I have been incredibly slack in posting up my 8pm photos. Here are January's lot.
Wednesday 1st January- Hubby's new canvas, all hail Walter White!
Friday 3rd January- Love having a pop in a wine glass!
Saturday, 17 May 2014
The big 3-0 #5 January
Sunday, 11 May 2014
The big 3-0 #18 Get a surprise tattoo.
I LOVE tattoos. When this list was being devised it was inevitable that there would be something that would be tattooed related.
I am a huge fan of funny tattoos. Funny tattoos do not mean bad tattoos I mean tattoos that you look at and go "ha, that's amazing". It's probably because I think people are far too serious nowadays and I am very fond of silliness. Since becoming increasingly popular, a horrid new wave of "pretentious tattoo snobbery" has bestowed upon us. The new wave is that it is physically impossible to be tattooed anywhere that cannot be seen. People seem to be getting forearms done before anything else and if you have a slightly wobble in a line or some colour has dropped they hone in on it like some Lord of the tattooed people club and look at you in disgust.
I got my tattoos for me. Whether you like them really doesn't even cross my little mind.
I wanted to try an experiment for my list. Senses get heightened when one sense is low or down so I wanted to know what it felt like to get tattooed without being able to see then I upped the game to I wasn't even going to know what I was going to get tattooed.
I went to see lovely Justin Witney at Alley Cat Ink on Plassey Street, Penarth. Being a friend of mine I trust him quite a bit and we have a very similar sense of humour so I felt in safe hands. I explained what I wanted and just said "No swears, No football related stuff and no genitalia (boobs included)!"
The day arrived and around midday I went into panic mode, I didn't tell him no clowns! I have the biggest phobia of clowns and obviously out all the things in the entire world, Justin had obviously drawn up a massive killer clown that was going to take up my entire leg. I started getting sweaty and shaky. It was against the rules to ask what I'm getting done. I also hadn't put it in the no list. What was I going to do? I got so worked up about it I had to send a message to Justin's lovely wife Chrissie, just to make sure it wasn't a clown. She assured me it wasn't but still didn't say what it was.
So I rocked up to the shop not knowing what I was having done. I hopped on to the chair and tied my scarf around my eyes. I was ready.
My husband spent the next five minutes poking me in the face and tapping me on the shoulder like a 10 year old. Hearing Justin prepare the ink and the machine start to buzz I fully span out. I got really discombobulated so I untied my scarf. I decided to just keep my eyes closed and hold my scarf by my eyes instead.
I spent the next hour absolutely hating the experience. I love getting tattooed. It very rarely hurts me but not being able to open my eyes and look in the direction of what was going on was actually a really weird experience. I even had to get up and get some air outside as I felt like I was going to faint. The only way I can describe it was like motion sickness. It was actually a little bit scary. It made me think long and hard about how much we take sight for granted. All the noises that im so used to were completely different and I couldn't pinpoint where things were or where they were coming from. It was just an absolutely horrible time. I was so disappointed in myself.
I have never wanted to hug anyone so much as when Justin said he was finished. So now was the moment of actually finding out what was now on my leg FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!
The shock of it was massive. I had loads of hysterical things in my mind but he actually tattooed a really beautiful blue tit (although the reason was because he found a loophole of how he could tattoo a tit on my leg) I absolutely adore it.Funnily enough they are actually one of my favourite species of bird. I named it Justin in honour of Justin.
I will never do that again (Blindfolded)
All photos taken by my husband.
I am a huge fan of funny tattoos. Funny tattoos do not mean bad tattoos I mean tattoos that you look at and go "ha, that's amazing". It's probably because I think people are far too serious nowadays and I am very fond of silliness. Since becoming increasingly popular, a horrid new wave of "pretentious tattoo snobbery" has bestowed upon us. The new wave is that it is physically impossible to be tattooed anywhere that cannot be seen. People seem to be getting forearms done before anything else and if you have a slightly wobble in a line or some colour has dropped they hone in on it like some Lord of the tattooed people club and look at you in disgust.
