camping in style

I wont pretend that the thought of camping in the UK stirred up any excitement in me; quite the contrary in fact. Literally and figuratively, it put a dampener on my spirits. But other than camp food, it turns out that I was soon to swallow a fair share of humble-pie as camping proved to be a good laugh and not as unpleasant as first anticipated.
In an attempt to arouse a dose of enthusiasm I went in search of a pair of high fashion Wellington boots which I found to be cute enough to divert my attention from the dread of not showering for 3 days. That, coupled with the re-assurance that Bron and my flower tent would put all the other campers to shame, I set off with the rest of the gang ready to endure a long weekend of…fun…
My first hitch was the realisation that I had forgotten to bring crockery and arrived at Bron’s place armed with a spoon and a fork. Even now I’m not sure of the mentality behind that gesture, but I was quite focused on packing light to avoid banter from the boys and playing to the creature-comfort stereotype that they consider me to be. I was out to prove that I could rough it with the best of them. Eating out of my hands, however, was further than I was willing to go and thank you to Bron who saved me from that humiliation.
Thanks to excessive rain in the New Forest area, the campsite was reminiscent of a marshland. On one of our treks through the forest, while the others attempted a treacherous route to cross the river, I decided that conventionalism was not for me and tried to avoid the mud by finding a ‘less precarious’ path across. A few mud-up-to-my-knees moments later saw Ian coming to rescue me while lecturing me about going off on my own mission as opposed to ‘just going the same way as everyone else’. Ever the hero, while lifting me off my feet in an effort to set me safely on the river bank, ‘Tarzan’ swung me straight into a low hanging tree branch and just about knocked me out cold. While my forehead developed an egg shaped bump, we found ourselves doubled over with amusement.
Thanks to Clare’s generous offer of her yoga mat and Ian ensuring that I got the comfy sleeping bag, my sleep was deep and less painful than expected, barr for the loud music blaring from inconsiderate neighbours. After Steve surprised us by arranging a lush shower at the local gymnasium and Vanessa’s gourmet cooking, I’d have to agree with Christina’s sentiments of the weekend being more luxurious than camping as she knows it.
Preparing for departure on Monday, the girls’ found their car battery to have been exhausted by our insistence on pumping tunes from the car stereo the night before and Julie was forced to ask around the campsite for a jump-lead. After packing up, a cup of coffee was in order and as the mornings experience hadn’t deterred us from loud music, we failed to hear the panicked beeps coming from the car behind us in the parking lot as Steve calmly reversed. A loud thud and the thought of many pounds forked out on excess-insurance later, Steve returned to the car with relief written all over his previously horrified face. The car remained undamaged and we were free to enjoy our morning coffee break.
A frustrating trip through Eton, thanks to a grossly poor dining experience in The King and Castle pub, a tick for seeing Windsor Castle and we hit the M4 back to London. After all of my fuss, this was the true dampener on an enjoyable few days – the return to reality. But there’s always the reassurance that it’s never so bad when you are in such incredible company.

icy manner melted by romantic indian

It was Ian and my 6 months (he deserves a medal) on Saturday and in celebration we set out determined to find someplace new to dine in the West End. What possessed me to sport my killer heels, I’m not sure (perhaps the novelty of looking people in the eye when I’m standing) but halfway through Soho I was ready to brave the filthy streets of London barefoot. Deciding against such madness, a few agonizing blocks later we stumbled (me literally) upon a trendy Indian restaurant called Imli. Its orange walls and minimalist décor provided the chilled out atmosphere that we had sought and friendly staff made the whole experience entirely pleasurable. The attraction of this eatery’s menu is that it is designed to share, so you get to sample a number of different dishes which was perfectly suited to the occasion. After our wonderful meal we strolled (okay, I hobbled) to Leicester Square where we stopped at Rendezvous and enjoyed ice-creams and witnessed a punch-up (no night out in London is complete without one) out the front in the temperate spring evening.
I sat there thinking that there is so much I love about this city. Despite me feeling tired and a bit mizzy earlier on in the evening, thanks to remarkable company, it had turned out so great. I never want to start taking the incredible people in my life for granted. There are certain times when you’re reminded how faithful God is and Saturday evening was an evident reminder.

thinking about thinking makes me think I think too much

Because I think so much I thought it was time to let you all in. So here’s a bit of insight into the mind of Tagg. Not exactly a riveting read, I don’t think, but turns out I think too much anyway!

