Headhuntress Of Hampshire

Serving It

2016-04-11T12:53:00.001+01:00

Serving it! I spent six months like this in 2015... I put on a lot of weight and had to make a lot of adaptations... I thought I was absolutely fine mentally if that was the way the rest of my life was to be. I felt happy with all the achievements I'd already made in my 39 years on the planet and so I set out to be the best wheelchair roller and wear the finest outfits that my body could manage...

I'd been ill for some time, sleeping an awful lot and struggling with my memory, so I was already going through tests.

Then I basically woke up one morning completely numb from the waist down. At this point I struggled to walk and became incontinent. Amazing. At first, I found it funny... Then when it didn't go away after a few days, I got a little worried and wondered if I'd had a stroke and then decided to go to my doctor. Who sent me straight to hospital for tests.

At first they thought it was MS, but very rapidly I started going so downhill with muscle twitches, spasms, numbness, a constant tremor, extreme fatigue that had me sleeping for days on end and worst of all, a brain that literally couldn't put a sentence together. I spent days lying in my own urine soaked sheets, too embarrassed to ask for help and not wanting to trouble my already exhausted children. Harsh times.

On top of that, I couldn't run my business and was actually too ill and confused to fill in any forms to claim benefits, so the debt began piling up. I am so lucky to have generous friends and family and a kind landlord who waited patiently for me to pay my rent.

They were thinking it could be motor neurones disease. And to be honest, everything certainly looked that way for a while. I didn't let it worry me too much... I had achieved an awful lot with my life because I have always lived it to the max under the belief that I have to live life for both myself and my already severely disabled sister. I joked that we could now play bumper cars together and I figured that if my body shut down and I ended up like Stephen Hawkin, it would be a good thing, because then at least I would finally get to finish my book and sort out my blog because there'd be no physical distractions getting in the way.

I'd always known I'd been under too much stress for the last few years, but was sure I could manage it. It wasn't work and business that was the problem, it was all the other hell that we were facing behind he scenes.

And so, after all the scans and tests came back inconclusive and my neurologist began looking at autoimmune disorders, I began my own research and took matters into my own hands. I forced myself to walk to the shops using crutches. I would often stop and cry with frustration and I overhauled my diet following the autoimmune protocol... Little by little I began to have more good days than bad...

Once I got down to using just the one crutch I went to see my consultant neurologist to show her how much better I was... "Well done," she exclaimed! "You're doing everything right. Now don't get stressed..." Errrr, how exactly does one not get stressed?

At that point, I literally dragged myself to the gym, still using my crutch, climbing onto the equipment and making myself work at the astonishment of other gym goers. It was hard and hellish. But every push helped.

In October 2015, just before my 40th birthday I was able to leave the house and walk a decent distance unaided.

So now I'm in a very good place. I still have extreme pain and days when I just can't do anything but sleep. But the muscle twitches are much less frequent and less severe and the numbness has pretty much gone which was causing me to walk funnily. I stick to the diet 90% of the time, but I'm human, I do give in to cravings, it just means I pay for it with my energy levels.

And seeing as I can't eat and drink what I want to and have to eat like an athlete, I'm working on getting the body of an athlete and trying my best to train as hard as I can on the days that my health will let me.

Now I can dance, I can run and my God do I bloody love life.

I'm very lucky that I am a head strong switched on intelligent woman and have been able to help myself. I don't know how others just manage who fall into the system of the unhelpable... I'm still working out how I can help others in this situation.

As a result of my own experience. I wrote myself a cheap and manageable bucket list which I call my #bargainbucketlist no doubt I will keep adding to it. Because asides from bringing up my children i need there to be purpose in life and I love a challenge.

Bargain bucketlist

Walk to the shop unaided ✔️

Ride a bike again ✔️ (managed this before I could walk properly)

Run again✔️ (got on my nemesis the treadmill in jan 2016)

Climb again✔️ (had my first climb in March 2016, felt exhilarating)

Enter pancake race at school even if it's in a wheelchair✔️ (I won it on foot)

Get a bikini body

Model in fit wear/bikini

Go up the shard✔️

Learn to use my sewing machine

Fall in love✔️ I didn't think this would ever happen again. But it did!

Follow my progress on Instagram: Headhuntress

And for daily updates and whole load of comedy, follow my snapchat story which is also: Headhuntress

Onwards and Upwards (Going back to 2012)

2016-03-14T23:12:00.000+00:00

I have many guises... Mother, Boutique Market Owner, trader, writer, music maker, singer, social media whore, event organiser, wearer of ridiculous clothes... They all have their own online sites. But this blog is one of my earliest. It is not "the" earliest as some of my earlier personal blogs have well and truly been scrapped. The angst ridden years from around 2003-2006 in which I blogged about pain and horror are long gone without even so much as a sedentary Myspace account as proof.

Because this is one of my earliest blogs and it doesn't really have it's niche or in fact any rhyme or reason. It is my haven. A place where I can write what I want to. Only, last year was full of so many incredible highs and lows that I wonder how I am not in an asylum.

I have suffered from depression in the passed. But despite the horrors the children and I have experienced, I have not felt the need to go the doctor. I haven't asked for medication, or counselling or help from friends and family. People look at me and are amazed at the things I achieve as a lone parent. I like to be a good role model and am happy to be an inspiration. But very few people know the truth of what the children and I have had to endure last year.

In time I am sure that I will share with my readers of what we have been through as I want to raise awareness of some of the issues we have faced. I wish I wasn't being dramatic. I look at people suffering with their daily miseries - and I think - "Wow, you would not survive for ten minutes in my life."

And when it comes down to it. I think that is just it, because I have had to deal with so many incredibly difficult things, it makes absolutely everything else seem easy. When the difficult things rear their ugly heads, I am in a position to deal with them better and move on even though I feel like rolling around on the floor wailing and gnashing my teeth. It also makes all the wonderful lovely things that happen, even more appreciated.

I want to begin with the beginning, so I will write a series of posts chronicling our life in the past few years.

2012 began on a high. I was single and not exactly loving it because I was suddenly realising that most of Southsea men were single for a reason. I very much wanted to remain single, but at the same time, I just couldn't do the player thing. I am Mrs Monogomous through and through. I can only manage one man at a time, no matter how casual. But many of the men I met seem to have different ideas. I think this bohemian attitude may be down to the fact that Southsea men are spoilt. It's a tremendously small place. Every woman I see is thoroughly gorgeous in all shapes and sizes and they can all hold a conversation and make me laugh. A lot.

