Turns out tidying up is HARD WORK. The starting chaos was dispiriting. I got iTunes going and had some cheery music going to motivate me. Then a friend called and we talked on speakerphone bother tidying up our lives. I had to throw away so much gunk! Things where the labels had worn away, bottles sealed shut and solidified. And why does nothing I own have caps on?!?! I'm halfway there. Most of what is in there is now tidy... problem is all the stuff in the bedroom that should be in there and the boxes of shame that still need dealing with. Well, as Scarlett whould say "tomorrow is another day"
Once upon a time, a long time ago (well more than a decade and that is a long time in storytelling; a prince and a princess met and the they fell in love. They decided to move in together... living in the family Castle and they all lived happily ever after. Real life isn't quite like a fairy story. When I first met the Better-half I lived in an already over-crowded flat share. When we decided to live together it was obvious for me to live with him. He lived (as we still do) with his mother in a moderately sized Victorian semi. We sort of have a 'granny-flat' - we have our own kitchen and living room. We have our bedroom (of course) and then share the bathroom across the house. It works well; and we are a happy extended family. To me it seems quite normal as my parents lived with my paternal-grandmother when I grew up, and it means there is always company for the cat. The anomaly in the house are the two spare rooms. The larger one my MiL (mother-in-law) uses for storage; and Casper uses for jungle gym and pigeon watching (if only he can get in there). The smaller room is used by me - basically as a dressing room. It is called the Pink Room. It is odd that it should be called the Pink Room. The carpet is blue and two of the walls are blue; there are only two pink walls and curtains.It may be the large quantity of pink 'stuff' in the room that gives it the name. The Pink Room is a problem. It should be simple, but I'm a slob.
There are clothes, make-up, cosmetics and other stuff with no home. It is the final resting place... things get booted from one room to another and end up there. They have been doing this for over a decade and today I have decided to get it sorted.
On a good day...
I have made a start and immediately got depressed with all the missing caps, goo everywhere etc. on the dressing table so I have come for bin bags and a some boxes. I'm being brutal. Stuff is going. There is more stuff that should be in there and as much stuff that shouldn't. I might need breakfast before I start this... The Pink Room has a blog too... which may even get updated!
Eleven years ago the world woke up, little knowing the cataclysmic events that were to throw it into a new world order. The day was like any other day at work until lunch, when one of my colleagues announced that a 747 had hit the World Trade Centre in New York. You must be wrong I told him, that's a passenger plane. Remember the Internet 10 years ago... slower, servers with less capacity, sites going down as the news spread. Then a second plane hit the other Tower. This was no accident, this was an attack. Tall buildings across the world evacuated (including at Canary Wharf where my brother works). No instant news, no idea of the dangers faced. So the discontent between religions who should live in peace sharing common values side by side once more spread into world-wide consciousness; and there remains. Every year I remember those who lost their lives that sunny Fall morning. Every year I remember the pain it brought to the City I love most after London. Every year I remember the majestic buildings which began my live of skyscrapers. Every year, as I meet more and more faithful peace loving people of many races and religions I hope that one day we will live without mistrust, hate and fear. Today I remember. New York the city, the people, and everyone whose lives were changed forever that September morning.
On Friday my darling Mutti took me, the Better-half and a family friend on a trip to the Paralympics. We wer lucky, we had stadium tickets for the morning session.
Now ask anyone, I was never sporty. Even at school before MS came and got me and turned me into a disabled person I was rubbish at sport. We did a lot of track and field, so I know how hard I found it able bodied... being there at the Stadium watching the disabled athletes gave me a whole new perspective (and dare I say enjoyment).
Long jump; check. So appalling bad myself I used to volunteer to rake the sand.
Track; check. Never got much more than 100m and only that because the track sloped downhill at that point.
Discuss; check. More likely to drop it on my foot than get in in flight.
Javelin; check. Actually could throw that, although not very far and due to dodgy aim, keep clear!
And as I said, I was able bodied, young and sort of fit.
The crowd, the noise... it was all very exciting. A lovely sunny summers day - too hot for the man with a cold pushing my chair and the silly girl who took off the hat and had no suntan lotion.
Do take a peek at the slide show (it goes on a bit) but it gives you a flavour of the day!
