...with Hugh Grant and Charlotte Coleman? Where they get up about 5 mins before they are meant to be at the first wedding? Well that whole scene seems to be the best way for me to describe my day! I had been invited to my friend's Hen lunch at The Bishop's Table, which is situated in Old Aberdeen on the University grounds, I was to be there for 12.30pm. That's fine, I work from home, I'm generally an organised person, so how hard could it be? Well today the answer to that question is 'very'!
I was sitting in my PJ's at my computer (which is pretty much how I exist most days...perk of my current existance!) trying to finish off an urgent assignment before lunch. Time was tick, tick, a-ticking and before I knew it I had 20 mins to get washed, dressed, slap on AND get to the other side of town.
This is what actually happened...
Grabbed can of dryshampoo....swooshed hair to try make it look a little less manky, then tied it back anyway.
Liberally apply B.O.buster.
Threw random array of make-up in bag to apply in taxi. [Note to self: have emergency bag of useful make-up on hand for such situations]
Called taxi (arrrgghhh what a waste of money that I don't have...stress about that later!)
Ran through to bedroom, can't find any decent clothes, remind self that's because I don't own any decent clothes. [Note to self: Buy decent clothes when have money]. Found some semi-decent clothes on clothes-chair (ie. place all clothes get thrown instead of hanging up/folding and putting in drawers which are right next to clothes-chair).
Finish off with a few good shooshes of perfume and a piece of chuddy (chewing gum).
Phone rang - taxi at door! (dang...why don't taxi's arrive this quickly normally, only when you need them to arrive a wee bit later than you need them to, do they swan up early/on-time!)
Grab necklace, rings, earrings to put on whilst running down stairs, so I don't look like I got ready in 40seconds.
It was all worth it though! If anyone is looking for a brilliant place to eat, I highly recommend The Bishop's Table, excellent food which is not expensive. Good service, nice atmosphere....it's a good all rounder! Not sure what it's opening hours are though...but check it oot!
Also the company was excellent (and none of them let on that they realised that I'd pitched up looking/smelling like a total mink!) I think there was 16 of us there...and what a laugh! I met really lovely, interesting, funny, intelligent ladies. A couple of them are preggers....which of course gave me the opportunity to ask them if they were sure they were only having one baby!! It's the look of 'oh dear lordy' which amuses me most!
Anyway, now that I'm home it's time for me to go and have a proper shower, fold and hang up my clothes (uhuh....bets on what I allow to distract me before I get to that?) and then find something productive to do, like write my emergency procedure for what to do if this happens again!
Friday, 28 October 2011
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Can this really be as serious as...man flu??
*sniffcoughspluttersniff* Ah yes, you've guessed it (or you just read the title of this post) I am coming down with man flu. Now I know that that is a serious claim to make and I haven't even seen a doctor but it's true. I'm really feeling like poo...and of course now is not a good time to get ill (when is?...answers on a post(card) please).
I had a meeting with my now new client yesterday =) Meeting went very well and I am very excited about working with this company. I have a really good gut feeling about this venture and am looking forward to seeing what the future holds. The work sounds interesting and I think that it will suit my personality and if all goes well I believe that there is a possibility of development of my role. It is a position which involves confidentiality which is why I'm not getting into any detail or specifics...but suffice to say I'm happy and excited about this new venture.
This morning, amongst other tasks, I've been trying to write a biog. Good grief...could I write it for someone else? Yup! So why then is it so hard to write one for myself? I sat looking at the blank screen for a long while, which I think is always helpful. Then I started to type notes. I now have a lot of unconnected, bizarrely constructed 'notes' all about me which do not make up a biog. I've even tried the 'walking away and coming back to it a wee while later' AND the 'eat-some-chocolate-then-have-another-go' techniques, not to mention the amount of cups of tea I've drank...and I'm disappointed to say that none of the above has worked. I think it's time I make some calls to seek help.
Did I mention that I'm becoming a bit of a recluse? Which is quite surprising considering that I've always been an outgoing 'bubbly' person, but with the experiences that I've had over the past 6 years and the recent changes in my life I'm seeing the appeal of the hermit lifestyle. So much so that I've started to order my groceries online. Ok, granted there is also the added appeal of the delivery charge being cheaper than the bus fare and someone else carries them up the stairs. However, I've found out that there is a darker side to this 'online grocery shopping' especially if you're a visual person (like yours truly)...size! Yup, who knew that would be a tricky point?
