Blogtember: Personality test

Hello chaps and chapesses!

According to this personality test, I'm an ISFJ.  If, like me, you thought that stood for Incredibly Sophisticated and Fabulous Jetsetter, think again.  

It actually stands for:

Introvert (44%)

Sensing (12%)

Feeling (12%)

Judging (56%)

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:

...most ISFJs find more than enough with which to occupy themselves within the framework of a normal life. - I don't think I can really disagree with that....

 

ISFJs are often unappreciated, at work, home, and play.....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 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.

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 want any sort of reward for doing work (which is supposed to be a virtue in itself).  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 here that my grandparents had influenced a lot of my principles?  This is an example of that.

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.) - 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.

Blogtember: Being afraid, being very afraid

Hello chaps and chapesses!

Today’s topic is a story about a time when I was very afraid.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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”.

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. 

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.

Blogtember: Useful advice

Hello chaps and chapesses!

I’ve never been particularly good with money.  It’s not one of my strengths, but I work hard to stay within my budget.

My mum tried her best to help me to budget, and it often ended in arguments.

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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.  

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.

Blogtember: Three months off

Hello chaps and chapesses!

If you could take three months off from your current life, what would you do?

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.

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.

I would start by exploring the gorgeous Prince Edward Island, in the east, and then make my way west. 

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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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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My next stop would be Vancouver, where I would take a stroll around the harbour, and admire the totem poles in Stanley Park.

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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.

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Heck – three months might not be enough to fit all this in!

Blogtember: Where I came from

Hello chaps and chapesses!

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.

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.

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.

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.  

It'll always have a special place in my heart, and I'm sure we'll find our way back there one day.

100 things that make this chapess happy - part 10

Hello chaps and chapesses!

So a few weeks ago I started making a list of 100 things that make me happy, and now, what feels like 5 minutes later, here's the last instalment!  I hope you've enjoyed reading through this list as much as I've enjoyed putting it together.

91. Going to London

I love the buzz of the Big Smoke.

92. Afternoon tea

Little sandwiches, a big fat scone with cream and jam, a yummy cake, and a big ol' pot of tea.  Is there anything more delish?

93. Yoga

I always feel so good after some nice stretching and deep breathing.  I've recently discovered YogaBabe, and have been doing the Good Morning Sunshine routine when I get up over the last couple of weeks, and it's really made a difference to my mood and general wellbeing.

94. Raspberries

My favourite summer berry.  I actually prefer these to strawberries.  Is that controversial?

95. Stationery shopping

I used to love starting the new school year with shiny new notebooks and pens and pencils.  The day I got the bus to town to stock up on this stuff was one of my favourite days of the summer holidays.  I kind of miss it, to be honest.

96. Maximo Park

They're a great live band, and their music reminds me of being a fresher at uni.  You could say, they make me feel young.

97. Mascara

I don't feel like my face is complete without mascara on.  I don't tend to stay loyal to any particular brand - at the moment I'm enjoying Benefit They're Real.

98. Getting myself organised

Writing down what I want to do and achieve sort of cements it in my mind and gets me all motivated to Go Forth And Achieve.

99. Trashy gossip magazines

Every now and again I like to indulge in a little celebrity gossip - it's a form of escapism.

100. Flowers

I love having fresh flowers in the house - they brighten up the room, and generally make me smile.

So there we have it - not one, not two, but a whole hundred things that make me happy.  It's been fun putting this list together - it's been an opportunity to literally count my blessings, and now if I ever feel sad or grumpy I can come back to read through my happy list.  

Blogtember

Hello chaps and chapesses!

I love September.  It feels like a fresh start in the year, and a good time to re-focus, and get back on track with my goals for the last few months of the year.  More so than any other month (apart from January, maybe) it feels like a good time to really focus on being healthy, getting my budgeting under control, and setting myself a new challenge.

Which is where Jenni from Story of My Life comes in.  She's set the wonderfully titled blogging challenge Blogtember, where you blog every weekday in September.  You can find out more here:

I'm going to give this a go - I'm still fairly new to this blogging malarkey, but I'm really enjoying it, so any excuse to do more of it is a winner for me.  Let me know if you're taking part!  Otherwise, watch this space!