The Devon County Show

On Saturday, my mum, grandma and I headed to Westpoint Arena for that most magical of things- The Devon County Show.

Now, if you aren't from a particularly rural area, you may have no idea what one of these strange things is. Basically, a county show is where farmers, producers, the WI, companies, and all manner of people gather from all around the county (in this case, Devon, though they happen everywhere) to show off their wares to as wide an audience as possible. My great-uncle volunteers as a steward at the Show, so we were lucky enough to get three free tickets. We were pretty pleased about this, as at £19 a ticket for an adult, we otherwise may not have gone.

But go we did, so we set off bright and early (as in 8:15am) and drove East from our little village towards Exeter. The day started pretty well, with me finding a Diet Coke bottle with my name on it (bloody brilliant marketing ploy, I didn't even want it but I had to get it). But as we drove out across the moor, we got stuck behind some cows who were out for a morning stroll. (On Monday I got stuck on my way to work in the exact same place behind the exact same cows).  Ahhh Devon!!

We then got stuck in the horrific traffic on the way into the show on the A38- seriously we queued for around an hour to travel probably less than three miles. Not ideal, particularly as we were trying to get to the show in time to see my younger brother play his cornet with the Devon Youth Brass Band. This was actually the only low point of the day, as we ended up missing about half of their set, despite leaving home two hours before they were due to play (it's normally just over an hour's journey, I do it every day for work).

But soon enough we got into the show ground, and dashed to the bandstand just in time to hear them play an arrangement of Coldplay's Viva La Vida (which sounds weird but works amazingly) and catch our breath in the sunshine.

Once we'd fulfilled our duty as loving family members and listened to the end of their set, we were free to explore the Show- and explore we did...

No idea why she was dressed like this.

There is something so classically British about something like this. Helter-skelters, ferris wheels, and candy floss just make me feel like a child all over again. This is mostly because of Goose Fair, which I'll explain more about when it happens in October.

The main reason I go to these things is for the food. I mean come on, where else can you get Oreo and Irn Bru flavoured fudge?!

Inside the actual food tent, mum and I worked our way around the entire thing. Twice. And when we momentarily lost my grandmother, we found her at the bar sampling cider. Top lady!!

Would it be Devon without copious amounts of scrumpy (cider)? I think not...

There is always a lot of cheese at these shows. And this one really went for it...

I was clearly very happy about the cheese. Sorry.

I also love the tent hosting the flower-arranging competitions (I don't recommend this if you have hayfever)- just look at how creative they were!!

It's a sheep made of CAULIFLOWER!

Though of course, animal shows still feature heavily here. Just check out some of these cuties...!

But the heavy machinery is still a pretty big deal. Massey-Ferguson is the height of cool around these here parts...! 

So after all of that, we headed home with empty pockets and lots of delicious goodies (including raspberry lemonade, sea-salted fudge, and an incredibly cherry pie).  

Seriously, if there is a county show near you- or even just a little local town show- I can't recommend it enough. Mostly because in my experience, there are always a lot of free samples of cider, fudge, and cheese.

The Umbrella Collective: Up-Cycling Cups and Saucers

Time is passing too quickly these days. I don't understand how it's Tuesday again, I really don't. 

So before I start on this week's Umbrella Collective post, I just want to say that I don't know how much I'll be posting over the next few days. I definitely WANT to, but I currently don't have a lot of time. What with being out of the house 11 hours a day for work and having to get 7 hours sleep a night (or I'm the worst person to be around), on top of other general actual life things, I really don't have that much spare time at the moment to write here and read other blogs. So please bear with me, fingers crossed things will be back to some sort of normality next week.

ANYWAY. Back to the actual post.

Rhiannon came up with the idea for this Umbrella Collective challenge- she, Amy, Laura and I had to UPCYCLE something.

I'm guessing you already know what upcycling is, but if not, it's where you take something you already have and alter it to make something all cool and new. Which is where of course I failed as I went out and bought the bits I needed especially for this post. (Have I ever actually followed the rules for one of these challenges? Here are all the past posts if you want to check)

I'm actually pretty good at throwing away things I don't use- I sort of follow that rule that you should never have anything in your home which isn't either beautiful or useful- so at first, I had no idea what to make. But then I remembered this post on Design Mom and having seen similar things on Pinterest, thought that something along those lines would be good.

