Family Affairs and other matters

TRAVELLING ESSENTIALS

Oh dear. Well here we go then. A “be careful what you wish for” moment.

I’ve been asked to write a post as a “travel blogger” on the essential things I take with me when I travel. Now I am feeling like a fraud. Because I have no idea what to say or what to recommend. I am the most haphazard packer in the world. Generally take 85 pairs of pants and one shoe. Haven’t co-ordinated anything or dressed according to the weather. Guaranteed that I will be wearing jeans in boiling hot weather because I’ve forgotten anything lighter and I can’t possibly wear the skirt I’ve bought because I’ve forgotten to have a leg transplant before I arrived and/or waxed/buffed/plucked/sprayed/exfoliated/coloured in/bandaged…..

So WHAT am I going to say??

THINGS YOU DEFINITELY DON’T NEED TO TAKE WITH YOU ON HOLIDAY

1. Children
2. Too many books.
3. Too many magazines.
4. Too many sweets/chocolates
5. Too much duty free booze
6. A huge suitcase – I am astonished by how much you can fit into the approved hand luggage bags these days – unless you are doing long haul there is no need to put a bag into the hold.
7. Eight hour cream by Elizabeth Arden – all travellers swear by this and it’s awful stuff. Stinks and makes you go yellow and nobody will talk to you on the flight if you do what they tell you and rub it all over your face and go immediately to sleep – trust me I know – I did it and I looked like a burns victim on the way to the nearest specialist unit.

THINGS YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY TAKE WITH YOU ON HOLIDAY

1. Passport.
2. Waterproof mascara (Mac or Lancome VG)
3. Favourite moisturiser in a small pot. I like Kiehls stuff and you can get little samples to take with you if you’re only going for a few days.
4. Buy solid foundation and powder so that you don’t have to worry about liquids and get your shampoos/suncream etc when you’re at the airport or at your destination.
5. Take facial cleansing wipes – much easier (Simple ones are good) then again, no drama when going through customs.
6. Umm. Cashmere jumper (or squishy one anyway) or neck rest for plane. Very good when want to go to sleep.
7. Ipod.
8. Speakers
9. Ear plugs (not necessarily related to number 8 but possibly)
10. Lip balm on plane as very dehydrating as I’ve already mentioned (I like Vaseline but others say it’s not at all good for your lips – otherwise that stuff called “Nipple Cream” which looks like colostrum is good (although don’t use it at same time as 8 hour cream) if you want to talk to anyone on the flight.

I used to travel a lot when I lived in Hong Kong and then Australia. Many long haul flights. That was back in the days when you could still smoke on the plane. Good grief. Can you imagine that now. The entire back of the plane all standing around drinking and smoking like they were at a party. Unsurprisingly I recall being sick on planes quite a lot in my youth. Drink some alcohol if you want but not too much – will help you sleep but VERY dehydrating so drink water too.

My best top tip is that if you arrive somewhere miles away for a holiday and the time difference is massive and you suffer from jet lag then the way to avoid it – because we all suffer from jet lag if we try hard enough is just get on with it. Pretend you’re a doctor or a nurse or somebody who works through the night and do not under any circumstances, once you’ve landed make any comments about what time it is back home. Change your watch to the new time and just pretend you’re a little bit tired and get into the swing of it.

Mind over matter.

Works every time.

I will try and think of some proper beauty thingys soon. I haven’t really done very well.

Sorry.

But ps, if you’re still with me here and am feeling sorry for me perhaps you could vote for me in the travel section of the BIB awards – it’s nearly the last chance…

To vote for me you just need to click on the link below and then scroll down to the number 10 category in the “GO” shortlist and my entry is under Family Affairs and Other Matters:-

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/bibs_shortlist

THANK YOU x

BEST CUP OF TEA IN THE WORLD

Following on from my “Best Cup of Coffee In the World” post comes a natural contender. Where in the world were you when you experienced your best cup of tea?

