Monday 30 June 2014

The newest of the new

Over the past three months we've done a lot of looking round houses. We've looked at them online and then we've looked at them in person. Some have been lovely, some have been pretty awful, some have been neither here nor there, but I don't think anything can prepare you for looking round a brand new house. As in so new that they're still building it. It was only really an idea that we were throwing around, maybe we weren't entirely serious buyers, but the snotty marketing woman was not entirely nice as she showed us round the brand new new-ness. 

So new builds. Wow they're small. The rooms are small, the ceilings are low, the gardens are the size of a postage stamp in comparison to our own plot of land. As I was looking around and thinking about the possibility of living there my first worry was that we would need to replace all our furniture. Like all of it. The new house we looked at had little furniture. We have a lot of wood and comfy and as a result these things are big, some might consider them cumbersome, but there was no way in hecky thump that our dining room table would even fit through the front door, much less in the corner of the living room allotted to dining in the show house. I wondered aloud as we drove home how many people actually try to replicate the show house and buy almost the same furniture, just because they know it fits in the spaces provided. 

Let's talk en-suite. Apparently every house needs one. And a bathroom. Personally I'd prefer that en-suite space be part of the bedroom to make it bigger. There was also very little space for wardrobes. Um, where do all the clothes fit? And cushions on the bed. Why so many? I apologise now if you are a huge pile of cushions on the bed person but I just don't get it. There were at least 3 additional layers as well as the pillows on this show home bed, and at one house we looked at I swear they filled the entire bed! They were so in your face that it was hard to see the size of the bedroom for the giant mound of cushions taking over it. Seems to me to be a whole lot of work going on removing the cushions before you can flop into bed, and then what happens to all the cushions? Do they just flail around on the bedroom floor? Perhaps it's to provide a soft landing should one fall out of bed...? 

I think it's fair to say, and in this instance the snotty marketing woman was right, that Wavey and I are not best fit for a brand new, new build. 

The house selling is slightly frustrating. We are getting viewings and they all love the house but they see the garden and panic. I reckon we need better marketing which is under discussion this week. Let's hope something good comes of it. My overwhelming feeling is to just want this thing done. So that we can just be ourselves again. Have all of our stuff out, not just what we think should be on display to best show our house. I miss Roger the Tiger and the knitted Dalek lovingly made by Fizz. Home is the one place you just want to be; not on show all the time. Just be *sigh*

Thursday 26 June 2014

What's the confusion?

We keep on getting the same old feedback every time we have a viewing at the house. The garden is too big. We know it's big. The advert says it's big. I know I'm completely biased as we love the garden but it makes me so sad that no-one can see its beauty. I think everyone just wants a fancy looking lawn and pretty pots. But why have that when you can have this:







We keep holding out hope that someone else will see the beauty and love all the little sections the same way we do. Cos if you break it down into sections it's just lots of little gardens all joined together...
 

Wednesday 25 June 2014

Realignment

After being out of a work environment for 16 months it's fair to say it's been a shock to my system getting back into one. It's not so much the early mornings (although they are pretty killer) but the long stretches of time sat in front of a computer, at a desk. It's funny as I kind of spent the last 16 months doing something similar, except it was at my kitchen table. And I used to get up about every 10 minutes to make a cup of tea or find a snack. Or pretty much do anything except my work. It soon becomes obvious that this kind of behaviour is not really the done thing once you go back to work. Pretty shoddy frankly, that's an office I'd LOVE to work in! 

The first thing I have discovered about my new office mates is that they are not big tea drinkers. This could be a problem....

The second thing is that a lot of them think nothing of missing lunch. This is definitely going to be a problem...

The third thing is that I don't really have my own desk and will be doing what they call hot desk-ing. This is a bit sucky. I have nowhere to leave my mug. I'm not alone in the hot desk-ing thing, in fact this morning we had a conversation about our plans. I'm thinking I might make my car my office and go mobile. One of my new colleagues has already scouted the locations for good wifi in the main part of town and plans to hold all his meetings in McDonalds or Costa Coffee. You see what good planners we are...

