Viva Forever...

When I think of the 90s, apart from sportswear and sovereign rings being in fashion, there are two words that spring to mind - girl power! Most girls who grew up in that era will have at some point (whether they admit it or not) been in a Spice Girl tribute band, and I was no exception. Of course, I was always Vicky B - I had the point and pout perfected!

And, with the very exciting news of Spice Girls the musical hitting the stage at the end of the year, a flurry of 20-something-year-olds are secretly digging out their Buffalo boots (I had a turquoise and grey pair) and playing Wannabe on their iPods! What's more, there's also talk of Spice Girls the movie gracing the big screen as well! No, not the awful 1997 car crash of a film, but a brand spanking new block buster to spice up your life! In a recent interview the girls were asked who they'd like to play them in the movie, with Geri replying that Cameron Diaz would be her first choice, while Posh Spice was as modest as usual, claiming that Angelina Jolie would be the ideal pick to perfect the pout!

So, over dinner we played the age old classic "who would play you in the movie of your life" game! Of course, Laura wanted an Olsen sister to play her, mum got given Rachel Weisz and my poor dad got lumbered with Tom Cruise! I was fairly happy with my first choice of Emily Blunt, before my mum added that she thought I had a touch of J-Lo in me, too - while Laura chimed in, "that'd be your ass then!" Cheers sis!

And, while I wait with anticipation to get the call that Emily or Jennifer are planning to play me in my life story, I will, instead, settle for seeing Viva Forever at the West End this winter.

This Week I'm...

Reading: Room by Emma Donoghue - I'm branching out from my traditional chick-lit favourites and have started reading the remarkable and somewhat dark story of five-year-old Jack. He has never known anything outside of his room, and along with his Ma, you learn about how he views the world.

Making: Healthier meals in order to shape up for summer! I've been whipping up roasted veg and quinoa salads, along with tasty fresh fruit pots and herbal teas. Together with my weekly Zumba sessions, I should be beach body ready in no time!

 Trying: To move outside of my comfort zone and challenge myself a little more. So, in a bid to boost my confidence, my friend Fae and I headed down to the Quay Theatre in Sudbury Suffolk and joined a play reading club. Ordinarily, the thought of reading out loud to room full of strangers would usually fill me with dread! But, once we got into the swing of things I started to enjoy myself. We might have been the youngest members there, but it was actually quite fun to enjoy some of George Bernard Shaw's finest work with like-minded individuals.

Celebrating: June and July are busy months on the birthday calendar - with three best friends, my mum and sister's birthdays all in the same week. So, it was off to London for a few days in the city with my good friend Charlotte to see in her 27th year. I should have been leading by example being six months older than her, but with an empty stomach and three bottles of wine later my memory of the celebrations had become a little fuzzy! This week I'll be looking forward to enjoying a tasty meal with the family and going all 1940s at the Blitz party!

http://www.jojomoyes.com/blog/

This week I was lucky enough to receive a few tweets from the author of my new favourite book - check out her blog at www.jojomoyes.com/blog/

This week I'm...

Reading: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - it's the most beautifully moving book I've ever had the pleasure of reading. For 20 chapters I read with anticipation to see if Louisa could change Will's mind about his future, and one little sentence in chapter 23 took my breath away - "I'm sorry. It's not enough." I looked up from the novel that I'd been gripped to for the past two weeks and I sobbed - heartbroken, out loud, clutching a mascara-stained tissue. But, despite falling head over heels for a fictional character and enveloping myself in their love story, the key message that I took away from this great read can be put simply in the epilogue: "Live boldly. Push yourself. Don't settle."

 Making: Over the bank holiday weekend the number of shops open were quite limited, but I managed to get my hands on an age 8+ jewellery making set! The pink, glittery beads were not quite what I had in mind when I wanted to take up a new hobby, but I quite enjoyed putting together my tacky bracelets and beaded rings!

Baking: Chocolate cornflake cakes and homemade pizzas! So, I'm not exactly a pro when it comes to cooking, but I can whip up the basics. I decided to try out a few new recipes over the weekend and put together my own pizzas and a batch of (very chewy) cornflake cakes!

 Celebrating: the Queen's Jubilee! I spent the weekend in Clapham, Brixton, Shoreditch, Colchester and Sudbury - seeing in Elizabeth's 60-year reign with my nearest and dearest. Unfortunately, it rained cats and dogs for the majority of the celebrations, but we still raised our glasses of Pimms, with our umbrellas high, while singing Rule Britannia and God Save The Queen!

Let's get crafting...

I'm currently on my second attempt at reading JoJo Moyes' Me Before You and this time around I just can't put it down. The main characters, Louisa and Will, are slowly become more civil towards each other and when Will asks Louisa what her hobbies are, she can't answer him - as she doesn't have any! And, this notion really struck a chord with me.

 Apart from the occasional Zumba class, my spare time is mainly filled with the latest celeb gossip from the Daily Mail and catching up on all my favourite TV programmes! But, now that all of my fave story lines are coming to a close, I figured it was time to actually start doing, rather than watching the make-believe lives of others!

So, I've decided to try my hand a bit of jewellery making this summer, so this weekend I'll be shopping for beads, gems and charms and putting my new hobby into practise.

Friends Reunited...

Not many people can say that they are still in touch with the majority of their school friends, let alone still regard them as some of the nearest and dearest - but, I am lucky enough to be able to say just that! And, while we've all grown up together since primary school, we're all now celebrating each others first house purchases, career achievements, marriages and even children - and, it was with great pleasure that I attended my good friend Baz's (David) son's first birthday party!

We spent the afternoon listening to "Raggy Dolls" and Thomas the Tank Engine, watching a montage of baby Oscar's first year and enjoying an incredible buffet! Two plates of pasta, cheese straws, sausage rolls and quiche, and it was time for the birthday boy to take centre stage and blow out his candles! After some emotional speeches, and with the whole room welling up, we all toasted baby Barrett's birthday.

With a full belly, and listening to the best of Billie Piper blaring out of Adam's car, the rest of the gang headed back to Adam's gaff for Pimms and trampolining! Of course, having an injured foot from my midnight marathon the week before, I just observed the jumping action and guzzled down my fruity tipple.

Once we'd had our fill of bouncing and waving to the Sudbury train (like modern day railway children - Dave waving his red jumper in the air to welcome the people arriving to the town!), we decided to take an adventure across the countryside and walk towards Henny for an evening drink. Three gin and tonics later and we were well and truly in the party spirit - making our way into town for a few more bevvies!

As always, it was a night of cheesy music, giggles and shocking revelations about Adam's unhealthy amount of love for Olly Murs!

One bag of chips, one set of hiccups and one short walk home and we were all tucked up in bed to get some shut eye before having afternoon tea the following day to welcome home our good friend Graeme who has spent the last four years down under.

We all agreed, that we feel incredibly lucky to have such great pals - even if we spend most of our time reminiscing about the last fifteen years!

Who do you think you are...

One of my ultimate guilty pleasures has to be the TV programme Who Do You Think You Are, and I watch eagerly as the celebrities trace their family trees and discover all about their distant relatives.

 So, I decided to do a bit of ancestry digging on my own family and after researching back to the 1800s, I discovered that I have many, many relations called Charles and Thomas. But, the most incredible find so far, is that I have a great, great, great granny called Fanny Bush - you just couldn't write it!