Tag Archives: travel

Back in Business

3 Jan

Readers, fellow bloggers, people of the net – we are 3 days in to 2014 and I’m still without a calendar, own no diary and ate a whole pack of cookies before my chicken and chips tonight.

My hopes and aspirations for this year are supposed to be to grow up. I’m going to learn to cook a few healthy meals, dabble with a bit of box room interior design and I may even begin that novel I’ve been scribbling in notes since last Summer!

To be able to achieve all of the above I am in need of three very important factors:

1) Inspiration: – Excuse the boring old cliché but it’s true. On those days when willpower just isn’t enough to kick you into gear you need something (or someone) to remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing. SO..What exactly is my inspiration? Or who..?

This is my 2014 mood board – in all of it’s hope and glory! From Vegas to a new bedroom to my boo Bey…this year is the year I get my shit together.

2014

2) Plans: – Keeping busy is the key to a happy life. Some people keep on the ‘No New Friends’ path but I’m not about that hermit life anymore. This year will be my busiest yet…

kim @ yeezus

3) #WERK: – Without working my arse off I won’t be able to do all the things I dream of doing to get my big-girl life set up! Hustle on!

phone

What are your new years resolutions?! xoxo

Sexiest Bikini Bodies of 2013

10 Jun

Well we are finally into the real Summer months and we still aren’t seeing sunny results! All this depression from cloudy days to sad news stories to real-life boy trouble – I can’t believe what a non-starter this year has been! NEVER one to be down for long, I’ve solved my issues…I’ve booked my Summer holiday to the one and only…

ibiza rocksYes, as predictable as Ibiza sounds you may all be surprised to know that I’ve never been before! Hearing SO much about this crazy Balearic Island, I’ve decided to pop this said cherry and take the Ibiza plunge…

Of course booking a holiday doesn’t just come with palpitations of excitement and anticipation…it also carries a certain amount of pressure – especially in the looks department! I’ve been getting sharp hits of inspo from some of my fave, sexy celebs to get me workin’ out – check out this kinky lot:

britters

Mmm! Britney is smokin’ in this turquoise bikini! Pictured at a Californian resort last week this is living proof that working out and going hard pays off…She always has a stunner of a belly bar in, too! I need to get on the blingin’ belly button band wagon! < SO much alliteration…please don’t applaud the genius while she’s typing… 😉

This may be the hottest selfie EVER taken! Made In Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh whacked a few summery snaps on her Instagram page which were taken…in ENGLAND! Yayy for our brief stint in the sun! According to Look Magazine she counts on Pilates to get her super flat, super toned, super delicious bod.

abi clarke

This little devil is Abi Clarke. I briefly saw her on The Only Way is Marbs (DON’T JUDGE ME I WAS FLICKING THROUGH THE CHANNELS!) and was actually more fixated on her fit friend, Jasmine – who, by the way, won Miss Marbs or whatever that ghastly pageant was – BUT as far as I’m concerned, Abi is the sexiest of the two as she has some booootiful curves and is rockin’ such amazing swimwear! Need this suit in my life!!

angela

Sooo…Angela Simmons has also been takin’ sexy selfies in her hotel room – albeit back in March. Expect this sort of thing from me – live from Ibiza. Probably more blurry.

rita

LAWD HAVE MERCY. Rita Ora has the world’s most perfect arse. Nuff said…

I’m guessing you catch my drift?! If I keep staring at all of these pictures for long enough it may get me up and moving! I started the 30-day squat challenge today, as well as the sit-up challenge as well as receiving the Bun & Thigh Wave exercise machine. Oh…and the dog is appreciating these new power walks…WATCH THIS SPACE FOLKS!

Where are you all going this year?! What’s your workout?! Tweet me @sheldan2207

-x-

Photo Sources:

Ibiza Rocks (Pulse Radio)

Britney Spears (Heat)

Millie Mackintosh (Look)

Abi Clarke (Reveal)

Angela Simmons (ATL Nightspots)

Rita Ora (Hawt Celebs)

 

 

The Kardashian Empire Hits London!

