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!

Easy like a Sunday morning...

Curled up by the fire, watching Jumanji and licking the cake mixture from the bowl...nothing much has changed in twenty years!

Classic movies from the '80s and munching on home-made cupcakes with copious amounts of tea, brings back warming memories of childhood weekends. Give me a basketball, a pavement and a street full of my classmates, and a simple, but fantastically fun game of curby was born! Without wanting to sound like my parents, "in my day" it seemed to be a much simpler time for children. 

  Without getting up on my soapbox and preaching, it is all too apparent that kids are growing up in a very adult world. I grew up in an era where GHDs weren't invented, broadband was better known as dial up and sportswear and gold chains were thought of as fashionable rather than chavvy! A time when kids could just be kids!

And, I feel sorry for the children of the noughties who parade adult outfits and tiny faces full of slap down the street, giggling over text messages on iPhones and discussing the latest Paranormal Activity films. It's no wonder that teachers are having to deal with tiny tots swearing and adolescent children using grown-up language in the correct context. 

So, I feel lucky that my Sunday morning memories are made up of feel-good films, home-baked goodies and Ellesse tracksuits, rather than consumed with the latest gadgets, fashions and over 18 movies, just to impress your friends. 

Older, but clearly not wiser...

As everyone else is on the countdown to Christmas, each year I make myself giddy over my festive birthday (9 days before, don't you know!) and I indulge in excessive amounts of food, drink and presents during the last week of December. And, this year was no different! After heading back to stay with the parents the night before the big day, I (or rather my mum) spent the evening making birthday butterfly cakes to take into work the next day. All four of us piled onto the bed early that morning, to open cards and presents alike, while listening to the broad Irish tones of my nan's singing voice on speakerphone, as she belted out Happy Birthday at 7am!

I arrived early to work to be greeted with my desk decorated in banners, balloons and streamers! I whipped out the butter-cream cakes and relished the chance to soak up the birthday wishes! But, it was press day, so it was back to business in no time - but the comments in my card did not go unnoticed - somehow, I'd become known for my drinking and dancing antics outside of the office!

Now, I did wonder how I had acquired this reputation, that was until we ventured out for birthday drinks later that evening...

Having a birthday the week before Christmas can be tiresome and tricky to arrange a night out at the best of times (everyone is normally ill, skint or busy) - but being the last Friday before the festive period, every man and his dog was out for their yuletide meal, so we were lucky to find a seat, let alone a bite to eat! So, three hours of drinking later, we finally managed to get our hands on some nibbles in an attempt to soak up the copious amount of wine already consumed. But, my vision was already hazy, and my speech becoming slightly slurred, and it wasn't long before I was up and dancing to my favourite Mariah Christmas tunes, before having a few random tears on the Dirty Penguin dance floor, and later fooling a bouncer into letting me into a closed club! I don't quite remember the rest - but what I do know, is that my body rejected that night for the next four days! 

After a slow, painful and emotional recovery - I made my way to Winter Wonderland and to watch the Nutcracker, for a sufficient helping of festive cheer!

It was a lovely weekend, showered with thoughtful gifts and wonderful friends - but also a reality check, that no longer a teenage, I can't quite get away with such extravagant booze-ups! So, perhaps, when 28 rocks around, I'll just stick to a civilised dinner party, rather than beer goggles for one on North Hill in the early hours!

Once again, one year older, but clearly not wiser!