Lunchtime Ramblings: I'm a Wednesday

It is Wednesday lunchtime, I'm wearing a black dress and for a small portion of the morning I had my still dripping wet from the shower hair in pigtails, I had some Wednesday vibes going on and decided to channel that into today's impromptu lunchtime post!

I'm also going to see The Addams Family in October and decided it was about time I started getting excited about that!

I was born on a Wednesday, so perhaps that's why I relate to Wednesday's character.

I wouldn't say I'm full of woe, as the poem goes, if anything I probably try too hard to be chipper, but there are elements of Wednesday that I can relate to.

I wouldn't say I'm as sadistic as Wednesday but I share her penchant for sarcasm and have a similar reluctance to trust those I'm unsure of.

I can be similarly withdrawn and quiet at times, but I think in both our cases we're deep thinkers and solitude is our favoured way to process and analyse the matters dancing around in our heads.

Wednesday, I think was just wise beyond her years which brought with it a cynicism for people and the world around her more common in those much older than herself. Without sounding cocky, younger Rachie was pretty similar. I had a much bigger cynicism for things than people my own age which made me appear somewhat odd and kooky.

At the time I didn't enjoy feeling like the odd one, but now with a bit more life experience under my belt I embrace that side of my personality with humour and celebrate my overall kookyness.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Carrie Hope Fletcher as Wednesday in October, as well as the rest of the cast taking on the other members of the clan but Wednesday holds a special place in my heart. Hurry up October!

Lunchtime Ramblings: Wonder of Rain

Day two of my impromptu blogging challenge. I've given myself a little longer than 10 minutes today to see what I can do with an extra 20!

It's raining, because of course it is! I live in Scotland, I don't know why every year when the summer rolls around I'm astounded to see rain!

I actually quite like rain. Do I enjoy getting soaked? Nope! Although there is some beauty in rain.

I often find watching heavy rain through a window very therapeutic, I'm not really sure why, it just makes me feel sort of secure. I also do some of my best thinking in the rain, just me, a dome shaped umberella and my noggin!

I also like parks in the rain, in theory that's a bit dumb because you can't sit on any benches, no cant use any equipment but there's something beautiful about freshly soaked trees, grass and shrubbery they seem to make a gorgeous glittery green view that stretches for miles.

I used to hate driving in the rain but I'm even getting starting to find that aesthetically pleasing!

The only down side to rain for me is that I can sometimes get a bit stiff and sore, it sounds like an old fishwives tail but I can sort of sense when rain is on the way because of a broken ankle in my childhood, it's not always accurate mind you!

Right, it's almost time for me to return to my desk and do some writing of a different kind!

I'll hopefully have some inspritation for tomorrow's topic beyond looking out of the window!! :-)

Lunchtime Ramblings: Monday

Written by Rachie on July 03, 2017 in General Nonsense with No comments

I have 10 minutes left on my lunch break and thought I'd have a wee go at writing an impromptu blog post.

I think I'm going to try this every day this week as a creativity challenge, hopefully it goes better than my blogmas attempt which was fairly abysmal! I'll pick a topic every day and do a quick mind dump post!

Today's topic is Mondays!!

Every week, we dread a Monday rolling around! I don't know why. I guess it's because it's the beginning of the working week and we have to get back into routine after a few days off - if we are lucky enough to have the weekend off, I know not everyone has that luxury.
I actually prefer a Monday to a Tuesday for some reason. I know what to expect from a Monday, Tuesday can be a real curveball day but Monday I can generally rely on to be consistent.

Sometimes I wonder with a Monday though, is it the getting back to routine that we dread, or the routine itself?

I've managed to fill five minutes with my drivel so I'll keep going!

What I like about a Monday is the chance to start over from the week before, that sounds silly because I will still be me, you will still be you and our circumstances will probably be as they were, but I can look back at the path I took, analyse and channel my findings into tacking the next week.
It can be a bit like a blank sheet of paper, it's not always the fresh new clean page I'm looking for but it might have just enough room left to scribble down something vital!

30 seconds on the clock! What are your feelings on Mondays?
Do you dread them? Do you love them?

This has been fun! I'll see what sharp burst of nonsense tomorrow brings!

Hector and Roland's London Adventure

Written by Rachie on April 30, 2017 in Days Out, General Nonsense, Quirky Adventures, Shoe Diary. with No comments

Roland here, we've already been formally introduced....but for those of you who don't know who I am, I'm Rachie's right foot - Roland.

My buddy Hector (her left foot) and I are Rachie's feet, we're the guys who take her places and we usually let her do the talking, but we recently came back from London and thought about letting Rachie blog about it, but to be honest...this was our trip...we did all the walking!

Here is just a snippet of our London Adventure with Rachie.

Day One

Hector and I got up early to make sure Rachie got the 7.30am train from Glasgow to London , we broke our no peeing on a train rule because Rachie just had to have an Irn Bru and a water and finally around lunch time, we arrived in London, had lunch and made our way to the hotel. Later on we took Rachie to Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square before making our way over to Victoria to see Wicked. We really enjoyed Wicked because it was such a comfortable theatre and we got a nice long rest from walking, Rachie loved the performance, so a worthwhile activity for all of us!

