Festive Favourites!

Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly, Fa-La-La-La-La-La-La-La!

It's 8 Days until Christmas, and the LBLC are feeling festive. So lovely Louise decided a Festive Favourites post was in order. Which makes me happy. I bloody LOVE Christmas! It's so beautiful, colourful and bright, and I take huge amounts of pleasure in watching other people open their gifts. I love the smiles on their faces! 

So without further ado, here are my...

Favourite Christmas Carol

I am not a religious person, but there is something about "O Come All Ye Faithful" which resonates with me. It's hauntingly beautiful, and one day I would love to go to a big carol concert and hear it. 

Favourite Christmas Song

Now this is a tough one! I am a mega fan of Christmas songs. I've had the music channels on pretty much every day since the 1st December! I think I can narrow it down to three. Which is not the objective here at all. I fail heh. Still. 3 you will get!

Darlene Love - All Alone On Christmas

It's totally underrated, and makes me feel so festive! 

Queen - Thank God It's Christmas

I love Queen, and this is a corker. I haven't seen much of it on the music channels this year though :(

Slade - Merry Xmas Everybody

This song is very bittersweet for me. I've loved it since I was a little girl. My family are all very into Christmas, and none more so than my Uncle Nick. He was Mr Christmas. It took him days to decorate the house, and it always looked amazing. This was his favourite. We lost him to cancer in 2006, but I think of him every time I hear it. 

Favourite Christmas Film

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. It doesn't matter how many times I see it, it leaves me in hysterics! 

Favourite Christmas Tradition

When my brother and I were small, the "fairies" used to come overnight and decorate the house for Christmas. On the tree, there was a Robin. He used to watch us, and on Christmas Eve he would fly off to Father Christmas to tell him if we had been good or not. It was an inspired idea on my parents' part, as it made sure we were good in December! One year, they forgot to take him off. Oh the trauma!! We were inconsolable thinking Father Christmas wouldn't come! Now I decorate the tree, and the Robin still watches to make sure everyone is good. And if they are, he flies away on Christmas Eve ;)

Favourite Christmas Present

This is another toughie! As a little person, it would have to be my pram. It was burgundy and beautiful. I was so proud, strutting up and down the street outside our flat! It's on video somewhere *cringe*. As a more grown up person, it would have to be my bottle of Chanel No.5. I felt truly grown up and sophisticated! 

Favourite Christmas Craft

It is only this year that I have started a craft. I always thought I was hopeless at anything crafty, but this year I have taken up crochet and I'm really enjoying it. I am working on Christmas presents at the moment - almost done though! 

Favourite Christmas Food

I love ALL THE FOOD! Haha! I have to go with the Turkey here. My Dad randomly watched a Delia Smith programme years and years ago, on preparing a turkey. He's done it her way ever since, and it is beautiful. And artery clogging! Nom. 

Favourite Christmas Recipe

Again, Delia's Christmas Turkey. Line a tin with foil. Stuff the bird at both ends, one with sausagemeat and one with sage and onion. Smother it with a slab of butter, and cover it in nice cuts of bacon. Build a foil tent over the top, and put it in the oven on a slow heat overnight on Christmas Eve. When we get up in the morning, the smell is divine! We take the bacon off mid morning and munch on that, then the oven is turned up ready to finish it off. It is so flavourful and tender and yummy!

Favourite Christmas Drink

I can't drink alcohol, so my favourite soft drink is J20 Glitter Berry. I can't get enough of the stuff! It's so pretty as well. I like glitter! A special mention also goes out to Orange Hot Chocolate and Mint Hot Chocolate. Lovely stuff. 

So there you have my festive favourites! I would love to hear yours; if you are taking part in this tag, leave a comment with the URL and I'll be sure to stop by! 

An Anniversary... (or should that be an Ankleversary?)

That I don't particularly care for, but is there all the same, passed this weekend. 

