LIFE | 47 things I’ve learnt in my 47 years

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It suddenly dawned on me today that I am 48 in a-round-about a month [15th December if you’re contemplating sending a card] … or as the BF keeps reminding me – You are 50 in 2 years!

Firstly how the bloody hell did that happen; it only seems two minutes since my 40th which I celebrated in some style if I say so myself. I can party hard when I set my mind to it. I love nothing better than letting loose and having a good time. My celebrations dragged out over a whole 3 weeks and included amongst lots of other things a weekend in Manchester with the girls, The Kings Of Lyon at Sheffield Arena, lots of family and work meals / nights out. Lots and lots of champagne and cake.

40th Birthday celebrations in full swing

Well you are only 40 once…

I thought it might be fun today to  list ‘47 things I’ve learnt in my 47 years’… some serious, some silly … If I can muster that many up that is.

I’m older but definitely [when it comes to somethings] not wiser. I still feel like a child at times and I’m constantly evolving… which for some bizarre reason makes me sound like a chuffing monkey.

So here goes …

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LIFE | Cosy Nights in with Home Bargains

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As the winter months draw in [ can you believe its November already ] it’s dark by 4pm and it is cold enough to freeze your brass knockers off a cosy night in at home is always a good call preferably in front of a roaring log fire with a Christmas movie playing and your loved ones close by. I love summer but there something warm and comforting about Winter. Its cold outside but baby its warm inside…

Ideally I love nothing better than getting in from work; climbing into a hot, steamy bubble bath, where I let the weight of the world dissolve away as I soak . When suitably relaxed I dry myself off, change into a fluffy pair of pj’s and settle down for a relaxing evening.

Luckily Home Bargains have everything you need to make this a reality – the ingredients for a perfect cosy night in.

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LIFE | Halloween, horror films and I …

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Horror [ hawr-er] –

an overwhelming and painful feeling caused by something frightfully shocking, terrifying or revolting; a shuddering fear

I watched my first ever horror film with my Mum.

It was Salems Lot which by todays standards is probably really rather tame. My first introduction to Vampires and the living dead. It starred David Soul who my Mum had a soft spot for, I guess in the same way I do about Bradley Cooper.

I’m not sure what either one of us was thinking as we both had very vivid and over-active imaginations. I can remember being huddled on the settee together, the slightest noise freaking us both out. I can remember I wanted a wee but daren’t leave my mums side. I can remember Dad coming home from the pub and scaring us both to death. I can also remember the amazing adrenaline rush being scared gave me, but also the sleepless nights it led too.

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LIFE | today’s thoughts …

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I’ve been thinking about the past year and how surreal those past months all seem.

I’m thinking about life … and death. Especially death [ bear with me it gets lighter ] and how ‘weird’ it is to get your head around which may sound odd; but sometimes I have to remind myself that mums dead. I have such vivid dreams about her that some mornings I wake up and for a few minutes everything is like it was before. Momentarily my life’s complete again ; it’s more or less perfect.

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BEAUTY | Bath time pampering

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Imagine for a moment if your will that David Attenborough and his film crew decided to follow me around to study and document my behavior in my natural habitat for a BBC special. Firstly it would be very weird and secondly they would be most likely to find me languishing in a hot, bubble bath …

I love nothing better than getting home from work, whipping my clothes off [ especially my bra ]  and climbing in for a long soak . I’ve been known to wallow for hours , especially in the Winter months, like a pig in mud.

So today I thought I’d share a few of my bathing essentials with you …  but firstly i like to set the scene. If I have the time I like to light a few tea-lights to create ambience and spritz the bathroom with something along the lines of Quietude Calming Mist from Temple Spa. I occasionally take a cup of coffee with me … a glass of fizz has been known along with a good book or magazine.

To be honest I don’t always have the time, I cant find the matches, or we’ve run out of milk ! But hey when it does happen it’s bloody lovely.

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STYLE | Joe Browns celebrate 20 years !

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Have I told you I’m a frustrated performer? You know the one … can’t sing, can’t dance, [ what do you do ?] but longs to entertain. Longs to tread the boards.

Well it’s no surprise then that I like my clothes to have character too. Your probably thinking what is she waffling on about now …?!

Well basically I like to put my clothes on and take on a new persona. Clothes that give you life so to say. Make you happy.

Take this fabulous coat for example from Joe Browns I pop it on and I’m no longer Tracey from Sheffield [ well I am it’s not that fabulous!] But I feel like I could be the love child of John Lennon [during the Sergeant Pepper days] and a Bond baddie [ a sexy Russian lady one obviously]

It makes me feel sassy …

though I don’t necessarily look it . These photos were taken while I was quite poorly.

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MUSINGS | say no to plastic

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It’s a bit of a different post from me today but it’s something I’m pretty passionate about .

Did you know that it takes 200 years for a plastic straw to decompose. You heard correctly two – hundred years!

That quite shockingly over 100 million marine animals are killed each year due to plastic debris in the ocean. Yep … one- hundred million!

In the UK only a third of plastic packaging used in consumer products is recycled each year, with almost two-thirds sent to landfill or incinerated

That’s a lot of big , worrying figures.

I sat and watched a programme just last week about plastic and the damage WE are inflicting on the planet .

My heart sank … and then broke a little .

I literally cried as I watched [ amongst other things ] pieces of plastic being flushed from a Shearwater Chicks belly. The chick was alive, the plastic doesn’t decompose it just sits in their stomachs leaving no room for food. Zapping their energy . Slowly killing them. That , that just wasn’t right. Over the last 50 years the Shearwater chick population has declined by a staggering 30%

To think we are partly responsible for destroying our planet makes me both very angry and extremely sad .

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BEAUTY | the bumper edition

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If you know me you’ll know the things that get me excited around the collar … chunky bars of milky chocolate, large cups of frothy coffee and good conversation. Nights out dancing. Bradley Cooper, Martin Kemp , DiNuzzo from NCIS … [ I know so many men]

and good skin care

I guess you can chop and change your wardrobe, replace old pieces with new , upgrade , but unless you go under the knife you can’t chop, change or upgrade your skin. You CAN however use products to improve the overall look and feel of the skin; keep the wrinkles at bay or soften any you may have. Saying that some wrinkles are a sign of a life well lived…I fully embrace my laughter lines.

I love a good pamper and I’m all over experiencing new procedures / self-love . I guess I just want to look the best version of myself .

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