Where is the time going?

I can't believe how fast time is going, I don't know if it's just me getting older or what, but at times I feel like hitting the "pause button" just so I can catch up with life! I never seem to have enough time in the day to do everything I want. Next week we enter October which means we only have 3 months left of 2014 then it's hello 2015! In work we are discussing Christmas and work parties, perhaps that is part of the problem, shops etc are always moving onto the next event in the calendar, months in advance. You will just get Christmas out of the way and Easter eggs will appear!  I know that for me the time between now and Christmas will fly by, I am involved in our local amateur dramatics panto which is being staged the week commencing 1st December but when you break it down into rehearsals, it's not many! You know Christmas isn't far away when the date for the X Factor final is announced and you realise just how fast time is going when you work out dates, such as it's 11 years since I started in my current job, my son is 18, I am celebrating my 8th wedding anniversary next month, these are all things that feel like they only happened the other day. If time could just slow down a little then I would be grateful, life is too short as it is without the time we do have flashing by before our eyes. Enjoy and treasure every second of life because before you know where you are you will have blinked and missed it! 

Ironman Wales 2014

There is just 1 more sleep until 2000 people take to the streets and seas of Tenby and surrounding area for this years Ironman Wales 2014. This will be the 4th year Pembrokeshire has hosted this event and it has grown massively over the last 4 years. It includes a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run and competitors have 17 hours to complete it in, assuming they have completed each stage in the time allocated. There are different opinions about the weekend as it does involve a lot of road of closures on Sunday, and there have been attempts made in the past to sabotage the event, including putting tacks on the bike route. I admit the road closures can be frustrating, but you need to look on the positive side and see the people, atmosphere and revenue it brings to the area, people from all over the world attend this event and many locals also now take part in it.  As well as the main Ironman there is also Ironkids which is held today, and includes children taking part in a run, and then this year they get to cross the official Ironman finish line. Anyone from the age of 3 can take part in this event and in total 750 children will be participating. Last year I actually got into Tenby for the 7am start with the swim, the atmosphere on the day is absolutely amazing, there is massive support for the competitors, lots of screaming, clapping, cheering and also tears.  I'm pleased to say I will be going into Tenby again this Sunday and can't wait to see it, even though it does mean getting up very early! What I like is you don't have to be in Tenby to see it, you get plenty of opportunities to see the bike ride and run from plenty of places in South Pembrokeshire, I know lots of villages now make a big effort to take part in the event, and I really would encourage you to see it for yourself if you haven't done so already, and for those naysayers out there who don't like the occasion, you can always have a weekend away somewhere or stay at home and join in with the crowds, you never know might actually get to like it! 

Good luck to all the competitors, rather you than me!

A must have on your your Christmas list

Pandora http://www.pandora.net its a name I have heard of but didn't know a lot about and I certainly didn't realise the popularity of this company until last year. Christmas morning 2013 I opened a present, which inside contained the most beautiful white box and inside this box was the most stunning bracelet. Yes it was a Pandora bracelet. For those of you who don't know, the idea of a Pandora bracelet is that it can either be worn on its own, which personally to me looks a little bit bare or there are the most amazing charms which you can buy to go on it. The charms start at approximately £25 and then go into the higher price range especially if you want one that contains gold in the design. There are charms available for all most every occasion and that's what I love about them, you can personalise your bracelet which is what I am currently having fun in doing. I love crusing so I have a cruise ship charm, I am involved in Amateur Dramatics so I have a theatre mask charm, others I have include a bride & groom, a son, a camel, the dragon zodiac, my birthstone, an angel and recently I went to France and my In Laws bought me a beautiful red, white and blue charm, so like I say there really is a charm for every occasion. They can be bought at any time of the year but it's nice to have one bought for you at Christmas time, Birthdays, Anniversary or this week my niece bought my sister one because she has gone to Uni, and she wanted something special to give her mum. My only disappointment with Pandora is they bought out a beautiful essence range but the charms don't fit the existing bracelet I have which means you would have to buy another bracelet, not a good move in my eyes Pandora! The bracelets come in different sizes which is a big advantage as I only have a very small wrist, which usually limits me in what bracelets I can wear but this means I can get to wear a stunning one.  I was also very excited when a Pandora shop opened in Carmarthen last year which tied in with me having my bracelet for Christmas! I remember I was in Cardiff last year Christmas shopping and I glanced across and saw a que so long they had to put barriers out for the que to zig zag around, and I then discovered it was the Pandora shop! I have never known such a demand for an item, saying that my mum, sister, niece and several of my friends all now own a Pandora bracelet as well.  Due to the value of them especially with the charms I do like the fact you can buy a safety chain which is one of the first items I bought and also you buy spacers which again I have 2 of, they help keep the charms in sections so they don't all bang against each other.  Not only do I love the charms but I love the presentation boxes they come in and also the bags, you can see in the photo below how beautiful the presentation is. It really is a lovely feeling to come out of the shop and walk around town carrying a Pandora bag, trust me!

