London with Lisa and Ray

Kurushitsuji film 2017

I'm super excited about this film! I'm so addicted to Black Butler and I have the next book on order in May.

I'm also a little bit disappointed as it looks as though this film follows on from book 11. Which is fine. Very sensible for the next film in a series. Except that the second series of the black butler TV show ends with Ciel becoming a demon (Season 1, Circus, Murder mystery, Season 2). So, The books all follow directly from the end of the murder mystery but there was a random made up TV series "based on" the books.

Which one will they follow?! I kind of hope it's the TV series, I like the idea of an alternative story... otherwise how will they explain his mortality?

Letters from Nomsa

I sponsor Nomsa through Plan UK- I've posted the photos she's sent me before- She writes about every 6 months but her letters take up to 6 months to arrive! This one is dated 12/15.

She doesn't have to write to me. It's a choice she makes and when she writes plan enclose a postcard for me to send back to her. I think it's really lovely that she does write as it's good to know that she's getting on OK. She wants to be a Nurse when she finishes school so I really have my fingers crossed for her and her exams. It's interesting and humbling to learn about her life. Whenever I think I have it tough I need to remember that I always have enough food and never rely on red cross food relief and I don't have to walk miles to the boar hole  when I want to wash something. I have it pretty easy really. 

My £15 per month pays her school fees, for the well in their village and a health clinic, for vaccinations for all children and for educational resources. I think it's probably the best £15 I spend every month. Nomsa would probably agree.

Photos from bedpop and the & co launch

Today has been a very "full on" day. I went to Roller derby raining in the morning- had a few falls- and we finished training late. So I was shovelling in some cereals for lunch, getting changed, sorting my bag out and texting Lisa all at the same time to tell her I was probably going to be late!

I did make it and it was worth the chaos- our & designs will be on the & co (Formerly bedford creative arts) website and we each got to make a badge. :D

After that we went to the huggings to see the bed pop stuff and ran into Paul Pibworth who is so lovely. he has an exhibition there which uses near field transmitters which send information directly to your phone about exhibits when you're close enough. cool no?

Following bed pop we went to TKMax in search of orange and chocolate chip shortbread (No luck) and Lisa tried turkish delight for the first time (I am addicted, she was not impressed).

New Dietician. New Diet. Mixed feelings

Meal	foods
Breakfast	Lacto free yogurt sprinkled with flax seeds (Berries & maple syrup optional)
Snack	2X corn cakes 1tsp almond butter/ cashew butter
Lunch	Soup with either beans, lentils or peas (low sugar, low sat. fat) 1X apple
Snack	Vegetable sticks/ celery (Hummus optional)
Dinner	Corn tortilla 2X vegi bacon/ 200kcal protein popcorn

Things that are out:

Milk (Lacto free only)

Refined sugar

Carb heavy meals

Things that are in:

Green tea

Corn instead of wheat

Lacto free dairy products

Fibrous vegetables

gut flora boosting supplements

probiotics

multivitamins

The plan:

Inflammation is caused by immune reactions to “leaky gut” wheat and lactose molecules leak more easily as they are small (Goat and sheep dairy products have bigger molecules so can’t leak) cutting these out for a bit should reduce overall reactions, inflammation and immune response and hopefully then give me a chance when my stomach isn’t crazy to figure out what is good and what is not.

Improve my gut flora, overall guy health and fibre intake and cut my sugar intake so that my insulin levels aren’t all spikes and troughs.

eat better & eat cleaner = Feel better

I really like the idea of this, I’m just going to struggle with reducing my sugar intake.

And no more cake!

New nails

Wedding outfits

Traff and I have 3 weddings to attend this year already and I am hoping to attend a formal event with work later in the year. All this is going to end up very expensive!

So, I'm trying something out. I bought this dark green parakeet skirt from house of fraser and I'm going to pair it with my giant grey car to bar heels (The ones from river island that are like a dove grey colour and have clear plastic flowers all over them.. Odd but kind of classy..) and white lacy top. I did think grey but it might just look likeI've washed it with something I shouldn't have. Not the classy look I was going for.

My sister suggested pairing it with yellow high vis jacket to complete the look. I don't think she likes my plan.

Or my skirt.

Updating jewellery

Looking through boxes at my parents I found my granny's old broach. It's costume jewellery so nothing expensive but it is sentimental to me.

It's something she used to wear- and when she wasn't wearing it it lived out on her dressing table. It still smells a bit of her face powder. which is really nostalgic and comforting.

Broaches are a bit old fashioned now. I do wear them on my coat sometimes but the take a bit of a hammering so this is not one I'd be willing to sacrifice to fashion. Instead I'm going to thread it onto ribbon and make it into a pendant necklace. This may result in being stabbed in the chest quite a bit more than with a usual necklace, but I think it's a nice way to make something sentimental wearable, without damaging it (I know I could get the pin removed, but if at a later date I do want to wear it properly, like my Granny did, I won't be able to. It's a bit too final). I am excited for being so spangly.

Bring on the black ribbon!

