tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22112856820573029792024-03-21T08:59:42.542+00:00The Happy ChapessAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-66136661430256975672014-01-04T15:51:00.000+00:002014-01-04T15:51:18.831+00:00The Happy Chapess has moved!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As it's a shiny new year, I've decided to give The Happy Chapess a bit of a makeover, and have moved over to Wordpress.</span></div>
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<a href="http://happychapess.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Come and check out the fancy new look here.</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hope to see you there!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-4046731849109998812013-12-15T09:00:00.000+00:002013-12-15T09:00:00.557+00:00Our Roman Holiday<div dir="ltr">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ciao chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Last week, Graeme and I spent a few days exploring Rome. And by 'exploring', I mean eating our way around the city. I pretty much ate my own weight in pasta, pizza, gelato, coffee and wine. And it was awesome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here are some of the highlights:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/11373498833/" title="Roma1 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="Roma1" height="213" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5512/11373498833_d14e1a63ed.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You have to climb 551 steps to get to the top of St Peter's Basilica, but the view when you get there is so worth it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Piazza Navona is a great place to kick back and watch the world go by, especially when chomping on some roast chestnuts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have never tasted ice cream quite like the gelato we had at the Trevi Fountain. It was just delish.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/11373488364/" title="Roma2.1 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="Roma2.1" height="213" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3797/11373488364_c15f623e5f.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Pasta for lunch while looking over at the Colosseum. Could it BE any more Italian?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I made a wish at the Trevi Fountain, but I can't tell you what it is or it won't come true.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We had the thickest, sweetest, chocolatiest hot chocolate I have ever tasted at the Spanish Steps.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's been said a lot, Rome truly is a gorgeous city. December was a great time to go, as it wasn't too hot, and although there were plenty of people so there was a good buzz, it wasn't packed. If you're a people-watcher like me, you'll love it. There's so much going on, we spent quite a bit of time sitting back and watch the world go by. I mean, where else would you see a nun juggling?</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-22297796600283673962013-11-27T21:52:00.000+00:002013-11-27T21:52:55.701+00:00Baking beauties tag<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You may be aware that I love to bake. To explain to you exactly how and why I love to bake, I decided to take part in the Baking Beauties tag, after I found it on <a href="http://memichaelandme.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/baking-beauties-tag.html">Laura and Michael's blog</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>1. What is the first thing you remember baking?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I can remember making a Teisen Lap in a cookery class in my first year of high school. I think it's a Welsh thing, it's basically a sponge with sultanas in, so you can't really go wrong. It was my grandad's favourite, so he was Very Pleased Indeed when I brought it home from school.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>2. What was the last thing you baked?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Graeme's birthday cake. It was a chocolate sponge cake with chocolate buttercream in the middle. I put buttercream all around the outside and on the top, and decorated it with Kit Kats and peanut butter M&Ms. It went down a storm - whoever said the way to a man's heart is through his stomach was definitely on to something!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/11090895195/" title="20131116_160804 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="20131116_160804" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5477/11090895195_f90ce7b0dc.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>3. Something you've always wanted to bake?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'd love to master the art of baking bread - I've tried it a few times and it's never been quite right. I'll keep trying though - I refuse to be defeated by a bit of flour, water, salt and yeast! Back in my cakey comfort zone, I'd like to try my hand at a Battenburg, as it's one of my all time favourites.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>4. Tell us about a time you baked something and it went ridiculously wrong.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've had a few mishaps in my baking life. Like the time I made fairy cakes in paper cases but without a tin, and they all expanded outwards so they were more like fairy pebbles than fairy cakes. Then there was the disastrous chocolate cake I made, that was dry and crumbly and tasteless and generally rubbish. I blame the recipe for that one (I'm looking at you, Hairy Bikers!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My most recent baking hiccup was when I was making the afore-mentioned birthday cake for Graeme's birthday. I was a bit enthusiastic when creaming the butter and sugar, and this happened:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/11090993594/" title="spoon-fail by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="spoon-fail" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2851/11090993594_9c7845ae6b.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Don't beat your butter straight from the fridge, kids - warm it up a little bit first. Wooden spoons aren't invincible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>5. Be honest. Do you lick the spoon?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not really. I sometimes have a little bit, but I'd rather scrape every last bit of batter from the bowl and the spoon into the tin, so I get as much cake as possible. I'm so ladylike.....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>6. How often do you bake?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not often enough. I go through phases - sometimes it's a couple of times a week, sometimes a whole month goes by baking-free. Those are sad months - I must make an effort to get my bake on more regularly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>7. What baking successes are you most proud of?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Last year I made a giant French fancy for Graeme's birthday. It took over 5 hours and a kilo of butter - it was a beast. That was pretty awesome.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/11091180113/" title="french-fancy by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="french-fancy" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3832/11091180113_f1664f89d0.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>8. Do you tidy up as you go along or leave one big mess until the end?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tidying up distracts me from the task in hand, so I tend to let the mess build up, then have a quick tidy up while the cake's in the oven. That's mainly to create space for more mess when I'm making the icing or buttercream later on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>9. Do you use recipe books or get them online?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Both. I've got a few recipe books that are quite good, but if the baking fancy takes me I tend to look online for inspiration. Once I've tried a recipe and decided I like it, I write it out in my recipe notebook, so I tend to refer back to that quite a lot, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>10. Do you stick to the recipe or do you experiment a little?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When it comes to baking I don't have the natural flair some people have, so I always need to follow a recipe. I experiment with meals and soups and things, but baking is an area where I feel like I need to follow instructions, otherwise very scary things happen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>11. Who are your favourite food bloggers?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't tend to read 'food blogs' as such, but the Caked Crusader is a firm favourite. Her cherry bakewell recipe is to die for, and is so easy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>12. What is your favourite thing to bake?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cake. Fairy cakes, cupcakes, sandwich cakes, banana bread - anything that's sweet and calorific. I just love cake.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-9104437446710001822013-11-20T18:33:00.000+00:002013-11-20T18:52:48.089+00:00Happy birthday to Toby<div dir="ltr">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I can't believe it's been a whole year since we brought Toby home from <a href="http://www.ncar.org.uk/">North Clwyd Animal Rescue</a> to live with us.