The Gallery - A Memory

The Gallery prompt this week is A Memory, this is actually really hard because there are some many to choose from.


I though long and hard about this and decided to just look through my photo's to see what popped in my head and this is what I found.


This was taken in 2007, so pre BG. Me and OH had decided to take a trip to Skegness, it was our first trip to the seaside together.


It was a very windy and cold day but that didn't stop us having fun. We walked along the seafront, spent far to much money in the arcades (OH learnt about my addiction to penny slots), I made him play bingo.


On our walk back to the car with our freshly made doughnuts there was a crowd of people looking and staring at the fountain, we had to have a look of course.


Someone had added some sort of bubble mixture to the water in the fountain and this it what happened....

It's one of the funniest things I'd ever seen.


For me one of the strongest things that evokes memories for me is music, the album Lost Highway by Bon Jovi had just been realised so I had been listening it to death and annoying OH with it. I couldn't write this post without leaving you with a track from the album, I though this one was apt...


You Want To Make A Memory!!




NM X

Music Monday - Changing Tracks

I'm being a bit lazy this week as I get ready for our weekend away.


This post was originally written for the last Guest Post Day and was featured on Singlemummy.net 

Changing Tracks 


Music has always been a big part of my life and a huge passion of mine. I love to go to concerts, my first gig was Kylie Mingoue when I was 11, I really wanted to see Jason Donavon but my dad wouldn’t take us.


I’ve always used music to show my emotions and will listen to what fits my mood. I like most genres but rock is my favourite.


Certain songs and albums invoke memories for me or remind me of people. Bon Jovi’s New Jersey album is my favourite not because its amazing musically but it reminds me of my first trip to Florida with my dad and sister. I listened to it the whole time we were there, me and my sister would have a headphone each, it was an amazing holiday.


When I hear ‘it’s raining men’ by the Weather Girls I always think go my best friend K, it is and always will be ‘our’ song, many a drunken dance has been done to that track.


There are songs I listen to when I’m sad, ones I listen to when I’m happy and even angry songs, but there is one song that changed my life.


Why? It was the song that was playing when BG was born.


BG was born by C-section, we had forgotten to bring our music into theatre so the anaesthetist played his for us. It made us laugh because it was really bad music lots of the Beach Boys, but as she was born this song was playing and I think it’s really apt.......


It’s all right now by Free






NM X

Soundtrack To My Week - Count Down To V Festival Special

This time next week I shall be on my way to V Festival and I can't wait. We bough the tickets last year on Early Bird special after my wonderful dad said he would have BG for the weekend.


The thing I like most about festivals is the wide range of bands and artists who can see, I'm looking forward to seeing loads of bands but my most favourite must be the newly reformed Skunk Anansie, I was a huge fan as a teenager and it the was first band I went to see on my own with friends without my parents. 


We saw them at a little venue in Westcliff on Sea, there was about 5 of us and I lost my friend Claire in the crowd and we didn't find her until the gig had finished but it was an amazing night and Skins voice is amazing. I was lucky to see her a few years back at V Festival when she went solo and stood right in front on the stage and she came into the crowd and sung to us. 


I've found quite grainy footage of her live, the sound is crystal clear so I give you.....


Weak by Skunk Anansie 





NM X

Wordless Wednesday - BG Eats Ice-cream

NM X

What A Difference A Year Makes

This post was originally written for Breaking The Silence, a blog for dedicated to speaking up about mental illness. 

When I wrote this I had never written about my depression before and found it really liberating, I found Breaking The Silence a safe haven to write about my illness. I've realised that its good to talk about it and let other know they are not alone. 


I thought I'd share my story here as this is my blog and my story so I give you What A Difference a Year Makes. 

I DIDN'T realise how hard this post was going to be to write when I started it.

I’m not ashamed of suffering with depression but it’s not something I shout about either. I’ve had "blah" days (sometimes weeks or months) for as long as I can remember.

I think they started in my early teens but I can’t really be sure.

I would lock myself away in my room reading or listening to music and hide away from the world, people just thought I was being a typical teenager and left me to it.

