New beginnings..............

A very Happy New year to all of my lovely blogging friends and readers!

May 2012 be the best ever year for us all,filled with Good health,good friendships,sunny days,plenty of laughter and may our hearts be filled with Love.

Gena xx

The post festive Limbo.....

So! How was it for you? I am of course talking about Christmas.That one day of the year that we all rev ourselves up into a complete frenzied state over.Every year.

 I imagine for most of us it was a pleasant enough day,lovely for those with young children,there is nothing more enchanting than hearing those squeals of excitement on Christmas morning,letting all and sundry know that " HE HAS BEEN!!!!" For some of us the day may have been tinged with sadness,missing loved ones whom we have lost.But generally we make the most of it,stiff upper lip and all that and we soldier through the day  wearing a party frock and a pinny.

And then....Boxing day,hurrah more food and drink,the tree is beginning to wilt and Oh My God people are becoming mildly irritated,teeny little frissons of  disagreement are starting to surface,over who OWNS the REMOTE CONTROL!!! Gods sake!and then a whole week of not doing that much, I am turning to drink mid afternoon because my mantra for the season has become " It must be six o clock somewhere" and whilst sipping a glass of bubbly,I reflect on the weeks,nay months I spent,shopping, organizing and frankly resenting.I didnt use to feel like this,did I ? and then my thoughts turn to my body.My poor God forsaken body.I have been shoveling food and drink down my neck like we are approaching Armageddon (actually thats another worry) and suddenly I feel the urge to go jogging and eat salads,Right now!! because I am panicking,but of course I dont,because I will do so immediately in the New year! wont I? 

I am not sleeping properly,I do not like being out of routine,I am struggling to concentrate and therefore find it difficult to immerse myself in any of the books I have stacked up by my bedside.I am thinking about next year and what it will bring,I want somebody to tell me it will be great.It might be.It will be.I want it to be here now,I have done Christmas,bring it on.

It is this state of Limbo I have found myself in you see,Whilst I am loving having my family around me,there is a part of me that just cant relax,my mind races sometimes,my feet are in the starting blocks for next year,I want to run and yet I know we should be thankful for each waking day,I am truly,I continue to count my blessings.And yet...I seem to be suffering from some kind of post festive blues.This will pass,I know it will,but until it does....A chocolate anyone?

Oh Christmas tree!........

So....its two weeks before Christmas,as regular followers will be aware,for me personally Tis the season to be totally disorganized and this year...with bells on.You would think,having given up the day job (see prev posts) I would have more time on my hands,therefore presents should be bought,wrapped and stacked neatly around the tree.The tree.Oh Holy Mary Mother of God.

Daughter and I bought the tree on Friday afternoon,it was standing proud outside of the local greengrocers,gleefully we handed over our cash and then stood staring in abject fear as we realized how utterly enormous it actually was and how small our car appeared in comparison! After struggling home with it,exhausted we attempted to hide it in the dining room until we could muster the energy to wrestle it into the stand.Fast forward to Saturday,tree too big for stand,Irate husband wielding a blunt hacksaw,me lugging a bucket of soil into the sitting room.Deep Joy.

But I digress,By now, Cards should be written in flowing gold script and tossed in a   gingham lined basket,ready to be posted on a cold and frosty morning.Homemade mince pies ala Nigella, cooling in the mad pink kitchen.Nay.Nay,Nay and thrice Nay.I am a complete slut in the festivities department,Hence,at this point,panic is starting to set in.

The trouble is...I truly dislike shopping,I know,I know..I am a woman its supposed to be my reason for living,but its not.I find it tedious in the extreme.Big stores are soul less places to me,I derive no joy whatsoever from shopping malls or their ilk,all very impersonal to me,I prefer to give small thoughtful gifts any day,handmade wherever possible, or a carefully chosen book perhaps,I love to incorporate old with new,a pair of beautiful vintage champagne glasses filled with handmade chocolates and a mini bottle of bubbly,or perhaps a 'cosy afternoon basket' one of my favourite gift giving ideas,pack a small basket with a lovely old movie(Mrs Miniver for fellow vintage girls buy for pennies on Amazon) good quality hot chocolate and a vintage china cup,homemade shortbread(or bought depending how sluttish you are this year)a pair of fluffy socks,and Bobs your Uncle! who wouldn't love it? beats a M&S voucher any day.

