Friday 31 December 2010

Bye Bye 2010!

Christmas has left my house a wreck of new toys and leftovers. Dodo is very happy and I am just fatter and poorer! But it was lovely having the family together on what my well be our last Christmas in London.
Father Christmas was bleepin messy with his huge feet!
The first of many!
2011 is going to be a year of big changes for us. Moving to Bangkok, Dodo starting kindergarten and a huge amount of excitement on the work horizon. Can't wait for it all to begin but also feel like hiding under my bed with the hugeness of pulling it all off! I will try my best to not crack up and keep you all  informed of the adventure as we go.
It's almost over a few more hours to go. I am about to break the habit of a life time and venture out for New years eve. I love christmas but really hate the build up of New year and the hype that seems to go along with it. I know I sound like a right old mardy bum but I am going to my local pub and paying to get in!! eh? Whats that all about?
So I will just wish everyone a very happy new year from Dodo and myself and hope you keep on reading our adventures.  Peace. Love. Out!

Thursday 23 December 2010

The Gallery: Love

I could have tried to be quirky or different but really is it possible that I could love anyone more than Dodo? Nah..




This post is my entry for this weeks gallery over at Sticky Fingers please pop over and take a look at the other luurrverly blogs there.

Tuesday 21 December 2010

Ickle Baby Jeanus And A Wooden Spoon

Dodo is starting to get into the Christmas spirit thing in a big way..her very own big way. For starters the nativity has been getting a Dodo style makeover, with Jesus even being re-named. He has been at turns the "ickle baby jeanus" and "baby genius" Mary and Joseph have kept their given names..but are currently unaware of the gender confusion the infant Christ child is going through. He/she has also been joined in the nativity scene by a whole host of unorthodox characters including Teletubbies, Fathers Christmas (at least he was a saint!) and of course Upsy Daisy. Looks like I may have my work cut out explaining the true meaning of Christmas. I'm sure I will get the withering look and a no, no, no Mama you made a mistake..those aren't shepherds and Jeanus IS a girl!
Nativity team photo
And then the small (or not so) matter of the Christmas list..the list that keeps growing..So far it consists mainly of antiques. First up, the very expensive (I am quoting her on this) doll that she saw at the Tea Rooms in Brick Lane, oh and the vintage tea set and the sofa carpet (your guess?) and a blanket for the doll. Then it takes a musical turn..a guitar and a trumpet and a saxophone and a piano, drums and cymbals that go BANG and a tromboney (sic) her very own one man band! My ears are bleeding at the very thought. 
The one item on the list that stood out for me was a wooden spoon. Just proving the point that kids don't need all the fancy pants bits of plastic the t.v is trying to talk us into. I really love the thought that has gone into Dodo's list she has created a whole game in her mind. It's me that gets carried away with the gift giving, I just love it! Since becoming a mum Christmas has been amazing. I couldn't care less about gifts for me, as long as I have Dodo, family and friends, it will be a great holiday. Top it off with the prospect of a white Christmas and I turn into a totally sentimental fool. Those who know me are fully aware that I burst into tears at the first bar of Fairytale of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl. This trait seems to have been passed on in my genes as during Songs of Praise Dodo began fake sobbing when Away in a manger came on. When asked why she said "oh it's just soooo beautiful Mummy!"
This week my house will be full of the sounds of us sobbing into our mince pies in eager anticipation of the arrival of Father Christmas with a wooden spoon.

Friday 3 December 2010

Writing Workshop: Paved Paradise

For this weeks writing workshop over at Sleep is For The Weak the idea was to be inspired by a song or lyric. I was struggling to choose and then inspiration came in the most unexpected way. The song is Big Yellow Taxi by the amazing Joni Mitchell.

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot, With a pink hotel, a boutique and a swinging hot spot. Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone. They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

This post runs the risk of me sounding like a spoilt cow, but I can assure you that I am well aware that I am beyond lucky. Healthy, with a great daughter and a family who love and support me in all that I do. I have more than enough to be grateful for.

Now I have gotten that bit out the way I am going got have a little rant/moan, call it what you like but I have a bee in my bonnet about this. 

You see I have grabbed the chance to have a few days relaxing and chilling out with my Dad on the beach. Working in Bangkok makes this a perk I take advantage of whenever I get the chance, who wouldn't? especially as Nana is very kindly looking after Dodo!  Being time poor we took a recommendation and popped down to Phuket's Kata beach.

An easy 1hr flight and a short hop in a taxi and wham bam..beach time. But hold on..whats this I see? Well it's not the sea view I was hoping for, a big stonking great concrete wall. Running pretty much the full length of the beach, preventing any view of it from the road. Thanks for that Club Med! What was undoubtedly a stunning natural palm fringed beach is now utterly ruined by row upon row of plastic sun loungers. Concrete and building sites are creeping up the once green and leafy hillsides around Kata. The result is a pretty ugly town with nothing that makes you have any feeling that you are indeed in Thailand. The Indian tailors that badger you at every turn to buy ill fitting suits add to this dislocated vibe.

Now all of this being said Kata seems very popular with tourists and many of them look like they are having happy holidays. For me though it just makes me so sad. I am struck by a feeling of loss, a perfect wonder of nature has been dumped on by short sighted and ill planned tourism. Is this progress? Or will the very tourists they hope will fill the plastic loungers eventually abandon Kata in search of the next beach which will in turn be ruined? I write this whilst sitting on Kata Noi, which is the next beach over the hill, and although it is rather more tastefully developed will no doubt end up the next sacrifice to "progress".

Phuket was hit by the boxing day tsunami in 2004. This tragic natural disaster has been compounded by the man made catastrophe of over development. In the frantic rebuilding post tsunami, an opportunity plan for and think of the long term impact of mass tourism has been missed. The wave took the lives and wrecked the businesses of many people but surely a more positive outcome could have been achieved?

The tsunami has been in my thoughts allot since arriving in Phuket. Watching families splashing around in the sea and thinking of those who were lost is a huge reminder that life is short and we need to make the most of the one we have.

For those of you not familiar with Joni Mitchell check out her performance of the song that inspired me.


Wednesday 1 December 2010

The Gallery: White Rabbits And Roll On Christmas!

This weeks gallery theme is celebrations. With it coinciding with the first of December I couldn't resist posting this.
For a lucky December

White Rabbits White Rabbits White Rabbits!

I love December! I love Christmas, snow and all the magic that goes with it..and I worry that I will miss it horribly when I move to hot sticky Bangkok. So it has come as a surprise how much effort goes into the decorations here. The rabbits are part of the Christmas display at a major shopping mall in Bangkok. I was totally in love with them and took tons of photos.
Father Christmas won't need a coat!
The rabbits had more traditional friends. I loved the sparkly reindeer might end up as my Christmas card this year!
Maybe I could get used to the tropical Christmas after all..just turn up the air con till it's suitably frosty!

Pop over and take a look at the other fantastic gallery entries at Sticky Fingers