Now if you haven't actually clicked on that link (and I wouldn't blame you, I often don't til I've read the whole post...) what I'm referring to is the idea of drawing on a plain mug/ plate/ cup/ bowl etc with a Sharpie (other brands of permanent marker are available) to create a whole new, pretty much unique, item. 

So that's what I did! And if you'd like to do similar, here are some instructions...

To begin, get a plain white plate, mug, bowl, or (in my case, and aptly given the blog title) a cup and saucer. This set was £3 from Tesco but you can blatantly get them cheaper than that as they aren't even Tesco Value. Keep your eyes peeled for bargains!

Then... get creative with your Sharpies!! I think they have to be permanent markers- well, let's face it, we all know that ordinary felt tip pens wouldn't work.

My original plan was to write quotes around them, and I spent ages thinking of lines from poems and books that I liked. I actually wrote "There is no problem so great or so grave that cannot be greatly diminished by a nice cup of tea" on one, then decided against it- and if you do that, warm soapy water will get rid of it at this point.

Eventually, I decided on this design- isn't it cute!? (Even if I do say so myself) And I was pretty proud, because something as simple as this is difficult to mess up, even if you are as artistically challenged as I am.

I originally liked the idea of two different designs, but loved this one so much I stuck with it, but in a different colour, for cup and saucer number two...

Once you are 100% happy with your design, pop your items onto a baking tray in the oven, and bake at 180C for 30 minutes- I brought mine up to temperature with the oven (still only leaving them in there for 30 minutes) because I was afraid of them cracking- but I'm not sure that this is actually a problem. And if you want to make absolutely certain that your design will stick, spray with some sort of sealant. I didn't do this so have no wisdom other than this. Sorry.

Then, when they've been in the oven for 30 minutes, take out carefully (no smashed crockery please) and leave them to cool completely before filling with tea.

And if you want to give someone you love a surprise, pop a little design in the bottom of the cup! I once saw  a mug with "Marry Me" written in the bottom on Pinterest. Future Husband, if you're reading, that's a bloody stellar idea and I probably wouldn't say no. 

So there we have it! My attempt at upcycling- and I think I succeeded, as I made my plain white cups and saucers much prettier than they were before. What do you think though? 

Don't forget to look at Rhiannon, Amy, AND Laura's posts to see what they made- I'm sure they're far more creative than my attempt!

Happiness Is... (Vol.16)

So after yesterday's ranty post, we're back on slightly more positive territory. 

(Nonetheless, it's great to know that lots of you agreed that the campaign is really rather stupid)

This week is going to be a really busy one- we have visitors from The North (well, Manchester. Which is North in my book, and I was born there so I'm allowed to say that) coming on Thursday and staying for the weekend, so we're in "let's get ready for visitors" mode here at CupAndSaucer HQ.

However, fingers crossed that I'll still have some time for blogging- though to be honest, while I've been able to still post regularly, recently I've been struggling to keep up with reading all of your lovely blogs. So if you could all take a little blogging break at the same time, to give me a chance to catch up, that'd be wonderful.

But anyway- let's get down to what we're all here for. At the moment, happiness is...

.... moments like this. Tea, kitchen, stripes, laptop. Good.

... making cakes for friends. When I wasn't cleaning on Sunday, I was baking for some lovely people- one cake for D, a member of our pub quiz team (and a policeman, oo-er), and another for my favourite work colleague. Making cake for yourself is great, but there's something extra nice about baking for a friend. Even if it does mean stopping yourself from eating the cake until you've given it to them.

... weekends without hangovers. I tend not to drink particularly huge amounts anyway, but when I drink more than two glasses of wine, I feel awful the next day. Which is mostly why I don't drink in the first place, but I do appreciate having a full weekend of not feeling like I'm about to die.

