Two of my favourite adverts at the mo...

Brilliant adverts and very clever. Well done Sony...

Play-doh Bunnies



And the making of videos for the Bunnies... Part 1 teaser:



Part 2:



And the Music Pieces Like No Other advert...

Next Generation Nepal

One of the blogs I have been reading over the last year is that of Conor Grennan. I came across his site quite randomly whilst looking for something else, but it caught my attention as it was well written and interesting. He works for a charity called 'Next Generation Nepal' which is dedicated to rescuing, caring for, and reuniting trafficked and conflict-displaced Nepalese children with their families.

You can read more about his work at the NGL website where you can also donate to a worthy cause.

School Photos

My friend uploaded some old secondary school photos on Facebook this week which was a trip down memory lane. It struck me how young and carefree we all looked and how I also had the same boyish haircut throughout my entire time at school... the shame!

This photo was taken in either 1st of 2nd year so we would be approximately 12 or 13 years old. I actually think its 2nd year as our form room was the ART room and we had a cool form tutor called Mr (Eddie) Bird who used to curse and swear at us but secretly he loved us all! (At least I hope he did). He was a cool dude and we had a fun 3 years with him. Also in this photo I am wearing what was my FAVOURITE Adidas jacket which was the first ever branded piece of clothing I ever owned! I remember the day my mum bought it for me and I wore it until the sleeves were halfway up my arms! :) In a fickle 80's world of bad fashion, having the label "Adidas" was considered cool. I had already forfeited on the fact that I had been bought Gola trainers (which strangely enough now are considered 'Retro' and are bloody expensive!). Mind you I got round the Gola trainers debarcle (oh you just wouldn't BELIEVE the arguements I had with parents over 'cool cclothes') by tippexing 3 white stripes on them so from a distance they at least LOOKED like Adidas! Didn't work...

Anyway, these pix were a blast from the past. Very amusing!

Very familiar scenario...

Made me laugh out loud and so appropriate for my cat!

This is just the best thing to make you smile...

Found these on Facebook/You Tube and they're just such a great little clips to make you smile if you have had a crap day... enjoy!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Well after a year or so of waiting, I have finally read the last HP book... and it was worth the wait. I won't say anything about the plot - no spoilers here - but I will say it is one of the best ones of the set. I nearly got disheartened reading the Order of the Phoenix, which took AGES to get going, but the Half Blood Prince and the Deathly Hallows were pacey and fast moving and kept me hooked throughout.

I don't care what the press say, I'm in my 30's and thoroughly enjoyed HP, more so the latter ones, but as much as they may slate her, JK Rowling has written a set of books that children and adults alike have loved. They may be pure escapism but thats one of the things that's great about them. I know when I like a book as I can picture the characters in my minds eye and their surroundings (which is why am often disappointed in the films - imagination is so much better). JK Rowling's style of writing captures every detail perfectly and am glad I persevered to the end (as I used to be one of those who scorned HP as a 'kids book' - "I'm not reading that and jumping on the HP bandwagon!" Am glad I did now...)

So... for all those who haven't read it yet, do so as its worth the effort. It'll be interesting to see what her other future books will be like as apparently she's going to do another children's book and an adult one too... Let's hope they are as good although, lets face it... when you're as rich now as she is, you wouldn't really care would you! Who would of thought the story of a speccy wizard would make you a multi-millionaire...

S x

On the road to Wem-ber-lee

I only got bleedin tickets didn't I!!! Can't wait... England Vs Israel on September the 8th 2007 for a qualifier. Hopefully Mr Becks will be all better by then and I can see my hero in the flesh.

Can't wait to feel the atmos of an important game in a truly spectacular venue!!

C'mon England and roll on September :)

Yipeeee!

Oxford Moonlight Stroll - June 30th '07 (update)

Well we did it. 900+ people braved the rain and walked with soggy feet for 9.5 miles around Oxford at some unGodly hour of the morning! We were dressed in our compulsory Oompa Loompa T-Shirts (my name for them as they were fluorescent orange) so we could be easily spotted in the dark. We had a preparatory feast of Eat As Much As You Like Chinese before setting off. We began our trek at 10.45pm after a soggy warm up at St Edwards School in Oxford. Luckily we all had nice poncho capes to keep semi dry but before long we were squelching along through puddles in the dark.

