So I'm now four calendar months into my 101/1001 challenge. As of today, that's 119 days down, with 882 days to go. I'm still feeling very much motivated to keep myself on track, which is nice as I think around now is the time when doubts could start to creep in about any goals that may not have been properly thought through. That's not to say that there are goals I'm not nervous about, but none that I feel were made just to fill space in my list.
This Month...
02Completed [03 completed overall]
#18 : Take Half Pint on the Jacobite (aka the Hogwarts Express) - read about it here
#03 : Create a recipe book with diet recipes - I've chosen my first few recipes and had found a template to put them in. But the template isn't exactly how I'd like it, so I think I'm going to design my own.
#16 : Sign Half Pint up for piano lessons - I sat down at the piano with him and took him through the basics of notes, octaves, scales and reading music. He picked it up very well, so now I just need to get my act together and hunt down a tutor for him.
#52 : Perfect five non-diet main courses - in completing goal #56, I found a new family favourite!
#54 : No meat for a month - I gave Quorn another try (this time sausages rather than mince), and didn't suffer any negative effects. Progress.
#04 : Work out at least twice a week - I have killed this during June, I will be making a separate post about this, including my 30 Day Shred progress.
#06 : Do the 30 Day Shred - I've been doing this on the days I don't have another form of exercise planned, and I've got up to level 2 so far...might try level 3 next week. But as I've not done it every day, and my eating is more off track than I'd like, I'm treating this as a practice run!
#09 : Walk 300 miles - measuring this hasn't been easy, given how craptastic RunKeeper has been since my phone updated. But it looks as if I walked about 16miles this month, taking my running total up to 34.5/300miles. A lot of this was due to Half Pint doing his cycling proficiency at school, and us not being able to fit his bike into my car which saw me doing a nearly five mile round trip by foot to the school and back on three occasions.
#19 : Learn and use five baby sign language words - I'm trying to focus on more, drink and eat right now...but I keep forgetting to use them!
#20/#40 : Be the dog walker once a week/Brush the pooch once a week - just twice/once this month...oops.
#34 : Clear all my things from mum & dad's house - I've cleared out half a cupboard of my stuff, and helped Half Pint cull/sort some of his stash too.
#51 : Plant a herb window box - we have shoots of coriander, but they aren't fully grown yet.
#60/#61 : Blog my 101/1001 journey/Blog twice a week - I've taken this to a new level by starting this blog.
#85 : Read at least 75% of the books I own - I finished one book in June, taking me to 5/132...which is pretty crap!
#100 : Put £10 in a jar for every completed goal - there's now £30 in there!
No real leaps forward for goals #01, #08, #21, #29, #30, #37, #38, #64 but they haven't slacked off either.
I must start this series of posts with a confession - I am a beauty newbie. Yes, at nearly 30 years old. Sure I own GHDs, I rarely leave the house without some form of make up on and I own at least one pair of a. heels so high I can't walk in them and b. floral print ballet pumps. But this is all to mask the basic fact that I suck at being a girl.
At least, that's what all the ads in glossy magazines imply. On the other side, we have a certain strain of feminists who would say that my inability to remember to epilate until I'm verging on gorilla status, my utter bafflement at how the hell you apply fake lashes and my point blank refusal to wear leggings-as-trousers, bikinis, hot pants or ball-sack trousers (sorry, "harem pants") means that I am the ideal, raw example of womanhood.
I reject both of these schools of thought. I don't think a woman's level of femininity is defined by how fake she can make herself look or how mush flesh she flashes, but I also don't think that doing so means she's been beaten into submission by the patriarchy. I think that what being a woman is all about is being free to chose one extreme or the other, or anywhere in between.
And with this in mind, welcome to Feminista Fridays, a blog post series in which I will discuss my progress through the section of my Day Zero list which focuses on my outward appearance (goals #26-#33). I am no beauty blogger though, so expect posts under this banner to be peppered with mistakes, cluelessness and cries for help rather than glamorous selfies and home made tutorial vids. I'm guessing my journey will throw up some feminist discussion/ranting along the way too...because I do think there is a lot of crossover.
