A Snippet of Life

  You semi-forget the event is in your diary, until a week before having received a number of texts saying “what can I bring?”...”really looking forward...”, you leap off your feet and get your arse into gear. Cleaning,gardening, preparing the shopping list, then realising there are more guests than originally thought, and so preparing a second shopping list...and a third...worrying who you haven't invited, numbers, the WEATHER (particularly for my English readers), its all on the mind.   The day before you frantically work, clean, polish, sweep, in order to enable a slight lay-in for the big day, so that you are fully ready for the party...midnight strikes and you have just about finished. You think it is all done, you think you can be chilled the next morning before the guests arrive, leisurely get prepared with little left to do, but NO. RUSH RUSH RUSH. The weather has failed you. What can you do now that wont get mouldy before the guests arrive? What do you need to do f...

At this age life really has just begun, “the World is your oyster”, they say, “go out and explore”. It is a time to spread the young wings and flee the nest. Whether it be university, the start of a new job, a first home (for some) , a baby (for the nutters about!)  At 15, EVERYTHING is a catastrophic disaster! Your boyfriend/ girlfriend dumps you, the end of the World…Mum served fish for dinner and she’s known for 15 years that you HATE fish, also the end of the World. Going back to five, where you are the complete opposite, EVERYTHING is utterly fabulous! From crayons, to paper, to bugs, to mud, to puddles, just everything ‘floats your boat’! Everyone is your best friend, especially those who come armed with sweets, and the only issue you have is deciphering who stole your play dough! The above is based upon previous experience, but being just nineteen, I have a long way to go in order to be able to fill in the gaps. So, from observations through working in a village shop,...

  It must be getting on for two years now since I started working at Moulton shop, during some of the most important years of my life so far. Originally starting as a Saturday girl, whilst I completed my A-levels, to now where it is beginning to feel almost like my second home! But, what a lovely second home it is and a great team to work with. Not long after I began we had Gwen’s leaving party, and this year sadly, we have had to say goodbye to Jill and Tanja, which is a great shame. Also Chloe, who we congratulate on her new job. Now, in only a matter of months, it will be my turn to flee the nest, heading to university. It will be sad to say goodbye, but my time in the shop really has been great. Despite making the most silly mistakes and being incredibly embarrassed, (mixing up my veg) turning into a joke of the village, but it all being worth it as I have both gained in confidence and simplistic, (VERY simplistic in fact I did not realise how dippy I could be sometimes) gener...

  I love reading- of course I do, I am just about to begin an English degree! A few weeks ago I was recommended an Author (Kate Atkinson) and leant her first book 'Behind the Scenes at the Museum'. Having just finished (and loved) it, I thought I would share with you one of the many weird and wonderful ideas of Ruby Lennox, the main character and narrator of the whole novel.   Ruby has a tough upbringing, but it's not all sad- her life gets better! Also, the way she tells it all is matter of fact and sometimes can make you chuckle( I won't go too much into details as you may want to read it).      One page, out of the 490 that I read, particularly stood out to me. A moment where she is discussing the end of the world and comes up with the 'Lost Property Cupboard'. A cupboard where 'every hair grip, every button...earring and key', all the little things that we lose on a daily basis in our lives, are kept, there waiting for us at the end. But the...

Finished work mid afternoon, had Anchorman 2 laying on the bed, only option here is obviously to watch it. Whilst doing so I managed to eat not ONE Galaxy caramel egg but an ENTIRE BAG of them, along with two tubes of soft mints! I literally felt my stomach expand! The more people I told of this complete feast, the more sick I felt, so, against the usual norm, I decided to drag my sister out on a run? We hadn't even got out of the village when she started to winge (much to my happiness as I. was. flagging!) ...but we didn't give up, oh no, inside waiting for us was a DVD, a fitness one with THE most patronising woman on it..."almost there" WITH 18 MINUTES TO GO WE WERE NOT ALMOST THERE! "Breathe steadily" I CANNOT BREATHE WHEN MY LEGS AND ARMS ARE TELLING ME TO SIT DOWN AND EAT MORE CHOCOLATE EGGS! However, 30 minutes later, and having skipped /sped up a few of the exercises, we completed it, and I dragged myself to the cooker (always thinking of my next me...

A few of my favourite things...  Wine. Oh my gosh. That first sip after a long day, after a problem arising, after a relationship breakup, just because you can, to celebrate, anything...THAT SIGH OF RELIEF as it trickles down your throat, the taste of goodness and fun to come! "I'm going down for one glass"...*thinks to self I'll probably just by the bottle...ends the night sitting at a table covered with empty bottles!*  ...Pimms on a summers day, with cut up cucumber and strawberries inside. Maybe a bit -...no, ALWAYS a dash of mint. The ease of drinking it like juice and so it flows down smoothly, and after what seemed like a few sips, you've finished the whole bloody bottle! The reminder of Wimbledon  and the sunshine. Strawberries and cream. Warm summer days. Perfection.  Strawberry cider. The drink that looks like fruit juice and tastes like fruit juice. The drink that I personally feel has no time restrictions...at a pub at lunchtime, even, on specia...

Working in a village shop, my days are filled with conversations from all parts of the spectrum! Some people even try politics and that's when my mind switches off and I focus on the sandwich I'm making! But the other day a lady and I were discussing how nice it is to go into a shop and feel welcomed, actual life and actual meaningful conversation...in comparison to tesco where this simply does not happen (or any supermarket as it stands).   You walk in, no "hello there!" Or acknowledgement that you have even entered. They most definitely wouldn't know you by name or even know what you are going to buy. You walk around like zombies, everyone in their own worlds thinking one thing..."what shall I do for tea tonight", focussing on the contents of their cupboards and not taking in their surroundings, (well I suppose their surroundings ARE the contents of their cupboards!) Walking aimlessly past people down the aisles, a few conversations here and there ...