25 Apr

Mild hysteria and frantic fangirling owned my Twitter timeline yesterday as Kourtney Kardashian, Scott Disick and Kris Jenner touched down in London Town avec le Disick babies.

k dash disick jenner

Scott was joined by long-time lover Kourtney and kids Penelope, 10 months old,  and Mason, 3, while he prepares for his appearances around the capital this month:

Hosting at Anaya, London – April 25th 2013

Hosting at Club 195, Essex – April 27th 2013

&

then he will be hosting a Thames boat party on June 15th 2013

Checking in and out of London Heathrow Airport the Kardashian/Disick/Jenner family clocked up some impressive Louis Vuitton luggage space:

lv luggage

11 bags counted by the Daily Mail!

Only spending one day on England capital city of London, there’s not much time to dilly dally – and dilly dally they did not! Slipping into something chic and comfy the fam headed to world-renowned toy store Hamleys and ate at top eatery Novikov.

hamley trip kk

scott and kk

kris

scott and mason

GET THE LONDON LOOK:

Kourtney

Mango Blazer

mango blazer kk

Red Jeans

kk red jeans

Kris

All Saints Leather Pants

leather pants kris

Studded Loafers

chockers kris

Scott

Ralph Lauren Shirt

polo rl sd

Ted Baker Loafers

tb loafers

Did any of you meet Kourtney, Kris or Scott?

Are you obsessed with this family as I am?

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done as a fan of anyone?

Get in touch! I want to feature YOU!

-x-

Comment below

or

Tweet Me @sheldan2207

*Photo & News Sources:*

*Daily Mail*

*Kardashianpedia*

Young’un of the Week – Lucie Bevan: Teen Travel Photographer

23 Apr

It takes a lot of energy, self-belief and passion to start your own business aged 18, but that is exactly what my Young’un of the Week has achieved this year. Lucie Bevan from London Colney, Herts went to New York in Sixth Form and came back with big dreams and high hopes:

“It was my friends mum who actually got me into photography. At the time, she was studying in a night time college course and seeing her go from not having a clue about the camera to running her own business now, it has given me faith that someday I could do this too.

I started photography in 6th form, which is when I went to New York. I met some amazing people during this time who allowed me to improve my images without being too harsh.

Since receiving an offer for a small job abroad taking images of people’s villas for their website in Spain, I knew I wanted to travel with this job, too.”

Despite being so young, Lucie hasn’t allowed herself to become overwhelmed by the scale of her ambitions: Now she has her heart set on travel photography she is ready to work for it. She says:

“I would absolutely love to work for a travel company. Travelling the world, doing what I do best. I am a keen photographer who loves learning from other peoples work. I guess what’s stopping me is the fact that you need experience to gain experience; it’s really just a catch 22.”

Lucie adds:

“I do not believe in myself all the time. I find it difficult to think that I could actually do what I want to do. But since setting up a Facebook page for my photography and receiving compliments on my images from my family and friends really boosts me up on a bad day.

I try to keep myself busy with little jobs for friends and family, updating my portfolio each time I can. If I have spare time on an afternoon, I will go on an adventure of sorts to seek out great photo opportunities.

You have to have the experience to gain the experience. That’s the most difficult challenge. I have found it difficult applying for jobs that I could really see myself in because of the fact I have no experience. Also, to gain the experience, it is usually assumed to work for free at the beginning in the hopes of a permanent job, but I, like many other young people, cannot afford to do so.”

Facing the same economic struggles as the rest of us, Lucie remains defiant on her work ethic: Not only does she continue to work as a Customer Assistant outside of her photography, her mind set is ahead of her years as she sticks to the business budget. Lucie explains:

“At the present moment, I have a part time job which allows me to pay off the money for the equipment I need. I have always believed in the fact it’s not how much money you spend on the equipment that makes your images amazing but it’s the photographer’s eye.”

So as her website has launched and her strenuous promotion continues, what’s next for the teen travel photographer?