With my new job looming just a few weeks away, my thoughts have turned to tidying myself up to make a good impression. I'll admit that my last job ripped my confidence to shreds and I gave up on myself. I gained weight, lost all interest in my appearance and shut myself away. I've spent my maternity leave trying to like myself again - a struggle which is far from over. One thing I have noticed along the way is that if I look better on the outside I feel much better within, which was the catalyst for thinking up the goals in this section. And with me being on the verge of a new stage in my life, there probably is no better time to give these goals some attention.
The first two goals in my crosshairs are #32 "get my nails done monthly" and #33 "get my hair done every ten weeks" (which will no doubt lead on to #30 "learn how to wear my hair in three new ways"). I'm thinking Shellac and a fringe restyle...have I bitten off more than I can chew, and will there be tears in the salon? I'll keep you posted.
Now, I'm not really a fan of the brash types of reality TV. The thought of Big Brother, TOWIE or any of these shows which makes people famous simply for getting their mug in front of a camera leaves me very cold. And a little bit depressed at the state of the human race. However, I will admit to having a soft spot for shows where contestants get through on the strength of their work ethic and ability. But after another lacklustre series of the Voice, and the run up to this year's X Factor failing to set me alight, I'm getting pretty done with the talent format too. And don't even start me on the Apprentice, it brings me out in a violent full-body rage. But there is one show I've never lost interest in - the Next Top Model franchise. American, Australian, British...I don't care, I'll watch and get hooked on any series I come across. What is strange about this is that I don't have any sort of interest in fashion or the industry behind it. I never harboured the desire (or the bone structure) to be a model myself. This shouldn't be a programme that grabs me on any level. But it totally does. And so this week was very exciting for me, as series 9 of Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model kicked off with a double bill. TV heaven.
I'm still mourning the loss of stylist Grace Woodward from the judging panel. Her sharp wit and straight talking hit the perfect note of constructive criticism and credibility. This year we have Dannii Minogue instead, which I was happier about than last year's Whitney Port because I think Dannii is strong in her opinions but doesn't say things just for shock. But in the opening episode something about her seemed off...like she had lost her sparkle. I guess it must be hard to dazzle when you're stood next to Elle Macpherson though. Elle sashays into shot like some extra terrestrial creature, all mile long limbs and unimaginable radiance. Poor Dannii. Poor anyone within a 30 mile radius.
I've taken an instant dislike to one of the contestants already. Angel. She's up there with Apprentice contestants as having the unique ability to make me feel rage in every cell of my body. From the affected accent, to the "split personality" in a desperate attempt to make herself interesting, to talking down to people over tiny comments. I couldn't believe it when she asked the other girls to punch her when she was told she had made it into the competition...why did no one take her up on her offer?! I would have gladly slapped her.
The trail at the end of the first episode showed clips of a lot of girls crying, a good indicator that this series is going to be fun. And the second episode, where the competition really started, didn't disappoint. What better way to bring out the bitchy than brides versus bridesmaids? And the bitchy is something I love about this show - the girls will often be very upfront how they feel about one another's performance or behaviour. I think that adds a new dimension for the viewer, because we get to really evaluate how the contestants are doing and what they are truly like (in as far as the producers will allow us). That is so different from other talent shows where we often only see the practised and stage-managed performance, and where the contestants never give away anything real because they're so busy pretending to get along.
Next week is makeover week...the real reason anyone watches this programme. I can't wait.
For a lot of places, Sunday was Father's Day. I will openly admit that after many years together I sometimes feel as if I've exhausted my reservoir of gift ideas for the Milkman (which isn't particularly deep at the best of times. Yes, I'm crap...). However, even though this was his 14th Father's Day it was his first as daddy to Mini Milk, so I actually started putting in some thought early.
I think the most simple yet effective gift for a parent is something their child has made for them. Even if it's not instantly recognisable what that thing is, most parents will still be touched at the concept. But at just nine months I thought craft projects were a little beyond Mini Milk's remit. Trawling Pinterest proved me wrong, and I was instantly taken with the idea of surprising the Milkman with baby artwork.
