Progress Report....

Last month I wrote here about "that-back-to-school-ready-for-something-new-feeling....
my children were settled in their new school year and I figured that it was time for me to get started on some new stuff too.

I vowed that I would do TEN things that I had never done before :)

So, without further ado, here is my List Of Eight....am working on two more ;)

1. Attended a pilates class

It's unlike any class I have done before and I'll be honest and say that I've only been once this month...but I will be going next week.

2. Made my own green pesto and tomato and basil sauces

This might not seem like a big deal but for me it is and, as these are things my children eat a lot, I felt a great sense of achievement.

They were absolutely delicious - and so easy that I cannot believe I haven't done them before!

3. Booked trips to Scotland and Bath

I've always wanted to go to Edinburgh and Bath, I've been through them by train but never stopped off.

I bought a Family and Friends Railcard for the train and shopped around for really good hotel deals - I eventually booked hotels through Booking.com and will be visiting both in the next couple of months.

Bath....via Sophie at The Littlest Things

4. Became a student! I enrolled in some cookery courses

I'm so excited about this and am now in week 5!!

I have LOVED it!!

The idea for doing the cookery course came about as part of my "PerfectCare project" - I reviewed the fabulous Philips PerfectCare Ironing System recently and decided that the time it saved me on ironing, I would use solely to pursue a new hobby. Cookery seemed the perfect challenge!

It's not that I can't cook but my mother never really cooked and so I am just unsure about where to start.

I love food, am married to a great cook and I just want to be better at it :)

I have started with an Italian Cookery course - which is another post itself - and so far have made: tiramisu, meatballs, my own pasta sauces, pasta with piselle (peas) & pancetta (bacon), minestrone, mushroom risotto, stuffed courgettes.

I can't even tell you how much I have enjoyed it, it's been so much fun being back in a "college" environment and I have already developed a new kitchen confidence!

Tonight I am cooking risotto with chorizo and butternut squash :) 

In November I am also starting a Thai Cooking class and in January, will be doing French Cookery, followed by Indian Cooking...I'm excited!

5. Joined a weekly dance class

I have joined the fabulous Pineapple Dance Studios in London's Covent Garden (somewhere I have always wanted to go) and I have been attending a weekly class now for several weeks and next month I hope to do two classes a week.
I absolutely love it....dancing is just so joyful - and a great workout too!

Pineapple has a great energy, it's a wonderful place to be - I'd go every day if I could!   

My daughter also comes along and does a class too so it's fun for both of us.

....sort of how I feel when I dance....I should really be someone's backing dancer ;)

6. Signed up for my children's Parents Staff Association Committee

I've been a parent class rep before and am lucky that I have the time to get more involved with my children's school....but this year I decided to go all the way and sign up for three years on the committee, gulp!

7. Got up 10 minutes earlier and went to bed 10 earlier every day

My husband gets up very early for work so I'm never going to be the first one up in our house....but I love the idea of a peaceful cup of tea in the kitchen enjoying a little peace and quiet before the morning pre-school madness descends.

I have therefore set my alarm just 10 minutes earlier in the morning in order to beat the rush....and it's helped. Most days anyway ;)

I used to be an early-to-bed-girl but seem to somehow have become a night owl - going to bed just 10 minutes earlier just allows me to think more carefully about my night-time routine.

8. Met another blogger for lunch

Most people who read my blog will know that I am a fan of Lou of the blog Lou, Boos and Shoes ....in fact a lot of people think we are "real life" friends already.

After much chatting, emailing and texting, we met up for lunch last week at her beautiful home....and now we are real life friends!
It's always slightly odd when you know lots about someone but you've never actually met them - but we had lots to talk about and had a wonderful time.

I am, first and foremost, a full time mother so any changes I make in my life right now have to fit in with children's  lives too.

Like a lot of mothers I feel like there are are never enough hours in the day so adding extra things into the mix means even greater organisation and time management.

I've made a conscious effort to do new things this month, I've been in town more, blogged more and have generally been an awful lot busier......

it's been fantastic -

and just the beginning of some really exciting new stuff :)

Happy Wednesday!!

Tell Me Something : ME :)

Town or Country?

Definitely town...I need streetlights and sirens :)

Music or Books?

Hard to choose but it would have to be books.

Perfect day - shopping/spa or doing absolutely nothing?

Any day where I can do things at my own pace.....I am very happy pottering around.

London, Paris, New York or Sydney?