... food shops which look like this. In addition to the super-healthiness of all the fruit and veg, I was particularly pleased about the 80p blueberries and 4 avocados for 70p. (Don't worry, I still have an enormous stash of chocolate at home!!)

... a very tidy room. My room kind of doubles up at the guest room (the downside of having the biggest room in the house), so in preparation for The Northerners I've had to clean it to within an inch of it's life. No doubt by Wednesday evening I'll need to tidy it again, but at the moment I'm loving the smell of polish and the fact my clothes are all in the wardrobe, not on the floor/ bed/ desk/ chair etc etc.

So that's my list for the week! What's making you happy at the moment?

So THAT'S My Role In Society Then?

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll have already seen me ranting a bit about this yesterday, but bear with me.

From here

As Mama CupAndSaucer and I were heading to the Devon County Show yesterday (more on that at some point in the week), the news came on BBC Radio 2 (the only radio station I listen to), so we of course turned the radio up. And for our efforts, we were greeted with "And finally, Kate Garraway is backing a campaign to encourage women to have children at a younger age". The rest of the bulletin basically said that because women are working on their careers first, they are "sleepwalking into infertility" so should make sure they have children at a young age.

Er, what!? 

According to this bulletin, having children should be my main priority. And by extension, this is saying that this is my role in society. (Yes, that might be an overreaction, but that was my first reaction and I'm sticking with it)

What the actual hell?!

This is the image being used for the campaign- Kate Garraway made up as a pregnant 70 year old.

I do appreciate that there are massive risks associated with having children later in life- while our lifestyles may have changed so that we do grown-up things at a later age, our biological clocks have not. I do not dispute the fact that you are far more likely to have complications or difficulties getting pregnant if you wait until you're older to get pregnant- it's a fact. However, I also know a girl from school, who had a baby at 18 who has Down's Syndrome- something which is more commonly associated with older mothers. People have complications in pregnancy and childbirth at all ages. So having children young doesn't automatically mean it will be smooth or easy, and certainly doesn't mean that nothing will go wrong.

And how dare Kate Garroway, who had her own children at 38 and 42, tell me that I should be having children now? She has no right- she may have wished she had her kids earlier, but the fact that she managed to have children over the age of 30, by IVF or not (I have no idea, and couldn't care less), kind of negates her whole campaign.

And why should I have children at all!? One of the fantastic things about being a woman in the 21st century is the fact that we have options when it comes to having children- we may still sort of be expected to, but we don't have to. And to me, this campaign is going back to a 1930s and 1940s French pronatalist view (I studied this a LOT at uni) that young women have a duty to have children.

I do want to have children, at some point, but if and when I do, it will be when I am ready!! I'm certainly not ready now. For one thing, I am not in a stable relationship- I'm not in any relationship- and personally, I would prefer to be in a stable relationship when I have children. Not to mention the fact that it takes two people to make a baby and all that (ask your parents). And I certainly do not feel responsible enough for children- I live at home, I couldn't afford children on the salary I'm on (well, I could, but I'd prefer to be earning more when I have kids), and I am just generally not ready for kids.

Right now, having children isn't my priority. Making myself stop feeling like a child is my priority. Like most other 20-something women, I am well aware of the fact that the longer I leave it, the more difficulties I may have when it comes to getting pregnant. But that still doesn't mean I'm going to rush into something I'm not prepared for. And anyway- science is pretty awesome these days. I'm not relying on IVF, but this report comes the day after the biggest IVF breakthrough in 30 years, which is a bit stupid, really. And if I can't have children biologically, what the hell is wrong with adoption?!

Basically, the 10 second bulletin reduced me to tears, made me angry, made me feel like a failure for not being in a relationship, and made me panic that I'll never have children. Good going, campaign managers. You have alienated the very person you were trying to target. It has probably also pissed off everyone who has ever struggled to have children at any age.

All in all, a resounding success.

Guess Who's Going On Holiday....

... Oh yeah, THAT'D BE ME!!

The other night, my friend and I finally got our acts together and booked our flights. So in around five weeks (EEK) the beautiful M and I will be jetting off to Thailand for a fortnight!