It was this Pin that did it. I loved the idea of a canvas covered in splodgy paint, but with a legible message to give it true meaning.
I hadn't considered painting as an option, given that Mini Milk still evaluates anything within reach by giving it a good old chew, but it turns out that you can make your own edible paint. Not that I would recommend serving it up as a meal, but as it is made from ingredients found in your kitchen it is fairly baby friendly.
I set out to get the materials I needed, but was let down by my local shopping options when it came to finding a cheap canvas, or sticky letters. I wasn't put off the idea though, and made do with what I could find. I choose a cheap multi-picture frame and had to opt for craft paper. I was a bit worried that sticky letters or masking tape would rip the paper when it came to the big reveal, so decided to just use one of the spaces in the frame for the message instead.
I used the recipe from the Pin (from Queen Of The Mountain [Of Laundry]) and chose blue and red Asda food colouring, assuming that if it mixed we'd end up with some shade of purple. Unfortunately the red was a bit disappointing, having more of a brown tone than an actual primary colour pop. The blue was lovely though - I kept it light but it would have had a little more impact had I been a bit braver!
Baby-Friendly Finger Paints
2 tbsp sugar (I used caster)
1/3 cup flour (I used plain)
1 cup water
Whisk together in a saucepan, and keep whisking over a low heat until the mixture has thickened. Separate into different tubs, add your choice of food colouring and allow to cool before using.
Then it was time for the fun part. Mini Milk loves to get gunky with his food, so I knew this would appeal to him. I basically poured paint on his highchair tray, slapped a bit of paper down and let him make a mess. We got through quite a few sheets, and he was so intent on slapping his sticky paws into the paint that it didn't even make it into his mouth after all!
It was actually kind of hard to chose which of his pictures to use in our gift for daddy, as some had more of a colour impact whilst others had interesting patterns or hand prints. In the end I chose the one which sums up our little percussionist perfectly - prints left by him drumming his hands down on the paper.
If you are going to try this out yourself (which I really recommend you do!), I have a few tips. Firstly, strip that kid down and move anything you don't want covered in paint far, far away! I had the bath already run and waiting, so I could fling Mini Milk straight into it afterwards. Another tip is not to be precious or try to contain the mess - losing battle. As long as anything stainable like laundry or fabric furniture is out of the firing line, anything else can be wiped down later. Just have fun with it, and get your own hands messy too.
I will finish this up by sharing the biggest lesson I learned - don't leave a pot of paint within your baby's reach...!
The sun has found Scotland, so despite the inevitable sunburn (even after only two hours in the sun, whilst wearing a factor 40 sun cream which promised protection for 6hrs), I am happy. Especially because it meant a perfect day for Half Pint and I to take a steam train trip on the Jacobite rail route, completing goal #06 of my 101 things in 1001 days!
The real Hogwarts Express
The Jacobite is the route between Fort William and Mallaig, which is best known (at least in certain circles) for the fact that it features as the route to Hogwarts. In particular the Glenfinnan viaduct, which in the film features a flying car chase or something. Sorry for the vagueness but I've never read a Harry Potter book nor watched a HP film...I'm sure any Potterphiles will know what I'm referring to though. I had initially been under the impression that it would be the Hogwarts Express we would be on, but the movie version is tucked away in a museum somewhere. But still, it was a steam train and that was close enough for my little HP fanboy.
As is often the case with Scottish tourism, they blatantly miss a trick in not exploiting the Potter connection. I think that is a shame, as even just one designated theme-carriage would be a lot fun for those drawn to the trip mainly/purely by that link. Maybe they don't want to be accused of cashing in, but actually I think the fact that they mention HP on their website and in their gift shop but then don't make a feature of it at all on the journey is worse.
Having done my research before we went, I knew to expect simply a very scenic train ride anyway, so had armed myself with some HP printables in case Half Pint got bored. I found some puzzles and how-to-draws from Activity Village, and raided the Harry Potter Reading Group's website too. We actually barely touched them on the trip, but they're good to keep around for rainy days too.