I got my tattoos for me. Whether you like them really doesn't even cross my little mind.
I wanted to try an experiment for my list. Senses get heightened when one sense is low or down so I wanted to know what it felt like to get tattooed without being able to see then I upped the game to I wasn't even going to know what I was going to get tattooed.
I went to see lovely Justin Witney at Alley Cat Ink on Plassey Street, Penarth. Being a friend of mine I trust him quite a bit and we have a very similar sense of humour so I felt in safe hands. I explained what I wanted and just said "No swears, No football related stuff and no genitalia (boobs included)!"
The day arrived and around midday I went into panic mode, I didn't tell him no clowns! I have the biggest phobia of clowns and obviously out all the things in the entire world, Justin had obviously drawn up a massive killer clown that was going to take up my entire leg. I started getting sweaty and shaky. It was against the rules to ask what I'm getting done. I also hadn't put it in the no list. What was I going to do? I got so worked up about it I had to send a message to Justin's lovely wife Chrissie, just to make sure it wasn't a clown. She assured me it wasn't but still didn't say what it was.
So I rocked up to the shop not knowing what I was having done. I hopped on to the chair and tied my scarf around my eyes. I was ready.
My husband spent the next five minutes poking me in the face and tapping me on the shoulder like a 10 year old. Hearing Justin prepare the ink and the machine start to buzz I fully span out. I got really discombobulated so I untied my scarf. I decided to just keep my eyes closed and hold my scarf by my eyes instead.
I spent the next hour absolutely hating the experience. I love getting tattooed. It very rarely hurts me but not being able to open my eyes and look in the direction of what was going on was actually a really weird experience. I even had to get up and get some air outside as I felt like I was going to faint. The only way I can describe it was like motion sickness. It was actually a little bit scary. It made me think long and hard about how much we take sight for granted. All the noises that im so used to were completely different and I couldn't pinpoint where things were or where they were coming from. It was just an absolutely horrible time. I was so disappointed in myself.
I have never wanted to hug anyone so much as when Justin said he was finished. So now was the moment of actually finding out what was now on my leg FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!
The shock of it was massive. I had loads of hysterical things in my mind but he actually tattooed a really beautiful blue tit (although the reason was because he found a loophole of how he could tattoo a tit on my leg) I absolutely adore it.Funnily enough they are actually one of my favourite species of bird. I named it Justin in honour of Justin.
I will never do that again (Blindfolded)
All photos taken by my husband.
Sunday, 27 April 2014
The big 3-0 Number 26- Make Jam
I always thought that Jam was one of those complicated recipes that I would never be able to master. It's actually really easy. I only needed three ingredients. I don't know what I was worried about.
The biggest problem with making jam is that it costs so much to actually make it. 1 Kg of strawberries, Jam sugar and a vanilla pod came to about £9. You can get a jar of jam for 69p.
Luckily, it's just been payday! It was something fun to do with the kids on a rainy afternoon and I cant wait to have a mound of it on top of some scones with clotted cream and a cuppa tomorrow.
All ready to go
Sterilising the jars
The kids putting the strawberries in the saucepan
Sugar added
Vanilla pod scored
Adding the vanilla seeds
Smells good
Looks good
Mush time
Youngest having a mash
Eldest having a mash
yummy jammy slurry
Jar time
Looks so scrummy
The biggest problem with making jam is that it costs so much to actually make it. 1 Kg of strawberries, Jam sugar and a vanilla pod came to about £9. You can get a jar of jam for 69p.
Luckily, it's just been payday! It was something fun to do with the kids on a rainy afternoon and I cant wait to have a mound of it on top of some scones with clotted cream and a cuppa tomorrow.
De- stalking the strawberries.
Boiling up
Yey, I made jam. Go me!