The first leg up to Maudlin Bridge (the halfway point) wasn't too bad. Kept a steady pace and although it was raining steadily, we got used to it and it wasn't cold. We stopped to re-register halfway and grabbed a banana and water. We then set off for the return route back and it was then the aches and pains began in earnest. Parts of my body were taking it turn to hurt and say ouch. First it was my knees (of which are already buggered with fluid on one of them), then my ankles, then my back and finally the balls of my feet. The last mile took eternity and Woodstock Road near the school seemed 9 miles in itself. That said we arrived back at base at 2am, soggy, wet, exhausted and hurting, but all in all chuffed with our efforts.

We were all given a goody bag and the opportunity to grab 'breakfast' (at 2am!). Most of us collapsed on the gym floor and tried to soothe tired muscles. All in all, I raised £320 online at http://www.justgiving.com/sharonsmoonlightstroll and approximations of about £70 elsewhere. All of us did this in memory of Valerie Connolley, my good friend and best mates mum. Along the walk we all reflected and remembered her with fondness. It was only this time last year she participated in Cancer Research Race For Life with us, despite having painful arthritic knees. She never complained and we raised a lot back then. This time around, I kept fully expecting Val to stroll up beside us wearing a dayglo orange T-Shirt as we all were, or to see her waiting for us at the finish point with a big smile and a cuppa! I really feel she was there in spirit and despite our grumbles about aches and pains, I know we are all chuffed we did it and of how much we all raised for Sobell House Hospice, where Val was looked after. It may sound daft but I felt her prescence there with us all and am sure she spurred us along.

Have uploaded my photos on Flickr so have a look if you like. One more thing, my sponsor page online is open for some time yet so please, if any of you read this and can spare a few quid please donate. Sobell House is entirely run on donations and its events like this that can make all the difference in the last days of someone's life. I know it did for Valerie.

Finally a BIG THANK YOU to you all who did sponsor me. Your money was very much appreciated. Right, I'm off to rub deep heat all over myself!!

Cheers
S x

Oxford Moonlight Stroll - June 30th '07

As you can probably see from the little gizmo on the page, I am participating in a charity event in aid of the Hospice (Sobell House) where Valerie was treated in April. We are walking 9 and half miles around Oxford at night (hence the Moonlight Stroll). We did the Race for Life last year with Valerie and we were going to do it again this year but we thought this would be a fitting tribute and go to a more personal cause. The hospice is entirely run on donations and all our efforts will be greatly appreciated. I am doing this with Helen, Elaine and Dawn, Valeries' daughters and another 3 close friends of the family.

Thank you very much to those of you who have sponsored me so far. And to those of you who haven't, I hope if you read this, you might spare a couple of quid for a worthy charity. It may not be a well known charity, but they were so good to Valerie in her final days and they deserve our efforts and thanks for the fantastic job they do. Just click on the link on the righthand side of the page and follow the instructions. It would mean a lot if you did. Thank you.

Wish me luck and no blisters! :)

S x

Goodbye Valerie

Yesterday we said our final goodbyes to Valerie as she was laid to rest. Although it was an extremely sad day for all, it was a celebration of her life and all she had achieved. It was a testament to her popularity that many many people turned out to pay their respects. I knew Val was involved in the W.I. and T.W.G. but I had no idea just HOW much she was such an integral part of her community in other ways too. The amount of people who came yesterday as well as her family was a true reflection of how much she will be missed.

There were some beautiful words spoken by close friends and Helen did a lovely service booklet containing photos of Valerie on many a happy occasion. Afterwards many of us went back to the family house where we toasted her life with copious amounts of tea and food,which seemed very fitting. If Valerie had been there, she wouldn't have been sitting still for a minute, but making sure everyone had enough tea and food on their plates (and would feed you more if you hadn't!). The sun shone, the weather was gorgeous and I am convinced she was smiling down on us and there in spirit.

It will take time to adjust to not having Valerie around but I see her in all of the family, not only in looks but in chatter, in laughter, in little Ellie Jean (who is a chatterbox like her Grandma) and in food. Valerie's legacy of Lemon Drizzle Cake was on display yesterday (although I wasn't quick enough to get a slice!) but I thought it would be fitting to post it here.

Love you and miss you Valerie... this one is for you!

