The goose is getting fat

I don't know why Hallowe'en is as big as it is really. It must be the dressing up. It kind of annoys me. Like today on This Morning there were witches (I'm not actually sure if they were witches or 'witches', I didn't watch long enough to find out). Do they ever have Christians on when it's Christmas or Easter? I've never seen that happen.

Anyway, that said, last week on our YF weekend we had pumpkins to carve.

My group did the Christian thing to do crosses on it.

I've never carved a pumpkin before so it was quite cool. Back when we younger you didn't ever see a pumpkin in the supermarket, no way. But now they're all over the place. So along with the younger generation thinking ours is weird because we didn't have mobile phones or the internet, they're also going to think it's hilarious that we didn't have pumpkins, like we were living through the War when they didn't have bananas.

We used to carve turnips. In fact truth be told, I used to think that American turnips were really orange in colour. Yeah, I know. Shut up.

You don't often see a pumpkin head with a moustache. That's Hallowe'en's fault for being before Movember.

Reminiscing about carving turnips turned into a funny Yorkshiremen-esque bit between me and a co-leader:

Pumpkins! Luxury! We never had pumpkins.
No, never.
Turnips. We carved turnips.
Turnips? Luxury! We used potatoes. And then we had to eat them.
Eat potatoes?! We used to dream of eating potatoes...

It really helps if you read it with a Yorkshire accent in mind. Not that I can do one, you understand.


Paradise!

And just while I'm on this little Hallowe'en rant, what's the deal with trick or treating? Give me a bit of hallowe'en rhyming. Youth clubs around NI could probably get European funding to protect that part of NI culture.

Unplayed

I'm been working on my computer tonight so thought I'd play some music. I was a bit bored of whatever was playing and thought it'd be a good idea to play some of the tracks I've never played before. I was shocked, shocked I say to discover there are 3039 of them. Three thousand and thirty nine of them! Are you kidding me?! Even taking out the 133 re-imported voice memos (love you iOS 5) that's 2906 songs I've never listened to. I've gone to the trouble of putting them on there and never listened to them. Why, why?

Some of the things are just recent imports from #TinaLostinSpace but there's still some surprising songs, either because I have them, or because I've never listened to them, and of course there's some no-great-shock-I've-never-listened-to-you songs.

Here are some examples:

Category 1 - Songs I can't believe I have
Lost Pup (in a Christmas Shop) - Adam Faith (Seriously? What?)
Venus - Bananarama (No way, I have that?)
Axel F - Crazy Frog (You are making a mockery of my iTunes.)
Hero - Enrique Iglesias (I don't have a lighter, that's probably why I've never play this)
Let's Face the Music and Dance - Fred Astaire (He sung too, did he? Huh.)
Any Dream Will Do - Jason Donovan (Fear not, I've played Too Many Broken Hearts)
The Rain in Spain - My Fair Lady (Well I know the film, forgotten I had the soundtrack.)

Cateogory 2 songs - Songs I'm surprised I've never played
Make You Feel My Love - Adele (I'm not that fond of this song, which is unfortunate because I watch the X-Factor. )
Chasing Pavements - Adele (Yeah, no, not this one either. Still thought it might have sneaked in there though.)
Hand in Pocket - Alanis Morriestte (Really?! Definitely thought this would have been played once, at least for teenage memories sake.)
Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler (Oh come on Tina, play a power ballad!)
Prospekt's March EP - Coldplay (I have no excuse to offer you.)
Home - Dixie Chicks (Again, I heart the Chicks.)
Things Can Only Get Better - D:Ream (This once was the lead song on Top Tunes, my homemade tape compilation tapes so this does shock me a bit.)
Standing Still - Jewel (Shocked. She's brilliant.)
I've Been Everywhere - Johnny Cash (I'm sure I've listened to this, maybe I have it twice?)
Kids - MGMT (Hmm, I'm not, like, a massive fan, but I would have thought this would have got played one time.)
Losing My Religion -REM (No. Way. Surely I would have played this at some point. If you had to name one REM song chances are this would be it.)