Monday, 21 April 2014
The big 3-0 #29 A letter to my sixteen year old self
My Darling girl,
I don't want to start off on a bad note but I just want to take the opportunity to say, you look ridiculous! You are trying to find yourself and explore different things but pretty much every single item of clothing you own is bad. Really bad. Your favourite outfit is purple flares, kids t shirt, red checked shirt and a Nirvana top tied around your waist. You flit between Mosher and Goth - sometimes a mixture of the two - I think most of the time you are trying to dress like Kurt Cobain and Brian Molko combined. In fairness though, you don't dress much better now, practically everything you own has skulls on it.
So your 16th birthday was pretty cool. You've just broken up with Andrew, he still gets you a birthday present (a Barbie cup) which makes you feel wretched but you should be glad to know he is pretty much the only person you stay in proper contact with from school. You're best friend at the minute is Sarah and although you drift apart in a few years the next few years she helps you more than you realise or give her credit for.
You are at your heaviest right now, a size 14/16 depending where you shop. It gets you down but one day you will desperate to put weight on. What you have now most of it is boobies and hips. Damn that puberty. You will have the worst posture due to you continuously hunching from the weight of your jugs. (You will be happy to know they shrink down a wonderful c cup after your babies).
Your home life is horrendous at the moment. Mum and Dad separating has been the hardest on you being the only one left at home. Living out of a suitcase and doing a week at mums and a week at dads is taxing but you aren't the only one hurting. You fail to see or understand how hard this is for your parents. It's not your fault, you're only 16 but cut your mum some slack. She may be enemy number one right now but she is hurting and she needs help. Call Nathan. He's still your brother, becoming a Dad doesn't mean you can't talk to him anymore and he's probably as freaked out as you are having kids so young.
Your Sister, Natalie has grown closer to you. She seems to want to get to know you as a person rather than a little sister. When she takes you to that Pearl Jam concert for your birthday and she makes you close your eyes when the play "black" will be one of the best moments of your life. That is the moment you finally "get" music. You will never, ever have a moment like that again. It still gives you goose bumps even now.
Nat has taken you to a few bars, mostly gay bars due to the fact you don't get I.D'd there. You have some sexual encounters with some beautiful women and feel incredibly confused. After finding the courage to tell some friends that you think you might be gay, you get chased home by some girls that throw rocks at you and call you a dirty lesbian. The only thing dirty, my love, is them not you. You're not a lesbian, you're bisexual and one day you actually get called "my favourite bisexual friend" by Neil, which will make your day. Never, ever be ashamed of it. It's who you are. Your husband (don't vom!) loves the fact that you have been with women (obviously!).
That week that Mum goes on holiday and Natalie looks after you, you will get in LOADS of trouble. School go mental because you only attend one day out of five. You have your GCSE's; this is a really stupid idea. Mum goes mental due to the general state of the house and the fact that there is now a massive road sign in her bedroom that you and Nat stole in the dead of night. You get really upset and scream at Mum that she is ruining your life. You are actually being a really obnoxious teenager. You should apologise. (She will find the funny side eventually and she still has that sign!)
A few days before your 17th birthday, your world shatters when Natalie is taken from you. All the pain, loneliness and heartache you felt before June 3rd was a walk in the park compared to this and the other traumatic events that follow this. Your darkest times of your entire life begin now.
I am so proud of you. You find strength that is beyond your years. You should fall apart because inside you feel you have broken beyond repair but you don't. You are never the same after this. You feel even more isolated from everyone else but when everyone says - even though you don't want to hear it - "it will get easier" it is 100% true. You never forget her. You miss her all the time but you heal, you learn to cope and live with it. Things never get back to how they were but a new life begins. Nathan and you become friends, which is probably the biggest shock to you now. You are actually really similar in your sense of humour and there is two extremely tender moments coming from Nathan in the next year that will blow your tiny mind. I wish I could come back and protect you all from it. I wish I could change it all and have Natalie still here but as you will find out soon, everything really does happen for a reason. Please don't spend those years blaming you or feeling guilty. Not a single atom of it is your fault.
Your sister's death saves your life.