Incidentally, they made a big deal about the transport and making the infamously disabled unfriendly underground fit for purpose. They did. And the buses and buggies. Fantastic. But what a shame about he stadium. Not nearly enough wheelchair spaces; upper levels practically inaccessible. Despite promises of storage that was full of baby-buggies. The toilets (unlike at Wembley) were not being monitored to ensure that only the disabled used them, they weren't secured with RADAR keys. 3/10 I'm afraid chaps - and you are newer than Wembley (who get 10/10) and built with disability in mind.
"Inspire a Generation" - well I may not be inspired to sport, but seeing what disabled people can do is inspiring me to get more out of life where I can and not sit in bed all weekend!
Linking up with Ashley and Neely for the Sunday Social
Some of this was covered back on Week 1 - but just in case you missed it!
What is the name of your blog and how did you come up with it?? London Calling. Not for The Clash song of the same name (although I do like the song) but for the habit, back in the day, when they got to the voting in the Eurovision Song Contest each capital city would begin their section of the votes with (for example) "Good evening Paris, this is London calling".
A birthday gift from some friends now in pride of place over my desk
What do you love the most about blogging?? It is a chance to 'meet' other people; and a chance to sound off about anything that crosses my mind - and share my favourite city in the world.
What are your 2 favorite posts you've written? Oddly nothing to do with London. Family is very important to me; and my two favourite posts are to do with that. One is brief, written not long after my beloved Dad died; the other longer, paying tribute to lots of my family members who have gone before.
What is something you'd want to tell someone just starting out in blog world? Persevere. At first you feel like maybe you're talking to yourself... you aren't. Promote your blog shamelessly on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and the rest. Join in Link-ups like this one. Comment on others blogs that you enjoy - they might visit back and enjoy yours too. Don't give up!
Biggest blogging learning experience you've had? Write regularly. If you don't people think you've given up and gone away. I'm trying to live up to this one better!
Give us 3 blogs we NEED to be following that you love. Only three?! It depends what you want from a blog. You obviously know Ashley and Neely or you wouldn't be here. I'm going to go for a few that are nothing like this that you probably won't have met (for a longer list see my blog roll on the right).
Motor-sport is one of the sports I love; a good friend writes a fantastic blog to keep you on top of what has been going on in the F1 world. Sometimes a bit of other life creeps in too! Go visit 'A Dash of Eau Rouge' and discover the world of Grand Prix racing.
Alice's Bucket List found its way to me via a news story. Alice is 16 and has terminal cancer. Her cheery blog is fun to read, and absolutely inspiring.
The last one is cheating a little bit, as I write it. I wanted a bunch of cute, but most of the blogs I read that tick that box only post a few times a year. Kitten-cat does so many cute things that he got a blog all of his own (rather than hogging space on mine!). Mostly it is just photos of a cute black cat; what isn't to like?!
I'm not picking on Amazon here; it is just that I happen to own a Kindle and shop at Amazon. I do have a Kobo account, Stanza on my iPhone and I've even run into Smashwords and Audible. They all have fallen prey to the same problem. Plagiarism.
Amazon and Kindle positively promote self-publishing. There are over 30 books you can download to get you started, including Amazon's own offering, for free.
Copyright, for the printed word, isn't complex. In most countries the counting begins from the publishing of the work and last for the author's lifetime plus 50 or 70 years - at this point the work becomes freely distributable and can be used (and exploited) by anyone.
The problem arises when it is assumed that just because the author is dead or the book was published 60 years ago it must be a free-for-all.
Take my experience this weekend (and see the links at the end of the article to prove it is far from unique). I had been reading a book called "The End of Childhood" by an author publishing under the name Ibnul Jaif Farabi. I enjoyed the book, a great deal; and did what I always do after finishing a book - went off to recommend it to my friends on Goodreads. Funny thing though, no sign of the book. Time to add it to the database, as has happened before with some Kindle books. Back to Amazon for the book details; no sign of the book. A brief internet search revealed that all was not as it seems. This was not an original work of fiction; it was in fact a copy of "Childhood's End" by Arthur C. Clarke. 'Look Inside' on Amazon confirmed this as even the names hadn't been changed! OK, at least I didn't pay for it, I got it on a free download day, but this isn't the only example - not by a long way.