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9777072444/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="20121119_111320 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="20121119_111320" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3667/9777072444_4b556a4548.jpg" width="375" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the day we met him, it was love at first sight. We'd met a few other dogs that day, who were all lovely in their own way, but when they brought Toby bounding down the path to meet us, I think Graeme and I both knew he was the pooch for us. He was so excited and friendly, and so cute! People often ask us how old he is because he looks like a puppy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bringing him home was interesting. We let him hop into the boot of Graeme's car, and in the time it took us to shut the boot and walk the three steps to the front of the car, Toby had jumped over and was sitting in pride of place in the drivers seat. That pretty much set the tone for life with Toby - he's cute and cheeky, and will always try to push his luck, but he's ultimately a good egg.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Over the last year he's learned to swim and to chase sticks, but not to bring them back. He's also grasped that if he's a good boy, he can come to sit on the mat in front of the fire and warm his belly to his heart's content.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Happy birthday Tobes - here's to many more jolly years!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10651801823/" title="073 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="073" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3708/10651801823_9b783e964f.jpg" width="375" /></span></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-69240776351260540062013-11-17T20:20:00.001+00:002013-11-17T20:21:02.238+00:00Vintage Sunday<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Last Sunday I spent a jolly afternoon with my pal Alycia, wandering around the <a href="http://www.thevintagevillage.co.uk/home">Vintage Village in Stockport</a>. Once a month, the market hall is filled with stalls selling all things vintage, from clothes and jewellery to books and brooches. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10911496473/" title="20131110_125819 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="20131110_125819" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3763/10911496473_0ea6222d8b.jpg" width="375" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We paid our very reasonable £1 entrance fee and got our hands stamped on the way in, like a twee nightclub. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When we walked in, I was overwhelmed. There was just. So. Much. Stuff. It was an Aladdin's cave of quirky vintage bits and bobs. I felt like I was walking around with great big eyes, trying to take it all in and not miss anything.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10911473143/" title="20131110_130221 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="20131110_130221" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7356/10911473143_6ec28d4e6d.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10911197896/" title="20131110_130245 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="20131110_130245" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7425/10911197896_2b47ec486b.jpg" width="375" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10911189146/" title="20131110_130328 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="20131110_130328" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3825/10911189146_2ba1b70ab3.jpg" width="500" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10911140235/" title="20131110_140149 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="20131110_140149" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3706/10911140235_63398f1723.jpg" width="500" /></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I loved all the old-school dishes - I lost count of the number of times I found myself saying "Ooh my gran had one of these!" or "I remember these from when I was a kid!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10911491433/" title="20131110_130123 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="20131110_130123" height="375" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5546/10911491433_fe0cc9ecf6.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The clothes and shoes were amazing, but I was more taken with the cute dishes and kitcheny stuff. And the tea sets. Ohhh the tea sets! They were so twee and dainty and pretty. I'm now left with an overwhelming sense that I need a tea set in my life. I don't know when I would use it, but that's not the point, is it?</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10911198325/" title="20131110_125758 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="20131110_125758" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7372/10911198325_2ae2333cb7.jpg" width="500" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'll definitely be going back again. After all, I'll need to start my collection of twee teacups. Or tweecups, as I will call them.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-85522211811994582972013-11-08T21:30:00.002+00:002013-11-08T21:30:41.745+00:00Friday Feeling #1<div dir="ltr">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Happy Friday! I know traditionally Friday is meant to have that woo-hoo-it's-the-weekend-I'm-so-giddy-get-me-a-Crunchie feeling, but it doesn't always happen. We all have those long and busy weeks where you get to Friday and feel drained.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, to try and bring a bit of end-of-the-week giddiness back into the world, I'm going to start a series called the Friday Feeling. Every week, I'll post about some of the things that have made me smile over the past few days, in the hope that they'll spread a little weekend cheer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here are a few things that have made me feel good this week:</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Katy B - 5am</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've had this song in my head for days and days. I've had to keep an eye on myself to make sure I don't accidentally end up singing along to myself and serenading everyone around me - nobody needs that.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10741159426/" title="gone-girl by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="gone-girl" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5481/10741159426_ebde13a8d7.jpg" width="263" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8442457-gone-girl">source</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Gillian Flynn - Gone Girl</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't often read crime and thriller books, but I love this one. There are so many twists and turns to the plot - just when you think you know who the bad guy is, Flynn flips it around. I've found myself thinking a lot about the the idea that we present a certain version of ourselves to the world, and how that can be different to who we really are. I love a book that makes me think! I'll do a proper review when I've finished reading the book, which won't be long!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10741382963/" title="Student working on homework in classroom by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="Student working on homework in classroom" height="263" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7326/10741382963_eae9602317.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Using my brain</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I went down to London on Tuesday for a training day for work. Although it was a long day (up at 5am, home at 9pm - ouch!) it was well worth it. I met some interesting people and learned loads. It felt so good to use my brain, and to actually learn stuff! I've been missing that feeling since I graduated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What's been making you feel shiny and jolly this week? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Have a splendid weekend!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-70626299313887473612013-11-06T22:01:00.001+00:002013-11-06T22:01:32.766+00:00Recipe: Simple avocado pasta sauce<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is a recipe for a really quick and simple pasta sauce. I originally found this recipe on Pinterest. There are a few variations out there, but this is my Happy Chapess version.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10714765944/" title="002 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="002" height="281" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3694/10714765944_2e07d327c4.jpg" width="500" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's what you'll need:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">an avocado</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">a dash of olive oil</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">a good splash of lemon juice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">a smattering of salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">as much black pepper as you can shake a stick at</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">a blender</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">some pasta</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't use precise measurements because this is one of those recipes you can tweak to suit your taste. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">First of all, cook your pasta.