Can I see?

I'm out of here

Hooray

Off Skiing for 1 week, will be back with no broken bones I hope

Pixie xx

posted by Pixie @ 5:35 PM 0 comments

A Close Shave

In order to save money I’ve decided to forgo my monthly waxing experience and handle the process myself. I’m quite fair so I don’t need to go very often for the legs, underarms, bikini and eyebrow shape procedure. However, it all adds up – despite my discount for short legs. I’ve also had more than my fair share of embarrassing encounters on the beauty therapist couch – which I don’t want to go into here.

I have bought myself an epilator. Which is a small electrical device that is made up of a number of mechanical tweezers that rotate and remove the hair by the root giving smooth results for 4-6 weeks (so the paperwork says). So I took the device plugged in and proceeded to epilate my legs. It was a tiny bit painful at first but I then got used to it and it was no more painful than a regular leg wax. I was soon in the swing and ended up with lovely smooth results. I could forsee months and months of money saving by not tripping out to the beauty salon. Later that day I decided to tackle the bikini area and put the small adapter for “sensitive areas.” So feeling confident I set to the task in hand

Oh
My
God

I have never ever known pain like it…. Yet I’ve had about 6 million bikini waxes…. I was practically climbing the wall and as a result only a third of my lady garden has been manicured. I really couldn’t manage any more. So I’ve got some options:

· Go back to waxing salon and explain my predicament and get a nice gentle therapist to finish
· Start drinking again, get drunk and finish off – never mind the result
· Leave as is and convince myself that it’s the latest style as sported by all it girls in Beverly Hills
· Be brave and get it finished, no pain no gain.

I know it’s very bad form to talk about matters of a personal nature but it’s not been a good thing trying to combine a thrifty nature with a well groomed exterior. Plus the bloomin thing cost me over £50 I’m not giving in that easily.

posted by Pixie @ 2:17 PM 1 comments

Wally In Boots

We won 31-19 against the Hunnies

It could have been oh so different!!!! I turned up to the court wearing my knee length brown boots and netball kit as I forgot to bring my trainers... A desperate call to Laura to scrounge a pair of trainers meant that I didn't have to play looking like a principal boy from the local pantomine!!! I thought that we would have been in disaster ground but luckily I was able to slip my child sized feet into Laura's lovely pumps and get on with the game.


So all in all a very competent performance from my borrowed trainers we all played well and the result was very pleasing.

The only downside was having to walk out of the hall wearing my knee-length boots which felt yakky against hot netball legs, very terrible.


Wally in Boots - at all good theatres this panto season

posted by Pixie @ 3:11 PM 0 comments

I'd forget my head

Just getting changed to go to netball straight from work and I've forgotten to bring my trainers!!!!!!!! I'm now sat in my netball kit with knee length brown boots :o(

I'm the biggest wally going. An urgent call to Laura, who is going straight from her home, and she has been able to track me down a spare pair of trainers and a pair of thick socks as I have the feet the same size as a child!!!!!

I only hope she remembers to bring them.... I'd buy a new pair of trainers in desperation but still not got my new bank cards following naughty fradulation.

Will update if I have to play WD with boots on...

Plonker!!!!!!!!!!!!!

posted by Pixie @ 6:40 PM 0 comments

Diet Zero!

I’ve been reading with interest the big debate about size Zero models in Milan during the Fashion Week. Allegedly girls are being inspected by doctors, to ensure that they are healthy with a reasonable BMI to avoid any more deaths of supposedly “healthy” girls. There is lots of hoo-hah around at the moment that photos of skinny girls are giving poor body image to young girls and positively encouraging anorexia.

As a teenager I had a battle with food, I tried to starve myself and became very thin and my parents took me to the doctor. I was encouraged to eat more and to talk about my anxieties it was a funny time at home as my parents were setting up a new business and had sold our house, so we were living with some friends of my parents and it was a nightmare. I don’t think I was looking to be skinny, I guess I just wanted to control my life as I felt that things were very out of control. My dad took it quite badly and it was shock for me seeing him so upset. Mealtimes were distressing as every mouthful was analysed and my dad would get really angry if I wouldn’t clear my plate, but the thought would make me feel quite sick. I would be quite sneaky and hide food and feed it to the dog to pretend that I’d eaten. I used to swill some milk round a bowl in the morning to pretend I’d eaten breakfast and throw my packed lunch in the bin at school. I guess I did look a sight. All poking out bones and skinny legs, but I wanted to be small and so I’d feel protected. My dad said that my legs should have messages tied to them as they were like pigeons!