As I got older I learnt to cope with my "blah" days and often no-one would notice, they would pass and life would go on. In July 2006 I was on top of the world, I had just finished five years of studying and had been promoted at work.

But just a year later I was signed off work with stress and depression and was taking antidepressants and sleeping pills. What a difference a year makes.

Work had become increasingly more stressful and it was becoming evident I was not experienced enough for the role I had been given, I had asked for support but it wasn’t given.

I was working 14 hours a day and I started to have problems sleeping, I felt completely drained and very very low. The lowest point for me was my 27th birthday,

I had a few days off from work, my other half took me out for a day of shopping and lunch I was miserable the whole day. I felt sick and had a feeling of dread in my stomach, that night I broke down in tears at the thought of having to go back to work the next day.

I rang in sick the next day and they day after and the day after. I went to see the doctor, who said I was suffering with stress related depression and her prescribed me antidepressants and some sleeping tablets.

He also signed me off work for two weeks and a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. This was the first time I had ever been to see anyone about my depression and it felt good. I had 10 weeks off and work and to be honest I never returned, my manager’s idea of supporting me was to constantly ring me to see when I was coming back and an over to demote me to a department I had no experience in.

The best thing for me to do was leave. It took some time but eventually the depression lifted and I came off the pills and I haven’t had to take them since.

I still have "blah" days. Me and my daughter stay in and have a p-j day.

My 'other half' understands I have down days and is there to support me when I need it.

I do find it hard to talk about my depression, I hid it from family for ages until I left my job and had to let them know what was going on, they were really supportive and made me feel at ease about what I was going through.

Today is a good day.

Please visit Breaking The Silence to read the other amazing stories.


Thank you Linda for letting me tell my story. 
NM X

Soundtrack To My Week

I've been so busy today on my other blog that I almost didn't write this post but as I was working today something quite nice happened.


I was listening to 6 Music which is my new favourite radio station, Nemone was on and talking about Reading Festival she asked people to tweet their most memorable Reading Festival so I did.


I've been going to Reading Festival on a Sunday night (heavy rock night) for a few years and I love it, I've seen some awesome headliners including Pearl Jam and Iron Madien.


So my most memorable one? Well this is the tweet I sent to Nemone as was read out live on radio!!!


@nemone6music I have to say my most memorable reading festival was in 2008 I was 7 months pregnant & rocking out to metallica

I give you Enter Sandman by Metalica live at the Reading Festival 2008





NM X

Oddsocks

While I was on a blogging break I got to something I have wanted to do in years and that’s see a Shakespeare play in an outdoor theatre and I have to say it was one of the best experiences I have ever had.  I don’t often write reviews on this blog anymore but as I paid for the tickets and I think you should all go and see this theatre group I thought I’d write about them.

We saw the touring group Oddsocks perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream and I haven’t been entertained so much in a long time. The performance was at Blist Hill Victorian Town in Telford and in my eyes the setting couldn’t be better.

We got there a little late so had to rush to find a place to sit, we brought our own blankets, pillows and a picnic, in hindsight we should have brought some foldable chairs but there you go.  We got comfy and I noticed there were some wondering minstrels interacting with the audience, these where the cast members and they didn’t stop involving and interacting with audience until the very end.

They have a small cast of 5 and they are hard working with each of them playing at least two roles but they gave it each role all they had. It was so funny and so entertaining. The first act seemed to be over in a flash and bless them they came out and chatted with the audience in the interval before going on with the second act.

The costumes were outstanding and how they did such quick changes and remembered what character they were supposed to be I will never know, they are very good at their craft. I was enchanted the whole way through.  OH really enjoyed as well.

I loved the intimate surroundings, there were only a few hundred in the audience, they used a small cart/caravan as there stage, one of the funniest parts was when they were swapping the cart around it was so well down and integrated into the play. No microphones were used and the lights only went up when it got really dark.

I urge you all to go and see them, you won’t be disappointed.

The Oddsocks were formed in 1989 by husband and wife Andy Barrow and Elli Mackenzie, they tour twice a year. They are still some performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream available but don’t worry if you can’t make that, tickets are already for the winter tour of Hamlet, I can’t wait to see it, and we’ve found a performance near us!

NM X