New Look Blog

You might have noticed things looking a bit different around here. That's because I finally found a new look template that I'm beyond thrilled with.

I've been wanting a change for a while and did find a template last year that I adapted a little bit but it just wasn't clicking for me. Then I found this new one. I really really like the clean modern clutter free space, and also the large pictures. 

What do you think?

Angela X

Feels Like Nothing Else

First of all, hello! I've not been here for a while. Life has been happening. Some good and some not so good. But I've still been here, lurking you could say. I've enjoyed some quiet time catching up on my favourite blog reads.

Talking of which... I was busily catching up on Wendy from the Thankfifi blog on Sunday evening when I noticed a competition!! Woohoo. Win a trip to Copenhagen plus some nice UGG goodies. I wasn't going to hesitate to enter this competition. What a dream. I could visit the sights from one of my favourite Scandinavian TV shows of the moment, Borgen. I'd pretend I'm meeting Kasper Juul for coffee. Swoon...

I started scouring the web for an outfit with my imaginary £1000 budget. Then I gave up around midnight as I was getting bleary eyed. I didn't forget though and the next day I collated my outfit and here is my entry below.

UGG Evera shoes - UGG - £95

red ribbed knit jumper - Cos - £49

black cashmere knit hat - Cos - £29

white cotton oxford shirt - Mango - £29.99

camel soft tartan scarf - Zara - £19.99

Tom Ford TF5207 glasses - Pretavoir - £163.50

Acne Hep 5 pocket straight leg dark denim jeans - The Outnet - £52 

Mulberry Dorset medium red leather tote bag - Net A Porter - £395

OPI In My Santa Suit nail polish - Beauty Bay - £8.05

Total = £841.53

For this look I decided to stick with my usual smart casual style. And we know how much I LOVE my red Converse trainers, but since the weather is a bit chilly to wear those just now, I was thrilled to discover that there were a very cool (and not too dissimilar) pair of UGG shoes complete with furry sheepskin around the ankle and tongue as well as and leather lining to kick start this look. A perfect alternative to my Cons? Yes! I'm sure these would 'feel like nothing else' on my feet and would keep my little size 3 tootsies warm and toasty in winter.

Wearing my dark denim jeans, crisp white shirt and a pop of red in a cosy knitted jumper. I can see me sipping a hot tea and munching on a warmed scone in a little cafe on a bright winter afternoon.

To keep me ahead of the game in my second favourite spectator sport (people watching. Oh come on we all love doing that!), I opted for a new pair of Tom Ford glasses. I may paint my nails with my OPI shiny berry red polish from the Mariah Carey Holiday collection. Then, when it's time to go I'll pop on my cashmere beanie hat and oversized tartan scarf. Well, we are in Scotland after all! Cosy.

To finish my look I'll pop my laptop and purse and keys and phone and camera and 2 lip balms and notepad into my gorgeous leather Mulberry tote bag and set off to wander the streets...

To me that just feels like nothing else.

Hope you've liked my look. 

Angela x

Blank pages, empty words

This post has been blank for about twenty minutes now. I can't seem to write anything these days. Not anything worth reading. But I want to. I so very badly want to. There are words floating around my head like tiny little sea animals floating in a big wide ocean. However, lately, they just don't seem to make any sort of sense or find their way into readable, interesting, fantastical sentences. And that's a problem when you want to write and blog so very badly. You end up with a post like this. A place filler.

I read a piece last week on the internet (it's where I mostly go to find my reading materials these days). Anyway, I found a short story that someone had tweeted, a piece they'd written and spilled into a Tumblr blog. It's great. It was filled with staccato sentences. The kind of writing I like. It was something. It was nothing. But i felt inspired a little after reading it.

It's by someone I follow on Twitter @Ohjawbone and you can find it here. I liked it a lot. Go over and have a read.

Angela x

Testing Pt II

So, there's been a change. I've changed the template of my little blog. What do you think?

Angela x

Testing

Apologies for the next few posts. I'm trying to tweek the blog layout by myself. Ideally I'd like a nice new blog templet but for now i've decided to give it a go myself. So you may see a few changes around here.

I currently have 2 safari windows open on my laptop with about 40 tabs on each with tutorials and designs and inspirations and all manner of other designer stuff to help me. Bur first. Blog post images and resizing.