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10714777616/" title="004 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="004" height="281" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2856/10714777616_72c9722287.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While your pasta's bubbling away, dice your avocado, and put all the ingredients into a bowl together. Don't use too much oil, as you don't want your sauce to be greasy. You can always add more later if you think it needs it.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10714775726/" title="005 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="005" height="281" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5529/10714775726_78938e6eaf.jpg" width="500" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Use a blender to jhujjj (real word there) all the ingredients together. If, like me, you use a hand blender, you may want to start off by gently pulsing so that you don't get bits of avocado flying around your kitchen. Believe me, it gets everywhere.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Blend it until it's smooth. This will take approximately 10 seconds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10714684245/" title="009 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="009" height="281" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2873/10714684245_b2ffca11a5.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Taste your sauce and add more lemon juice / salt / pepper. Keep playing with it until you get the right balance to suit your own taste. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10714773746/" title="010 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="010" height="281" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7455/10714773746_197fbc205f.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When you're happy with it, stir it through your cooked pasta. I tend to add mushrooms, ham and sun dried tomatoes to mine. Tomatoes work really well with avocado, and I will take every opportunity to add in a mushroom where I can. The ham is kind of an afterthought, but it works. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10714756084/" title="013 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="013" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7444/10714756084_69669ba2a0.jpg" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The creamy texture of this makes it feel like proper comfort food, even though it only uses a few ingredients and only takes a couple of minutes to create. Bon appetit!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-54154837352064274762013-11-03T19:21:00.001+00:002013-11-03T19:25:02.459+00:00The beach is for life, not just for summer<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">With some parts of the country still recovering from the Biggest Storm Since The Eighties, I think we can safely say that summer is over.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> But that doesn't mean that you can't still enjoy a good old day out at the seaside.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10651954843/" title="007 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="color: #999999;"><img alt="007" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5476/10651954843_055b72d008.jpg" height="375" width="500" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not to be deterred by the gale force winds, we spent last Saturday exploring what is apparently the best beach in the UK, and the third best in Europe: <a href="http://www.the-gower.com/beaches/rhossilibay/rhossili_bay.htm">Rhossili Bay</a>. With three miles of clean, unspoiled sandy beach, a shipwreck, and a rugged peninsula shaped like a worm, it's not hard to see why it's received such high accolades.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10651685516/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="036 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="color: #999999;"><img alt="036" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5504/10651685516_40e5687966.jpg" height="375" width="500" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10651899593/" title="029 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="color: #999999;"><img alt="029" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3783/10651899593_b14df5f85b.jpg" height="500" width="375" /></span></a></div>
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We spent the afternoon exploring the beach (trying not to get blown away), throwing stones and watching Toby playing in the waves. He had a great time, splashing about in the sea, and running after the seagulls. We had one sleepy pup that evening!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10651659844/" title="039 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="color: #999999;"><img alt="039" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7427/10651659844_95996ec766.jpg" height="375" width="500" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I can imagine that Rhossili Bay is jam-packed full of people in the summer when the sun is shining - and rightly so, it's a gorgeous place to spend the day. When we were there, we almost had the beach to ourselves, which was great as it meant Toby could run and run and terrorise the seagulls to his heart's content. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Best beach in the UK? It's certainly up there for me, although <a href="http://happychapess.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/blogtember-photos-only.html">Newborough Beach on Anglesey</a> is equally gorgeous.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Tempting as it may be to hide from the grim weather at home, getting out there amongst it is well worth it. Just wrap up warm and get out in the fresh air to blow away the cobwebs. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When you do finally hunker down in front of the fire in the evening, it'll feel all the more cosy.</span></div>
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</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-18304122901362321842013-10-24T12:58:00.000+01:002013-10-24T12:58:02.071+01:00Fooooood, glorious fooooood.....festival<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> It's that time of year when the mornings are getting crisp and cool, the central heating is getting switched on, and nothing quite matches the satisfaction you get from a comforting, hearty meal. Quite possibly the best time of year to go to a food festival. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I went to my very first food festival on Saturday, in Llangollen. It was a heady mix of cheese, chutney, specialty meats, pate, liqueurs, chocolates, cakes for humans, cakes for dogs (yes, really!), pots, pans and cider, and it was great. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10456576104/" title="food_banner by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="food_banner" height="209" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7379/10456576104_b388b25626.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://llangollenpavilion.co.uk/clients/llangollen-food-festival/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Source</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Graeme and I were like children in a sweet shop, going from stall to stall tasting samples of pretty much everything. We ended up buying no less than five different kinds of cheese (because you can never have too much cheese), three jars of chutney (to have with our specialty cheese and biscuits), three enormous pork pies, two bottles of perry, some fancy pork and black pepper sausages, and a top secret gift for Graeme's birthday. Not bad for two hours. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10410763493/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="20131019_125537 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="20131019_125537" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7294/10410763493_393f22eb0e.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> After all that, we needed a Sit Down And A Cup Of Tea, so we headed outside to the fresh air, picking up a cupcake each on the way out (because what is a cuppa without a cake?). On our way in to the festival, we'd been given vouchers for a free doughnut with every hot drink, which I'd forgotten about until we actually got to the tea stand. This meant that we ended up with a cup of tea, a scrummy cupcake, and a warm, sugary doughnut. Each. Sugar rush? What sugar rush? </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10410660064/" title="20131019_113544 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="20131019_113544" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7304/10410660064_a7b22d9307.jpg" width="375" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I love those little cupcake pods, by the way. Glad someone is taking the safe transit of cupcakes seriously.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> There was a male voice choir performing outside too, so we had some music while we sat with our cups of tea and more sugar than you can shake a stick at. It was a lovely moment, actually, enjoying the sunshine and the singing, particularly when they sang </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5DZgsQjIGw" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Calon Lan</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, which always gives me goosebumps.
All in all, I think my first ever food festival experience was a success. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I used the fancy sausages to make <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5161/sausages-with-oregano-mushrooms-and-olives">this scrumptious casserole</a> for dinner that night. Yum!
