Where I Have Been.

So the past couple of weeks has just been hectic. What with working the ultimate shite job, travelling to ultimate shit job and having to spend almost all my time there. I just simply didn't have time. Yes I hang my head in shame! I promised that I would stick to the rota. Scheduled times I had to blog and well I FAILED. What with one problem and another....... Life just seriously got in the way!

Following my week off for my birthday and a recent fall out with a friend, which I have now gotten over.... I'm moving on. Not time for losers in my life. I spent my week off shopping mainly.......

Ssssshhhhhh Our secret :)



What's kept me busy, I hear you ask.

Here goes.

Had a very eventful few weekends. Spending time with my girls and some very needed family time. So last weekend I met up with 2 girlies I used to work with (till I was relocated of course grrrrrr) we met up for an afternoon of chatting, laughing and eating so good grub. Was lovely seeing them. We actually laughed so much at one point the waiter thought we were crazy. We laughed and laughed and laughed until we almost had desert coming out our noses. I actually love these girls. Without them the past few weeks I would have quite possibly quit my job, they have been my rocks!



Moving on. I've been trying to read the mountain of new books I have bought, I've told myself I mustn't buy anymore until the 15 that I have on my shelf are read. Seriously I think I am addicted to buying them! I cant stop! My issue is, when the local supermarkets have them on special 2 for £7 I know they don't stock them for long..... and I really don't appreciate having to pay full price for them. Since Christmas, I can say I have bought loads! As I also got a gift voucher for Amazon, as a leaving gift from my old colleagues I have bought some from there too. Now I was going to do book reviews on my latest reads, but I honestly don't want to ruin the story line for anyone..... However advise you to buy these :)

Brilliant book, advise people to read. I just couldn't put it down.

I have not actually read this, I have been flicking though, advise any busy mum to purchase

I read this in under a week, I just couldn't stop. Page after page I wanted my evenings to be longer.

 

 

That isn't all I have been doing. I ventured up London with my boys, a family day out on a cold bitter, even snowing at times Sunday morning (shivering as I type thinking back). So we are Merlin Annual Pass Holders, we get in all the Tussaud groups attractions:

 

• LegoLand
• Chessington World Of Adventures
• Alton Towers
• Thorpe Park
• Warwick Castle
• Madam Tussauds
• London eye
• The Dungeons
• Sealife Centres (Nationwide)
• Blackpool Tower

As well as gaining free entry to all the above for a year, we also get 20% off all eating (not incl franchises ie Burger King, Pizza Hut etc.) drinks and merchandise, but also free parking at the theme parks, up to 40% stays in the theme park hotels and more, they cost a fair bit but if you calculate the amount it costs to get into each place, even if you only visit each attraction once, you have well made your money back.

 

Anyways, we normally spend lots of times in the theme parks weekends, summer holidays etc. We actually love them and with the passes I have to say it is a cheap day out :) As many of you know the London Dungeons has now moved to its new location next to the London eye. I wanted to go there, as I love the dungeons! However the child wasn't so keen. He doesn't do scary...... I explained that all the people in there were actors and there was nothing to be scared of. Eventually he gave in. and we decided to spend the day there! some snaps from out day out.

 



 

The queue for the dungeons was MASSIVE! Luckily cause we had passes we could priority queue meaning a fraction of the time compared to the normal line :) We didn't manage to get on the eye, the boys wanted to visit Madam Tussauds more than go on the eye, plus in the freezing cold, with numb feet, we were happy to go indoors. The pictures unfortunately from Madam Tussauds are on my camera, which I have misplaced. Its here somewhere....... I just got to figure out where I have put it!

 

After the above and the realisation of a 4 day week. I'm now happy to have a long weekend! the weather was cold, the skies were white and spitting out more of the unwanted white stuff! being financial year end at work, I have to say its been manic! Every moment spent away from the office is a blessing!

 







Outside the office my moment of tranquil, the sights!

 

This week also saw the return of PJ & Duncan, Following the Saturday night takeaway reunion :) Pure madness, As soon as they performed I knew what was coming next:

 

Own up who downloaded it?





 

 

Easter is upon us! as its early this year, seems this year is going ever so fast :( soon it will be Christmas again. It sucks but its happening. I spend all week wishing for the weekend to hurry and come round, that I forget I am actually wishing my life away. This Easter I wanted to be different. I wanted to do something personal and meaningful. I decided that I wasn't going to buy Eggs, I was going to bake a little and mould some chocolates myself and give them out. I set to work, needed supplies, so on my first day off of a long weekend I was up early, excited about the prospect ahead. I headed to the local supermarket. Spent a small fortune on ingredients but I was looking forward to the task ahead.

 





Excuse the cheap flour seems supermarket on good Friday doesn't stock much :(

 

 

After hours of moulding, melting and packing goodie bags and baking cupcakes in between. I can honestly say melting and moulding chocolate SUCKS! seems so easy but I can tell you it isn't!!!! I have actually gone off chocolate for life now! the finished product.