Anyway, that's no my point, I digress....I had made amazing tracks with the Boutique Market and had just been accepted for Victorious Vintage a festival I was looking to put on at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard with another business, Love Southsea. It was exciting times. Suddenly I was doing work that I loved. Work that mattered. Work that meant something. I knew that I wasn't going to be making any real money as the scale of what we were hoping to achieve was way beyond our budget. But if we all pulled it off, it would mean good things for the following year. Incidentally, I asked my friend Ben if he could help and the entire Little Johnny Russells/Belle Isle team came on board. Victorious Vintage was better than any of us could have imagined, but more about that later.

James my oldest son was diagnosed with ADHD. Now, it took me along time to get his autism diagnosed and now that he had the ADHD diagnosis, it looked like he was finally going to get the help that he needed from his school.

Trailer for Solitary the movie

2016-03-14T23:02:00.000+00:00

Observations from my chair

2016-01-04T00:13:00.000+00:00

Before I got ill, I was the woman who ran everywhere in five inch heels. Like nearly almost everywhere, I mean, I wouldn't get on the treadmill in a pair of skyscraping slut shoes. I would be the one (late) running across the school courtyard, five year old child in hand, mobile phone in the other... Running... Running across the courtyard, inappropriate clothing flapping in the wind and meaty puddles splashing in my over made up face.

Running through some old ladies front room, as you do

Mainly because I'm five foot nothing but also, because I was bloody good at it. And I hardly ever fell over. That's a skill right? So. Imagine my the juxtaposition I came face to face with at spending a good 80% of my time in a wheelchair..? I was about two foot ten tops in my trusty wheels of thunder or my "lady pram" as it became affectionately known in our house, causing an instant and identity stealing, distinct lack of height.... But I shall go into more details about this in another post some time soon.

In my lady pram

But of course it's good. I jest of course, I pretend to be that shallow, but all the time I was doing that five inch heel dash, I was observing. You can see a whole lot more of the world with those extra five inches.

I have always had stacks and stacks of empathy, on the outside I look like a freaking cray cray desperate fish wife, but I'm always on the look out for other people and thinking about what they're feeling. As a result, I considered myself a pretty good pioneer for anyone that suffers any prejudice.

When I was growing up, I was near enough the only Asian kid in town. Definitely the only Asian kid on our avenue in Redcar anyway. Lovely place, it's got a beach AND a race course...

Redcar beach and it's stunning vista

To say I was different looking was an understatement, a place so backward thinking in bygone times, that our neighbours in Hartlepool were collectively known as "The Monkey Hangers," (their football team are still known as this.) And why are they called the "Monkey Hangers?" Well, if you don't know, the story came about because a monkey was washed up on their shores, during the Napoleonic Wars with the French and they thought the monkey was a Frenchman... A Frenchman?! They took the monkey to trial and then decided to hang the poor monkey.

The monkey hanger incident took place in Cleveland some time during the Napoleonic War which ended in 1805... Fast forward to Cleveland in the early 1980s and times didn't really feel as though they had a evolved an awful lot and let's face it. I did kind of resemble a monkey but they knew I wasn't French.

Nice fuzzy photo from the early 80s, from left to right, I'm posing in my hot beige boiler suit, that's my cousin Joni in the red trousers, my dad in his Christmas jumper, my mum looking like a twig here and my gorgeous sister in the wheelchair rocking a red poncho which I was later forced to wear and hated.

Kids down our street would regularly come up to me and say, "Abigail, you're Chineeeeeeeese...!" (In a horrible Cleveland accent)

And I'd say, "Noooo." (That was me trying to sound less Asian and more Cleveland)

Then they'd say... "Yeah, well, you are African then... You're not English."

And I'd say, "Noo, I'm not. I'm English."

And they'd be like, "But you have to be. You're black."

Black? Me black? I'm like beige at best, but black?

"Well, if you think I'm black, then that must make you Irish." I'd say... (Probably letting the accent slip as I didn't feel the urge to fit in with them quite so much at this point. Also, my Dad would tell me off if I sounded too "Middlesbrough." Not condoning it, his views not mine)

"Nooo, we're not Irish....!"

"French then? Are you French?" I'd retort. (The monkey hanging irony was totally lost on the six year old me, I just thought I was being clever.)

"Noo, we're not French... You're stupid."

Would blue hair make me more understood?

I mean, I knew they weren't French. I was trying to make a point. I was six for God's sake.

Then one girl asked... "Do you know what a Chinese burn is?"

"No," I answered smugly, this was bound to be proof that I wasn't actually Chinese. I'd never even heard of a Chinese burn.

"I'll show you." She said sweetly, gimme your arm.

I held my arm out obligingly, she put both her arms around it and squeezed it tightly in two different directions and back the other way with all her might. Bloody hell..... It really fucking hurt.

Tears sprang to my eyes... "Would you like to play with my Sindy dolls?" I asked sweetly back...

"Yeah, alright then..." So in they would come and play with the few bits of Sindy stuff that I had till my mum got fed up with them and threw them out. The kids, not the Sindy's.

Chinese Burn... It what happens when you eat too many chillies, right?

This was a frequent happening. Loads of kids down our street seemed to be a bully and also completely ignorant, so I made it my job to show them kindness. There was always a reason for people's cruel actions, I put it down to stupidity even though I was so young.

Then one day, I was getting my gorgeous sister off her school bus. She went to a special needs school, she has cerebral palsy, she was starved of oxygen at birth... She's eleven months older than me and can't do anything for herself and still lives with my elderly parents... But that's another story. So, one day, when I was helping my mum get my sister off her school bus, one of those kids waved at me from across the green and then shouted, "Marie-Lousie is a bugger!!!"

A bugger? I'm sorry but what exactly does one mean by calling someone a bugger?! What kind of an insult is that? Marie- Louise is my sister. She's a cutie, she laughs a lot and needs to be fed and at the age of seven, if left to her own devices would just go wondering off up the street doing her funny little walk that she'd only just learned to do. I mean, she dribbles and makes funny loud noises, but a bugger she is not.

I kind of passed it off in my head as absolute nonsense. I was more impressed that the local dimwit family actually knew what my sister's name was... So I went inside with my mum and my sister and found my mum really, really upset. She was not happy at all. In fact, I'm pretty sure she was crying. I'd not seen her cry before. We'd been screamed at and spat at in the streets by punk rockers... (Pretty scary that was...) Get back to your own country, were their words... This is my country were my thoughts... I always wanted to put them straight. In a calm and polite way of course. I never got angry... I just wanted them to know that I am English. Born in England. Actually better at speaking English than them too... But Mum would just grab my hand in a bad ass manner, walk even taller and say, "Just ignore them..."