A few years later I had another spell when I was about 17, again my mum took me to the doctor who threatened me to either pull myself together and eat or be hospitalised. I had to have a series of injections to fill my body with nutrients I wasn’t getting from food and it was horrible. I can’t even remember now what triggered that spell off but I sorted myself out and started eating again. I did really well through uni, and the extra drinking and poor diet meant I actually put weight on and was the heaviest I’d been in all my life. After uni though I felt down as I couldn’t find a job and was working in customer services on a help desk and I just stopped eating again as a way to feel better about my jobless state. I lost a lot of weight again and found it hard to wear clothes that didn’t hang round me like a tramp! I was living away from home but when my mum saw me she was horrified and made me promise to eat properly which I started to do once I got a permanent job.

My final spell was a few years ago when I was having a terrible time at work, I had a manager who I hated, and work was just terrible, so I stopped eating again. I felt better for skipping meals and going to the gym, I was going 3 lunch times a week and after work. Whilst I was in tears most day about my job, the buzz of light-headedness an faint from hunger made me feel better, again my hip bones jutting out gave me some kind of weird satisfaction that I was in control of some part of my life, even if work was rubbish. I eventually resigned and got a different job, and started eating normally again. Ironically I’ve been trying to tone up and lose a bit of weight again. I’m a size 10 these days, which is quite normal, but to me it’s a bit too wobbly!! When you look in magazines at the slim model girls, I know that is how I want to look.

Whilst I haven’t been dangerously ill through not eating and not been hospitalised I have some kind of control issue with food. If I’m feeling down and unhappy about things the best way to feel in control is to starve myself. I feel better when I get hunger pangs as in a way I’m in control of my body and if I’ve decided I’m not going to eat then I won’t. That’s why I don’t agree there is a total link with showing a slim model to teenage girls and anorexia, I think that there has to be that kind of need for control to be there in the first place. Whilst telling young girls that they are dough-balls as one recently fired model booker did, isn’t good for self-esteem or body image.

I regret my actions over the past, my body hormones are all over the place and I’ve been told I’m unlikely to have children. I’ve been referred to a specialist at Bolton to sort my inners out but everything moves so slowly on the NHS. I also wonder if starving myself during my formative years has left me smaller than I would be, no womanly curves for me!!! Perhaps if I let myself put on weight then maybe I would have a more rounded body but I’m resolute in not wanting to look flabby. An ex said he loved my flat stomach and said he’d play snooker on it. So now I work hard at keeping myself trim, especially the days I like to eat then I’ll eat well.

I guess I’ve no answers to the debate and this is only my opinion on how things have felt for me, and with girls as young as 10 being diagnosed as anorexic there are problems that need to be addressed. Love yourselves girls!!!

Do I sound a bit mental??!!!!! - Don't answer that!!

posted by Pixie @ 4:34 PM 0 comments

The Road to Nowhere (well the pub)

Made plans to meet my new cycling friend at the Bob Smithy for a bike ride. Rode all the way from my house up Beamont Road, Victoria Road and Old Kiln Lane without stopping (apart from traffic lights) very impressed. Met up with my new friend and headed off up Winter Hill. Had to ride faster than normal to keep up!!!!

Set off up the footpath to the TV Transmitter then we took a different route up. Unfortunately there was an elderly couple hiking and stood in the way, we politely asked them to move aside so we could get passed and got a mouthful of abuse about sticking to bridleways and not footpaths the moody pair!! Got passed them anyways and headed off!! At the mast we diverted and set off towards Rivington Pike – there must have been 1000000000 people out walking and cycling and people and dogs panic me, as I’m sure I’m going to run them over or fall off. I did fall off at one stage but as I was at the back, no one noticed so I jumped up and got back on – all covered in mud!!!!