New York for its energy....and many happy memories for me.

Bread or Cake?

SO hard to choose. Cake I think. Unfortunately ;)

McDreamy or McSteamy?

I was late discovering "Grey's Anatomy" but was quickly addicted to it.

McDreamy all the way.

Romantic Hero or Action Hero?

Romantic Hero.

Prince William or Prince Harry?

Love them both. Prince William for me although Harry does have an irresistable twinkle.

Catherine or Pippa?

Both lovely girls, Catherine for me though.

Heels or favourite winter boots?

Winter boots....am not quite ready for them yet but I soon will be.

French chic or Italian sex appeal?

The Italians for sure!

Chocolate or Coffee?

Chocolate.

Great shoes or gorgeous underwear?

Great shoes.

Pedicure, manicure or massage?

Probably a good pedicure.

Talk it out or keep it to yourself?

I'm a talker (surprise surprise!).....but actually, I talk much more easily about other's people "stuff" than my own. I do think that eldest children have a natural tendency to get on and sort things out by themselves....my husband is the same.

Karaoke - first to sing, last to sing or absolutely-no-way-not-ever?

I start off by saying no way but then.....there I am!! Only with friends though :)

 

1. One beauty product or routine that you would recommend or can't live without?

Moisturiser.

2. One book you would recommend to anyone or that you love and often return to?

"One Day" by David Nicholls was my favourite book last year.

"Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay was my favourite read this summer.

"One Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini is a book that I would recommend to anyone, it's an amazing read.

3. One item that you would take to a desert island (can't be a person!)?

My iPod.

4. One life-changing moment?

My husband proposing to me on a cycle ride one December Sunday in Central Park...it was a total surprise, I felt as though as I watching myself in a movie!

5. One movie that makes you cry every time?

I cry at everything, most movies make me cry, I honestly can't single one out!

6. Who would play the handsome hero in the movie of your life?

Patrick Dempsey please :)

7. How long have you known your oldest friend?

My very closest friends are my Uni friends so since I was 18.

8. Your favourite book/movie/song?

I just can't chooose! Way too many....

9. Three dream cities you have yet to visit?

San Francisco, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona

10. Three things still on your bucket list?

Driving across the US with my family, spending the summer in Cape Cod, travelling the world! 

11. School days - happy or sad, good or bad memories?

I loved school, all good memories.

12. What - or who - always makes you feel better on those more challenging days?

My girlfriends.

My children with their hugs.

My brother when it comes to family.

13. Recommend a blog to us?

Reverie Daydream

Melissa is a lovely writer....and she has a wonderful life.

She has great integrity and is one of those people who has a spirit you are totally drawn to.

14. Happier now than you were at 20....honestly?!

Oh.My.Goodness.....you have no idea how much!

Yes, yes, YES!!!

Please describe yourself in ONE WORD ONLY :)

Positive.

And finally, what is the one thing you know for sure?

There is always someone worse off than you. Always.

Life goes really really fast....take time to smell the roses.

There's nothing as good as really great girlfriends.

Give it a try....what's the worst that could happen?

Be nice. Everyone has their own battles. You never know what people are going through.

A huge thank you to everyone who wrote such fabulous guest-posts for me when I was on holiday in France....

thank you for answering my (many) questions and for saying yes!

I loved reading them all :)

I'm back from France....just in time for autumn :)

Super Comments Blog Award....

Thank you to the beautiful and fabulous Christina from Fashions Most Wanted for the Super Comment Blog Award....

 

1. Why do you blog?
To express myself and to share the things and people that I enjoy, love and admire....
To give myself a little voice in this big old world....
I blog because I love the feeling of creating something beautiful - and the fact that others read it is the most amazing bonus :)
And really.....because I just love doing it, simple as that!

2. What are your three best memories?
 

* I am the eldest grandchild and have always felt a special connection with all my grandparents. I was born in Wales but we moved to London when I was 6 years old. We left behind a very close family who lived literally minutes from us....it must have hard for my parents, particularly my mother who had three children under the age of 6. My parents separated and then divorced when I was 8....and every summer I would be sent on the train to Wales to spend 5 or 6 weeks with my mother's parents....I absolutely loved every minute of it!