It's amazing how many times you hear Pandora mentioned in people's conversations, only this week at our local auditions I was sat next to a young man and woman and they discussed most things, including Pandora bracelets! Recently they launched an annual charm which is a beautiful silver box and inside the box is a heart.  I remember on the lead up to the launch they asked people to guess what was in the silver box.  This is a charm which I would love to have on my bracelet.  So to sum it up, Pandora to me spells out:

Presentation

Affordable

Noticeable

Dainty

Original

Reliable 

Attractive

During this blog I have been describing to you what my bracelet looks like, well now it's time to show you so here it is.

Doesn't it look fabulous and don't forget Pandora also sells rings, earrings and bracelets which are all just as beautiful as the bracelets and charms. The great thing is once your bracelet is full then you can start again on another one! 

If you get the chance.

Today is a very special day for me as it's my 7th anniversary, not my wedding anniversary as that comes next month but the anniversary of when myself and my family moved into our new home.  Its not just any home, it's very special as it was designed by my dad and we then had it built. Trying to get on the property ladder is virtually impossible nowadays and due to low wages buying was never going to be an option for us.  Thankfully my In Laws had a garden which was big enough to be a building plot. So after purchasing the land and sorting out all the legal side of things and the paperwork we started on our new build. It took just under a year to build but the wait was worth it as we now have a lovely 3 bed detached house in a lovely area and my In Laws live just next door! The advantage of building yourself is that you get it exactly as you want it.  There are stressful moments but also I remember the exciting times we had going into stores, looking and choosing furniture and fixtures and fittings for the house. At the time of building my son was 11 and it was all change for him as not only was he moving into a new home but 2 days later he also was starting comprehensive school.  Previously to moving in I had never lived anywhere else except at my parents house which is 10 minutes away from where I live now.  I have always been fortunate enough to get on with my parents and they have never turned their back on me, when my son was born he also lived with me at my parents for the first 11 years of his life, and I can never thank them enough for all they have done for me and Matt.  I remember the night I moved out of my parents and into my new house, I cried as not only was this was a big step for me but I knew I was in for exciting times ahead.  I got married the year before we moved into our new home, so for a year after marriage not only did my parents have me and my son living with them whilst we were in the middle of building, but they also had my husband, it's as well we all get along! Getting married the year before also meant we were fortunate enough to have some amazing wedding presents to take into our new home with us.  It's funny because at the time you have ideas of what you want but 7 years later my husband and I do look back and say we may have chosen differently on some items, for example we realise now that we didn't need a microwave that is also a grill etc and a washing machine that does all sorts of fancy things, and at the time we wanted silver appliances where as now we are quite happy with white! We were very fortunate before moving in as we bought some furniture and were also given some by friends of my parents who were selling up and moving to Cardiff, and also friends of ours were changing their bedroom furniture so they gave us a whole load of furniture including bed, wardrobes, drawers etc and 7 years later all the furniture is still going strong.  I won't lie, building your own house does have it's ups and downs but it's worth it and I recommend it to anybody who gets the chance to do it!

Time for winter work boots

I know it's hard to think of Autumn coming with the gorgeous sunshine we've had this week but the reality is that it's not far away and that means one thing, yes it will soon be time to pack away the work skirt and sandals and the trousers and boots will soon be making an appearance! I needed a new pair of boots so while I've been off work this week I was pleased to receive an email on Wednesday from Freemans https://www.freemans.com offering me 20% off fashion and footwear, although it was slightly annoying because after I placed an order I had an email on Thursday offering me 30%! However 20% was a good saving so I went onto the web site and I ordered a Black pair of Chelsea ankle boots size 7 which cost £45 but with the discount has ended up costing me £36.00. http://www.freemans.com/products/chelsea-boots/_/A-965034_3 I found the whole ordering process very simple to use and what I did like is the fact you can choose to have your item delivered to a local shop which I did, its a newsagents in the village which is less than 5 minutes away.  This service is convenient if you know that you won't be in when they try and deliver your item.  Freemans then send you an email to confirm that your order is on it's way and that email contains a simple to follow tracking process.  They tell you that you will receive a text message when your item has arrived at the shop and at 2.30pm today (Friday) I received the text message telling where to collect my item from and to make sure I take some form of ID with me.

First impression is very pleasing, it's nice to see the bag saying "Thank you for your order" and once opened you can in the picture below the contents, which include the boots, your despatch note, a parcel shop returns service information sheet and also a Free Royal Mail Returns information sheet, this is an added bonus that you can return the item if needed for free.

Regarding the boots themselves, the first thing I noticed is how light they are, also they are easy to pull on and very comfy to wear, I have quite a wide foot so sometimes boots can feel tight on me but these feel perfect.  When you are on your feet in work all day you need to be comfy.  I can even go as far to say I'm looking forward to work on Monday so I can wear my new boots! 

