June 2013tori's tales: June 2013

27 June 2013

A one more thing tale.....

I still don't know if with the shutting down of Google Reader will come the shutting down of GFC but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry.....


If you haven't already, and wish to keep up with my tales (and continue to see me laughing maniacally in photos like the one above) please do join me over on Bloglovin - you can find me here! Your support means so much to me and my little corner of this world :)

A before-I-go-to-Glasto tale!


Image credit: http://qwanzuk.tumblr.com/
Today I am off to Glastonbury! I'm a little nervous (not one for getting lost in massive crowds or trampled on amidst overwhelmingly-sized jumping sessions!) but am looking forward to doing something I never thought I would (tis a little outside my comfort zone) with my boy, in our Eric. 

I've woken to a white sky and can only hope it follows us along our journey (I don't need sun but I definitely don't want rain, clouds will suit me fine!) this morning. We're leaving in a couple of hours, taking a route mapped out for us that we, fingers crossed, will be able to follow easily. The boy has been twice before but didn't drive either time so that in itself will be a different experience for him. 

I haven't been overly impressed by the line-up - so many of the bands are playing at other festivals, and I'm not a fan of two of the three headliners (although Arctic Monkeys, come at me!) - which has taken the shine off of it a little (as someone who hasn't experienced Glasto before, I realise it's more than just music, and that it's likely we'll stumble across bands we don't know but will end up enjoying, I just can't picture it!) but fingers crossed I'll come away from these 4 days with a head full of wonderful, exciting memories that I can then relay to you all! I'm taking my notebook (and yes, I remembered pens!) so will scribble down each night (or rather, when I can) what I did/who I saw so I can offer you a thorough, Glasto-laden post!

Anywhoo, you won't be hearing from me until next week now, so I shall bid you adieu, and wish you all a happy weekend!!

Tori
X

Image credit: http://dailywhale.tumblr.com/
Image credit: http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/glastonbury-2013-what-are-you-most-excited-about-seeing
Image credit: http://www.virgin.com/music/blog/glastonbury-ones-to-watch-king-krule
Image credit: http://trishaward.tumblr.com/post/34610428052
Image credit: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2011/05/heres_one_90s_reunion_that_won.php
Image credit: http://www.nme.com/news/bootleg-beatles/51680

22 June 2013

A crazy-day tale!

Yesterday was a crazy-ridiculous kind of day. Starting with results picking-up in the morning (I got a 2:1 for my first year, very happy) we then went on to Halfords (oh, so grown-up) to buy Eric (for those of you who have just recently come on board, Eric is our motorhome) a new battery, which we did so quite easily (smug alert). We then started to make our way over to the storage unit, stopping at a little Post Office/local shop along the way to pick up some water. Back into the car (aptly named Erica) the boy popped the keys in the ignition, turned them and.....nothing happened. So he tried it again. And nothing happened again.

And so started a day of AA and garage visits, culminating in two new parts (darn vehicle). Here's the boy standing between Erica and the AA Van, whilst we were waiting for her to be fixed!

The boys cheeky face makes me giggle!
Some 6 hours after we started on our journey back we went to Eric to fit him with HIS new part (below is a short wobbly video of us at the storage unit) which the boy did successfully (thank goodness). 



We even took him for a little drive, which he happily participated in!

Look at the beautiful view!
Right - on to today! Nothing much to really fill you in on (it being 11am and all) and the day, for me, will be full of list-making and checking-off for our visit home and trip to Glasto, as well as a deep-clean of the flat (how exciting) and lots more clothes washing! 

The one thing I did want to tell you is tomorrow I am off to London to meet Chloe from Urban Tease and I am so bloody excited (I need to curtail the fangirling!). If you aren't familiar with her blog, please go check it out. Not only is she super-adorable, looks fab in everything she wears (this girl is the master of shorts, I'm telling you) but her writing is abso-bloody-lutely fantastic. She has the wisest head on young shoulders and is very much a voice of this generation. Go check her out and make sure to scroll through her back catalogue (I particularly recommend her March posts about rape culture and our media), you certainly won't be disappointed. 

Oh, and this is where help from you all would be much appreciated. Olivia very kindly offered me a big list of all the places she visits in London (we are looking to do something different - no museums/galleries, nothing too touristy) but I'd love to hear all about your favourite spots. If you have any, please make sure to leave a comment below!!

