German hair!

Seehund kopfigketi

2015 Survey

1. What did you do in 2014 that you had never done before?

I visited America, Sicily, Madrid and Munich which were all new places for me. Lots of travelling! I also got a promotion at work, and have been working on projects with Isaac Physics and Villiers park. I've also been made a fellow at bedford uni so that is exciting! I've seen all my friends more than once this year which is pretty amazing so thats something to keep up! I also remembered everyones Birthdays which as to be a first! AND I fed alligators (And accidentally paddle boarded with them, but lets not talk about that as it gives me the heeby jeebies). I learned how to geocache and I've been exploring the local area by hiking with Tats. Traff, Jenni and I went to see NXT which was ace too!

2. Did you keep your new years resolutions and will you make more for next year?

Every year I make resolutions and I never keep them! this year I'm just going to try to be more creative and to take more exercise. That should improve my physical health and reduce my stress levels (Although if the crafting makes fluff on the carpet or mess it'll be very bad for Traff's stress levels!) I am going to try running (Or jogging as I run like a giraffe) and see if that makes me feel healthier. I have paddle boarding membership now too, so I'll need to take more advantage of that. Lets get out on that lake!

3. How will you be spending your new years eve?

Party at Karl's after flying home from Munich.. such a jet set lifestyle... (So, probably exhausted and asleep before midnight, but it sounds cool)

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Thankfully no.

5. What countries did you visit?

Sicily, America, Spain, Germany- and Wales, of course.

6. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?

Free time?! Can we have 8 days in a week and only work 5 of them still? That would give me some time to get my shit together! I can't see it happening but since this is a wishful thinking deal lets put it out there.

7. What date from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
I've done so much cool stuff this year I can't name one specific date- this has been a good year- probably our best year in Bedfordshire- and the best for seeing people since we've moved- we're getting there! I really loved going to sicily with my friends and America with Traff and Ray and John. It was really fun.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Having some kind of work-life balance this year- as a rule I now do not work on weekends so I can have a bit of unwinding time. I also got an award from the National STEM centre for my work and one for my STEM club. :) That was pretty cool too.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Introducing Traff's parents to mine.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

yes, but I've been on the mend for a while now- long may it continue! I know I look a bit like shite lately but I really am getting there- I'm at the hospital every 4 months now instead of every month. Thyroid stuff is all under control too so that's really positive, now we just have to persuade my stomach to behave, work out what I can eat that won't make me vomit everywhere (I'm fed up of cereal now) and my liver/pancreas to stop screwing with my blood amylase levels and we'll be well away.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I didn't buy it but my Telescope! it's amazing! Come over and have a look at the moon- or if you're really lucky I'll show you next doors tree!

12. Where did most of your money go?

Travelling. but it was truly worth every penny! It won't be very long now before we have a mortgage (Fingers crossed) and we can't be reckless and just planehop all round europe. 

13. What song will always remind you of 2014?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psiILfa-G1c

Daughter, Run

14. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Chilling out at home. I get to carried away with "making the most" of my time that sometimes I forget that just having a quite weekend at home with no plans and a lie in is pretty therapeutic.

15. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Less paperwork and late nights for work!

16. What was you favourite TV programme?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtBXZEpo9MY

Psycho Pass

17. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

No, I don’t hate anyone, it's a massive waste of energy. 

18. What was the best book you read?

I'm currently reading the blue exorcist comic book series that goes with the anime TV series- it's pretty good. And completely bonkers. 

19. What was your greatest musical discovery?

no new discoveries this year, other than Daughter. I'm happy listening to Placebo from the 90s. Does that mean I'm getting old?!

20. What was your favorite film of this year?

the 1980s version of "babes in toyland". Soo weird. you need to watch it if you haven't. 

21. What did you do on your birthday?

My birthday was a complete disaster. If I haven't already told you about my delightful time in Madrid then please ask and I will enlighten you. O_o

22. What kept you sane?

Tea. Traff. Tina, Hayley, Jay, Kirstie, Sah, Ray. Good music. Ridiculous anime films, silly texts, parcels from the welsh contingent/Ze Germans, Paddle boarding (Floating about on a lake is very de-stesssing)

..and Cake when all else failed. 

So much cake.

23. Who did you miss?

I miss all my friends who live far away :( Realistically, we probably spend more "quality time" together because of the distance- but it would be nice to be there for my friends a bit more in person, and it'd be nice to be able to have a cup of tea and unwind rather than spending whole evenings glued to my phone or FB messenger.

