The Olympic Torch

Yesterday I watched the Olympic Torch go by.  Now the Olympics does not really excite me, but to be part of watching the torch go by was amazing.  The atmosphere was electric. The streets were lined with people waving flags.  The sun was shining down on us.  It was a great day.

I watched the local news last night and was really emotional about the whole thing.  There was something magical about watching the Torch Bearers running through the streets with crowds of people jeering, each with their own unique story as to why they had been nominated.  These are ordinary people have an extra ordinary moment.  A moment they will never forget.  One of my friends was a Torch Bearer.  I can only imagine the elation she must have felt doing it.  I can not wait to see her to find out how she felt.  I am not sure if all the other countries that have held the Olympic have done this, but it really is far reaching and makes you feel involved and part of a once in a life time experience. 

I shall be staying away from London during the games as it sounds like it is going to be chaotic.  I just hope the predictions that there will be 3 hour queue's to get onto the tubes are wrong.  It was exhausting standing out in the heat, but well worth it.  Aparently Didier Drogba was on one of the buses that went by with the parade.  Not knowing who he is, I would not of recognised him if he passed me in the street!

Hose Pipe ban!

Everytime the words hose pipe ban are said, it rains continously for weeks and weeks.  It has been contiously raining on and off now for about 6 weeks, right after they said those words.  It is an absolute joke.  Why do the Water companies not concerntrate on fixing the mahoussive leaks in the old pipes and stop giving their fat cats big bonuses.  Simply that will sort the problem out.  They are saying if we do not get sufficient rainfall this year we will be having stand pipes in the street next year.  What grates on me is that the water companies will still want to be paid every month for their poor service. 

This consistent rain is making everyone so tired and a little bit miserable.  I am fed up with it.  Someone pointed out the other day that it is only about a month until it is 21st June and then the daylight starts to get shorter!  We need a decent Summer, just a few months of sunshine.  I have been acting strangely and can not stop buying Summer dressess.  I know ludicrous, will I ever get to wear any of them.  Some people have said I have jinxed it.  I only bought 6!!!!!! 

Then there is some folk who said they feel it in their bones that we are going to have a good Summer.  As traditionally, April and May are good and then it rains in July and August.  I hope they are right.  I look at the lanterns you can have in your garden on a hot Summer's evening and think, absolutely no point in buying them.  Garden furniture is a complete waste of time.  If it continues like this there will be some good sales on!  But what is the point buying it, as it will only rot in the garden.

All together bring on the Summer, will it to us!

Fashion Targets Breast Cancer Campaign

This Monday was the launch of Fashion Targets Breast Cancer Campaign. This year’s collection has taken on a patriotic British theme. We have some amazing British brands on board including M&S, Debenhams, Topshop, River Island and Laura Ashley. Each item carries a minimum 30% donation to Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s life-saving work. By rallying together in style, buying the products and helping to raise vital funds we can make a difference to people affected by the disease.

There are lots of different elements to the campaign this year as detailed below.

Fashion Products

Here’s the link to this year’s Fashion Targets Breast Cancer lookbook which details all of the products in our collection this year and the details of where they can be brought.

http://fashiontargetsbreastcancer.org.uk/lookbook/

FTBC launches on 30^th April. It’s the UK’s biggest charity fashion campaign and helps to raise money for pioneering charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

FTBC 2012 has three trends –Rainbow Fields, Royal Affair and Postcard Promenade – channelling iconic British past times and letting women chose the way they wear their support.

My favourite in the look book is the red Coast dress, very Victoria Beckham!

So come on and get involved, I am off to the shops!

London Marathon - Claire Squires

I watched the London Marathon on Sunday and I love all the stories about why people are running.  I find it very emotional as I ran in it 2006, so I can empathise with what they are going through.  It is a truly amazing experience and I would recommend it to anyone.  After, it you feel humbled to have been a part of a wonderful event.

