Addicted

Snowboarding week 1 - First sight of "snow" at the indoor snow park! Completed lesson 1 & 2 of 5 at Snow Factor. Ditched the remaining 3 lessons and learnt 180s. Broke my finger ... should have taken the other 3 lessons.

Week 2 - Learning better control of my turns. Learnt to hit kickers slowly because the landing after flying HURTS.

Week 3 - Trip to Glencoe!! First REAL snow. The mountain was beautiful! Had been snowing for days beforehand so loads of snow about, felt like marshmallows under my board. Injured my neck somersaulting down a steep slope by accident ..

Week 4 - SECOND TRIP TO GLENCOE! Not as much snow but was really nice and soft! Amazing crew, good laughs and adrenaline pumping! Cartwheeled down a black run :) Hitting kickers and boxes now, getting a tiny bit of air off my kickers too. And nailing my 180's ;)

Snowboarding

Snowboarding is the greatest thing I have ever experienced in my entire life.

Snowboarding 4 times a week means I have no time for anything else.

Snowboarding makes me happy.

I love snowboarding.

I dream of a mountain so large, of snow so white ...

Dear Grandma,

Grandma,

You don't know this yet, but I'm saving up to come and see you.

£1500 to go.

Desired time of arrival - February 2015

Have a bit of faith.

Love,
Liz x

City of Smiles

Last week I got on a bus then realised I didn't have enough change. The driver smiled and let me on anyway.

Later I was walking down the street wearing 2 hoodies and a coat and walked past a girl wearing nothing but a little dress. I must have had a very confused/surprised/shocked look on my face as I walked past. This horrified expression was met with the largest, most welcoming smile I have ever seen.

Monday night during my dinner break I went to Pasticceria JoJo, a cute little Italian bakery. Everything looked so delicious, so as usual I couldn't decide what I wanted. In the end it was a choice out of 3 so I bought one ... and got given a free mini slice of the other two.

Yesterday I took a dress into an alterations shop to fix the sleeves. When I went to pick it up we got chatting about things and when I eventually went to pay, he wouldn't take my money off me. He actually pushed me out of the store and locked the door behind me so I couldn't pay him.

Glasgow, for a place that has the shittest weather of all time - either raining & cold, or raining & cold, or raining & cold. I am taken aback but the sheer number of unbelievably beautiful, genuine and kind hearted people make up this small city.

I can't say yet where I will eventually call home. Margaret River will always be known as a home to me. Just as much as Glasgow will always keep a special place in my heart.

Also ... it snowed for about 30 minutes today. First time I have ever seen snow :) And it was beautiful. I may have freaked out my mate by climbing out the window on the 4th floor to stand on this tiny ledge and try to reach the falling snow. Mesmerising. Life is mesmerising.

Dear Universe,

Monday - swim 10-1, work 5pm-12:30, chinese pole 7-8:30, hoop class 8-9
Tuesday - rock climbing 12-4, underwater hockey 8-9, slacklining 8-9
Wednesday - work 2-12:30, parkour 6:30-8:30, break dance 8:30-9:30
Thursday - swim 12-4, acrobatics 8-9:30, break dance 7-8:30, hula hooping 6-8
Friday - work 12pm-1am
Saturday - swim 12-1, work 5-1:30, break dance 4:15-5:30
Sunday - rock climbing 11-3, arcrobatics 6-8

There seems to be some problems with my timetable ...

How do normal people do it? Fit everything in 7 days?

How do I work full time, be ready for underwater hockey nationals in April, be a circus performer, fit in hobbies, and have a life?

My life will fit inside a 9 day week and no less.

Would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
L

Settled

 

Django checking the view on the train ride home :)

 

On the second night of being in Glasgow, the sun (maybe from Oz land?) shone through the night sky in a bright green stripe just above the horizon. I wish my photo even almost captured just how beautiful it actually was.

 

2 weeks here and I've moved in and completely unpacked and settled down into my new flat. Which happens to be amazing.

I have my own ensuite!! The first time in my entire life having a bathroom all to myself.

Not to mention a sweet flat mate. Which will be a nice change after London. Very disappointed in my two Pakistani house mates who stole a very large sum of cash off me. Omer and Yousra, you are a disgrace to all human kind and I hope karma or whatever it is you believe in, comes to get you.

And on top of that managed to secure a full time job in the worst possible month of the year to find a job. Not to mention that it's a full time job at an amazing wine bar. I have never been so excited to work in a new place before! Boudoir wine bar has awesome vibes and a real chilled, friendly atmosphere. And for a change I'm not serving food and actually learning A LOT every day there.

Also finally getting back into underwater hockey after a 6 month break. Feels great to be back in the water and I'm training with some very inspirational players!

Next goal - more Chinese Pole and seriously need to get better at acrobatics. My acro skills are an embarrassment.