My nanny was quiet and kind and my grampy was the nicest man in the whole world and I loved being with him, he was so much fun......they would take me to the beach and the funfair and let me stay there until it seemed we were the last people on the beach....they'd take me to the market in town and I'd hide behind Gramps while he bought fresh cockles at the seafood stall (even now the smell of them makes me think of him!)....I'd do the crossword with my Nanny - although I'm sure she probably fed me the answers! Gramps would walk down to the village at night for a pint of beer...and I'd be allowed to stay up and he'd bring us back hot chips!

It was just a really lovely time and I felt very very loved and really special....those summers were definitely some of the happiest days of my childhood and I really feel that they helped shape the person I am today. I think that the benefit of the love and security of a grandparent can offer is immeasurable, I know I was very lucky.

* I spent my second year at Uni studying in France. One Friday night it seemed like a very good idea to go to the south of France....we ran back to our various halls of residence....grabbed a handful of essentials and jumped into a friend's car. Eight hours later, after he drove through the night, we woke up in Cannes. One guy and four girls.....with just 4 hairdryers, lots of suncream, way too many pairs of knickers and probably not very many French francs between them = fabulous!! We went to Cannes, Juan les Pins, Nice and Monte Carlo, sitting on the old rattly train that used to run along that route with the train doors open and our legs dangling out! (I take that same train now on the same route with my children and now the train is a double decker TGV train!)  I am still very good friends with two of those girls now and we still say it was of our best week-ends ever....and it was probably then that my love affair with the French Riviera started. Oh for the spontaneity of those days!!

....so many good memories here....

* My first trip to New York City. We have very good family friends in NYC and when I first dated my husband we would visit once or twice a year.....on our very first trip, we spent 2 weeks there, it was probably one of our best holidays ever....I love the city and I watched my husband fall in love with it too....it was autumn, NYC was beautiful, we explored the city all day long and shopped til he dropped....wonderful!

3. If you had to change your name, what would it be?
I love my name now and would never change it.....you don't meet that many Simones....altho funnily enough another mother in my daughter's class (and now a good friend of mine) is also called Simone!
 
When I was younger though, about 8 probably, I can remember being on the top deck of a red London double decker bus and telling everyone that from now on they should call me Barbara....no idea why whatsoever....thankfully they probably ignored me  :)
 
 
4. Name five things you couldn't live without?
I do like beautiful things but I'm not a materialistic person....so this is quite hard for me....lots of things I would miss if I didn't have them....hmmmm....
 
* My children and husband
* My friends
* Books**
* Holidays....essential for one's sanity, for family quality time and just for a little reflection...worth waiting for definitely
* Music.....I have music on all the time when I am home, I listen to everything.... 
 

** I stayed up til 1.45am on Saturday night reading "The Help" and finished it yesterday afternoon....I loved it and would definitely recommend it, what a great read!
 
3. Name the four best books you've read?
 
Impossible to name just four, I just can't do it!!
 

This was the most amazing read about a world that I quickly realised I knew nothing about, it really stayed with me for a long time after I had finished it - and is one of the few books I have read that really made me cry, defiinitely one of the best books, if not the best book, I have read in recent years.

 
4. What do you love best about yourself?
I am good and loyal friend and once I become your friend, you are unlikely to be able to get rid of me.
I stand up for people and am not afraid to voice my opinions.
I laugh easily and often....I'm a good audience!

5. What is the best movie ever made?
Impossible to choose one.....I go to the cinema a regularly and have seen so many. Movies that I have loved, enjoyed, cried at and been just amazed - and could watch over and over again - include:
Singin' in the Rain, Gone with the Wind, Sleepless in Seattle, Big, It's A Wonderful Life, Schindler's List, Atonement, West Side Story, Bridge on the River Kwai, The Man who would be King, The Godfather, Some Like It Hot, White Christmas, The Wizard of Oz, Brief Encounter, High Society....

7. If you had a "Freaky Friday" experience, who would you change places with?
Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind, Vanessa Paradis just to be able to spend a summer in France with the delicious Johnny Depp, Patrick Dempsey's wife....and Tom Ford, the most stylish and well-groomed man in the world.

Thank you for asking me to do this Christina!

I have many wonderful commenters so I am passing this award on to anyone who feels they would like to accept it!

Happy Monday!

"Five Years...."

Christina from Fashions Most Wanted tagged me recently for a "Five years...." list. Christina must be the coolest girl in London, her blog is extremely well written, you can tell she does her research thoroughly and she knows what she is talking about....her posts on people, fashion, parties, arts and culture are absolutely fascinating.....reading her blog often feels like being a fly on the wall at a very glamorous party! She's also just very lovely....