This time, no. My mum was crying... Or at least having a little sob. Not sure of the facial wetness details... "What's up Mum?"

"That horrible boy, call your sister a bugger. She is not a bugger. Marie-Louie can't fight back. She never hurt him. Nasty boy..."

"What's a bugger?" I asked.

I never got an answer.

This is me leading up to telling you, that after that, I spent more and more time hanging out with my sister and the other children she went to special needs school with. They were lovely. They didn't judge me.

Girls in wheelchairs would roll up to me... "You've got black hair." Which I did. A true statement! Lots of long black hair. "Can I touch it?" Of course.

"You've got two legs..." Yes, I did. Couldn't argue with that one. There was a gorgeous little girl with no legs at all who would either commando crawl across the floor or they'd put her in a plastic leg stand. She was adorable, Tina I think her name was, she made me laugh a lot

They would say stuff about me that at least was accurate and true, I mean, some of these children were classified as handicapped and disabled. (Don't get cross with me, this was the terminology back in the early 80s.) And theses kids seemed far more astute and intelligent than my fully functioning neighbours...

"Will you dance with me?" All the gorgeous cuddly down syndrome kids would ask at the discos we used to have. I loved dancing. I studied ballet and threw myself into music and

writing to escape the bizarre world that I lived in. A world where I wasn't accepted based purely on the colour of my skin. And when I wasn't doing that, I hung out with my sister's mates at her group weekends. A world where I was very much accepted.

And so I almost take you to my point. My point is, that I have always had an extra dose of empathy. A great deal more than others. I liked to throw people off the scent with my mad clothes and bright lipstick. But the fact is, as much as I have dealt with all manner of incidents and experiences in my life. Nothing. Nothing puts you in the empathy spot quite as much as actually being in that wheelchair.

Lose Weight & Get The Body You Want Through Weight Lifting

2013-02-09T11:19:00.000+00:00

I really miss my fitness blog. But I'm still working hard at working out even if I'm not writing about it so much any more. Those of you who have followed me from the beginning will know that I trained to be a personal trainer and worked as a fitness instructor in one of my past lives.

I took this picture of myself at the gym and have had a lot of stick for it, particularly the lipstick and blusher. But it's funny, so why not?

I currently use the Holiday Inn gym in Southsea and really have to keep my mouth shut when I see other gym members training incorrectly. People use the machines and weights with absolutely no control and have the settings so low, that they must be doing more harm than good, but I don't think they'd appreciate me telling them to soften their knees and straighten their backs!

The lady in the front is showing good posture and technique, I'd have to have a word with the ladies stooping at the back though. Tut tut.

My advice to anyone desperate to shift those pounds quickly would be to take up interval training. You'll often see me sprinting for 45 seconds to one minute followed by jogging for three minutes on the treadmill. It certainly brings out a sweat and it means that I can run for longer at a steady faster pace when I am not interval training. The same technique can be applied to the rowing machine, the bike and the cross trainer.

You'll also find me using the bench and free weights in addition to the interval training I do. Which is why the article I was sent below, caught my eye. I don't think women do enough weight lifting. It's what our bodies are designed to do. I lift 7kg weights (12 reps), rest by working on my lower body, then I'll lift 10kg weights (10 reps), rest by working on my lower body again, followed by a final push on 12kg weights for 8 reps. It's a killer but if you're going to workout, I believe in working as hard as possible. My current favourite exercise is climbing, it works muscles you wouldn't normally use and is a lot fun as well as a huge challenge. I don't have the coveted Jessica Ennis body as mentioned in the article below but I'm looking alright for a 37 year old mother of three.

Jodie Marsh works out for a gruelling six hours a day to look like this, her daily workout includes three hours of cardio work, two hours of weights and an hour of “posing”

Read on to find out more about REPs (Register of Exercise Professionals) latest press release on weight lifting.

Why won’t women lift weights?

Women keen to lose weight are often doing the wrong exercises say REPs

Many women associate lifting weights with dramatic muscle gain, avoiding the male dominated weights section of gyms at all costs. However, Jean-Ann Marnoch from industry watchdog REPs has explained that lifting weights can be an important part of workouts, whether training for a charity run, getting fit or even losing weight.

Lifting the weights will not leave you looking like a man, even after six hours training a day - Jodie looks more lean than bulky

She said, “There is a common misconception that weight lifting should only be undertaken when building muscle, however, this is not the case. Lifting moderate to light weights for endurance gains (you should reach muscle exhaustion in 15 repetitions) has been shown to give improvements in muscle metabolic rate, in other words the rate at which your body burns calories. This means that even at rest, your body is a better fat burner, in addition to the improved tone to the look of your muscles.”

Britons waste £37 million a year on unused gym membership, with many growing frustrated as they fail to reach goals. However, if fully understood and utilised, lifting weights could help women up and down the country drop a dress size.

Drop a dress size and get rid of those baggy trousers

“Lifting weights also strengthens muscle and bone but does not mean you will instantly bulk up. Strengthening the bone is an important contribution to reducing the risk of osteoporosis or brittle bone disease. Lifting the right weights can dramatically improve the productivity of a workout regardless of your aim. Just make sure if you are receiving instruction or advice, you do so from a REPs approved instructor, who can ensure you safely and efficiently meet your goals.”

The number of women lifting weights could also dramatically increase considering the shifting ‘ideal body image’. With an abundance of ultra-fit, toned, sculpted Olympians gracing our screen last summer, a recent survey has seen Britons vote Jessica Ennis “best female body”, with 72% of women would now prefer a more athletic figure.

Jessica's multi-disciplinary training gives her this amazing figure and those superb abs

REPs (the Register of Exercise Professionals) is the industry regulator for exercise professionals, setting a benchmark for proficiency within the health industry. They ensure any registered professionals will be sufficiently qualified, ensuring public safety and confidence.

I am not a member of REPs but if you have any questions about weight loss and exercise, then leave a comment below. Right I'm off to do some crunches...

Southsea Fashion Week!

2012-08-24T13:04:00.001+01:00

This is the article I wrote for Portsmouth Life Magazine, but unfortunately it hasn't been released on time, so I'm pushing it out on the old blog for everyone to see. Come to Southsea Fashion Week - shows are taking place this weekend around the city. Tonight I'll be watching from the front row at Portsmouth Cathedral!

Southsea Fashion Week is taking place at the end of August and will be something completely different for local people and visitors to Portsmouth to enjoy.