Darn! I forgot my banana and now I’ll have to buy a muffin from Tesco for breakfast.
Do I look stupid being the only person carrying an umbrella on the High St when it’s only slightly drizzling?
I wonder if they’ve emailed me from the journalism college.
I think I should stop tormenting Bronwyn with that puzzle and give her the solution before she disowns me as a friend. (turns out I was too late)
I hope Ian was kidding when he said he was going to hold my copy of the ‘Da Vinci Code’ hostage until he catches up…I NEED to know what happens.
The college still haven’t emailed.
I’m hungry.
I’m SO bored.
Will the chef notice if I sneak a banana from the lunch room? (he didn’t)
Yay! They emailed. But now I can’t log-in. Ugh.
I should really think about work more…especially when I’m at work.
Three-thirty - only an hour and a half until I get to go to one of my favourite streets in London with one of my favourite people.
Shouldn’t have had that Turkish Delight cause now I just feel sick.
I wonder how my sister is doing. I must call her.
I should do some work, but this is so much more enjoyable, but I’m getting paid to do this.
Not actually. I’m getting paid to do what I’m not doing, so maybe I should do it.
Cool, I can see blue sky for the first time in weeks. Woohoo. (I don’t actually think ‘woohoo’ but it was a happy thought)
People have either stopped reading now or they’re just reading to be polite so that’s enough.

Looking at that it's a wonder I struggle to fall asleep at night. I wish I had an on-off switch.

london rain

It has been overcast and raining for over a week now. I started to reprimand myself this morning for my increasing negative attitude until I realised I hadn't seen the sun in 7 days and any UV-loving individual would start to feel the toll of such deprivation.
I had to laugh when a colleague said that she received a letter from Thames Water requesting that people not use hose-pipes as there are increasing water shortages in London due to a dry winter. Not that such a concern is funny, but the irony left me totally perplexed. Believe me, I know better than most how many days a year it rains, thanks to the frustration of good versus bad hair days (too many of the latter).
Anyway, that's my London rant for the week and now that it's off my chest I propsing to defeat the gloomy-blues and smile. Besides, if I want a bit of radiance, all I need to do is look at my freaky white skin.

all-write for now

It’s that time of the week when I visit my blog only to find it looking a little bit neglected. Having already switched into weekend-mode, it would be unproductive to start something work-related that I will be unable to complete, so I feel some blogging would be much better use of my time.
I’m quite excited; I enrolled in my journalism course today! I’ve wanted to do this for a really long time so, after much procrastinating, I finally decided I could dream/talk about it as much as I want but no one is going to visit my blog and ask me to come and write for their magazine (on that note: ‘Calling all editors…’). To be honest, the most exciting part of it all is actually that I am now forced to buy a laptop, which means I can go and sit in Starbucks with my computer and a latté and look all deep and thoughtful and writer-like. How exciting – yet another excuse to visit Starbucks!
As for life, I’m still quite content here in the big city. No real gripes and plenty of reasons to smile. I’m looking forward to a weekend of socialising, celebrating and sleeping. What more could I want? Maybe a house on the beach with big windows and a Labrador at my feet. But then, there’s plenty of time for that…

cracking under pressure of the code

I have started reading The Da Vinci Code. Yes, I cracked. Not the code itself (I don’t read that quickly!), but my firm stance on opposing the masses and refusing to read a book merely because it caused a bit of hype. After avoiding a controversial office conversation regarding religion yesterday, provoked by the pending release of The Da Vinci Code movie, I decided that I could not get into a heated discussion if my viewpoint was largely ignorant, based solely on hearsay.
After everything I’ve heard, this book had to be entirely captivating to meet my expectations. Having read about 100 pages, I have to admit that I haven’t found a book in a significant while that so easily drowns out the constant London buzz. My journey to work this morning flew by in a haze of intrigue as I clung to each page waiting for the next thrill to be revealed.
It’s no mystery why this book is a bestseller.

