How I Shop For Clothes

Following on from last week's post about my simple wardrobe, I thought I'd share how I shopped for clothes.  If you're Rev T, you can go away now ... Right away.

Style-wise, I like things easy, comfortable and simple. Normcore.Or should that be Menocore?!  Which is actually A Thing.

My wardrobe is treated as a collection of items to mix and match together.  Suitable dresses get layered over t-shirts and jeans for the weekend.  Everything goes with everything else.  Nothing is kept for a better day as that better day might not come.  May as well enjoy wearing it now.

There are some questions I try to remember to ask to make sure I'm purchasing thoughtfully:

• Does this fit properly?  There's no point buying clothes that dislike my body shape, fall off or envelop me in a death hug because they're so tight. 

• Does it work with the life I have?  Or for the occasion I need it for?  

• Does it go with other items I own?

• Do I have something similar already?  And, if yes, what makes this better / worth it?

The second question is probably the most important.  Much as I love party frocks, I do not have, or want, that life so don't need that wardrobe.

This year, I went to the Balenciaga Exhibiton at the V&A.  Absolutely stunning and, stupidly, I didn't take any pictures.  That gave me a new appreciation for block colours - green, red and my beloved blue - and shapes.  These work better with my new hair colour too.  One of the most interesting things about "going grey" has been learning what does and doesn't suit me now.  None of those colours worked for me before.

I've picked up a few dresses, or "rags" as the Tubblet calls them, from Cos and Seasalt that reflect the lessons I learnt at the Exhibition.  As well some replacement jeans from FatFace as my old ones fell apart.  I usually keep an eye for one lovely bag a year.  I'm a bit of a bag snob.  Classic shapes, a little bit granny and must be in leather.  This year's lovely bag came from the Kate Spade sale.    It's grey and apart from that, I can't tell you anything useful.  Sorry!  I'd also like a new pair of Birkis.  But if I don't find them, that's okay.

These new clothes have been added to my existing summer wardrobe.  Although after the hard winter, there needs to be less Tubbs for a few of them to be completely comfortable.  At least I found out in April, when there's time to do the work.  Eating less.  Moving more.

The combination of new and old will give me a few options while ensuring that my wardrobe isn't bursting at the seams.

I will never be a dedicated follower of fashion, but I look fine and dandy.  That'll do.

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Pat @ White Camellias' Pick

The Simple Wardrobe

Unlike the Fourth Doctor and Romana, I don't have a wardrobe housed in something that's bigger on the inside.  I have half a double wardrobe shared with Rev T.  And no more.  (He's very firm about that).

To manage my share of the space more effectively, I converted to the minimal wardrobe back in 2015.  I don't do it in the same way now.  Instead of buying 5 items each quarter, I try to buy less new items overall and replace things when they wear out.  I keep the number 5 in mind to make sure I don't buy too much.

Doing things this way helps me feel less stressed, less less guilty and helped me own less, but better clothes.  It's also meant I spend less money.

It's helped me appreciate the clothes I own and feel more confident.  There's always something to wear.  Everything in my wardrobe goes together, suits me and works for the life I have.  That's saved me time as there's less faffing about in the morning deciding what to put on.

As I'm - fingers crossed - less likely to need coats, gloves and boots I've sorted through my wardrobe. (Which sparked this post).  Getting out clothes I'll need as the weather warms up, putting away things I won't need until later this year and giving away items I no longer wear has made me feel quite excited.  Summer is coming.  

If you want to give the simple wardrobe a go, here's some tips:

Think and Dream.  

Think about your lifestyle and clothes it needs.  Think about how you want express yourself through your clothes.  I work full time so need office wear.  I also need clothes for weekends and holidays.  I don't go to the gym so don't need sports gear.  

Then comes the fun bit.  Browse Pinterest, magazines, go window shopping and search for clothes that fit your life that you like.  Look at fabrics and colours as you want things that go together.  I like neutral basics, flattering silhouettes, colours and patterns.  I'm not big on accessories.  Knowing what kind of clothes you like also helps when you're deciding what to keep and what to pass on. 