Project Guttenburg opened up long lost books for a whole new audience; but it has also helped book-thieves profit from the hard work of others. Although these plagarised copies seem to get pulled pretty fast, I'm sure a few quick bucks have already been made at the expense and toil of others. More oversight and checks-and-balances are clearly needed in this emerging market.
You can read more about this issue at these links:
Linking up with Ashley and Neely for the Sunday Social
What was your favorite trip/vacation/activity this summer? So far, as the Better-half and I are going to the Paralympics next week with my Mum which should be fun... I think it is probably my trip on the cable car with my Mum which was followed by a trip on the Thames. We had lunch in a hotel with a glass of wine (as neither of us was driving) and it was lovely spending time together. Now neither of us drives we don't see so much of each other as we used to.
Start of the trip
What was your favorite outfit look of the summer/clothing item? I don't really 'do' clothes much. I wear the appropriate clothes for the season and that is about that... I did however (right at the end of summer) find a lovely top in the M&S sale which I'll look forward to wearing again next Summer!
Failed attempt at Mum and me gets the top quite well!
What is one thing you wish you had gotten to do this summer? Too many to list. The heat and my MS don't get on so I didn't do much at all. I would have liked to have visited with more friends than I managed and I would have liked to have spent more time taking advantage of some of the things happening in London to coincide with the Olympics.
What was your favorite song of the summer? Pass. I hardly ever listen to the radio and when I do it is Classic FM!
What was your favorite movie/tv show of the summer? I have watched so much TV and seen so many movies (usually two every Saturday) that is very hard to answer. I found 'The Way' with Martin Sheen very moving and very inspiring; if you haven't seen it you definitely should.
Just like everyone else F1 take a summer holiday. For the whole of August there were no races. The last race (in Hungary) was race 11, just over halfway through the season; so an excellent time to reflect on the season so far.
There is always much to take on board at the start of any season. Drivers come and go as contracts expire, cars change their entire look as sponsors change.
This year (following an FIA ruling late in 2011) teams were allowed to change their Constructor names. This is where it got confusing. Virgin became Marussia (fair enough), Lotus became Caterham and Renault became Lotus! A fair few other teams added parts to their names; especially some of the big boys to credit their sponsors - quite a mouthful Vodafone McLaren Mercedes - we stick with McLaren.
There were of course the usual spate of technical and sporting regulation changes; my favourite being the limit of a race time to 4 hours to prevent the indefinite suspension of a race due to weather - Canada 2011 (the race that wouldn't end) being the catalyst.
Over here in the UK the biggest news was the broadcasting deal. F1 lived for many years on the BBC. There was a brief period last decade when ITV held the rights; with much controversy over the placing of advert breaks. The BBC then won back the coverage (to pretty much universal delight). Nothing says race day like Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain".
In 2012, however, BBC lost their exclusive hold to Sky. BBC still have some races, and highlights of others - but Sky have them all. They also have a dedicated channel; and unlike ITV they don't interrupt the race with adverts. Most important of all, commentator Martin Brundle went to Sky. After Murray Walker (voice of F1 in my childhood) retired, he became the voice of F1. Sorry BBC - we jumped ship in this house.
The 2012 season has been amazing so far. We started of, as tradition states, (watching the race 'as live' in this house) in Melbourne. The HRT cars failed to qualify for the race after failing to meet the Q1 107% time. That left 22 cars on the track; fourteen finished the race. Despite a safety car Jenson Button who qualified second held his lead and won the race.
Round 2, Malaysia. McLaren looked a dead cert for taking the race after locking out the front row; and Button's strong performance in Australia. It wasn't to be though. Torrential rain interrupted the race and it was suspended for an hour. Tire choices were crucial and any mistake critical. The race, in the end, was won by Alonso, but the big news was Perez taking second (good tire choices).
Round 3 and off to China. Everything still to play for as no team had emerged yet as the run away leaders of the pack. A race (as many) mired in controversy as Lotus protested the legality of Mercedes rear wing design. This challenge was rejected by the FIA and Nico Rosberg and Mercedes went on to win the race (their first in nearly 60 years). The first time in the season the poll sitter had won the race and the third different winner.