Category 3 - No shock here
No Matter What - Boyzone (Whine on boys.)
Sacrifice - Elton John (My least favourite Elton John song ever. Ev-er. Even more than Diana Candle in the Wind which makes everyone cringe nowadays.)
Some Day My Prince Will Come - Disney (Tests have shown this song can make your ears bleed.)
When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge (Boke.)
Most anything by The Killers (Aside from Mr. Brightside, I'm not a fan. There I said it.)
Most anything by The Kooks (Say your Rs right and I might listen to you.)
Most anything by Lionel Ritchie (You can whine on as well.)
Most anything by Mariah Carey (Dreamlover? Do me a favour.)
Most anything by The Prodigy (At the risk of sounding 90 it's just noise.)

So I started working my through the list, but I couldn't do it. Aside from the fact it would take ten and a half days, it was just too painful for the most part. So now I'm just picking out the real travesties of justice and playing them, you know like I Know Where It's At - All Saints.

Now where are my oversized cargo pants?

I got love for you if you were born in the 80s

Over a period of weeks at the end of the summer I pretty much ended up touching everything I own because of the great roof space clear out of '11.  I was supposed to do it last summer, but then I went to see Toy Story 3 and I don't think I could cope with the idea of throwing anything from my childhood away. So this summer...well, I still didn't really, but I did tidy up the stuff and put things together that had for too long been apart. Like my Guernsey doll had been missing a shoe for about fifteen years because it was carelessly strewn in another box. She was very pleased to get it back. I imagine.

Actually it turned out to be a good thing that it took me this long to post this blog. Because just this week on Twitter I was pointed towards the Flickr collections that someone had put on of a 1985 and 1986 Argos catalogue. Go on, go get lost in those for a while. I'll wait here. You'll be amazed at how much your toys cost. Like that Fisher Price garage/car park thing that everyone had. Twenty quid, which in 1985 was...well, a clean fortune. And just what the heck was this slide/plane deal. Did this pass safety standards? Oh, I see it's the reason we have safety standards! And what's going on here? Some love triangle at the home gym? Mind you, in amongst all that humour, I still look at the Mr. Frosty longingly. Never got one, but if wishing had made it so...

So, the big roof space clear out was depressing and exciting all at once. It was exciting to find things I hadn't seen in year, things I thought were long gone and, well depressing because of the things I kept. This post celebrates some of the more exciting finds!

Like Tiny Tears. Mum made her a Bunny outfit to match mine. Bless.

And here she is ready for a rainy day!

This was her when I got her. Quite the head of hair she has there. (Meanwhile David got what appears to be a underpanted Action Man.)

Sweet Secrets anyone? She was in a car and it turned into...

a brush! Not one that you could brush my hair with (see photos). I liked to think of them as Transformers for girls.

My Little Pony! The one on the right is the one I famously cut the hair of and blamed on David. Sorry again. The yellow one had glitter hair - it was a birthday party present from someone. As was the blue one's outfit. I seem to only have three leg warmers and one shoe left. Oops. You can see more My Little Pony magic here!

Etch A Sketch! Santa brought me this, then it didn't work and Mum had to send it back to him.  He rectified his elves' mistake. And you can see it still works!! Good job Santa!

As does my type writer.

Here it is in all its glory.

Anyone remember Acorn Green? I don't really know much about it except I had the postman and the nurse. The Argos catalogue has the nurse on the bike, but I always put the postman on the bike. I don't know if he came with a bike too, or maybe it was my logical child brain working out that the postman also needed a bike and the nurse would work in Acorn Green General.

Crayola Draw 'n' Do desk! Oh the pictures I drew on this desk!

Snugglebum, which remains, to this day, a fantastic name for a toy. David got me this for Christmas one year. And I even documented in my diary the day she squeaked for the last time. I think it came from the water when I washed her hair, for I loved washing and brushing her hair. Although I really don't remember whatever the hairband thing is she has on here. Nor did I ever have her hair all crazy.

I found my Gordon the Gopher! He still squeaks. 

I also found our Edd the Ducks. CBBC kid, me.

Remember when 3D glasses looked like this?

Finders Keepers! The yellow bear was a birthday party present, the pink swan a present from my parents. I naively thought I could lock things from David in the swan. That was until he fashioned a key out of a crayon to open it up. Tight security eh?

In fact, here it is opened my birthday. Looks like I also got some Care Bears.

Probably some of these fellas. I also found my soft toy Care Bears - Bedtime Bear and one that was a reject from a factory (Sunshine Bear yellow but with a red heart Care Bears fans). Good old bargain hunt parents!