However,I will get there,it will all come together,probably on Christmas Eve,when I will be telling anyone who will listen that next year it will be different,I will be better organised,infact,I will buy my cards in the sales and write them out in January! Ha! Watch out for flying pigs folks!  

And its getting better! ......

I ask you,what more could you ask for on a chilly November afternoon? And yes,that book is Christmas at Cold comfort farm,those of you who know me will already know that Cold comfort farm is one of my very favourite books of all time,penned by the glorious Stella Gibbons.I almost fainted with sheer excitement when I spotted this on the bookshelves in Asda this morning!

Happy happy days!

Decisions Decisions .....

 Well Hello! Tis me again,the invisible blogger,but for those of you who do still follow me (and I thank you for that I truly do) here is a little update on my so called life at the moment. It is infact going extremely well,after months of ridiculous procrastination,I took the Bull by the horns and resigned from the day job,it was surprisingly easy,all that faffing about and worrying and I swear to you the Company did not give a hoot.So anyway,I did this in order to concentrate on my little Vintage Emporium www.thesefoolishthings.co.uk

 I attended the Newcastle vintage fashion fair on Sunday,had  a good day and met some wonderful people,I am spending my days sourcing more fabulous vintage lovelies,photographing them and soon will be updating the site.For the life of me I cannot fathom what took me so long!

In other news,It is horribly dull and decidedly chilly here in the bleak North,whilst I embrace the cosy candlelit evenings,I am not so fond of stepping outdoors,mainly because of my complete lack of appropriate clothing! How I loathe and detest getting wrapped up and wearing jeans and jumpers for what feels like forever! So I am swanning around in Vintage furs and high heels for the moment,not so sure what the dress code will be when the snow arrives.

I am still searching for alternative storage facilities for my Vintage stock,at the moment it is housed in a storage unit,which is fine in the summer,but Oh my life...the winter,it is like a huge refrigerator,I am slightly reluctant to take on another shop,but I would dearly love to rent space in somebody elses shop,just a room would do,mainly for storage and perhaps to use for my photographs.Friends in the Newcastle area keep your eyes open for me please.I am sure there is the perfect little home for me somewhere.

So! The times they are a changing for me,its all good,I feel happy and blessed and am looking forward to the next chapter!.....you will keep reading with me wont you?

Vintage fashion fair

I will be here on Sunday 13th November selling some of my vintage lovelies,should be a good day,if you are in the area please pop in and say Hello!

Happy Halloween.

Have a fun filled Happy Halloween folks! This year is a first for us,no trick or treating! instead a scary Movie and Halloween themed snacks.The times they are a changing!

The cocktail hour.

Being a lover of all things Vintage,it should come as no surprise that I possess a much loved Cocktail cabinet.Oh how I recall the excitement(well on my part) the day the above little beauty found its way to Chez King.Finally a home had arrived for my beloved glass collection and the kitsch bar items I had hoarded for so long.1930s cocktail umbrellas,1950s Ladies,snowball glasses (urgghh! who remembers Warninks Advocaat snowballs?) Edwardian crystal champagne saucers,so beautiful and fittingly twinkly for the most glamorous of beveridges.I am,believe it or not,not a great drinker,A glass of chilled white wine or two is about as exciting as it gets,but like everything I eat or drink,presentation plays a big part.What is the use of owning a house full of vintage loveliness if it is just to sit there? I say if you love it,use it,we have pretty vintage quilts on our beds,mismatched china in the kitchen and the walls are adorned with Edwardian prints.Ah tis the vintage life for me! But back to the cocktail cabinet,God I dont half waffle on! It dates to around 1910,I know this because the original receipt from Waring and Gillows was wedged in the back,the mirrored panel in the centre rotates to reveal a bottle storage area! this alone thrilled me more than I can say! there are glass shelved areas to either side and the top section lights up.Think of the Larkins in the Darling buds of May,with their strange and exotic drinks made from Pops fabulous light up bar!