Intrigued to find out more, we interviewed Briar-Rose Kelleher, director of Southsea Fashion Week to inform us all further.

All photographs are of actual designers who will be headlining the shows.

1. What is Southsea Fashion Week all about?

Southsea Fashion Week is about giving recently graduated designers from

London and South of England a chance to showcase their work and build

their brand. Equally, to raise Southsea's profile within media, commerce

and the fashion industry.

2. What inspired you to set up Southsea Fashion Week?

I am a Designer myself, I know how hard it can be to produce and showcase

a collection on limited funds. Also, historically, Southsea has aligned

itself with Portsmouth and its Naval heritage, it is only in more recent

years with the help of Love Albert Road, Southsea Fest and the regular

Boutique markets that the profile has been raised and branched in Arts &

culture, but not so much into high fashion.

Design by Briar-Rose Kelleher

3. What can we expect to see happening during the week?

Friday and Saturday evening will unveil collections with a particular

focus: At Portsmouth Cathedral on the Friday, Ready to Wear and Demi

Couture collections will walk the runway, with Saturday's show at St

Peter's Church beginning with Haute Couture and ending in the adventurous

and sometimes shocking Avant- Garde. We have tried to cater for all areas

of runway fashion to enable a fluent yet exciting show.

Headliners include Carlotta Actis Barone, Dumpster Couture, MIMI.C and Sef

Farrugia.

The fashion week will end on a high with the SFW Closing party at the Wine

Vaults offering entertainement from live bands and DJs.

Carlotta Actis Barone

4. Who are your hot recommendations for Southsea Fashion Week?

Oh, hard question! Carlotta Actis Barone is a London Fashion Week regular,

for SFW she has put together a capsule collection of her previous work

that I can't wait to see. Also, Boat Khajeenikorn, I didn't think menswear

could excite me so much it is simply stunning! Also, Kayleigh Norman,

Lesley De Freitas, Laura Jane Bailey and Mimi.c from Friday's show and

Melanie Austin, Gerli Liivamagi and Amber Hards from Saturday. Almost

mentioned everyone...

Boat Khajeenikorn

5. How would you describe your own personal style?

Over the past year I have taken a 40 year leap from being a faithful

1940-50's vintage girl to reliving my 90's childhood with rainbow hair,

platform trainers and backpacks.

Carlotta Actis Barone

6. Who are your fashion influences?

In personal style I take influence from 90's films and style, when

designing, my main influences are Alexander McQueen and Gustav Klimt.

Dumpster Avant Garde Headline

7. How do you support local businesses involved in

fashion?

We have the high street fashion, we have great vintage shops but where is

all the high end fashion? There needs to be a market in Southsea for it

which is what local SFW designers such as myself, Dumpster Couture, Nicole

Ford, Jessie Potter, Katie Barrett and Mia Mai are showing.

Kayleigh Norman

To BUY TICKETS (which range from £13 standard to £40 all inclusive FRONT ROW)

purchase via our website www.southseafashionweek.co.uk

Instagram - A year in photos

2012-01-09T20:52:00.002+00:00

If you have an iPhone - you should be well aware of Instagram - best God damn app in the universe...! It makes crappy old pictures look super professional at the tap of a thumb.

And seeing as I haven't been blogging much lately I thought you might like to take a look at my Instagrid. A beautiful box full of a year's worth of Instagram pictures from my phone. What a year it's been. I might sit down and tell you all about it before too long. But maybe some things are better left unsaid ;)

Click here to view all my Instagram photos if you do not have an iPhone

One of my favourite Instagram pictures of the year, my daughter Zoe on the right and her best friend Molly on the left. The moustachioed ones in the background are me, my Mum and your mum before the hormone treatment...

Oh and just because it's January, here's a vid of my singing to cheer you up with...

Happy January and up you're bum. Much love, Headhuntress xxx

Some pictures from Little Johnny Russell's 29th October 2011

2011-11-03T12:37:00.001+00:00

I hosted our first market in a pub last weekend. It was blooming awesome. Great atmosphere - although a little bit dark and in the perfect spot on Albert Road. I couldn't be more pleased.

It was my birthday the night before so I had the hugest hangover...

This is the jewellery I make to sell at the markets I run.

But luckily, hair of the dog was very close to hand!

I'm busy getting ready for the next few markets we have on our agenda. One is a three day event at The Victorian Festival of Christmas. www.christmasfestival.co.uk and the other is the country's biggest free entry indoor market at Portsmouth Guildhall on 20th November. www.boutiquemarket.co.uk

We're back at Little Johnny Russell's on Albert Road on 10th December - can't wait!

Photos From My Last Market

2011-10-06T11:50:00.004+01:00

St Swithun's Church Hall in Southsea is where my market had it's humble beginnings earlier this year. Now I run weekly market's at the Guildhall and I've been asked to host a market at the fantastic Little Johnny Russell's as well as running the grand monthly markets in the Guildhall itself. So it is always lovely when we go back to St Swithun's for my Southsea Boutique Market.

Here are some pictures below that I took at the last market:

The Boutique Market at St Swithun's, Sat 1st Oct

The sun was out but our loyal followers still turned up

Cup of tea?

Mary from Second Best Furniture amidst her emporium

Gareth Bowen strikes a pose behind the Vintage and Very Nice stall

Vintage & More Than Very Nice

Even more Vintage & Very Nice

Fabulous home ware from Vintage & Very Nice

Blanche & Lola's vintage reworked hairclips

Blanche & Lola's brooches, earrings & necklaces

Blanche & Lola bags

Amy, owner of Blanche & Lola

Lily Belle's knitted & handmade bunting

Fleur & Bird's bargain shabby chic fun

Jan owner of Fleur & Bird

Tina surrounded by her handmade creations with local photographer Paula Bailey

Tina clearly cracked a funny

Local artist Richard Oakes & his beautiful partner

Superb art work and books for sale

Retro Rascals

Huge decoupage selection at Retro Rascals

Sarah of Retro Rascals talks to an excited customer

Nanny's Attic is full of exciting trinkets

Morgana's Fudge, undeniably the best fudge in the world

Marie Pousardin and her creations

Love At First Sight with Steve Byrne

Pat Ellerby owner of Love At First Sight

The vintage jumpers went down a treat despite the searing October heat!

Urban Alchemy, stunning handmade jewellery

Add caption

Shabby Chic Arts & Craft

Gorgeous Baby Gifts

Bunch of Baby Vests Anyone?

Cutey cutey cupcake socks

The Perfect Newborn Gift

Amy Swanton and her handmade accessories

Pansy & Cha Cha

You can't help but smile

It just makes you so happy!

