A Weekend to Remember

The Big Sleep Out 2006 is done. It was amazing. So many stories to tell and funny things to remember. I couldn't have done it without my wonderful wonderful team, and the support of everyone who sponsored.

Please hit my Myspace blog for details (its reeeeally long!) of what went on. Keep praying for the people in Pakistan this Christmas as you wrap up warm with mulled wine and mince pies. And please remember the homeless on our very own streets. They need our thoughts and prayers as much as the people miles and miles away. Brian, 'Santa', 'John', Bonnie, to name just a few.

After a thoroughly lazy day on Saturday, the Safari girls, joined by the girls of mayfield road, piled into Buster, Lowns' little car, and went on a girlies road trip to Sarah's grandparents house in Chideock, Dorset. We went for a VERY muddy walk up Golden Cap - yeah, I was doing so well until right at the end and I hit the ground like a sack o' potatoes. Dang slippery mud. It went all over the seat of my jeans. nice. Benny went over too, in fact I think Sarah was the only one who stayed standing! Peter and Sheila made us a delicious roast, complete with the best ever beef sauce. Mmmmmm. Wonderful.

Aaaah, almost Christmas. x

Why walk when you could fly?

Why take when you could be giving?
Why watch as the world goes by?
It's a hard enough life to be living,
Why walk when you can fly?

Here's the latest on what's happening this Friday! (Yes, it's true, in a few short days I will stop talking about fundraising and everyone will be happy again! Hang on in there guys!)

Here are the facts....

Why: For the hundreds and thousands of people who are still homeless as a result of the devastating earthquake that hit South Asia last October
Who: Me and my team of merry men and women
When: 2pm Friday 1st December - Saturday 2nd December
Where: Above Bar Street/Pedestrian area, Southampton

If you would like to sponsor, you can drop me a line, or you can donate directly online at http://www.justgiving.com/bigsleepout
If you're going to be around the area on Friday, pleeeeaase come see us, chuck some coppers in the tin, or buy us hot drinks! Remember the people we are supporting through this; their winter is already intensely cold, and they will also be dealing with the recent year anniversary of the loss of family and friends. They need our thoughts, prayers and support. It's not just homes being rebuilt, but schools and hospitals, just so they can start to get back to normality. Thanks everyone!

In the meanwhile, I'm gunna perform a backward rain dance in the hope that it stays dry for us on Friday. "Nair Nair og yawa, emoc niaga rehtona yad..."
And if that doesn't work, I don't know what will!!

Later days x

Good things take time, but great things happen all at once.

I had never been to Pompey before, so it really was an adventure when I went to visit lil' brudder Nick. He can make it on his own!!!
We had a wonderful exploring day; discovering cheaper-than-poundland shops, the best EVER sweetie shop, and an old timey record shop. Aaaah, twas wonderful. And because we're responsible adventurers, we left a trail of two doughnuts so that we could find our way home.
I met Nicks lovely halls of residence (wasn't much of a coversationalist, though), and two of his flatmates. He has a beautiful view of the sea from his window.
It was sad when home time came around, but the day was grrrreat and I had a happy train ride home.
Soundtrack of the Day: Adventure - Be Your Own Pet

Yesterday was the progressive supper. (That's a supper where poor and hungersome Freshers move from house to house for each course. Sometimes called a moving meal. Or begging.) I'm going to be honest, we really weren't very well prepared. Still, we pulled it together and ended up having good food and, better still, great company! Our freshers were lovely, and we Safari girls were also joined by the girls of Mayfield rd and Tom. So it was a full house - the more the merrier! The conversation couldn't have been more varied (dreams, languages, dreaming in foreign languages, abolishing time keeping in favour of living longer, the drama of neighbours...) but it was fab! Yay!