Edit.  

Gather your clothes together and go through them.  Do it in sections if you've got loads. Clothes one week, accessories the next and shoes another.  Put them into piles by type:

• Keep things you wear, love or need.

• Discard things you don't wear, don't feel happy in, don't fit or were a mistake.  (Been there, bought that.  Wished I'd kept the receipt).

• If there are items you're not sure about, ask yourself if you'd buy it if you saw it in a shop today.

• Put items you want to keep but need repairing or cleaning in a separate pile to tackle later. 

Arrange.  

Put items back in the wardrobe in a way that works for you.  I arrange by type - dresses, skirts, shirts etc.  I pack out of season clothes away for next time after washing and repairing them.

Maintenance.  

Look after your clothes - hang them up, fold them neatly, keep them clean.  Go though your wardrobe every so often and pull out unwanted items to pass on.  I do this when putting away the winter clothes away and getting out the summer  ones.  Work out what, if any, new items you need.  (I'll talk about this in another post).

As mentioned previously, I've found doing it this way means I buy less, buy better and make fewer mistakes.  Saving time and money.  If you decide to give this a try, let me know.  I'd love to know how you get on.


Mufasa is very pleased to have made his second appearance in the #Shankyoupets round-up run by Heather over at Shank You Very Much.  Thank you!

This week’s #ShankYouPets features are here! #ShankYouPets #englishbulldog #dog #puppy #cute #pet #pets #petstagram #photooftheday #dogs #cat #dogsofinstagram #cats #instagramdogs #dogoftheday #adorable #doglover #catsofinstagram #fish #cow #chicken #petsofinstagram #animal #animals #cutepets #cutenessoverload #furbaby #kitten #squishy

A post shared by Heather Keet (@shankyouheather) on May 13, 2018 at 2:00pm PDT

Have a wonderful half term everyone and see you on the other side.  I'm having a few days off work and looking forward to some family time with Rev T and the Tubblet.  What have you got planned?

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Be The Friend You'd Want to Have

To have a friend, the old saying goes, you must be a friend.  

Me / You

Which means trying to be our best selves.  Treating others as you want to be treated.  Most of the time.  Nobody's perfect.

Being kind and considerate towards others.  Trying not to judge.

Giving because you have something to give and you can.  Not because you'll get something in return.

Listening to other people's thoughts and feelings.  Giving them the same value as your own.

Accepting you're not always right or immune to criticism.   There's always something to learn from others.

Celebrating the achievements of others.  Not gossiping or slagging them off behind their backs.

Standing alongside someone when they're struggling and helping them keep pushing on.  Balancing that with taking care of yourself and maintaining your boundaries.

Accepting you won't always get what you want.  No one does.  Your situation / health issues may get you some slack but they're don't entitle you to behave badly.

To forgive others and not hold onto grudges.

To ... etc ... etc ... 

The only person's behaviour I'm responsible for, and have any control over, is my own.  I don't always do the right thing even though I know what the right thing is.  I'm not perfect and don't pretend to be. But that doesn't mean I don't have to try ... Hopefully the great stuff cancels out the bad.  Hopefully.

Most people are probably the same.  Life is much happier and less stressful if I assume nonsense happens because people are forgetful or thoughtless rather than deliberately unkind or malicious. Sadly, that isn't always the case.  There will always be the odd one ... The complete and utter bad egg.  This post isn't about them.  

Them

Friendships end for many reasons.  Sometimes I look back and realise nothing I could have done would have changed things.  The friendship was for a season and that season is over.  Other times I have to acknowledge that if I'd been them, I'd have dumped my arse too.  Whatever the reason, the friendship is gone and that's sad.  

During my research into ways to simplify my life, I came across a lot of advice about friendships.  Quite a few commentators advised "cutting toxic friends from your life".  A "toxic friend" is defined as someone who spreads rumours about you, belittles you, isn't trustworthy and doesn't keep confidences.  All the time.  That doesn't sound much like a friend.

