Monday, 25 March 2013

UK Snow... my journey to work

It's currently ABSOLUTELY FREEZING and I'm sat on the sofa wearing furry jogging bottoms, a thick hoody with hood firmly up, big slipper boots and a slanket (that's a blanket with sleeves, for you uneducated ones) shivering. It seems an appropriate time to write about my snowy walk to work earlier this month.

Those of you who also live in Frozen Britain will understand that out transport network is useless when it snows. Even though it snows every year without fail, the entire country grinds to a halt. We don't do snow tyres like the rest of Europe, gritters don't seem to make any difference and the public transport just STOPS.

Tonbridge Station. Going nowhere.

It was one such day earlier this month when we woke up to see a blizzard brewing outside the window. The cars weren't going anywhere (no snow tyres of course, and the road was like something out of Ice Age) so we wrapped up warm (me in my entire snowboarding gear) and trudged our way to the train station to wait for a train. Of course, it was late. And then it made a sad little gurgle and totally powered down, refusing to move and blocking the platform for any other trains that might decide to show up that morning. The one replacement bus that arrived was nowhere near big enough for all of the passengers, and we were left stranded. "Let's walk!" said Dan, "it isn't that far."

It is that far. It's very far. Plus, it was very cold, and slippy. I was knackered, and cross. So I tried to lighten the mood by photographing the journey, which I make every day by car but was so different on foot, in the snow. I stopped photographing when the blizzard truly set in and I couldn't see, but hopefully you get the idea from these...


In summary, snow is very pretty... but very disruptive, and bloody cold!


Tuesday, 12 March 2013

What I'd do with a MILLION Nectar points

I just entered a competition on Pinterest (are you on Pinterest? It's fun!) to win some lovely Nectar points from confused.com

I had to pin 20 things which I'd buy if I won a million nectar points. It wasn't hard: I'd buy LOADS.

You can view my board here

I pinned some sensible things for the house, because I'm a grown up now you know! A new TV, bed linen  a saucepan set (boring but we do reeeeeally need some new pans!) and a patio heater (hello, garden parties!).

I also pinned some treats for me - a magazine subscription to Glamour, an ipad (might get one for Dan too, if he's good), a new camera, a spa day and lots of lovely travel books.

Then I got generous - lunch out with my dad, a magazine subscription for my mum, a book for my brother. I'm nice like that. I also chose to "train a teacher" with Oxfam, to share the love as I do my TEFL course

Finally, I got really excited and added fun stuff for me and Dan - dinner out at Strada, a trip to Thorpe Park, a cinema date night and my most exciting pins... Eurostar tickets to Paris, an Orient Express journey (eeeeee!) and flights somewhere exciting with easyJet (you didn't think travel wouldn't make the list, did you?!)

The winner of the Pinterest and blog competition gets 60,000 nectar points! That's enough for 3 nights in a top New York hotel, I'm told. Fingers crossed!

I have entered PIN FOR POINTS from confused.com