Another strange thing is my body. During student phase it's been quite used to lying prone on the sofa while I watch trashy tv and vlogs on YouTube, obviously during my lunch and tea breaks. Which sometimes might have been most of the day. Don't judge me. Now that I am back into the commute, walk many footsteps throughout day, sit for longer periods of time, commute back again phase, I have had the most hideous cramp in my legs and feet. I woke up at 5.30 this morning shouting expletives whilst trying desperately to massage the pain out of my calf. Yes I am that bed companion. Lucky Wavey, eh. Seriously is there anything worse than cramp? I've not been through childbirth so maybe that's possibly worse but cramp has to be the most evil mother-effer thing ever. And at 5.30 in the morning was not at all welcomed in politely. 

I think I am realigning. I hope it doesn't take too long. 

On the plus side my new work peeps seem really nice, despite the lack of tea drinking (weirdos), and I have my own laptop. It's ancient, and doesn't connect to wifi. But it's mine and comes with its own bag. Get me. What with that and my new smarty pants work clothes wardrobe I'm a new Dizz.

Disclaimer: I will never be anything other than the Dizz you all know and love. Even when I am rich and wave royally at you all from my palace in the sky.

Sunday 22 June 2014

Fantastic Mr Fox

The trusty BBC have a series of programmes each season called [insert season] Watch, so SpringWatch etc. Well we're starting our own and it's called FoxWatch. A while ago we realised that there was a fox trotting around the gardens. The first time I saw him he was jumping over the fence and I nearly leapt out of my skin as I spotted him from the greenhouse. He is huge! Or at least he looked that way from my spot where I was potting on in the greenhouse. 

We didn't see him anymore for a while until we spotted him sunbathing the other week. The neighbours have decided to grow a meadow in their garden (the polite way of saying they are lazy gits who don't want to pull up weeds) and the weeds and grass are nearly as tall as the fence. Prime Mr Fox location. Then when it was raining we saw him sheltering under the trampoline (yep they also have a junk yard). But we didn't expect to see baby cubs! Yep, there's a whole Mr Fox family going on now, with the vixen and 4 cubs. They use the garden next door as their playground, and the little ones are bravely trying out our garden for size but the mama fox keeps calling them back through as I think she clearly smells humans in our garden. We're forever up and down as we water the crops in the greenhouse and the allotment area. 

FoxWatch mainly occurs on weekends when we're enjoying our breakfast in bed. We decided to try and get some photos of them so Wavey's set up his camera and tripod:

He's on holiday for a week now so we might get some good photos for FoxWatch. But just in case you don't believe us, here's a very grainy shot of one of the cubs this morning:


We've done some research and we think they're about 8 weeks old now. But they don't grow to full size and disperse until September! We have mixed feelings about it all really. Even though we like watching the family we're not too happy about them being so close, and they are wild animals so I'm a bit scaredy cat and feel nervous about going to the back of the garden on my own (wuss), but at the same time we don't want any harm to come to them as they're not harming us. 

Have any of you ever had foxes so close by? What did you do about it? 

Friday 20 June 2014

Trying not to remember all over again

It happened again! Can you believe it? Two yacks of the week in one week. This is most unfortunate. Step up to the confessional second yack: banana pancakes. And by that I don't mean pancakes served with banana as we all know that seriously rocks. No, this was pancakes made with banana. I should have known, it was another clean eating/drinking thing. I told you, I'm a total sucker. I'm all for let's try and make these tasty things healthier, I fall for it every time. They must see me coming...

So to make pancakes from banana you mash up one ripe banana, add two eggs, some cinnamon and some vanilla extract and stir it up good. Then in the normal way of making pancakes you pour and wait for the top surface to bubble. Or for the bottom to burn black and not be able to flip it over as it's essentially baby mush consistency and will not flip no matter how many times you try, mutha-effer! 

That was pancake number 1. Pancake number 2 didn't fare much better. By 3 I contemplated just chucking the mixture away and going with breakfast cereal. But I am nothing if not stubborn and you, yes I'm looking at you third pancake, will work! Flip, slop, examine. Will it look better if I add fruit on the side? Pour a little honey over it? Hmmmm. Not really. 

I sit down, still stubborn, load myself up an episode of 'Modern Family' and prepare to try this tasty treat. Sweet, so sweet. Too sweet. Mushy, sloppy, yep I'd go with rank. Again. Massive disappointment. I was so upset I went right to my Pinterest and permanently deleted the recipe. Begone evil baby banana slop and your fake pancake-ness. You might be clean eating but you taste like utter rubbish. If real pancakes are the exact opposite and dirty, I say bring on the dirt. Bring. It. I'll take a bit of dirt over your clean any day. Peh peh peh! 