Part of self-care is standing up for yourself when someone treats you badly.  Because wailing at the universe they shouldn't do that isn't going to make them stop.  Although you're not wrong.  The Lion technique is very helpful.  The first time Growl.  The second time Growl Louder.  The third Chew Toy.  Hopefully you never get to Chew Toy.  

Other things they mention - too harsh, can be self-centred, not supportive enough or stubborn - sound like things we're all guilty of.  They can cause friendships to break, but they're not necessarily signs  someone wants to bring you down and is a toxic friend.  

A lot of these posts focus on what the writer expects of others, but not what others can expect from them.

Some of the issues mentioned might be resolved by taking a bit of responsibility.  Trying to communicate better as people aren't mind-readers.  Developing more realistic expectations of others. Showing some empathy and appreciation.

Anyone who expects a friend never to be in a bad mood, moan or always go along with their plans or agree with them is going to be disappointed.  That's not a friend.  That's a doormat.

I love this quote from Henri Nouwen:

"Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone's face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come."

Everyone else

This may not be a popular opinion.  For balance, I asked a few bloggers to share their experiences of friendship.  The good, the bad and the indifferent.

Here's a selection of their comments:

Ayse (Arepops): "I spent years being friends with a girl that was only happy when I was below her or when she needed to vent, the minute I got a partner and had a child she decided she didn’t want to be there for me and help me through bad days because I was ‘too negative’ for her. It’s made me appreciate the friends I have now so much more. "

Hayley (Winging It With Two Boys): "I relocated to South Wales just outside Llanelli in August 2016 (I was living just outside Ely in Cambridgeshire), hubby works away, and so once we’d moved and he went back to work it was just me and the boys - I knew no one - I went to a toddler group and made a mum friend, she then introduced me to someone else and now I have a really close network of friends, we all pitch in and help out with school pick ups/drop offs, look after each other’s children if there’s an emergency - I’m so thankful to have met some lovely people"

Kayleigh (Candyfloss & Dreams): "I’m still in touch with my best friend from school and we spend time together each week doing aqua fit. We’ve both had our battles with mental health and family and have had years without speaking but now our friendship is as strong as ever. Other than that though, all of my friends have come through fellow parent bloggers or online. They’re amazing and I’m so glad they’re in my life and with social media help and support is just a message away".

Jen (Just Average Jen): "I have recently come to realise someone I am friends with I am more of a counsellor to and realised that it is definitely a one way friendship and always has been. It's ok for there to be times you're there for them as long as they on return are there for you. This friend drains me and I am constantly trying to avoid her calls because of this. My true friends are there for me as much as I am there for them. So as much as I feel bad doing it I think I need to distance myself from and disconnect from this so called friend for my own sanity."

Victoria (The Growing Mum): "One of my really close friend made a few suspect choices along the way and has lost touch with friends and family. So every time I walk past a homeless person I'm reminded of her and how my offers of help fell on deaf ears. It just makes me really sad!"

Veronica (My Parenting Journey): "Reading some of your comments made me appreciate my friend even more. We met in college and although she was not what I'd call my best friend, I realized she's become someone I can definitely rely on. I lost touch with my group of friends since I had babies. If there is a get-together, I'll just take a rain check because I am a mom! What more reason could there be. 😅 Until they had stopped inviting me because maybe they thought I didn't want to spend time with them. However, this friend I was talking about understood me (even if she's still single!). She considers the fact that I am a mom and that there are gazillion things in my to do list. She goes out of her way to stay at home and catch up with me and she loves my children too!!"

Thanks to all the bloggers who commented.  I couldn't use all of them but am giving a shout out to Lianne (Anklebitters Adventures); Folakemi (Peacocks Can Fly), Kate (Ever After With Kids), Sarah at Mummy Cat Notes; Lisa (Bare Mother); Sinead (Sinead Latham)  and Carla-Marie (My Bump 2 Baby) as well.

The Royal Wedding ...