When I was at school from age 11 upwards, I had piano and drama lessons with the most interesting/cool/intelligent/beautiful girl in the school....she was in my year but she was the lead in every school plays, was head of the Debating Society and could hold a conversation with anyone.....she was clearly destined for great things - and she made it, I won't name her here but I often see her name mentioned in the press. We were chalk and cheese but she was always absolutely lovely to me and I remember her with great fondness....and Christina always reminds me of her for some reason!

So here goes....

1. Where were you five years ago?

I was six months pregnant with my son during a super-hot summer, had just moved to where I currently live (with the intention of only staying there a year or so!) and I was enjoying the last couple of months with my daughter before she started full-time school. I was also working part-time, two days a week in publishing - advertising production. I think I had about  6 weeks to go until I started my maternity leave - although I think that started sooner than I expected after the 7/7 London tube bombings and I, for once, decided that it was too risky to travel on the tube so I finished work a few weeks early. It was a very happy time for me though....my daughter was 4.5 years old when my son was born and I loved having those years with her, just the two of us girls....they were happy days. I am very fond of where I live now, it's a great location, very close to the centre of Muswell Hill and two minutes from all our friends, the shops and school.

My life five years ago actually seems a very long way from where I am now....now I am a preschool mother and a school mother....the two being quite different....and I have two children....very different from just having one....and my life revolves pretty much around my home and my family....

2. Where would you like to be five years from now?

I have been at home full time since my son was born and at the moment I am definitely wondering what I will do next. He starts school in September and I am wondering if I will go back to work and, if so, what I will do.....I think I would like to. I am feeling that I would like a change of scene and that I need a new challenge. Being a full time stay at home mother is certainly not without its challenges. but I have loved it and wouldn't have had it any other way....whatever I do next will definitely have to fit around my children. These last five years have revolved around my children and I have a feeling that the next five will involve some changes for me, some exciting ones! 

We will move house in the next year for sure....not far, probably literally just down the road since really we need to think about school catchment areas etc etc. My daughter changes school in two years time and I would love her to go to one particular school....we shall see!

I would like both my children to be happy and settled at school, for me to found some new challenges for  myself....and for my husband's company to have done so well that he can spend a little more time at home!

I do think that the next five years will be a happier, fuller and less challenging time for my little family than the last five years......I have lost five close family members in the last 2.5 years and all in very sad ways - even as I write that down it seems incredible to me and quite overwhelming ......so I know that what lies ahead of us in many ways cannot be as difficult as some of the events we have been through recently. Onwards and upwards....

3. What's on your list to do today?
Buying new pillows
Buying some summer clothes for my daughter
Laundry
Organising my giveaway gifts for mailing this week :)
Getting started on "Grey's Anatomy" Season 1 boxset that a girlfriend told me I must watch! Can you believe I have never watched the show!

It is a holiday Monday here so it's not a normal day for me.....and I have been enjoying my husband being at home....and trying to ignore the fact that my son was a complete monkey on our brief shopping trip!!!

4. What five snacks do you enjoy?
Crackers and brie - or cheddar
Carrots and houmous or taramasalata
Fresh bread with really cold French butter
Toast and honey or toasted bagels and butter
A cup of Earl Grey tea....not a food I know, but I do love a huge mug of hot tea...and maybe a slice of homemade cake too....

5. What would you do if you were a Billionaire?
Buy a home on the French Riviera, an apartment in Rome, an apartment in New York City, something in The Hamptons and home on the west Coast of Wales - and share them!
Pay off mortgages for friends and family
Travel A LOT! I have been lucky enough to live, study and travel abroad and I think being anywhere else apart from where you live is a wonderful opportunity.
Buy my perfect house - probably in the area we now live in, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else permanently, I do love where we are
Definitely give money to good causes....I am always looking for ways, however small, to make a difference so I know I could spend a large chunk of money doing this

I would share my fortune for sure though.....while I think money makes life easier, I certainly don't believe it always brings happiness. I'm not terribly materialistic and a bigger home is probably the only thing I could tell you for sure that I want today.

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page"

St Augustine

This was fun to think about and I will pass it on the following bloggers should they choose to accept......

CowParsley

Wildflowers

The Sweet Life Of You

Space For Inspiration

Happy Monday!

15 Things About Me.....

I have been asked several times recently to share some "things about me" and as Easter has afforded us a long week-end, it seemed as good a time as any for a little introspection and sharing! Here goes....