Take my recent butter order for instance...
I had a meeting with my now new client yesterday =) Meeting went very well and I am very excited about working with this company. I have a really good gut feeling about this venture and am looking forward to seeing what the future holds. The work sounds interesting and I think that it will suit my personality and if all goes well I believe that there is a possibility of development of my role. It is a position which involves confidentiality which is why I'm not getting into any detail or specifics...but suffice to say I'm happy and excited about this new venture.
This morning, amongst other tasks, I've been trying to write a biog. Good grief...could I write it for someone else? Yup! So why then is it so hard to write one for myself? I sat looking at the blank screen for a long while, which I think is always helpful. Then I started to type notes. I now have a lot of unconnected, bizarrely constructed 'notes' all about me which do not make up a biog. I've even tried the 'walking away and coming back to it a wee while later' AND the 'eat-some-chocolate-then-have-another-go' techniques, not to mention the amount of cups of tea I've drank...and I'm disappointed to say that none of the above has worked. I think it's time I make some calls to seek help.
Did I mention that I'm becoming a bit of a recluse? Which is quite surprising considering that I've always been an outgoing 'bubbly' person, but with the experiences that I've had over the past 6 years and the recent changes in my life I'm seeing the appeal of the hermit lifestyle. So much so that I've started to order my groceries online. Ok, granted there is also the added appeal of the delivery charge being cheaper than the bus fare and someone else carries them up the stairs. However, I've found out that there is a darker side to this 'online grocery shopping' especially if you're a visual person (like yours truly)...size! Yup, who knew that would be a tricky point?
Take my recent butter order for instance...
On the right is my normal size of tub and on the left is my online size...as it turns out! It wasn't just with butter ...oh no, I also decided that I might do some baking, so I ordered some Golden Syrup...I now have enough to make 1000 flapjacks (estimated quantity).
On that note, I better get back to staring blankly at my screen wondering what on earth I can write about myself which will not make me sound like a butter/chocolate/tea addict!
p.s. The ceramic heart in the background reads 'Food should always be prepared with butter & love' Quite appropriate...at least if I run out of love, I'll still have plenty of butter!!
Sunday, 23 October 2011
They say if you don't like the weather in Scotland...
...wait 20 minutes! Well when I say 'they' I'm pretty sure that it was Billy Connolly ~ wise man! I sometimes feel that I can apply that to my life. Take Friday for example. To start the day I went to the Business Gateway Book Keeping workshop and, thankfully, like the other workshops that I have been to, it was to the same high standard. Then as a brucey bonus when I walked into the room I saw a face that I recognised from waaay back, through the mists of time...the rather fabulous and cool Shona. We used to play rugby together. When I say "we" the reality is that Shona used to play and I used to turn up (was really quite crap) BUT I did always have a great laugh which could be credited to my skills at the (mandatory) drinking, singing & also it was a great way to meet men =)! I love rugby to this day (watched the World Cup final this morning...what a match!)
Shona & I had a quick chat and swapped numbers...hopefully we shall have a proper catch up soon, in a fashion fitting our past...with copious amounts of alcohol ~ you grow old but you don't have to grow up my darlings!!
So after the workshop, I nipped to Markies to grab some lunch (sushi..yum!) and then jumped into a taxi to attend the funeral of an old friend of mine. Dear Julia pass away in her sleep the previous week at the grand old age of 91. She was a wonderful friend and I will miss her. She was my partner in crime a couple of years ago when I was out of work for a couple of months. We used to hang out and go off on adventures...like the time I took her to the cinema. Julia hadn't been to the cinema in 25years and it was the first time she ever had popcorn! I parked the car, got her into her wheelchair then realised that I had two options...
1. Struggle to get Julia in her chair up onto the pavement, walk along to the crossing and cross the road OR
2. Run along the road with Julia in her chair then cross the road (at the crossing).
Obviously I chose option 2! What a laugh...there was a white van driving along side us whilst we ran along the road, honking his horn with the guys inside cheering us along.
To be honest, on reflection it is a little surprising that Julia lasted as long as she did with me around!!