Mine was very simple and much more about the moment than the location (well obviously because hospitals in general are not generally known for their high quality cuppa’s). It was after the birth of my first child. Possibly a 36 hour labour but I might have been exaggerating – it certainly felt like that because I was three weeks overdue and it was December in Australia and about 45 degrees in the shade. We went into The Freemason’s Hospital to be induced and I was immediately attached to an oxytocin drip that proved to be the most horrible thing I had ever experienced. Unnatural and unbelievably painful contractions for hours and hours and hours. He was finally extracted from me a little wrinkly old man….but gorgeous and fit and healthy (although we had a few panics during childbirth) and I fell completely in love immediately.

The cup of tea they gave me almost immediately afterwards tasted like nectar. Never before had I experienced anything like it. I worked bloody hard for that cup of tea – nearly 10 months in fact.

So worth it though:-

Oh and maybe I should include this lovely breakfast I had at Claridges a few months ago with a very good friend of mine – best hotel in the world….

So. Tell me about yours?? Where were you and why was it so good.

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THE BIG TURN ON

Would you mind doing me a favour? My blog friend Laura of Are We Nearly There Yet Mummy is desperate to win a Nissan car and I said I”d help if I could. Not sure what I can do but she seems to think a blog post will help…..so here we go. Here is her [...]

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RACE FOR LIFE

SPONSORED POST Having just finished supporting several friends for their marathon, I’ve been asked to mention Race for Life who are raising money for Cancer Research UK by holding many sponsored running events of 5K or 10k which makes it all a lot more manageable than the marathon. As a sponsor of Race for Life [...]

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BAREFOOT MARATHON RUNNER – SIMON GRUNDY

HE MADE IT!! In a very good time too – 4 hours 40 minutes which bizarrely was exactly the same time as my other friend who was running it with trainers on…..although to be fair he was over 10 years older.

Here is a slightly blurry photo of Simon running without shoes:-

and here are his feet afterwards – which frankly (whilst they might put you off whatever you are eating or drinking at the time) don’t look bad at all. I’ve had more blisters from walking 26 miles in trainers than he has.

Impressive.

Iron cast feet.

WELL DONE and if anyone still wants to sponsor him for Brain Tumour UK all the details are in my previous post.

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TRAVEL BLOGGER?

What a spectacular disaster. I am up for a travel blogger award BUT am so far removed from anything vaguely resembling a travel blogger it’s a joke.

Guess what just happened. I’ve been invited to go to America on a blog trip. ALL EXPENSES PAID!!!! To a gorgeous location. Which would have been perfect because as a travel blogger, it is sort of important to be able to travel. Whilst it’s never easy to get away – as a single mother of three children it’s even harder. Even with the help of family and friends there is a lot of juggling to be done, but of course I could make it work. I HAD TO.

Then.

I looked at the dates. Heart sinking moment followed by brain persuading me it was all going to be fine. Talked to as many people as I could find who were going to agree that I should go. Then some others who thought I probably shouldn’t but I knew in my heart that I was going to have to decline the invitation. The trip is right in the middle of my daughter’s GCSE’s. I’m sure she’s going to do just as well without me….but what if something went wrong – what if she wasn’t fed and watered properly or somebody else forgot to pick her up for school or she was stressy and needed a hug/cup of tea/new mascara/reassuring words/a laugh/a chat/a clean skirt/a sharp pencil/a person to test her/…..that’s my job. I can do all those things. Not very well. But nevertheless, you can’t underestimate that sort of support when you need it.

How grown up is that?

I am having a proper grown up mother moment interspersed with angry little tantrum like sparks for the unfairness of life sometimes (picture Rumplestiltskin).

However, aside from the blog – which of course shouldn’t be dictating the entire focus of my life – my responsibilities as a mother are top of the list – anyway, essentially I’m a family blogger – “FAMILY AFFAIRS AND OTHER MATTERS” – it would be a little inappropriate to ignore the “FAMILY” element at this point.

So there we are then.

That is probably the last invitation I will ever get.

Oh well.

Such is life.

Right decision made on this occasion.

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BAREFOOT MARATHON RUNNER – SIMON GRUNDY

One of my brother’s oldest friends is running the marathon this year. He decided to take part in the race to raise funds for Brain Tumour UK because his father had been diagnosed with a brain tumour and was becoming quite ill. However, owing to the fact they only had limited spaces available, in order [...]

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