Two years ago, on the first weekend in December, I dislocated my ankle on a night out. I was in an eighties club, spinning right round to "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) by Dead or Alive. Only all of a sudden, I wasn't spinning any more, I was slamming into a wall. Ooops. Not thinking too much of it, I relocated it, spent the rest of the night sat down with some ice, then was helped to the cab to go home. Where I just ignored it and went to bed haha! 

The next morning (afternoon... ssh), I got up and was bullied into going to A&E by many family members, who suspected a break. It was all shades of black purple and blue, and very swollen, which is quite unusual for me. I don't tend to swell much. So under protest, off I trotted. The doctor almost fell over when I told her that not only was I stone cold sober at the time I hurt it, I was also in flat shoes. "The unluckiest girl in the world", she said. The X-Ray showed no break (which is very unusual when an ankle dislocates. Unless you're a bendy!), but noting my previous history and the lack of stability, she referred me through to fracture clinic the next day and I was banned from weight bearing. By this point I knew exactly what was coming next...

Plastered, up to the knee. Just in time for Christmas. Perfect timing. Although the Plaster Room staff at my local hospital are bloody brilliant. They are so cheerful, and try to make the best of a bad situation for everyone. So my pretty pink plaster cast was absolutely smothered in glitter! It was as pretty an accessory as it could have been.

My follow up appointment after a few weeks in plaster was a very frustrating appointment, and it was only the fact that I stood my ground which meant a further follow up appointment was made. Unfortunately the clinic was very busy, and after another X-Ray I saw a different Doctor. Who was very unpleasant, refused to believe I had dislocated my ankle and was disgusted that they had wasted time putting me in plaster. He agreed to make a 6 week follow up, but was expecting me to not need it.

Needless to say, I did. I was then referred to the ankle surgeons for an urgent MRI scan, where they discovered that I had totally ruptured my ATFL. In your face, Dr who basically told me I was wasting their time and resources! By this time it was July. I was in surgery a week later. Unfortunately, the ligament was beyond repair, so a graft was taken from another piece of tissue. 

I dutifully did everything I was told, did my physio exercises, but my ankle was still totally unstable. So much so, that when I put weight on it, my ankle bones were touching the floor. This has had a major effect on the rest of my body, and really was the first step on the downward spiral I have gone through with my EDS in the last two years. At my next follow up, I was referred for the radioactive scan, and it was established from those results that I would need a permanent orthotic, known as an AFO. 

I have been using my AFO now for almost a month, and it is helping to stop my ankle running away. It tries to, but there is a big whack of zebra print plastic in the way stopping it. It is still painful, but there is a definite improvement in my frame walking, which is great! 

So how did I decide to mark this anniversary? I was all set to go out for an evening with friends on Saturday, and then make my front room all festive and pretty on Sunday. 

My body clearly had other ideas. I turned my head and kind of left my body behind (epic proprioception fail!), and my neck made a spectacular crunch. Instant agony, pressure in my head, dizziness when I move my neck and pain shooting into my shoulder. It triggered a migraine on Friday (interesting link made there!) which left me in tears. I hate crying about pain, it just grinds my gears. So bang went all my plans. I spent Saturday evening watching Pirates of The Caribbean with the Uberman instead, which was lovely. Sunday morning I was relegated to the sofa while everyone worked around me. That made me quite sad. I love arranging the ornaments in the cabinets, sorting out the fireplace and the garlands. I sat watching everyone else do it, and feeling thoroughly miserable and useless. My real domain though, is my Christmas Tree. I love doing the tree - for me, it is the one thing that means Christmas is on it's way. So I insisted I would be doing the tree. A chair was brought over, and although it took a lot longer than usual, my tree now looks pretty and twinkly. Huzzah! 

So after all that exertion, and a night of very little sleep, I decided a visit to the GP was in order. Every muscle in my neck has gone into a big spasm, so I am now in the early stages of floating on a haze of muscle relaxants. Eep. As long as it helps them settle down, I will settle for being a zombie. I am also under strict orders that if there is any change in sensation or pain level, I go to A&E straight away. Bleh. 