20 June 2013

A ShopStyle Competition Tale!

I found out about a rather fab-sounding, right-up-my-(current)-alley competition via Hannah's blog on Tuesday and since then have been having a little think about what sort of outfit I'd like to come up with (hence the last-min entry!)

Run by Shopstyle, it's giving those who enter a chance to win £1000 by creating a festival outfit for £200 or under using items that can be found on their site (a fab go-to when you just want one place to search rather than having to trawl through site after site!).

1) Asos Smock Dress
2) Asos Parka
3) Asos Biker Boots
4) New Look Tights
5) Falke Socks
6) River Island Bag
TOTAL - £194.99
As we all know, I am a major fan of dresses, so this outfit wouldn't be complete without one! I paired this bright, floral-patterned smock number (patterned enough, hopefully, to hide the dirt) - perfect for skimming over festival-food-and-alcohol-full-bellies - with a toughened-up parka (who doesn't love a bit of leather detailing?), gorgeous black biker boots (I'm sorted for wellies, these would be for those times when I won't need them - i.e. the first day, before the mud has arrived!), black tights (staple), pink socks (to add a little frivolity!) and an across-the-body-bag for keeping any little valuables I may need on me during the day.

Let me know what you all think!

A Glasto-prepping OOTD tale!

So the blurry thing is still....a thing! An hilarious, but necessary, combination.
 Today I made plans to get moving along my path to Glastonbury needs, intending to go out and purchase a mac and bag (and whatever else I felt would suit) for said occasion. I had thought that, as Topshop have a sale on, I would make my way over and peruse it's goods (although I have never EVER come out of a Topshop sale in any way other than empty-handed) but ended up stopping in Hockley to have a look in it's vintage stores and charity shops. The first I wandered into was White Rose - who support the Aegis Trust (please do click through to read about their work) - and I automatically walked towards the back rails where I come across, yes you've guessed it (or rather, you haven't, but hey it was a 50/50 gamble!), a mac! It's a teeny bit big, but good for layers and to hide my bag under, and at £9.50 I couldn't really go wrong!



Having found the mac almost instantly, I decided to stay in the area and pop across the road to the Oxfam store, where, within about a minute of looking, I found a simple black, across-the-body-bag - exactly what I was searching for! So there went purchase numero-dos!


Feeling rather happy, I decided to end my search (before disaster struck!) and made my way over to M&S where I spent the money I saved NOT buying things in Topshop on food for lunch and dinner (haha, swings and roundabouts!). 



Oh and I must just mention that I used my Lush Big shampoo tester (I picked it up last night when I attended the second swap-shop the store had ever held, this time in aid of My Sight Nottingham, alongside the dress you can see above) this morning in the shower and I really like it! I used probably a little more than was needed - my, my did it create quite the lather - so I rinsed a little out after giving my hair a good old scrub, then re-shampoo'd using the product left in. When I rinsed it out properly I have to say that my hair was the squeaky-cleanest it has ever been after shampooing - I do love that feeling! Normally I would put mouse in but I went without, and dried my hair upside-down as normal (without a brush - I never use one). The result is hair that's not too voluminous but enough that it makes it feel bouncy (not sure that's the best word to use). It feels as it does when I use mousse, so that fact it can do so without an additional product can only really be a good thing!! I'm looking forward to trying it again tomorrow.

18 June 2013

A Mundane Monday Tale (#1)


Recently Charlotte from Charlotte's web started up a 'Mundane Midweek' tag, which I have been meaning to get involved with, but yesterday Ellie tagged me in her 'Mundane Monday' post so this is where I've decided to start! (and yes, I do realise it's no longer Monday, but you're gonna have to just roll with it!)

The day started with an early morning wake-up call for the boy as he had a 7am split-shift to get to (soooo not envious, especially as he didn’t finish the previous night’s shift until midnight so got about 5 hours sleep), after which I slept terribly because a) I have rubbish shoulders and b) I’m not so good at getting back to sleep after I’ve been woken up by an alarm. Anyway, after a few texts with my catfish, who is back home near B-town (that’ll be Bristol) and was off to meet lovely Martha, I eventually got up at 8:30 and dragged my painful shoulders/back/ankle (great combo) upstairs for a wake-up cuppa. I then did my morning usual - logged on to the old Bloglovin and had a good read of those posts that had appeared overnight/early in the morning - then went and made myself some toast. Just butter. I’m not one for fancy condiments. 