all that office jazz

As suspected, last night's theatre experience, which involved Ian and I enjoying all the ‘Razzle Dazzle’ that Chicago, The Musical has to offer, has left me yearning to give up my lifestyle as I know it and pursue a career on the West End. Only problem is that this feeling will last, as always, about as long as the ticket stub will remain in my handbag and then I’ll come back to reality and realise that I’m too established to go back to waiting tables. My desire to star as Roxie Hart is, instead, channeled into singing songs from musicals to my colleagues who have spent most of the day wanting to know why I am sitting at a computer, in a fabric design company, tolerating SAP as opposed to following my dream of becoming an actress.
I have questioned my choices many times and sometimes still do, but the reality is that if I wanted it that badly I would have put it all on the line and just taken the chance. Instead, life has unfolded differently as I chose to follow my heart rather than a dream that may have brought fame (that’s why it’s a dream!) but perhaps not the happiness I feel now.
One colleague has, however, offered me my first appearance. She has requested I be present at the birth of her first child, in about 6 months, to sit beside her and sing ‘Hakuna Matata’. Not exactly the sort of thing that inspired me to push through acting college, but entertaining none-the-less.

airing my laundry

I'm going to admit to something now to which I wouldn't usually own up....

This is harder than I thought....

I went shopping in Primark...okay?!?!

There, I said it.

Now don't you go thinking I'm a snob or anything, it’s just that when it comes to fashion I prefer to be offered quality over quantity. Walking into Primark at midday is like walking into an area that has just been hit by a tornado. You are immediately confronted by the overwhelming smell of cheap shoes and people are like scavengers digging through piles of bargain items, leaving clothes, accessories and other offerings scattered freely.
With payday a fair way off, I’m not in a position where I can really be turning my nose up at a bargain and with this in mind, I looked over both shoulders and darted into Primark during my lunch break.
You see, I’m already tiring of my last-season, summer wardrobe and when faced with ten items priced at what one would usually cost, I totally forgot why I went in there in the first place and found myself weighed down, after 10 minutes, with an armful of purchases and a big grin on my face.
After venting my concerns, to the cashier, that perhaps Primark is just too cheap and is secretly conspiring against the average shop-a-holic who simply can’t pass up a good deal, I walked out baring my Primark bag for all to see.
Why am I so chuffed? Because I got a bag full of shopping for what I would have spent on dinner tonight, which I’m not doing because I’m staying in, so I didn’t actually spend anything!
That’s experienced shopper’s logic. Read it and learn.

organic update (1)

On that note, the organic diet isn't going so well. I've discovered that healthy food options 'on the run' are few and far between and although I have been able to, for the most part, avoid chocolate I have had to settle for foodstuffs that I now know are half food, half plastic. Ugh!
Clare and I have a plan to visit the health store sometime this weekend to buy 'supplementy wheaty green stuff'. I think she meant wheatgrass. I think she doesn't know what she's in for.

make my bed and lie in it

After Friday’s declaration that nothing would move me from the comfort of my home, one phone call from Ian and I was dressed and out the door in 10 min. From that point on I have been stretched in every direction with barely enough time to sleep (or eat a decent meal {or blog}) and at this point in the week I scarcely have enough brainpower to decide what to have for breakfast, let alone function on a semi-intellectual level of any kind. I’m surprised I can still string a sentence together in some sort of decipherable fashion.
However, despite near exhaustion, I’ve had a productive week and energy lost from lack of nutrition has been gained from the sun which is now showing up more often than not.
My days have been a mix of quality time with friends and family and just when you think you have nothing more to offer, someone looks to that part of you that can continue giving despite deprivation of the physical – your heart. This being easier said than done when your bed proffers a taunting comfort that your body so desperately craves, but life is full of seasons and I’m sure the next one will be less chaotic. Until then, I make my bed in the hope that sooner or later I will be able to lie in it.