So yes. The first weekend in December is not my friend it would seem! However. The festive season has begun. For this reason, I am happy today even though health wise, things are pretty crappy.

In the battle of happy vs crappy, today's winner is happy. 

I Love Autumn Tag

I have been tagged by the lovely Keshia at Kesizzle's Korner in a post to tell you what I love about Autumn. I cannot lie, I am not Autumn's biggest fangirl. It heralds the fact that Winter is Coming. Eep. There are some things I like though. So without further ado...

1. Favourite Autumn Lip Product?

I am not a major user of lip colours, so my main product is lip balm,to stop chapped lips as the weather gets colder and windier. I used to use Honey Trap by Lush, which I adore, but I'm on the hunt for something a bit less expensive but still animal friendly. Any recommendations?

2. Favourite Autumn Nail Colour?

I don't usually stick to seasons when it comes to Nail Polish. If I fancy wearing a certain colour I will, whether it is in season or not haha! Rebel! However, I liked wearing Color Club - Sparkle and Soar as my Halloween week polish. It is a beautiful bright orange with a golden shimmer through it, which suited Halloween orange but also Autumn leaves. Berry Smoothie by George at Asda is also a lovely polish which suits the end of Autumn and beginning of Winter. 

3. Favourite Autumn Candle Wax Tart?

I am not really allowed to burn candles at home, so I have an electric wax tart burner. I am currently burning a Cherry Cola tart from Candlewick Greens which is lovely, but once it is spent then I am planning to move on to more seasonal scents - Christmassy smells, Cherry Pie, Shortbread... Mmmm... The only downside is, these tarts are so strongly scented that they take forever to burn out!

5. Favourite Autumn Drink?

Hot Chocolate. With cream and marshmallows. Preferably with a shot of orange syrup as well. Yum! It is lovely and relaxing. Soothes and warms you up when you've been out in the cold. Lovely! 

6. Favourite Autumn Scarf or Accessory?

I have a lovely scarf from Tesco with owls on, which I really love. I am wearing it a lot, trying to save my knitted scarves and bits until it's really cold. It's warm enough without being suffocating, meaning I can wear it indoors and outdoors. Lovely jubbly. 

7. Favourite Autumn Hair Style?

I don't tend to change my hair for the seasons. It is usually down and straight. Exciting huh?!

8. Favourite Autumn Activity?

I like going to Garden Centres with my Dad to see what new Christmas decorations are out there each year. Going to see the pretties has been a tradition since I was a small thing, and it doesn't change! I love it. 

9.  Favourite Thing About Autumn?

I like the colours the leaves turn before they drop. The beautiful shades of orange, red, yellow and gold. They reach such beautiful heights before they die off, it is a bit melancholy really. 

10. Best Autumn Memory?

When I was smaller, and before we got the huuuuuge shed that now takes up a big chunk of the garden, we used to have lots of people over for fireworks. It was always a fun evening. One of my favourites was probably totally not safe, but still makes me chuckle. The men used to compete with each other as to who could bring the biggest firework... take from that what you will ;)! One year there was a firework that had multiple single shots, over 100 of them. Only, it was lit, and they all went off together. There was a huge bang, and bits of plastic and paper EVERYWHERE. We were still finding bits two or three years later. It still makes us laugh even now! 

11. Hottest Autumn Trend?

I am really liking the baroque printed skinny jeans around at the moment. So much so, I bought a pair yesterday. I haven't tried them on yet though. Also, the knitwear trends are amazing this year! I have a grey jumper with a penguin on which I adore. 

12. Tag 4 Favourite Bloggers!

4 of my fave bloggers have already been tagged, so I only have one more - the lovely Allison!

So that's my Autumn post done! Tell me what you love about Autumn - feel free to use the tag but leave me a link so I can read your favourites! 

It's Late on a Thursday Night...

...and since the local Legion closed, I have found myself with nothing to do on a Thursday evening. I used to call Bingo there. Sometimes it drove me absolutely scatty, but most of the time it was great fun, and while I don't necessarily miss the place, I do miss the people and the fun we had. 