Totally off topic, but it seems weird not to mention it as there was No Escape.  Besides, I love a wedding and wish Harry and Meghan all the best for their life together.  Brilliant sermon by Bishop Curry on the power of love:

"Imagine if love is the way ... When love is the way, we will let justice roll down in ... Poverty will become history ... We'd actually treat each other like we are actually family."

A post shared by Fashion (@elle_elegance) on May 19, 2018 at 6:35am PDT

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Kelly @ Bringing Up Georgia

Everyday People

Every working day I get the bus and the train to work.  I share the space with the usual faces.  The same people on the 7:30am bus into the city.

The college students who always sit in the corner, barricading themselves in with bags so they're not disturbed.  And go to sleep.  No idea where they're going as they get off after my stop.  

School children in their uniforms in various states of immaculateness who get on and off at various points in our journey laden with rucksacks and folders.  Chatting with their friends or with headphones on and faces firmly in their phones.  

The Tubblet is one of them.  We say goodbye to each other at the front door then studiously ignore each other for the rest of the journey.  No one wants to travel part of the way to school with their mum.  

Today, the bus driver is insisting on seeing all the children's Saver cards and charging adult fare to anyone who doesn't have one.  I know "rules is rules" but the drivers don't always bother. The cards seem a bit pointless during the week. I doubt if anyone would dress in full school uniform to try and save a few pennies.  (Let alone be able to carry it off successfully).  

The woman with hair coloured in what my hairdresser unkindly calls "menopausal red".  She, like me, is on her way to London.  She gets off at the station as well and boards the train.  

The young lad in outdoor clothing and wellingtons who works with horses.  

The Muslim lady in a hijab who I'm friendly in a "smile, nod and get on the bus really slowly if we see each other running towards it" kind of way.  

A suited and booted chap with a very nice briefcase who is probably something in the city.  He sometimes sits with a friend who has very big, very white headphones. 

One woman, dressed in her work uniform, talks non-stop on her phone.  I've never heard her pause for breath or for the other person to reply.  The non-stop flow of words is exhausting.  But she's kind with it.  When we all got turfed off as the bus on one service had broken down and the other service was suspended, she grabbed me and several other regulars and bundled us all into a taxi.  That'll teach me.  Must not give into uncharitable and unkind thoughts.  

Then there's the few regulars who seem to be strangers to washing.  Sitting next to someone who smells faintly of wee or strongly of BO is not pleasant.  (I'm not their best friend so I'm not telling them).  A seat's a seat though so if needs must.   Just breathe through the mouth ...

Then there's me.  Resplendent in my office wear.  Lurking behind a copy of Metro or my Kindle while people watching. 

I don't often see the same people on the train.  I don't get the same one each morning.  It really depends on the bus.  Occasionally I see people from the office who live locally.  We smile wryly at each other before our eyes slide away.  It's bit early for work related small talk.  I haven't had a coffee yet.

All strangers but still my commuter buddies.  The return journey is different.  I rarely see the same people then.  Just a lot of people who are very focused on getting that first seat on the train. 

I sometimes wonder what happens to all those faces we see ... Does our brain store them somewhere and, if it does. what does it use them for?  Do they pop up in our dreams?  

Tomorrow I'll squint at my travel companions again and wonder if I'd recognise them if I saw them elsewhere.  What do you reckon?

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Liberty @ Liberty on the Lighter Side

Sarah @kipperscurtains

A Pilgrim at St Albans Abbey

A few weeks back, we spent the afternoon together at St Albans Cathedral .  A living reminder of history and God's presence throughout the ages.  A thin place.  I always feel slightly closer to God while pottering around here.  As well as transported back to a class-room full of girls studying the Reformation in A-Level History. 

It was a warm day, if you stayed out of the wind.  A day that felt like summer in the sun and winter in the shade.  Whilst watching spring flowers arrive and looking for signs of summer.  But Spring follows Winter, sunshine chases rain, hope springs eternal.  (See, told you it was a few weeks ago!)