Image from here

We are so excited to just be somewhere that isn't England right about now. I need to be somewhere that is mine. (And M's, obviously)

I have a hell of a lot to organise before then. And I am going to enlist your help. We are going to Thailand because M's friend S lives out there teaching English at the moment- M is flying out a week before me so she can spend some quality time with S, then M and I will continue. However- for some reason, we believed that S lived in Bangkok, and booked our flights accordingly- turns out she lives in the South, so we each have to make our own way down there. Gulp. We are thinking that we will fly down- but that means getting across from one Bangkok airport to the other. Have any of you done this before? Can you offer any tips?

We also need to decide precisely where we're going to go. We're thinking somewhere southern, then back up to Bangkok for a few days before flying home. Where in the South would be good to go, that isn't wildly touristy?! Does such a place exist?!

I also need to do the boring things like sorting vaccinations (ASAP I know!), organising travel insurance, sorting currency out and so on and so forth.

But for now- clothes shopping!! I need a LOT of new summery clothes for this trip, as I currently have none- it's not my fault, we haven't had a summer for about five years! (Or when we have had two weeks of sunshine, I've been cooped up in the library revising for A-Levels/ my degree. Rubbish). So here are some things I am currently coveting...

New Look/ ASOS/ Zara/ Zara

Topshop/ Mango/ Mango/ Topshop

My friend L is going to Portugal while I'm in Thailand, so we're going holiday-clothes shopping next weekend- I'm hoping to pick up some of these beauties, particularly a red bikini of some description.

... And I know way back here I said that I was happy with my body and now I feel like a massive hypocrite for doing the 30 Day Shred (I'm only on like day 3, and I've forgotten how not-aching feels). But M does triathlons, plays water polo, runs half marathons and is generally superwoman. So I am doing this to make myself feel confident stood next to her in very few clothes- not because I think I should look like her. And I am happy with my body. If I were whisked off today, I would wear a bikini- but this way, I will do it and really not care. I also have this on my desk at the moment (I am so guilty of eating through boredom, I need a reminder not to do it)

From The Londoner

That said, last night I went out for a massive three-course supper (involving baked Camembert) to celebrate my not-so-little brother finishing university (my mum still can't believe all three of her children are university graduates), and today I'm off to the Devon County Show so am bound to eat silly amounts there. Clearly I'm not taking this that seriously!!

Do you have any holiday plans? Or Thailand tips?!

An Idiot's Guide To Dealing With Idiots

Let's face it- people are idiots.

For the purpose of this post, I'm taking "idiot" to mean "a person who is just really annoying in any way shape or form". And I am including myself in this- hence the apostrophe in the first "Idiot's"- I am an idiot, this is my guide. GRAMMAR IS IMPORTANT PEOPLE.

From here

There are certainly a LOT of lovely people out there- but come on. We've all been confronted with someone who just really grinds your gears. I seem to come across these silly people rather a lot, and given that it's getting to the time of year when university is finishing and people are having to join The Real World, or are getting ready to start university, I thought I'd produce a little guide to dealing with those ridiculous people, as you may soon start to encounter them too.

In life, we are always going to come across people we don't get on with, or who are frankly idiotic. So here is The Idiot's Guide To Dealing With Idiots. And this is coming from a girl who really doesn't suffer fools gladly, and who can be quite intolerant (I am working on it, I know it's a terrible trait).

1. Invest in headphones. Whether you are in the library, in the office, or in a coffee shop, there will always be someone around who is shouting far to loudly about their awkward opinions on something they probably know very little about, or giving a running commentary of everything they are doing. People. Headphones are your friend. 

2. Learn to hold your tongue. More often than not, it just isn't worth the energy arguing with a person who is certain they're right when you know that they are wrong. Just smile, go "Oh really?" and carry on doing what you were doing before.

3. Perfect the eye roll (with your back to them). Fairly self explanatory. I'm lucky enough to sit with my back to most of the office, so when someone is being ridiculous, I can just roll my eyes at my screen and ignore them.