So Thursdays have gone from being permanently occupied to perpetually vacant. Which I am still getting used to. I am not used to having this time spare, so finding something to fill it with is taking time, trial and error. Tonight has been Christmas Crocheting. I am making some presents this year, and I am really loving seeing them come together. I hope their recipients like them! It was all going swimmingly until I subluxed my left collarbone this evening. It is the first time I have done that, and it hurt. I feel a bit sick from it still. Ice is not doing a huge deal. I feel another uncomfortable night coming on. 

I haven't slept well now for a while. There was a brief respite last week, where I had a wee adventure and left myself exhausted, but then back into the cycle of no sleep/extreme fatigue/no sleep and so on. I've almost forgotten what it was like to go to bed and sleep well. Being comfortable is a huge part of it. I have been struggling with my shoulders (left in particular) for a while now, and being unable to sleep on my back is leaving me with no option but to lay on sore shoulders. Which = waking up sore to turn over. Repeat eleventyeight times and the night turns into the day before you know it. Morning rolls around, and I'm so tired from the crap night that I finally crash out, wasting the morning. So any bendy tips on comfort when sleeping would be most gratefully appreciated! 

I am aware I have been absent again, and for that I apologise. The last few weeks have been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, which I will go into in a different post. I didn't want to clog this place up with pure negativity, so I was waiting until I could see the bright side before I let the world know about it! I am almost there, so I feel like I can start posting things again without being too much of a negative Nancy. 

Having read this back, it has been a bit negative, whoops! Sorry about that. The crochet stuff is positive though. It's keeping me occupied and it's gratifying to see something I have made with love for someone come together. I have never found a craft that I have been any good at before, and whilst I am still not very good at it, I am improving, and I am really really enjoying it! Huzzah xD 

Right, I'm off to change my icepack and get in my jamas. If you have come back for another read after a bit of a break, then thank you, you lovely person you! I won't leave it so long next time *promise*

Nostalgia Q&A: A Brief Journey Through The Childhood Of Aporia

It's been a long time since a joint LBLC post, and I have to say that the theme of this one is probably my favourite so far! 

"There is no land like the land of your childhood"

- Michael Powell

"We carry our childhood with us"

- Gary D Schmidt

"If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older"

- Tom Stoppard

I have never wanted to grow up. I still love the things I loved as a child, and I revisit them every now and then. Especially when I'm feeling low - they brighten my day and put a smile on my face. It's really exciting to be able to share them with you! So without further ado... welcome to the favourites of my childhood! 

Books

I was a huge reader as a child. I worked my way through so many books, spending hours in the library choosing them. It has been really hard to narrow this category down! I've chosen 5, but there are many many more...

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

(Sweet Valley High) Return of the Evil Twin by Francine Pascal

What Katy Did by Susan M Coolidge

White Boots - Noel Streatfeild

There are so many more I wanted to include in this list! I have a lot of them on my E-Reader, and I have a feeling I will be revisiting them soon! 

TV Programmes

I had, and still have, a HUGE love for Rainbow. I collect Zippy memorabilia! It was my absolute favourite, and still brings a smile to my face when I see it now. 

Other favourites included:

Fun House

The Crystal Maze

The Raggy Dolls

Spot the Dog

Knightmare

It occurred to me recently that my love for The Raggy Dolls has a huge amount of irony. There is a character called Lucy who is made with faulty thread, which means her arms and legs fly off at random intervals. Sound familiar? Bendy readers will get this one! 

Music

As a tiny thing, I had a real thing for Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up. As I got older, like Sizzle and Louise I got very into the Spice Girls. Who Do You Think You Are was my top Spice Girls song! 

Other favourites of mine were:

A1 - Ready Or Not

B*Witched - C'est La Vie

5ive - Keep On Movin'

Bon Jovi - It's My Life

Texas - Summer Son

Nowadays my taste has completely changed, but when I hear these I still sing along!

