few to chose from in the city. There's the ghost walk, the ghost trail, the original ghost walk, the ghost hunt... take your pick!
And I managed to fit in a hair cut...
I must have tried on nearly 100 pairs in the last year. There are so many essentials needed for the right boot.
They must be leather, they must be knee high, they must have a little (but not too little) heel, they must have good souls (for gripping on icy streets), they must fit snugly on my calves, they must fit snugly around my ankle, they must be black....
I found them. And I loved them. And then after all that, I nearly didn't buy them as the sales girl was so moody! :D
If you would like the condensed version of the York trip, you I've also handily Storify'd it for you!
A big THANK YOU to my Mum for the best weekend away! Love you lots. You are the best!
Say hello on twitter! @karenstrunks
Sunday, 6 November 2011
A trip down memory lane
Yesterday was Operation Garage - almost a full day of sorting out all the boxes in my garage so I can make room for my car in the winter.
Luckily my Mum came over to give me a hand.
When I moved into my tiny flat about 7 years ago I left a large 2 bed house that was packed to the hilt with 'stuff''. I gave away practically everything I owned bar some essentials and some items that had sentimental value.
I wanted to downsize my life and my mortgage payments, and planned to get a local job and work part time. It kinda all worked out. I found a job for 4 days a week and I was able to walk to/from work! Obviously I've since moved on from that job, but I had a design for my life in mind, and that worked out and included living in a more vibrate and creative area, Moseley.
Anyway! Back to the garage.
The first item to leave was my guitar which I inherited from an ex boyfriend who was a musician. It's too cold and damp in the garage and so it went to my Mum''s house. I only ever made a half hearted attempt to play it and the first song (and only!) I learnt was Robin Trower's Bridge Of Sighs - a very basic version I hasten to add!
Before the guitar was whisked away, a man strolled past, said hello and picked up the guitar. "Are you selling this?" I wasn't thinking of selling it. He tuned it and started to play a tune on it that he wrote. I took an Audioboo. I'm kinda glad that the guitar had been put to use in some small way before it went back into storage.
Luckily my Mum came over to give me a hand.
When I moved into my tiny flat about 7 years ago I left a large 2 bed house that was packed to the hilt with 'stuff''. I gave away practically everything I owned bar some essentials and some items that had sentimental value.
I wanted to downsize my life and my mortgage payments, and planned to get a local job and work part time. It kinda all worked out. I found a job for 4 days a week and I was able to walk to/from work! Obviously I've since moved on from that job, but I had a design for my life in mind, and that worked out and included living in a more vibrate and creative area, Moseley.
Anyway! Back to the garage.
The first item to leave was my guitar which I inherited from an ex boyfriend who was a musician. It's too cold and damp in the garage and so it went to my Mum''s house. I only ever made a half hearted attempt to play it and the first song (and only!) I learnt was Robin Trower's Bridge Of Sighs - a very basic version I hasten to add!
Guitar
Before the guitar was whisked away, a man strolled past, said hello and picked up the guitar. "Are you selling this?" I wasn't thinking of selling it. He tuned it and started to play a tune on it that he wrote. I took an Audioboo. I'm kinda glad that the guitar had been put to use in some small way before it went back into storage.
So many leaves had blown under the garage door. Mum is very handy with a broom. Go mum! ;)
Ahh Little Ted! I think I can pretty much say he is my favourite teddy bear of all time!
This is a school art project when I was about 12. It was themed around farms or the countryside. Mum has taken it home. I hope she puts in on her living room wall. It's a thing of beauty and deserves to be displayed! :D
I kept some of my old school books. This one is from when I was 4.5 years old (it said so on the cover of the book).
This was fairly creative: "I am going to the shop with my mum and me and my dad and my sister". I haven't got a sister.
Thumbing through the book, this was a story to be told time and time again. Me and my mum going to the shop. Or, my mum going to the shop and buying me sweets. Sweets! It was all about sweets!
My first album! Doris Day - 20 Golden Greats. Stop laughing! Doris is ace! I think I had good taste as a 7 year old. I remember my Dad taking me into a record shop in London.
I played that record over and over. I remember particularly loving Que Sera Sera.
When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother what will I be
Will I be pretty will I be rich
Here's what she said to me...
I asked my mother what will I be
Will I be pretty will I be rich
Here's what she said to me...
Flat Cat!!! I love Flat Cat! Another childhood favourite.
I'd almost forgotten I had kept some of my Ladybird books. The Three Billy Goats Gruff scared me! Sadly I couldn't find the one I read the most: Cinderella.
This is a more recent 'treasure'. A Michael Jackson alarm clock which was presented to be by Talk About Local (before I starting working there) for the best use of photos in a blog at their unconference in '09. Lovely! It's a keeper.
I found Big Ted! When I was about 5 I remember that Big Ted and Little Ted were best friends. My mum would collect me from school and on the walk home she would tell me of all the adventure that my teddy's and other toys had during the day. I loved those stories.
My first comic subscription. Play Hour. The newsagent would keep a copy aside for me and once a week (I think it was weekly) me and my Dad would go and collect it.
Age 12. I think. My drawing skills have improved. A tiny bit. A rooster wearing clothes. I'm not sure why.
By the end of the day we had cleared out a lot. A pile for the tip and a pile for charity shops.
I think my mum would have liked me to have been a bit more ruthless than I was when it came to deciding what to keep and what to throw away.
Admittedly a few items had been ruined by the years and the damp in the garage, but I just couldn't part with them. Some things had got broken (they went to the tip). I found tons of old photos (prints, before the digital age). Love letters. Cards. Ornaments. Shoes! Lots of shoes! (I did part with some).
Looking back at what I found I was surprised at how much I remembered, even from a young age. The items triggered the memories. Pretty much all of them good.
And of course it prompted me to think about where I had been, the different stages of growing up, and where I am now, and where I want to be.
I was a bit tired after all the manual labour, so when I got back home I took a lovely bath (it was very dusty in the garage) and put on my pj's and chilled out for the rest of the day. I appreciated living on my own and having my own space. I love being single and having time and space to do my own thing. I love what I do for work. I'm glad I haven't got children and feel I've retained my freedom. It's all good.
But...! There's still plenty more time to make more memories and have more adventures! I never want to become complacent in my life and work. I don't want to get too settled or waste time. I want to be able to look back and know I've tried things, scared myself sometimes, taken risks but enjoyed every minute.
In the last few weeks I feel like I've been slowing down somewhat, and of being aware that this year is coming to an end. It may be because the days are shorter, and it's just a seasonal thing. Or maybe that it's because my diary is fairly full until the New Year and I don't want to take anything else on and I also want to leave myself some breathing space.
I know I want to leave some space for my 4 day Fierce Earth Course that is coming up soon! I'm really looking forward to it and hoping to get a lot of it in a business and personal capacity. I've got a feeling some of my plans will change after that course and I definitely want to leave room in my diary to implement those changes. I also think the course will challenge me, and also inspire me. I think it's just what I need at this point.
Next weekend I shall be spending a few days in York with my mum. It's her birthday treat to me and she has a full schedule planned! Apart from spending some quality time with my mum it will be good to have a change of scene too.
Looking a little further ahead, I can't wait for 2012! I get so excited about a New Year. On New Year's eve itself I love staying in, on my own, and savouring the second that the old year goes and a new one arrives. A brand new year to fill! That's pretty exciting.
Say hello on twitter! @karenstrunks
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