Round 4 and, despite the ongoing political and social unrest, off to Bahrain. Once again the poll sitter, this time Vettel won the race. The race was not without incident - as was to happen in several races Hamilton's day was compromised by slow pit stops; team mates Raikkonen and Grosjean battled for that second spot, and once again tires proved crucial as the extra set Kimi had available kept him ahead of his team mate. Four races, four different winners.
Round 5, much to the relief of the British public back to Europe and off to Spain. Hamilton took the poll but it was stripped from him after his car didn't have enough fuel to return to the pits. This gifted the top spot to Williams and Maldonado. Despite strong challenges Maldonado held is lead and gave Williams their first win since 2004 (less than a month after Frank William's 70th Birthday). This also earned a public holiday in Maldonado's home, Venezuela. In case you're counting that is five races and five winners.
Round 6, Monaco - oddly my favourite race. Oddly as the road race nature of the track means overtaking is nearly impossible and nothing much happens without weather. Schumacher looked like returning to his old form setting the fastest qualifying time, but a penalty saw him drop to sixth. Once more controversy was overshadowing the weekend - this time regarding Red Bull (the car on poll). Am I cynical that it is always the car on Poll which seems to attract the protest. The protests were never followed through, Webber maintained his poll and won the race. Yes folks, that is six winners in six races. Still all to play for!
Round 7 and we're leaving Europe for Canada. The FIA ruled Red Bull's floor (challenged in Monaco) illegal, and though the results stood they had to change the car for Canada. Vettel was the Poll sitter, followed by Hamilton, Alonso and Webber. Vettel started strong but was soon passed by Hamilton, and then Alonso. Now it all came down to tires. The two stop followed by Hamilton was now changed by Vettel and Alonso to one stops (Alonso's team beginning their habit of talking on the radio in Spanish so that their tactics were not understood by their competitors!). The strategies failed and not only did they fail to catch Hamilton but they failed even to take a podium with Grosjean and Perez taking 2nd and 3rd respectively. Seven races, seven different winners.
Round 8 and to Spain for the European Grand Prix. Timo Glock's stomach bug saw the field reduced to 19 drivers; with Vettel on Poll. It wasn't to be his day though; his huge lead he built up was nullified by a safety car and finally his car failed him and forced his retirement. Alonso found his way from 11th on the grid to take the race, the first double winner of the 2012 season. An afternoon of Champions as he shared the podium with Raikkonen (2nd) and Schumacher (3rd).
Round 9 and time for the home Grand Prix, we're in Great Britain. The right amount of rain can bring excitement to a race, and there was the promise of wet weather after practice and qualifying were washed out. Race day, naturally (knowing the capricious British weather) was dry. Alonso, who took poll, finished second. Webber who started second won. Vettel who started fourth too third and Schumacher who started third got nothing. The whole race hinged on which tires you used and when, as after wet qualifying when the race started dry the tires were left to the choice of the drivers. There was an accident, an incident in the pit when Kobayashi overshot his box and Pic was allowed to race even though he didn't make the 107% rule.
Round 10 takes us to Germany. Another wet practice and qualifying, another dry race. Another complaint against Red Bull for a rule breaking car. Plus ca change. Alonso held his Poll to win his third race; but there was drama along the way. An early puncture for Hamilton compromised his race but McLaren used him as a weapon against the leaders to help Button up the field. It worked as Button finished second (although only after Vettel was penalised 20 seconds for gaining an unfair advantage).
Round 11 and Hungary. We've passed halfway and it is the last race before the break. This is a race notable for the lack of controversy. The first time in the season there are no grid drops, penalties or accidents. Hamilton kept his Poll to take first race, Raikonnen came from fifth to take second and Grosjean held on in to keep third from his second place on the grid.
Alonso leads the championship by forty points before today's race. But with 25 points for the winner and the pack behind him (Webber, Vettel, Hamilton and Raikonnen) all pretty close nothing is written in stone, and the championship could be blown wide open. So sit, down, relax and in a couple of hours begin enjoying the Belgian Grand-Prix.