Rode around the “hanging gardens” as I call them, my new friend was saying that they were all being renovated as they had to pull out a load of rodendrons due to disease???!!!! Almost got run over by an old chap in a Ford Focus who was trying to reverse into a parking space. I’m sure I must be covered in invisibleness. Ended up popping out in the middle of Horwich (town centre??!!) Not sure if Horwich is a town or not?? Set off up the main road past the Swimming Baths and I’d no idea how steep and long that road was!! My legs were just dead; I’d only had a bowl of Special K and half a banana!! My delight at seeing the Bob Smithy was uncontrollable!!!!! Pulled in and had a pint (of diet coke and blackcurrant) plus some crisps – well I deserved them!!!! Started getting a bit chilly so set off back towards home. The route back must take all of 2 minutes as it’s downhill all the way and made my eyes cry!!!! Pulling onto my housing estate I spied a massive Range Rover near my house. I was slightly paniced that if it set off I’d get squashed, as the gap between the parked cars was very tiny. Fortunately, the massive Range Rover waited for me to make my wobbly way through the gaps. When I got up to the car, I realised that it was Paddy McGuinness from Max & Paddy fame. I gave him a big wave and he waved back with a thumbs up. Shame I was covered in mud like a swamp monster!!!

Amazing!! Paddy outside my house in a ginormous Range Rover!!!!!!

posted by Pixie @ 3:44 PM 0 comments

The Day After The Night Before

Not the best of spirits today.

Was feeling very positive yesterday, had my personal training session after work which went really well and then got home and headed out to the mighty Reebok to book our place in the next round of the FA Cup.

Only it didn’t quite happen that way. Stelios scored an own goal, then got in the way of a goal bound shot from Andriank. Arsenal were awarded two penalties that both ended up in the upper south and poor Tal Ben Haim got sent off. We got the Gunners into extra time with a late, late, late goal from the mighty Meite, alas we couldn’t find the killer touch to finish the match off and the one time I wasn’t happy to see Freddie pop up in my box he scored. A pointless Ar$e goal when all of the superwhites were pushing up the pitch meant little really.

Today to cheer myself up, I’ve gone for killer shoes with a big heel, to make my calf muscles more shaply. Black tights, grey and black city shorts and a black v-neck top. I’ve got my hair up and my sliver and pink necklace. I can’t even go and get the high of buying impractial shoes as some thief has fraudlated my credit card in Romania and I’ve had to block all my accounts and await new plastics and PINs.

Do you ever get the feeling it’s not going your way???

posted by Pixie @ 10:21 AM 1 comments

Coffee without the Coffee Thanks

So my new friend from the Bob Smithy texted me, see “Fancy Seeing You Here”. She’s been busy at work, but wanted to know if I was interested in meeting for coffee one lunchtime this week?

I replied back that it sounded a great idea, and so we’ve agreed to meet tomorrow…. Problem is… I don’t like coffee. Not one bit. Never have done, and can’t see me starting to like it now. So how do I go to coffee shop, after agreeing to meet for coffee, and not drink coffee????

It always looks soo sophisticated, people asking for mocha grande lattes (I’ve no idea what that means) and sipping their very fancy looking drinks. So do I consider pretending to like coffee? But I think that my face will give it away, and then my brand-new friendship will be based on half-truths and that’s not a good way to start. I don’t drink tea either. In fact the only hot drink I like is hot chocolate – but if I order that will I look like a small child on a trip out??? I love chocolat chaud when I’ve been skiing and it’s freezing cold with a shot of brandy and lots of cream!! Don’t think I can ask for that in Manchester City Centre.

Might say I’m being healthy and just get a bottle of water or something along those lines. I wonder if my new friend likes coffee??

posted by Pixie @ 9:50 AM 2 comments

The Office Night Out

Survived my first ever non-drinking office night out. Was most strange in that I did feel a bit tipsy but only drank water or diet coke. And when I was speaking to Carolyn who was a bit worst for wear, I started slurring my words when talking to her… Must be in the presence of drunken people makes you blend in!!

The good thing was I didn’t make a show of myself by saying the wrong thing, crying or snogging an inappropriate person. A girl in my office is still living down the drunken snog with the freaky guy in accounts.

Even sober however, I couldn’t play pool but then I think pool is a boys game, I just pot the white time after time, and was a bit worried about my stance in my favourite green t-shirt, not designed for pool use!! However, was fairly amusing later on to have a chat with a friend and not do the usual drunk conversation, either “I love you, no I really do”, or the “don’t take this the wrong way… but…” Either one makes for cringeyness the next day. I’m also quite guilty of becoming a depressive drunk, I guess as I’m a fairly happy camper usually that alcohol brings me down. I noticed that people are willing to chat and divulge any kind of information during a drunken conversation and I now I’m ashamed of all the nights in the past where I’ve bored sober people to tears with my ramblings and repetitions.