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10410519556/" title="20131019_185743 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="20131019_185743" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7380/10410519556_64c31e1053.jpg" width="375" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Have you been to any food festivals lately?</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-55081679342568355772013-10-17T13:23:00.000+01:002013-10-17T15:07:20.021+01:00Life is short<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's been a topsy turvy couple of weeks here at Happy Chapess HQ. I won't go into detail, but suffice to say that lately i</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">t's become more and more clear to me that life is short, much too short to waste on things that make you feel miserable and sad. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I think Mr Bean sums it up perfectly (excuse his language):</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10326984695/" title="mr-bean-life-is-short by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="mr-bean-life-is-short" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5500/10326984695_9edb9d9361.jpg" height="282" width="447" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theworldofamy.wordpress.com/tag/mr-bean/">Source</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've realised that life is too short to waste time on negativity, and I'm going to make a conscious effort to look for the good in everything. It's so easy to focus on the negative, and to lose sight of all the shiny, happy things in life. Here are some things I'm grateful for: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>My health</b>. My body is still in one piece, and it still works. If I ask it very nicely, it'll even run a few miles at a time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>My chap</b>. I'm endlessly lucky to have Graeme in my life, and even if we do wind each other up from time to time, I'd be miserable without him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>My home</b>. Our house is rented, and there are a few things we'd like to change about it, but it's our home, and it keeps us safe and cosy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>My job</b>. Sometimes my job drives me potty, but I work with a decent little bunch of people, there's always something to learn, and at the end of the day, it keeps a roof over my head. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>My people</b>. I've been lucky enough to have some great people in my life over the years - parents, grandparents, and friends that have become more like family. I wouldn't be the person I am without them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What I'm trying to say is, don't waste your life focussing on all the things that make you miserable. Spend as much time as you can doing what makes you happy, and make time every day to count your blessings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There endeth today's lesson.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-1147362287140642162013-10-02T20:52:00.000+01:002013-10-02T20:52:01.703+01:00Belated Blogtember: Nike running app<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So Blogtember is running on a little past the end of
September but that’s no bad thing – I’m enjoying it so much I thought I’d keep
it going a bit longer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I’m a bit of an on-off runner.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I used to run quite regularly, and I liked
it, but over the last year or so I’ve fallen out of the habit, and tried to
make an effort to get back into a routine, and fallen out of the habit again so
many times I’ve lost count.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Enter the <a href="http://nikeplus.nike.com/plus/products/gps_app/">Nike+ running app</a>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This is a free app that tracks your time and distance as you run.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It uses GPS to plot your route, and it times
you.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It also lets you choose a playlist
from your music collection to listen to while you run.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Pretty standard, you may think, what’s so
special about that?</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/10058283064/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="PicMonkey Collage by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="PicMonkey Collage" height="167" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5490/10058283064_9bf9983944.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What I love is that at the end of each mile you run, a
little voice tells you how far you’ve run, your total running time, and your
average pace.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This is great because it
really motivates you to keep going.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I’ve
heard an update and thought ‘ooh, that’s a good time, I need to keep this
up!’</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Other times, I’ve heard an update
and thought ‘bloody hell Rach, put your back into it!’ and it’s spurred me on
to ramp it up a gear.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The other good thing is that you can share your stats on
Facebook and Twitter after you’ve finished.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For people who like to show off, like me, this is a winner.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For me, the only downside is that as I tend to strap my
phone to my upper arm, I can’t see my progress.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I've used running watches before, and it's good to be
able to glance down at my wrist and see how far I've got</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> to go before completing another mile.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You could get around this by holding
your phone in your hand, but as I frequently trip over my own feet, this
would be a recipe for disaster.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The more
graceful and co-ordinated amongst you may be ok with this, though.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As a general all-round running
app though, this is great, and I recommend it.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-11783521764641781482013-09-23T10:00:00.000+01:002013-09-23T10:00:01.345+01:00Blogtember: Life lately<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I can't believe September is nearly over - this month has flown by! Actually, this whole year is passing way too quickly. Does that make me sound like an old lady?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here are a few things I've been getting up to this month:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9877364423/" title="PicMonkey Collage by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="PicMonkey Collage" height="335" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5340/9877364423_4f60a32752.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Retail therapy:</b> I went shopping on Saturday, and treated myself to a few little treats, including these cute ankle boots from H&M. I'm going to do a proper haul post soon, my first one ever, to show off what I got. I bet you're on the edge of your seat!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Rush:</b> Graeme and I went to see Rush last week. It's a film about the famous rivalry between two Formula 1 drivers in the 1970s, and it's awesome. The cinematography, the chemistry between the two drivers, the tension. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Running:</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> After reading <a href="http://the-cup-and-saucer.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/running-tips-for-beginners.html">this running advice for beginners</a>, I was inspired to get back into running properly. So I went out and bought a few bits of new running gear (including this very attractive hat) and off I went. I've been enjoying running again recently, for the first time in ages, and I really think it's down to the advice about regulating your breathing - it's been a revelation!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>The Silver Linings Playbook:</b> This is what I'm currently reading on my Kindle. I don't know what I was expecting, but this is not it - the way it's written is really sweet and different to anything I've read in a while. I'm only about a third of the way through, but I'm really enjoying watching the story unfold. Maybe I'll watch the film when I'm done - any excuse to drool over Bradley Cooper....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Spa day:</b> A couple of weekends ago, Graeme surprised me with a spa day, because he is an Awesome Boyfriend. It was lovely, just relaxing, getting massaged, and doing a whole lot of nothing for a whole day. Pure bliss, and major boyfriend points.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Bimbling with Toby:</b> We've recently discovered a couple of new routes around our village to take Toby for walks. It's been great to explore, and get to know our local area a bit better. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-68259804257903691922013-09-22T10:35:00.001+01:002013-09-22T10:36:12.061+01:00Blogtember: Comfort<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've banged on about this before, but I do really love autumn. There are lots of reasons (brisk walks, chunky knitwear, scarves, hot chocolate....) but I'd have to say that the main one is because autumn is the most comfortable time of year for me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The temperature is just right for me - not uncomfortably warm, like the summer we've just had, and it's not freezing cold and wet the whole time. It's that just right in-betweeny-ness.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Also, I get to spend cosy evenings watching Downton Abbey with the fire on. Toby is a big fan of autumn for the same reason....</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9776863321/" title="20121214_221108 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="20121214_221108" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2812/9776863321_ce81d82876.