4. Learn to change the subject. For example: on Thursday, I was chattering to a work colleague who I get on really well with. We're both off on exciting holidays soon (more on mine soon!) and were having a gossip about this. From the other end of the room, another colleague pipes up "Ooh, Thailand Alice? How much is that costing you then?". Frankly, I couldn't get over how rude this was- I would never DREAM of asking someone how much their holiday cost. And this wasn't coming from a colleague I get on well with and I felt comfortable sharing my personal finances with. Le sigh. So I just answered "Oh a fair bit" and changed the subject very quickly to flights on little planes. Back in safe territory.

5. Do not bitch about them. You never know- the person you're moaning at could really like the idiot. Remember- just because you think someone is stupid, doesn't mean everyone else agrees (I know people who have got into very hot water by forgetting this one).

6. Let others bitch about them. However. If someone comes up to you and bitches about the really annoying person in your halls/ class, feel free to nod along, knowing that you aren't the only one who wants to rip your own arm off just so you have something to throw at the silly person whinging about the fact that it's warm after our 11 month winter.

7. Learn to stand up for yourself (politely). This one is particularly relevant for students. At university, group work will happen. Why, I'm not sure- in my opinion, it is not a valid means of assessment as there is always one person who doesn't pull their weight, or even worse, takes credit for the work you've done. Learn to say "You know what Frank, your name isn't going on the report because you didn't contribute"- and have a natter to your lecturer about it. Or your line manager if this happens at work.

8. Remember- everyone is different. Just remind yourself that they have different opinions to you, and that they are entitled to these opinions. And choose to ignore them, if you think they're wrong- some people will not be told, and as I've said before, trying to convince them otherwise really isn't worth the effort sometimes.

9. Smile sweetly and carry on. Literally the only thing you can do sometimes. Walking out of the room is also permitted.

10. Sarcasm is your friend. Last and by no means least- sarcasm. If you get good at this, the person won't even know you're being sarky. This has saved my sanity on more than one occasion. 

I know this is all really self explanatory, however, it really might make a difference to how you feel. And remember- you can always rant about it on Twitter if all else fails.

From here

Why I Started My Blog

A little while ago, the absolutely brilliant Bella of "How Does It Feel To..." tagged me after she wrote a post on why she started her blog. And being the massive fail that I am at the moment, I read her post, got all excited, then forgot to do my own. Seriously, I am a massive mess at the moment.

Image from here. Did you know images from the Hubble Telescope are in the public domain, so you could legally have them blown up into a print or something?

Then the other day, I Kate wrote a post on this after being tagged by Amy (Keeping up? Good) and it reminded me that I needed to take part.

So here we go! Here are my reasons for starting my blog:

1. I have no life. I am mostly joking here, but not really. I finished uni last June, and moved home. In October, my boyfriend broke up with me. And suddenly, I found myself working and with weekends to fill. Now I've mentioned before that I live in a pretty rural area, and there isn't all that much to do. So one of my reasons for starting this was to force myself to get out there and do things, as I'd have to write about them. And it seems to work!

2. For the community. This was both a reason for starting and an amazing side effect of blogging. When I left school I lost touch with a lot of people (some deliberately) and most of my friends no longer live in Devon, or never did in the first place (side-eye uni friends... SO inconvenient of you to live far away). I had heard a little bit about the blogging community and thought that it might be a good way of getting to chatter to some new people (oh my god this sounds so ridiculously cringey!!). But I had no idea how wonderful everyone is. You are all awesome!!

3. To have an excuse to take ten million photos. In my first year of uni, I became our halls' unofficial photographer. I took pictures of everything and absolutely bloody loved it. But I kind of got out of the habit of it after people jokingly made fun of me for it, and really missed having snapshots of everything. This way, I get to whack out my camera (ahem, iPhone... every picture on the blog is taken on my phone. #sorrynotsorry) and snap away. 

4. To inflict my ramblings on a whole new audience. This is kind of self explanatory. I think most people get bored of my ramblings pretty quickly but you guys just can sit there are take it. Also, I like to rant a bit, and while I haven't done this much just yet, I'm sure I will soon enough. Be warned- I can be opinionated.

Aaaand I think they are my main reasons for blogging!! Why did you start?