Tree Decs by Naive Crafts

Fab & Festive for the home

Lisa from Belle's On Her Toes

Retro Designs by Lisa

Boutique Market Hanmade jewellery is always popular

Our cheeky tea girls love to rearrange, "Let Them Eat Cake" into "Let cake eat them..."

The cheesecake gâteaux's are exceedingly popular

Happy Shoppers

Those cheeky tea girls get more beautiful everytime

Winner of The Boutique Market Vintage Outfit Competition

2011-10-05T10:49:00.000+01:00

Boutique Market Scrabble Rings

Here are the much anticipated photographs from September's Guildhall Boutique Market. As you may remember we were running a competition to award a prize to the person best dressed in a vintage stylee.

Ruby and Izzy Whitmore - "No more pictures please!"

So many people walked through the doors that day, that we ended up being incredibly busy and didn't get a chance to photograph everyone that we wanted to.

Winner Natalie Tompkins looked fantastic decked out in full on charity shop chic

Natalie Tompkins looked truly terrific and the fact that all her clothes were sourced from charity shops in true thrift style - a girl after my own heart, guaranteed her the first prize!

Morgana's Fudge

Pansy and Cha Cha

Jennifer Cook of Pansy and Cha Cha pictured above was wearing a superb dress, which you can't see in this picture, I really wanted to capture her outfit too, but we just ran out of time.

Ruth Gaunt's Jewellery

Zoe rocking vintage 50s bought from Hideout on Albert Road and her Mummy, Boutique Market owner - Abigail

The naughty photographer Johnny Buxton only took a picture of our top halves so you can't see Zoe's super cute 50s dress in all it's glory. It's probably just as well, you couldn't see my pencil dress as I looked more like a marker pen in it.

Bean Vampies in a range of retro and hand printed fabrics

Crochet by Miranda and Bespoke Glassware by Andy Greentree

Retro Rascals sitting amongst groovy decoupaged homeware

Tinker's Tea Cosies

Ian Sutton striking a stirling pose - T-shirt by Phigment, hat "borrowed" from a friend

Shoppers enjoying the Member's Room

Pretty Cushions to add some extra fun to your home

Cute Little Monkeys

Loretta May in a top from TK Maxx had her hair done by sister Leah, while Tilly was sporting vintage stolen from "Mummy's" wardrobe!

Paula Bailey looking strikingly wow in lime green dress with matching bag

Sandra Lohmann looked stunning in vintage dress, handbag and brooch. That fabulous hat is from Etsy

Daryl Bowen from Vintage & Very Nice rocking the vintage britches, hat and stall!

Ruth Gaunt modeling one of her own necklace designs and wearing a French Connection top

Sarah Clay wearing a dress from a stall on Spitalfields Market and Gemma Vaughan in a cute necklace by Tatty Devine and a Topshop skirt

Original art work by Gina Simmons

Lust-Have Objects

Look out for more pictures from the Boutique Market on my main website: www.boutiquemarket.co.uk - the next date is 29th October at Little Johnny Russell's pub on Albert Road, or you can catch me every Friday running a mini-market at Portsmouth Guildhall Cafe.

Boutique Market Vintage Competition

2011-09-14T20:35:00.001+01:00

This Sunday you can visit my fabulous Boutique Market at Portsmouth Guildhall as usual, we are open from 11-3pm.

Vintage Nix

VIntage And Very Nice's Jacket Collection

But as a little extra, whether you are a seller or a shopper - we are asking that you wear vintage this Sunday - you can wear anything from medieval to the 1990s.

You could win two pieces of jewellery of your choice from my stall

Bento box ring - you could choose this!

Johnny and Kirstie rocked the vintage look for their wedding

You also win tea and cake for two served on our gorgeous crockery

The best dressed will win tea and cake for two served on vintage crockery at any one of our markets and two pieces of jewellery of their choice from our stall - Rare Designer Must Haves.

Zoe my little girl rocking vintage stylee at The Boutique Market

It was turquoise ribbons and beige flared boiler suit for Headhuntress aged 6 in 1981

Fast forward to aged 13 in 1990 & it's all about the leather bomber jacket & quiff

Just add a black & white filter for a vintage effect despite sporting a Warehouse maxi dress!

50s style dress spectacularly hidden by a table for Johnny & Kirstie's wedding this year

Sometimes just wearing an ancient bowler hat or a hairpiece is all it takes for a nod to vintage

If you don't like tea you could always have coffee in a pretty coffee cup....

Everyone that we spot looking suitably fabulous - whatever era they may be depicting will have their photograph taken by our professional in-house photographer and published on these pages.

So make sure you come to:

Our Day Out To Vintage London

2011-08-16T19:38:00.000+01:00

I've been working hard on The Boutique Markets so this blog is rather neglected. But I thought I'd share some of the gorgeous pictures we took when I joined up with Love Southsea for a fun day of research at Vintage London.

My daughter and her boyfriend - on the train to Vintage at Southbank

Louise, owner of Love Southsea and Mary, owner of Mindworks Hypnotherapy boarded a train with us dressed in our bestest vintage-esque outfits!

Arriving At Waterloo was like arriving on holiday - the sun was streaming through the rooftop windows ready for a glorious day at Southbank.

Posers unite

I took this picture intending to Instagram it, the red and yellow paint looked so striking against the freshly laid tarmac, like road art graffiti, but not...

Getting closer...

I can see the London Eye!

Oh, to be this young, beautiful and hip...

Can you believe they're not even fifteen years old yet?

iLondon

Could it possibly be this way?

Can anyone see the entrance?

Fiddledy-dee it looks like we made it!

Bargain little nick-nacks

Decoupage madness

Get yer tats out!

Everybody loves this boy

Mary gets a vintage up-do - Victory rolls!

Pop-up vintage tea room

Louise loving the Helter Skelter

Now where can we get a slap up meal?

Ooh, look, retro tourists!

Aching feet and a well earned rest for the young folk

Obviously, I was having far too much fun to take pictures of everything and some of the pictures I took aren't good enough to publish. But we have been truly inspired by our day out, we're bursting with creativity now ready to bring new ideas to our markets.

To find out more about our indoor vintage style markets in Portsmouth and Southsea visit:

www.southsea.me for Southsea and Guildhall Boutique Markets

and

www.lovesouthsea.co.uk

for the stunning indoor vintage style markets at The Square Tower.