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-81241090504244736262013-09-18T18:39:00.002+01:002013-09-18T18:39:51.151+01:00Blogtember: Photos only<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Waaaaayyyyy back at the beginning of August, when the weather was sunny and warm (remember that?) Graeme and I went to Anglesey for the day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was gorgeous. Anglesey is beautiful, and we had a lovely time exploring Beaumaris, Newborough and Ynys Llanddwyn (the lovers' island - witty woo!). Here's a glimpse of what we got up to:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9799318376/" title="399282_10151602389806429_1057928831_n (1) by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="399282_10151602389806429_1057928831_n (1)" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7430/9799318376_7644845910.jpg" height="375" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9799369013/" title="1006034_10151602388276429_1876735847_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="1006034_10151602388276429_1876735847_n" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7367/9799369013_339b6042b8.jpg" height="375" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9799303664/" title="1002578_10151602388986429_2108396162_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="1002578_10151602388986429_2108396162_n" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2815/9799303664_186701afe6.jpg" height="375" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9799289305/" title="998440_10151602388001429_1578280541_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="998440_10151602388001429_1578280541_n" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2822/9799289305_13fd34a125.jpg" height="375" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9799317566/" title="995440_10151602388151429_2060623735_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="995440_10151602388151429_2060623735_n" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5456/9799317566_0126c3e236.jpg" height="375" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9799317606/" title="579589_10151602389036429_1995139010_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="579589_10151602389036429_1995139010_n" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7281/9799317606_f0246e24a7.jpg" height="375" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9799369613/" title="550987_10151602388906429_1765303505_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="550987_10151602388906429_1765303505_n" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3737/9799369613_eb47d7c62e.jpg" height="375" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9799318036/" title="550970_10151602389486429_425563503_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="550970_10151602389486429_425563503_n" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2888/9799318036_5f4a9c0cf5.jpg" height="375" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9799304504/" title="27288_10151602388651429_315690544_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="27288_10151602388651429_315690544_n" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5521/9799304504_4d11353604.jpg" height="500" width="375" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9799370243/" title="1098304_10151602389401429_502142485_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="1098304_10151602389401429_502142485_n" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7301/9799370243_cc78dd2486.jpg" height="500" width="375" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-79469547781890301412013-09-18T12:11:00.000+01:002013-09-18T12:54:41.673+01:00Blogtember: If I had a time machine....<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If I had a time machine, and could go back to any one of my memories and relive it, I'd go back to mine and Graeme's first date. Well, maybe not 'relive' it, but be a fly on the wall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was really, really nervous before our first date. Nauseous, shaking, the works. We'd met online, and had been emailing and texting for about a fortnight before meeting in person. In all his messages, Graeme seemed like a Genuinely Nice Fella, and we seemed to be getting along well, so a part of me was scared that it was too good to be true, and that meeting in person would burst the bubble.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9798877955/" title="377858_10150460963476429_512246428_8916689_1704001280_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="377858_10150460963476429_512246428_8916689_1704001280_n" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5500/9798877955_ea50bf3ee0.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We'd planned to meet at the Cross in Chester. For those of you who aren't familiar with Chester, the Cross is a monument in the middle of town, at the point where the four main streets meet. I had to walk up the length of one of these streets to get there, and was worried that it would be a bit awkward if Graeme was waiting there, saw me walking up the road and a) decided he didn't like the look of me and scarpered, or b) made eye contact and then had to wait an awkward couple of minutes while I hurried up to meet him while still trying to look classy, calm and collected. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The solution, suggested by a good and wise friend of mine, was to walk along the Rows, rather than the main road. The Rows are covered walkways with shops, cafes and bars, above the main shops that are at street level. I made my way along the Rows, had a peek to make sure Graeme had turned up, and then went over to him.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9798893444/" title="185527_10150246814130779_503275778_7858754_8184808_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="185527_10150246814130779_503275778_7858754_8184808_n" height="375" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2832/9798893444_e073cfa1df.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The first things that struck me were his height (he is 6 foot 4), his greying hair, and his deep, manly voice. After that initial first impression, my memory of the evening is a bit patchy. I remember that we had a few drinks in Bar Lounge. I remember that we chatted quite easily and comfortably. I remember that there were no awkward silences, and we never ran out of things to talk about. I remember there was chemistry. I remember Graeme walking me home like a gentleman. I remember our first kiss. But there's also a lot that I don't remember.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If I could go back, I'd pay more attention to the details - what we talked about, how we responded to each other, that sort of thing. I'd also like to have that first-date-excitement again - not the nausea and anxiety, but the butterflies in my tummy. Know what I mean?</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9798961673/" title="390633_10150395837506173_506661172_8700740_2118447032_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="390633_10150395837506173_506661172_8700740_2118447032_n" height="375" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5539/9798961673_e3ce0025db.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm happy to say that first date was a success, and we had a second date that week, then a third and a fourth, and we're still loved up nearly two and a half years later. I'll stop now, before the soppiness makes you feel sick.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-51551973785951477532013-09-16T21:34:00.000+01:002013-09-16T21:34:41.822+01:00Blogtember: Dear Toby<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Today's post is dedicated to a very special young man in my life. His name is Toby.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Dear Toby,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I remember the day we met - it was love at first sight. You were so full of life and such a cutie, there was no question that you were coming home with us. You've been with us for nearly a year now, and there are so many things I love about you. Here are just a few:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9777072444/" title="20121119_111320 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="20121119_111320" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3667/9777072444_4b556a4548.jpg" width="375" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I love the way you look at me with puppy dog eyes.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9777068654/" title="20121120_213311 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="20121120_213311" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2893/9777068654_34eca23870.jpg" width="375" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I love that you're a shameless flirt. You're such a tart.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9777138783/" title="395062_10151146444005779_1377016320_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="395062_10151146444005779_1377016320_n" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3828/9777138783_95826660f4.jpg" width="456" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I love that you're a Proper Action Dog.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9777050874/" title="20130306_184826 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="20130306_184826" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2839/9777050874_48965ec586.jpg" width="375" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I love how you stand at your gate and have a friendly chat with us, y'know, just to catch up on the day's gossip.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9777060636/" title="63296_10151146443355779_1999848700_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="63296_10151146443355779_1999848700_n" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2831/9777060636_6d7ffae40e.jpg" width="455" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I love that you protect us from baddies by barking like a Big Badass Guard Dog when you hear something suspicious going on outside.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9777061196/" title="229607_10151403466430779_1802032287_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="229607_10151403466430779_1802032287_n" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3717/9777061196_1dbe34592e.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I love how much you love the great outdoors.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9777149923/" title="20121209_203113 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="20121209_203113" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3762/9777149923_01f35d1956.jpg" width="375" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I love that you like snuggling up in front of the fire to watch Christmas movies, like me.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9777089496/" title="013 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="013" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7362/9777089496_8db5db1081.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I love that your face always, always looks sad, even when you're feeling pretty chipper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Everyone who meets you loves you - and rightly so.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-19779648703324615712013-09-15T09:00:00.000+01:002013-09-15T09:00:00.481+01:00Blogtember: Life changing<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Strictly
