Dear 16 Year Old April...

...It's been a while, so it's definitely time for some Dear 16 Year Old Me letters. Up today is April from All Outta Bubble Gum:

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{16 year old April, left}

Dear 16-year-old April,

Stop dating him. Right now. I know it's difficult to be alone, but you're going to be so full of responsibilities later that you're going to pine for some of that alone time, and frankly, he's not worth it. Someone will come along later who is, but it isn't him.

Don't stop writing in your journal. You'll miss it desperately later.

Be nicer to your Mema. She didn't have to raise you but she took you in, and you really ought to at least keep your room clean and do the dishes once in awhile. Also, get ready, because some difficult times are ahead, and when it's all said and done you're going to miss her every day and have some serious regrets if you aren't careful.

Be patient with your friends. They're not perfect, and like all people they resist change. You're going to go away for the summer soon, and when you come back full of new confidence and ideas, they're not going to get it, and it's going to put them off because it's not the "you" they're used to. Give them time and don't stop dancing whenever the spirit strikes you.

Everything feels like the end of the world or it's peak moment right now. Feel it, enjoy it, really live in it... but keep in the back of your head the knowledge that it isn't everything and that someday everything will be different, so don't go off the deep end during the bad times. And don't pine for the good times when they're gone; concentrate on making new ones.

Finally, don't ever lie. Not to other people, not to yourself. Even if you think other people won't like you at your plainest and least gussied up, it's better to know right off the bat that something isn't going to work, than to invest time and emotions into it only to have it fall apart, because you're not who you said you were at the start. Be genuine, be hopeful, don't listen to the naysayers who tell you things aren't possible--even if they come from inside your own head. Don't get too cynical, but don't be completely credulous. Examine everything and look for the truth of the matter.

I hope you have fun on the way,
21-year-old April

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Thanks for taking part April. I can really relate to this letter, especially the bit about how everything feels like the end of the world or it's peak moment. My 16 year old world was full of end of the world moments, or times when everything felt like life was the best it was ever going to be. It wasn't, of course, the world didn't end and I've had much better times in my life but my 16 year old self didn't know that!

xx

Two of my favourite things...

...in one video - cycling and Scotland:

Just ignore the rather obvious fact it's an advert.

Makes me wish I had the guts to try mountain biking.

xx

365 - Week One

Week One of Project 365. I kind of cheated a bit and used my iPhone camera for all of these photos. Sorry. My digital camera is quite old and I want to buy a DSLR, but funds aren't quite stretching that far, so I think I'm going to start saving my pennies.

365/1 - Boyfriend treated me to birthday lunch at Gourmet Burger Kitchen in Edinburgh. Their burgers are out of this world. And massive - we may have needed naps after eating...

365/2 - Birthday manicure and a cup of Rooibos creme caramel tea at Eteakat, Edinburgh. Yum.

365/3 - Lily thought I needed some help blogging.

365/4 - Victoria Street, Edinburgh - snapped on my way to a work meeting.

365/5 - Sign on the pavement.

365/6 - Stripy dress and raspberry legs

That was my week. How was yours?

xx

Autumn is edging in...

...sneaking under the door, creeping in the cracks in the window, and blowing down my chimney. I can smell it in the air, and taste it on my breath.

I love autumn. For me it means scarves, coloured tights, mittens, tea, cuddling to keep warm, and crunching leaves underfoot. Of jumping in piles of leaves and puddles. Of perfectly ripe fruit and vegetables. Of pomegranates, corn on the cob and tangerines. Of cheeks buffeted red by the wind.

I for one will be out enjoying every minute of it.

xx

29 Facts...

...Seeing as Bill Murray gets 60 facts written about him for his birthday (see yesterday's post), I thought I'd write 29 facts for mine:

• I was born and raised on the west coast of Scotland.
  
• I moved out of home at 17, and have spent the last 12 years moving here, there and everywhere.
• I've lived in Aberdeen (Scotland), Southampton (England), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Munich (Germany), Nelson (New Zealand), Edinburgh (Scotland), and now my current home: a little village outside Edinburgh.
  
• I've got a bachelors degree in Geography, and a masters degree in Sustainability.
• I work for a cycling charity.
• Fleetwood Mac are one of my favourite bands.
• Boyfriend and I met when we worked together in a bar.
• We were friends first for years - love came later.
• I'd love to live permanently on New Zealand's South Island. It felt like home there.
• I'm vegetarian - including no chicken or fish
• I love tea more than anything.
• Vanilla rooibos tea is my absolute favourite.
• I am a perpetual day dreamer.
• I like taking photos, but I'd love to learn how to take better photos.
• I am a terrible cook, but a great baker.
• I am always cold, whatever the weather.
• I can get lost in a great book. My last good read was Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.
• I am a sucker for anything yellow.
• I hated high school.
• I am learning to love DIY.
• I had a nursery school teacher called Mrs Finnegan - I found it easier to call her Mrs Vinegar.
• I also thought the song 'Hungry Eyes' was called 'Humphrey's Eyes'
• I don't care much for fashion: I just wear what I like and what I think suits me, regardless of what's fashionable or not.
• I get excited at the prospect of a trip to IKEA.
• I'd love a pet dog and a tortoise.
  