Making Time For Music, The Longest Wedding's Acoustic Set

2011-06-28T13:14:00.002+01:00

One of my very dearest and best of friends is getting married in August. She is planning the Longest Wedding Ever. Which was aptly presented with The Longest Invitation Ever. It is going to take no less than three days out of my working week and is not even going to be local. It's in Dorset a good hour and a half in the car.

Kirstie and Johnny are getting wed

She is having a civil ceremony on the Tuesday followed by an outdoor totally romantic and perfect sounding ceremony the next day. While around 150 of her lovely friends and family will all be in attendance as we are all camping. It is nothing short of a Wedding Fest and now that I know that I do not have to take the toddler with me, I am really looking forward to it.

The Venue Roebuck Farm (there will be a marquee and possibly some tents)

In keeping with the outdoor/natural theme, they do not want any electronic music. "In a field full of party people without some banging music? How can that be possible?" Was my reaction.

But really, it is going to be rather nice. Fortunately she knows some brilliant musicians including a bag pipe player and the wonderful Helsinki and although I am rubbish compared to the beautiful talented Hayley Alker, I am going to have a go at an acoustic set. It's so awesome to jam again for the first time in absolutely ages.

So, largely for the benefit of Xyphious and Design:bias here is the acoustic set list we are thinking of!

Heartbeats by The Knife
Kiss by Prince
Portishead - Roads
Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

5. Hey Ya by Outkast but the Blanks version

6. Unintended by Muse

7. Don't Marry Her by The Beautiful South

8.Head Over Heels by Tears For Fears, but this stunning acoustic version:

So, what do you reckon? It's going to be rather wonderful, yes?

Your Opinion Please!

2011-06-15T12:15:00.002+01:00

Here is a poster put together for some A boards. I am just wondering if the swirls between the words look like "&" signs. What do you think?

The general consensus was that the swirls were not looking too great. So here is the finished A board sign:

Back Once Again

2011-06-09T17:37:00.000+01:00

Portsmouth Guildhall, the new venue for my Boutique Market and Rare Designer Must Haves' shop stall

I haven't blogged for an eternity. Largely due to setting up businesses and the end of my marriage. I did not want my blog to be full of strains and pains. I distracted myself. I am back now. Focussed but blurred around the edges. All will be well.

As I am feeling a little uninspired and there is such an awful lot to catch up on. I am just going to add some of my favourite photographs from the last few months to help fill the gaps.

Southsea Seafront at Dusk

Three generations

It took months and many attempts, but we finally got James to the hairdressers

Southsea Bandstand, eerily quiet without band and crowd

Zoe taking on the role of one of Verity's personalities in the play Find Me

Silent Sunday - 13th March 2011

2011-03-13T11:08:00.001+00:00

If you would like to take part in Silent Sunday, one picture, no words. Then click on the button below to see Mocha Beanie Mummy's blog. Here you can also take a look at all the other brilliant pictures without words, leave comments and follow new blogs. Ssssh.

Headhuntress' Music Playlist 10th March 2011

2011-03-10T12:25:00.000+00:00

I haven't given my poor blog any tender loving care for a while. The reason being that I have been
working on my new indoor market, Southsea Boutique Market. But I have been dying to join in with Mumra's playlist, so now;s my chance. If you click the button below, you can join the linky and read other bloggers playlists. It's a great way to find out about other people and it's also a great way for potential new readers to find your blog.

I am obsessed by music and have a very eclectic musical taste. I'm also quite technical in the way that I listen to music and will often get side tracked by the way riffs move and harmonies work before I hear the melodies. This means that when I ever try and sing along to songs that I don't know really well, I get all the words completely wrong. In fact I usually just make my own words up, which has become a running joke amongst my children.

So, Mumra has shared her playlist for the gym. I take my Soulwax, Nite Versions CD to the gym because as well as being brilliant and full of beeps and whizzes, it's really fast pace and gets me running better. I like to do intervals on the treadmill, jog, sprint, jog, sprint, so this really gets me going.

This is a Soulwax mix taken from Youtube. They are blooming brilliant encompassing electronic hyperactivity and a live band. I always try and go to seem them if any of them happen to be playing locally.

I have a ridiculously huge music collection saved on various computers and MP3 players around the house and there's too much to choose from. So I'm going to share some of my favourites from my Youtube account.

I'm also a big fan of Air. I love their melodic low fi sound. I have all their albums, but one of my favourites is the soundtrack to the awesome movie The Virgin Suicides, you can view the video for Playground Love above which just captures the angst and mood of a 70s teenage love in my opinion.

This track, Mans Needs by The Cribs just reminds me of walking into Little Johnny Russells on a summer's evening with girlfriends and needing to dance before we even get to the bar.

The Cure are just completely brilliant, so moody, so cool. I was introduced to this track aged 15 when my friend who was at boarding school in York made me my first mix tape. The Cure are playing Bestival this year, I absolutely cannot wait. It's going to be something else. They have made some great tracks, all of them timeless, but I particularly like this one as it's one their earliest and so ahead of it's time.

Simian make incredible music. Well, I say make, they are no longer together. Such a shame. I play both their albums, Skin and Chemistry over and over. They have a unique sound, terrific melodies that hit the musical spot as far as I'm concerned.

I adore the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and I particularly like a good mash up, nobody does it finer than The Kleptones. They were only introduced to me recently by a friend, but since then I've been hooked. The track above sounds just gorgeous, perfect for a walk on the beach with your ipod playing.

I love the mood of this track. Bouncy yet melodic. Such great production, yes, that means nothing to most people I know. I just feel they have done a great job with the texture of the sounds, contrasting with vocals, guitars and layering. Fantastic.

As a vocalist myself, I hugely admire Minnie Riperton. She absolutely has the best vocalist of all time in my opinion. Controlled, a huge range and none of that Ms Aguilera warbly nonsense. If you are not familiar with this track, you will have heard of her other big belter. "Loving You." If you haven't, then look it up. Your ears will thank you for it.

So, I'm guessing this playlist will be a regular thing, so I'll wind it up for now so i have plenty to share with you next time! Till then I'll leave you with this XX remix of Florence and The Machine's, You Got The Love. I am not a fan of Florence. I admire her work, but I find her a bit shouty, but this track is totally brilliant. Yes it is.

The Kitchen Sink, Silent Sunday 27th February 2011

2011-02-27T09:31:00.000+00:00

If you would like to take part in Silent Sunday, one picture, no words, taken this week. Then click on the button below to see Mocha Beanie Mummy's blog.

Here you can also take a look at all the other brilliant pictures without words, leave comments and follow new blogs. Ssssh.