I watched The Beat That My Heart Skipped in bed. It's a French movie. Pianist/dodgy real estate guy has to deal with the demons of his past - concert pianist mother died, real estate father is struggling with debt and bad health, dodgy collegues & deals, and his mothers manager who offers him a piano audition even though he hasnt played for 10yrs. It sounds weird. But it's really good, actually! If you can manage the subtitles, it's really very good. And Romain Duris is fantastic in the lead as a slightly disturbed, but intensely passionate pianist. Give it a go. Try it yourself!!

Wow. That's what happens when you don't blog for a few days. I'll try not to let it happen again. It's just that lots of good stuff happened!! What can you do?!

Not To Be Forgotten

I suppose I should be a satisfied customer!

Cadburys Dairy Milk Melts.
Yeah. I don't know if that's a factual statement or a product name. Does exactly what it says on the packet!

So, I was dunking away (clearly I wasn't dunking, I was dunking the chocolate, silly!) in a delicious cup of tea that Lowns had just made me, and relishing in the gradually melting chocolatey snack, and then...plop! Yep, the end just dropped right off and into my mug. 'MAN DOWN!' I yell. With cat-like reflexes, I dive a spoon into the mug of steaming liquid, but, alas, it is too too late. The thing must have melted on impact. Like butter on a freshly cooked corn-on-the-cob. It was gutting. That amazing cuppa, ruined!

The chocolate eventually rose to the surface of the mug, and settled around the edges in little grainy clusters. Nice. I drunk it, oh yes I did. I wasn't going to give in to such an unprovoked act of anti-tea-based-beverage violence. It kicked my butt by the end of the drink, though. Ewww all that hideous, festering chocolate mush. Don't be mislead, it's not pleasant, choco-tea. There is certainly NOT a market for it, trust me! But, just in case, the Choco-Tea brand name is now a registered trademark!

In other unrelated but equally exciting and unexpected news; I got a great response to the wacko fundraising plan from CU folk. Yes, there actually are other nutters who want to live on the street for 24hours!! Woot! Roll on the Daily Echo photo shoot. Yeeeeah boy!

Outy xx

But b-b-baby it's COLD outside!

It's that time of year when the air is crisp, the sky is blue, people scurry around with rosy cheeks and noses, and there's a faint scent of cinnamon, orange, and Christmas on the wind. Now, some might roll their eyes, pull their scarf around their face and trudge from day to day, mourning the loss of the summer sun and the fast approaching (and quicker each year) season of giving. Others frantically trawl through mail order catalogues and websites, just maybe they'll have all the shopping done by the end of November! But me, I embrace it. I take a big old deep breath, one that moves my shoulders and stretches my neck and fills my lungs, and I walk places. I curl up on the sofa with a cuppa (Are you noticing a theme? It's not all I do with my time!!) and I plan what I can make everyone for Christmas. I plan big, wintry fundraising events...

...I'm taking to the streets in my second 24hour stint for the earthquake victims in Pakistan. This year it's bigger - Southampton, City Centre.
It's gunna be in the Daily Echo. Boo-yah!

Here's what happens: We (that's me and a revolving team of faithful fundraising friends) go out onto the street on December 1st 2006 at 10.00am and set up a pitch (exact location to be decided). We get money off those frenzied shoppers who are just desperate to part with their cash, as long as everyone gets a present. That means lots of spare change :-)
When all the shops close, the buckets of money can go to a safe place (to be arranged) and we stay on the street. We sleep (or try to) in sleeping bags and blankets in trillions of layers of clothes. The next day, we'll feel tired and ruff, BUT the people who are really suffering in the freezing snowy mountains in north Pakistan, will have been supported, physically and financially. We pack up at 10.00am, go home to warm drinks, baths and beds. Aaaah. I love helping people at Christmas time :-)

Here's how you can help:

• Sign up to be on the street for some hour slots - only what you are available for/can manage. Please be careful if you have special health requirements etc. It will be cold.
• Hot food/drinks - We'll need lots but don't want to be seen spending money in shops; people might wonder where we're getting the money from.
• Sponsor us! - We will make a lot of money on the day, but sponsors contribute hugely to the total, especially good if you're not gunna be in the area.
• Supplies - I mean thick blankets, thermal wear, good quality sleeping bags, thermos flasks, anything else you can think of
• Pray - For safety, people with giving hearts, and for the people who we are raising money for; don't forget them!
• 'Safe Place' - If you have a house near the city centre & a car, we'd really appreciate the use of it to keep the money at! Get in touch!
  

