How Does One Sell An Engagement Ring...?

I started seeing my ex at the start of 2013, and he proposed to me very quickly, after only 6 months in fact.

I said yes, but when we came back to England and moved in together, things started to go downhill, and we never planned a single wedding-related thing. We broke up at the beginning of 2015, and my engagement ring has been rattling around in a drawer ever since.

So my question is what do I do with it?

I've thought about taking it to a Jeweller's to see if they will buy it, but I wouldn't get a very good price for it, if they're even interested at all. 

I could scrap or pawn it, but again,I'm afraid I would only get pennies for it.

Last week, I tried eBay. I listed it with a reserve of £30.00, and a "Buy it Now" price of the same amount. I did suspect that it wouldn't sell - people generally don't want second-hand re-sized rings when they're using it to ask somebody to spend the rest of their life with them,and prefer to opt instead for a shiny new one, but I decided to give it a go anyway.

Today was the deadline, and after having only 1 watcher all week, the ring didn't sell.

Back to square one, then!

I've decided to try again, only this time, I've opted for a starting bid of only 99p, with no reserve. It's a lovely ring - not too showy, not tacky either - and it deserves to be worn, but I just don't want to, and I'm just not sure what to do with it if it doesn't sell this time around. Here's hoping that it finds its way to a nice couple who perhaps don't have a lot of money and will appreciate the ring more than I do!

If you're interested, you can find it here

What I've been listening to this week...

Taken at random from my iPod, here's a little of what I've been listening to this week...

Down - Marian Hill

I heard "Down" on an advert for the iPhone 7 only last week and had to get my hands on it straight away. It's got a very clean sound - lots of vocal manipulation, a nice catchy beat. I initially thought that Marian Hill was the name of the singer, but they're actually a duo. Worth a listen.

Automobile - Kaleo

I love Kaleo. They're an Icelandic rock/folk band, and the lead singer has a beautiful Southern-state twang to his voice after living in the US for so long (think Sawyer from Lost). This particular song is pretty folksy, and brings to mind scenes of flying down Route 66 in an open-top convertible. Particularly uplifting this week as I look forward to learning how to drive.

Wicked Games - The Weeknd

This was one of the first Weeknd songs I ever heard. As much as I love Starboy, his old sound always remains my favourite. It was darker and sexier, and I've put it all back onto my iPod to reminisce this week.

5ive feat. Stormzy - Solo 45

This one's just dirty. One of those songs that makes you want to jump around and break shit for no reason. There's a lot of energy in the beat, and the hook gets me pumped. You wouldn't necessarily. put it on at a house party, but it's great for an angry workout.

Big For Your Boots - Stormzy

Another Stormzy one. Just listen to the way he says "boots".

Ohne Dich - Rammstein

I was really good at German at school, and I downloaded Duolingo a week or so ago to pick it back up again. I've always loved Rammstein's and I've been listening to them more recently to help me with my German. This one is one of my favourites. "Ohne Dich" translates to "Without You".

Fake - Alexander O'Neal

Sam and I have recently started rewatching Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror, and this song is in my favourite episode, San Junipero. I love Alexander O'Neal's stuff anyway, but I might not have heard this one were it not for Kelly and Yorkie's story.

Driving Lessons - Booked!

After passing my driving theory test back in October I'll admit that I've been dragging my feet when it comes to the practical side of things.

At 25, I feel as though I should already be driving, but I've never had a single lesson due to fear. Not a fear of driving itself, more of being stuck in a car with a total stranger who could drive me into a tree or off a cliff if they wanted to.

Then there was finding an instructor. I had my heart set on one who comes very highly recommended, but he was so hard to get hold of, and it turns out that he can't fit me in around his current students anyway.

Oh, and did I mention my stubborn streak...? "I do what I want" has always been a sort of mantra for me. I cannot stand being told what to do, and so every encouragement to get lessons in my teens and early twenties was met with statements like "I can get everywhere I need to go on the bus". Of course I realise that that's not the case; a bus can't help you much when you decide to pop for chinese on a whim on a Sunday night.

But today marks a major milestone for me.

I booked my first block of driving lessons! My first lesson is next Saturday afternoon, and I'm itching to get behind the wheel and pass my test!