This is a test post of a new way to add images to my blog. Let me know how it looks!


I'm getting elbow deep in css code here and things may go awry.

This post may be updated regularly whilst I play about with photo layouts. Bear with me please while I get my blog looking the way i want it.

And no, I won't move over to Wordpress. I tried that once a few years back and hated it. Sorry, not sorry.

UPDATE (5 hours later): the images were fine for the first few hours and so i fiddled about with the code for other features and now the images are all greyed out halfway down them. Does anyone know why this happened and how to fix it?

Angela x
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Beachy Hair - minus the beach

I used the same shampoo, from the same bottle, for the whole of 2012. A giant 1 litre bottle of Aveda Be Curly shampoo. It's good but i felt like i needed a change, and my hair probably did too.

However, since the turn of the year I've been trying out other shampoos. No conditioners as I'm still using the remnants of a Frederik Fekkai conditioner for curly hair that smells like tangerines. Not oranges, tangerines, there's a difference ;)  I've even begun trying a Tresemme nourishing shampoo, something i never ever thought I'd try. But I decided that i wasn't going to spend insane amounts of money on something you wash into and out of your hair.

And then Bumble and Bumble just had to go and launch the Surf range.

New for summer is the Surf Foam Wash shampoo and the Surf Creme Rinse conditioner. As well as the fantastic Surf Spray. I absolutely LOVE their surf spray but at £19 a bottle it's just not been in my shopping basket for a few years. I bought my first bottle back in 2005 from HQ Hair. I saw a few reviews raving about the new range but never from anyone with my type of curly (kinda already beachy) hair. In John Lewis last weekend i hesitated and decided not to buy it. I have this new rule. If I see something I want to buy, i don't buy it there and then. I wait a day. If I still want it the next day I weigh up why, then decide if i really need it before i buy. Works. Sometimes! But this non purchase lingered on my mind and as soon as I was home I searched online to see if there were any bargains.

Hurrah! I managed to stumble upon a site i hadn't heard of before, Active Beauty, and with the lure of 15% off until 21 May i didn't hesitate for a day. I bought the shampoo, conditioner and the surf spray all with free delivery too. Bargain.

I tried it out on Saturday. I wasn't expecting much to be honest. You know when shampoos promise much and almost always fail to deliver. But oh, how wrong was I! What I ended up with was soft, great smelling, 'beachy' hair. Usually if i don't put mousse on my hair then it ends up a frizzy mess. But with the aid if just a few drops of hair oil and a few sprays of Surf Spray it was like I'd just stepped out of the  water in Ibiza. No really.

It was soft, manageable and yet had the messy look about it. Well, messier than my usual. But with a look of being 'done' too. And the smell. Oh the smell. I can't describe what it is except... aqua. I didn't need to use much of the shampoo to produce a lather and I've learnt to use half the amount of conditioner than I think I'd need. A huge plus was that the conditioner felt like i had rinsed it properly. I wary of some conditioners when they don't rinse out or take half an hour to rinse out (Pantene, Aussie - in my experience - yuck). I let my hair air dry for a few minutes then sprayed some surf spray in it. There was no tangles or straw like texture, just 'beach' hair. Honest.

If, like me, you have curly hair and want something to give you a bit of that 'done' texture look then this range is probably for you. Only if your budget can stretch to them that is, because at £18.50 per bottle they aren't exactly budget priced. But I only get my hair done maybe twice per year so I like to treat it in between times.

Angela x

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Words Fail Me

Every time I sit down to write a post my mind goes blank. In the shower is where I have my most brilliant ideas for posts. I write them all out in my mind. I get myself motivated and gee'd up, but by the time I've left the shower, my ideas have all but gone.

The smart little sentence structures wiped from my mind. The funny one liners - woomf! - vanish in a flash. (Btw, Woomf is the new word for a finger click - yo).

You'd think I was a great wordster the way I've just written what I've written above. I never claim to be a great wordsmith. In fact, English was one of my least favourite subjects at school. That whole grammar, full stop, comma, semi colon thing really didn't sit well with me. Perhaps that's why i like Twitter so much. There's not really much that can go awry in 140 characters, is there?!...