For a more in depth coverage of the season I'd recommend my good friend Liz over at 'A Dash of Eau Rouge'
Linking up with Ashley and Neely for the Sunday Social
What is the first website you log into each day? If I'm at home it's Twitter as I have it pinned as an app tab in Firefox. If I'm in-transit it is usually still Twitter. If I don't use the internet until I get to work (highly unusual!) then it is Toodledo (pinned as an app tab) which is my rolling to-do list.
Give us some funny websites that you visit that we need to know about. There is a disproportionate amount of cats involved in these! I do like Lolcats (yes, cats doing cat things with funny captions), the Infinite Cat Project (cats watching cats, and other feline fun stuff), Cracked (caution recommended, occasional adult content) and The Onion. There are a lot of other sites that make me laugh, but they aren't included as they don't set out to!
Pinterest or Facebook? Why? Facebook. It is more useful for keeping up with people. Also Pinterest did a Google+ and were too exclusive for too long and so now a lot of people have found other things to do. Facebook has a lot more 'personal' to it - and it has been around for over 5 years which means I've got a lot of stuff tied up in it.
Twitter or Instagram? Why? For photos only, Instagram. It is a better interface and gives a better product. Also you can send photos to more places than just Twitter at the same time. It also helps you can hash-tag the photos in the comments which saves on 140 character real-estate!
Favorite YouTube video. Post it!
I don't watch a lot of YouTube. Again it is mostly cats (or informational).
I'm going to cheat here... because this is an original YouTube video and it is also one of my best friends.
Biggest online pet peeve? People posting mean things, nonsense and just plain drivel on Twitter. People spamming me by using my Twitter handle. Mostly things relating to Twitter, I do spend a lot of time with Twitter.
As happens every so often (about once a year) I decided it was time for my blog to get a make-over. I hope you like our new look; I think this one might be around for a while!
Linking up with Ashley and Neely for the Sunday Social
What were you like in Middle School/HS?(pictures) So, I'm trying to work out what Middle School and High School equate to in
terms of the UK system; I think that Middle School is when I was at the end
of primary school/a junior at Secondary school and High School when I was
a senior (ages 9-12 and 13+).
Pictures are surprisingly hard to come by! This was the era before digital
cameras so 1) a lot less pictures were taken and 2) most of the ones with
me are at my Mother's house.
What was I like? Well most of the time I didn't really know who I was. I was
lucky enough to go to private school for my primary education and when I went
to secondary the sheer size of everything was very intimidating; I found it
hard to find my place. I was quite a tom-boy growing up, but terrible at sports. I was quite quiet, shy and introverted... and terribly messy (some things don't change).
As do most teenage girls I had terrible body image issues; I wasn't comfortable
with my size, I wore braces on my teeth and I hated my hair (I was constantly
dyeing it!). I can date any picture of me from the age of about 12 onwards by the colour and length of my hair.
Age 10 at Primary
School
Age 10 - getting
ready for horse riding
Age 12 - Joining the Choir
Age 13 - Playing the piano (very 80s sweater)
Age 14 - Senior at Grammar School (dodgy dye-job)
Age 15 - German Exchange (terrible anorak)
Age 16 - with my dog Leo
Age 16 - very dodgy dye-job
Age 17 - School Senior Choir Tour (Geneva)
Age 18 - leaving school (hippy phase)
What were your favorite pass times?
I loved my pets (the dogs and hamsters we had at home) and the Animal House
at school (rats, gerbils, rabbits and more). Until about 13 or 14 I was obsessed
with horses and rode every weekend. I loved then (as now) to read and had
a huge collection of 2nd hand paperbacks. I was also a music geek; I started
learning recorder and guitar when I was about 8 or 9; and I progressed to
piano and singing at 11 (and a brief flirtation with violin in my late teens).
I studied music GCSE and A-level and sang in our church choir until I left
home.
What songs were you obsessed with?(Backstreet Boys anyone?)
I have to admit to never really getting into popular music. I was much more
a show-tunes girl, or classical music. I actually can't think of any songs
I bought between the ages of 7 and 19!
What fashion statement do you look back on and cringe?
All of them! It was the late eighties and early nineties. There were far too
many bright colours about. I also had a horrible habit of wearing oversized
clothes to hide my figure. Finally there was the best forgotten goth phase.
Who was your celeb crush?
Ah, Christian Slater. I had pictures of him stuck all over my 'rough book'
him and Tom Cruise (don't judge me, it was 25 years ago!).