After breks I had a shower (by this time it was 10ish) then waited to hear from the boy who was finishing the morning-half of his shift at 11am. When he arrived home I cooked him scrambled eggs to accompany his cold toast (how he eats that, I don’t know!) and then I whiled away the next few hours, with my boy by my side, reading, chatting with Auntie Ju on the phone (so lovely to catch up!) and internet-browsing (the latter of which I came away from feeling dreadfully angry thanks to a couple of items in the news). Just after 1ish the boy left to pick up some bits from Machine Mart (oh that dreaded motorhome!) during which I put on his lunch (nothing exciting, just mash, quorn pieces and broccoli cheese!) then walked him back to work for 3pm.

After dropping him off (bless, making him sound like a child!) I then went on a hunt for bits for Glastonbury, although I had no real clue what exactly to look for. I tried on a denim pinafore dress, which I adored on the hanger, but didn't like on (I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, pinafores and my hips just do not suit!) and then went and bought some wellies (no Hunters for me I'm afraid) before popping to New Look and H&M for another browse. However, no such Glasto-festo-luck for me, and I came away empty-handed (apart from the aforementioned wellies which, in my mind, is as good as being empty-handed anyway).

Late-afternoon came and with it a quick chat to Moom - about this Sunday’s visit to London to meet Chloe, more about that to come - before I made myself some lunch (melty cheese wrap with my fave M&S Nachos!) and settled in to watch Midnight in Paris. A couple of things about the film annoyed me (Hemingway's portrayal and Michael Sheen and Rachel McAdams, urgh) but I loved the overall idea of the film and it made me fall in love with Paris that little bit more (and that opening/closing music? Divine!).

Feeling a little inspired, I thought I’d have another go at sketching something. Forever in awe of the wonderful talents of many friends - Ella, Paige and Jaymie to name but a few - I decided the other day that I’d try and make myself a necklace. Nothing fancy, just using shrink plastic, but something I could say I’d made with my own bare hands! I started with a sketch of Eric, which I was pleased with, but on the two occasions I shrunk him something didn't come out right - the first Eric was all wobbly and the second went  a little brown. This time, I decided to try out a teacup and saucer and a cupcake (oh so very me!) and the outcome wasn't too bad!! The oven wasn't as hot as previous times so I'm thinking that might have had something to do with it?!

In the evening, alongside the jewellery-making, and Chloe Lee facebook chatting, I cooked a risotto although managed to not start it until 8:30 (thanks to the fact that, after shopping and the phone call, I'd forgotten I hadn't eaten lunch therefore didn't do so until about 4:30) which was pretty ridiculous because it meant not sitting down to dinner until 9:45!! Honestly, what is it with me and late dinners right now?! I then spent the rest of the time between eating/finshing dins watching Girls and waiting for the boy to get back, which he did just before midnight. After a little chat about how his evening shift went (well, in case you are wondering, almost not like work at all!) the boy settled down to read 5 pages of his book (so specific) and I wandered downstairs to sort the bed out (we have a topper and it moves every single day - such an irritation!) and read a couple of pages of my book before the boy came down and the light went out!

So there we have it, my mundane Monday! Grant it a few parts of the day were enjoyable - spending time with my boy, phone calls, watching the film/Girls and doodling, but the bits in-between give you an idea of what I get up to on a daily basis (i.e. not very much!).

I hope you all had an un-mundane Monday!!

15 June 2013

A sugary-sweet tale!



Tuesday evening I was incredibly excited to find out I had won a recent '100 likes' give-away hosted by the adorable Belle and Blue, a quirky-and-cute sister-run company who sell a wonderfully-sweet, perfectly-picked (I can't tell you how many times I go websites and am completely overwhelmed by everything they have on offer - Belle and Blue take that stress away!) range of bits-and-bobs, from lunchboxes and mugs to trinket boxes and cushions (many can vouch for my party-ring love!) that'll keep the ornament/adornment-lover inside of you amused to your hearts content!