Silent Sunday - 13th February 2011

2011-02-12T23:51:00.000+00:00

My Meme - Seven Things You Don't Know About Me

2011-02-11T14:30:00.003+00:00

"I've been sent the same meme by @MamaMcCann, @ElsieAnderton and @SuperLuckyDi
I didn't know what a meme is, so I asked a few people. These are the answers I got. I am still none the wiser.

"Meme is a tautology of the word 'me' as a geek-spawn egocentric put- down."

"Abby, a meme is basically an idea or creative thing that flies around the internet at high speed. Mock motivational posters, LOLcats, owls going O RLY, people writing the same shit in their status..."

"Meme stems from the word memetic, which was what scientists jokingly referred to sounds or images which are passed on as a play on the word genetic and it stuck. Coined by Richard Dawkins no less."

So, yes yadda yadda, this is a difficult one, I'm a blogger, I regularly lay my gizzards on the table for all to see but here are seven things you probably don't know about me.

I never brush or comb my hair and I haven't been to a hairdresser in eight years. I snip the ends off when I remember and I dye it myself, because I am basically traumatised after a really revolting haircut that made me look like a small boy back in 2003. I did have my hair cut a few years ago by my tree surgeon (second) ex-husband with his bonsai scissors. I kid you not.

2. My left ear is pierced seven times. The first hole was done properly when I was ten. The other six were done by myself when I was sixteen and clearly going through a self harming goth phase. I also pierced my own nose. It didn't work. I used a normal stud, so when I put the nose stud in, it just sank straight into the massive hole that had been left there.

It was not an attractive look. I swapped it for a hoop, hoping to rock the Lenny Kravitz look, but instead, with my super wide Asian nostrils, I just looked like Miss Piggy. So, it was incredibly short lived. Six months later I stopped wearing all the earrings too.

This man is not my sixteen year old self, but it's a very similar look

3. When I was seventeen and living in Yorkshire I met my first ex-husband. A week later I moved in with him, he lived near Portsmouth. I told him I was twenty and I told my parents I had acquired a scholarship at a stage school in Guildford.

I kept the lie up for about three months, even though everyone sussed me out after about a week. What a big fat liar. It was truly horrible and mortifying, I do not recommend lying to anyone as you always get caught because it's just not the truth, especially elephant sized whoppers like that. Somehow, we stayed together for ten years and we had our first child just before I turned twenty one. I can't believe I am sharing this with you! Unfortunately, we divorced in 2003 coinci-mentally when I had the tragic boy haircut...

Pinocchio was the only person who lied his little arse off and still looked cute

4. Keeping in with the theme of my clearly being an over impulsive spontaneous-ist. I finished my open university exams for Health and Social Care, put my pen down and vowed never to work in that line of work again.

I only got into Social Work so that I can know everything there is to know about it for when it's my turn to take care of my highly dependent sister who has cerebral palsy. I think I probably know a bit too much now. So, anyway, I put down my pen and decided that I would set up my new business. Which has digressed muchly over the last five years, but I think I've found my niche now.

See http://www.boutiquemarket.co.uk to find out more about my business

5. I'm not just into writing. Check out my novel's progress here: Abigail Pallant-Sidaway... I am mad about music too. I don't talk about it much but I am a singer and really hope to find a new band to join soon. Here are a few songs from dodgy rehearsals...

6. I am obsessed by Charlie Kaufman movies. I love a lot of films, the stranger, the darker, the more interesting, the better, such as Tim Burton's and Quentin Tarrantino's offerings. But Charlie Kauffman manages to serve up a little pot of magic with each of his films. He manages to turn huge Hollywood actors into entirely different characters. Think of the beautiful Cameron Diaz in Being John Malkovich:

Yes, this is Cameron Diaz in Being John Malkovich if you haven't seen the film, see it!

His script turned Jim Carrey from a rather annoying over the top comedy genius into a sweet, sensitive complicated character and proved what an incredibly diverse actor he is in Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind. He also created a terrific mind blowing story line which makes me want to watch the film over and over and over and over again. Human Nature with Rhyss Ifans as a feral ape man is also genius as is Adaptation which turns Nicholas Cage into a balding tubby middle aged rather humble man. This reminds me, I have yet to see Synecdoche, New York. His imagination is huge, I wish my brain worked like that.

7. And for my seventh and final snippet of useless information that you might not know about me. Um, what can I write? I can only think of gross things that nobody wants to know, indiscretions I'd rather forget, habits that are best left unspoken of.

Hmm. What can I write that would be interesting that I haven't already said? I'd really like to go into greater depths about music and movies, but that wouldn't really be about me would it? Okay. I want to tell you that my favourite book is White Teeth by Zadie Smith.

But I also want to write something more in depth than that. Alas, I can't think of anything juicier than my previous revelations.

So, I will just tell you that I am a hat and high heel addict. I am usually sporting a cloche hat and platform shoes combination. two different periods of fashion, quite a contrast, which is me, Mrs Ambivelence Contrary-Juxtaposition should be my name. Anyway, I've been buying loads off the high street these last few years. I really am having a fashion moment as cloche hats and platforms are currently in. However, it's a look I have been sporting since my teens and a look I will be sporting for many years to come. It's my Winter outdoor look. It is not suitable attire for the mother of a fourteen year old. It is why I am mutton dressed as spam.

My latest inappropriate footwear purchase

So, in true Meme style, I am tagging seven more bloggers who have not yet been tagged by anone else, apologies if you have already done one of these, if you have, please share your old post with me.

Lowenna @Lowenna her blog: http://www.misscufuffle.co.uk/
Cecelia @imreallife http://homexalien.blogspot.comRory @roridge his blog, well I'm not sure if he has a blog as such, but he can scribble something somewhere I'm sure: http://roridge.com/
Bianca @Chib_ibi http://chibibi-chibibi.blogspot.com/
Erin @Erinehm http://www.mummyandmonkey.co.uk
Maricarr @southseascene http://southseascene.blogspot.com/
Denyse @DJKirby http://djkirkby.co.uk/

Children - The Gallery - Week 43

2011-01-26T08:31:00.000+00:00

This weeks theme for Tara Cain's The Gallery is "Children," which of course creates a huge scope. So I thought I would share this beautiful photo of when I was a ten year old. This was my recorder club, where for some reason I am posing with my clarinet. (I am the Asian one with the Linda McCartney mullet.)

I think we were an incredibly stylish bunch. I was wearing a blue jumper dress with my Mum's blouse for added pizazz and a hot emerald green socks and pointy blue shoes combo. Of course the winner in this photo is the curtains which take away the limelight from all of us.