“Basically, I have really high ambitions. Although I am not really sure where exactly I want to be in life, I know that I want to travel the world taking pictures. I have always loved travelling, and since being to New York, I realised that my dreams are possible – no matter how cheesy that may sound. I am considering working for a travel agency taking images of landscape and holiday places for them to advertise. I think this will be a great career path and could take me to some amazing places around the world.”

Photography is a very popular hobby and career choice amongst young people and, as you can hear from Lucie’s accounts, the competition is rife! What advice can she give for other budding artists out there?!

“If you take a series of images for each genre of photography, you will be able to see for yourself which one you prefer. Email different photographers asking them to view your work and give feedback. Constructive criticism is better than them keeping quiet if they don’t like it. So I would say, get your name out there. Make a Flickr page or something similar so people can view your work and leave comments.

Keep at it. It’s simple. The more you persist, the more you will achieve. It’s not about the fancy equipment or the people you know, it’s about your belief in yourself. Everyone has different opinions of a photograph; some say it can be amazing, while others may find it a bit dull, but if you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything.”

lb

Visit Lucie:

Flickr: Lucie Bevan

Preview & Bookings for Lucie’s Work:

Lucie Bevan Photography – Official

lb1

lb2

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If you are thinking about joining the same career path and hope to be the next world-famous picture-taker, here are some handy links to get you started:

Photography for Beginners

Photography Community

London Photography Courses

Photography Tutorials

Photo Contests

And as always if you have an inspiring story to share or want your ambition to be recognised then get in contact! OWT features someone every single week to silence the negative media coverage of us young’uns! We are NOT lazy and we are NOT dumb…HELP ME PROVE THEM WRONG!!

Tweet Me: @sheldan2207

or

Comment below!

-x-

Designer Dining – Dolce & Gabbana Gold

11 Apr

What? Dolce & Gabbana Gold Restaurant
gold seating

Where? Milan, Italy

“Glamour is Served”

I’ve been researching unusual luxury dining experiences for a piece I’m writing at the moment and couldn’t suppress my need to share my total unadulterated lust for Gold.

Bruno Mars celebrated his birthday there, Justin Bieber partied there after his stage performance on tour and Kylie held a private after-show party there, too. Major name dropping happening here.

Entirely decked out in pure gold, Dolce & Gabbana’s designer space includes a fine-dining, first-floor restaurant, a ground floor casual bistro and a carry-out food store that stocks items from their highly-rated Mediterranean menu.

(Info source: Luxury Launches)

I imagine that dining here is enough to beckon anyone’s inner Paris Hilton (another famous face spotted at Gold) out into the evening’s golden hue.

golddd

gold dish

goldd

gold

This is the dream! Is this motivation for you? Just keep hustlin’!

xoxox

Photo Sources:

http://www.dolcegabbana.com/gold/

http://blog.splendia.com/milans-dolce-vita

http://www.yossawat.com/2007/07/dolce-gabbana-gold-restaurant-design-by-dolce-gabbana/

http://blog.priveinternational.com/2010/05/16/dolce-gabbana-gold-restaurant/

Young’uns of the Week – Sister Act: Abbie & Ellis Sontag

8 Apr

As you are probably getting to know by now, here on Obsessed With Them I am featuring inspiring young people every single week. Last week Kane Surry gave us a little insight to the working life of an aspiring actor and the week before Katie Valentine shared her struggles of juggling children, studies, volunteer work and big ambitions! Nothing brings us kids down, though, and this week we have twin-spiration from Abbie and Ellis Sontag. They’re not actually twins but it sounded good…here’s their stories:

Name: Abbie Sontag                                                              Name: Ellis Sontag
Age: 23                                                                                      Age: 20
Location: Harlow, Essex                                                       Location: Harlow, too!
Current Job: Travel Agent                                                   Current Job: Waitress

Dream Job: I’m working my dream job: Travel agent!  Dream Job: Hairdresser

abbi and ellis

Abbie:

