Random Thoughts of the Week

1) I don't "get" ugly dogs. By that I don't mean the mean, fierc-looking ones - in some way I understand how for some they are status symbols. I don't even mean the ones that are so ugly they are cute (like the pooch in the pic above - officially Britain's ugliest dog, apparently - you just can't help feel sorry for him, can you?). There's a category somewhere in between that just makes me marvel how they even still exist and how they still breed.

2) At the risk of sounding all middle-aged and fuddy-duddy - when did Katie Price become such an apparently ubiquitous role model for young women? I honestly don't know how there is any hair dye, hair spray, foundation or false eyelashes left in the whole of the county if a recent night out is to be believed. (And, yes, I really do sound like my mother). What happened to natural beauty?

3) Isn't it strange how mowing a lawn can make a garden look so much more clean and tidy? It's like giving the whole place a bit of a shave and getting rid of the stubble.

4) This year is the first year that I really seem to have struggled with the change to BST. I have just been so tired all week. Can one measly hour really make that much difference?! Thankfully the children seem to have adapted relatively well - I guess I should thank heaven for small mercies.

The One Word Meme

Both my namesake and bloggy friend Julie over at All About Us, and the lovely  Aly at Plus2Point4 have tagged me in a meme... a meme that for once does not require too much thought on my part (and I think we've established how lazy I am on the blogging front at the moment!!), but is in fact one for anyone that might be reading this...

The idea is you write one word in the comments which you feel describes me! 

In the words of the meme’s creator Michelle from Mummy from the Heart

“This got me thinking about an email I received a few years back, one of those circular things that I normally hate but this one I loved and have never forgotten.  It was about the power of positive affirmations and how knowing what positive things others think of you can boost your own self-esteem.  It talked of an inspirational teacher who got all her children to write one positive word down to describe the other children in the class and then they had to hand them in.  The teacher then collated all the positive words for each child into a special sheet for them and handed it to them to read and keep.  They learnt that their peers saw them in ways they had never imagined and it had an immense effect on them.  The story goes that one of them died and a number of them attended the funeral and it was found that they all still had their lists 20 or so years later as they had been really touched by this loving gesture.  Did this really happen?  Who knows, but I love the sentiment of this story and therefore it does not matter to me if it was real.

Well, what about if us bloggers and virtual friends did something similar?  How marvellous would we all feel to learn these new facets of ourselves that we did not know existed.  Someone may say I am inspirational (another one I have heard about myself a few times recently) and me being me I would say ‘no not me’ but what have I done there?  Rubbished their opinion and that is not right, only they know if I have actually inspired them to do something.  If people are kind enough to give us a compliment we should be gracious enough to accept it…. and why not go one step further and actually go out and ask for it?

Well that is what I want us all to do.  I am creating a meme, called the 1 Word Meme and I would love for every one of us to be able to collate all the positive words left by our real life friends, virtual friends and fellow bloggers so that we each have a sheet of positive affirmations to treasure and boost our self-esteem.”

So, dear readers - would love to hear what you think. One word in the comments that you think sums me up - can't be that difficult, can it?! 

I'd like to pass this one on to:

Notes to Self Plus Two Red Shoes

The sisters over at Paris-Ankara Express (good to see you back!)

Mrs Scruff at She Was Not At All Domestic

#SilentSunday - 27 March 2011

Review: Bart's Ski Gloves

Firstly - hello, and thank you all for sticking around during my dry spell over the past few weeks. I can't promise things are going to get any less dry (wetter somehow doesn't really seem appropriate, does it!?) any time soon, but it's nice to see a few friendly faces when I venture back onto the site at least...

I can hardly believe it is over a year since I started this blog. One of my very first posts was about my trepitation with regards to going skiing again for the first time since having children. Well, last week I put myself through the torture again we spent another week on the slopes.

I have to say out of all the times I have been skiing, this was probably the week I enjoyed the most; in spite of the fact, or  - what is probably more likely - because of the fact that I probably did the least actual skiing of any holiday! When it comes to skiing, it seems for me it is simple: less skiing = more enjoyment. It is of course logical - I don't get as tired, therefore I don't get as frustrated.

Anyway, before we left, I was sent a pair of Bart's Mens ski gloves to review by the lovely people at Chelston Direct. I had even come up with a cunning plan to get over my blogging lethargy - the original idea was that Mr B was going to do a guest post and review them for me. In the end, however, the size I was sent was a men's small, which of course were a perfect fit for me, but much too small for my husband. Seems I was forced into blogging it myself...

Having said this, things turned out quite well, as I only possessed one pair of ski gloves prior to this, and a spare is always handy. My previous pair was a cheap pair picked up when I was still unsure whether I would ever go again, and whilst perfectly adequate, were never quite warm enough on really cold days. I have to say  this was one problem I did not have with these gloves - they definitely kept my hands toasty and dry all week.

If there was one problem with them, however, it was that they were almost a little too short, and I would often find a bit of a gap between the sleeve of my jacket and the end of the glove. Most of the time this was no problem at all. However, I can imagine that for someone who occasionally falls down (not me, of course, you understand*) this would be quite an annoyance, unless snowy wrists were their thing!

All in all though, I spent most of the week using them and was very impressed - only having to resort to my original pair on one day after a particular wet snowball fight!

(*ok, so maybe I did end up on my bum once or twice...in my defence, I don't believe any of our party, including some VERY experienced skiers, didn't fall down at least once...)
___

Disclosure: I was given a pair of Bart's ski gloves in return for this post.

Update January 2013 - seems some of you are still finding this post from nearly two years ago! Since then, I've had two more occasions to wear the gloves, and I have to say I'm still happily using these gloves. They are definitely good for keeping hands dry, although I did find that my fingers did get a little cold on drag lifts etc this year (as we went at a colder time of year). The purchase of new ski jacket with built-in additional sleeve bits, plus the fact I spend less time on the floor has helped with the no-snow-down-the-wrists thing. Not perfect, but definitely a great budget option.

#SilentSunday Sunday Mountains

#SilentSunday - Silent Airport

#SilentSunday - Still hoping for better weather

Move Along, Nothing to See Here...

I want to write a post.

I neeeed to write a post.

And yet... and yet... somehow I have nothing I want to write about. I seem to be in a state of limbo that leaves me restless, fidgety and unable to concentrate on anything for more than five minutes at a time. This translates into blog posts of a few sentences at best.

I'm sure it will come again. I just wish it would make it quick.

I need a holiday.