Time to resurrect The cocktail hour methinks? what do you say? 

The Letters.....

I wonder if
you keep the letters still,
spidery and blotted
now, like old days
just withered away.

I remember sunlight bursts
that inspired
those winged words,
the spirit of spaces
flying paper aeroplanes of love.

I picture us then-
a perfect summer’s night
calligraphy of stars
burning Indian fire

and I wonder if
you keep the letters still.

By Eileen Carney Hulme.

The season of change.....

And all of a sudden it is Autumn.Unpredictable weather,darker evenings,chilly mornings and a weariness I find hard to shake.But shake it I must,for the days are rushing by,for the most part they are good days,I have decisions to make,and here I falter,afraid to make the wrong choice,security versus creativity,my mind in constant argument.Exhausted by the demands of the 'day job'. Something or someone will come along and 

set me on the right path.Wont they?

I do not care for the colder months,I miss the sunshine and the long lazy days of summer,

pretty dresses and sparkly sandals,tea in the garden and early morning reading on the doorstep.

 My garden is going to sleep,everything is dying back for the winter,I console myself by ordering old English roses and spring flowering bulbs for next year.And yet,I embrace the cosiness of the season,because i must.I light candles and scent my home with cinnamon,I don a pretty pinny and cook,because food is love and food is comfort,and often I am in dire need of both.

I spend way to much time online! it is a fact,social networking is taking me away from real life and I must start and reign myself in,from becoming involved in heated discussions about trivial tv shows to constantly checking my messages,I should stop,whilst it is lovely making new friends and keeping in touch with old ones,surely the world will not go into a holding pattern should I decide to give facebook a miss for a while.

It will pass,this restlessness,I do know this.

I also know that it is up to me to enforce change.Wish me Luck.

The Orange........

Have I told you I love oranges? I also love Wendy Cope,imagine that,one of my favorite contemporary poets wrote a poem about my favorite fruit! Outstanding Ms Cope! simply outstanding!

The Orange.

At lunchtime I bought a huge orange

The size of it made us all laugh.

I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave

They got quarters and I had half.

And that orange,it made me so happy

As ordinary things often do.

just lately,The shopping.A walk in the park.

This is peace and contentment.It is new.

The rest of the day was quite easy.

I did all the jobs on my list.

And enjoyed them and had some time over.

I love you.I'm glad I exist.

Wendy Cope.

Twenty pieces of absolutely useless information about me...

I am in pensive mood this Evening,today has been cold and dark and I have flitted from task to task,not really achieving much,but wanting to do so much more, Went food shopping,met some mad people (as usual) came home,lit some candles,updated the website,chatted on facebook for a while,went to see my Mammy,picked Lulu up from School,dropped her big sister off at work.The usual stuff,the stuff that my days are made of. Pretty average huh? I love average,I love my life,it is an awfully big adventure,we are all totally unique,how amazing is that? there is nobody else in the world like you or I,what makes you who you are? and me? Hells bells I dont think the best shrink in the world could work that one out! But here just for fun,are a few random facts all about me!

1) I am as you can guess a complete bookworm,I read anything and everything.I am never without a book to read.

2)When I was pregnant I played Puccini and read poetry to my unborn babies.Yeah! weird.

3)I have a massive collection of Vintage pinnys and I wear them.

4)I am a foodie! I love to cook and I love to eat,typical Taurean I like good food and good wine.

5)I have a book inside me,somewhere,I know it.

6)I hated school but I loved my Art lessons,my Teacher wanted me to study it when I left,but I got a job.

7)I am afraid of water,cant swim,its real terror.

8)I wont get out of bed each morning until I have thought of five things to be thankful for.could have a bit of an ocd!

9)I love Terry Wogan.Ok so shoot me! he makes me smile!

10)I collect old sepia photographs.

11)I cried at Toy story three.

12)I truly detest tights and refuse to wear them.

13)Colouring in calms me down.Strangely.

14)My favourite book and film is Gone with the Wind.

15)I love to have a candle lit bath with a glass of bubbly! Lilac candles in summertime,cinnamon in winter.