Bedford creative arts rebranding event

I'm looking forward to attending this tomorrow- There will be cake and dancing and drawing!
All the good things!
The Lane is the wine bar by the Higgins, not an actual lane. I was pretty bamboozled by that. But that means it'll be easy to go to bed pop too as that is in the higgins!

rebrand launch event – we need you!

Join us at the Lane, Bedford on Saturday 12 March from 10am for a very special event.

Together with you and the Bedfordshire community we have been fundamental in making art happen in for 30 years & we’re really proud to have worked with so many exciting artists and members of the public.

As of the 12 March we will launch our exciting new logo & name & would love you to be a part of it. The event will give everyone a chance to be part of our new look for the future, we invite you to put pen to paper and make your mark on our future.

The team will be at The Lane on Saturday 12 March 2016 from 10am with well-known local artist David Litchfield, creative agency We Can Creative, a Lone Morris dancer, a trio from the Last Chance Ragtime Band and lots of pens for you to help us create our new look.

Our new logo, like our programme, wouldn’t exist without the involvement of people like you. As an organisation we are brought to life by the people, artists and communities that get involved in the work we do & this will continue to be at the heart of our ethos. It will also be at the centre of our new visual identity.

We’ll always be locally focused & will continue to work closely with the community who have made us what we are today.

With cake also on offer to fuel your creative spirit there is nothing to stop you from helping this work in progress.

Underwear exhibition @ the V&A in April :D

"16 April 2016 – 12 March 2017. This exhibition will address the practicalities of underwear and its role in the fashionable wardrobe whilst highlighting its sensual, sexual appeal. The exhibition will explore dress reformers and designers who argued for the beauty of the natural body, as well as entrepreneurs, inventors and innovators who have played a critical role in the development of increasingly more effective and comfortable underwear."

And it's only £12 per ticket.

:D

I've seen this advertised or discussed about 6 times now by different websites or photographers that I follow on Facebook and on Buzzfeed. I am so excited! 

Hurry up and be spring - like please

This was the inside of my windscreen on Monday morning- Very wintery and not very helpful for driving to work!

I do like the patterns in the ice though, I think they're the most impressive I've seen all winter.

I did find some evidence of spring being on it's way though. the snowdrops are out in the woods at Molivers.

Easter presents

Luton

This weeks sunday adventure was to Luton. I've actually only been to Luton once by accident when my train broke down.
So this was a slightly better experience.

We had a drive round and saw all the parks and the views from the top of the hill. That done, we parked up and had a look around the mall (The park would have been nicer but I'm not totally partial to unseasonal hail stones).
We did find some interesting home bargains.

Mothers Day

Ah, I know Mothers day is on Sunday however, we're a bit untraditional in my family so we had a Saturday meet up.

I picked ray up from hers as she was a little bit hungover from the leaving do she'd been at on Friday night. Her work team accidentally gatecrashed a children's roller disco session. It sounds like it was messy.
We met up with our Mum and went for a mooch around the outlet centre- Everyone seems to have loads of weddings to attend this year so big dresses and crazy shoes were the order of the day.

In the afternoon we met with my Dad and we all went to have afternoon tea at the Blunsdon house hotel.
It was really good.
My dad loves afternoon tea, it's something he's discovered recently- he keeps a mental league table of afternoon teas and this one is top-mid table. Which is high praise indeed.
The hotel has amazing views over oxfordshire and we were lucky with the weather. You could see for miles!

Everyone had an ace time and it was lovely to spend time with my parents and sister at the same time. I did also enjoy stuffing my face with tea and cakes.
:D

The STEM fair posters are here!

I'm extremely excited to be a part of this event and super excited that the posters have gone out!
:D
I've really enjoyed planning this and it's such a relief to have everything ready to go in advance. This year I can sit back and enjoy the ride (Admittedly with a few bumps- I'm expecting some issues eventually but for now I'm just enjoying being organised).

This has to be one of my favourite parts of my job!

The Lecture.

I did the lecture! It was OK- not as scary as I had expected!

And I got a thank you, so it mush have been OK.

Hi Lau,

I just want to say a huge thank you for coming along to support yesterday’s event. 

It was great to have you there to answer the questions from students and to give the demonstration. I hope you found it a useful event too.

Please do let me know the details of the summer fair you are holding so I can pass this on to the relevant teams!

Many thanks,

Jo

Street Dance class

Kelly,  jenni, lisa and I went to  street dance class on Thursday night.
I have always been hopeless at dancing so I was expecting it  to be truly awful but also pretty funny.
I surprised myself as it turned out to be pretty good fun and the emphasis is on getting a cardio heavy work out not on learning a super complex routine.
I think I may be converted.
I'm still pretty hopeless but I didn't get totally lost so there may be hope for me yet.

Blanket for pregs and kelly's baby

I have put my Crochet skills to good use once again to make a baby blanket for my colleague. I started this almost a month ago whilst he was on his paternity leave and it's still not finished! If I don't get a move on the baby will be too big to fit in it!
Still, I'm sure the thought will be appreciated. It was a whole department effort with Phil, Tina, and Suzi crocheting bits too.
I have just been left to complete the project. That may have been an error...