well adjusted balancing act

I’m feeling somewhat liberated by the fact that I have nowhere to be tonight. It’s Friday night and whereas, in the past, I may have felt a little sad staying home, I have no intention of leaving my house, other than if there is a fire or a flood and I am dragged down the stairs by a burly fireman. Besides that, I feel no pressure to hit the town or to be sociable. Does the fact that I don’t feel like a loser staying home on a Friday, with a good DVD and a wholesome home cooked meal, mean that I am finally discovering the secret to balance? These days, rather than jam-pack my schedule with obligations, there are allowances for enjoyable summer evenings in the company of my wonderful boyfriend in Hyde Park, or reading a book before bed because I’m home early enough and my flat mates don’t call me ‘the lodger’ anymore. I think I used to feel that if I wasn’t busy all the time, I wasn’t appreciating all that life had to offer, but I’m realizing that there is a lot to be said for quality time. When trying to be so many things to so many people I think I started to forget who I needed to be for myself. That’s my latest approach anyway. Maybe next week I’ll be sick of the sight of my bedroom walls and pull out the diary again. Could someone do me a favour and hide it away?

staying fresh with organic diet

I’ve gone organic. After my eye-rolling and knocking of all those whom I deemed pretentious enough to spend double on half-portions of everything, I have revolutionised my diet. I’ve decided I want to live a long, healthy life and die a very old lady, having fulfilled all my potential and not having reduced my lifespan thanks to irresponsible choices and lack of self-control. So, I’ve said goodbye to my chocolate habit (note: not chocolate in general, that’s sheer madness, just large-scale consumption) and am opting not to eat any foods with ingredients ending in –ium, -ate, -ide, –phate etc. Thanks to Jordan Rubin and his Great Physicians Rx for Health and Wellness, who spoke at this year’s Colour Conference, I’ve become somewhat of a health-nut and I’m loving it. Where grocery shopping may have taken me an hour in the past, it can now easily take up to double that as I enjoy the novelty of sourcing organic alternatives to almost everything I consume.
I’ll let you know how it all goes. I’m still on Chapter 1 but, having skimmed, it seems I can look forward to a chapter on advanced hygiene which recommends organic bedding and air purifiers. Perhaps a little too far on the ‘extremist’ side of normal for me, but it does make me wonder what is in my duvet cover if someone saw a need to make them organic? Jolly book, making me neurotic!

sun finds london

Summer is back in London with a vengeance and any open space is now occupied by pasty-white bodies desperately looking to absorb some sun during the 1 week of summer before winter returns.
Alright, in all fairness, English summers are beautiful and London just comes alive. People come out of hibernation and there seem to be kids everywhere (where do they hide during the long winter months?). The days stretch on and the sun rises so early you’ve hardly noticed it set.
Today I had my first lunch break in the park, lounged on my sarong, adorning my sunnies and ensuring no exposed flesh was covered by shadows, lest I miss one drop of sun to my skin. I returned to my desk with a healthy pink radiance…okay, perhaps it was closer to red and I was hot and sweaty, but I was glowing!
While in my boss's office, a ladybird escaped his shirt pocket – evidence that he too had been sun bathing and proving that no one can resist a little dose of that Vitamin D. When he began to recite, ‘Ladybird, ladybird, flyaway home…’ I became too overwhelmed with all this happiness and rushed back to my desk for a measure of reality. But even SAP couldn’t rain on today’s parade. And once again, I’m in love with London Town. Ask me today and I’ll tell you I wouldn’t want to be anywhere but here.