speaking, </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">I've</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> only been doing this blogging thing for about three months, so
you may think it’s a bit soon for me to start talking about how it’s changed my
life. I have noticed a difference in
myself, though, even over such a short time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The main
difference is that these days, when I'm out and about, going about my daily life, I find myself
thinking ‘Could I blog about this? What
would I say?’ </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Blogging has made me more
observant of the details of life. This means that that I generally pay a bit more attention, because if I'm going to be telling the world
about what’s going on with me, then I need to have something decent to say,
don’t I?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So I guess
what I mean is that, even in a short space of time, blogging has made me sit up
and take notice a bit more than I used to.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2211285682057302979" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-37163078686904608642013-09-14T09:00:00.000+01:002013-09-14T09:00:00.561+01:00Blogtember: Retail therapy<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I do like to indulge in a little retail therapy every now and then, even if it is just window shopping online. There are some gorgeous bits and bobs out there (oi oii....). Here are some of my favourites:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://www.dotcomgiftshop.com/">Dotcom giftshop</a></b></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This site has some lovely gift ideas, and the prices are really reasonable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.dotcomgiftshop.com/recipe-box-pantry-yellow-design?all=1&ctid=5297&pos=2">This recipe box</a> is so cute! I'm one of those people who quite enjoys organising stuff and putting things in order, so I would love categorising all my recipes in this little box.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9738645384/" title="recipe-box by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="recipe-box" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7306/9738645384_e48187b830.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The idea that you can get a <a href="http://www.dotcomgiftshop.com/cake-fork-regency">special fork, just for eating cake</a>, is marvellous to me. Like it should be a twee little detail from a fairytale, but it's actually a real life thing! </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9738645430/" title="cake-fork by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="cake-fork" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7423/9738645430_684b04c474.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I like stationery. Stationery's great. Especially when it's based on animals. Like a <a href="http://www.dotcomgiftshop.com/wooden-ruler-giraffe">ruler in the shape of a smug giraffe</a>. Just look at it! How can you not love this? </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9738645468/" title="giraffe-ruler by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="giraffe-ruler" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7387/9738645468_b3c14950ca.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a></b></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've only recently discovered Etsy, and I can spend hours on there just scrolling through looking at all the pretty things. It's great for unusual, handmade or vintage gifts. Most of the stuff is quite reasonably priced, but a lot of it is based in America, so the postage costs can be a bit pricey. It's definitely worth a look for Christmas shopping though.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Just look at </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/127434395/green-fairy-minimalist-cabochon-earrings?ref=favs_view_7" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">these cute earrings</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">...</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9735406785/" title="earrings by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="earrings" height="412" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7409/9735406785_8e346b694f.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">..and </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/162332647/rose-bracelet-mint-bracelet-girlfriend?ref=favs_view_1" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">this gorgeous bracelet</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">...</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9735406875/" title="bracelet by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="bracelet" height="475" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7281/9735406875_27a380a8b2.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">...and </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/113425412/handstamped-aluminum-pet-id-tag?ref=favs_view_8" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">this ridiculously adorable pet name tag</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">! Toby has one of these.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9735406699/" title="pet-tag by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="pet-tag" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7296/9735406699_ddef7aca43.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-49469956386852588272013-09-13T21:19:00.002+01:002013-09-13T21:46:25.430+01:00Blogtember: Selfie<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is a little self portrait for you to enjoy:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9735013217/" title="IMG_20130913_181804 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="IMG_20130913_181804" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7360/9735013217_27f749dc84.jpg" width="500" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is how I looked before I went out for what turned out to be an awesome run. It was raining (hence the hat), so I felt even more epic. I read <a href="http://the-cup-and-saucer.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/running-tips-for-beginners.html">this advice</a> on The Cup and Saucer, and was inspired. The advice on breathing was really helpful - I made sure I focussed on keeping my breathing regular for the whole 3 miles, and I really think that's why the run felt so good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Rachel just ran 3 miles in 31 minutes, and now she feels.....EPIC!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-57399770230207164782013-09-10T13:08:00.001+01:002013-09-10T13:08:23.765+01:00Blogtember: Cheesy but true<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Picture the scene: It's February 2005, I'm 17 and I want to be a journalist when I grow up. I've read that it's best to avoid journalism degrees, so I've decided to study politics at university instead. I've accepted an offer of a place at Exeter University, and my mother is pleased because she has a cousin in that part of the country who could be called upon "if anything happened". One day, I come across the film <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085478/">Educating Rita</a></i>. I've never seen or heard of it before, but it stars Julie Walters, and I like her, so I give it a go. That, right there, is the moment my life changed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know it sounds cheesy to say that a film changed my life, but it's true.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In case you haven't seen it, <i>Educating Rita</i> is a 1983 film adaptation of a play by Willy Russell, and stars Julie Walters as a young hairdresser who wants to better herself through education. She takes an Open University course in English Literature, and in doing so, changes her life and has a profound effect on her somewhat delinquent tutor, played by Michael Caine. The film was an epiphany for me.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9714587333/" title="rita-2 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="rita-2" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7331/9714587333_f01afaf1b1.jpg" height="337" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.thefancarpet.com/ActorGalleryPicture.aspx?mga_id=23845&a_id=20">Image</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At the time, I was studying English Lit at A Level. I enjoyed it, and was good at it, but had chosen a politics course at university because I thought it would be a better grounding for the career I wanted in journalism. <i>Educating Rita</i> reminded me why I loved literature so much, and showed me how much more there was, that I hadn't yet begun to discover. I spoke to my form tutor the next day, and contacted Exeter University to ask if I could change from Politics to English. It couldn't be done, so they advised me to either go ahead with the Politics course, and if I still felt the same after a few weeks, then ask to change. The only other alternative was to withdraw my application and apply again the following year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My gut feeling was to withdraw my application, and try again the following year. I thought that going to Exeter in the September, starting on a course I wasn't sure about, and hoping to transfer to another course that might not have space for me, just wasn't the best path for me. So, I pulled out and took a gap year. I started a full time job that October as office junior at a firm of solicitors, and I loved it.