We ended up in a coffee shop, talking about our holiday plans and how our friends / family are doing whilst watching the world go by.  This is life lately.  Today, it's not too bad.  Tomorrow will be along shortly.  Who knows what it will bring.  But today is okay and I'll take that.  

I grabbed a few photos of our afternoon to share.  Enjoy!

Thank you as always for reading and have a great rest of the week.

Wish me luck this week.  Rev T's sabbatical has started and he's off to Atlanta this week. Leaving the Tubblet and me to fend for ourselves.  Unsupervised.  The Tubblet has school and I have work so we'll be busy.

Getting ready for GDPR meant doing lots of poking around at the back of the blog and I've found a few things that need fixing.  I'll tidy those up before getting new things added.  I need a check box!  I've tapped him for a guest post when he comes back. 

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My Blogging Process and Why I Blog

Today's post is a glimpse behind the scenes at Someplace Strange.  It's about "my blogging process". While I'm what's currently termed a "micro influencer", it'll show how much work goes into any kind of blog.  

The Process: 

Idea / Write / Photograph / Schedule / 

Promote / Organise / Rinse and Repeat

Idea

Post ideas come from anywhere. A day out, something I've read or big thoughts flitting though my head. 

Good ideas are hard to find.  It has to be something I can write about. That won't upset the rest of the family.  That's interesting.  That I care about.  That's suitable for this space.  No point writing stuff for the sake of it or to try and be popular.  (Am I the only person who hopes what I like will become popular instead and save me the bother?)  Basically I write pretty much what I want but challenge myself to try new, different things every so often.  I hate being bored so a niche wouldn't work.  Hopefully it all fits together into a coherent whole and isn't too random.

Someplace Strange is a mixture of advice plus my random thoughts and places we've visited or things we've done.  Which isn't too far away from why I started blogging in the first place ... To remember all the great things we've done.  To share ideas and connect with others.  To make the most of what I've been given and stay inspired.  I remind myself of this regularly.  Stops me disappearing down a blogging rabbit hole.  

Write 

Posts are typed straight into that (big) white space on a laptop.  Left for a bit and then re-written or  edited for typos, grammar, superfluous words etc.  Then preview and do the same again.  I still miss something.  Nothing made by people is perfect.  Particularly when the people is me.

There's no special place to write so I usually sit on the sofa with the laptop on my knees.  When it's cold, I wrap myself in a blanket.  I love the writing bit.  

Photograph

This isn't my favourite.  I don't have a natural eye for what makes a hero image opposed to a snap.  To compensate, I keep it simple and don't over-think it.  Photos are taken and edited on my iPhone.  A fancy camera and spiffy software would be wasted on me.  

Other people's photos are studied carefully for inspiration and ideas I can steal adapt.  Props, angles and lighting.  I am beginning to get the rule of thirds.  While I do sometimes take photos specially for a post, mostly they're taken while doing something else.  

Rev T and the Tubblet are much better so I pinch things from them.  All property is theft.  And when I'm really stuck, there's always stock photos. 

Schedule

Once I'm happy with the words and pictures, I schedule the post. I try to keep a few posts in reserve just in case.  

Promote

Blogging is 20% content creation and 80% promotion.  Hate this bit.  Really hate it.  It feels like showing off: "Look.  Look at the Blog post I wrote.  Look!"  

Bloglovin' automatically tweets my posts.  They get Pinned and Goggle Plus'ed.  I always share on Linkys as it's great to see what everyone else has been up to.  

I'm not good at scheduling tweets for new and old content etc.  If you've got posts about this with recommendations for good, free, easy to use apps, please point me at them.  

Katie over at The Squirmy Popple has a great post about being bad at social media.  I was so relieved to discover I wasn't alone.  Much as I love a comment and a share.  

Organise

Excel is used to track published and scheduled posts.  It stops three posts on the same subject arriving at once.  

Rinse and Repeat

Once the post has gone out into the world, the whole process starts again ... And again ...