You ain't that bad kid! All your teachers say to try a harder and you get reprimanded as you spend too much time daydreaming. Your imagination is your best quality. It leads the way to writing and telling your children stories and throwing amazing parties. If anything, have more daydreams. Write them all down (probably in list form as it is around this time you become obsessed with stationary and lists, you weirdo)
All the heartaches and mistakes are part of life and shape the person you become. All the dickheads that cause you grief become people you barely recall and you can have the pleasure of ignoring their friend requests from Facebook (this will become clear one day)
Mostly just enjoy it. These are your halcyon days, even with the traumatic events, everything is simple and money grows on trees (parents' pockets). You never get these years back, your innocence rapidly diminishes. Hold on to it, cherish it. Feel the wind on your face. Embrace the awkwardness, the tears, the loneliness, the laughter, everything.
Nicola Sian Thomas, You are incredible.
I don't want to start off on a bad note but I just want to take the opportunity to say, you look ridiculous! You are trying to find yourself and explore different things but pretty much every single item of clothing you own is bad. Really bad. Your favourite outfit is purple flares, kids t shirt, red checked shirt and a Nirvana top tied around your waist. You flit between Mosher and Goth - sometimes a mixture of the two - I think most of the time you are trying to dress like Kurt Cobain and Brian Molko combined. In fairness though, you don't dress much better now, practically everything you own has skulls on it.
So your 16th birthday was pretty cool. You've just broken up with Andrew, he still gets you a birthday present (a Barbie cup) which makes you feel wretched but you should be glad to know he is pretty much the only person you stay in proper contact with from school. You're best friend at the minute is Sarah and although you drift apart in a few years the next few years she helps you more than you realise or give her credit for.
You are at your heaviest right now, a size 14/16 depending where you shop. It gets you down but one day you will desperate to put weight on. What you have now most of it is boobies and hips. Damn that puberty. You will have the worst posture due to you continuously hunching from the weight of your jugs. (You will be happy to know they shrink down a wonderful c cup after your babies).
Your home life is horrendous at the moment. Mum and Dad separating has been the hardest on you being the only one left at home. Living out of a suitcase and doing a week at mums and a week at dads is taxing but you aren't the only one hurting. You fail to see or understand how hard this is for your parents. It's not your fault, you're only 16 but cut your mum some slack. She may be enemy number one right now but she is hurting and she needs help. Call Nathan. He's still your brother, becoming a Dad doesn't mean you can't talk to him anymore and he's probably as freaked out as you are having kids so young.
Your Sister, Natalie has grown closer to you. She seems to want to get to know you as a person rather than a little sister. When she takes you to that Pearl Jam concert for your birthday and she makes you close your eyes when the play "black" will be one of the best moments of your life. That is the moment you finally "get" music. You will never, ever have a moment like that again. It still gives you goose bumps even now.
Nat has taken you to a few bars, mostly gay bars due to the fact you don't get I.D'd there. You have some sexual encounters with some beautiful women and feel incredibly confused. After finding the courage to tell some friends that you think you might be gay, you get chased home by some girls that throw rocks at you and call you a dirty lesbian. The only thing dirty, my love, is them not you. You're not a lesbian, you're bisexual and one day you actually get called "my favourite bisexual friend" by Neil, which will make your day. Never, ever be ashamed of it. It's who you are. Your husband (don't vom!) loves the fact that you have been with women (obviously!).
That week that Mum goes on holiday and Natalie looks after you, you will get in LOADS of trouble. School go mental because you only attend one day out of five. You have your GCSE's; this is a really stupid idea. Mum goes mental due to the general state of the house and the fact that there is now a massive road sign in her bedroom that you and Nat stole in the dead of night. You get really upset and scream at Mum that she is ruining your life. You are actually being a really obnoxious teenager. You should apologise. (She will find the funny side eventually and she still has that sign!)
A few days before your 17th birthday, your world shatters when Natalie is taken from you. All the pain, loneliness and heartache you felt before June 3rd was a walk in the park compared to this and the other traumatic events that follow this. Your darkest times of your entire life begin now.