S x

-------------------------------------------------------

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Ingredients

150g (6oz) butter
150g (6oz) caster sugar
3 eggs
150g (6oz) rice or gluten free flour
1tsp baking powder
1 juice & grated rind of lemon

75g (3oz) caster sugar
1 juice of lemon

Method

1. Beat together the butter and caster sugar, followed by the eggs.
2. Mix in the flour and baking powder then grated rind and juice of lemon.
3. Pour into an oiled 18cm (7”) deep round tin and bake in an oven pre heated to 180oC / 3500F / Gas Mark 4 for 45 - 50 minutes.
4. When cake is cooked run a pallet knife around edges to loosen it from the tin.
5. Dissolve caster sugar in lemon juice then pour on to the hot cake.
6. When quite cold remove from tin.

My friend and second mum Valerie

In the early hours of Monday the 16th April 2006, my best friend's dear mum Valerie passed away after a long fight against cancer. There are no words to express the heartbreak of seeing her fight till the very end and of her family's loss and sadness. She was one of the most brave and courageous persons I have ever known.

I can only imagine the pain her immediate family must be feeling but it breaks my heart knowing how much Valerie's passing will leave them with such an aching gap, as she was such a loving, lively and vivacious part of their lives. As Helen's best friend of 14 years, I have also known Valerie for this time, and she treated me like a 4th daughter making me part of their family as if I were her own flesh and blood. I miss her terribly and am priveledged to have been there for her throughout and right til the end.

I love you Valerie and wherever you are, I know you are no longer suffering or in pain. You will be missed by everyone whose lives you touched and the world is a quieter place without you in it. I am proud to have been part of your life, to have shared the fun and laughter of Christmases and family gatherings, to have eaten your marvellous dinners and sampled your fabulous cakes. I was honoured to participate with you in two Races For Life. Both those occasions were a testament to your brave manner in which you dealt with this disease. And finally I am so glad you got to see your 60th birthday party a month ago, as that day was so special and the laughter and love that was shared on that wonderful occasion is how I will remember you most. You were so full of fun and I know you thoroughly loved your big surprise and special day.

I hope you know that your family will always be my family too.

Sleep well mum #2, I will miss you and love you always.

S x

By the way....

HAPPY EASTER TO YOU ALL!




Don't eat too many choccies now... remember " a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips!"


S x

6th April 2007

Hello all

It's been a while since I put anything on here and to be honest, not a great deal has been happening but somehow it's April already! Where has this year gone?!

Well it's Good Friday and I feel a bit... how can i put it... restless. I should in theory have lots to keep me occupied as I have umpteen jobs around the house that need doing, mostly DIY, but trying to motivate myself is the problem. I need to finish grouting in the kitchen, painting the landing over the stairs (bit tricky on my own as its a bit high), tackling the weeds in the garden plus a massive pile of ironing. Such an exciting life I lead. Whilst I was bored the other day I uploaded some photos on my Flickr account of all my house conquests so far! Have a look here. You can also see my various holiday pix and photos of my wee fat baby, Maddy the cat. Will bee adding more eventually so keep watching!

My friends have got the moving bug and have put a deposit on a 4 bedroom house and I guess thats made me feel a bit this way. In some respects I love it here. Its quiet, my house is 'quirky' and unusual for a 2 bed and I like the area but on the other hand I wish I could afford somewhere that bit bigger. And there's the problem... Money, mortgages, job situation. That's what it boils down to.

My current full time job is still a bit precarious, in that we are a fledgling company born of the ashes of my old place. Unfortunately the work carried over from our old place has now come to an end. On the positive side of that, is that we HAVE won some further work from the military but it doesn't start until end of this year. We have some smaller contracts but nothing big and chunky. We NEED a big job to land right now to keep the company bank balance healthy and thats the worry. We have spent the last few weeks bidding for training jobs and we've now branched out in bidding for design jobs too, such as printing and websites (we didn't do that in my old job). It's been fun in some respects as I've learnt how to prepare documents for bids (someone else did that before) and am learning my way through talking to suppliers etc and getting quotes. Whereas at our old place we did solely training and eLearning, it seemed daft not to target other design markets seeing as we are all trained Graphic Designers. It will be a good learning curve to get back into 'proper' design as my old place kind of beat that out of us and certainly when I was looking for work back last year, the few interviews I had in design places, looked down their nose at me as my previous experience wasn't considered cool 'design'.