Fear not though. I'm working on keeping these ideas alive. I've added a suitably large notepad by the side of my bed for scrabbling down any mere hint of a blog post idea. I've cleared space on my iPhone so that i can tap a few words down in any spare given moment. I've drafted a few 'fillers' for the off days and I'm going to try to brush up on my grammar, if i can be bothered.

Angela x

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Share a Coke!

I am loving what Coca Cola are doing with the Share A Coke campaign. I never really noticed it until i went to buy a 500ml bottle of Coke and there were loads of different names on the bottle label. Sadly I don't think I'll ever find my name so I chose the bottle with 'Friends' on it instead. But if someone happens to find an Angela one (full fat Coke) please keep me it! Or perhaps those nice people over at Coca-Cola could make me one?!!

It's a nice idea for drinkers of full fat Coke since the cool fancy campaigns always seem to appear on the Diet Coke bottle - the current one being Marc Jacobs collab. Saying that I do still have a bottle from the Germany World Cup in 2006. I love me a gimmicky bottle of Coke.

I'm not a fan of any diet drinks though. For me I don't see the point. There's artificial sweeteners in it anyway that'll spike your system just as the full fat version and then you'll get the same effects. Plus diet juice tastes weird. Just me?

Anyway, everytime I see these bottles they just make me smile. So I call that a success!

Have you found your name? And more importantly who will you share your Coke with?

Angela x

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Housekeeping

April, and possibly March, have been slow months here on the blog. It's not that nothing has been happening. It's just that the stuff that's happening isn't really for sharing. Not here on this blog, not at this time.

May will bring the new though. I've a plan. Well, a rough outline of a plan. Once I finalise it there'll hopefully be more posts here, with regular features.

For now, this is the holding page.

Have a nice day.

Smile.

Be happy.

Make someone else smile.

A stranger preferably, it's more effective then.

Big love.

Angela x

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My beloved Converse slippers

These are what I like to affectionately call my slippers.

My (nearly) two years old Red Converse. I LOVE these trainers. No exaggeration. They have been on my feet for probably 70% of those (nearly) two years.

I was hoovering my room, as you do, and was lifting them off the floor and actually had a look at the soles. They're wearing down. Fast. And that is unusual for me. I tend not to wear shoes out. In fact, I still have some Nike Air Jordan's (now vintage) that money can't buy, in my cupboard. Gosh, they must be about 15 years old and they still aren't anywhere near worn out. Too good to throw out really. I might get them out and wear them during this summer!

Back to the Converse...

Despite buying some wedge trainers recently, and wearing my trusty black heeled Topshop boots A LOT, I always come back to wearing my Converse. But I'd like a new pair. I've had white ones, purple ones, pink plaid ones and these red ones. But i'd like a new pair for the summer. I don't want to go all out summer and get a pale yellow pair. Can you imagine the state of those come winter time!? I tried on a black pair and they just weren't me. Plus black... it's not really my colour. I prefer a bright shoe, to go with my bright trousers.

What colour do y'all wear?

I've seen "new" ones. I say "new' in quotes because they're actually worn out looking ones and so yes, they're called the Well Worn Collection. A bit of designer scuffing on the rubber. A bit of designer dirt marks on the canvas upper but the colour of the pink is really beautiful. Not pastel, no way. Bright and bold and non Barbie but still quite girly. Let's call it Tomboy Pink. Yes. It's a Tomboy Pink colour, and there's also a nice turquoise too. But... do I really want to pay that wee bit extra for a pair of 'dirty' looking gutties. (Btw, gutties is our word for sneakers, that aren't trainers, like gym trainers) Got that.

So who knows, i may just stick with my trusty red (that seems to go with any colour) Converse to see me through this summer too.

What's on your feet? #onmyfeet

Angela x

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Ch, ch, ch, changes...

Times they are a changing, and so is this blog. It is with much thought and a little sadness that i've decided to get rid of the Project Everest title of this blog. I'll still be keeping the link but i've decided that it's time to move on from that phase of my life. It was in 2009 after all.

The trek to Mount Everest was the single most amazing and most important thing i have done in my life, up to now. I say up to now because I still think that there are many adventures left inside of me.

The change to the name of the blog is one of those new adventures. And at this point in my life it feels right and is more 'fitting' to me. There will be no deleting of posts nor pictures of my trek. Everything will still be here but under a different name. Not much of a change you might think but for me, yes, yes it is. Head right back to the start of this blog (2008 & 2009 posts) if you're a fairly new reader and want to catch up on that story. It's pretty great.