Tuesday 17 June 2014

Trying not to remember discovery of the week

I considered putting yack of the week in the title but I thought it might be confused with a yak, as in the big hairy animal and so went with that long convoluted effort up there ^^

Thus far, all of my discoveries have been pleasant surprises and have filled me with joy, not so with this one. Ladies and gentlemen, let's talk coconut water. I had read a whole lot of good things about this water, how hydrating it is (erm isn't that just all water though...?), it's so good for you, it's a wonder product, drink it now type thing. And as we know I'm a sucker for all things good and natural so I bought it. At a whopping £1.49 for a not very large carton too, I might add. 

It was an exciting moment when it was poured. I was ready and waiting for my first taste of this divine wonder water. SPIT IT OUT! Ugh! What is this disgusting drink! Yack, barf, peh peh peh (the sound of sticking out your tongue to get rid of the flavour, like in 'Big' when he eats the caviar for the first time? That.) Nast-eeee. It's hard to describe the flavour. It tasted overwhelmingly salty and really quite unpleasant. Me no likey. Not at all. 

Man, I was massively disappointed. I love coconut. Seriously, I heart it so. And I especially love coconut milk, it's just such a lush and lovely flavour. I think I was expecting the water to taste of coconut but as I say, it mainly tasted of salt to me. Did I have a bad batch? Should it really taste like coconut milk? Have I been robbed of my first taste sensation? If you've tried it, please put me right. If you've not tried it, don't. It's rank. Peh peh peh...

Monday 16 June 2014

One for all...

Does anyone else do that thing where they record stuff onto their tv box and then forget about it until months later? We did just that recently with the BBC adaptation of The Musketeers. I think it was on in maybe February or March and we've just got round to watching it. Soooo glad that we did though. Oh my! It was brilliant! Truly. It was swashbuckling and sword fighting and horse hoof-pounding, and flirty and romance and naughty-naughty, it was exciting and dramatic, but most of all it was just heaps of fun. The cast, who incidentally are all extremely easy on the eye if you like a bit of rough stuff with a crackin' beard as demonstrated in the image below (thanks BBC):


I'm sure that Wavey would testify that the lay-dees were equally delightful, although much less bearded as you can imagine. Definitely a lot of heaving bosoms around though. All round win-win for eye candy. 

We watched the very last episode last night and I feel so sad that it's gone. I actually miss them already. There is another series going to be made but not until next year. NEXT YEAR! Too long BBC. 

I'd call it my discovery of the week but we've been watching it for longer than a week. If you haven't seen it I would highly recommend watching it. You're welcome. 

Friday 13 June 2014

Discoveries of the week

I know for a fact that I'm not only late to the party, the party has probably been and gone and the people hosting have moved house, but that's just the way I roll. This past couple of weeks I have really enjoyed discovering:

Modern Family

Smart, sassy, funny. It's making me laugh out loud on a daily basis. I've just done a quick internetty search and this is now up to season 5. I think my availability stretches to season 2 but for now it's enough to keep me going. 

The second thing is Instagram. I know, I know, it's been round for like forever. I tried to join on a couple of occasions before but someone has my email account attached to their profile (how does this stuff happen?!) and so I never could do it. Didn't occur to me to like just use a different email account, DUR. Anyway, now that I've bypassed all that nonsense I am absolutely loving it! I love taking photos, I love looking at photos, how can it have taken me so long to discover this?! I think I'm following most of the blog peeps but for any mystery guests out there who want to follow along, my profile can be found here I warn you now, it's most likely to be full of food and other totally random stuff so if that's not your bag, just don't go there. Simples. 

Any new discoveries you would like to share? 
 

Thursday 12 June 2014

Lost it

I've got one final thing to do to completely finish the course which is a presentation. That is worth 5 marks. At this point in time, if someone said I didn't have to do it, I would hug and kiss them and say thank you very much. 

I've lost it. That thing that you need to get yourself motivated. I've written three slides so far and I'm bored with it, the audience might yawn their way through it. So far, so dull. Ugh. In my head I'm saying a few should haves:

- should have kept up with the work while I was in the moment

- should have tagged it onto my to do list for the final deadline

- should have not put it off

- should have not taken a few days that turned into a week off, oops

- should have just got on with it

I know, I know, it's miniscule in the grand scheme of all the other things I've done but I'm so disinterested in it. I feel like I'm done with the course now, that phase has finished, and I'm moving onto the next phase: new job. 

