Better left unsaid!

Last week I had the misfortune to keep hearing phrases or comments that just did not make sense, but all the same they gave me a chuckle.

I collected four of my favourites, but it was only yesterday that I was able to add a fifth to give you my top five phrases that were better left unsaid:

1. I saw it with my own eyesWell as far as I'm aware it's quite difficult to see with someone else's eyes - well at least without a fair amount of surgery!
2. We're only humanInteresting that this can often be used as an excuse. Now if we were more robotic there would of course be no excuses necessary!!
3. In my mind I'm seeing...
   Curious concept, where else would you see? Perhaps this would be better revised to just 'I'm envisaging...' or 'I'd like to see it this way...' I rarely hear phrases such as 'In my mouth I'm tasting...' or 'In my nose I'm smelling...'!!!
4. Keep breathing
   Now this was in the gym and it is fair to say that on the odd occasion I personally find it useful to be reminded. However I would like to think the reminder would be better served via my lungs and that it would come long before I really needed reminding!!!!
5. The same but differentAnother gym phrase. How does this work? If it is the same, it is the same; if it's different than in no way shape or form can it be the same....? Surely??!!!!! Hey I'm not complaining, just observing!

Have you got any obsure phrases you've come across in day to day life that just don't really make that much real sense...?

I'll be keeping 'my ears peeled' (yeuk!) for more!!

It's a kind of magic

Although I love reading I don't plough through lots of books week after week. Instead I prefer to take my time and tend to get quite deeply involved with each book. Not every book grabs my attention and I do have a number that I've started and are unfinished back in the bookshelf. Every so often though I pick up a book that grabs my attention from the first page and I just can't wait to read on.

My first experience of this was with Silence of the Lambs. I started this book one morning back on 1989 and I didn't put it down until it was all over some 12 hours later when I, sorry Clarice Starling, got the bad guy nailed!

I have always wanted to write a book, so I was more than a tad jealous when i heard a colleague had just published their first book. Very curious to know what she had written about I downloaded The Finder, by CJ Morrow, and one Sunday afternoon I began reading. As an ebook I had it on my phone and iPad, very handy as I took it with me to the gym, on a business trip and a weekend away. Within two hours I knew I was hooked. I couldn't contain my disappointment at reaching the end of part 1 so on I read until the disappointment of getting to the end just over a week later with the knowledge that book 2 is not due out until next year.

I grabbed a five minute tea break with the author this week...

What was your inspiration for the book?
People and magic. I am fascinated by ordinary people who may not quite be what they are. If you've ever people watched, you'll know exactly what I mean when you make up situations to fit the actions you see people taking!

What about the characters, where did they come from?
Well they are 100% fictional. I created them for what I wanted them to do in the story. However as the story progressed they did start to take on their own life form. Ethan was the exception. He was only a minor character to begin with, but before long his personality grew and he dominated the storyline towards the end in a way I had not originally anticipated. This all helped to develop the storyline so I'm not complaining!

Did you have a favourite character?
Oh without a doubt it's got to be Marcus - yes I am allowed to call him that. At the beginning Gabriel was my favourite but his character changed and whilst I sympathised, I just couldn't help but not like the way he behaved.

If the book was to be made into a movie, who would you see in the leading roles?
Oh I have no idea. I pulled together their characteristics but I have no image of who they are in my mind. That said, I've had a few interesting suggestions on my Facebook page - including Hugh Jackman, Brad Pitt and David Essex.

With it's background in witchcraft and referencing 17th century witch hunts, what magical power would you most like to have?
No question about this one. I would love to have the power to make things work in my favour. If I am looking for somewhere to park, a space appears right in front of me; if the supermarket has a long queue, by the time I join it everyone has moved away; and the best power would be touching my clothes to change the colour or fit. My idea of heaven!

At the end of The Finder you give us a sneak preview of chapter 1 of your second book, The Illusionist. What can we expect from it?
This book is a lot darker, and the risk of exposure for the long fingers is much greater. It's due out in the New Year although from the feedback I've received from book 1 it'd be great to get it published earlier!

And finally what are you reading at the moment?
Ah well surprisingly it's a book on witchcraft. Written by historian Deborah Harkness, Shadow of Night, the book follows a line of witches from Shakespearean times.

If you fancy an engaging quick read by a newly published author, I strongly recommend The Finder. I'm sure like me you'll love it; after all according to the film, Practical Magic, "there's a little witch in all of us."

Farewell my best friend

Tonight marks the end of an era. For the last eighteen years I have shared my life with my four-legged friends. My beloved Sammy passed away 51 weeks again and today I said goodnight to my other companion, Sonny Jim.

I didn't choose Sonny Jim, or Scooby as he was called back then. As a collie cross, I expected to have my work cut out. As the years went by, people kept assuring me he would calm down. Whilst it was great to see him running around fields and enjoying life, it could be tiresome - especially after a full day at work. We coped though, and boy did we walk the miles!

It was only after taking part in Race for Life together in 2009 (aged 13) that I finally started to see the calm setting in. It was quite a shock to the system to see such an active dog start to slow down and not need so many or such long walks. We tailored our activities to make sure no-one over did it. It didn't help that around this time both boys were diagnosed with heart murmurs. Not that this stopped the walks though.

So on we walked. Our move to Wiltshire was probably one of the best decisions ever. Sad to move away from close family and friends, but what a choice we had for our walks. It has only been in the past year since losing Sammy that the walks stopped. Sadly the arthritis took hold and the muscle wastage meant standing was more of a challenge than going for a walk.