I attended the intimate service with her family and close friends, then went along to her wake. It was lovely to see her family again and share our memories.
Just as we were preparing to go home I received a call from a potential client to say that he is interested in working with me!! =) I am so pleased and am really looking forward to getting started. We're meeting on Monday to discuss details.
I called my dad (IT expert) and he's helping me get my desktop & laptop set up so that they are fit for purpose. In the mean time I'm trying to reorganise my home so that it's fit for purpose for work and still remaining my home...this is this weekend's project.
Then Friday evening I went to see the very, very funny Tom Stade (Canadian guy, who lives in the UK with his wife and kids) with my friend Nicky & co. He's on tour at the moment, I recommend you going to see him if you get the chance. Look him up on YouTube!
Saturday was a mix of trying to sort out my belongings & catching up with a good friend (so we could go to Bibi's Bakery (Schoolhill, Aberdeen) and eat lots of cupcakes ~ we both opted for gluten free which were absolutely delicious!).
I have a LOT of stuff. I love my stuff. I'm a sentimental fool who likes having reminders around which evoke memories and remind me of happy, wonderful moments in my life. I've had a LOT of happy, bloody brilliant times in my life...which translates into me having a lot of stuff! However, I'm now going to be working from home and I need to have a clear out. I have already started, but I've got more to sell.
So last night, I was doing some research on ebay. This is so I can work out what's more likely to sell there and what I'm better to throw into another car boot sale. During this research I decided to find out if my rollerboots are likely to sell. I can confidently say that I think they would sell and I'd probably get a pretty decent amount for them. However...as I was looking at all the fabulous rollerboots on ebay, I started to get all nostalgic and remember how much fun I used to have on my rollerboots (WHEN I WAS 9!!)...so the next minute I had strapped those badboys on and was scooting about my flat. Now, I know that I have told you that I live in a penthouse, but that is an outright lie. The only similarity that my flat has with a penthouse is that it's on the top floor! But oh my lordy...did I have fun. I'm not so sure that my neighbour would've had the same amount of enjoyment out of my wee 26 minute stint...but see after 10 mins, I could stop myself by either twirling (elegantly ~ natch!) or failing that by using either my shins, bum or clothes airer!
I think it's fair to say that the rollerboots are now off the selling list...they are here to stay!
Shona & I had a quick chat and swapped numbers...hopefully we shall have a proper catch up soon, in a fashion fitting our past...with copious amounts of alcohol ~ you grow old but you don't have to grow up my darlings!!
So after the workshop, I nipped to Markies to grab some lunch (sushi..yum!) and then jumped into a taxi to attend the funeral of an old friend of mine. Dear Julia pass away in her sleep the previous week at the grand old age of 91. She was a wonderful friend and I will miss her. She was my partner in crime a couple of years ago when I was out of work for a couple of months. We used to hang out and go off on adventures...like the time I took her to the cinema. Julia hadn't been to the cinema in 25years and it was the first time she ever had popcorn! I parked the car, got her into her wheelchair then realised that I had two options...
1. Struggle to get Julia in her chair up onto the pavement, walk along to the crossing and cross the road OR
2. Run along the road with Julia in her chair then cross the road (at the crossing).
Obviously I chose option 2! What a laugh...there was a white van driving along side us whilst we ran along the road, honking his horn with the guys inside cheering us along.
To be honest, on reflection it is a little surprising that Julia lasted as long as she did with me around!!
I attended the intimate service with her family and close friends, then went along to her wake. It was lovely to see her family again and share our memories.
Just as we were preparing to go home I received a call from a potential client to say that he is interested in working with me!! =) I am so pleased and am really looking forward to getting started. We're meeting on Monday to discuss details.
I called my dad (IT expert) and he's helping me get my desktop & laptop set up so that they are fit for purpose. In the mean time I'm trying to reorganise my home so that it's fit for purpose for work and still remaining my home...this is this weekend's project.
Then Friday evening I went to see the very, very funny Tom Stade (Canadian guy, who lives in the UK with his wife and kids) with my friend Nicky & co. He's on tour at the moment, I recommend you going to see him if you get the chance. Look him up on YouTube!
