The turkey has all been eaten, sad times

Well, I'm back in Wales now, after my flying visit home. I had a great time though, and possibly ate my weight in food, plus a bit more. What is it about the festive season that makes us eat so much? And so much nice food? It never occurs to me to have pate at any other time of year, but I munch away at the stuff at Christmas time. It is baffling, but perhaps that's what makes us all so jolly?

And Santa was good to me this year. I got my GHDs! And a sewing machine, complete with a book from my lovely parents with loads of ideas for bags. I just need some fabric now! I got a stocking ful of cow print joy. I think my obsession is getting a bit out of hand. But hey, it makes me smile!

I also got a swish new haircut. I only popped in to Pisanis to say Merry Christmas (I used to work there in my school/college days). I no longer have long purple hair, but rather a shorter look. I feel that it makes me look sophisticated, and it's not so short that I get mistaken for a boy!

But I am happy to be back in Swansea, as much as I love being at home and catching up with people. I've spent a lovely few days with Mike and now it's back to work. Although it is my last week there, so it's not all bad. I'm feeling happy with life right now, looking forward to the new year and new opportunities. Fingers crossed it'll last!

AND I've finished my scarf!

So, here are some festive photos of snow, new hair and family and friend times back in Surrey...

8 hours on a coach...

leads to a numb bum, especially in the cold, when you're stuck in traffic... This Christmas had better be worth it!

Driving home for Christmas

Ho ho ho! I am feeling all festive as I'm going home tomorrow for Christmas! This will be the first time I've been home since August, and I'm rather excited. Home cooked food, a warm house that isn't full of mould and PRESENTS! I think that when you move away you appreciate Christmas a lot more as a time of family rather than a time to get drunk. Of course, I'll be getting drunk too, but that'll be with my family!

So, for nostalgia purposes, my Christmas last year (where I had red hair! This year it's purple!):

I'm not looking forward to the time when I have a Christmas away from home. It's going to be weird. I am looking forward to openening the present from Mike however. I love surprises! He's just left mine and I now won't see him until the 28th, which seems aaaaaaages away, but in reality it isn't. I am impatient!

Snow snow snow... sort of

This is Swansea's attempt at snow... pretty lame, isn't it? I want proper snow! Just not the cold temperatures please!

Ill ill ill

My flat is trying to kill me. I swear. My throat is swollen so badly it feels like I'm swallowing knives. My nose is running permanently, and my ears are getting blocked. It's so cold here! I've got the heating on quite high now. We've given up caring how much it's costing.

In an attempt to escape this freezer, I have spent the weekend at Mike's. Not that his attic room is much warmer, but the shared body heat is good! And he was such a funny drunk on Saturday night! Honestly, the "I'm taking my jeans off but I'm too drunk to stand on one foot so I'm hopping all over the place" dance was amazing, and I couldn't stop giggling. The more time I spend with him, the happier I am, and I'm falling for him in a big way.

For my birthday, 3 good things happened. Numero uno: I got taken for a birthday breakfast by Natalie, a girl I work with. I love hashbrowns. I really really do.

Numero dos: I got the job! Start on 4th January, and I'm rather excited. I must buy thermal underwear first though. Just to survive the sub-zero temperatures of South Wales.

Numero tres: Mike took me bowling! And I beat him! Oh yes! We also went on the big wheel, even though it was really cold. I'm quite partial to bowling shoes. I think my new mission is to find a pair I can wear as trainers that don't make you slip everywhere.

Also this week, I went shopping in Toys R Us with my friend Kieran, as he wanted to buy his brother a jigsaw puzzle. Seriously, I discovered why my mum would never let us go there when I was little. It's AMAZING!!!! Although I saw many toys that I would have loved as a child, and suddenly felt really deprived. Also, the range of toys available to kids these days is mind blowing! We felt like children again!

Keiran loved the kitchen

Look at the battery operated cars!

It spells MIKE... something to brighten his day

Foam toys are the best!

All in all it's been a good week. I'm going home for Christmas on wednesday, although my Christmassy feeling has gone. Hopefully when I get on that coach it'll come back.

Aaaaand, that's a wrap!