Glasgow ... you are going to make any plans outside of Glasgow very hard to achieve. I love it here and can't imagine wanting to leave anytime soon.

Another Move

First week in Glasgow checklist:

• Find a room
• Find a full time or two part time jobs
• Get back on the pole
• Buy waterproof boots & a balaclava
• Buy a coat that will fit over my coat which is over my hoodie, down jacket, two sweaters, top and thermals
• File a police report on my ex housemates for stealing
• Not be sick anymore
• Look into dance classes, rock climbing and underwater hockey ... and stop trying to do so many things at once
• Stop eating rubbish
• Move into my new room

So today the police came around at 1pm to take my statement .. in my pyjamas. It's now coming up to 3pm and I am still in my pyjamas.

Maybe I'll get things done tomorrow?

2013

So I guess that's it then, 2013 over.

I'm not really a huge fan of New Years resolutions. I don't really like the idea of saying you're going to do or achieve a list of things just because that's what people do on the first of January. If we're all honest with ourselves, when does this list ever get looked back upon let alone acted on? Or maybe people do live by their "New Years Resolutions", it's just me that doesn't. Either way, they're not for me.

As a general rule, I don't usually like reflections either. I prefer to put the past aside and look forward to the future. So far, I'm a great New Years candidate ...

But I think if anything, 2013 has taught me that the past is an essential part of my future. Every last detail of my past has shaped me into who I am today.

And 2013 has been a ridiculously epic year.

So I thought I might do a little reflection on the longest year of my life.

The year starts with a new found love for James Revie. Not sure what to say about this event, without undervaluing it.

Perfect start to my year.

I also became a Granny with Nicole Puttick. Learning to knit with you was the greatest hungover idea of all time. I LOVE the headband you made me for Christmas. Just thinking about you makes me smile.

February - back to work at Explorus Adventure Learning. It sure as hell wasn't easy working all day and all night most working weeks for a year and a half. And towards the end there, I feel that maybe I started to lose a little of my appreciation for the opportunity I'd been given to work there. But I am forever grateful for every moment, good or bad, that I spent working for you. I think that working for you was the beginning of me learning about me. And since, I've only continued learning. So thankyou.

March - heard about some silks class thingy running at the gym by Ash. Didn't quite know what it was. Then it created my dreams. Thanks Ash :)

April - had to say goodbye to Nic :( I miss you all the time.

June - Trip to Indonesia with James. Even though surfing is quite possibly the most emotionally consuming and frustrating sport known to man (or at least known to me)... I'd like to be back in paradise with you. Thanks for your patience :)

July - my last moments at home. With you. I've loved every day I got to spend with you. Not to mention brutalising my nose surfing. First time ever having black eyes. Bloody surfing.

August - Off to London!! Leave my seaside paradise ... hello Woolwich. Talk about culture shock. But I did also find the Rooftop Café, which happens to be the most amazing working experience of my life. You are an inspiration to hospitality. This is what working/eating at a restaurant is supposed to be like. I feel privileged to be an employee of such a respectful organisation.

Also find out that my Granny passed away days after my arrival. I'm sorry I never really got the chance to know you but I'm glad I could be there for your last goodbye. And a huge thankyou to my London relatives for taking me in as one of you, even though I am practically a stranger.

September - The start of my future .. I find the circus. This was also quite possibly the longest month of the year, and physically painful month of my life. And I loved every minute of it. Especially the minutes spent on the chinese pole.

October - Things getting hard now, juggling circus, work and life. Very little sleep. Very little time. Days, weeks so packed full of stuff that days start turning into weeks. Ready to explode. Then ..

One week off training.

Phew. Wait, from memory, I spent the majority of that time when not working .. at the circus. Idiot.

November - So excited to be back into training! Not sure that I fully prepared myself for the stress of creating an act though. Sleepless nights trying to find the right ideas, then trying to find the right song, then trying to piece together the right moves to the right places in the right song. Ahhhh!

Somewhere through it all ... my beautiful chinese pole teacher offers to continue training me in Scotland post course. Thanks Kate for being such an amazing teacher, role model and friend. I cannot wait to train with you in Glasgow.

December - Everything until now has happened in slow motion. Then all of a sudden, someone picked up my remote and pressed fast forward. Where do I even start on December .. all of a sudden it's performance time. Which was epic. I whole heartedly love the circus. Everlasting thanks to Aircraft Circus.

Then the day I finish at the circus ... and Christmas is rapidly approaching ... out comes my dark passenger. He follows me all the time, hides somewhere deep within waiting for the right moment. I believe that he will always be there. Hopefully some day his presence will be much less felt, and much easier to control. For now, I am thankful for the circus. You have been good for me.

Then NYE ... London psy trance, you are a life of your own. Blown away. What a night.

Hello 2014.


P.S

I still love you.

P.P.S

Dear Brindi, I think about you every day.