Saturday was a mix of trying to sort out my belongings & catching up with a good friend (so we could go to Bibi's Bakery (Schoolhill, Aberdeen) and eat lots of cupcakes ~ we both opted for gluten free which were absolutely delicious!).
I have a LOT of stuff. I love my stuff. I'm a sentimental fool who likes having reminders around which evoke memories and remind me of happy, wonderful moments in my life. I've had a LOT of happy, bloody brilliant times in my life...which translates into me having a lot of stuff! However, I'm now going to be working from home and I need to have a clear out. I have already started, but I've got more to sell.
So last night, I was doing some research on ebay. This is so I can work out what's more likely to sell there and what I'm better to throw into another car boot sale. During this research I decided to find out if my rollerboots are likely to sell. I can confidently say that I think they would sell and I'd probably get a pretty decent amount for them. However...as I was looking at all the fabulous rollerboots on ebay, I started to get all nostalgic and remember how much fun I used to have on my rollerboots (WHEN I WAS 9!!)...so the next minute I had strapped those badboys on and was scooting about my flat. Now, I know that I have told you that I live in a penthouse, but that is an outright lie. The only similarity that my flat has with a penthouse is that it's on the top floor! But oh my lordy...did I have fun. I'm not so sure that my neighbour would've had the same amount of enjoyment out of my wee 26 minute stint...but see after 10 mins, I could stop myself by either twirling (elegantly ~ natch!) or failing that by using either my shins, bum or clothes airer!
I think it's fair to say that the rollerboots are now off the selling list...they are here to stay!
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Can a 120g bar of chocolate kill you?
And what happens if you add half a bag of marshmallows on top of that? I didn't start eating until after 3pm today and, credit where credit is due, I do believe that I have more than made up for those hours of unintentional fasting. I now feel a teeny weeny bit disguisted with myself.
However I'm now lounging on my sofa (working off the carbs in a passive manner, granted it's never been scientifically proven to be an effective fat-busting technique, but that's probably because the scientists have been busy working on other things.) I've had a great day today, I went to the Business Gateway Marketing workshop this morning. It was informative & very interesting. It was delievered by Roz Caulwell and she was brilliant. She has a relaxed yet professional style and came across as very knowledgeable and managed to be inclusive of everyone at the workshop! I hope our paths cross again in the future.
I also managed to get Windows 2010 up and running on my desktop...only took about 14hrs (ok, that might be a wee bit of exaggeration...but it really was a very long time). First I found out that I had to upgrade Vista to Vista SP1...who knew that existed? Anyway the outcome is that I'm now all set up with Outlook, I feel like I have some organisation to my life again. I spent a good 30 mins inputting all my appointments in to the calendar...now all I need is a smart phone to sync it up with!! One day =)
To raise money I've been selling lots of stuff on ebay, oh and I had a carboot sale last Sunday. Couldn't have asked for better weather, it was gorgeous. Also, in it's small way, it was a successful day...I raised a grand total of...£11.05 BUT that was from selling things that I would've thrown out otherwise! I have made a conscious decision to not divide that amount by the number of hours I stood there as that might be too much information. But I can think of worse ways to spend a Sunday morning...I got to stand/sit out in the sun, people watch (another thing to add to my list of things I love!) and barter over a pair of bookends (which I found) and eventually managed to get a fiver for!! =)
Ebay has been a lot more successful financially and in terms of decluttering my home. But then again I've been selling good quality items which I hope will go to people who will enjoy them rather than store them under their bed/back of their wardrobe etc.
Between the two I managed to raise enough to buy: Windows 2010 + correct licence for a business = very happy me!
So my business....I'm setting myself up as a VA (Virtual Assistant). I have had some meetings with potential clients, which seem to have gone well but time will tell ~ keeping my fingers crossed. I've got something else that I would like to do along side, but I'm in the very early stages of researching that idea & also I don't want to bite off more than I can chew...
I registered my business with HMRC yesterday =). I haven't started trading yet, but I was advised that it's best to get it done ASAP, so it's done.
Tomorrow I'm going to a workshop in Book Keeping...I never thought that I'd get excited about a book keeping course, but darn it, I really am!!
