HOLIDAY, IT IS SO NICE

IT has occurred to me that I will be in Florida in precisely T- 3 days (can you even do that with days?). I have tried to keep my excitement under wraps, but after much verbal prodding my colleagues I have finally snapped.
I'm about as excited as a Paris Hilton on a week she gets invited to two parties in two days because:
     a) I need some sun to rejuvenate my body as a whole.
     b) I get to eat bad food with a side of fries for ten days without feeling guilty on account of all the
         walking/swimming i'll be doing.
     c) Who ISN'T excited to see Mickey Mouse?
     d) Every day in Disneyworld is a 'magical day'
     e) Tower of Terror doesn't make me sick AND it is still a great ride

I'm going to stop now before someone decides I should be locked up.
THREE DAYS, AND COUNTING.

BABY Vs KITTEN

THIS weekend I found myself being completely 'cuted-out' by two little creatures, one of whom I am related to by blood and the other by default:

ONE] Baby Evie is a babe: My tenth first-cousin [confused?] was christened this weekend at my great
         grandfather's church. She looked like a china doll and was as good as gold even though she was a little ill
         with the cutest cough I have probably ever heard:

Clearly a fashionista at a very early age.

            This photo was taken before kick-off, after a long trip from Liverpool to Birmingham. She pretty much
            stayed this content the entire day and managed to endure a three course dinner [she obviously didn't eat

            this] and a band. At half ten when we left, Evie was more awake than I was!

TWO] Poppy is a babe: I am referring to the family cat whose full name is Poppy Koumi [obviously]. I hadn't
          seen her for just over a month, but on a quiet Sunday morning [when I found myself alone in the house]

          she ran up to the sofa, eyed me up, and snuggled herself into my lap:

THOSE EYES!

           Why can't cats be like this all the time?! She stayed there for about five minutes, after which she
           proceeded to run like lightening into another room, chasing nothing. If you are thinking of getting a cat,
           do it. If you're thinking of getting a kitten, be ready to look after what will seem like a baby. You'll pretty
           much fall in love with them [in the non-illegal way] and get to see them grow up. Lovely!

I SEE MICKEY IN FIVE DAYS.

love

STANLEY

whatstanleysays

        

RUN FUN RUN

THURSDAY, and with this weather, i'm considering re-naming it 'Furs-day'. Seriously, what is going on? But apart from the fact that the weather has a mind of its own I have learnt that:

ONE] People don't look where they are going: As someone who runs in London, I feel I have almost a birdseye
         view of people on the street. This isn't to say that I wear fish finger goggles, or even that I  hover over
         people's heads, but that I seem to have a very similar perspective to the latter in the sense that people
         don't seem to see me although I see them. Whilst I am not one of those runners who takes the middle of
         the pavement as their track or one who runs into people before they decide to slow down, I am a runner
         who has to dodge people who:
                     a] look backwards when they are walking forwards
                     b] look at their phones instead of forwards
                     c] walk out of shops without actually looking past the door, or FORWARDS
                     d] all of the above at the same time

        Now I have been known to use my phone whilst walking, but I don't take me eyes off the space around me
        for more than a second at a time, mainly because I value my safety, but also because I know how
        annoying it can be for people who are looking where they are going. When I run I try and stay away from
        pavements with people on, but a lot of the time this is impossible; so here is my plea to the people of
        London: Please, for the sake of my sanity, look where you are going. THANK YOU : )smileyface.

Also if you don't, i'll just get the Hulk on you.

TWO] The future's bright; the future's like Star Trek: No, i'm not talking about the latest Star Trek film [which
          I still haven't managed to see], but I am talking about the 'future of flying', according to the BBC. The
          article basically suggests that some features of these soon-to-be new aircraft carriers include seats that
          use our energy to power things inside the vehicle and a spiders' web-style roof that will let masses of light
          in. The thing I am most excited about though is something that the BBC didn't actually mention but did
          show a picture of. Anyone for a Star Trek-style touch-sensitive hover screen? YES PLEASE:

Picture from the BBC Website

      I mean really. To me, that outweighs the masses of cons related to flying. Now all they need to do is make

      us go so fast we won't feel any turbulence; then will I be satisfied. Until then however, I will make do with a

      new Virgin plane [which I hope has the new Star Trek film on the menu].