What were your favorite tv shows/movies?
We didn't watch much TV growing up and my parents were very against commercial
programming. There was a lot of BBC in our house; I'm not sure they were my
favourites but I look back with affection at all the old comedies such as
Only Fools and Horses, 'Allo 'Allo and Dad's Army. Movies; well 'Dead Poets
Society' is head and shoulders out in front; but my grandmother did introduce
me to all the Hollywood musicals.
Linking up with Ashley and Neely for the Sunday Social
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? When I was younger I'd have said chocolate without hesitation, but my tooth has got less sweet as I've got older. I'd probably go with raspberries; refreshing yet not too sweet (and lacking in most of the major food groups!).
What's your guilty pleasure/comfort food? I might not have that sweet tooth, but it is still chocolate - for preference Guylian - and when possible one of their 'special' ranges like Opus.
What's the weirdest/craziest thing you've ever eaten? I'm not sure about weird/crazy but I've eaten some unusual things; snails (quite a few times), pigeon (hopefully not one of those London street ones), hare (in a casserole), goat (in Jamaica of course) - although the craziest, if received wisdom is to be believe is the hot dogs from the street vendors in New York (!).
What foods do you avoid at all costs? There isn't much I won't eat (although there are plenty I'd rather not) - the only things I've come across that I can't abide are ochra (also known as lady's fingers) and tapioca (seriously, a milk pudding made of something poisonous if eat raw... how long did it take to work out you needed to cook it?!)
What meal reminds you of your childhood? It's hard to come up with just one... probably the traditional Sunday roast with beef, roast potatoes and yorkshire pudding (as I'd never be bothered to cook all that); or the oxtail stew with pearl barley and dumplings my Gran used to make. For desert it is all those milk puddings, semolina, rice pudding and tapioca... or a good apple and rhubarb crumble with custard.
Share one of your favorite recipes and the story behind it. There is a soup that I make (especially in the winter) - follow the link for the recipe. There are lots of similar recipes out there I'm sure but mine came about about 15 years ago when I was sharing a flat and on my own at home. I couldn't be bothered to go shopping and so lunch was 'whatever is in the fridge' which was pretty much vegetables. The best thing about he soup is you can mix and match vegetables, as long as you keep a bit of garlic and chilli for 'kick' it will always be filling and warming.
Linking up with Ashley and Neely for the Sunday Social
What is your favorite fall activity
Pumpkin carving for Halloween. You can get cheap ones in the supermarket which don't really have much flesh, but plenty of seeds for roasting! I like to get creative with my carving too!
To be honest, there isn't much. Our tree and those of our neighbours shed leaves all over the garden and my better-half has an eternal battle clearing them.
What are your favorite fall outfit staples?
Anything warm once it gets colder. I have a massive and constantly expanding collection of hats, gloves and scarves!
What things are you looking forward to most about this coming fall season?
Same thing I look forward to every year... the NFL game at Wembley Stadium - we have been lucky enough to go every year!
What is your favorite fall holiday? Traditions?
Halloween is one (see above). Even though we aren't American we also celebrate Thanksgiving - we watch the football games and have turkey and sweet potatoes for dinner.
Take my experience this weekend (and see the links at the end of the article to prove it is far from unique). I had been reading a book called "The End of Childhood" by an author publishing under the name Ibnul Jaif Farabi. I enjoyed the book, a great deal; and did what I always do after finishing a book - went off to recommend it to my friends on Goodreads. Funny thing though, no sign of the book. Time to add it to the database, as has happened before with some Kindle books. Back to Amazon for the book details; no sign of the book. A brief internet search revealed that all was not as it seems. This was not an original work of fiction; it was in fact a copy of "Childhood's End" by Arthur C. Clarke. 'Look Inside' on Amazon confirmed this as even the names hadn't been changed! OK, at least I didn't pay for it, I got it on a free download day, but this isn't the only example - not by a long way.
Just like everyone else F1 take a summer holiday. For the whole of August there were no races. The last race (in Hungary) was race 11, just over halfway through the season; so an excellent time to reflect on the season so far. 
As happens every so often (about once a year) I decided it was time for my blog to get a make-over. I hope you like our new look; I think this one might be around for a while!
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