I've wrapped up all of my Christmas presents now. This is a huge achievement for me. The fact that I've managed to buy them this early is also another acheivement. They're usually bought the day before I go home and wrapped up on Christmas Eve. But not this year! Oh no, I'm ahead of the game this year. And they're under the tree as well!

Yes, I'm well aware the tree is tiny, but it does make it look like we have giant presents!

And so, on the last evening of being 23 I am feeling contemplative about life. I've had my weekly phone call with my mum, who was getting a bit emotional. I think maybe the fact that she has a daughter who is about to turn 24 is making her feel old. She says the same thing every year before my birthday, about how this time however many years ago she was in hospital with the doctors telling her she wasn't in labour, but she was. I was an impatient baby, popping out 6 weeks early. I still am impatient.

I'm just in a pondering mood. Had one of those days where you feel kind of sad for no reason. Nit really sure why. I guess maybe I don't want to get older. I'm quite happy with my life as it is at the moment. Yes, I know money is constantly a struggle, and I have a flat that likes to leak water and eat my clothes and shoes with mould, but I'm loving the independence and the feeling of just being me. I am in control of things I do, the only person I have to rely on is my self, and it's a great feeling. However, I got out of my funk by wrapping presents and watching Santa Claus the Movie. And also knitting. I am becoming a big knitting aficionado. It's very relaxing.

So, this is my last blog as a 23 year old. And how will I be spending my birthday??? I have work at 7am, a stupid 3 hour shift. And then training for my new job. So yeah... fun. But Mike is coming over in the evening and I do have some presents and cards so it's not all bad!

Hangover from hell

Just a note that rosè wine, tequilla and malibu do not mix well together. I haven't been that ill for a looooong time. I wish I could remember the night. I'm sure it was good. I'm clearly getting older :(

New job?

Well, I had my interview today, and it went well. I am going back on Monday for a day of training. I think that's a good sign? And it's not telesales, which is a good thing, as I was a bit worried. It is selling though, but face to face and with businesses etc. Oh well, someone has got to do it, and if I don't like it I'll just start looking for a new job. The best part is that they start working at 11am!!! I mean, that would mean I wouldn't have to get up until 9am! Can you imagine that?! A whole 3 or 4 more hours in bed than I'm used to. I'm excited at the thought already!

In other news, it's cold. My flat is cold. And we have rising damp, which means all the heat is being sucked out of the walls and I'm having to wear many layers inside so that I don't freeze to death. As seen in picture. Yes, I am wearing a woolly hat indoors. I make it look cool though.

I would also just like to say that I have a wonderful boyfriend. Just wanted to share that.

I also have an amazing best friend in the shape of Carys, who sent me a box full of joy. Joy being Christmas and birthday presents. She is truly fantastical and I miss her loads. I wish I had more time off at Christmas so I could go up to London to see her. However with this new job it's not weekends, so I could pop down for a weekend I guess. She said she's going to come up in February as well, and we'll have a little party as she can't make it to my birthday party tomorrow. Oh yeah, my birthday party tomorrow! I'm rather excited about it. And I get to show Mike off to everyone. Exciting times!

myself and the lovely Carys... my mum says we could be twins

Oh the weather outside is frightful

Apparently we have rising damp in our flat, according to the damp proof expert who came today. What this means for us remains to be seen. At least things are progressing and hopefully will get fixed before the mould takes over the flat.

Ponderings

Knitting takes a long time. Seriously, I never realised it took so long! I think I've only done about 8 rows since I started yesterday evening. And my hands hurt! Here is how my "scarf" looks now...

It's not nuch of a scarf I know, but it's getting there! I mean, it's taken me nearly 3 years to get this far! I got this set for Christmas nearly 3 years ago. So I'm rather proud of myself.

My walls have started leaking properly now. This isn't good. I need a new home for my shoe rack now.

I have a job interview on Thursday. I'm tired of the call centre now. The amount they mess around the hours and the rubbishness of the calls... It's time for me to move on, so fingers crossed!

Weather: cold and wet. Standard.

Achievement of the day

Today I started knitting. I have mixed feelings about this.Does this make me old? Or does it mean I am regressing to my childhood? I'm not sure. I used to knit with my nan when I was little, and knitting this afternoon has brought back memories and feelings of nostalgia. It has also given me aching hands. But I am quite enjoying it. It's helped me pass the time. I shall make this scarf!