However I'm now lounging on my sofa (working off the carbs in a passive manner, granted it's never been scientifically proven to be an effective fat-busting technique, but that's probably because the scientists have been busy working on other things.) I've had a great day today, I went to the Business Gateway Marketing workshop this morning. It was informative & very interesting. It was delievered by Roz Caulwell and she was brilliant. She has a relaxed yet professional style and came across as very knowledgeable and managed to be inclusive of everyone at the workshop! I hope our paths cross again in the future.
I also managed to get Windows 2010 up and running on my desktop...only took about 14hrs (ok, that might be a wee bit of exaggeration...but it really was a very long time). First I found out that I had to upgrade Vista to Vista SP1...who knew that existed? Anyway the outcome is that I'm now all set up with Outlook, I feel like I have some organisation to my life again. I spent a good 30 mins inputting all my appointments in to the calendar...now all I need is a smart phone to sync it up with!! One day =)
To raise money I've been selling lots of stuff on ebay, oh and I had a carboot sale last Sunday. Couldn't have asked for better weather, it was gorgeous. Also, in it's small way, it was a successful day...I raised a grand total of...£11.05 BUT that was from selling things that I would've thrown out otherwise! I have made a conscious decision to not divide that amount by the number of hours I stood there as that might be too much information. But I can think of worse ways to spend a Sunday morning...I got to stand/sit out in the sun, people watch (another thing to add to my list of things I love!) and barter over a pair of bookends (which I found) and eventually managed to get a fiver for!! =)
Ebay has been a lot more successful financially and in terms of decluttering my home. But then again I've been selling good quality items which I hope will go to people who will enjoy them rather than store them under their bed/back of their wardrobe etc.
Between the two I managed to raise enough to buy: Windows 2010 + correct licence for a business = very happy me!
So my business....I'm setting myself up as a VA (Virtual Assistant). I have had some meetings with potential clients, which seem to have gone well but time will tell ~ keeping my fingers crossed. I've got something else that I would like to do along side, but I'm in the very early stages of researching that idea & also I don't want to bite off more than I can chew...
I registered my business with HMRC yesterday =). I haven't started trading yet, but I was advised that it's best to get it done ASAP, so it's done.
Tomorrow I'm going to a workshop in Book Keeping...I never thought that I'd get excited about a book keeping course, but darn it, I really am!!
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
The Kitchen Wall of Wisdom (& other shite)
As I said in my 'Me, myself & I' page, I've had a great life to date and have enjoyed the ride. I have never been one of those people with a great life plan and must admit I kinda felt like I was missing out, but I could never get one together. If an opportunity comes along and it seems like it's going to be fun/interesting/an adventure...then I go with it. I love a challenge and am up for learning new skills. Of course I've got myself into some sticky situations or have ended up-to-my-neck in it but I've survived to tell the tale. I think that if I had planned my life I would've missed out in some of the most amazing experiences that I've had, of course I might have 'made something' of my life but let us gloss over that!
So getting back to the purpose of this blog...my next new adventure!
I've decided to go solo & start up my own business! Aaaaarrgghhh....exciting/scary/stupid/brave/ignorant (*delete as appropriate). I've got a zillion ideas running through my head (well, that's probably not true, I'm just trying to make myself sound way more intelligent/interesting than I actually am!).
So these are my actions/plans to date:
- Contacted this rather fabulous lady I know who is a Personal/Executive/Life coach (I get mixed up with the terminology) and I've started having sessions with her. I cannot recommend going to a personal coach enough. It's not a cheap option, but value for money?...definitely!! You know how life sometimes throws you a curve ball? Well, that's usually a really good time to valuate what you're up to & where you would like to head next. So, with Mrs Fabulous, I've been bouncing ideas and with her help looking at and identifying exactly what I enjoy and how I can translate that into moving forward.
- I've also signed up to a heap of workshops run by the Business Gateway on setting up your own business. If all the workshops are as well run and interesting as the first one that I've attended then that will be a Brucey Bonus!!
- And research...research and more research!
I've got my company name...which surprisingly is the same name as I use to author this blog...faemoi. I'm from the north-east of Scotland and 'fae' means 'from'. I used to live in France and of course 'moi' means 'me'. So faemoi means 'from me', except as the eagle-eyed will spot, I've merged the words together!! Clever eh?? hahaha.
So I'm going to blog about it all and just my life in general. Hopefully this will make an interesting read if it works out... ;o)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)