 

Now I gave some out on Friday afternoon cause I knew I wouldn't have time to make and bake loads and give them out on Sunday. Everyone loved them. They said they added the personal touch, that they looked lovely and actually showed that little extra. I however didn't think so, I wasn't happy with the bags! Next year I can honestly say, as soon as I see the Eggs cheap in the supermarket I am going to BUY THEM....... :) Saturday indeed was spent baking more cakes and cupcakes to pass round for Sunday. I am officially BAKED out.



 I am spending today visiting family (once finished this blog) I shall be doing no baking, cooking or anything else that involves the kitchen today. I refuse :)

Finally Happy Easter everyone, I hope you are all enjoying your long weekend and spending lots of time with your loved ones :)

Lists, I Love Them.

People that know me know that I love my lists. I write them daily.... Without them I would be lost. I like to think they make me organised, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. December I done a different kind of list, I wrote a bucket list. Yes I know so cliché, but due to having a lot of upheaval in my life recently I thought I needed something to work towards.

Now my bucket list isn't one for life its one for a year. In January I started working to tick a few bits off.

The List:

1. Create a bucket list
2. Visit the theatre at least 3 times
3. Get another tattoo
4. Write something in wet cement
5. See a psychic
6. Knit something
7. Learn how to make clothes
8. Attend an art or pottery class
9. Complete a photo a day challenge for a whole 365 days
10. Delete Facebook
11. Give up smoking
12. Dye hair something different
13. Get a fringe cut in
14. Watch all episodes 1-10 of SATC
15. Get a new job
16. Have afternoon tea somewhere posh
17. Create a blog
18. Paint the hallway
19. Paint the kitchen
20. Save for a Michael Kors watch

It doesn't seem much, but some of those things are pretty big for me. I wanted this as something to work towards. I know some of those things seem trivial, but everyone should have a few things to work towards.

The progress so far.

Now seriously I only started thinking I could/should actually do these these things last month! But so far I have completed:

1. Created a bucket list
2. Got another tattoo
3. Get a fringe cut in (even if I hide it)
4. Create a blog
5. Got the Michael Kors watch

5 out of 20..... I don't think that's bad work at all :)

I need some of the items on the list really need time and effort put into them! time and effort i am seriously lacking at the moment due to being mentally tortured at work :(

Anyways, have you created a bucket list yet? If so what things have you listed and which have you completed.

Do share!

People Watching.

This is the in thing for me at the moment, since starting my new job in the city. I am getting in to the routine of being at the station for a specific time, in order to catch the tube at the same time as the lady with the pink hair and the man with the green rucksack! these people are there as normality to me, a reference to knowing I am on time. So the journey to work really isn't that interesting to be honest! Its just people reading the Metro and sipping take away coffees and tea's. This morning I ventured out of the office at peak time 8:55am....... wow its like a surreal experience. A nonstop stream of people, jumping off the walking bus at their varied stops. Business women who clearly wear 9inch heels all day, showing off their trainers and north face jackets!

The way home now is another story!

Get on train at 2:35pm London Bridge. Head through all the stops and arrive at Dollis Hill at approx. 3.05pm, unless the tube decided to stop mid tunnel (and scaring the life out of me thinking were stuck). I then start the 1.3 Mile walk, all up hill through a park to home. Monday was a killer being the first day and all, the second day wasn't as bad and yesterday I diverted to Oxford Street for a visit to Primark before heading home and being collected by my wonderful partner in the car :).

Now Monday and Tuesday and again today I noticed 2 teenagers sitting in the park on the bench, clearly boyfriend and girlfriend, but everyday the boy brings the girl a present Monday was flowers, Tuesday chocolates and today something that was wrapped in colourful paper! Now I may be jumping to conclusions, but where they sit is behind the track too far to see from the top of the hill and only really noticeable because I people watch and the route I take isn't very busy. I believe they are hiding their romance from public eye. They are tentative towards each other, but very on edge. Now I don't think by how jumpy they are that they are supposed to be together, the girl wears a headscarf and the boy is clearly not the same religion. He is so into her, they sit cuddling, I wondered today how long they sit there?. Now today is not the nicest of days, the wind is blowing and its raining, but they are still sat there regardless, the boy was holding the umbrella over her. I clearly don't stop, but it makes me smile that 2 people are so into each other and then sad because they really like each other yet cant show the world!

The sweetest thing of all is that the boy brings her a present every time I see them. If she is hiding the relationship, how does she explain the gifts?

Is this the only time they see each other? How long has it been going on......? I am genuinely interested!  It must be horrid not to be able to just be teenagers and be happy. Lying and deceiving at such a young age.

I hate to say it but how can two people stay together, when they cant be together? Will the day come where I am walking home and the boy is sat waiting but the girl doesn't show up?

I am glad that I can see young love, that its not dead. I see the spark, yet I also see the unhappiness of hiding :(

I am not going the same way tomorrow because I have other plans, but I hope I see them again!

If this is true love for the unknown 'hiding their love' strangers I sincerely hope they find a way of being together forever.