My prize consisted of moustache straws (new on the website today!), a beautiful vintage hanging decoration that is currently keeping our (ok, the boy's) vintage books company and - my favourite, thanks to my sweet-tooth - retro sweets (although the fact they are everything I have eaten since my childhood makes it a little hard for me to say retro - how old am I?!!)




I do love their packaging - a beautiful blue and white stripe that adds to the vintage-feel of the pieces - and the fact that, alongside the goodies, they offer prop hire (ahhh to be hosting a party that I need vintage china for!) and also write a fab blog featuring easy-to-follow DIY's perfect for un-creative numpty's like myself (and you wonderfully-creative types too!).

So, what are you waiting for? Go have a look!

14 June 2013

A tale of the rainy-day visit to Eric the motorhome

This afternoon we visited Eric the motorhome in the hope of kick-starting his (obviously flat) battery. The Monday of Glastonbury week we are driving him home before we drive on to the festival and we need him to be in ship-shape order for the trip. However, nothing went to plan (as ever), and not only were we met with a rainy journey (when, of course, it is now bright and sunshine-y outside) but he failed to start, which means would need to re-think the situation because the last thing we need is an unworkable motorhome!!

Here's a couple of photos of the visit...

Pulling up to Eric - he's the first one you can see on the right of the photo
There's our boy!
This lot should prove a fun task to remove when we get him prepared to sell!
Awaiting a good clean before Glasto!
Messy but comfy :)
The closest I'm ever getting to driving! (and yes, I realise you can't drive whilst holding a map!)
The boy trying to jump-start Eric!
Oh and, here's the crazy part, for some of the journey we followed a motorhome EXACTLY THE SAME as Eric. This might not seem like a big deal, but the boy has owned Eric since 2007 and has never before seen one the same! We were hoping they'd end up in the storage facility and we could have a happy 'look we have the same motorhome!' chat but alas this was a wish that did not come true!

The brother we never knew Eric had!
And this is the cupcake I posted about this morning - we ended up not having them in Eric, I think because we spent so much time there trying and failing to start him, the boy just wanted to get home! Anyone else think the cream-cheese to cake ratio is completely off?! I mean, I love me some frosting, but the bit you see precariously balanced on top is how much I removed (and didn't eat!). The cake's are really dense too and a little dry (maybe because of the density?). Definitely not the best cupcakes I have come across unfortunately!



A 'look what I bought' tale


Notebook - Paperchase (they don't seem to stock mine online)
Cupcakes - Black&White, Johnnie Cupcakes (Vic Centre)
At long last I found a notebook that is a decent size and wasn't ridiculously overpriced (£3.50 in case you are wondering).

The cupcakes are because we're (hopefully) off to visit Eric after lunch and I thought it'd be nice to have a cuppa whilst there. We are going to have a go at jump-starting him using Erica (geddit?!) because next week we (the boy, I'm just going to moan about being in pain from having sat for too long!) are driving him home for a quick visit before we leave for Glasto that Thursday. Keep all your fingers-crossed that this plan, well, goes to plan!

13 June 2013

An unexpected OOTD tale!

I had a really lovely Wednesday (from around 1 pm onwards!), one that would have been perfect for picture-taking but, of course, what with it being so lovely and all, I completely forgot to do exactly that! 

Instead what we have here is another OOTD (although best not to get your hopes up that this is going to be a regular thing - as if you would!) and two photos from my day out that.are.both.of.food (what is my life?!).




This dress is yet another last-year eBay find, originally from Love Label. You can see me laughing my head off like a hyena in it here (my Birmingham post). Today I paired it with firstly) the cardi I was wearing yesterday, secondly) a jumper you've seen me in before (can't find the pic!) and thirdly) a hoody. That's right, a hoo-dy. Hey, a girl has gotta keep warm somehow!!


Oh haiiii, this is my beeee-hind. And my ridiculously messy room. And bloody bright window-glare! (sorry for my photo-taking ineptitude).

And in case you are all (of course you are!) wondering, my day consisted off a lunchtime trip to Pizza Express (I cannot ever remember having stepped foot in one before) where I consumed a pizza-with-a-hole-stuffed-with-salad (Padana Legera) to celebrate a university-friend's birthday, and an afterwards trip to Lee Rosy's (for a cuppa and a slice of Caramel Mudcake) with the super-bubbly Ellie (who has a super-cute blog to match) and the gorgeous Immy (full of Glasto and Lush knowledge!).