24. Who was the best new person that you met?

Tina! well, Tina isn't really new but we've been hanging out loads more- Chrissie and Phil could also be in the running for "best new person" of 2015.

25. Tell us a valuable life lesson that you learned in 2015?

Motorcycle exhaust pipes are hot. Don't lean your leg on them. Especially if you're wearing shorts.

I have no idea what the year 2016 will bring but I hope that with a positive attitude and determination it will be a great year. I am excited for the future!

Geocaching on the Green Sands ridge

Tat's hobby is geocaching. I'm really not patient enough for it but she is brilliant, turning up tiny little boxes long after I've given up looking and gone off to photograph something.
I think the stinging nettles go a long way to diminishing my enthusiasm.
Along with our visits to the churches, we found 8 geocaches way out there in the countryside. I'm always amazed by how well hidden they are. I can never see them, and then when we find them they seem so obvious!
I must walk past them all the time!

So, here are some photos from our miles and miles of countryside walking, mostly taken whilst Tat's crawled about in bushes looking for teeny tiny containers. I did help a bit. not enough to really take any credit.

The biggest cake I have ever seen

Church Ruins in Ridgemont

This is a much more impressive abandoned church- It still has it's floors and the doors in place. this feels pretty post apocalyptic when you're stood in it.

The photos don't do it justice.

I had a good old mooch around the church and graveyard (Lots of very old graves :) my favourite) Whilst I was doing that Tats was collecting clues from the church to unlock a series of geocaches on the ridge.  That was the deal- I get my chriches, and she gets her treasure hunt. In the process of looking for clues she almost fell into a crypt- I have put the picture up to show the gap. There are a fair few collapsed "Family tombs" in this churchyard so you have to keep you eyes peeled with all that long grass- Between that and the falling masonry warning I feel like exploring is now an extreme sport. 

This is seriously worth a visit. even the font stand is still in place. There is something strange about pushing open those heavy oak church doors to be immediately faced with a view of the sky in place of a roof. The small things are still there, you can really see how the church was used still but nature has taken it back so quickly.

St Mary's Church Ruins in Clophill

We finally found the old St Marys church that Traff and I went looking for in the summer. It's actually shown on the sat nav, but I didn't think to check it last time! It's been done up a bit from the last time tats had been, but it's still pretty cool looking.

Xmas day

We had beers and a massive vegetarian roast dinner, watched stick man on TV and I got my arse kicked at scrabble.

Telescope

Traff let me have my xmas present early as the sky was really clear on Thursday night but today and yesterday have been cloudy- so you can't see anything.
Karl helped me to set it up and we managed to get a really clear view on the moon. until it moved and the tree got in the way. Then we had a very magnified view of the tree.

Thanks Hayley for this startling nail polish

Almost festive nails. ..

Wales

Pre xmas xmas dinner

On Sunday My mum, Dad, Aunt ,uncle, sister and I travelled to see my Nan and to have our traditional pre xmas dinner together.

It was really lovely to see everyone, it's a bit sad really as since my parents moved house to somewhere smaller and further away we haven't had a family christmas because no-one has the space for everyone to fit in any more- let alone stay over or eat a sit down meal!

In a way it's nicer, no-one has the pressure of having house guests for days at a time or the responsibility for cooking (Which always sucks because you don't get to enjoy christmas because you're dealing with a series of small pan fires- or at least that is always what happened in our household). it's much more relaxed, and some one else will do the washing up. I do get the impression that my Nan doesn't entirely approve, but I can't see her being delighted with sleeping on our living room floor either so hopefully she's weighed it up as the lesser of the evils.

I really enjoyed catching up with everyone- I write to my Nan most weeks so I'm usually up to date with her news, but writing to someone isn't the same as actually speaking to them. I especially enjoyed catching up with my Aunt who I haven't seen for ages- Her team at work won a nobel prize for their work on neutrino physics so she had loads of cool things to tell me about- and hopefully some handy stuff for work too! My uncle was giving me handy tips for my telescope (Traff got me a telescope for xmas- obviously I didn't look or anything I'm just psychic) and I had a good catch up with Ray too.

All in all, we established that my life is very mundane! 

Panto

My parents got tickets for us to go to the pantomime in Bath. We started our evening in Las Iguanas where it was happy hour. Even dad had cocktails!

After a few drinks, we headed for a mooch around bath and then on to the theatre.

The panto in Bath is extremely good, but very very rude. Well worth a watch but I'd leave the kids at home!

Thanks for the postcard!