Growing up I was raised by my extremely hard working single mum. She always worked and taught us from a young age things don’t just get handed to you, you need to work really hard for them. At 16 when I left school I didn’t want to continue in education and wanted to get out there and gain experience & earn some money. I had loved the idea of a job in the travel industry and set about applying. I was lucky enough to get a job in Thomson and even though it was a low salary I thought it was the experience I needed. It confirmed what I thought anyway – that I wanted a long and successful career within Travel. I was made redundant a year after being there and in the years to follow I had to travel to Hertford, Barnet & Basildon (from Harlow) just to remain in the industry. Jobs are few and far between and I was just grateful to have one. It was tough though, my salary was still low and travel costs were making money tight. It was January 2011 when a friend told me about a job vacancy in Old Street, London. I was nervous as I’d never considered working in the city before but my family told me just to go for it. I got offered the job and loved being a city girl from the start. I am so lucky my job has allowed me to travel so much: I had never even been on a plane until I was 14 but since then I have been to Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, the Caribbean, Dubai & lots of America. I love every second. In the last year it has been my main focus to save hard & save enough for a deposit on a house. I have finally done it!! It feels amazing to have saved every penny myself especially because my family aren’t in a position to help me as much as they’d love too. When I was younger I thought this kind of travelling and to own my own house were practically impossible for someone like me. But I always was very ambitious and wanted to work hard to make things happen. I’m so glad it’s finally all paying off 🙂

Ellis:

 After leaving school I wasn’t interested in furthering my education and drifted from job to job. Then at 16, I discovered I was pregnant and 3 months into my pregnancy I lost my job! I then struggled through whilst being pregnant and knew this wasn’t how I wanted to live once I had my daughter. So as soon as she was born I started applying for jobs then the opportunity came up for me to work in a coffee shop; I jumped at the opportunity as it was flexible hours around my daughter and a regular wage. At first I was just happy to be back at work and providing for my daughter but I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do long term. I had always been interested in hair so that’s when I decided to go to college and study hairdressing. It was a hard decision as it meant me working 3 days and doing college 3 days as well as a lot of homework in the evenings while looking after my daughter but it’s all been worth it as I’ve recently qualified as a hairdresser! I now want to take it even further by going back and studying my level 3 next year! After being a pregnant 16 year old I never thought I’d accomplish what I have! I passed my driving test, bought a car, I have a job and am now a qualified hairdresser. I am also now able to save money for mine and (my daughter) Ruby’s future and hope things will continue to get even better

Useful links:

Thomson & First Choice (TUI UK) Recruitment Opportunities

Volunteer Travel Holidays

Becoming a Hairdresser

Hairdressing Apprenticeships

Hairdressers Journal

You don’t have to be an aspiring rock star with superstar experience under your belt to feature as my Young’un of the Week! If you are working your arse off to get where you want to be in life then get in touch! We’re all in this together and the we rarely get media coverage when we do something right! Tweet me @sheldan2207 or comment below!

Countryfile: Cooking, Kardashians & Creepy Villages

23 Nov

Having just returned from what seemed like the Village of Death, today I’m obsessing over what just happened!

Having rented a cottage for the week, Dan and I did our first ever weekly grocery shop (for those who don’t know, we still live with my Mum, who has a household system for things such as cooking and laundry…but she’s the only one involved in said system) and felt proud to only spend £8 (using a month’s worth of Tesco Clubcard coupons)!

My vision for this week: road trip, cosiness, cuddles, walkies (we took Princess along for the ride) and cooking.

Reality: We arrived in the dark, in the village of Thorndon (probably the world’s darkest village), in the rain and without a human welcoming.

The reality of our arrival sent the ladies on the trip into somewhat of a sulk; can you spot the unhappy Bichon Frise?

Obviously I didn’t take a photo of my own sulkiness because a) it wasn’t pretty and b) I was busy planning how to get the best out of this weird sitch.