16)I have an allotment.It is Heaven.

17)Albertine roses are my favourite bloom.

18)My favourite piece of opera is Oh Mio Babino Caro followed by The pearl fishers duet,both make my heart soar.

19)I always longed for a career in Fashion,I sort of ended up there,albeit Vintage fashion.I live for it.

20) I love the internet! I have made lots of true and good friends here...and I love you.

So....you nodded off yet?  

On book addiction and Internet love.......

Hello everyone! how the devil are you? what splendid pursuits have you enjoyed this past summer? Me? well nothing truly amazing to report,I longed for a lovely hot summer to be spent wandering on the beach,catching up with friends,quaffing martinis in the garden by candlelight. Didn't happen,weather was appalling.
Anyway.....
Tis the early days of autumn and yet again I have succumbed to my usual addiction....buying books on Amazon.I have a huge pile of books waiting to be read and four more on the way,there are frankly,not enough hours in the day to read the aforementioned stash,I start one book,catch sight of another start reading that one,you know how it is,I seriously need to discipline myself.
Aside from the book buying problem,life is good,as you all know I organised and held a Vintage fair in July,Get Me! I felt like a headmistress with fashion sense! it was so lovely,not just the event,but the whole journey leading to the fair,I met so many fabulous people,largely down to my big love...The internet.I make no apology for my total adoration for the online community and its social networks,facebook and twitter have brought me into contact with some pretty wonderful people and it was absolutely amazing that so many of you came to my fair,my heart was truly fit to burst!
I sort of feel that changes are afoot and I am kind of excited but scared! Another fair planned for November,local friends please come and see me! If you dont like the fair I can always lend you a good book!

On the last days of summer......

Hello again dear blogging friends! so here we are, at the end of possibly the rainiest August I personally can recall for quite some time,only a week left of the school holidays and soon the nights will be getting darker,the days cooler,the pretty floral dresses packed away and the wool shift dresses back in business.I am already stocked up with enough reading material for the next six months,looking forward to cooking up a storm in the mad pink kitchen,trying not to think about Christmas,making plans that may or may not come to fruition,and wondering.....always wondering....what's next?

Summer sale at These Foolish things.....

The phrase 'Cant see the woods for the trees' was surely written with me in mind!

My Vintage stock is getting a teeny bit out of hand and I need to have a major sort out and get it all on the website so I am giving a 25% discount on everything for a limited period,in order to fill it with even more pretties,so go on! pop over and bag a bargain!

Update.....

Hello! how the Devil are you all? Me? borderline psychotic today could all change tomorrow.

So....its my big day on Sunday! I am as you know hosting a Vintage and handmade fair! Hurrah! its going to be fabulous! will report back as soon as its over and I am off the Valium(joking)

So what else is new? Well,I have a new cooker! Oh happy happy days! if I could sleep on the kitchen floor next to it I swear I would! it is indeed a thing of joy,although it is huge and I did lose two cupboards,plus the old oven housing unit which resulted in tiles being replaced,repainting etc. But hey! love it.

The weather here in the bleak North has been....well,bleak.Its appalling for July,haven't been to the allotment much,therefore I will no doubt be in for a bit of grief from the allotment police,AKA 'The committee'

I am hugely looking forward to the big school holidays! lazy mornings with my girls! Bliss! I would love a little nice weather so we could go to the beach.

I am loving 'The killing' on ch4 on thursday nights,thoroughly enjoying my latest amazon delivery 'How to be a woman' by Caitlin Moran(soooo funny) still hopelessly addicted to facebook and twitter,fighting raging hormones,having weird dreams and eating too much cheese.

Loving life. How about you?

Love after Love ........

The time will come when,with elation

you will greet yourself arriving

at your own door,in your own mirror

and each will smile at the others welcome.

And say sit here,eat.

You will love again the stranger who was yourself.

Give wine.Give bread. Give back your heart

to itself,to the stranger that has loved you all your life,

who you ignored for another,

who knows you by heart.

Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs,the desperate notes.

Peel your own image from the mirror.

Sit.Feast on your life.

Derek Walcott.