Oh here's another should. Should just stop blogging and get on with the pesky thing. Ohhhh-kay then *huffs off like stroppy teenager* 

Monday 9 June 2014

Dizz the Conquerer

Years and years ago I went for a job in libraryland where I had to do a presentation as part of the interview process. I'd never done a presentation before in my life and I was literally terrified. I remember standing in front of the panel, gripped by fear, with my script rattling in my shaking hands, and wobbling my way through the whole thing, stuttering and nervous gasps included. Needless to say it wasn't entirely a successful interview, or experience for that matter. And cue my total fear of presentations. To the point where I actually stopped going for jobs that required a presentation as I knew I would muck it up all over again. 

Fast forward to almost present day. I've left libraryland and am back in school. I'm at the beginning of a module and I find out that I will have to give not one but two presentations. In front of the whole class. Like at the front of the class. Oh my golly gosh (or words to that effect). We were in groups so I knew I wouldn't be talking for the whole 10 minutes but I also knew that I had to kick this presentation fear in the butt once and for all. 

And slowly but surely that's what I did. I prepared. Like a whole lot. I planned out what I was going to say and I went over and over those slides until I knew them off by heart. We weren't being marked on the content of the presentation but for how we presented, our skills in presenting. I was determined to not let my team down and wanted to do so well, not just for their sake but for me. I think it's fair to say there were sweaty palms, and other sweaty bits that it's not polite to talk about. But we did it, and we got a whopping 4 out of 5 marks. I felt pretty good. The hardest thing for me was figuring out what to do with my hands. We were recorded during each presentation so that we could watch ourselves back (cringe!) and be self-critical. 

One small battle for mankind, but a huge achievement for me. Yip yip.

Fast forward again to last Friday. My first interview in this whole changing my career pathway and another presentation. Even though I was nervous, obviously, I did what all the books say and embraced my nerves to be bright and open to the audience. I started, script in hand, and didn't refer to it once. All those times reading it over and over again had totally worked and I was away. My slides were pretty basic, but I talked around the content and was positive that I was relaying the right message. 

That first interview/presentation scenario, after I'd finished the presentation I just wanted to lie down on the floor and recover from the horror, but this time round I calmly took my seat in front of the panel and did what I'm best at - being myself. My Pops had sent me this text message before my interview that said "fortune favours the brave - be confident and yourself and that will be enough" (total dude, completely and utterly) and all the way through I kept this message in my head. And clearly it was enough as I'm delighted to say I got the job. When they gave me my feedback later that day they said my enthusiasm shone through. Words can't describe how delighted I was when I got that phone call, I think I might have squealed down the phone - oops. 

So, summing up: presentation fear - 0, Dizz the Conquerer - 1. 

Oh and also, this outfit? Totally my lucky outfit! Even works with giant out of control hair.

   

Monday 2 June 2014

#1800minutes

In actual fact, #553minutes. 

Let's revisit. I first blogged about the #1800minutes challenge here and then I did another update here and a little bit more here I started out so well, I really did. And then #finalproject took over and my life was #prettymuchwellover

553 minutes. I'm actually quite ashamed. I mean on the one hand it's 553 minutes that I did spend time moving about and not just sitting on my arse. But it's a very long way off #1800minutes. And to be fair to myself I think the whole finishing my final project for Masters did have to come first but it's pretty rubbish. Will I ever just be totally into exercise? Will that magically happen when I turn the big 4-oh next year? I highly doubt it. 

On the other plus side, Wavey and I are totally into our evening stroll and each and every step was faithfully recorded throughout the challenge. We even got our shiny new trainers muddy last night as we stomped through some previously untrodden ground, despite living in this village almost my whole life! We came home with seriously hot feet syndrome and pretty much abandoned our trainers at the door:


And again on the plus side, the 553 minutes combined with eating healthier did help me drop a few pounds and a dress size - this is not too shabby an outcome at all. 

I shall continue to walk. I shall continue to log my minutes in my little iPod. And I shall continue to hope that one day the gym bunny will sneak into my head and make me long for exercise. When that day does happen I might start my own challenge ... but don't hold your breath. 

However it doesn't end there! Clearly I am a sucker for some kind of challenge. This time I'm taking part in a photograph challenge on my new love, Instagram. Come and join in the fun, my profile is here 

Hopefully I will be better at that challenge. 

Over and out.