THREE] In ten days' time I get to eat in the Beast's Castle!: This may sound like a euphemism, but I'm
             being deadly serious. Thanks to the newly built New Fantasyland at Walt Disneyworld in Orlando
             I'm literally going to get to have dinner in an almost exact replica of the Beast's Castle at what is known
             as the Be Our Guest Restaurant. Want to see the wilting rose? FINE, it is there in all its holographic
             glory, complete with virtual snow falling outside the 'windows' of the restaurant. For those of you who
             don't know [or haven't managed to guess], although I am not a Disney fanatic, my favourite Disney film

             was/is Beauty and the Beast. If only my five-year-old self could see me now [in a few days].

Image from the Disney Blog

Cheers girls.

Yesterday I was asked where I went on holiday on account of my tan. If this is what a few hours in Brighton does to me, I am likely to come back from Florida unrecognisable.

Don't waste the weekend!

Love

STANLEY

whatstanleysays@gmail.com

             

BRIGHTON BEACH

ON Saturday I went to Brighton after being bought train tickets as a birthday present for a day plucked from the sky. This day happened to have some of the best weather we have had all year, and proceeded to unravel like this:

We found a perfect spot on the beach, and stayed there

looking out to the sea

looking out from the pier [on which I nearly lost my phone
trying to take this picture]

and staring at the crazy people on this ride

Thank you Brighton for making me feel like I was on holiday and for burning my thighs.

love

STANLEY

whatstanleysays@gmail.com

DIGITAL DATE NIGHT

HAS this week worn roller blades or something? I can't quite believe it is Thursday again, but already I have learnt that:

ONE] I'm going to an awards ceremony: Quite. Tonight will see me going to the AOP Digital Publishing Awards
         at the Roundhouse [a venue I have always wanted to go to] to see who will take home the prizes.

         Nominees include The Guardian in the Editorial Team 2013 - Consumer category, Carla Buzasi at
         Huffington Post Media Group in the Digital Editorial Individual 2013 category, and Mail Online - Associated
         Newspapers in the Digital Advertising Sales Team 2013. It'll be interesting to see who wins what, especially
         since the Cbeebies team will be there. It also seems as though the good weather decided to attend,
         with highs today already at around the 22°C mark. The reception will therefore begin outside apparently.
         Winners and details of the events to follow! 

Apparently Google are one of the sponsors. If ONLY we each got a
'google goodie bag' with some glasses in.

I'd like to see what the fuss is about!

TWO] Strawberry Ribena is great: I thought I knew this already, but you can't really know this until you track 

          down a really cold carton of this on a wonderfully sunny and warm day. The original flavour just doesn't
          cut it; for me, the strawberry has the edge. Going from last weekend's strawberry laces hand soap post,
          I'm sure you can see a pattern emerging, but I think I am genuinely right on this one.

This new-look carton did freak me out a bit,
but I got through it.

          I was also happy to know that this contributed to my 'daily does of vitamin c'; who knew?! Delicious
          and nutritious. I'll probably fill up my ice trays with this beverage on the weekend because that is a brilliant

          idea.

THREE] What is happening in the world of fashion: A question I ask myself on a regular basis, especially since I
             have had the need to buy a few things for my pending trip to see Mickey. My last shock was on
             searching for a swimming costume to wear on the water rides [so I can keep everything 'inside' the
             vehicle]. Apparently they don't exist without great big gaping holes down the front and on the sides,
             which completely defaces the whole point of me trying to buy one. The only costumes I found that were
             suitable were the ones for the actual professional swimmers, or for ladies of an older age, so to speak.

             What if I want to look my age and remotely acceptable in the fashion-arena on these rides? No hope of
             that I guess, so i eventually went for this Topshop bikini [this is before some wonderful girls sent me

             many links to pieces that would have been perfect. I was impatient]. Take THAT highstreet.

