Stand by your man?

There’s no doubt about it, everyone has an issue with their weight and size. Whether you think you’re fat, thin, tall, short...it’s the one thing we all have in common, yet seem to use to continue to make other people feel bad about themselves.

Recently I’ve had a few encounters where I have heard women moaning about their men and how much they weigh. Now I’m all for talking about my weight to people I’m comfortable talking to about it, but when someone is moaning at the top of their voice to a friend in public about the size of her fiancés belly, and his need to lose weight to be able to find a waistcoat big enough to fit him on their wedding day, I can’t help but feel outraged.

Of course, she was making a joke out of it, but the poor guy was standing with her at the time and the look on his face spoke volumes. Thankfully the woman’s friend had the decency to tell her to be quiet, which did do the trick (and brought a little smile to my face at the same time!)

Seriously though, if you’re marrying him then you love him regardless of what he looks like and you should be telling everyone how amazing he is, not putting him down. If his weight is an issue then talk it out between the two of you, not all and sundry!  

Come on ladies, stand by your man, don’t shoot him down!

 

A right Royal knees up!

This weekend I galloped cross country with some friends and got involved with the glitz and glamour of the oh-so Royal Ascot in Berkshire. Thousands of people flocked in their masses dressed to the nines, suited and booted, all competing to win best dress, best hat and of course, big bucks on the horses.

Spending the day there to celebrate the impending nuptials of a friend of ours, we gathered together on Saturday morning and mini bussed our way down to the race track, picnic packed and Prosecco fuelled, it was definitely going to be one to remember.

Managing to get what looked like the last spot of grass in the Silver Ring we quickly made ourselves at home, laying out food and enjoying more wine. There was so much to take in I didn’t know where to start. From the bars and music blaring out, to the never ending supply of totes and betting shops (obviously) to the big screen TV’s, royal procession and in true Great British style, lots of rain! Even the portable toilets were on the plush side. Sales of hair extensions and fake tan must have soared in preparation for this weekend, but I can’t knock anyone because it really was glamour to the max and everyone looked spiffing, darling! 

I even had a little flutter on the Gee Gee’s myself and as someone who knows absolutely nothing about horse racing, I decided to go with a few tip offs to begin with but that didn’t get me anywhere. It was only when I saw a horse with the same first name as my nephew that I decided to bet on him and he only went and won the bloody race, didn’t he old chap! Earnt me a whopping £32, I was ecstatic! The sad thing about it though was the poor horse collapsed and died of a heart attack at the finish which put a damper on things. I was genuinely gutted, but rest assured Thomas Chippendale, you made me a very happy lady!

All in all it was a great day and I definitely would like to go back and do it all again next year.

 

Me and the gang

 

Poetry in motion

I've been attempting to write some poetry lately and have even entered my first competition so thought I would share a couple with you. I hope you enjoy!

Meant to be?

They were always meant to be.

 

Teasing each other in the playground,

Holding hands when nobody was looking,

Stealing kisses behind the bike sheds. 

It was always meant to be. 

They grew up, and so did their love.

Their first time,

Their first house,

Their first child.

 

It was always meant to be. 

Standing by his grave, tears welled in her eyes.

It shouldn’t have happened.

Not now, not ever.

A romantic evening destroyed. 

Doctors tried to resuscitate him

But it was no good.

The internal bleeding was too much.

He flat lined….. 

Their love was gone.

It was no more.

 

It wasn’t meant to be.

 

******************************************************************

Love Hurts  

She sits alone with angst ridden pain.

Her face pale and strained with wonder.

“He loves me, he loves me not”.

Stomach churning knowing he is with her

The one he doesn’t love,

Or does he? 

Broken promises once again.

But she knows she will forgive him

“He love me, he loves me not”.

Her heart pains and tells another story

The one she wants to ignore,

But will she? 

Everyday the hurt get worse

But she tries hard to ignore it

“He loves me, he loves me not”.

Clinging tightly to the words he whispered

The ones that said “I love you”

But does he? 

“He loves me?” 

“He loves me not”

Stumped....

Being able to write means being able to sit down and put words to paper and create something worth reading, something funny, enjoyable, moving, something that even just one person can relate to. But what happens when you write and nothing comes out, yet there are so many things running around in your head that you are dying to express but for some reason you can’t?

 

What’s worse is that thing you know you’re good at, that your friends and family support and encourage you to keep doing in the hope that one day your dreams will be fulfilled, gets thrown back in your face by someone who doesn’t even know you?  

“You’re creativity didn’t wow us.” 

Five words…that’s all it took. Five silly little words to make my eyes sting with salt water and my heart sink to the bottom of my stomach because I know, and I know full well, those words are not true. Everything about me screams creativity. It’s what has helped me express myself, helped me to understand, to learn, and is what I know people love so much about me. It’s my passion, my strength, my heart, my soul, only now it has been tainted by something I should just forget about and move on from.  

But I can’t. It’s there embedded in me. I should do as everyone’s saying, and ignore it because what might be right for one person isn’t necessarily right for another. It’s times like this where I wish the “don’t-give-a-crap-what-people-think-Tanya” would surface, but the reality is, she doesn’t really exist. I wish I could be more carefree and not dwell so much on things. Maybe then I wouldn’t be so damn emotional and sensitive all the time.  