The thought of 10-20 hours of being ordered around by a stranger fills me with dread, but the freedom that having my own car will bring manages to quell my initial hesitancy. I'll never have to miss another appointment due to a bus turning up late, or stand in the rain for twenty minutes wondering if the bloody thing will ever come at all!

So watch this space, because I'll be tootling around the ring roads in no time!

90's Party - February 4th 2017

On January 5th, I turned 25.

A lot of people that I know don't get excited about their birthdays anymore, but I still do. 

As I've said before, I'm used to people being too skint or tired from Christmas and New year to do anything for my birthday, but this year I was determined to do something, and Beth suggested doing something in February so that people would have the money and the energy to make it.

I've always fancied the idea of a 90's party, so I floated the idea and everyone came up trumps. Even Penny got in on the fancy dress. She looked so cute!

Pingu top from Phiney Pet's Asos collaboration, dungarees from New Look, My Little Pony hair braid and bandana both from eBay 

My baby Penny rocking her bandana

Jue and Jayne came as Beanie Babies

*Jurassic Park main theme* Here we have Gavin as Dr Alan Grant, accompanied by Zach sporting over-gelled boyband curtains and raptor hands

Phil in his Lego man costume; Penny was a big fan and kept trying to steal his head.

Adam and his girlfriend Amie came as "Gladiators - like the T.V show with the wrestlers, but with the wrong costumes" (#niche)

Dungarees are my new faves

Noot noot

Chris as The Mask, Adam and Amie as Gladiators, Gavin as Dr Alan Grant, Scott as Mr Motivator, Beth rocking space buns, a crop top and denim jacket, ya girl in Pingu and the dungers, Jayne and Jue in their Beanie Baby get-ups, Phil the Lego man (mid-cuddle with Penny), Sam looking the same as he always does having shed the long sleeved top he'd been rocking underneath his basketball jersey, and Zach with those horrific curtains again.

Such an awesome group of people

Center Parcs - January 2017

Before 2017, I had never been to Center Parcs. I'd never really been away during Winter at all to be honest; the idea was a novelty. With my birthday being at the beginning of January, I'm used to everyone being too skint, stuffed and exhausted from Christmas and New Year to do anything during that month. 

This year, however, Sam suggested that we go away for my birthday, and so on January 23rd, (a year to the day of my boob job), we packed up the van and headed off to Sherwood Forest for the week, eager to leave the usual January blues behind.

We stayed in "Cedar", in a studio apartment with underfloor heating. We were quite fortunate in where we had been placed; our cabin was in a block of two as opposed to our neighbours' blocks of five. A small, natural hill ran between us and our neighbours, shielding us from view, covered in shrubs and bushes which played host to a multitude of birds and rodents. A floor-to-ceiling window in the lounge allowed us to spy on the majesty of nature from the sofa, and the Pine trees provided Sam with the perfect backdrop for his smoke breaks as it were.

Behold, the majesty of nature...

Jeffrey

He had never seen a Pheasant in the wild before, so you can imagine how happy we both were to see the same one every single day during our stay. We named him Jeffrey. There were also hundreds of squirrels, including the fattest one I've ever seen. We also saw a Woodpecker and some Eurasian Jays, as well as a multitude of Robins.

In some ways, it was a holiday of many firsts - it marked the first time I had been on a bike for at least 5 years. Sam's mum and dad let us borrow their bikes and I started the week nervously wobbling around the forest screaming "you're spooking me, you're spooking me!" if Sam came too close. I was convinced that it was only a matter of time before I accidentally ran somebody's child over. By the end of the week, though, I felt confident enough to consider taking my helmet off. 

I didn't though.

Safety first, kids.

Not being the sportiest person around, I was worried that Center Parcs might be wasted on me, and that the week would just prove to be an expensive camp-out, but there's actually quite a lot to do if you don't fancy fencing or caving. We played a couple of games of badminton, and Sam wiped the floor with me at pool and bowling. We also cycled over to the Country Club once or twice, where Sam treated us to a hot chocolate.

It was great to get some winter sunshine and exercise. It made a nice change to the monotony of the workplace after the Christmas break.

10/10, would Center Parc again.