Most of them were like this. I swear to God.

Back here soon for the results of tonight's AOP Digital Publishing Awards. I may or may not do a
Vogue-esque 'What did they wear? feature.

love

STANLEY

whatstanleysays@gmail.com

p.s I hope you had fun on maternity leave Jake.

SECRET EATERS

UNFORTUNATELY I am addicted to Channel 4's Secret eaters. How do I know this? Well now that series two has finished, I have found myself re-watching series one. Apart from the fact that the programme generally makes people feel less than pleased with themselves, even drawing out guilt, Anna Richardson just doesn't sit well with me at all. So why on earth would I put myself through watching it? If only I knew; but one thing is for sure, it basically creates an invisible but very present menu, from which I will proceed to pick things that I will eat during the rest of the week and, more importantly, on the weekend.

http://www.mosaic-magazine.com/Now-Thats-Good/March-2013/Lupies-Caf/

'I think it needs cheese'

This week's viewing has seen a lot of mention of Chinese food, which basically means that I will absolutely have to order one. I am pretty sure though that this programme is supposed to have the opposite effect. Sometimes it does, for example today, a chap by the name of 'Big G' had leftover takeaway for breakfast, a sandwich for a pre-lunch snack, McDonalds for lunch two hours later, then a donner kebab and chips for dinner, two hours later. In cases such as this even I will admit that with all the will in the world, re-creating a day like this would be almost impossible; but really, these instances are rare. I will go on loving this programme, regardless of its many faults, and intend it to inspire my culinary decisions from now until series 3.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-previews/secret-eaters-success-stories-how-1776320

Here is Anna with some sisters who appeared on the programme.
I saw the one on the right in Topshop two weeks ago.

Don't even pretend you are surprised I recognised her. If you start watching it I guarantee you will end up like me, within two days.

STANLEY

whatstanleysays@gmail.com

STRAWBERRY SUN

IT'S not that far into today, but already I have learnt that:

ONE] Everything in London is close by: The tubes have a very sneaky way of making us think that one place
         is too-far-to-walk from the next, when actually most places take less time to get to by foot than by a
         rather rammed underground train. Today we decided to go on a six mile run so we could:

                a] make use of the beautiful weather that normally doesn't last longer than a few hours, and

                b] see bits of London that we don't normally get to see on our walks to and from work.

         We therefore decided to scrap our normal weekend route and go for this one:
                   Home --> Angel --> Barbican --> St Pauls --> Bank --> London Bridge --> Westminster -->

                   Southbank --> Holborn -->Angel --> Home

        One thing I love about runs like this is the fact that I finally get to understand where everything is in relation

        to places that I already know. Westminster is not miles and miles away from Barbican, just like Southbank
        is not miles and miles away from Angel. Not only this, the sun and heat really make the views and overall

        summer-vibes on a weekend run pretty incredible:

The Shard

That Bridge

Boat Tours

The Beach.

The building that looks like the buildings behind Central Park.

    I hope this weather lasts. I'd much rather spend my Sundays jogging around places like this instead of

    staring at the rain through the blinds.

TWO] I have found the best hand soap EVER: Whilst I don't spend my weekends searching for the best
         bathroom toiletries I can find, I did stumble across this [it must be fate] whilst in Sainsbury's.

Strawberry Laces Carex hand soap!

       And before you accuse me of any foul play, I have no idea how to use photoshop and, more importantly, 

       don't own it. Its almost as though Carex had met me, realised how much I would love this, made it and

       hid it in the supermarket along with a secret camera just to film my reaction [i looked like a child]. The
       verdict: Strawberry Laces Carex is not only super soft on the skin [suitable for the whole family], it honestly

       leaves your hands smelling like sweets without all the sticky, sugary mess. So if you have little kids or big
       kids, this is probably the best hand soap you'll ever find. Price: 0.95p at the moment in a Sainsbury's near
       you. Score: 10/10.

Apparently this wonderful weather is going to last all week, which is great because on Saturday I am going to Brighton to dip my toes into the sea and pretend I am on holiday.

STANLEY

whatstanleysays@gmail.com