What's your process for writing, organising and promoting blog posts?  Why do you blog?

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Katie @ Hot Pink Wellingtons

GDPR: A Checklist For (Blogger) Blogs

First up, don't panic.  This isn't the End of Days.  By the time you've finished reading this, you'll know what the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is, why it's important and have an idea of what practical steps you need to take for your blog to be reasonably good to go on 25 May 2018.  

What is GDPR and why is it important?

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force on 25 May 2018 and changes the way "personal data" relating to EU citizens can be stored, shared etc.  

Under GDPR, "personal data" is any information relating to an “identifiable person”. For most blogs, "personal data" covers information gathered via traffic tracking tools (IP addresses), post comments (name, email) and social media sharing buttons, rss-readers or email services.  GDPR requires you to:

• Tell the user who you are, what data you collect and how long it's stored.

• Get clear consent before collecting any data

• Let users access / delete their data

• Let users know if data breaches occur.  (As Blogger is hosted by Google, I suspect that if this happens, they'll already know and my blog will be least of everyone's worries).

If you don't comply - after warnings, reprimands and suspension of data processing rights - there's a maximum fine of 20 million Euros or 4% of revenue.  Even though it's highly unlikely a blogger will be fined, it's not worth taking the chance.  And yes, GDPR still applies even though the UK is leaving the EU.

The practical bit

Update your Google Analytics settings

If you're using Google Analytics to track usage, you should have some emails from them telling you to log in and change your settings in order to be complaint.  If you didn't:

• Set your User and Event Retention period - Admin > Property Settings > Tracking Info > Data Retention > Select Period > Save

• Provide contact information for any data request - Admin > Property Settings > User ID > Fill in your details > Save

Check your email provider is complaint

If you collect email addresses to send a newsletter, users must be able to opt-out or unsubscribe. Any sign-up forms must tell what data you gather and how it is stored / used. 

I'm using Feedburner and couldn't find anything so scotched earth seemed my best bet.  I deleted everything, then reinstalled. I'm still testing and will deactivate it if I'm not  entirely happy.  As I never really did anything with my newsletter apart from share recent posts, this is no biggie.

Install an SSL Certificate

Add an SSL Certificate to your site as Google likes all sites to be secure. When you get your certificate, a padlock appears next to your URL in the browsers address bar and your URL begins with HTTPS rather than HTTP.  This tells visitors your site is safe and trustworthy.  To do this in Blogger:

• Check HTTPS is available - Settings > Basic > HTTPS Availability > Yes > Save
• This takes a few minutes.  Once availability has been confirmed, you can enable HTTPS

• HTTPS Redirect - Settings > Basic > HTTPS Redirect > Yes > Save

Write a privacy policy

Your Privacy Policy tells users who you are, why data is collected, what's happens to it and how long it's stored.  It must be simple and easy to understand.  Link to it on your main menu.  I created mine with the help of Thrive, lubenda, The Bloglancer, Pigdig, Xomisse and Nomipalony.  I also read the privacy policies on a few blogs to get a feel for the language used and the best way to present the information to make things as clear as possible.

What's in it depends on what data you collect, but is likely to include:

• The use of Google Analytics to analyse traffic and the User and Event retention period for the data collected.

• How Cookies are used to deliver services and analyse traffic.  

• Details of any third-services you use such as email mailing list providers, RSS readers and social media sharing tools.  I've linked to each company's privacy policies but this may not be necessary.

• Who to contact if a user wants to amend / delete their personal data.  Google is, apparently, working on tools within Analytics to enable this to be done.

• The date the policy was last updated.

Hopefully yours won't take as long as mine did to write.

To conclude ...

If you've done all that, you're probably in a reasonable place.  I'm still unclear about the following:

• What changes Google will make to the cookies pop-up in Blogger to make it GDPR compliant.  (Mine is still there, isn't it?)

• If Google plans to add a check box so users can confirm they're happy for their data to be collected when commenting.  If they don't, I'll have to pay someone to code this for me.  Or buy a new theme that has one.  Bummer.  