My scrummy pizza and delish tea and cake (excuse the ridiculously blurry photo!!)
All-in-all, a Wednesday well-spent!

11 June 2013

A wishful-thinking OOTD tale!



I have no idea what happened but my outfit photos have been turning out so grainy recently. So apologies for the poor quality, hopefully I'll turn it around before I do another ootd.

I've featured this dress on here before but I didn't give it a proper introduction. It's one I go to on a regular basis, especially when I need a good mood-pep-up. The bright floral design makes me feel all-kinds of Summery and the cut is one of my favourites - a buttoned waistband, pleated skirt and cute little cap sleeves!

It's originally from Topshop but I found it on good-old eBay, and last year at that, but I have a feeling it'll be sticking around in my wardrobe for a fair while longer! 


The cardi is one of your H&M basics (I have the same in black) and it just makes the whole thing feel a little less heavy, if that makes any sense, especially as I coupled it with black tights too (although I'd happily wear the black with it in Winter!). It's an absolute necessity right now because the weather has no idea what it is doing - I refuse to wear a coat, because it's June, but there is zero way I can be at all comfortable outside without something covering my arms up (now, wouldn't that be lovely?!)

I hope your day has been a sunnier one than that which we've been treated to here!

10 June 2013

A reading tale!

My top three
(You might want to settle yourself in with a cuppa before you start this one!)

Reading. We all (presumably) do it, be it of blogs, magazines, newspapers, fiction, non-fiction, poetry or revision notes (ha). You name it, someone's reading it.

Now, I love reading and I always have. So many memories of mine involve me reading a book of some sort - be it in my room as a child/teenager, snuggled up under the covers with a copy of a Babysitter's Club, or Goosebumps, or Point Romance, or a Ford Supermodels of the World number (anyone else ever read any of those?!) in my hand, or sat in the motorhome, drinking a cuppa (made from water boiled in a saucepan, yum), making my way through a hefty classic (I'm proud to say I've read both Les Miserables and War and Peace and am an adoring fan of the latter) with the world whizzing by outside. 

However, I have a problem, and that is that despite my love for it, my interest in reading - actually, maybe that's the wrong word, my concentration may be more likely - has waned somewhat. I put this down to university (despite my not being that overloaded with course literature - the boy is an English student and for the last few months has been reading a book a week for his course!) and the fact that I equate reading with working, which in turn means my brain shuts off when I try to read for pleasure (or rather, it goes into panic mode and is all 'a book? noooooooo!' whenever I pick one up).

Does anyone else have this problem? I mean, even the boy can still read for pleasure, in fact he's reading two books simultaneously right now (jealous, moi?), but I still can't do it! Despite uni finishing last Thursday I still haven't read one bloody chapter of my current book and that saddens me a little. I miss reading 'properly'. I really do. I miss delving in-between the pages and getting lost in its imaginary world, falling in and out of love with characters, picturing landscapes and scenery in my mind, pacing alongside the story with an interest in what will happen. 

Now before I make it sound as though I haven't read a book this whole university year, I must point out that I have finished all of five books (which for me is a very poor run); The Whisperer (which is amazing), Palo Alto (thanks to Leah for the lend of both), After the Fall, Me before You (thanks to Moom for the lend) and On The Road to Mr Right, all of which are from completely different genres, so it was without rhyme-or-reason that I managed to finish those, meaning I don't even have a clue as to how I did and thus don't have such knowledge to apply to future book-choosing!

I decided that, in case my showing them off would mean a turnaround in ability, I'd shine a spotlight on a few of the books I have loved and enjoyed over the past few years, as well as my top three 'return-to' books. Maybe talking about them all will trigger something in my brain, turning off that stressful reading-means-work switch, and turning on the one that allows me to relax and read for joy again.

Hey, I can dream, right?!

The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
Sundowners, Lesley Lokko
The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
These three are the books I own that I return to the most. The Lovely Bones and The Time Traveler's Wife came out within a year of each other and I read them back-to-back. I remember being completely blown away by The Time Traveler's Wife. The story is so special, so unusual - completely unlike anything I had ever read before it and, come to think of it, have ever read after it. I've since introduced this to the boy and he too enjoyed it, which I found surprising. The fact he did goes to show how all-encompassing the story is.

