I think they had a bet on

Close to where I work is a sandwich bar called Temples. It's a good sandwich bar as they don't skimp on fillings and are quite inexpensive. It is also possible to buy a sandwich that isn't saturated in mayonnaise. I go there often.

One of the things they do is a toasted panini with chicken, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes in it which is my favourite thing from Temples. I like it so much that I probably get one each week. Temples is also the place at which I buy toast in the mornings. I am such a regular there that the staff at the hot food counter are surprised if I order something different.

Today I went in and succumbed to the desire for a chicken panini. Normally, after ordering something toasted you have to wait for a bit for the toasting to take place. Not today. A matter of seconds after arriving at the hot food counter I was given, not a toasted chicken panini but two toasted chicken paninis.

I was a little puzzled and at my apparent bewilderment all the staff behind the counter smiled and said they were giving me an extra one for free.

I am the chicken panini woman.

I think there's something wrong with the world when you can just walk into a craft shop and buy multicoloured lollipop sticks but you can't buy crepe paper.

Clip clop

So, a while back (it seems like years ago) I went on holiday to a small village in the Alpujarras mountains where I had some lessons in Flamenco dancing. My friends and I had five three hour lessons (one on each of five days) and on another day we went on a day long horse trek in the mountains.

Yes, that's right. I spent a day on a horse trek in the mountains.

Yes, me. I did it. On a horse. In the mountains.

You would be forgiven for thinking that of all the people you know, I am one of the ones least likely to go on a horse trek in the mountains.

I classify horse riding as a "sport" and therefore not something I'd like to do. I had a go of it when I was little but hadn't been sat on a horse* since I was nine and do you know what? The whole horse trekking incident wasn't horrible. And despite it being a "sport", I can really understand why people find it enjoyable. So it got me thinking about where my dislike for "sport" came from. And I have come up with these:

1) not being any good at it
2) being afraid of hurting myself
3) being afraid of the consequences of hurting myself

Which, now I'm a bit older, seem dafter than they used to. For example, not being any good at it is irrelevant when you're not in a classroom** situation. The consequences of hurting myself are considerably reduced by absence of a mother to tell me off. And as for actually hurting myself, well, sometimes things hurt anyway and after a while they stop hurting and it's as if nothing ever happened.

So now the only thing stopping me from not disliking "sport" is the fact that I am not fit.

In fact, I've nearly been convinced to go on a skiing holiday.


* That particular horse has since died and is now my guardian angel.
** or rather "sports hall"

New Fashion

This morning, on my way to work, I saw a woman wearing odd shoes. One was red and one was silver.

Give Chocolate to Lucky Week

On Monday (that's the day before yesterday) I got into work after my week away in Southern Spain to find that me colleague, who has now himself gone away on holiday for two weeks, felt a bit bad about going away when there's lots of work to be done and left me a box of "Celebrations" to ease the pain.

On Wednesday (that's today), one of our brokers was so grateful for some work I had been doing for him (which wasn't all that difficult when you've been using Excel daily for 11 years) that he sent 'round a big box of chocolates for me.

Clearly, while I have been away, this week has been declared "Give Chocolate to Lucky Week". I am looking forward to receiving more donations.

Things that make me go eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

1) being free from the prison of study
2) finding the exact shade and type of chiffon I want
3) going on holiday to Spain (tomorrow!) to learn how to flamenco dance
4) learning that the chap who sits opposite me is actually younger than me
5) my friend's new hairstyle and colour
6) making a new friend
7) amusing passport stories

My Secret

I was going to keep it a secret. You know how you decide to sit an exam but don't want to tell anybody because they all wish you luck and want to know the end result and you feel really silly when you have to tell them you've failed again? Well, I was not going to tell anybody about the exam I will soon be sitting but I told my Mum and sister and they promised not to say anything about it. So that was fine.

As the exam date draws closer I'm finding it increasingly difficult to keep it from other people. When they invite me to things I have to refuse them on the grounds that I am studying. When people ask me why I'm depressed I have to say it's because I am studying a lot. When people ask me what I'm doing at the weekend I have to tell them I am studying. When colleagues want to arrange a work meeting with me on a day I am to take study leave I have to tell them I'm taking study leave.

So there we have it. I might as well come out with it and announce it on the internet for all the internet using people to see*. I'm going to be sitting an exam in October and have been spending every spare moment since the beginning of August studying. I'm fed up with it but I really want to pass this time so I have to keep going until 1pm on 5th October. This weekend I will be studying. Next weekend I will be studying. The weekend after that I won't be studying as I have to go away but the weekend after that and the weekend after that I will be studying.


* if you are my aunt then this is a completely different exam to any of the ones your sister told you I'd passed

Slightly odd things...

... that have happened to me this week:

Being told I'm beautiful on two separate occasions by two strangers on the street.

Being invited out to go for steak in Farringdon at 10:30pm by a man old enough to be my father (and short enough and circular enough to be considered short and circular).

Seeing two hedgehogs on two separate occasions, one of which was playing 'Chicken' with the cars in the road (this isn't all that odd except in the six years I've been living in Chelmsford the only other hedgehog I've seen was this one (presumably also of the 'Chicken' playing variety)).

Seeing one of our brokers being hit with French sticks by three small children on national television.

Really enjoying studying.