• If I actually have to register with the ICO as a Data Processor and pay £35.  (The GDPR expert at work says not so I'm holding off doing this for the moment).

Like all of us, I'm waiting to see how things evolve and will adapt accordingly.  I hope this post is useful.  Please don't ask me any actual questions as this is all I know!

I am not an expert, I've just done a lot of reading.  This is not legal advice.  If you need additional help, please consult a professional.

Happy Blog Birthday!!!! 4 Years of Someplace Strange

Birthday cake made by Auntie N for Cousins N  & S and re-purposed ... 

Four years ago this week, I filled my personal details into Blogger, pressed register and wrote my first post.  Then I bought a template and domain name.  Since then, I cobbled together nearly 300 posts about various topics.  Here's one from each year to give you a flavour:

2014 - Everything the Daily Mail Tells You is Wrong. 6 Myths About Poverty

Everything.  Even the date.  Always check with a more reliable source.  Labour leader, Ed Milliband, has broken the UK section of the Internet by getting the price of his weekly shop wrong.  He guessed £80.  This is £10 over the UK average for a family of four, but a little out ...

2015 - Things I'd Tell My Teenaged Self

Continuing from this week's earlier post on mentoring ... here's some things I'd share with my teenage self if I was mentoring her.  No doubt if I share any of these with the Tubblet, she'll react in the same way as I would have at the same age.    Part of being a teenager is the core belief that all adults know nothing ... Particularly the ones you're related to.  ...

2016 - My Eight Photos of Happiness 

When Laura at Life With Baby Kicks tagged me to share my Eight Photos of Happiness, I thought it would be easy.  But, factor in the fact that lots of our good stuff took place before the invention of digital cameras and an extended family that wouldn't be thrilled about turning up on my blog and it all gets a bit harder!  Eventually I decided on ...

2017 - Wolf

The Tubblet is now a published poet.  A poem she wrote for a school competition won a prize and was included in a book alongside other winners.  In a shameless, proud mother moment, I'm sharing ...

2018 - Sustainable Me

I can't be the only person who watched that episode of Blue Planet and was mortified to realise how much unnecessary waste our family produces and the impact it's having.  While we've always tried to do our bit, I wasn't really aware of how much we've trashed the planet we live on.  Each bottle of water, each coffee cup, those plastic bags, that fibre lash mascara ... While our household is unlikely to go zero waste any time soon, if we do a bit and others do a bit it all adds up. ...

No one is more surprised than me that I'm still here.  With a few lapses.  I've spruced the place up a bit, updated my profile picture, improved the catagories and re-written the pages.

I'm now (hopefully) GDPR compliant.  After lots of GDPR training at work, plenty of Googling, some swearing and blooming hours crafting a privacy statement.  As a weird kind of therapy, I've written a GDPR guide, with a checklist.  It's not legal advice, if you want that, you'll need a professional, but it might help answer some basic questions about what practical things need to be done now to be good for the end of the month.

To celebrate, and to thank everyone who's supported Someplace Strange over the years, I've put a pot of coffee on and that glorious smell is starting to fill the room.  There is cake.  And tea for this who don't fancy a coffee. Help yourself. Milk and sugar?  Virtual so not fattening or likely to affect your sleep.

Head over to Mummy in a Tutu to read more blog related ramblings ... Why I blog and what stories I tell.  Thank you Katie for featuring me.  Later this week, I'll talk about how my blog posts come together.

As this is a celebration, there is one thing missing.  A playlist.  Created using the magical power of shuffle.

Not sure how I discovered some of these.  I used to be an avid reader of the music press and attender of gigs.  This was one of the first things to go after the Tubblet arrived.  Now I'm pretty clueless about music.  I pick things up from the radio and Shazam-ing tracks in films or on TV.  No matter.  Relax and enjoy!