1. I only drink tea (Earl Grey) at home....and only coffee when I'm out and about....never the other way round, I like them both just right :)

2. I speak and text to my brother every day, more than anyone else I know (even my husband some days!). I have two brothers, 2 and 5 years younger than me....when we were younger, it was the youngest one I was closest to whereas now it's the other one. We have a shorthand where family are concerned - and he is also one of the funniest people I know :)

3. I am definitely a girl's girl and am lucky enough to have a number of very close friends....my Uni friends are my oldest friends, I have my local "Mum" friends who I see pretty much every day at school....and then I have a group of girls that I met online over ten years ago, most of whom I have never met but who know more about me than many people. Every single day, I thank my lucky stars for all these girls, my girlfriends are everything to me....

4. New York City is a really happy place for me....when my husband and I first dated, we visited once or twice a year.....my husband proposed to me one frosty Sunday December afternoon in Central Park....we spent the last week days of our honeymoon there....and we saw in the Millennium Eve in Times Square....good times and the best memories....

5. I hate vacuuming....really detest it, I have no idea why! Bizarrely, my children love it and actually ask me if they can do it.....don't ask me how that happened ;)

6. I feel a tremendous sense of peace in the countryside and really love being by the sea....but I am a city girl at heart. I need streetlights and I do love the hustle, bustle and energy of town.

7. I love to sing and dance although I am no Beyonce. I would love to have dance lessons, any kind of dance really....and I am the kind of person who claims she would never do karaoke but actually, give me a microphone and there is no stopping me! (My secret is out!)

 

8. The things that used to frighten and worry me when I was younger, don't really bother me anymore....I do think that's partly due to becoming a mother. On the other hand, things that I never used to think twice about, do bother me....I am a pretty nervous (sometimes panicstricken) flyer and, privately, can be a real scaredy-cat about the silliest things.

9. I don't think I've ever been at my ideal weight....but I do have good self-esteem and confidence and that is just fine with me. 

10. My relationship with my daughter means everything to me but sadly, and somewhat ironically,  I have a very complicated and challenging relationship with my own mother....I'm not sure that will ever change really.....but I have, over the years, accepted it.

11. I absolutely love going to the cinema....I'm sure I could go every day if I had the time. I love the whole experience from buying the tickets, watching the trailers and love just being swept up in a film....and if it makes me cry, even better! Strangely enough, I virtually never watch movies at home, it's just not the same.

12. I have studied abroad (in France), worked abroad (in the US) and I speak (some) French, Spanish and Italian.

13. I honestly don't really have any regrets in life, not big ones anyway.....I really believe in being positive, making the most of life and just getting on with it.

via.....here....

14. Shallow as it may be, I dream of a walk-in closet or dressing room.....rails of hanging space, shelves for my shoes and bags, a beautiful cabinet for my accessories, a chandelier, a comfy chair.....maybe a cocktail trolley even ;)

15. I am not a great cook but would really love to be....it's definitely on my to-do list!

Happy Easter Monday!!

GUEST POST: Simone, my friend...

Photograph by Polly Wreford

Hello, hello. Happy Spring day! I am Lou from the blog Lou, Boos and Shoes. I have decided, resolutely, that it is Spring, even though the sun is threatening to retreat already and in the Southern hemisphere I am reliably informed that winter woolies will be making an appearance any time soon.

We know that our friend Simone has a few things to juggle in life at the moment, so she asked me to do a guest post so you don't get lonesome...

Simone and I always joke that we have parallel lives. We both have a girl and a boy of roughly the same age. Both enchanted with our bold, beautiful girls and our headstrong, curly-haired boys.  We are both married to men who cook. I have been struck as our friendship has developed over the past year or so, that there are many, quite frankly spooky similarities between us. However one stark difference; Simone lives in London and I live the country; we are, to all intents and purposes the town and country mouse of the fabled tale.

...from me to you Simone; photograph by Polly Wreford...

We both love pretty pictures, we both have more than a soft spot for earl grey tea. We both worry about things we probably shouldn't expend time worrying about. Love of shoes? Let's not even go there! Simone is my 'even keel' of the blogging world; we share emails where our little hearts are spilled (actually mainly mine; she is an awesome listener) and we each dispense advice accordingly. A wonder really - as we have never met.