Day Two

On day two, we were excited to start walking around London and see some local tourist spots, we weren't quite as giddy as Rachie about it but we were still pretty excitable.

We began our day at Big Ben, Rachie was fascinated, she stepped out of the tube station and there it was....right in front of her. We walked over to the bridge to look at London Eye (we didn't go on it, Rachie's Mum doesn't love heights, and if we're truly honest, we don't love them either.)
From there, we walked to the Parliament Buildings, then Westminster Abbey then on to Buckingham Palace where Rachie got to watch the changing of the guard! We then walked to Covent Garden and then went to visit Hamley's. After a long day with lots of walking, Rachie was knackered and we were knackered, but what a day.

Day Three

On day three, we took Rachie to St Paul's Cathedral so she could feed the birds, tuppence a bag. We went a wander over the millennium bridge, walked past Shakespeare's Globe, walked by London Bridge, Walked over Tower Bridge, its gorgeous! We took a rest while Rachie went on a boat tour, finishing at Greenwich and we went to Piccadilly Circus to see A Comedy About A Bank Robbery, which was pretty funny. Rachie loved it, she was absolutely knackered though, so she'd love to see it again sometime.

Day Four

Day four was our last day, Rachie started the day grumpy because there wasn't really anything in the hotel breakfast this morning that harmonised well with her dietary requirements so we went a bonus trip back to the room where Rachie ate mint oreos.

When we did eventually venture outdoors we visited Hyde Park Corner, forgetting it was the Queen's birthday, we were surprised when the artillery came walking by for the 21 gun salute. We the walked along Regent Street and Oxford Street where Rachel bought us more shoes to keep us stylish, we took a quick walk along to the Marble Arch for Rachie's Dad and then we jumped on the Tube to visit Harrods before it was time for Rachie to head home. Our last stop of the adventure was to Kings Cross Station to see Platform 9 and 3/4. The queue was massive and Hector and I didn't have it in us to wait in it so Rachie just took a picture and we set off on our journey home.

Hector and I might let Rachie tell you about our next adventure or we might just do it ourselves. We haven't decided yet.

Creative Constipation.

Written by Rachie on April 10, 2017 in General Nonsense, Thinking Out Loud with No comments

I get inside my head sometimes, which is a silly saying because I'm always going to be inside my head, but I can overthink things, talk myself out of things, fixate on things that make me anxious and exhaust myself.

I've managed to get inside my own head creatively.

I've mentioned before that being creative in itself is a thing that people can get inside their own heads about (See my review of Change Your Mind - 57 Ways to Unlock Your Creative Self)and that I feel the concept of creativity is all about how you condition yourself to think.

That being said, I feel like I've allowed myself to become somewhat creatively constipated lately, is that a phrase? I'm not sure. I'm going to use it anyway.

I'll come up with what I think is a good idea, I'll begin to start the motor and take the idea from being a nugget inside my brain to being a reality and its like my brain gets stage fright and doesn't want to perform.

I think it's a creative constipation of my own doing, as someone who works in a creative role for an organisation, I've sort of become aware that there are certain boxes that need to be ticked, certain guidelines that need to be adhered to and for work, that's absolutely fine. The issue is, when I switch off from work, I haven't switched on the personal side of my brain that also likes to be creative.

It's almost like I had put myself inside a box that I was struggling to think outside of......but really there is no box.

Starting this week, where possible, I'm going to try and do one creative thing everyday outside of work, whether its writing 1000 words of nonsense, doodling, taking photos, etc.

I've been overcoming it slowly with my 28 things by 28 list which is nearly finished with two days to go!

Does anyone else ever feel that way?

Got tips for overcoming a creative block? Share them!

28 Things To Do Before I'm 28

Written by Rachie on February 25, 2017 in General Nonsense, Thinking Out Loud with No comments

I'll admit it, despite my youthful complexion, I'm getting old!

In about seven or eight weeks time, I'll age and switch from being a 27 year old to being a 28 year old.

Having stumbled across Xandra Robinson Burn's blog Heroine Training via my mother, I came across her How to Write a Birthday list guide.
The idea being that it is a bit like a bucket list, but with the deadline being your next birthday.

Me being me, decided to give this ago at the end of February when my birthday is in April, giving myself about seven or eight weeks to achieve the items on my list.

Below is my 28 Things To Do Before I'm 28, I may fail spectacularly at all of them but it'll be the sense of adventure, organisation and trying that'll be the fun part!