Love Me Again - John Newman

Symphony - Clean Bandit feat. Zara Larsson

Call On Me - Stanley (Ryan Riback Extended)

Holy Mountain - Liam Gallagher

On Top of the World - Imagine Dragons

No Roots - Alice Merton

Save You - Turin Brakes

The Man - The Killers

The Sky Is A Neighbourhood - Foo Fighters

My Type - Saint Motel

Float - Switchfoot

Never Let Me Down Again - Depeche Mode

Thank you for reading.  Are you sure I can't interest you in some more coffee or extra cake?

Hope you're all enjoying the Bank Holiday.  At the time of writing, the weather forecast is warm so fingers crossed!!

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Our Living Room Makeover

We spend most of our time as a family in the living room.  It's divided into two halves.  One has two sofas, a fire and the TV.  The other is the dining area with a table, chair, cupboard full of china and glasses and a sideboard.  We've tried to create a calm, cosy space for everyone to relax in that reflects who we are as a family.  More by accident than design.  I don't spend a lot of time looking through Pinterest at other people's beautiful homes.  

The walls are painted in a lovely neutral colour - probably magnolia as the house is a borrow -brightened up with pictures.  Laminate floors are softened by a rug from John Lewis.

The church painted the room and did the floor before we came.  Rev T and I are DIY-challenged.  We can paint, hang things up and are willing to have a go, but that's about it.  Neither of us has inherited our parent's skills.  That generation got things done.  We get a (wo)man in.  When the fire was replaced, G from church patched up the paper and repainted it.  She was in her late 70's at the time.  

We try and keep clutter to a minimum, with varying degrees of success.  The ornaments were picked up over the years.  Each one carries a memory - a place, a person, an experience.  But you don't need that many ornaments when you have Lego.  Lots of Lego.  There are no plants because I just kill them. Even cacti.  We buy flowers every so often to bring in a bit of nature.   

Most of the furniture we've acquired over the years.  Together or separately.  The chair and table was purchased for my first home back in 1996 from Habitat.  The TV chest, sideboard and large cupboard came from the much missed Pier.  (Similar here).  The chest and smaller cupboard came from Allders.  Also much missed.  

There are two side tables.  One we carried back from South Africa while the other came from Traidcraft.  The newest items are the sofas.  Purchased from Dwell when we knew the seventeen year old sofas needed replacing, but weren't consciously looking for new ones.  (You can see the old sofas here).  A total bargain as they were half price or buy one get one free.  The new sofas definitely makes the room feel a little more special.  One set of cushion covers were bought back from India by my sister.  The other I bought from the Ideal Home Exhibition in the 1990's.  

There are some other things I'd like to add.  Maybe a few more cushions and throws.  But that's about it.  They'll turn up when they turn up.  

Rev T and I buy things for the house as and when.  We budget for them.  Putting this room - and the rest of the house - together has, literally, taken us years.  We've made-do, asked for x as a present, bought second-hand, welcomed pass-ons then traded up as we've saved the money.  Creating a home this way, rather than going out and buying one wholesale using credit, has benefits:

• Less debt.  Furnishing and equipping a home is expensive.  Starting with essentials and acquiring items slowly means you may avoid spending money you don't have.  So hopefully less debt.  

• Thoughtful and intentional.  Accumulating things slowly means you're more likely to think  about what you're buying and why.  It also encourages you to weigh up the best purchasing options - new, second-hand, hand-me-downs, Freecycle etc.  

• Less clutter.  Hopefully purchasing household items more slowly means collecting less clutter.  

• More freedom.  Things require time, effort and money to maintain.  Less things, less time and effort!  (That said, this place won't be turning into a big, empty white room anytime soon).

As I was taking pictures today, the place has been hoovered and dusted.  Like most homes, it gets untidy and needs a clean.  Sometimes there is ironing waiting to be done on the chairs or laundry drying on the radiators.  Mufasa's litter gets everywhere ...

And there you have it!  If you wanted a nosy around the rest of the house then you can see Rev T's study, our kitchen and bedroom as well.  And that's the guide tour done and dusted.  (Unlike my furniture most of the time).  

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One of Jade's picks from The List