I love this little blog. It has become a part of me, even though lately it may have lacked any...individuality? (is that the right word?)...

I did have this as a header image but it is MAHOOSIVE!

So, i'll still be here, still with the same sorta posts, but under a different name, once i decide on it. There are few in the running. That may take another couple of weeks.

In the meantime you might have noticed a little design change. Of course my favourite shade of red is involved and it's still a bit minimal. I'm not a fan of fussy blog designs. I've been wanting to do this for a while but did't get around to it. I've been playing around with the template and layout for a few weeks and tonight i think I settled on one that i like. I've also introduced a few social buttons over there on the right hand side. There's Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, Google+ and Pinterest. Quite impressed with myself that i managed to add them on - high five!

Hope you like it!
Angela x

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...blog block...

I appear to be suffering from blogger block at the minute.

There's going to be a few changes around these parts soon when i get around to it.

Until then I have the bloggers block... argh.

Much love

Angela x

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Blogtober Stalled

Blogtober hasn't gone quite as planned. You see I've found that you can't command words to pop into your head just because you have to blog that day to keep up the Blogtober you gleefully promised at the beginning of the month. But i'm totally fine with that. For me blogging started off as a diary, of that trek. Then after that was over it became more about me, and my (not so exciting) life. I sometimes hanker after those bygone days when i had things a plenty to blog about. But then i might just be making things up if i did.

I've always thought blogging should come naturally and not be forced. If it so happens that on a certain day/week you have nothing to say then that is fine. I've read a lot of blogs recently who seem forced and constricted to certain topics on certain days. I don't think that could ever be my thing, i mean how often do i miss the Friday Five posts?! (note to self, still to write last weeks).  

The blogs I like the best are blogs that seem real and natural and random. Maybe they're just great at hiding that fact that they've got a master document full of blog schedules and topics or maybe they're just great. I like to read stories and I'm a sucker for a picture heavy story post. Love pictures that are windows into peoples lives. 

In saying that, i do love a good beauty blog. Nails, nail posts are good too. And fashion. I've found a few fashion blogs recently that are on my reader list. Not high fashion as in Vogue or Victoria Beckham (I do love the VB though), no, fashion blogs which are of really stylish people with great everyday style. I sometimes dream that i'm one of them (obviously i'm not!). But yeah i like those blogs.

I suppose i'm still trying to figure out what this here blog is meant to be. Maybe it'll always just drift along being what it is, about me and my life. And i'm fine with that. I didn't intend for it to be anything else from the outset. 

Angela x

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Blogging mobile-ly

So my attempt at going totally mobile to blog didn't quite work. What am i talking about you may ask. Well, if you check the post right before this one Photo Week 1, you'll see that I'm going to start blogging my iPhonography photos on a weekly basis. Photos taken that week on the iPhone using various apps such as Instagram, iOS camera, Camera+ and any other decent apps i come across.

After figuring out that my best option to transfer photos from the phone to the iPad using Dropbox i set about with that post. I put a few photos together into frames using PicFrame app and published the post. It looked good. Yay.

Except not yay. I looked at it today on the computer at work and on there the pictures are fuzzy and out of focus. Why? Maybe i need to make the settings 'high def' when putting them into the frame app? If you know shout out.

So my attempt at doing everything mobile didn't quite work out. I'm currently typing this on the laptop. Which is fine but when i attempt to use Photoshop to do the framey thing where there are loads of pictures in one picture, it takes an age. Approximately 45 minutes for one simple photo. Reason being this is a 5 year old laptop with hardly any free space. It runs really slowly now although cosmetically it looks new. Grrrr....

I thought i'd broke the mobile blogging ducks back but i can't upload fuzzy pictures. I'm leaving them on the previous post so you can see what i mean. But for next week i must try to find a solution to this. I could always do a post with separate pictures in it but that would be mega long. You'd turn off.

If you've got any tips, leave me a comment. Please, thanks!

Angela x

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Friday Five #2

Number two in the Friday Five series. You remember this from last week, right? Five things that made this week great. Og and we're always on a Friday.

1 - walking in the front door the other night and seeing these...