I quite liked the Care Bears. This is my Care Bear bumbag and all the things I deemed important enough to carry with me in it - my Popple, my Giggle Wiggle and my Care Bears purse and mirror. Yup, all the essentials there. These were important enough that I took them rollerstaking round the block. Oh yes.

I found my umbrella!

Clearly we weren't a superstitious lot.

Remember Trolls? I had the surgeon and the astronaut. Who knew Trolls were so keen on space exploration? (It would stand to reason they'd have to have medical experts. D'uh.)

Amongst about 92 pencil tins, I found my pen tidy. Remember these? Its exhaust is the pencil sharpener! Clever!

I had about 40 of these coloured rubbers.

Oh yes, a real Bronx cheer! Who ever called them that?!

This was David's one. Mine was red. Don't panic David, there was no money in it.

Remember these things? You could go swimming with them, although why you would was beyond me.

I'm glad I found my medal! I was one half of the team that won the 1989 P4 three legged race.

There I am with the medal, and I believe in my hands is the very tie that we used to. I look every bit the winner! While David is clearly jealous.

So that was all good fun! And then I found my Sindy and Barbie dolls. Well!

I had Crystal Barbie and My First Barbie (which genuinely was my first Barbie). I loved her white dress and her perfect little pink high heels. Sadly Crystal Barbie has only one leg now, but you can't tell in her evening gown.

It seems I got My First Barbie on my 5th birthday. Along with my bike basket.

I got the Sindy in red trousers first though. Bless her, the mid 80s Sindy had a bit of a big head. Ballerina Sindy then joined the fold. She could do all sorts of amazing ballerina moves, such flexibility! The last Sindy, in the blue dress, was a later addition. She even came with make-up, which was still smeared across her face. I wiped it off in the tidy up, let her be stored with a modicum of dignity eh?

A big head was the least of Ballerina Sindy's worries. She has a serious touch of the alopecia.

Apparently the makers of new Sindy got in trouble with the Barbie people for copying her design. I don't see it myself. Ahem.

And then there was Jem. I don't know where I got Jem from, I don't think it was my mum's style. If memory serves she was some sort of a pop star, with possibly a double life twist. While the Barbie people got into problems about the ridiculous size of Barbie's hips, or feet, or boobs, the makers of Jem were careful to avoid all unrealistic portrayals of women.

She was a bit of a heffer by comparison though. Check out those shoulders. Sturdy.

My favourite comparison comes with the shoes. Jem wasn't that much taller than Barbie, but she had majassive feet.

However, rumours that she had to have them make by Harland and Wolff are unfounded.

Look at the little tiny Barbie shoes (which include my collection of one red and one blue shoe for Crystal Barbie and her 'condition').  Jem's big boats are in the back row. Poor Sindy wasn't blessed with the prettiest of shoes either, but definitely more practical than either Barbie's or Jem's.

I don't think I really need to prove to anymore that I threw nothing out, but just incase you do question the validity of that statement, here's one more find:

my cast from when I broke my arm. In 1993. Eeew.

I found this picture of Karen and I on holiday in Majorca. Somehow the cast isn't the thing I notice about the photo.

Nice hats girls.

Compliments

It's been a few weeks since I blogged. No major surprise about that, but it is disappointing as I was doing so well there for a few weeks. I still need to finish off writing about things I found in the roofspace, but for today I thought I'd write about some of the compliments I've received the past week or so.

It started on Saturday. Some Soul Mates people did a worship night Soul Mates style in Ballinamallard. Over the course of the day I got told (from a combination of lovely Soul Mates people):
I'm easy to talk to on the phone (practice makes perfect).
I have nice lips (emm...ok, thanks. I like them, even if they are chaptastic).
I'm funny (surprisingly this did not come after I told the Dappy's favourite bread joke...na na naan).
I'm smart (two minutes after this I was asked what a neutrino was - I didn't know but thankfully that isn't all that's on the smartness test).
I remember stuff (I do, it's true).

Then it carried on into Sunday. Leading a group in YF I was complimented on my small group leading abilities. This came from someone who's just started a year-out so must have been looking out for the things they got taught. Good to know I do the things I'm supposed to in leading a small group!

Then last night I got told I was good at directions and map reading.

Aww shucks, you guys!

Go on, compliment someone and make them feel all lovely, super and proud of their phone talking abilities*!



*Compliments may vary.