• I believe that nothing beats a good cycle first thing in the morning, or after work.
  
• Celery is the epitomy of evil.
• Sometimes I think about re-training to be a teacher.
• Other times I thing about going back to University to study English Literature.

I think that's 29. Phew, that was hard work! Are you still awake?!

Do you have any facts about yourself that you'd like to share?

xx

ps: With my 365 project I've decided that instead of posting a photo a day, I'm going to do a weekly round-up post. First post coming on Sunday!

Happy Birthday...

...to Bill Murray, one of my favourite actors. He turns 60 today.

{Image from www.gothamist.com}

I have much love for Bill Murray - he's has been in some of my favourite movies: Ghostbusters, Lost in Translation, Royal Tenenbaums, and Rushmore.

The Guardian is celebrating by posting 60 facts about Bill Murray. My favourites fact is:

It's said that Bill Murray likes to sneak up behind strangers in New York, whisper, "Guess who?" And, when they turn around, tell them: "No one will ever believe you."

You can read all 60 here.

As well as being Bill Murray's birthday today, it's also my own birthday!

It've got mixed feeling about this birthday. On the one hand - cake, cards and birthday fun! But on the other hand I'm now 29, in the last year of my twenties and hurtling towards 30 faster than the speed of light. But boyfriend and I have got some nice things planned for today, which will definitely make me smile. What would make me seriously happy today is if Bill Murray sneaked up whispered "guess who" to me, but unless he's in Edinburgh I doubt there's much chance of that happening...

I also thought because it's the last year of my twenties, I'd like to do something special, and thought a 365 project, where I take one photo a day, every day for the next year, would be a good way to savour this year. First one up tomorrow!

Birthday love to you all!

xx

Made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck...

.

...I'm in love.

xx

More Marrakech...

...One day we went on a adventure to Jardin Marjorelle, gardens created by Yves Saint Laurent. Now, you may be thinking that the words 'adventure' and 'gardens' don't necessarily go together, but adventure was definitely the word - en route to the gardens we got led astray by an old man on a bicycle, who took us on the strangest tour of the back streets of Marrakech.

The 'tour' involved wandering through some very very dirty alleyways, which eventually led to a market selling bits of meat covered in flies, and various blenders from the 1980s. The tour then culminated in us meeting a travelling Tuareg, who was adament he would get us to buy a carpet from him. The Morocco Lonely Planet did warn us that we wouldn't leave Marrakech without buying a carpet. This was indeed a self-fulfilling prophecy. And while we did buy a carpet, you'll be pleased to hear that no, we didn't buy any meat or a blender.

I loved the vibrant colours of the gardens, and such a calming oasis away from the bustle of the souks. And while it was around 50 degrees celcius in Marrakech (122 degrees farenheit), it felt so so much cooler in the Gardens, which we greatly appreciated, being northern beings unaccustomed to the heat.

We also took possibly the worst photo ever of ourselves, but in a strange way it's also one of my favourites of us:
It pretty much sums up the both of our characters in one photo. As you can tell, I'm ever the daydreamer.

xx

Marrakech...

...was beyond words.

I can try, but I'll never quite manage to convey the sheer hectic nature of the city:

Hustle and bustle, winding labyrinth's, a million colours, a million smells, a million bikes coming right at you, frenetic oboe playing and clanging on every corner, children's laughter echoing down alleyways, red like no red you've ever seen before, dry desert heat, and donkeys, lots of donkeys.

I loved it all, some bits less than others, but overall there was love.

There was also relief to be home, to sit in the quiet, to walk down quiet cool streets. I missed the quiet. Marrakech is not a city that could ever be described as peaceful.

Here are some of my photos of the streets. I found it impossible to stop and take photos, because whenever you try and stop for a moment anywhere in Marrakech within seconds someone approaches you and tries to be 'helpful'. So all of my photos are very much shoot and run:

Near the souks

In the Kasbah

Street vendors selling fresh dates, apricots and nuts

Mosque doorway

Communal water source near our Riad

More photos to come soon.

xx

Once...

...when I lived in Ljubljana, Slovenia, I met a man that thought he was Robert Smith from The Cure.

I liked him. He made me smile.

He reminded me that we can be anyone or anything we want to be. He reminded me that sometimes we take life too seriously.

I thought of him today.

I'm playing this for him:



xx

I'm back...

...and yes, Marrakech was amazing and crazy and wonderful and hectic, and everything I thought it would be, but before I tell you all about my trip I thought I'd share something rather exciting.

The Prince popped round on Monday. By the Prince, I mean Prince Charles - son of the Queen, ex-husband of Diana, father of William and Harry. He didn't pop by my house (though that would have been nice, inviting him for a cup of tea and a scone), but as he has an interest in sustainability and cycling, he visited my workmates and I on Monday (along with some other sustainability groups in Edinburgh - we weren't special enough to warrant a solo visit).

Here we are greeting Charles:

(that's me in the boots)

He shook my hand just a minute before this photo was taken and said "Hello Wendy". I'm not really a royalist, but it was more than a little exciting. It's not every day that you get to entertain royalty after all!

xx