On Monday I heard on the news that Claire Squires collapsed just before the last mile.  She was 30 years old and we are awaiting for the reason it happened.  She was running for The Smaritians and at that point she had raised £500.  Since, everyone has learnt of her death her sponsorship is now around the £500,000 mark.  What a fabulous achievement, I am sure she will be smiling down at everyone who has sponsored her.  It must give her family great solace at a really difficult time.  Her family must be really proud of her and the amount that she has raised. 

It just goes to show that there are a lot of good people in the world who are supporting the family by sponsoring her. 

Titanic

All week we have been plagued with documentaries about the Titanic.  As my Mother has been staying with me I have been subjected to watching most of them.  There is definitely a macarbe fascination with watching all the films.  The story line is the same, rich pompous people look down on the steerage passangers, and then it sinks.  It is a stark contrast to today's society, no risk assessment, no health and safety, just build a massive boat, stick the wrong bolts in it and it point it in the direction of some menacing ice bergs, oh and don't bother with life boats, no point as it is unsinkable.

What is fascinating is the way society has changed.  In those days it was very heirarchical and rigid.  A lot of you can't do this or that.  Thank God we are not like that anymore, today the lines between the classes is a lot less divided.  We all love the stories of people from humble beginnings doing well for themselves.  In those days if you have had done well for yourself your upbringing would have never been forgotten by the chattering classes.  Surely, life would have been really boring, talking to the same people about the same stuff, afterall, our individuality is what makes us interesting.

In the same week there was the documentary about the Costa Concordia that sunk on the Almafie coast.  It was scary watching it.  Most of the crew seemed bewildered with the events and the evacuation looked like utter chaos.  If the Titanic films are to be believed, at least they appeared to have the evacuation under control, just a shame they were in the middle of the Atlantic with not enough life boats.  I am surprised after watching the real footage that only 32 people died out of 4,000.  It was lucky that it happened so very near to the coast, if not it could have been a very different story.  Well, it has certainly put me off cruises for life!

Fuel for thought!

I was stunned at the panic over fuel last week.  I tried to go to a well known supermarket and it was like a scene from CSI New York.  Queue's of cars, men in flourescent yellow jackets running around talking on their walkie talkies.  I turned around as soon as I could to get out of there.

I think people were being a tad silly.  There were lots of options you could do:

1 Stay put
2 Walk
3 Use a bike

I felt sorry for the people that did really need fuel, having to wait for hours.  This is a demonstration of how powerful the media is, the tanker drivers had not even definitely said they were going to strike at this stage.  The problem now is that due to the panic buying, we have given the tanker drivers even more power for their arguments as they know that they can cause absolute chaos.  I personally don't agree with them wanting a massive pay increase on their already large salary when the rest of the country is on it's knees.  So come on people let's act sensibly and think before we panic.  Most of us can manage a few days without your car.

Spring has sprung...bong!

Well, the weather in the UK this week has been nothing short of fabulous!  Getting through the dark months of January and February most of the time feels like an endurance test.  At the end of January the Winter seems never ending and you are longing for warmer weather.  I dusted down my Summer clothes and shoes and have worn them and it is not even April, amazing.  The only slight sticking point is that in the morning the temperature has been dropping down to around 3 degrees.  Therefore, I was posed with a dilemma do I dress for the morning or the 20 plus degree afternoons.  Yep, you guessed it I dressed for the 20 and in the mornings my legs without tights were freezing on the playground.  I braved it though and by lunchtime I was warm.

Alas, tomorrow is said to be the last day of warmth.  Who knows when it will be warm again, but at least, I have already worn a few Summer dresses and shoes.  The weather pattern seems to have changed in the UK, we normally get good weather in April and May, June, July and August it is rubbish again.  If we are lucky September and October are okay.  I have seen a few headlines in the papers already claiming that we are going to have a heat wave this Summer.  I have heard that for the past 5 years and I am still waiting.  I will believe it when I see it.  In the meantime, on warm days I will wear as many of my beloved Summer clothes.