First Day Blues

Well after a weekend of apprehension and fear and lovely tweets telling me im officially the London Version of Carrie Bradshaw (without the heels) Monday arrived! Actually hit me clean in the face if im honest! Getting ready for work was a chore, the brushing and straightening of the hair was an immense task! Similar to climbing a mountain! So on my merry (ok not so merry way) I headed into the big smoke!

 

I climbed aboard the tube, yes I had swapped my Mercedes Benz with leather seats and alloy wheels for this! Grubby chairs, tin wheels and an annoying announcer telling me the entire way ‘this tube terminates at Stratford’ I sat looking aimlessly around, ok I was people watching! Some smart, some not so smart, I was surrounded by people coughing and sneezing……. It freaked me out!

 

I have lived in London all my life! I was born in Hampstead, Grew up in West Hampstead and Cricklewood……. I’ve never said anything bad about the city, its my home! I rarely travel by public transport, I may get on a bus about 2/3 times a year, but I am a girl if I can drive I will! Yes lazy maybe, but realistically if I have a car outside my door, with petrol, just waiting to go, then I am hardly going to decide oh lets go by bus/tube because its easier? Cause really it isn’t!

 

So Monday went a little bit like this (following the tube journey)

 

I arrived at the office at 6:55am…… I walk in and thankfully there was no one there! I claimed my new desk which I can say is smaller than the room I had on the tube! Anyways the keyboard was minging, the mouse didn’t work and the phones were beeping at me? Arghhhhhh I wanted to run screaming out the place! Now previous to my move, I was indeed treated rather badly, by the people whom I had worked with for 6 years! I had made friends, they knew me, they accepted me or so I thought! The situation was that bad before the move that even if I had a private office overlooking hot builders, with surround sound and a movie screen inside, I still wouldn’t have been happy (it’s a comfort zone thing). I wanted to see the girls walk in, Instead I was unhappy wondering whether accepting the move was the actual right thing to do!

 

So I took to emailing my girls, my sister, in fact anyone that would listen and respond!

 

My plea email went like this:

 

Its 7:20am.

 

Im not happy!

 

Ive been left with literally the crap!

 

I hate it already! The keyboard is broken, the chair is dirty and all my stuff that I had couriered over I cant find!

 

Tell me why I am doing this again?

 

They all said the same thing! That I needed to give it time and that I wasn’t going to like it straight away. I accepted that! Nothing right then was going to make me happy! NOTHING!

 

So anyways after getting a new keyboard, mouse and stationary, I finally managed to track down my box! It was lurking in reception! To which all my prize desk stuff was in there, which wont fit now anyways cause the desk is TINY! But hey I have a few comforts!

 

I then got to thinking I can work here! Ok im not dressed the best, Maybe don’t even look the part…… But I am me! who cares if I don’t have the shortest skirt or the funkiest clothes! WHO CARES! (ok me a little bit but im working on that honest) I just have to keep my head down, do my work and go home… That’s it! Simple! Then I had an idea! If I get into the office at 7am every day then officially I could change my hours from 7:30am-3:30pm (with an hour lunch) to 7:00am – 2:30pm with a half hour break! Im a frigging genius me!!!! I set to emailing the boss! I waited and waited for a response!

 

Then he called and said that it was fine! whooooooooooohoooooooooooo it was already 10:30am at this point! Yay! Ok the 30 mins lunch break sucks! But when its raining and just cold what would I be doing anyways!? Sitting at my desk I suppose working! Which is what normally happens!

 

The day indeed was getting better! So off I trot at 2.30pm, Blissful it was the tube was empty, the sun was shining and to be honest I was home 30 mins before I would normally be home!

 

This suited me fine!

 

                                Some pictures of the view from my office! Ok I admit all very special!

 

View from one window

 

Just behind my building

Another from just behind my building

What I can see from my desk

 

 

Im also 5 stops away from Westfield Stratford, 5/6 stops from oxford street and this does make me smile! I can “pop” down the shops at my leisure now which is great! I don’t normally venture far from home but now I can if I want!

 

Just A Little Bit.

Hello, welcome to my Blog.

First of all let me introduce myself. I am Nikki,  a working mum and I live in London. I have tried Blogging a couple of times before, but being honest, I actually ran out of stories to tell.

This blog is going to be my online diary for the next step of my life, not only that, but days out, bargains spotted and lots of random stuff! Ive scheduled time a side for writing, so this time I wont allow it to fail. The last blog I done was a lot of time about nothing to be honest, this isnt going to be like that. Im hoping to become " The Need To Read " the blog stored in your favourites :).I currently write all my shizzle down in a notebook, on my ipad etc...... its about time I bought those to life and shared my stuff with people!

Im a Loud Chav (self confessed) I am the girl who looks hard and emotionless, but im not. I am honest, I love my girlies. I have a handleful of close friends, who I would die for!

My Family, are my boys! thats all. I unfortunately have an on off relationship with my other family. Of course I would be there if they called & I would do anything for them, however sometimes this is not returned if the situation was the other way round.

I get down, I get annoyed and sometimes even too happy!

This blog is about me! My rules, my opinions and all my randomness!