And that's your lot. I'll be posting again with more details soon. Please contact me if you wanna help out, on rw604@soton.ac.uk or acoustic_bex@hotmail.com

Many many thanks
Bx xx

Are you sitting comfortably?

Does no body relax at home with a glass of wine, some chocolate, a good book or a movie any more? Almost every week there's a new advert for some half price sale (or at least hugely slashed prices) on sofas.

Now, this can really only mean one of two things. Either some Larry in the sales department seriously undervalues the amount of work which goes into a beautifully crafted setee, or people nationwide have decided to stop buying furniture. It's the minimalist, feng shui look, right? Walk into any home in the country and you will be greeted with open arms, a cup of tea, and a cardboard box to sit on.

Perhaps because every one is now wading through deep and relentless waves of debt, comfortable seating just isn't high up on the list. When there are mortages, fast cars, fancy holidays, clothes, shoes and hair-dos, why would anyone pay full price for a sofa?!

Well I say farewell day-spa, farewell working overtime, and hello long nights curled up on a comfy sofa with a cuppa and a thoroughly good novel! Ahh yes the idyll begins.....

Bx

Word, yo.

I just had to laugh at this.

Ok, so the expletive is unnecessary, but, it's hilarious.

I wonder if Bill Gates has seen it. He seems like the kinda guy who might be able to laugh at himself.

Microsoft. Word.

By the way, the works of women are symbolical

I'm having some teething problems with this blog.
It'll be better soon.
'Til then, here's a quote to sink your chops into...

"By the way,
The works of women are symbolical,
We sew, sew, prick our fingers, dull our sight,
Producing what? A pair of slippers, sir,
To put on when you're weary - or a stool
To stumble over and vex you...'curse that stool!'
Or else at best, a cushion, where you lean
And sleep, and dream of something we are not
But would be for your sake. Alas, alas!
This hurts most, this - that after all, we are paid
The worth of our work, perhaps."

I don't really know what she's getting at, but I like it! I'm no feminist, believe you me. Something about this quote just struck a chord. Well, a momentary moment of, 'aaaah, cool.' You know the feeling. Or perhaps you don't. How presumptuous of me!

I think you should read Dark Looks by Denise Riley. It's weird but good. As is most vaguely modern poetry! The thing is, it catches you out the first time. I mean, you phase out half way thru, and then you see that last line and its like she knew it would happen! Good work Denise Riley.

Bx

It was a phase. I'm over it.

I have tried (and failed) on three occasions to start a blog. I don't know, none of them were really 'me'. The first wasn't supposed to be. It was going to be the anonymous musings of a slightly world weary late-teen...aka thoroughly uninteresting egomaniacal self-pity in text form. It was a phase. I'm over it.

Today I felt like blogging. I read some good blogs that made me chuckle and ponder, hand stroking chin and everything. Blogs like that make me want to blog. Occasionally they make me want to chop off my fingertips so I can't type in an attempt to blog. Today they made me want to blog. Thing is, I think you have to find your 'blog voice.'

Oh dear, it's all too much pressure. Really I didn't want to strap on the harness and begin to negotiate this solar eclipsing mountain of work I have to do. I don't care how beautiful the snow-capped peak is. Or how the air up there is so fresh it boots you in the nostrils with every breath. Or whether clouds really do feel like candy floss. I just don't want to do it. But, kids, I'm gunna. I've gotta.

I leave you with this; The word 'poetry' is funny. If you write it or type it or look at it too much, it makes you smile. Poetry. Poem. Poet. Poetry. Poetry. Po is a Tellytubby. Edgar Allen Poe was a writer. Poetry is a funny word. Don't you think?

Bx