A Snippet of Life

Do you know one of the best things about this world, and probably one of the cheesiest things to express, is its uniqueness. How no two individual people are the same and this is a really good thing. Can you imagine how boring the world would be if everybody was like you? Some people are so horizontal it's frustrating to a certain extent because you can feel like you'd have a better conversation with a brick wall, others are so frantic that it can stress you out. Some people are so upbeat and positive that their enthusiasm is exhausting and you think to yourself 'how can you get so excited about beans on toast', others are so negative it's draining. Some people are addicted to routine and cannot cope if this is disrupted, others love the spontaneous chaos of everyday life. Some like sports, some like fashion, some like cheese others can't handle the smell.  What I am trying to say is that throughout life you'll find more and more that nobody is perfect.

While getting ready for work the other morning, feeling calm and refreshed after my early morning dog walk in the sunshine and listening to Pachelbel's Canon (as you do, it calms me more), I had a thought. Because the version that I was listening to was heavily string based, it reminded me of my days learning the Violin. Oh the dread that filled me on a Wednesday morning knowing that it was the day of my half hour lesson. The first task was getting the damn thing to school on the bus. How embarrassing it was struggling down the thin aisle, bashing most people on my way to find the very first available seat. I didn't care who I sat with, even if they smelt, just wanted to get seated.  Then, arriving at school and chucking my violin in the store cupboard (I didn't care for it much), I'd check the time of my lesson and usually purposefully forget this five seconds later so I wouldn't go. I hated it.  The scary exams, learning all those scales, the screeching of m

Anybody out there who currently lives or has ever lived in a village will know exactly what it is like. Especially those lucky villages that still have the whole package which includes a pub and a village shop that both act as the hub of the place and gossip central. This is my home life and working inside said village shop, I get a spectacular insight into this game of Chinese Whispers. If anything significant ever happens in this small insignificant habitat, it is hilarious how the stories can change and grow.  Throughout the day as various witnesses enter the shop, more and more information is given. Some of which is instantly dismissed as the source was perhaps unreliable or the information given is so ridiculous that it cannot possibly be true, but with what information we keep, a story starts to form.  This goes on throughout the day until the best storytellers around divulge this epic tale to the rest of us in the evening in the pub garden and we find that what started as

This gem of a statement was said by my little sister in a debate with my brother over the TV show, Love Island. Now, I know this may sound absurd but I never got into the show myself though I know many of you were totally addicted, my sister being one. 9 O'clock every night for the past 7 weeks she's urged silence in the house so she can see whether Olivia is still annoying or if Kem and Amber have split up yet. Sigh. However, I do completely understand where she is coming from when she said what she said (that, and I watched the final which was hilarious, especially the 'heartfelt' speeches!). Despite my brother claiming that they dumb your mind (and many of you may well agree with him), I find a guilty pleasure in TV shows just like this one - you know the type; Made in Chelsea, TOWIE etc. If ever on a rainy day I just want to chill out and feel good about my life I turn these shows on. There's something so refreshing in doing this. Sometimes I go right back to

Ever find yourself having a conversation with work friends and immediately after your words have been uttered you think to yourself "why did I just say that?" Or a customer walks in and you find your mouth running away with itself and chatting about the most mundane things that even you think is painful to listen to? If the answer is yes, then here are a few things that I'm sure you will relate to, things we all converse about in a retail setting. The Weather What is it with British people and the weather? All you have to do is look out of the window to know exactly how hot it is or whether it's raining. You may have only just entered the shop so you've just experienced what the weather is doing at that very moment, yet people still insist on reporting this for you. They'll report that "it's raining outside", when you've just been stood in the downpour waiting for your bus. Thank you for that Jim, couldn't have figured for myself. &

From a visit to the coast to an afternoon spent in the shed, everybody needs a happy place.  I've just returned from a night at the coast with a lovely friend and three of the happiest dogs that I've ever met, and I honestly didn't realise that it was possible to be in such a complete state of calmness. I'm not even exaggerating, I have definitely never been more relaxed.  From the moment we arrived I felt a massive weight lift off me, not that I'm having a rough time at all at the moment but I did feel totally de-stressed. In fact, it was hilarious how floppy I'd become (I mean, I couldn't face showering, I was that chilled) that I started to think up things that could potentially stress me out and it wasn't working one bit.  Something about being by the sea, face soaking up the air and all you can see is open space and the odd happy dog walker, brings me such joy and comfort. It makes me realise how small I am in such a huge world and how many

Do you ever find yourself getting irrationally irritated for no reason? Maybe when you are walking down the street and people kindly shout "Hello" but they somehow seem to piss you off. Or someone in the queue in front of you takes forever to do something and you want to punch them in the face. Inappropriate, yes. A realistic thought, also yes. You may step back and think to yourself 'why am I getting so angry?'  If you're a girl it's usual to blame the ol' menstrual cycle - PMS. But, if someone (particularly males) blames it for you then they will be on the receiving end of your wrath, that's a certainty. After this response knowing that you now have a valid reason for your cross behavior, you feel OK until you realise that you're not due on for another two weeks so you cannot blame the 'time of the month' . So you just blame being a girl, which usually works and shuts the people up who are questioning whether you're OK due to your m

