Happy New Year's Eve

Well Hello My lovely readers wherever I'm finding you on New Year's Eve, whether that's at a party (in which case stop being anti social) or wrapped up warm standing in the cold watching fireworks or like me curled up in your room with Ben and Jerry's and wine and watching a movie with a friend! I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas, I thoroughly enjoyed mine, not because of the presents or even the food but because of the people I got to see and spend time with - sounds really corny I know but it's true.

As 2015 approaches and 2014 comes to an end it seems appropriate to look back on the year just gone and look forward to the year ahead.

So here's my super fast summary of 2014:


Well it's been a rocky road - and not the chocolate version sadly. 

I started off the year without much of an idea what to do next year and indeed with the rest of my life, having not got into any drama schools. Not what you call a great start to the year! However, finally turning 18 and being legally allowed to vote and do other things was a plus, and it came with a trip to Ireland, something I've been wanting to do for a long time!


I had my first experience of working on Radio in the spring with the Amazing Actors of Rising stars. 


And speaking of the fabulous Rising Stars 2 high points of the year were the making of our period drama film over Easter and the Premiere of our previous film 'Fear of the Unknown' in June.



June also witnessed the madness that was A-level exam season and August saw the sigh of relief at the results.

September was the exciting and nail-biting move to the Big City a decision that I haven't regretted and 4 months on and I'm still loving London, even-though the job and my course have it's challenges. 



With the move came the end of one Relationship but the beginning of many wonderful friendships. My favorite thing about this city is the people I've met and meet every single day!

And that leads us right up to Christmas and then to now! 

I'm very excited for 2015, there's something about London that makes you believe anything's possible. Next year I intend to turn a few of the red pins on my world map into green pins and take more steps in the direction of where I want to go.

So there it is. Happy New Year to you all.

Driving Home for Christmas

I'm Driving home for Christmas, 

Oh I can't wait to see their faces 

It's been so long 

But I will be there 

Listening to this song to pass the time away 

Sitting in Virgin's train 

Driving home for Christmas 

With a thousand memories 

I take a look at the passenger next to me 

She's just the same 

Driving home for Christmas 

Latte Lunedi

Good morning, I don't have to rush around as much as usual today so I'm treating myself to a honey and almond hot chocolate (it's less than 2 weeks till Christmas so calories don't count any more) and sitting listening to Christmas carols in Starbucks, making the most of the variety of coffee shops in London before returning to ashby and it's single costa for Christmas!

Now as much as we all love this time of year for various reasons, we also usually end up very burnt out, what with the deadline looming for shopping and wrapping presents, with money we really don't have and trying to get things finished before Christmas so we can have a proper break, getting everything prepared for the visitors we do want to see but don't have time to make the beds, clean the bathrooms and clear the clutter out the spare room! Add the fact that it's freezing and the fact that you're more than likely to has a cold and this time of year can be very draining. I've not even mentioned all the cooking there is to do! When we're burnt out we get irritable, annoyed by everyone from the stranger at the bus stop to your closest friends and family, sure on Christmas Day we're all happy and relaxed, but despite what I might say to make myself feel better about the cream on top of my hot chocolate, 10 days is too long to be stressed and irritated! 

So how can we change this?

Firstly I'd say set times to complete different jobs, someone once told me that if you give 8 hours to do the sprouts they'll take 8 hours, if you set 1 hour to do the sprouts they'll take 1 hour. (Miranda's mother would recommend doing a Christmas chart!)

Secondly allow time to pause and breathe in between and also to smile and wish people merry Christmas. It'll make you feel better and cheer them up too! 

Thirdly sing Christmas carols, eat mince pies and drink mulled wine or hot chocolate to get you in the festive spirit.

And lastly don't stress, stressing doesn't make time slow down in fact it does the opposite, the picture below might help, just work through your 'to do list' one thing at a time and try to actually enjoy the lead up to Christmas! 

Mince Pie Friday

Well good morning, it's Friday morning and now less than 2 weeks till Christmas! I was woken up this morning by the news of my cousins new baby boy, congratulations Shaaron and David Zach!The greatest gift for Christmas! 

It's got me thinking about family and how precious and important they are, whether related by blood, marriage or love and friendship, whether miles apart or snuggled up close. We're very blessed now for technology like Skype for being able to stay close to family even if they're a 100 or a 1000 miles away! But we're even more blessed that at Christmas we all come home and are able to be with the ones we love. 

This time next week my immediate family will all be congregating back at Ashby HQ from our various corners of England, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing all my friends again since we all went different ways in September.

Just an extra thought that came to mind; On the first Christmas, Mary and Joseph left their families but spent Christmas surrounded by their new family who were united not by blood or by marriage or even a long lasting friendship but by faith. 

Just something to think about over this festive time, I hope you enjoy spending time with your families, however you're related, and safe journeys for anyone who's travelling to be with the ones they love.

Latte Lunedi

Good morning, there's only 3 more Mondays before Christmas! I only realised today that Christmas is on a Thursday not a Friday this year! For some reason I got it in my head that Christmas was on a Friday! It now feels like Christmas is day earlier! 

It made me think though, how often do we get something so stuck in our minds that we believe it's certain and it takes several challenges before we actually listen to reason, and in my case get out the calendar! 

The mind is an extremely complex and controlling creation and it needs to be kept flexible and not get ridged, because that's when we stop listening and start making mistakes much more serious than mistaking the day that Christmas Day falls on! 

Yorkie Friday

Just 3 weeks today and we'll be eating turkey and stuffing and sprouts (I'm personally in favour) and parsnip and roast potatoes and cranberry sauce and Christmas pudding and trifle and cake and pork pie and cheese and croissants and chocolate and Yule logs and drinking mulled wine... And 3 weeks tomorrow we'll all be fat. But it's Christmas and it's universally acknowledged that Christmas calories don't count. For now I've swapped my Yorkie for the more festive (but equally unhealthy) option of a mince pie and Starbucks eggnog latte which is incredible! 

So how's your week been? Made anything good happen? 

For me it's not been a bad week though the traffic has been horrendous, stuck in it right now actually! 

Speaking of, I watched Love Actually last night (one of my favourite Christmas movies) - as you might have noticed from my lobster quote tweet. For those of you who have watched it will know that the opening scene is of the arrivals at Heathrow airport, and Hugh Grant  making the point that "love actually is all around". There is so much crap going in the world, every day we here about another murder or crime, it's so easy to miss love or forget it's there, because it's not news worthy apparently. But it shouldn't be like that! So during this Christmas period lets make a special effort to firstly notice the love around us but also to show love to those around us. Make Love 'news worthy'. 

Latte Lunedi

It's Monday again, the start of a new week and more importantly the start of advent and the countdown to Christmas! Only 24 days! I can not believe it's December already! Tomorrow I will have been in London for 3 months/13 weeks exactly! Where did the time go?!

I've got my thought for this week off one of the children's t-shirts I was hanging up to dry this morning which said: "make something good happen today".  I found this really powerful for some reason and I think that was because of the imperative; It didn't say 'maybe' or 'you could' or even 'try'. It was a direct command to do something, and I think we need that kick up the bum sometimes. 

Now, I could make this easier and say "make something good happen this week" but I find then we miss daily opportunities, let's be constantly aware of situations when we could make something good happen!   

Have a GOOD week! And resist the temptation to eat all your advent chocolate today!