Films

I was a big Disney fan, but my favourites are not what you would usually expect - Mary Poppins and The Sword In The Stone are my top two. Closely followed by Robin Hood and The Rescuers! I was not a huge Princesses girl - I enjoyed them but they weren't my favourites. 

5 more films I loved as a kid:

Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (Gene Wilder is amazing!)

Honey I Shrunk The Kids

Short Circuit 2 (I sobbed when they beat him up!)

The BFG 

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Bands

I was a big Spice Girls fan. They were the first band I saw live, supported by Cleopatra (Comin' Atcha!). I LOVED Take That, but never got the chance to see them live back then (yes, I sobbed my heart out when they split). I did see Boyzone live with my cousin and her friend, but I don't really remember much, as I was very poorly at the time. As I got older, Westlife came along, but when I hit 15 I started listening to Kerrang, and my music tastes changed completely. System of a Down were one of my favourites to begin with, and then I was introduced to The Wildhearts. Love at first riff!

Magazine/Comic

I started off with The Animals Of Farthing Wood. Every week I would look forward to it arriving, and devouring it eagerly as soon as it came in. I remember once being in bed, it was still daylight and I was happily rereading an issue, when my dad heard me turn the pages from outside my door. I got into a lot of trouble for not going to sleep! As I got older, I moved on to Mizz, but that didn't last long, and I moved away from magazines until I got older and into some real trash! 

Games

The first console we had was a Sega Mega Drive, and I still have it. My favourite game of all time is Castle of Illusion. It was the only game I could play better than my brother could, and I can speed run it on normal difficulty in 30 minutes! 

More games I love(d):

Sonic The Hedgehog ("up, down, left, right, A, start" anyone?)

Columns (2 player Flash mode - addictive!)

True Pinball on PS1 - the Viking table was the best!

Crash Bandicoot on PS1

Chartbusters (an awesome Board Game based on the Music Industry)

Clothes

Once I was old enough to choose what I wore, I was a total tomboy. I refused all dresses and skirts, wrapped myself up in joggers, sweatshirts, polo shirts, football shirts... As time went by I mellowed it a bit, but followed the crowd - denim jackets with hoodies, Nickelson polo shirts *cringe*. I migrated from joggers into jeans, and then at 15 I moved into full on "grunger" fashion. Huuuuuuge wide legged jeans, band tees and hoodies, and black vest and strap tops.

Subject At School

I was a bit of a school nerd, I absolutely loved it. My favourite subject was Drama. I loved how I could express myself, have fun and just let loose. I was a big fan of English too - it involved reading! 

Food

One of my favourite meals as a kid was Dippy Egg and Marmite Soldiers. I still love it today, I find it really comforting. Grillsteak, Egg and Chips was another meal I loved too. 

Sweet(s)

I used to love going to the shop at the bottom of the road and getting some penny sweets! Gummy cherries, milk bottles, jazzies... but I loved Freddos and Tazos too. There began my chocolate love affair. Also, Sherbet Dipdab, Parma Violets and Fizzers used to come back with me in my little paper bag!

Hobby

My main hobby was reading. I used to spend hours in the Library after school (there was a time when I had no friends whatsoever, so books became my friends), immersing myself into a fictional world. I tried gymnastics, but was absolutely awful at it, ending up in a lot of pain (now I know why!). I tried to learn the recorder, but that didn't last long. I was fairly useless at hobbies, except for my reading. The only outdoor thing I enjoyed was a good game of Kerby. I didn't enjoy getting lumped with the ball running back to safety though! 

So there you have a quick look back through the childhood of Aporia. I could have gone on forever! I would love to read more Nostalgia posts, so if you have done one, please leave a link to it in the comments -  I always read and reply to them. 

Also, don't forget to check out the nostalgic posts from the other LBLC ladies:

Louise  Keshia  Karen  Rachelle

But At The Weekend, Everything Will Be Okay...