I left the bar later that evening and made my way down to the station. Every thing seemed scary when I was sober, and I think about the times I’ve stumbled down the path towards Victoria and not even noticed any of my surroundings, I was extra paranoid in my sober state – I think I prefer my ignorance state!!! Was worried when I saw police in stab vests!!! Is this a normal part of Manchester on a Friday night that I’m usually oblivious to??

One night survived, but a big girlie sesh booked in for a few weeks and that will be the real test of my non-drinking resolve.

posted by Pixie @ 2:04 PM 0 comments

Total and utter netball domination

I'm only slighty exaggerating but we were very dominant last night beating Priesthall Ladies 40 - 23 yes that's right!!!

In fact so much so, there wasn't anything very funny to report. The best news was the welcome return of Lousie M back to the defensive rock in partnership with Sarah and after the first 10 mins or so, the defence didn't have a great deal to do - mainly because our attack were completely on form and hot hot hot!!!!!!!

The P Ladies didn't show up till late and already over 5 minutes had gone on the clock, but we weren't complaining as it meant less running around and late points for us. The teams started fairly evenly and we had a slender one goal lead for most of the half. It wasn't until I messed up with a lose ball to Emma which was easily intercepted and they went down and scored to make it 10-10 that we got a bit of wake up call. The GS told Lou that she really played Centre - so how she got to be such a good shooter I've no idea!!! Their GA gave us a thorough match commentary shouting "come on Priesthall" and "rebound rebounds" when Laura or Fran were shooting, which was a bit of a waste as there weren't any!! Another of my favourite was "make them shoot" Well they are shooters so of course they were going to shoot???!!!!!

At half-time Emma reminded us to concentrate on our passing and by keeping possession we could let our advantage tell, we already had a bit of a cushion with the 4 late goals but we didn't want to be too reliant on that. In the second half, and using our pink international ball, we started pulling away. Emma, and Kerrie were brilliant pressurising their defence into mistakes and then getting the ball into the circle. Fran and Laura were being marked like they'd each grown a new siamese twin yet managed to work the space and the shooting was top class. I can't even think of any misses from either shooter and if there were any rebounds they were swiftly dispatched through the net where they belonged. There were shots under the post, miles outside, and wonderful ones that loop in and don't even touch the rim on the way in... I always think that they should be worth more than 1 goal like a 3 pointer in basket ball.. But then the dopey referee wouldn't notice anyways, as she spent most of the game with her back to the match nattering to her pal. No harm done with the sharp shooters no top form. What was even better was our match commentating GA was very quiet second half.

So whilst we're in such a wonderful mood I think we need to organise netball drinks and Lou's going to sort out a tour to the Isle of Man playing the cream of netball talent - or in truth a bunch of mates who think they can beat us just with 4 of them. I don't think so boys!!!!

posted by Pixie @ 12:07 PM 0 comments

The Godmother Part II

Great news last night, my friend Emily phoned me and asked me to be godmother to her daughter Harri. Em had bee trying to get hold of me for the past few days and I was panicking that she had some bad news… why do I fear the worst?? Anyways, it turns out that she wanted to ask if I’d be able to make the christening at the end of March at the church where she married her husband John near Bridlington in Yorkshire. I was bridesmaid for Em and John back in 2003 and Harri was born last year.

Naturally I’m sooo excited at reprising my godmother role, I’m already godmother to one of my nephews, which is quite an easy job when the live 10000 miles away in Canada. Em says I have to guide Harri in her path, which is easy love shoes, listen to Take That and follow the Wanderers.

I see lots of trip to baby Gap coming on for Harri and me, you’re never too young to start…

posted by Pixie @ 11:57 AM 0 comments

Forever Friends?

Had some interesting news about my friend Becks last night. She has given birth to her fourth daughter. Time to stop hoping for a boy now??