And it's still raining...

It has rained all weekend. I'm not shocked about this. It's just meant that I've gone through a lot of socks. Still, I've had a great weekend.

Friday I got all festive and decorated my flat!

Quite clearly I am a master of interior design! But it was nice feeling all festivey. I do love Christmas time. Friday evening I had a lovely night in with Mike. I made moussaka, well, I made a veggie version of it, as that's what you do when you have a veggie boyfriend. It was yummy! I surprised myself! I actually got a meal right the first time I made it! And I also made apple crumble, and Mike got a bit carried away with putting the cinnamon in... But it tasted amazing. I love the smell of cinnamon, it's so Christmassy, you know? I love anything that smells festive. I think I may have been an elf in a previous life. And we had a lovely evening in watching comedy on the tv and listening to the rain and drinking Fosters. It was great!

However, on Saturday morning it wasn't so great as I had to get up at 5.30am to go to work. Which Mike loved, and took great pleasure in making me get out of bed and then cocooned himself in my duvet and told me to have fun at work. Meanie. But it was only a 4 hour shift, so it wasn't too bad. We went shopping in Cardiff in the afternoon, where, guess what? It rained. A lot. We got soaked. And cold. And it was really busy. I think I spent more time queueing for the toilet in the shopping centre than actually shopping! There are some nice shops in Cardiff though, which made me sad that I am completely broke. Maybe one day I can afford the nice things in Habitat, one day. We had dinner in a really cool restaurant called Walk To Walk, where they cooked your order in front of you, and it was in one of those cool boxes that they have on american shows. It was really yummy and really filling, although I did get a bit carried away with the soy sauce! We also discovered this coke can with an interesting and slighty risquè image of Father Christmas on it... Look at his coke bottle!

Tis the season...

Well, we're full swing in to December. It's getting colder. And darker in the mornings. I am most definitely NOT a morning person. I'm even worse in the winter. Honestly, I was nearly late this morning as I refused to leave the sanctuary of my bed (or my fort as Mike likes to call it). It's not that I'm really lazy (well, that is part of it), it's just that I love to sleep! And when an alarm is beeping at me to get out of my warm cozy bed in to the cold freezer that is my flat, I just don't want to know. It doesn't help that our flat is falling apart. Well, not literally, but it's on the way! My room smells of damp all the time, which is just grim. I'm going to spend a fortune on incense and smelly candles! But seriously, the damp in the walls is sucking the heat from the flat. It's not good. The mould is destroying my shoes as well. Seriously less than impressed. Still, we can't do anything except moan and the landlord. And moan. And moan. And moan....

Anywho, I've spent the afternoon (I finished work at midday, win!) snuggled up on the sofa in my duvet, watching trashy tv, and I'm really happy about it! There is no other choice with the sofa. You can't lounge, it's too small for that. You either snuggle up or sit. But on a day like today, it's all about the snuggling. Sadly, not with the boy, but that'll change tomorrow.

So now, back to Jerry Springer and cups of tea... smiles...

Brrrrrr!

You would not BELIEVE how cold it is in my flat! Honestly, I think it might be slightly warmer outside! Winter has most definitely started in Swansea today. When I left for work this morning, the cold air hit me hard and took my breath away, the cars were all frosty and there were dark clouds in the sky. There were rumours of snow yesterday, but sadly there was no snow today. I'm disillusioned by snow anyway. It looks all soft and fluffy and lovely, but it's cold and wet, and then goes all slushy and muddy. But it's pretty to look at.

To combat the cold I'm all about the winter veg!

Sweet potatoes are seriously the best invention ever!

Oh the yumminess of carrots and swede. I had a yummy dinner and it warmed me up good. The heating is also doing a good job, but as we're having a problem with leaking walls at the moment, our flat isn't the warmest place to be.

I also had a warming shower, with my purple monkey. Nothing beats a warming shower. You stay warm all the time, unlike a bath. I always make baths too hot and then have to add more cold water and it gets cold quicker. Baths confuse me.

The monkey still needs a name... Hmm....