The Windsor's - a hilariously inappropriate television series. It is a comedic and exaggerated representation of the younger generations  (I don't think they dared include HM The Queen)  of the Royal Family and one that I would highly recommend.  I was first told to watch the series by my Dad who,  after observing a discussion  between my sister and I about our futures,  strongly felt that  we were Beatrice and Eugenie, no question. On the show, these two represent every aspect of the typical 'living off daddy' type. The Verruca Salt to the Royal Family and quite frankly Daddy, they unreservedly do want another pony. Played by Ellie White and Celeste Dring, the two have constant wild and fluffy plans for their lives, coming out with questionable knowledge (dumb statements) and discovering that a full time job consists of more than three days a week for two hours each day. Oblivious to reality and having never worked a day in their lives, they bring their mad mother

If you've never experienced one then think yourself lucky, but last Sunday my sister made me attend the dreaded car boot sale. I was slightly cynical from the offset having had a bit of a late night and being somewhat hungover, but pleasant is certainly not the word that I'd use to describe this occasion.  As refreshing as getting up early on a bright Sunday morning is, setting up your stall among the pestering clientele asking for silver and golf clubs immediately isn't ideal. Just let us park before you nose around the boot of our car will you? Then, as you attempt to arrange your wonderful tat in an orderly fashion so one would consider buying it, more bargain hunters flock to rummage  through your not yet unpacked offerings. As much as you want them to leave you be while you set up, you think to yourself that the attraction is good and that it is a sign that you will have a successful day.  Next joke! As soon as you've set up and everything is looking wonderfu

If there is, then I am just that. The type of person who can't find something because it's filed away in just the place I'd expect to find it. I panic when asked for a specific document then sigh with relief at my organisation skills, instantly placing hands on it (nice work, H). I write everything down and live by the list.  Oh, the list. I list everything. List after list and then rewrite the lists and feel refreshed, like nothing is on my mind... for thirty seconds until another list begins to form. From waking up, reading, having a shower to actual tasks - it all appears somewhere on my lists. My diary is filled to the brim with details too. Details on a supersonic scale from my working hours to what time I had tea (almost), though I haven't quite reached the point of noting the weather as my Grandad used to. I do my own head in sometimes. In fact, it is scary how happy and satisfied a productive day can make me. Most people get their kicks out of a new dress or

As the country warms up for British Summertime, the majority of people don't fancy eating so much and if they do it's usually 'cold meat and salad' for tea, every day of the week. Not me, nope.  Recently, I've found that my appetite has increased massively. I mean, I've always eaten like a man. In fact, I hold pride in the amount I can eat without getting full up. One time I ate two whole medium Dominoes pizzas and then Mum came back with a portion of Fish and Chips, which I proceeded to demolish. Impressive for a girl of fourteen, I know.  Turns out as my age has increased so has my hunger. At work, the ladies act like ladies and only have small portions for lunch or half a cheeky sausage sandwich on a Saturday. I automatically have the whole shebang and am hungry five minutes later. After dinner, the hunger returns and usually results in a quick trip to Tesco to indulge in more calories. In fact, I shock myself at the amount I eat and wonder how I am not t

'Moany bitch' - a term that I've adopted lately, especially after receiving my final degree classification and being totally devastated, totally unnecessarily. It describes me perfectly. I mean, I got a 2:1 which is a great result and any normal human being would be chuffed with this, but I couldn't see past the fact that it wasn't a first. So close yet so far. How was I to tell my family and friends? How could anyone be proud? (despite everyone constantly telling me how proud they were).  So, I'll admit that I do have a tendency to be a slight drama queen in situations like this one... in fact in most life situations, let's be honest. If I bash my knee or have a minor headache, then I'm likely to die. If something happens which only slightly changes my plans then it is, of course, the end of the world. If somebody mildly irritates me, then they have pissed me off beyond measure and I really cannot stand them. That is until I've thought about my in

It's in the back of all of our minds, something that we wouldn't have thought up ten years ago. When driving down the A1 home from Uni I fear completely irrationally that a lorry may veer  over suddenly crushing into ten cars, but does this mean they've won? When walking on pavements even in the small towns that I live near, I fear for my safety. At Cambridge station the other day on my way to London I was asked by a lovely Australian lady to look after her bag while she went to the toilet and instantly questioned whether there was an unsafe package inside. I instantly felt awful for  doing so, but have they won?  With this years events in the UK resulting in terrorism having a bigger personal impact on our civilization (wrongly because it occurs most days all over the world), I ask the question is it OK to be afraid ? I've read many articles recently and heard within the media people saying 'stay strong, keep going, don't let them win'. Win what? I hear c