Ribbon flower

In the last week or so, I have been bombarded by sewing/craft inspiration. It started with WestyWrites writing a couple of posts about digging out her sewing machine and trying out some new projects (which you can read here and here). Then I realised that the Great British Sewing Bee is back on, so I promptly downloaded the current episodes in iPlayer to catch up on.

All this caught up with me yesterday whilst I was having a lazy Sunday evening in front of the TV. Out came the ribbons and buttons box...

The result: a slightly wonky but rather charming flower.

The life of a TV star

Every now and then I have a totally surreal day, and today was definitely one of them.

The agenda for the day was to join various family members for an organised tour of Bletchley Park, the WWII Codebreaking Centre where Alan Turing and thousands of others worked.

I expected to see some exhibitions, listen to some talks and maybe have a few photos with the family and the exhibits.

Alan's Office

Slate Statue

I did not expect to be stood in front of assorted media, including five different film crews.

I did not expect to be interviewed by two of the film crews.

Very odd, rather fun and completely unexpected.


Bletchley is an amazing place to visit. Over the last few years it has developed as a great museum, and still growing and improving. Notable exhibitions include the reconstructed Bombe machine (which took 12 years to complete), the Turing section (featuring several items on loan from my aunts) and the mansion (including Denison's office and a temporary exhibition of props and costumes from The Imitation Game movie).

Currently, the Bletchley Park Trust is working to raise funds to develop Hut 11A (the very empty looking room we were pictured in above). The plan is to recreate the orginal conditions that Turing and the others worked in, to create a realistic immersive experience for visitors.

This Girl Can

There's a fabulous advert out in the UK at the moment which I want to share...

I was reading ChristyRuns this week and she wrote about the throw like a girl advert, which is pretty inspiring:

But I've got to say that This Girl Can is even better!

Most of my readership is US based (according to my blog stats), so you probably haven't seen it. Each time it pops on the TV, I get re-inspired. I'm sure it's actually got me to the gym on more than one occasion in the last month!

This Girl Can...

... make it to a ballet lesson after a tough day at work and push my muscles and flexibility to the edge.

... run every step in a half marathon, even if it is pretty slow.

... swim lengths, and keep swimming, and keep swimming.

... kick it in a karate or kung fu lesson.

... jump on a spinning machine or rowing machine for 20-30 minutes, even on a stupidly busy day.

This Girl Can

Ballet update

A couple of months ago I re-committed to my ballet classes, and I'm so glad that I did.

When I go to class I have an hour and a half of brain switch-off. Sometimes I even dream about work, so this time is invaluable in enabling me to relax and focus on something else.

When I go to class I become much more aware of how I hold my body and my posture improves.

When I go to class I smile and laugh. My instructor is hilarious, providing us with plenty of giggles between exercises, as well as thoughtful corrections.

When I go to class regularly then I'm much more able to work on my corrections. This way my dancing starts to improve.

And now that I'm attending class more regularly, people are being friendlier. I guess it makes sense to wait and see if a newbie keeps returning before you invest in conversation. Classes are starting to feel much more welcoming.


So, goals for the coming months?

Firstly, just to keep going to class at least once a week!

Also, to wear a leotard that I bought 18 months ago and haven't been brave enough to actually wear! It relies on my posture being amazingly good... (If you're interested, it's this one.)

Lastly, to smile during exercises - this was suggested by fellow ballet enthusiast DaveTriesBallet. It should add to the performance factor of each exercise and hopefully trick my brain into thinking it likes the more challenging moves. Simple and sweet.

Too much make up for a muddy field

This weekend A wanted to test out his new photography lights. So I spent an hour or so on my make up; donned tights, shorts and thermals under my coat; and followed him across a muddy field to sit in a tree.

He does take a good photo...

Exploring the world: The List

I've always liked visiting new places, but I wouldn't really describe myself as a stereotypical traveller: I didn't take a gap year before (or after) uni to backpack across Asia or work my way across Australia. But now I find myself enjoying the adventure of new countries more and more.

I like how each city has it's own unique architecture and landmarks. Wherever you go in KL, the Petronas Towers help you orientate yourself. In Paris it's the Eiffel Tower and Hong Kong has the iconic island shore skyline.

I like figuring out the public transport system. This was particularly fun in Japan where some stations only had maps labelled with kanji symbols. We ended up playing "match the symbols" to figure out how many stops we were travelling and therefore which ticket to buy.

Although we never rode in one, the Filipino jeepnies were a huge fascination. Each one is decorated in its own unique way, and their willingness to stop literally anywhere to let customers off is legendary!

I (usually) like trying to get food too. Menus are a source of wonder and confusion to me. I love my food and trying local cuisine, but do prefer to know what I've ordered! I'm sure some would say that takes some of the fun out of it, however I'm a nervous creature at heart. I have eaten sea urchin and abalone, but I will admit to avoiding chicken gizzards and octopus. 

I like people-watching and figuring out local customs. This is probably why I am so fascinated with South East Asia. Each place has it's own way of doing things. The people dress differently, the method of paying for your purchases changes, the time that people have dinner varies. I love trying (and probably failing) to fit in.

So, where to next? The list is growing rapidly, partly through my own curiosity and partly through other people's recommendations. Currently, it looks like this:

- Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam

- Singapore and Thailand

- Korea (a total of 12 hours in Seoul airport has whet my appetite)

- Machu Picchu (Peru)

- Argentina

- Maldives

- New Zealand

- Prague

- Italy (specifically Rome, but also exploring)

- Japan (again - there are so many parts that we didn't visit last time)

- The Rockies and Vancouver Island (Canada)

Where would you recommend?

New year, new places

I started 2015 by boarding a plane, bound for the Philippines. As ways of starting the year go, this has to be one of the best.

Unusually for us, we were staying in a holiday resort. For five days I spent my time: sat by the pool, sat by the sea, swimming in one or the other, reading books and magazines, and drinking smoothies and cocktails in a bar overlooking the sea. The most active thing we tried was 30mins of kayaking (which was wonderful fun!).

The reason for our trip was a wedding which we were very excited for. Over the week before the big day we were blessed  with spending lots of time with the happy couple, as well as meeting their families and friends who, like us, had travelled from every corner of the Earth for the big event.

The wedding itself was beautiful. A day to remember.

I sincerely hope that the rest of 2015 is equally full of friends, sunshine and travel opportunities.