They just melted my heart. Ryan's first pair of football boots that Santa brought him.

2 - I gained some clarity on a thing (for want of a better word). It had been playing around in my head for a while. Relief, and a slight sense of smugness if i'm honest. Winkey face.

3 - this little blog of mine reached 20,000 views, whatever that means. I read it in the stats section behind the scenes. If you can tell me what that actually means i'd be eternally grateful. Thanks.

4 - got back in to spin classes. For a split second on Wednesday night I was ready to drive home but i never and decided i was gong to do a double class. But sadly the second class was full. Next week though, I'm going for it.

5 - the car had it's MOT on Monday. Two new tyres and two new number plates and it passed. Cost me £218 but hey it could've been worse. I was expecting worse (ever the optimist!).

Angela x

Oh wait, here's a bonus number 6. I got my new iPod delivered through the Apple replacement programme on the first generation iPod Nano's. My wee skinny white Nano was engraved on the back but they sent me a little silver square Nano (current model). It's tiny. X
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A Blog Each Day in March

pril first marks then end of my personal blog each day in March challenge. I did it. I stuck to it. Granted, some days were light on the words but then you're probably glad of that.



What have i learned? Well it's given me the impetus to keep blogging regularly so i shall be. Maybe not every day but every other day, certainly. I've learned that I should keep two posts as a back-up as there were a few days i had to call on help for topic ideas. I actually quite liked the challenge. I was dreading it a bit when i started but i did find stuff to blog about each day.

During this time i was trying to think if my blog fitted into any category, because recently I've found lots of nice blogs to read which are mostly fashion ones. And i definitely don't fit into that bracket - fashion. I definitely don't want to be a social meeja blog. Can you imagine? Regurgitating what everyone else is writing about that day and trying to be the first to hit the publish button. No thank you. Although I'll probably never shut up about Twitter and this here Blogger platform as I'm sure big things are gonna happen soon.

No, I think I can only say that my blog is about me and all aspects of my life and I'm not sure what category that fits into. Actually, I don't want to fit into a category and be labelled. Labelling is limiting. I'll just be me, it's all i can be and hope that you stick around for the journey.

In other news, it's been two years, yes TWO WHOLE YEARS since the trek to Nepal. I'll have more to say on that soon and a book about it. Yes, you heard right. A book about the trek and everyone on it. Stay tuned.

In other 'other news', I got an interesting email from someone the other day about another blog i write for. I am being invited somewhere! I will have details from said person soon. It's all very exciting and intriguing and I'm not sure I'm going yet (I want to wait to see what it's all about), but as you know, I will blog about it. If i'm allowed.

Peace out
Angela x

Blogger Dynamic Views

So Google and Blogger, announce a new Dynamic Views for your Blogger blog. I've had a go, click the link below to see it. Pretty neat I'd say. Theirs Mosaic, Snapshot, Flipboard, Timeslide and Sidebar views.
http://angeprojecteverest.blogspot.com/view

This is the Snapshot view of mine. Cool eh.

It's funny the amount of people who criticise Blogger as a blogging platform. When i started my blog and searched around the web it was one of the first ones to come up to I just liked it straight away. As you know I did try to move away to another platform but i just do not like Wordpress. Everyone uses Wordpress and therefore you see blogs that sorta all look the same because they haven't changed or tweaked their theme. I have a Tumblr and a Posterous blog too but never really update them. I always come back to this little place I now call home. I'll always keep this blog no matter what.

I just can't wait until Blogger releases the iPhone app and the all new dashboard with, hopefully, some new features!

Always a Blogger girl
Angela x

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Blogging Challenge

As the month of March draws to a close i'm wondering what the worth is in posting every day. I'm starting to really run out of ideas for blog posts. You might be able to tell...

I think from my little challenge to myself I'm realising that for me blogging every day doesn't work. However, I do think an every other day post will be fine so i'm going to try to do that after March and onwards. I've not written a list of potential post titles down yet but I'll start. To generate ideas and get the juices flowing. Because as you know, this blog isn't about preaching at you about social media, since every one and their aunty does that, no this blog is about me and my journey through life. That means sometimes there'll be good days and sometimes there'll be bad days but all posts are genuine and real. That is what I'm most proud of. Keeping it real in a sea of fakery that exists out there.