It's a Fair cop!

Oh I do so apologise for my short absence of late dear friends! However there is a very good reason for this,I have been organising a bit of a do! namely a delightful little summer soiree or Vintage fair.I have been thinking about organising such an event for a little while and finally have taken the plunge and put myself out there,so to speak,Lordy! what a surprise! the interest has been immense! I am so thrilled and excited! I wanted to veer away from the traditional Antiques and collectables fairs and make it a little more interesting and to appeal to a wider audience,so I am including sellers who sell hand crafted items including a delightful Lady who sells fascinators made with vintage fabrics.There will be vintage clothing,textiles,collectables,kitchenalia,hopefully gardenalia,shabby chic items,art work and lots more.I am to say the least,A tad excited!

If you are a seller and you are interested in taking part,please contact me by email at gena@thesefoolishthings.co.uk

The fair will be held at The Royal station Hotel,Neville street,Newcastle upon Tyne,right next to the railway station and metro,lots of parking nearby also.

Wish me luck!

My secret retro past......

I must be getting old.It is a fact.More and more often in my line of work I come across items described as 'retro' as opposed to 'Vintage' I look at the afore mentioned items with slight contempt I fear,because to me,they are all too familiar,relics of my childhood that I did not particularly care for then...or now,but hey,each to their own.

I was growing up in the 1970s,youngest child of a working class family,My Dad worked in the shipyards on the Tyne,my Mum a trained dressmaker,worked in the corner shop to fit in with family life.The corner shop was owned by a Mr and Mrs Swan, a very nice couple who seemed to be just a cut above us.My Mother,as well as working part time in their shop,also did a spot of cleaning for them,sometimes she took me along,they lived,very comfortably above the shop.I recall the Lounge(we had a living room),which had a bar in the corner,I thought this to be the absolute epitome of luxury,it was padded faux leather and had high stools around it,I was told they entertained a lot.They had a leather three piece suite and a sheepskin rug.At one point,on the G Plan coffee table they had a Lava lamp!!!! Mrs Swan would serve up 'Elevenses' in little pyrex glass cups in orange plastic holders,I swear to God I thought I was in Heaven! snippets of conversations revealed that 'The Swans' dined out a fair bit,usually at 'The golf club' all very sophisticated to me at the time,even more glamorous was their teenage Daughter Barbara,lovely girl,complete with boyfriend named Ken(true,I jest not) and a bedroom with fitted wardrobes!!!! they had louvre doors and my childish heart almost burst out of my chest at the sight of them.They also had a pale pink bathroom with two sinks!!! can you believe it?and a rather large sunken bath.Ours was a tub with feet,Oddly enough when we moved into this house I paid silly money for an original claw foot cast iron bath to be installed,it remains my best purchase.Oh how the other half lived.

And yet.....we lived a little differently,no faux leather,sheepskin or louvre doors to be found in my family home,a little bungalow with leaded windows,a garden full of roses,sofas covered by my very clever Mother in sanderson floral fabrics and patchwork quilts on the beds.Dogs running in and out of the busy kitchen,the radio playing and My Mother clip clopping around in kitten heels,Dad in his favourite armchair reading the paper.It was such a cosy life and though I was fascinated by the thoroughly modern lifestyle of the Swans,I never really envied it,No wonder I grew up loving the vintage lifestyle.

Oh blessed happy days,I would not change these memories for all the pyrex coffee cups in the world!

Elizabeth Love.........

Oh saddest of days! the glorious creature that was Dame Elizabeth Taylor has left us to go to that great movie set in the sky.

I have always loved Elizabeth, from being a young girl I was inspired and totally in awe of her beauty,but as I got older and my fascination continued,I became aware that behind the often hedonistic lifestyle,the boats,the planes,the diamonds,Elizabeth was just a woman, a woman who like most of us craved love and affection and a happy ever after.

Elizabeth Taylor will be remembered for her beauty,her men,her work in the movies and for her tireless charity work,but you know what I loved best about her? She lived her life in glorious technicolour,she loved she lost,she got right back up and lived and laughed and loved with seemingly reckless abandon.

They just dont make them like that any more.....do they?