It’s been said though and now I have to deal with it, and the irony of all is that talking isn’t helping me, its writing. Maybe I’m not good enough, maybe this is just a dream, although something inside of me is telling me to keep fighting for that one person out there reading my words to finally see my battle to get noticed. Maybe then, I can rewrite the story again, only next time I will get my happy ending.

Pop goes my heart

There’s no denying it, I’m a pop music fan through and through. Ever since my Granny and Grandad bought me Five Star “Silk & Steel” on cassette tape in 1987, my path into cheesy music was set. It wasn’t long before I was singing into my hairbrush in front on the mirror to Kylie Minogue, Debbie Gibson, Madonna, Tiffany and The Bangles whilst lining my bedroom wall with posters of Jason Donovan and Jon Bon Jovi. Since then, I have been blessed with memories surrounding some amazingly bad, but at the same time, ridiculously happy songs that are a guilty pleasure to many: Ace of Base, Roxette, East 17, Vengaboys…even Ant and Dec! 

 

My journey through pop over the years has perhaps at times, been a little cringe worthy and embarrassing, but there’s no doubt about it, this kind of music makes me happy and when we’re plagued with such awful stories in the news every day, it’s nice to escape into my bubble of cheese and wrap myself up in my pop blanket to forget about everything else going on around me.  

 

These songs have contributed to some happy times in my life and even now I can’t help but get over excited whenever I hear 5ive, Westlife, Take That or Backstreet Boys being played. Even the more mainstream pop (and my mainstream I’m talking the kind of songs where you don’t feel compelled to close the window of your car when you’re out in public) such as Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Rihanna, Olly Murs and Michael Jackson all have pride of place in my heart. 
 

There is one band though, who without a doubt, top my own pop chart and are my ultimate favourite defying the odds with every song they have released – even the ones on their albums which perhaps not everyone knows – because each one is a guaranteed crowd pleaser and always manages to make me smile, and that is the amazing McFly. Now I know I am entering dangerous territory here because 1) they are a band and 2) not everyone labels them as pop, but to me, they are Kings of pop, but with that something extra special because not only can they write their own material, they produce it, sing it and even play their own instruments. Plus they can sing live and they are fit (especially Danny!).  

 

I was lucky enough to go and see them live on their Memory Lane tour at the 02 Academy in Birmingham on Saturday night with my sister and brother’s fiancé and it was one of the best nights out I’ve had. I love them, in fact I love everything about them! They were amazing and every song had me smiling, even the sad ones! Not only did they sound incredible, but they looked so hot! I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again now, there’s nothing better than seeing a fit man in a good suit, and when that man can sing and play the guitar whilst in that suit, you have a crazed out 32 year old swooning like a little girl all over again, especially when it comes to Danny Jones. I could listen to him sing all day and I just fall in love with him more and more every time I hear his voice! (Did I mention I think he’s fit?)  
 

It’s not just the songs that I love, but the memories I have from listening to their music. Driving around Cape Town with my sister in our blue Corsa singing at the top of our lungs to Memory Lane, I’ll be OK and Five Colours In Her Hair or getting ready for a night out and listening to It’s All About You, Star Girl and Obviously made Saturday even better because they were singing all of these classics. (The two-for-one cocktails consumed at Las Iguana’s before hand probably contributed also!)
 

The best thing about McFly day was the majority of the audience were the same age as me, making it fully acceptable to be acting like a crazy teenager. We even witnessed a guy propose to his girlfriend on stage which was so romantic, although he may have his work cut out when it comes to considering his wedding speech now!  
 

You have to admit, pop music is fun. Ok, so the lyrics may not be life changing, and may not top the most influential music of all time, but you have to applaud those who create it. They know their audience, they understand what pop is about and I have no doubt it will be around forever!

Now is a good time

I saw the new Magners Cider advert for the first time today and really liked the poem so thought I would share it on here....

Now is a good time

When yesterday’s gone and tomorrow is near
Why look for a thing when it’s already here?
And tell me you never once asked yourself how
Some people end up in the middle of the now.

Now is the beat of the feet on the floor
Now is the then we were all waiting for
It’s the strike of the luck
It’s the go with the flow
It’s the sharing the love with the people we know.

See a wise fool once said kind of out of the blue
That life is a dream that’s already come true.
It’s the less of the what, of the where and the how
It’s more of the you, of the me and the now.

A dedication to my friends and family...

There are times in my life where I wish I could make everything better for the people I care about. I know that’s impossible but sometimes I just wish I had a magic wand to put things right. Making decisions and changes can be tough, and seeing people I care about so much go through the trauma and anxiety surrounding them is at times, heart breaking.

I am fortunate enough to have a lot of happiness in my own life at present, but there is a lot sadness, upset and change going on for my close friends and family, making me realise that life is an unpredictable abundance of emotion. That’s not to say we shouldn’t treasure it though. In fact even in the darkest of times, life has an incredible way of shining through to help us deal with these feelings so that when we can see clearly, our journey can continue with focus and positivity.

What I’m really trying to say here is to those I know and love who are in that place now, remember this: my arms are always free for cuddles, my phone is always on, my door is always open and my fridge is always full of wine!

 

I love you all xxx