28 Things to Do Before I'm 28

Read a Harry Potter book in another language.
This one is unashamedly borrowed from Xandra, however I think it will be a great brain exercise for me and inspire me to improve. I also like Harry Potter, so it makes sense to me.
Have jalapenos in a Sub Sandwich
Suggested by my colleague Chelsea, I've never tried jalapenos so I figured, why not give it go.
Wash my car
I've been driving my car since just before Halloween last year, she's everything I hoped she'd be, she's small, she's pretty, she's purple! She's called Phoebe! She's also filthy and needs a bit of a clean!
Learn to juggle
Inspired by my colleague Chelsea, we were discussing my list over lunch and she mentioned that she could juggle and I mentioned that I couldn't - we both had the light bulb moment at the same time.
Learn to crochetI'd love to be able to crochet, it looks like fun and I have a few friends who are very talented at it. Even if I could only make a sock that would fit the big toe of my baby nephew, I'd like to give it a try!
Make an origami dragon
I've taught myself to make quite a few origami creatures but never quite mastered the dragon!
Make dairy free Macaroni Cheese
Since the whole realising that dairy is what makes me feel ill thing, I've really missed macaroni cheese and I've had some really lovely ready meal Rachie friendly ones, but I'd really like to try and make my own.
Buy a waterproof jacket
Self explanatory really, I live in Scotland.
Have a shoe clear out
I love my shoes, collectively and individually but some are starting to get a bit worse for wear - time to have a little bit of a look through and clear some out.
Have a clothes clear out
As above, I have a lot of clothes, some that are in great condition and I never wear and some that are falling apart.
Start putting money into my savings account
I had to put something semi organised and adult on the list.
Make dairy free pancakes
At time of writing, Pancake Day in the UK is about three days away, I'd like to make my own.
Donate clothes to charity
Cut down on Fizzy Juice
I mainline of fizzy juice and its not healthy, I'll be cutting it out completely between Pancake Day and my birthday with a view to cutting down afterwards.
Take part in a pub quiz/sing karaoke
I've never taken part in a pub quiz before, so I'd like to give it a bash. I've sang karaoke before, but as a child when I was far less concerned with the opinions of others and a lot braver. As I don't frequent bars/pubs or nightlife often, I've decided that the two are interchangeable and if I somehow manage to do both - bonus.
Climb a small mountain/big hill

Suggested by my friends Nicole and Lesley Ann, decided on Arthur's seat in Edinburgh.
Give up social media for a weekend
Suggested by Lesley Ann, I'm definitely up for giving this a go, I spend far too much time on social media.
Moonlit picnic
Suggested by Nicole, whether its in my car, in a park, at the dining table with the curtains open, I like the idea.
Make banana jam
I really enjoy making Banana Jam and haven't made it in a while, I also had a request for it that I've yet to fulfill.
Make dairy free chocolate fudge
Spotted a recipe on pinterest, why not?!
Get eyebrows done
Have dairy free afternoon tea
My mum visited a lovely place a few weeks ago and the kind lady informed her of all the lovely dairy free options they provide.
Try three different kinds of soft drink
Get a cover for my ipad
Blog at least once
Technically, this counts!! My plan is to do a few more based on any successes on the list but if I'm rubbish - this post totally counts!
Say no thank you to something I don't want to do without feeling guilty or explaining
Clean my windscreen on the inside
Do one thing that reminds me of my Gran
I was very lucky to have both of my Grans in my life for as long as I did, one until I was 14, the other until I was 22.They were very different women, but in brilliant ways. My Mum originally pitched this idea to my about my gran on my Dad's side but I've decided to incorporate them both.

Why I Don't Keep New Year Resolutions

Written by Rachie on January 28, 2017 in General Nonsense, Thinking Out Loud with No comments

As January draws to a close, I've been thinking a lot about the mental rut I usually get myself in at this time of year.

Each time a New Year rolls around I start thinking about all the things I don't like about myself and channel those things into making a list of resolutions to take forward into the New Year and kick start the process of becoming the new me.

Quite predictably, I never quite manage to tackle my list and achieve my goal of becoming the newer, shinier me.

Resolutions work for some people and don't for others, I'm certainly in the latter camp.

Five Reasons Why I Don't Keep Resolutions

I aim too high

Quite often when I'm making my list of things I'd like to change, I don't think about what is going to be achievable in the near future, I go straight for things that are quite hard to achieve and wonder why I struggle.

I don't plan properly

When compiling my list, I'll identify what I'd like to achieve but won't actually break it down into a plan of how I will get to that end goal.

I'm too impatient

After aiming too high and planning poorly, I'll then want super quick results, regardless of how utterly ridonkulous that would be.

I'm too self critical
When I ultimately don't get the results I wanted because I've set myself a moronic goal in a stupidly short time frame, I'll start to give myself a bit of a hard time for being so rubbish that I failed.

I expect to transform into a new person

For some reason, when trying to navigate my way through my annual New Year, New Me phase, I somehow don't realise that I'm not actually trying to be a new me. I'm trying to make positive changes to improve the day to day life of the current me.
More often than not, I expect some sort of brand new Rachie to magically appear in my place.

Now that I've accepted that I'm crap at making and keeping New Year Resolutions, I've resolved never to make them again.

I'm not saying I'll never plan to make positive changes and get my crap together, but I won't put the same kind of pressure on myself or each new year that rolls around to come through for me.