2 things I enjoy:

Riding the tram

Watching people stick their arm out thinking it stops the tram.

What Can I Say, I Like What I Like!

I'm very vocal about things that I dislike, and believe me, I dislike a lot of things! Consequently I'm very often labelled as negative or a moaner - it's always "Oh Anna, why don't you talk about the things you do like instead?" 

Well I like lots of things! 

I like dogs. I like birds. I like animals in general. 

I like finding a song with the perfect beat for a gym workout, and I like it when I realise that I can sing a song without forgetting any lyrics for the first time. 

I like potatoes - mashed, roasted, fried, wedges, hash browns, any way you like. 

I like finding the last item of clothing in my size at a shop at the back of the rail. I like it even more if it happens to have had a couple of quid knocked off of the original sale price. 

I like Cherry Bakewell flavoured green tea. 

I like scrapbooking and journaling. 

I like Family Guy. 

I like the inside jokes that I have with Sam and my friends. 

I like road trips, and I like having control of the aux cord on those road trips.

I like people watching. 

I like tattoos. 

I like 70s rock and 90s dance music. 

I like climbing trees (although admittedly I'm not that good at it). 

I like online shopping. 

I like stickers. 

I like Vanilla Coca Cola. 

I like the little woofing noises that Penny makes when she's dreaming. 

I like going to Sam's parents' house on Mondays for tea. 

I like Instagram and Pinterest. 

I like huge blankets and fluffy socks. 

I like putting food out for the birds in our garden. 

I like this one aftershave that Sam wears which I comment on every time he wears it. 

I like the Harry Potter books. 

I like it when pets have people names like Phil or Greg or Susan. 

I like looking at houses on Rightmove and judging the decor (money can't buy taste!). 

I like David Attenborough documentaries. 

I like cocktails and cocktail bars. 

I like skinny jeans and Converse high tops. 

I like cheese. 

I like Sam's beard when it gets a bit scruffy, usually the night before he neatens it up again.

You're probably wondering if there's a point of this, but there's not! But next time somebody points out that I complain too much about the things I don't like, I can point them in the direction of this list of things I do like!

All Aboard the Broommobile!

 As of 11:00am this morning on August 14th 2017, I'm officially no longer a learner driver.

That's right, I PASSED! First time and everything!

I got two minors - the first was when I was doing my left-reverse bay park. The car park we were in was tiny and with only 10 spaces, so as I was reversing I thought there was no need to worry about the two cars behind us, but my examiner said that I should have considered checking that nobody had returned to their car and attempted to pull out behind me.

The second fault happened at an awkward junction in Beeston. Instead of a standard crossroads, there is a junction where you need to take a sharp right followed by an immediate left in order to continue your path straight ahead. I took the turns in second gear and wasn't particularly worried about the turns, but my examiner said I could have taken them in first and alowed right down to give myself a bit more time to negotiate the bends.

Both very valid faults and not what I was worrying about fluffing anyway so that's more than fair.

I'm going to take a bit of time to get used to my own car. I've been learning in a Mini and it's so responsive and heavy-set, whereas my little Peugeot has a tricky biting point and zips around like a go-kart so I'm a completely different driver depending on which car I'm in.

I'm hoping that once I've driven myself to and from work a few times, I'll really be able to nail my clutch control in my car, and then nothing can hold me back!

I'm curious to know if anyone actually peeps my blog other than Sam.

It's sweet that he reads it but I feel that as my boyfriend he's always gonna be my number one fan regardless of what I do, so if you're reading this now and you're not Sam (hi babe), can you do me a favour and drop me a little line on whichever form of social media you know me from just to let me know that you've read my blog.

TYSM. 

The Pigeon in Our Garden

We saw a pigeon die this morning.

He hit the window with such a thud that we almost jumped out of our skin.

At first we thought the dog had been chasing him, but she was at the other end of the garden.

We got her inside and out of the way and ran back outside and saw the poor wood pigeon who'd collided with the French doors. 

He wasn't in a good way.

At first I was hoping that he was just stunned. I waited for him to regain his senses and fly away, but he'd hit the glass so hard that he must have caused some real damage. He started to cough up blood, and he was struggling to breathe.

We knew that there was nothing that we could do to save him, there was too much blood. The only thing I could do for him was to try and keep him calm.

I sat with him and gently put my hand on his back. Sam was worried that I would catch something but they're no dirtier than any other animal and it didn't matter to me. He was so warm, and so soft, and I could feel his heart beating. He wasn't afraid, and it didn't take long. 

He closed his eyes as I was stroking his feathers, took one last shallow breath, and then he was gone.

It might seem silly, I know he was "just a bird", but I didn't want him to be frightened. I didn't want him to die alone. I'm not sure how aware birds are or whether they're able to comprehend death, but as he died, I hope he felt calm and safe and that he wasn't too frightened. 

Sam had to move him after he'd died. I was too upset. I'd started crying when I saw the blood and I couldn't stop. I love animals and I love feeding the birds in the garden, so to see one die up close and in such a painful way was hard for me. 

I know that people don't tend to care about pigeons and it's easy for people to think of them as vermin, but this was a very real animal dying in front of me and it's actually made me feel very sad.

I feel like for a moment, he was the most important soul in the world, and by writing about it, it's taking the sadness away.

I'd ask anyone reading this (all 3 of you) to remember to be kind to animals. Feed the birds in your garden, leave some water out for them, make a bug hotel. Don't write the pigeons off as annoying pests, because they're just living their best lives and they feel pain just like we do.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 30

"What talent or skill that you have are you grateful for?"

Drawing. I'm never going to win any awards or make it big as an artist, but I love doodling away anyway.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 29

"What friend/family member are you grateful for today?"

My Mama. She's just a legend. She's always there for me and she's a really cool nan.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 28

"What small thing that happened today are you grateful for?"

Another good driving lesson. I feel like I'm making progress every week.