You cannot understate the worth of companionship with our four legged friends. My life would have been so empty without both my dogs. And since losing Sammy, Sonny Jim became my rock. Many of our family and friends worried how he would cope without Sammy. He surprised us all though and almost made it to the anniversary next week.

So to all dog lovers out there, I salute you. Give your dogs a big hug from me and cherish every single moment you have together. I have many years of fabulous memories - and for this reason my dogs are my latest rave for this blog.

Good night dear Sonny Jim, I wish you a safe journey to join Sammy. Remember to visit me in my dreams and I look forward to being reunited with you one day in the future. Lettie and Lady Bella also send you their love too and we all hope you are now able to rest in peace.

xxx

Plank-abs-tic

OK so here comes the first of my "raves"!

Don't be put off about the shortness of this rave compared to that of my first rant. Let it be said, that the fact that I'm raving about it is worth the equivalent of a long post!!

So if you have read my bio, you'll know I like to go to the gym. I have always had a gym membership, but it wasn't until I stopped smoking almost five years ago that I took it seriously and became a regular "gym bunny".

That said, it has always been an annoyance of mine that I never seem to improve. I'm always a beetroot colour after working out and I ache like crazy for about two days after working out. I must be improving though as I feel I am at most fittest right now. I love the classes I do; in some cases, I stretch myself even more by adding wrist weights to the advanced aerobics classes!!

So with the legs, bums and tums class being covered this week due to the Bank Holiday I had concerns the week wouldn't come up to the usual standards. No worries though, it was one of the best classes I had been to, and for the strangest of reasons.

Personally I hate doing the plank and believe this can only be perfected by people who weigh as much as a feather (i.e. I'd have to lose half my body weight to perfect the hold!) Either that or they have super strong arms and wrists!!

If I can manage a full 30 seconds hold in plank position I am impressed, but this week we were pushed to hold this in 6 different ways, each time for 30 seconds. With step moves and knee bends as well as just the standard hold. OK so I couldn't complete all of them, but I did try and successfully managed each hold for at least half the time. Believe me, for me, that's good and serious progress!

Normally I would also hate the abs workout that followed, but they were a pleasant break from all the planks! Thankfully I finished the class feeling like I had really worked out and look forward to the next class!

Driving me mad

After giving it some careful consideration, and despite friends' advice, I am starting with a rant. I feel justified as in the blog title a rant does come before a rave!! Besides which if I don't get this off my chest soon I think I might just implode next time I'm in the car.

So my rant for this evening is about driving. Not necessarily my driving, although I know I can also cause other drivers to rant in a similar vein. But this is my blog so bear with me while I share with you the top five ways I can be literally driven to distraction by other road users.

• Roundabouts
  
  I live in Swindon, you know the place... the one with the Magic Roundabout. Not the old children's TV programme, the five mini-roundabouts contraption! You would think having this construction would imply that at minimum local residents would know how to navigate a roundabout. It's not hard. Priority right (for the UK anyway)!
  
  For a town that supposedly has the most roundabouts than anywhere else in the UK, I would have expected better. Of course I accept there will always be a slight confusion when all cars arrive at pretty much the same time. It's almost laughable as in our British politeness you see one car make a move, but then immediately slam on the brakes as another also makes a move. Just go for it. If you hesitate, you might just as well sit there until you get a written invitation to move!
  
  My advice, adjust your speed to avoid arriving at the same time. And if you witness any hesitation, take full advantage and make your move stick!

• Middle / outside lane drivers
  
  On occasion I have been undertaken on a motorway when I've been in the outside lane. To explain, I'm usually in this lane to overtake someone in the middle lane, but there is no-one ahead in the left hand lane. As a speeding car from behind approaches in the left hand lane, it's not long before both outside lanes are being undertaken. I hate this almost as much as any unnecessary middle lane driving!!!!!
  
  If only that middle lane driver was driving correctly, my rants would be saved!

• Parking
  
  Here I want to name three parking frustrations. Firstly I will pick on the people who would rather park a distance away than try to reverse park into a space. With a friend recently, we parked at the far end of a car park, purely because she preferred to drive into a space. Now you still have to reverse out of the space, but sometimes there's no arguing these little points!(?)
  
  Secondly the lovely people who park over two spaces. Why? OK I get you then avoid anyone accidentally knocking your car with their doors, but seriously on a Saturday morning supermarket shop, this is just mean!
  
  And thirdly, tight fit parking - on one side that is. Some cars have parked so close to me that I have been known to get back into the car from the passenger side. I only assume they had either a stick insect for a passenger or none at all. A little thoughtful consideration wouldn't go amiss here!!

• Wide births
  
  Whether overtaking a bicycle or a parked car, some people seem to need to have the rest of the whole road width free for them to safely complete this manoeuvre. This is especially frustrating as it seems to happen more often with owners of smaller cars. Not logical I know, but not a lot of the driving referred to here is!

• Indicating
  
  Oh the piece de resistance. I can't quite decide which is more annoying. Sitting at a roundabout waiting for the person in the non-indicating car to go straight ahead, but they turn left. Or, my biggest bug bear of all, the right hand indicator being used (again on a roundabout) when the driver is actually going straight across. Why???
  
  I only drive four miles to work but in those few minutes I encounter eight roundabouts. With visits home at lunchtime, that makes 32 opportunities for a roundabout calamity! Touch wood, no accidents to date, but plenty of near misses!

As I said at the beginning, I'm no saint when driving. I could add at least another 3 frustrations that other drivers would nominate: tailgating, not paying attention and impatience.

So there you have it, first rant over and done with. I'm looking forward to the rave. Actually though I have to say this has been quite therapeutic. Let's see how calm the journey to work is in the morning!

Thanks for reading!