I happened upon someone today on Twitter who is running a blogger meet up in Edinburgh. She is @miss_smidge and her blog is here. I'd really lke to go along to one of those. Anybody been? Let me know.

Sorry, short and sweet post today.

Angela x

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Stuff, just stuff

It's been another quick week. Time is flying in and there's been highs and lows this week, for me. I've not done my Thursday Three post this week as I can't really think of any. So I'm throwing it open to you, the readers. Can you suggest any topics for Thursday Three posts that haven't been covered before? There must be some. Leave a comment below. If I keep coming up with topics myself then they'll be all safe and not challenge me to commit to writing about stuff that I may not necessarily want to write about. So go on, any suggestions please leave a comment below.

An update on where i am on a few things. Lent. Giving up chocolate and sweet things with my mum. She's stuck to is. I not so much. I've totally cut back on it thought. You see I seriously think I'm addicted. I wish I wasn't. I wish my sweet tooth wasn't there but I turn to it in times of crisis. Which you'll read as just a bunch of excuses. I suppose that's what they are but pick the one thing you love, coffee, green tea, bread and then try to give it up, see what happens. I have cut back, lots and lots. I just need to wean myself off it. I'll keep you posted.

I'm so chuffed with myself that I've kept up this blogging every day of March malarkey. Granted I'm not blogging about information that is vital to world peace but nonetheless it's showing me that I can stick to something if i really really put my mind to it.

I'm sitting watching the every present news channels and anti-aircraft gunfire and missiles being shot up into the skies over Tripoli in Libya. What's it all about? (alfie). I struggle to find a time when I've never heard of wars on the tellybox. I'm not that naive though, i do know sometimes it has to be done. But oh dear. Does it? I drove around last night and remembered pictures from Kosovo (that was terrible wasn't it?). Mass graves. Pictures of women and children being shot. Terrible. I was still at school then and had never really seen anything like that. Then there was Shock and Awe in Iraq. I remember sitting one Friday night after getting in from work and watching wave after wave of explosions at various palaces. Then who can forget when the statue of Saddam Hussein was brought down i that square and they all started battering it with their shoes. Now this. When will it all stop? Probably never. There will always be something won't there.

And on that note I'm off. To the cinema. To get away from this misery for a few hours.
Be safe. Be good. Play nice. And if there's only one thing you do for me please give me some comments for my Thursday Three topics, please?

Bye.

Angela xx

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You Don't Ask, You Don't Get - Update!

Thought I'd give you a quick update on my progress with a previous post entitled You Don't Ask, You Don't Get. I'd say it was 50/50 successful and here's why.


Blog
Still no help form anyone re changing the way this blog looks. Or any pointers towards nice classy Blogger templates. I say classy because I like clean looking blogs. Minimal you could say. Having hunted around a few blogs recently I can say there are some stinkers out there from people who've had them professionally done. They look nasty. You might have noticed that i've added a background. What do you think? I'm unsure yet and I may change it to plain dots or something yet. Its a work in progress. If you want to help me please do get in touch. I would really appreciate it.

I'd still like to talk over a few ideas I have with someone too. They're good ideas and could be HUGE, MASSIVE, AMAZING. You'll miss out if you don't.

Cinema Buddies
Well a few offers have come in, so thanks for that to those people.

A Brother
Perhaps my biggest request. Although I've never had a serious offer of a brother, I'm glad to report I've gained a cousin. A very lovely and inspiring cousin he is too, and I met him!! I hope he remembers my birthday this week! Ha, kidding. I hope to share many fun times with my cousin and be here if he needs me.

Photos of Me
Well there is one photo of me that was taken form the weekend, including thumbs. I'm going to use it as my new avatar. Lovely Laura did offer to take one but I was too embarrassed! :) I'm actually getting used to seeing photos of me now but i'd still quite like some arty shots done.

Photoshop
Well I'm glad to report that I now own a Photoshop. I've had a few plays around with some photos but can't wait to get stuck in. It's all thanks to Mr Woodall (@Woody_Ben). Thank you so much Ben. Now how can I repay you? Need something organised, a loan of a DVD or perhaps a Twitter name badge sewn by my own fair hands?! Holler out :)

All in all I done pretty well out of my asking. There are people who I'd have thought would have offered something but haven't but, whatever.

Angela xx
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