...nice cuppa tea? Photograph by Polly Wreford

For Simone's town life of fabulous London parks, shops and museums, I have the opposite of the beach and a quaint market town. I long for her take-the-kids-with-me-to-central-London joie de vivre and she (I think) longs for the simple pleasure of walking by the shore line; toes in the sand. Of course the British weather hardly allows for such toe-dipping at the moment - but we have plans for the summer time!

...beautiful Welsh blankets...photograph by Polly Wreford...

Simone is one of the most grounded people I have come across; she has a wonderful no nonsense approach to life. I feel quite lucky to have found her. When I have a troubled time, her contact steadies me, much like when you hold someone's hand as they cross an icy patch. I know lots of you feel the same way; Simone is the fairy blogmother to many of us.  

So, wishing you all a happy day - whatever the weather!

Photograph by Polly Wreford

Lots of love...Lou xxx

The Year That Was....

I am not one for dwelling on the past or looking back on what might have been....I am not even sure that my memory is that good. I have a brother who is just two years younger than me and we always laugh about the fact that he remembers huge chunks of our childhood so clearly whilst I apparently have no recollection of it whatsoever!!

This is therefore just a gentle wander through 2010, a look at and some musing on what was a pretty good year for me, a year of some changes, some travel, some new experiences - and another year of still thinking about moving house!

Without a doubt the biggest change for me this year was my son starting full-time school in September. He was absolutely ready for it and couldn't have settled in any better....and I miss him! Unlike with my daughter when I worked part-time, I have been home with him full-time and I got used to having him around. He's my talker, a curious, non-stop-question-asking boy who is funny, confident, interesting and who always knows just the right thing to say to me! He has my heart for sure.

It's not as though suddenly I have all this spare time on my hands because my days feel as full as ever, I think it's that empty nest feeling between 9am and 3.30pm, it's the quiet (altho sometimes I do love that I don't mind admitting!) and it's also the fact that so many people ask you - now that your days are "empty" - what you are planning to do next?

Of course, you think that actually you have a list as long as your arm of things you would like to do next but really you haven't time to sit down and work out what to do first. I used to think that when my children finally started school, I would spend the first term catching up on that sleep I had missed out on....but so far I haven't had time....now I am thinking it will have to wait til they leave home ;)

And of course, the more people ask you, the more you tend to think and wonder and ponder what is next for you, what are your hopes/dreams/wishes/darkest desires....what is out there for you? What do you really really really want to do? What would you be disappointed if you missed out on or didn't take the chance to do/see/be?

I know that in between all the fashion and the glamour and the style, I have touched on these themes here this year...and the response every time was fabulous - and very encouraging.

I have already had some new experiences via my blog and know that many more lie ahead of me, some in the pipeline....some, who knows?

What I do know for sure is that I am ready for some new opportunities and experiences.

I also feel that this term I will enjoy and embrace my new daytime routine much more than I did last term.....so bring it on, as they say!

I have been lucky enough to have travelled to France three times this year - in April with my fabulous friend Kim , with my family in August and again to Paris in October. All wonderful times....I have lots of travel plans for next year....lots of ideas!

One of the constants in my life is my friends....I do believe that the older you get, the more you appreciate your friends, and I am blessed with a lot of fantastic girlfriends who mean a great deal to me. I have a lot of really good friends who are also mums at school and who I see most days....I have my Uni friends who are my oldest friends, all a phone call away but they are my sounding boards for sure.

My blog has grown in all sorts of ways this year, not just in terms of the number of followers but in its content. It is a wonderful outlet for me in so many ways....I am not only really proud of it but I just love it!! It gives me pleasure and joy, freedom and creativity.

I absolutely love blogging....I still follow many of the blogs that I read when I first started blogging about 18 months ago (and some of them happily follow me too....you know who you are!)....and I am very fortunate to have wonderful comments from people who read me regularly, who support and encourage me and who share with me....I really appreciate it, it makes my blog what it is.

And to those who I have met through blogging and have become friends with - again, you know who you are - I thank you so much, your friendship and support has been one of the very best things about this blogging world!

So I finish 2010 feeling that I have one foot on the path that I want to be on and it's just a matter of deciding which path to put the other foot on....but I do know that I need a new path!

I have a feeling that I have some exciting new opportunities ahead of me....wish me luck, I'm ready for them! And maybe for a new house too.

And you know I'll still be blogging :) 

I wish you all a very Happy New Year's Eve, see you in 2011! xxxx