I am so proud of you. You find strength that is beyond your years. You should fall apart because inside you feel you have broken beyond repair but you don't. You are never the same after this. You feel even more isolated from everyone else but when everyone says - even though you don't want to hear it - "it will get easier" it is 100% true. You never forget her. You miss her all the time but you heal, you learn to cope and live with it. Things never get back to how they were but a new life begins. Nathan and you become friends, which is probably the biggest shock to you now. You are actually really similar in your sense of humour and there is two extremely tender moments coming from Nathan in the next year that will blow your tiny mind. I wish I could come back and protect you all from it. I wish I could change it all and have Natalie still here but as you will find out soon, everything really does happen for a reason. Please don't spend those years blaming you or feeling guilty. Not a single atom of it is your fault.
Your sister's death saves your life.
You ain't that bad kid! All your teachers say to try a harder and you get reprimanded as you spend too much time daydreaming. Your imagination is your best quality. It leads the way to writing and telling your children stories and throwing amazing parties. If anything, have more daydreams. Write them all down (probably in list form as it is around this time you become obsessed with stationary and lists, you weirdo)
All the heartaches and mistakes are part of life and shape the person you become. All the dickheads that cause you grief become people you barely recall and you can have the pleasure of ignoring their friend requests from Facebook (this will become clear one day)
Mostly just enjoy it. These are your halcyon days, even with the traumatic events, everything is simple and money grows on trees (parents' pockets). You never get these years back, your innocence rapidly diminishes. Hold on to it, cherish it. Feel the wind on your face. Embrace the awkwardness, the tears, the loneliness, the laughter, everything.
Nicola Sian Thomas, You are incredible.
Wednesday, 16 April 2014
Change
As it gets closer to my birthday, I have had to make a few changes to my list.
Now that I have moved to a much nicer house money has become a lot more of a problem (it costs a lot to live in a house that doesn't grow mushrooms!) so I am changing number 10 from white water rafting to 10 random acts of kindness. This actually seems a much nicer thing to do than pay £40 to have half hour in a blow up boat.
Number 11- learn to play Penny and Me by Hanson on the guitar. I have tried to learn guitar many a time and my fingers just simply do not want to stretch for the chords. They just crumble at the sight of a string. It just ain't gonna happen. I don't know why I even thought about it really so I have now changed it for Beat Luke in monopoly. He's a sneaky one, that husband if mine, I think he hides £500 notes under the board!
Number 19- hold a Tarantula. I still really want to do this but I'm not going to do it in time plus my husband has put it on his 30 before 30 so we can do it together so I have changed it for write 10 handwritten letters. Handwritten letters are such a thing of the past, especially if you post them (remember that guys, post that wasn't bills!)
Number 27- dance in a burlesque show. I have a few issues. I'm not the most body confident person the reason burlesque appeals to me is because they embrace all body shapes, curves are celebrated not ridiculed and I love that. I don't want to be skinny and I know I never will be skinny but since giving up smoking I have become an absolute eating machine. I literally cannot stop eating. I gave up smoking 7 months ago and I thought my insatiable hunger would have diminished by now but it hasn't. Whilst I am eating I am thinking about what I can eat next. Due to my mammoth hunger I have gained weight and it hasn't gone in an even layer over my entire body it's just congregated around the worst places it can - my stomach and hips. I can't do any of my jeans up, I have serious muffin top wearing leggings or tights and I just feel disgusting. Until I lose what I have put on I won't feel confident to join burlesque. So to get body happy again I have swopped this with do yoga every day for the month of May.
Number 29- finish writing "the Talking pencil case" and "the Bald Princess". I'm still writing them. They will be nowhere near ready in 8 weeks so sticking with the writing theme I have changed this to write an open letter to my sixteen old self. This is probably the one I'm looking forward to the most. Sometimes I wish I could time travel but then I wouldn't be who I am without everything I have been through.
So there we are. Not long left.
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