A lyric from a top tune by The Wildhearts there. The debate rages on as to which version is better - Weekend 96 or Weekend 98? 

Good ol' Smileybones. 

I'm feeling a bit better today. I'm up, dressed and in my comfy chair. It took a lot of spoons, so I'm a bit knackered now, but I'm pleased with myself. I'm still relying on liquids and cold things to soothe the soreness though. My voice is still AWOL too. If you see it, can you send it back my way? Ta! 

I've neglected music lately, which is something I'm trying to change. I've realized that one of the big loves in my life has been missing, and maybe it's a key to improving my happiness levels. My iPod is currently somewhere in the depths of my room upstairs, which I am quite sad about, as I can't get to it and give it an update. So I've taken to listening to Kerrang radio at night when I can't sleep. It's just nonstop music with no DJ at that time, so when I hear a song I like, I Google the lyrics to find out what it is and who it's by. Recently discovered songs for me are:

Volbeat - Lola Montez

Five Finger Death Punch - Battle Born

The Answer - Spectacular

Tonight Alive - Lonely Girl

Pearl Jam - Mind Your Manners

Heaven's Basement - Heartbreaking Son Of A Bitch

All pretty different, but equally awesome. Any suggestions on great new music to listen to are greatly appreciated!

I'm really liking the overnight stuff on Kerrang. There's a really good mix between new and old tracks, and it makes me smile and gets me relaxed all at once. My love for music is back, and it's stronger than ever. This is a very good thing! 

Review: HTC One

Welcome to my review of my newest gadget. 

I am approaching this slightly differently to all of the other reviews of the HTC One that are already out there. This is a review based on the experience of a bendy user. 

Having previously used a HTC Sensation, I knew that I didn't want a phone that was too much bigger. I have very bendy hands, and I find that the bigger things are, the harder they become to grip. I knew I didn't want an iPhone - I love the Android platform, so it was really a toss up between waiting for the Nexus 5, or going ahead and getting the HTC One. 

In the end, my hand was forced, as the phone I was borrowing was well on it's way to dying. I went into the o2 shop to have a look, and ended up leaving with the HTC One, on a much better deal than the one I had previously! Bosh. 

The size of this phone is absolutely perfect for my hands. I get no hyperextension when holding it, which is a key factor for a bendy person. This holds true, even with a bulky case (I am a clumsy bugger, and terrified of dropping it, so it has a purple double 'ard case to protect it!). 

The screen is really responsive, and I have no problem with my fingers or thumbs "sticking" and getting disjointed movement. If I'm having a bad pain day, this becomes a godsend, as it only takes the lightest of touches to do what I need to. 

Considering this is quite a large phone, with a metal casing, I am really impressed with the weight. It is lighter than my previous HTC, which is a difference I really appreciate. It's not until you use something new that you recognize some minor problems with what you had previously. It may only be a small difference on paper, but when it comes to accessibility, it can really make a big difference. 

For typing, I am using the standard keyboard at the moment (there are apps for different keyboards which I may try out, but at the moment, this one is working for me). I am able to type fairly successfully with the phone in a vertical position, but on a bad day I turn it horizontally, as it makes the surface area a lot larger to type on. This is always a handy feature for people with dexterity issues. The fact that there are other apps available for keyboard input also means that if you don't get on with it, you can give something else a try. 

I am extremely fortunate that my hearing is okay, but a huge bonus from this phone is that the volume is LOUD! It has long been a joke about quiet ringtones in this house, but there is no fear of not hearing this phone ringing. It has woken me up from illness induced daytime sleep - something my doorbell couldn't manage. No more missing calls because the phone is buried in a bag - this phone was made to be heard. 

I am so so impressed with this phone. With the trend leaning towards larger phones, I was starting to worry that a new phone would end up increasing my hand problems. I needn't have worried - this phone is my Holy Grail. I don't think I've ever been this happy with a new phone- I'm yet to find a fault with it accessibility-wise (or any other area, come to think of it). I really recommend this handset for bendy folk, or people with problems affecting their hands.