I’ve known Becks since I was around 6 or 7 and she was 8 our parents had been friends through an auto club - my dad had an Escort RS and Beck’s dad had a VW Scirroco! After then our families went on holidays together and me and Becks grew up together, we kept ponies, we played out, we had sleepovers and started our underage drinking together. Becks always looked older than her age, she grew taller than me with a Marilyn Monroe curvaceous figure, whereas I was always short and very skinny. I used to be envious of her hips and ample bust and she used to wish for my skinny legs and flat stomach. She had thick dark brown curly hair whereas I was blonde with long straight hair and looked about 12 years old. So we were the complete opposites but it suited our personalities. We used to hang out in a bar called Sams where girls got free entry before 10pm and we would sip our vodka and oranges whilst watching all the boys that passed on the regular sweep round the bar.

Becks was always wilder than me, and was attracted to the “bad boys” she didn’t fall for anyone and was in the school of treat them mean keep them keen. Whereas I always let my heart rule my head and ended up broken-hearted time after time. We were fairly inseparable for most of our teens, we had similar part-time jobs and I went to the same sixth form college, only after Becks had left, I quite often followed in her footsteps. At 18 I left home and moved away for university and Becks stayed at home and got a full time job, we always stayed in contact with letters and phone calls. I was amazed then when I got the message that Becks had got engaged to her new boyfriend Simon, and was getting married. She was 21 and he was 19. He’d dropped out of sixth form and got a full-time and job and they were putting a deposit down on a house.

So Becks and Simon got married on a freezing day in March, I was bridesmaid shivering in my red dress, my skin going bluer by the second, whilst Becks was beautiful in a gorgeous white gown and veil and didn’t even feel the cold. They’d bought a falling down 2-bedroom cottage with a view of renovating it into a dream home. The place was old decrepit, riddled with damp and even Beck’s dad told her to steer clear. The day they came back from honeymoon in Malta they had to sleep at Simon’s parents house, as they couldn’t move in until structural work was completed.

Unexpectedly, 3 months later Becks found out she was pregnant!!! Jessica was born in June the following year and by this time they had got one room in a habitable state. After this time Becks and I drifted, I was going through university and Becks was living the life of a full-time wife and mother, and we no longer had the same things in common. I moved back to Bolton 4 years later and met up with them Jessica had grown into a lovely little girl and they were moving to a big family 4 bedroomed house on a modern housing estate in Accrington. Becks was working for a financial adviser and Simon was an estate agent. Becks helped me sort out my mortgage on my first home a 2-bed new house in Bolton. Unfortunately the company gave me bad advice and I ended up taking them to the Financial Ombudsman, I got my money back but I thought that his would seriously damage our friendship. We drifted out of touch, Becks always sent me cards and then I heard she’d had a second daughter, Melissa so I drove out to see them. Melissa was gorgeous and Becks had given up work and Simon was doing brilliantly in his job and they had 2 flash cars on the drive and a pony for Jessica in the field behind their house.

Shortly after Melissa came another baby girl Madelyn, and I haven’t seen her. I tried to call Becks on her birthday in July, a little girl answered – who could have been Jessica or Melissa, and told me that Mummy was out. I was really drunk, as England had just lost to Portugal in the World Cup so I didn’t leave a message.

So I was really shocked to hear yesterday from my dad that Becks has now had her fourth daughter! My dad had spoken to her dad, and of course hadn’t got any of the vital information such as name, weight, date of birth, wellbeing report, dad’s are rubbish like that.

It’s weird to think how different we’ve become over the years, and quite strange to think that we have spoken since Melissa was born. I wouldn’t have put Becks as a full-time wife and mother and yet she revels in the role, whereas I’m the one with the fancy-free lifestyle – skiing holidays, football season ticket, shoe habit and impractical showy car. If you had asked me 20 years ago I would have said we would have been the other way round. I’d like to pick up the phone, but I’ve no idea how to go about picking up on the years between us, and the big gulf in our lifestyles. Can our old friendship be resurrected? Am I still jealous after all these years??

posted by Pixie @ 11:55 AM 2 comments

Let's Get Physical

Since the beginning of January I’ve been seeing a personal trainer. He’s been looking after the fitness of a friend and me every Wednesday evening at the gym near work.