On Sundays,Sinatra and sleep(or lack of)

So here we are again Sunday morning,copious amounts of coffee and Sinatra singing 'Witchcraft' and me looking like hell in a housecoat due to lack of sleep.Soon I will shower and dress and paint on a smile and tie on a pinny and prepare myself for another ride on the strange rollercoaster that is my life at the moment.

It has been a topsy turvy week this past week,Like everyone in this world I have been absolutely horrified by the devastating events in Japan and the unrest in Libya has me troubled beyond belief,I am afraid I am like an emotional sponge and I seem to absorb all this negativity so that it becomes a lead weight to be carried around with me.

I know,lighten up Gena,count your blessings ( I do! I swear) but its real hard to watch such suffering.

Ok! enough of that,what else has been happening? after a disappointing start to the week (wont bore you with that one) the weather finally picked up and Lo! sunshine! hurrah! what a difference it makes,my garden is slowly coming to life and I am so looking forward to sunny days and lighter nights. I am signed up for a few vintage clothing fairs in the near future(sadly few and far between here in the North) and yesterday purchased another beautiful Vintage wedding dress.It was Lucys Birthday on Friday,my baby is twelve already! how did that happen? I feel as though life speeds up as you get older.

It is a full moon this weekend,in virgo actually,perhaps this is why I have felt slightly crazy all week? full moons signify powerful emotions and changes and I do believe that some things really do need to change,so bring it on Universe.I am ready.

My weird and totally unpredictable sleep patterns remain a mystery,I am reluctant to see a Doctor for fear of a) being diagnosed as mad/paranoid/depressed.I am not. or b) being offered sleeping medication which I fear is a slippery slope and I dont want it. I have tried almost everything,my Mother says as you get older you dont need as much sleep,cant believe that I am wrecked half the time!

Anyway! onwards and upwards! I am looking forward to next week, waking the dead on BBC1 tonight and tomorrow,I have the new Kate Atkinson book from the library(cant put it down already) and I have an interesting recipe for cheese and marmite scones to try out!

Its the little things isnt it?

Vintage Love .....

I am a fickle girl at times I am the first to admit.Part of me hates clutter and yet I make a living out of selling all manner of vintage paraphanalia! I love nothing more than coming across a terrific vintage find,I love laundering vintage clothing and linens and become almost dizzy with joy to see them flapping about on my washing line.Handbags are a particular delight to me,often I will find an old shopping list,a cinema ticket or even a letter or an invatation to a wedding,the flotsam and jetsom of another womans life,not that different from my own.

Vintage weddings are currently in vogue,it seems many of us are hankering after a more subtle and meaningful Wedding day,not just the clothing but everything from the table linens to mis-matched vintage china.How absolutely lovely.It was with this in mind that towards the end of last year I launched a vintage China and linen hire service.

Will I ever tire of this love affair with all things from a time gone by? I really dont think so,do you?

Somethings' coming..........

TONY
Could be!
Who knows?
There’s something’ due any day;
I will know right away
Soon as it shows.
It may come cannonballin’
Down through the sky,

Gleam in its eye,
Bright as a rose!
Who knows?

It’s only just out of reach,
Down the block, on a beach,
Under a tree.
I got a feelin’ there’s a miracle due,
Gonna come true,
Comin’ to me!

Could it be? Yes, it could.
Something’s coming, something’ good,
If I can wait!
Something’s comin’, I don’t know what it is
But it is
Gonna be great!

With a click, with a shock,
Phone’ll jingle, door’ll knock
Open the latch!
Something’s comin’, don’t know when,
But it’s soon--
Catch the moon,
One-handed catch!
Around the corner,
Or whistling’ down the river,
Come on -- deliver
To me!

Will it be? Yes, it will.
Maybe just by holdin’ still
It’ll be there!
Come on, something’, come on in,
Don’t be shy,
Meet a guy,
Pull up a chair!

The air is hummin’,
And something’ great is comin’!
Who knows?
It’s only just out of reach,
Down the block, on a beach.
Maybe tonight.

*******************

Oh how I love West side story! and on a day when my glass feels half full,how I love this song!