The Lovely Bones subject-matter is a sensitive one, a dark and sad one, and coupled with being written from the point of view of it's 14 year old female protagonist, a piece that tugged, grabbed hold and never let go of my heartstrings. It's not something I would recommend to everyone - if you don't know what it's about, click on the link above to read a summary - but if you can get your head around where the storyline stems from it is most definitely a book worth reading.

Sundowners is everything you'd want from a piece of chick-lit and more. It is a spiders-web of plots, entwining the lives of 4 young girls who meet at boarding-school, before following them through the tangled webs of their adult lives. I bloody love it.

Mixing it up - When God was a Rabbit, After the Fall, Sister, Before I go to Sleep
When God was a Rabbit is not really a novel I can explain well, but one thing I can say is I was hooked from the word go. Once I closed it's pages for good I felt a sudden sadness and wished I could read it for the first time all over again!

After the Fall was a book given to me as an Easter treat by my lovely Auntie Ju. What a great pick! It ended up going in a direction I never had expected when I started it but I think that added to my enjoyment (hey, I made it through in a couple of days in April and surely that tells you something about it's ability to hold a reader's attention!)

Before Sister I had never read a thriller; now I'm completely hooked on them. I read this novel in one day because I physically could not bring myself to put it down. I don't actually know how I ever did! Completely bloody highly recommended (in fact, go get a copy guys. Right now.)

Before I go to Sleep is another thriller, one they are turning into a film. I do hope this doesn't go the way of others (I did not enjoy the film versions of The Time Traveler's Wife, nor The Lovely Bones) as I really did enjoy its twists and turns and interesting plot. I'm not sure how it will translate to screen, but lets all keep our fingers crossed it does.

The familiar I turn to - Cecelia Ahern, Jodi Picoult, Belinda Jones, Marian Keyes
I'm not going to run off a plot-line for each of these stories, I just wanted to highlight these particular authors as ones whose books I regularly return to when I just want to read something I previously enjoyed and easily escaped into.

Cecelia Ahern's (she of PS, I Love You fame) stories are fairytale's set in the modern world, injecting a dose of magic into the lives of the adults involved. The above was the most recent I read, although my favourite is probably If You Could See Me Now.

Jodi Picoult's plots are a little harder going than the others due to their troubling yet thought-provoking subject matter but are always completely well-worth the read. My Sister's Keeper is one of the only books - in fact, maybe the only - that has provoked me to cry in a public place!

Belinda Jones IS chick-lit. I own every novel she has written and will continue to be a major fan, no doubt, for the rest of my life. Every time I open a book of hers I find myself happily transported to a whole host of different lands, each one sounding more dreamy than the next (and after which I find myself adding the destination to the list of those I'd love to visit). Oh Belinda, you had me at I Love Capri!

Marian Keyes never disappoints - she's a bloody fantastic storyteller and combines dark and light-heartedness seamlessly. In fact, I'm awaiting the arrival of her most recent book, so I'll let you know how I get on (and fingers crossed I do!)

Unexpected enjoyment
The four above were random book choices for me. Of them, two were the boy's (War and Peace - I'm sure I don't need to introduce this! - and Your Voice In My Head - one of only two autobiographies I've ever read, and a brilliant one at that!), one was given to me as a gift (Random Acts....an absolutely beautiful, but painful, love story) and the other I bought on impulse (a quick-and-easy read).

Right, I have already spent more than enough time chatting to (at) you about those books/authors I've enjoyed, so I will leave it there.

Are there any books you return to regularly? What have you enjoyed reading recently?

8 June 2013

The first day of my Summer tale


Nottingham is forever inundated with oodles of geese - these originally had lined up in size order, darn my slow reflexes! 
Yesterday the boy and I traced our steps from this trip and enjoyed ourselves a sunshine-filled afternoon.
The day was beautiful, the scenery (still) gorgeous and the company? Perfect! 

What a great first day of the rest of my Summer :)

Yes, there was sun.....
.....but my gosh was there wind too (and the boy does not look happy about it!)
In fact, he looks downright confused by the fact!
Boat posing
Apparently I am incapable of taking photos without big-fat drinks in them!
Tanning my legs whilst keeping my forehead in the shade - otherwise known as learning from my mistakes!
Oh, and to top it all off, look what arrived!!

Glasto here we come!!