I was very disappointed by the seats we had been allocated, as they were the only ones in the carriage without a table. There had been no mention of this difference in our booking email so that was really quite annoying. Thankfully some other passengers in our carriage wanted to swap as they had dogs with them, and we lucked out because their table was on the opposite side of the train, the side which gets the best views! The downside of that was sitting in direct sunlight, which made for a sweaty journey given that these trains probably pre-date air-con. The seats were comfortable and had good leg room, but sharing a table with a couple who PDA'ed and spoke in baby voices for a large portion of the journey was pretty damn excruciating.
Despite the flaws inside the carriage, there was really very little to fault what was going on outside it. The claim that this is one of the greatest rail journeys in the world isn't hard to believe. Even as someone who lives on the border of a beautiful Scottish national park and who has travelled through many other areas of the country famous for their scenery, I was still taken aback. Some of the sights on offer are the sort of views you usually have to hike up a hill for, and the landscape totally made the trip worthwhile for me. The only grumble I have is about the sheer number of trees that line the track, which block out those fantastic views quite a bit.
Making our way over the Glenfinnan viaduct
Not long into the journey, the train passes over the viaduct the route has become famous for. It's a very special moment in the journey, as the way the viaduct is curved means that you can see the rest of the train stretching round it ahead of or behind you. It was almost a spiritual moment for the Harry Potter fans - although you couldn't tell who was a fan just by looking at them, you knew instantly as we went over that viaduct! Half Pint seemed almost teary, it was very cute.
Mallaig harbour
The train makes a stop at the Glenfinnan station after that, though I'm not entirely sure why other than to bring in money for the little museum and café. There are walking routes pointed out, but the train doesn't stop long enough for you to do any of them. From there it's straight on to Mallaig, where we were met at the station by a young boy playing the bagpipes. He was actually very good, and he must rake in a fortune from the tourists if he does that twice a day all summer! There was enough time in Mallaig to wander about the village and have some dinner, and we also found time to visit the great second hand bookshop across from the station too.
The journey back was much better than the journey out. When we boarded, we found that the smoochy couple had taken our forward facing seats (we had backwards facing ones on the way out, but this was to switch for the return journey). One of the train staff saw that we were unhappy with this and so let us in on a little secret - a nearly empty carriage with no pre-booked seats! This meant we could move about to really get the best of the views, and it also meant I could lean right out to get decent pictures of the viaduct (above) and also this video [warning: keep your volume low, as there is a lot of outside noise going on]:
Unfortunately, because at times my life plays out like a comedy of errors, the engine broke down about 15mins away from Fort William! We were stranded for a long time while they shifted it and got in a replacement. Ordinarily I'd crack up at that sort of thing, but as I was too busy enjoying a rare day just me and Half Pint it wasn't a problem as it meant more time to hang out. The printables kept us busy!
The Kid's Harry Potter
So, on the whole we had a pretty good day and I would recommend the route to anyone who either loves beautiful scenery or Harry Potter. But there are some things I wish I'd known before I had booked our tickets. Firstly, it would probably be better to do this trip on a bright and crisp late autumn day when the trees will be bare but the views still clear. Secondly, make your booking over the phone because you might get more opportunity to have a say in the type of seat you end up with. Another tip would that if you get to choose, sit on the side of the train nearest Morrisons in Fort William for the journey out and then the side furthest away from Mallaig centre on the return journey - this will mean you'll get the best views. Lastly, if travelling by steam isn't a big pull factor for your trip (and to be honest, apart from the occasional flurry of coal dirt through the open windows, I couldn't tell the difference from a regular train), there is a Scotrail service which follows the same route but for much cheaper. Maybe one day I'll take that service to make a comparison, as I would welcome any excuse to do the trip again!
Any views expressed in this blog are mine alone. If I am ever lucky enough to be invited by a company to review their product/service, then I will always state so in the entry as well as disclosing any benefit I've received for doing so.