He’s a really nice guy, very young, but fit and knows all his fitness stuff. The main plan is to:
· Improve fitness for netball/skiing
· Tone all wobbly bits
· Be healthy
· Look good
· Be happy

In order to do this I’ve been quite strict and cut out all snacks, chocolate and alcohol. I’m also trying to be good at eating my breakfast, bowl of Special K every day. I’m not good at mornings and food feels wrong until midday!! However, about 120,000 more qualified people than me have told me that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

So far fitness plan is going ok, the good thing about working out with Caroline and James is that it really makes you train even if you aren’t feeling up for it, as you can’t back out when others are going. I hadn’t missed a week up to now, so when James advised that he wouldn’t be able to train us as he was going watching the England game at Old Trafford I was dumfounded. WHAT! How dare the personal trainer call off the session!!?? Surely that’s the client’s job??? James made a plan for Caroline and I to follow and said that he would have spies out to ensure that we followed his instructions.

Caroline and I made it to the gym and felt a bit nervous at our flying solo. Negotiated the bike and then the cross-trainer for warm-up of our muscles and heart rate, which James said should be at 140 in order to burn fat. Mine was at 150 according to the machine, was slightly worried that I was going to have a heart attack in the middle of the gym.

Went to the activity studio to do the toning exercises on the giant swiss balls, I used to have one at home for exercising on, but when I started watching TV with my feet resting on it I knew that it was time for it to go. There was a man in the activity studio pumping up the swiss balls so they were rock hard and when I sat on one of them, my feet almost didn’t reach the floor. We put some music on from Caroline’s walkman and the guy in the studio started making rude faces, it was girly pop and obviously wasn’t to his taste, but there has to be something to keep you going through tricep dips, lunges and crunches doesn’t there??

Going back to the gym to finish with a warm down we walked past a gorgeous guy who was skipping in the corridor, he looked at first glance like Ricardo Vaz Te, only gym boy was a bit bulkier. He had ankle weights strapped to his legs and was skipping with amazing speed and grace. Caroline and I have thought about running in Bronx style and skipping with him, but in my clumsy sweaty state thought better of it, I’d have wiped him out, and if he really was Vaz Te I would have been in trouble…. Well he wouldn’t be able to sit on the bench for a while.

Finished off with some running and then a cool down on the exercise bike. Forgotten the thingy to put my ipod in whilst I was training so hung the strap off the handlebars and kept forgetting where I was and singing out loud. Moved onto the stretches, but couldn’t remember them all so just pulled at my legs and arms in various ways until it hurt in the hope that I was actually doing some good.

Felt good and virtuous until on the way home my car wouldn’t unlock and I nearly died from shock when the alarm went off whilst I was sat inside. Then got home to find the univited houseguest on my sofa watching Coronation Street. I hate Coronation Street. My good mood had vanished!!!!

posted by Pixie @ 1:45 PM 0 comments

Fancy Seeing You Here

So decided to make an effort with my impulsively bought new bicycle and decided on Sunday to go for a ride up Winter Hill to the TV Transmitter. It’s a bit of a pig on the way up but it’s a grand ride home, as I think they say. Sunday was a beautiful day, chilly, but with a brilliant blue sky and not a patch of fog that had swamped Bolton the day before. Wrapped up warm with my new invention of wearing tights under my cycle shorts to keep my legs snug – I look a wally but then it’s not a fashion parade!!! The road up the to Bob Smithy is a killer I swear it’s steeper than Everest and it was a struggle even on my sparkly new bike. This shows how much work I’ve got to do on my fitness before skiing!! Made it past the pub without stopping – impressive, and set off on the footpath up Winter Hill. It was blooming boggy and muddy, hadn’t been up since I think September and there has been a lot of rain since then!!!

Passed a massive group of ramblers laid out on the grass in a long line, looking like they were waiting for a bus. Hmmm, wonder if there is a bus that would make life easier!! They were all wearing comfortable boots and red socks I wonder if that is the unofficial uniform. Saw lots of mad amateur ramblers who’d set off in trainers and a t-shirt!!! Millions of dog owners around too, but I’m always paranoid that I’ll run the dog over!!! Decided to skip going right to the transmitter and made it to the little brick tower and had rest and a banana and a kit kat for the energy you see. Set off back down the hill. It always amazes me, a good 45 minutes plus up the hill and 10 minutes down, if only everywhere was down hill!!