Social media

Up until recently I had heard of people blogging and tweeting but never really understood what the obsession was, and I could never understand why my sister was constantly on her pad keeping herself updated.  One day I decided to give it a go and I have to say I can see what the attraction is and I'm hooked on it.  If you get me and my sister together you won't get 2 words out of us! Some of you may now be saying that that's the problem, technology is killing conversation but its not, I believe these social networking sites are a way of people socialising even more. I love my blog page, I have only received 2 comments up to now but not to worry its early days, but when I press my audience tab it shows people in the UK, USA, Poland, France and Japan are looking at my blog page and that puts a smile on my face and encourages me to write more. I admit I don't fully understand how to get the best out of my blog page but I am certainly having fun in finding out. Over the next couple of days I'm even going to attempt to review a product including photos, watch this space! I love using twitter, I have been on it for just over a week and already gained 10 followers and I have had replies and retweets from Thomas Cook, Easy Jet, National Trust, Pembrokeshire Lottery, icklepicklex and ship mate, not bad for just over 1 week. Another one I like using is Facebook, again at first I used to just look on there and not comment but now I've got to grips with it you can't keep me off it!  The only thing I don't like about social media is the bullying, nasty comments and negativity that comes from it, this isn't what people should be using it for and that side of it needs to stop. Overall social media plays a big part in our lives and things like the ice bucket challenge shows us just how powerful it can be! Talking of ice bucket challenge,  have you done yours yet?

When was the last time you cried?

I am an emotional person and can cry quite easily at most things, I even cry when someone in Eastenders or Coronation Street is getting married! It's important to cry, I know some people see it as being soft but it's not, even the hardest of people cry at some point in there lives. So back to my question when was the last time you cried? For me it was just over a week ago when my son left for his holidays, I could feel it building it up and at first I tried to hold back the tears but then I just let them go. I believe crying on that day showed and confirmed to my son I love I have for him, just like I was in floods of tears when he passed his theory test and then his driving test and not forgetting of course the day he was born! Crying can be a sign of happiness as well as misery and I think it's important to remember that.  Other times in my life when I've cried has been at work when patients have been rude to me, and also at funerals, again I try and hold back the tears but why? If that's the emotion inside of you then there's nothing wrong in showing it, other times also include when I came off my first cruise, I had enjoyed it so much I didn't want to leave the ship and likewise coming home from DisneyWorld the same happened again. At the time you feel a bit embarrassed but you shouldn't, crying to me just proves that you are human. 

My favourite ........

Each week I am going to tell you about my favourite ......., it could be place, restaurant, film, make of car etc and to start me off this week I'm going to tell you about my favourite supermarket which is Tesco http://www.tesco.com.  I have to be honest and say I used to shop at Asda, every Saturday afternoon my husband and I would get in the car with our shopping bags (as you have to pay 5p each here in Wales) and we would head off to a place called Pembroke Dock which is about 20 minutes away. I have nothing against Asda and I would probably say it's now my 2nd favourite store.  Why change to Tesco then I hear you ask, well the answer is online shopping, and before you say anything yes I know Asda provide on line shopping as I have used it several times, but after trying out Tesco's I realised I much prefer their site, the main difference is that they give you the offer start and end dates unlike Asda did and also the web site is clear and simple to use  I have to say on line shopping is a god send to me as I work full time so I don't particularly fancy spending my weekend having to travel and shop, and why pay petrol to get there especially the current cost of it when you can have it delivered for as little as £1.  I have never had a bad experience with Tesco either in store or on line and of course as previously mentioned in my blog page, I love the Tesco Hudl. But it amazes me how many supermarkets there are, I can honestly say I'm not a fan of Aldi or Lidl and the Coop I find expensive, but not as bad as when I stayed in the Lake District and shopped in Budgens, I thought they had made a mistake and put my shopping through twice! At the end of the day they are all much of a much and yes on TV it will show a product cheaper in Asda than Tesco, but likewise there will be a product in Tesco which is cheaper than Asda which they haven't shown and so on. I also think  self service is brill to use in store, especially when you can see a long que in front of you and you are only buying a couple of items, usually milk, but my current favourite thing which is in place is in Tesco in Carmarthen is where you go around with your own barcode scanner, it's great to use and I hope all stores follow suit with it! I  know some of you will read this and agree with me and others will disagree, but everybody is entitled to their own opinion and wouldn't it be boring if we all thought the same!

Enjoy Life

People spend a lot of time wishing they had better things in life, better jobs, better cars, better homes, better bodies but what they don't realise is that in the time they are wishing for better things, the time and the things they currently have are going past very quickly.  You only get one life and nobody knows how long you have it for so therefore it's important to make the most of it and accept and appreciate what you have got or have been given.  There is always somebody who is worse off than you.  For the last 11 years I have worked in a medical centre as a receptionist and I think since working there I have looked upon life in a different manner.  When I was younger I used to think you were guaranteed your life until you were well into your 90's, obviously as I got older I realised that this isn't the case.  Recently a young lad passed away at the age of 18 through illness, that's when it really hits home especially when he's the same age and a mate of my son's.  We need to all stop and think about what we have got and enjoy it, that's the problem nowadays everybody seems to live in super fast time, you are always reading on Facebook and twitter people stating so many days and months until Christmas or until their next holiday, and shops are always so many seasons ahead of themselves.  Sometimes I feel that the society we live in just needs to slow down a little and give us time to reflect. So next time you find yourself thinking and wishing for something better, just remember that there are those who would give anything to be in your shoes just as you are!