Somethings coming.Please God.

Just how much is too much?

As anyone in the Vintage trade will tell you I am sure,what started out as an interesting little sideline,more often than not has the ability to invade not only our lives but our living space also. Whilst initially,bringing the odd interesting piece home seems like a good idea,the day may come whereby it all becomes a little too much.

I fear my friends that day has come.

Although I very much doubt that I will miraculously transform into a minimalist,something has to give and frankly I do not know where to start.I hasten to add that I also have a storage unit for the business,also packed to the rafters.

The living room is not too bad,although the cocktail cabinet may need to go.Too many cushions of course.

The Kitchen.How I long for clear bench tops.

And Oh Holy Mary Mother of God.The Dining room.I cannot show you a picture of the entire room,for trust me you will have nightmares.Still housing the remnants of a shop that I left four years ago,it is my own personal Hell.

How do I tackle this people? Have you faced a similar dilemma?

I want to run away.Really.

Tales from a surburban housewife part two............

So the new year has begun,the weather has been slightly kinder here in the bleak North,but despite the feeling of optimism I am currently cultivating at the moment,so far life is slightly hum drum.Oh dear.

I feel that change is ahead.....but I feel both heady excitement and abject terror at the thought,hmmm.

In the meantime,I do what I do best,I plod on,I get on with the day job because it pays the bills,loving it some days hating it others,but remaining thankful for the income.I would like to know what lies ahead for me,but I simply cant,some days I wonder if I am on the right path and where it will lead.

I am aware that this year I need to be a bit more attentive to my own needs and look at the bigger picture.I need to make some choices this year,I love my Vintage business but sometimes its just darned hard work when juggling a day job and family also,but can I give it up? and Good Lord whatever would I do with all that stock?

On a brighter note...spring will soon be here,I can tend my garden,visit my allotment and eat salad.

This year I am going to actually celebrate my Birthday ( I dont normally,dont ask am way down on the agenda) I am going to learn something new(not sure what just yet)I am going to make a list of all the books I simply must read and reserve them at the library.

My 'to do list' is quite simply endless.

But top of my list is....I am going to be brave.

On Resolutions.........

Is it just me or has the New Year filled you with the kind of reckless enthusiasm usually reserved for the Top shop sale? are the Christmas shackles finally off? no more losing sleep over planning what seemed like a military operation,when actually it really was just a Sunday lunch with gifts thrown in.

Ah me! it feels good to be free.

Are you looking forward to 2011,To better weather(couldnt be worse frankly) hopefully a long hot summer,will you fall in love,find your dream job,finally learn to meditate?

Have you made New Year Resolutions ? Hmmm always tricky methinks,I do so hate mine to involve the words Diet,Detox,Gym etc. because,well life is just to darn short! wasnt it Shirley Conran who coined the phrase " Life is too short to stuff a mushroom" and I so know what she meant,so for 2011 I really feel that its time to get happy,to have that extra Martini (fear not I am not about to turn into Blanche Dubois!) to take a few more risks,follow my heart and not be afraid.Life really is a huge gift and how blessed I am,I look at my children every day and offer up a silent prayer of thanks,but sometimes,just sometimes I catch a glimpse of myself and I have to ask " Oh!...... who are you again?"

Its time to find out.

So! here we go,in 2011 I am going to........

1) Eat more takeaways!......It wont kill them to do without home cooking once a week.

2)Throw away some of that huge pile of ironing.Its the only way.

3)Stop buying trashy magazines BUT replace them with fabulous bargain books from Amazon,you know it makes sense.

4) De clutter my wardrobe and keep only items which make me feel fabulous.

5)Wear high heels every day.Why not?

6)Spend much more time with my girl friends,whether it be coffee or cocktails,these women keep me afloat.

7)Invest in a pair of Chanel sunglasses.I will do without food if I have to.

8)Watch my complete set of Sex and the city DVDs from the start.I need to release my inner Carrie Bradshaw.

9)Drink Martinis at least once a week,perhaps learn to like olives.

10)Live,love ,laugh.......often.

What do you think? is it going to be a good one?

You bet it is!!!!!!!