Stopped at the Bob Smithy, as it would have been rude not to and got a pint of my new tipple, diet coke with a splash of blackcurrant (!) yes I know but it’s nice, and I’m still off the booze – especially with a bike to be responsible for. Couldn’t find anywhere to sit outside and then a group of cyclists already seated said to join them. Came and plonked down alongside them and had a really good chat. They were a nice friendly bunch, really into the mountain biking they wear cleats and tried to persuade me that I would be better off with them…. Obviously not seen how clumsy I am!!!!! The lad and the girl sat there, had also been snowboarding recently so we shared experiences of different resorts. The girl was lovely and later asked if I’d be interested in cycling again as she doesn’t know many girl cyclists. I don’t think they were too impressed with my tales of tackling Lostock canal path so I think that they might be a bit too hardcore for me. But now I have my new bike it could be time to find my adventurous spirit. The lad and the girl explained a new way home from the Bob Smith and said to follow them. We all got on our bikes, said good bye to their friend from Eagley and bombed it down the hill away from the pub. They took us through a back route past some beautiful big cottages in a very pretty courtyard all with Jaguars and fancy Mercedes parked outside, talk about how the other half live!! We then zoomed down a little track before slamming to a halt to climb over a fallen tree. I’ve never felt soooo out of control on my bike trying to keep up with them as the light was fading making shadows out of everything.

Popped out by Beaumont Hospital on Chorley New Road and then went through the big housing estate to Lostock train station where we split ways. I took the girl’s telephone number, and she took mine. If we don’t meet for a bike ride she said she’d give me a buzz to meet for coffee one lunch, as she works in Manchester too.

It’s kind of funny making a new friend in these circumstances. You kind of acquire them through growing up/school/college. Feels a bit strange to ring someone up and say, “Hi, I’m the girl from the Bob Smithy, new bike but not much idea!!” Would she still even remember me?? And who should ring first??

Ooh friends were so much easier at primary school!!!



It's a steeper hill in real life, honestly.

posted by Pixie @ 11:12 AM 0 comments

We Rule - Official

Dear Reader,

I may, or may not, have gone on about how I play netball (badly) and I always have to write a match report the following day, so I've decided to include the match reports here to remind me of the good and the bad days on court.

First game report features us V KNE (and I've no idea what that stands for).

Ladies,

I'm proud of us all.

Once again we set ourselves a pretty tricky task by turning up with 6 players. Tracy must have some incriminating evidence on another team as she dragged a willing volunteer from the previous match, for a game at 10pm!!! How does she manage it??? In very bad form I didn't even ask our borrowed player her name, or find out which team she played for. So during the report she will be known as GK (the position she played - cunning eh??)

So we started our 10pm game with our 6 players and borrowed GK and we began slowly and fell behind. Defensively we were holding up reasonably well with GK and Sarah S, but we were just missing that killer pass into our circle. Once we calmed ourselves down a bit Emma and Kerrie combined brilliantly and Tracy and Laura started building an impressive partnership, not bad considering Tracy has been out for a while with a busted knee. I have to say that borrowed GK and Sarah were tremendous - considering she'd just played a match and Sarah hasn't played a full game at GD before. We managed to make up our deficit and catch up to KNE, with a bit of encouragement from Tracy who got in trouble for barracking the referees!!!!

Our second half performance was the strongest and we pulled out a gap. This is where I'm going to have a bit of a moan, so you might want to go and get a cup of tea. But what were the referees thinking about ??? On a couple of occasions their scoring was all over the place, we actually went from being ahead at one centre pass, to being behind with a smaller score on the next. I'm not just paranoid as some of the others noticed this as well. Another time the ball came off a KNE player I was chasing it down and heard Emma bellow "LEAVE IT!!!!!!!" So I stopped and let it bounce out of touch picked it up for the throw-in and the ref tells me it's the opposition’s throw. In which case Einstein, why would I let it run out of court????????????!!!!!!! Nevertheless despite Dumb and Dumbers best efforts we were able to win 14-13. Close but fun and well deserved!!!! I managed to trample the poor WA to a pulp as I kept falling over her or standing on her toes. I couldn't help it, I'm not used to marking players shorter than me!!!!

So a great debut for our new pink match ball, courtesy of a stand at the International Netball on Thursday, and an impressive win with a bit of a patched up side. Lots of thanks to our borrowed GK. I think the trip to see the experts last Thursday really helped our motivation and insipiration as we completely deserved the victory.... Bring on South Africa!!!!!!

Here's to some more victories, and a full team fingers crossed!!

posted by Pixie @ 10:50 AM 0 comments