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9717819396/" title="rita-1 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="rita-1" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3753/9717819396_9f29d469c2.jpg" height="296" width="380" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://img.thesun.co.uk/aidemitlum/archive/00990/rita380_990320a.jpg">Image</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I started looking at English Literature courses to start in 2006, the University of Chester presented itself as a strong contender, so I dragged my parents up there for an open day. I fell in love. Chester is just gorgeous, and the University campus has a lovely olde-worlde feel to it. The English department is housed in an old Victorian vicarage just off the main campus, and the staff there were so enthusiastic and welcoming, that I knew this was where I wanted to be. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My mum had her reservations about it because there are no family members in the area "if anything happens", and it's a four hour drive to get there, along a less-than-friendly road (i.e. not a motorway). Despite that, moving to Chester has been the best decision of my life - it's become my adopted home town, and the friends I made at uni there will be friends for life, and I owe it all to <i>Educating Rita</i>.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-21163980781290337122013-09-09T21:53:00.000+01:002013-09-10T13:07:04.517+01:00Blogtember: Personality test<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">According to <a href="http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp">this personality test</a>, I'm an ISFJ. If, like me, you thought that stood for Incredibly Sophisticated and Fabulous Jetsetter, think again. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9710176255/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;" title="IMG_0345 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="IMG_0345" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7391/9710176255_099fa82b25.jpg" width="375" /></span></a></div>
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It actually stands for:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Introvert (44%)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sensing (12%)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Feeling (12%)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Judging (56%)</span></div>
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It's not quite as snappy, but it does give a reasonable description of me. Here are a few snippets of the description of my type:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;">...</span><span 12px="" 20px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" helvetica="" line-height:="" sans-serif="" verdana=""><i>most ISFJs find more than enough with which to occupy themselves within the framework of a normal life. - </i>I don't think I can really disagree with that....</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9713450788/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="35733_408683352629_606742629_4254925_1365884_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="35733_408683352629_606742629_4254925_1365884_n" height="375" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2815/9713450788_9a01da0e73.jpg" width="500" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> <span 12px="" 20px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" helvetica="" line-height:="" sans-serif="" verdana=""><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span 12px="" 20px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" font-style:="" helvetica="" italic="" line-height:="" sans-serif="" verdana=""><br /></span>
<span 12px="" 20px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" font-style:="" helvetica="" italic="" line-height:="" sans-serif="" verdana=""><i>ISFJs are often unappreciated, at work, home, and play.....</i></span><span 12px="" 20px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" helvetica="" line-height:="" sans-serif="" verdana=""><i>Admittedly, the problem is sometimes aggravated by the ISFJs themselves; for instance, they are notoriously bad at delegating ("If you want it done right, do it yourself") - </i>I wouldn't say that I feel particularly unappreciated, but the part about delegating is pretty true. Maybe it's part of being an only child, but I do like to do things myself rather than pass them on to someone else.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9713404348/" title="309957_10150907991726173_275565631_n by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="309957_10150907991726173_275565631_n" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3831/9713404348_ce7a2a688d.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<i><span 12px="" 20px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" helvetica="" line-height:="" sans-serif="" style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;" verdana=""><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span 12px="" 20px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" font-style:="" helvetica="" italic="" line-height:="" sans-serif="" verdana="">And although they're hurt by being treated like doormats, they are often unwilling to toot their own horns about their accomplishments because they feel that although they deserve more credit than they're getting, it's somehow wrong to </span><b 12px="" 20px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" font-style:="" helvetica="" italic="" line-height:="" sans-serif="" verdana="">want</b><span 12px="" 20px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" helvetica="" line-height:="" sans-serif="" verdana=""><i> any sort of reward for doing work (which is supposed to be a virtue in itself). </i>This rings quite true. I don't like to shout about my achievements, as I think it makes me seem arrogant or proud, which are not nice traits in a person. Remember when I said <a href="http://happychapess.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/blogtember-where-i-came-from.html">here</a> that my grandparents had influenced a lot of my principles? This is an example of that.</span></span></div>
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<span 12px="" 20px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" helvetica="" left="" line-height:="" sans-serif="" style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;" text-align:="" verdana=""><i>ISFJs have a few, close friends. They are extremely loyal to these, and are ready to provide emotional and practical support at a moment's notice. (However.....they hate confrontation; if you get into a fight, don't expect them to jump in after you. You can count on them, however, run and get the nearest authority figure.)</i> - This is definitely me. I have a few small groups of close friends, rather than a big circle of acquaintances. I absolutely hate confrontation too, and actively shy away from it. That's not to say that I don't stick up for myself - you just know that if I'm arguing about something, then that something that's important to me.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-41201341130732477742013-09-06T16:23:00.001+01:002013-09-06T16:23:27.498+01:00Blogtember: Being afraid, being very afraid<center>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today’s topic is a story about a time when I was very
afraid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To be honest, I’ve struggled to think of a time when I felt
really, genuinely frightened – maybe my subconscious has blocked out any traumatic
memories – so here is the closest I could think of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our dog Toby likes to think of himself as a bit of an Action
Dog (and he’s enthusiastically egged on by Graeme), and he loves going
swimming. What tends to happen is he’ll leap into the water,
we’ll throw a stone for him and he’ll swim towards the point where it splashed,
to try and retrieve it. Then we’ll throw
another stone, which will splash in another place, and he’ll turn around and
aim for that one. This continues for a
long time. It also means that we can guide
him in whatever direction we like, by throwing stones in one direction or the
other.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9316807818/" title="happy-toby by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="happy-toby" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5549/9316807818_c95f2f426c.jpg" height="375" width="500" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One weekend this summer we took Toby to Bangor-on-Dee to go
for a swim in the river Dee. As usual,
he ran straight into the water, full of gusto.
The part of the river bank where we were is a pebbly shore, so there are
loads of great pebbles to steer Toby with.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On this particular day, Graeme was in charge of pebble-throwing
(he usually is, I throw like a girl).
After the first three or four throws, Toby had swum out into the main
current of the river, which was moving quite fast. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He’s a strong swimmer, and was swimming against the current,
giving it 100%, but wasn’t getting anywhere.
If anything, from where I stood watching, his little head seemed to be
getting smaller and smaller as he drifted away downstream.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This made me a bit panicky, as I had visions of Toby being
swept away and ending up out at sea somewhere.
I could just imagine us in years to come – “remember that time Toby got swept
away?” “I wonder what happened to him” “maybe he’s still out there, sailing the
seven seas”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Graeme wasn’t remotely concerned, but did eventually throw
some stones a bit nearer to the shore so that Toby would change direction and
get himself out of the current. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once he’d proved to me that all was well, Graeme then went
on to steer Toby back into the fast current another three or four times, just
for the enjoyment of winding me up.