So... until my job stabilises and I know I'm secure, I can't move anywhere. It's okay for other people as they have a 2nd income to survive on but if I lose my job again, I could be screwed. And thats why I feel a bit restless and frustrated as I'm a bit in limbo. It's just hard seeing everyone else do it and buying bigger properties, getting further up the ladder. Plus where I live in Bucks is now getting to be very expensive and it's depressing when you see that the only areas you can afford are really crappy. I'm sure if I did some legwork, I can find somewhere I like but I don't want to get my hopes up yet in case work falls apart again. So that's that.

In the meantime, I AM trying to get motivated into finishing all the jobs and getting the house as I want it. Its just a bit hard doing it all on your own.

My brief romance in January didn't last long. Differences in opinion I suppose plus he lived miles away. Oh well, plenty more fish.... (*note sarcasm*).

On a positive note, I designed my first paid website for some friends who own a guest house in Scotland. It's still not fully uploaded yet as they are refurbishing the place and want all the content to be current. They only have the 'holding' graphics up there at the moment which is at: http://www.kirkmichaelhotel.co.uk but you can see the full site via my own link at: http://www.smcdesign.co.uk/kirkmichael/index.html

I need to add their new photos when recieve them and also shrink the width of the site down as if you currently view this one at 1024 x 768, it gets chopped off. That said I'm pleased with the result and it certainly was a learning curve. Now I've just gotta get my own site finished as currently its only a holding page too. If you know of anyone who wants a website building let me know as I could use the practice and I have reasonable rates!

Lastly, my best friend's mum Valerie isn't very well. She has cancer and was responding really well to treatment up til now, but on Thursday she took a bad turn and may possibly have to undergo another round of chemo. I know many of you reading this don't know her but please offer up a little thought or prayer for her as she's like a second mum to me too.

So I am signing off but I wish you all well. Hope you are preparing for hols etc. I am supposed to be going away somewhere but haven't booked yet... will explain at a later stage!

Take care all
S xx

New York Sunrise

New York 016, originally uploaded by paulmcdee.

My little bro took this on his recent trip to Noo Yawk. Its the sunrise over the Woolworth building in Manhattan. I liked the haziness of it so I stole it to showcase on my blog...

Might see if I can persuade him to go again as I'd like to :)

Spinalonga Island in Crete

DSCN2397, originally uploaded by flora_1972.

Just finished reading "The Island" by Victoria Hislop for the second time. Such a good book. Originally read it last summer before I visited the island of Spinalonga, which lies just off Plaka in Crete. If you haven't read it, it's about a generation of a family who have ties to the place and is very moving. I visited Spinalonga shortly after reading it, and it made the island come alive.

Well recommended.... read it, and if you go to Crete, visit Spinalonga. It's a place where history is 'warm' and thoroughly fascinating.

S :) x

New Job

Hello all... Just an update to say that as of 26th January, I left the God forsaken place that is Slough and started working for my new F/T job on Mon 29th!

It's for a company that was set up by an ex- colleague of mine from my old job (the one that made me redundant). He basically approached all the clients we had and offered to continue the projects we had ongoing and they all came on board. It's looking promising so far. It's a small entity at the moment with only 5 full time staff (including the boss) but we are working with some big clients from our old place and doing it well.

Our old company was crippled with overheads and debt hence why we ran out of money. Now, we are managing to accumulate a healthy bank balance working with the same clients as before. This is partly because we don't have a massive money problem hanging over us and we know we can charge the clients much the same as before, because that's what they were used to paying. Except now, their money isn't going into paying off debt but filling our bank account with a good profit. It's obviously early days yet and we all need to work hard to get new clients in as well as relying on existing ones, but if it takes off, it could be an exciting time this year.

Am currently working from home til late Feb / early March as they need to expand their office spce from a 3 man room to a bigger place. This is due to happen and premises have already been secured.

So that's where I'm at... I know now that no job is 100% secure but I also know there ARE opportunities out there. You just gotta find them. I survived redundancy once and if I have to again, I will. Fingers crossed that won't be for a long time yet!

Maddy-cat is loving me being at home as A) she gets fed on time and B) she gets me to regularly make a fuss of her. I now know why she's a porker cos she does bugger all else all day but sleep! On my bed!! (bought a new feather duvet from Matalan and it's nice and squishy so she loves it - bargain in the sale!)

Be happy :)

S x

Smile it's nearly summer!!

Here's one for you Rosie DB... Just a little reminder of happy days in the sun with a man wrapped round your legs!!


And here's the full frontal of a couple of beefcakes... (sorry about the ginger one)


Enjoy :O) x