F I V E

So this is a fairly big one (anniversary that is)... Today marks five years since I started blogging.

Say whaaaaaat?

I've managed to keep writing and posting regularly (ish) for five whole years.

Yup.

If you'd have told me, back when I was but a young thing of 24, that I'd still be doing this five years later I'd have laughed you out of town. I know that blogs aren't really diaries but they are an ongoing record, a log if you will, of what I'm doing and how I'm feeling, so that's what I'll compare it to. When Mitch and I packed up all our worldly possessions to move to Peckham I came across about 5 years worth of diaries (1998 being the earliest) and do you know what they all had in common (except for terrible handwriting and rather cringey but hilarious outbursts on young teenage feeling)? I never wrote anything in them past April. I'm all eager and dedicated in the those first few months then something happens around the second week of April, enthusiasm wanes and I apparently can't be arsed anymore. Calendars, for the most part, suffer the same fate. Why I do this I have no idea. And if you go by my track record this blog should've come to an ubrupt end back in the middle of April 2011 but, it didn't :)

I know it's been a bit quiet around here the last few months, posts have been sporadic at best, what can I say, I've been busy; the kind of busy that's not really worth blogging about to be brutally honest. That's life, I guess. I've been busy doing life.

Every anniversary this blog (and me to an extent) go through a mini transformation and this year is no different. On account of me living life and generally just getting on with things, I predict that the posts on here will continue to be few and far between but then that's just one of the reasons why blogging is great. I don't feel the pressure to update it all the time but I know it's my little plot on the internet to return to and cultivate whenever I choose to do so.

In case you find tumbleweeds blowing across this thing or you simply must know what I'm doing, I'll most probably be here, snapping away like the instagram addict I am, or here (I'd somewhat fallen out of love with Twitter but I think there's something to be salvaged). Do come and find me :) All that remains to say is: thank you. Thank you for reading and commenting on my adventures over the years, the community aspect of blogging really is the best thing about it and you, my friends, are ace.

Brighton highlights

Last weekend I went to Brighton, mostly to support some friends running the half marathon but also to mooch about the sea front and eat fish & chips. Having been to Brighton not that long ago, I had a pretty good idea about where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do (namely wander around the laines, go to the beach and find some nice pubs - all of which, I can happily report, were achieved). Here are my highlights:

Our Airbnb - Aesthetically it ticked my stay-in-a-cute-terraced-house box and location-wise we couldn't have asked for a better spot, right in the middle of the North laines (a 20 second wander from 2 pubs, a cute cafe and vintage furniture market). To top it off the place had a little roof terrace, piano and the complete first season of Baywatch (which we may have watched... it's so terrible but in a great way).

Kensington Gardens - there's a lot a fantastic little lanes in Brighton but this particular street contains some gems: Snoopers Paradise, Ditto Fabrics and Family Store which is brand new and sells a selection of stuff from tees and socks to posters and patches. I made all my purchases on Kensington Gardens :)

Food - we were looking for somewhere to eat on Sunday and it was hella busy everywhere. (Advice for anyone going to Brighton on marathon day: book somewhere in advance!) We stumbled upon Silo and luckily they squeezed us in. The food was delicious and also kind of bizarro (the waitress had to explain most things on the menu) but don't be put off! Their big thing is sustainability and cutting down on waste: locally sourced ingredients, using as much of an animal as possible, brewing their own drinks, even the furniture is up-cycled. Also, the wait-staff were lovely. The second eatery I want to mention is PizzaFace. Go there or get a takeaway, their pizza is guuuud.

Pubs - there are some great pubs in Brighton, we spent time in four on this visit but my favourite was The Heart & Hand (just a hop, skip and jump from Silo actually). A proper old boozer complete with jukebox and resident cat :) plus, because the pub doesn't serve food, I think they let you order in takeaways...

The half marathon itself - a few of us settled in to cheer on our other friends at mile 7 and then 12 and a half. I've been on cheering duty for events with work and I love it. You get such a buzz when you see people smile or give a thumbs and you know your support is helping in a small way. My friends finished around the two hour mark (one even did it in 1 hr 50!) but we stayed on to cheer people until about midday. I'm so impressed with anyone who can run for that long and for so many good causes too. You can't really beat that kind of atmosphere, miles of people cheering and spurring the runners on, I can't wait to cheer at the London marathon in April. Fingers crossed the weather is as good as it was in Brighton!

February in numbers

29th: I turned 29 in a year when there were 29 days in February. Which is nice :)

8mm (approx): Bee space, which is essentially the amount of space a bee needs to move about between the frames in a hive. (Sometimes that's the amount of room you get on London's public transport at rush hour.) The bee-keeping course we started last month continues, it's still incredibly fascinating but I was slightly put off by last week's lesson on disease, there are some really nasty things out there which are devastating to bees :(

2: pancakes eaten on pancake Tuesday (so good).

8 weeks & 1 day: the amount of time between ordering and having Bridget delivered. (Bridget is our new sofa and she was worth the wait.)

13 miles: the distance my friends ran at the Brighton half marathon on Sunday. So very proud of them!

100,000: the approximate number of Pangolins that are captured and killed every year. They are one of my favourite animals and Feb 20th was world pangolin day. It was an opportunity to raise awareness about the world's most trafficked mammal. They live across parts of Africa and Asia but sadly all 8 species are endangered thanks to illegal trade. Pangolins are hunted and sold for their meat and scales, the former is seen as a delicacy in China and the latter is used in "medicine" (although there's no evidence to prove that they cure anything). Thankfully there are charities and conservationists out there rescuing, rehabilitating and re-releasing pangolins back into the wild (you can read more here) but, as illegal trade continues, so much more can be done. I'll leave you with this little film about an orphan pangolin (spoiler: he's SUCH a cutie!)...