Cheeky bugger.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-15961780032186626612013-09-04T20:38:00.002+01:002013-09-05T07:51:53.923+01:00Blogtember: Useful advice<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’ve never been particularly good with money. It’s not one of my strengths, but I work hard
to stay within my budget.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My mum tried her best to help me to budget, and it often
ended in arguments.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9672192923/" title="british-money by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="british-money" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7301/9672192923_e898d7e508.jpg" height="300" width="300" /></a><br />
<a href="http://artsdevelopmentuk.org/2011/09/local-government-culture-funding-cut-by-200m-in-201011/british-money/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Image</a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The one thing that stood out, and that I still stick to now,
is to work out how much money you have per week, and to take that out in cash
at the beginning of the week, and not pay for anything on your card. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This works a treat for me. For one thing,
I can see exactly how much money I’ve got left for the rest of the week. Physically handing over cash makes the spending more meaningful, and makes me think a bit more before spending my pennies, and as a result, I think this means I end up spending less. Winning.</span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-88267135934645191642013-09-04T12:42:00.001+01:002013-09-04T12:42:09.650+01:00Blogtember: Three months off<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you could take three months off from your current
life, what would you do?<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is a fun but tough question to answer, as there are so
many things I’d like to do and see, but I think, if money was no object, I
would travel around Canada.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I was a student, I lived and worked in Montreal, and it
was the best year of my life. I’ve
always said I’d like to go back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I would start by exploring the gorgeous Prince Edward Island,
in the east, and then make my way west. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9669248143/" title="beach_pei by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="beach_pei" height="319" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3759/9669248143_d83c537396.jpg" width="500" /></a>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.wediscovercanada.ca/pei.html">Image</a></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then I would move on to Montreal, and take Graeme to all my
old haunts, like the bars and restaurants on St Denis; the beautiful old town,
and a trek (or maybe the bus) up Mont-Royal to look at the view over the city. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9669271447/" title="montreal-skyline by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="montreal-skyline" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3767/9669271447_773d1d9b3b.jpg" width="500" /></a>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I would then head on up to Québec City to show Graeme the
cobbled streets and and quaint old buildings.
And of course, no visit to QC would be complete without indulging in a
little poutine at Chez Ashton. For the
uninitiated, poutine is the national dish of the Québec region, and comprises of chips /
fries, squeaky cheese curds, and gravy.
The more squeaky the cheese, the better the poutine.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9669271483/" title="quebec by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="quebec" height="375" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2828/9669271483_fba074b882.jpg" width="500" /></a> <br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/quebec0.html">Image</a></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9669247997/" title="poutine 111 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="poutine 111" height="334" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3694/9669247997_9a394ac8ec.jpg" width="500" /></a>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2013/01/29/poutine-week-in-quebec-is-nothing-sacred/">Image</a></span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">From there I would venture north to the Gaspé
region. I never made it this far when I
was in Canada, but I’ve heard lots of good things about it, and the scenery
looks fantastic.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9669247879/" title="gaspesie by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="gaspesie" height="320" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2809/9669247879_973817a99f.jpg" width="480" /></a>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/accommodation-directory/campground/forillon-national-park-of-canada-cap-bon-ami-campground_11541153.htm">Image</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I would then hop over to Calgary, hopefully around the time
of the annual Calgary Stampede, so I could make like a cowboy and go to the
rodeo.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9672474310/" title="calgary-stampede by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="calgary-stampede" height="333" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5323/9672474310_dac0d48c7c.jpg" width="500" /></a>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://media.travelalberta.com/calgary-stampede-happy-100th-birthday/">Image</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">From Calgary I would go to the Rockies, and spend some time
communing with nature exploring Banff National Park, and dipping my toes in
Lake Louise.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9669247891/" title="LakeLouiseFairmontCanoeing by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="LakeLouiseFairmontCanoeing" height="333" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7443/9669247891_8cb809e2ac.jpg" width="500" /></a>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://gocanada.about.com/od/wheretostay/ig/Fairmont-Hotels/Fairmont-Chateau-Lake-Louise.htm">Image</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My next stop would be Vancouver, where I would take a stroll
around the harbour, and admire the totem poles in Stanley Park.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9672474466/" title="stanley_park_totems by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="stanley_park_totems" height="332" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3826/9672474466_35bbe86217.jpg" width="500" /></a>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.stanleyparkinfo.ca/stanley_park_attractions">Image</a></span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If there was time, I would round off my three months by going
as far north as I could manage, to try and get a glimpse of the Northern Lights. All the pictures I’ve seen are spectacular,
and it would be a once in a lifetime experience to see them in real life.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9672474230/" title="northern-lights by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="northern-lights" height="313" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2875/9672474230_e67bedfe64.jpg" width="500" /></a>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/picturegalleries/8110273/Places-to-see-the-Northern-Lights-four-of-the-best.html">Image</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Heck – three months might not be enough to fit all this in!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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</a></center></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17028307838628627034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211285682057302979.post-36402798535308908582013-09-03T10:19:00.000+01:002013-09-03T10:19:00.675+01:00Blogtember: Where I came from<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello chaps and chapesses!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Welcome to Blogtember day 1, which is all about where I'm from, and the people and places that have made me who I am.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I grew up in a teeny little village in the South Wales countryside. I'm an only child,and as a child I spent a lot of time with my grandparents. They lived next door, so when I was young I'd have breakfast at theirs before school, and would go straight there for my tea after school, while Mum and Dad were at work.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I didn't really appreciate them enough at the time, but looking back now, I can see that they had a huge influence on me. It was my grandad, more than anything else, who really encouraged me to speak Welsh, and a lot of the morals and principles I have now came from them.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9649313814/" title="1992 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="1992" height="380" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3733/9649313814_72fb6a6515.jpg" width="500" /></a>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I was 19, I moved to Chester for university, and I absolutely loved it. Chester is a gorgeous city with a long and interesting history, and a lovely, friendly atmosphere. I loved it so much that when I graduated, I decided to stay. I moved to North Wales last year, to move in with Graeme, and as lovely as this place is, Chester still feels like "home", more so than where I grew up. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99051133@N05/9646096955/" title="chop 005 by The Happy Chapess, on Flickr"><img alt="chop 005" height="375" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2871/9646096955_6d4e47833b.jpg" width="500" /></a>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It'll always have a special place in my heart, and I'm sure we'll find our way back there one day.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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