If you click on the photo of the camera lens coffee mug above, it will take you to the Sticky Fingers blog where you can learn all about The Gallery, where hundreds of bloggers take part in sharing a themed photo from their collection.

Enjoy everyone else's photos, comment and follow new blogs. If you like my blog - then please follow mine too, then let me know and I'll follow you back if I am not already doing so. Have fun!

Stir Crazy - Silent Sunday, 23rd January 2011

2011-01-23T08:47:00.002+00:00

Check out one of my other blog entries here: http://www.abigailmansell.com/2011/01/like-mother-like-son-silent-sunday-32rd.html

Fun At Granny's house - Silent Sunday 16th January 2011

2011-01-16T17:06:00.000+00:00

Creativity and A Tortured Mind - In Response To: Are All Bloggers Mentally Ill?

2011-01-16T11:13:00.002+00:00

Inspired by Imperfect Pages' Musings on Creativity I am writing a blog post that rounds up a few of the thoughts I have been having recently. When I say a few, I mean just that, they are only a few of the thoughts I am sharing with you, because my mind has not shut up at all, it has been on overdrive and I've been Tweeting like a maniac to reflect this usually whilst doing a gazillion other things at the same time. I thought I was going to get away without having the January blues, then a bloody great nasty soul migraine kicked in rendering me useless to even finish this post that I started two weeks ago.

Thoughts about creativity were initially sparked off by The A Residence when she wrote a post about the great community that has been found within Twitter and blogging. I am continuously amazed at how supportive and talented people are within this community. Another post by the brilliant From Marketing to Milk - "Are All Bloggers Mentally Ill?" hit a familiar note with me as I keep seeing depression, tumbling out onto the pages of the most entertaining, sharp witted and hilarious voices, time and time again when I read blogs. I have written before on a similar topic Echoes of Talent in Art and War - Is Talent Genetic? The more blogs I read though, the more sadness and turmoil can be found simmering beneath the surfaces of the people that in turn create the best words and photography who's pages are full of adroitness. All my most creative real life friends are held back at times by crippling depression, huge doses of procrastination or just really bad days where they just can't seem to get anything done. I'm not just talking about a bit of PMT pissy mood time here. I see it in men and women, I see a lot of booze consumed in order to self medicate, I see a lot of prescriptions being handed out. I get a lot of phone calls with nothing but a sniffling sound coming out from the other end. Some of us are better at hiding it than others and some of us are able to share it in such a way that it is almost funny.

One of my friends and I used to really be into the Taoism and the Barefoot Doctor he suggests such meditations as "Scooping the loop," but if we were having a bad day, we'd look at each other or send a text just saying, "I'm scooping the poop." It just summed everything up, including a complete inability to even scoop the loop. There's a lot of people feeling the poo right now. It's January, it's miserable, it's dark out, we're skint and over indulged. January is usually my most creative month. Most of my poetry is written in January, granted it's all a bit Sylvia Plath. It's tortured, it's painful it reflects my inner being and not the happy go lucky person that I usually am. It does not make for light reading, but there's enough of it to make a book. Most people who have read it don't like it very much, it's uncomfortable and probably not very good. When I read it sometimes I feel the same, but there is a place out there for everything and the book is out there.

Sometimes, a soul migraine just takes over, it takes over your everything your very being and you can't remember feeling any other way or imagine feeling any other way. The creativity is hampered, it grinds to a halt, the bed, the sofa, sometimes the floor becomes where it's at. Distress and all those painful experiences we've buried so well bubble up to the surface and just don't want to go away. I think the most creative people are often the most sensitive people. I love people with multi-faceted personalities, they are the most interesting. I don't want to read a blog where every day was the most "perfect" day ever. Where the sun is always shining, where the children are always well behaved, where the writer has a fabulous wardrobe and a doting husband. Yawn. Life is just not like that. It's all the ups and downs we go through that makes us who we are. It's what makes us human beings able to share, nurture and amuse which is why I believe some of the best blogs out there are nourished by creative but tortured minds.

Body Parts - My Tummy, I loathe it, I love It - The Gallery Week 41

2011-01-12T23:32:00.001+00:00

If you click on the photo of the camera lens coffee mug above, it will take you to the Sticky Fingers blog where you can learn all about The Gallery, where hundreds of bloggers take part in sharing a themed photo from their collection. The last theme was "love" you can view my post here. This week, it's a tricky one, body parts. I am sharing with you one of those shots that should never be shared, a joke shot, an embarrassment so I hope you appreciate this Tara Cain! One of those daft pics that are taken on holiday, that you quickly edit from the photo album before you post your pictures on Facebook.

I have a really beautiful shot of my toddler breast feeding, which I wish I was brave enough to share with the world. There aren't enough shots of breast feeding toddlers out there, showing breasts in action, doing what they are supposed to do. Unfortunately because of the taboo inflicted by Western society, I don't feel it fair on my husband to share a shot of my breast with the world.

I would like to talk about my stomach. There's a lot of stomach hate going on at the moment, a lot of us are trying to reduce our tummies after the seasonal overload. I am that's for sure. I would have liked to have posted a shot of my tummy in it's current state, but taking a self portrait isn't very easy and I am sure my husband would think I was a complete loon if I asked him to take a picture of my tummy to share on the internet. So, here is one he took three years ago on Barcelona beach.

I don't like my tummy right now, it hangs at the sides and protrudes further out than my no-longer-breastfeeding breasts. Dizzy grabbed it the other day and went yuk, a fine opinion coming from a toddler, "From the mouths of babes as they say."

But really, my stomach is not something to be despised. it is something to be celebrated. It may be covered in stretch marks and has a line of nigra that's been there for fourteen years since baby number one. When I look at these marks that show up as imperfections, they really are a reminder of what perfection can be. They are the reminders of the beauty of life, which I nurtured and grew within.

I have new marks on my belly, scars from the removal of a fallopian tube that took place two weeks after this, which granted was keyhole surgery and scars from my appendix being removed. Now, that was keyhole as well, but as they couldn't go through the same spot again, I now have an extra large Frankenstein style belly button. My stomach really has let me down on occasions.

I will probably not ever wear a bikini again. But I will not lament. I will celebrate the wonderful people it has created by sharing this shot, for the human body is an amazing thing. I am fascinated by it as I have said before and will always take surreptitious glances at other people's bodies if I think I can get away with it, so I am loving the chance to sneak a peak at everyone else's posts and body parts over at the Sticky Fingers Blog. Thank you Tara!

Belly