I didn’t come up with much, which actually worked out for the best. Holidays with me usually include a basic plan of what I want to do (in my head it is a precisely timed schedule) but I decided to take a chill pill on this trip. Sort of…

The fact that the cottage we rented was in the front yard of the owner’s farmhouse wouldn’t have bothered me as much if they actually introduced themselves at some point during our stay. Not only did we not get a ‘hello’, we didn’t even get as much as a wave as they glared at us as they walked back and forth from work/school/dog walks, etc.

Sulk number 2 was averted with a tactical closing of the curtains. Out of sight, out of mind. Wonderful…

I learnt LOTS about myself this week, also…

1) I can cook and will (occasionally) cook! Not exactly the healthiest of meals but I managed sausages and steamed veggies (including boiled potatoes, thank you very much!), a killer Tikka Massala curry and a delish tuna and chicken pasta bake! Although entry level recipes, I’m still exceptionally proud of myself as I even managed to wash up afterwards.

2) I need pyjamas. Currently, my pyjama arrangements consist of mismatched velour tracksuits from Zax about 5 years ago, odd Primarni sets which are not warm or comfortable; or old underwear. All of which are not suitable for situations in which you are staying in someone else’s property.

I hear you asking why I suddenly care about a section of one’s wardrobe that makes up about 1% of one’s overall wardrobe space…

Enter Kourtney Kardashian:

She’s known for her cute, on-screen pyjama style and I want a piece of this matching, silky, cosy heaven. I have my heart set on 3 pyjama sets so far:

This adorbs doggy set from River Island (rather apt, too, I thought), £30:

Def pulling a Kourtney with these and opting for a huge pattern. I can’t think of anything better than multiple pink elephants! Also, for £19 at Very they are pretty much as beautiful as bargains come!

Luxury pyjamas seem to me a little bit pointless…unless they look like this. These Wildfox PJs are from ASOS and will cost £100… buuuttttt… they make you look and feel super trendy. WIN! Where’s my credit card??

Moving on…

3) I learnt that country villages are possibly some of the creepiest places to live in the world. Our humble abode was situated in the quaint little village of Thorndon, in the rolling countryside of Suffolk. Nearest towns are Eye and Debenham, both of which boast a nice church and a co-op. Not much else around unless you trek over 20 miles to Ipswich or Norwich.

No street lighting after dark (which means after about half past 3 in the afternoon at this time of the year) meant that taking the dog for her after dinner poop was unimaginably chilling and the fact that there are no pavements adds a touch of danger to the proceedings. Not that we needed to go far, nothing to do and nothing to see.

4) Lastly, I learnt that Helen Flanagan annoys the living crap out of me, Hugo Taylor is a legend and Ashley Roberts is not only delicious sans make-up, she should also WIN this year’s I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!

Quick-fire reasons for the above statement:

“I LOVE SNAKES! Oh, it’s coming towards me… oh…OH! I’M A CELEBRITY GET ME OUT OF HERE NOW!!” – Fake-ass Helen failing yet another trial.

“I’d like to produce films, get into television… and I’d actually like to own my own Formula 1 team *cheeky smug side smile*” – Hugo after taking career advice from Rosemary Shrager, of all people!

“We can work on that!” – Ashley after teaching Rosemary Shrager the Pussycat Dolls’ ‘Don’t Cha’ dance, forever creating one of the funniest moments of this year’s series so far

“Who used my CLEAN towel? Where’d my clean towel go??” – Ashley outing Helen as the selfish thief she really is…

Right after she earned 8 meals for camp in her bushtucker trial! Also, Ashley is extremely FIT 🙂

Soooo, in conclusion, this week I’ve learnt some stuff. Not exactly huge life lessons but I suppose learning to cook counts as a big one. Also, one does need pyjamas.

That was my week!

Until next time… PEACE!

XOXOX

xxx As always I require feedback to suppress my need for acceptance! 😉 So, as always follow me on Twitter @sheldan2207 or leave a little comment under here! I love to hear from you! xxx

http://hellogiggles.com/

http://thepajamacompany.com/blog

http://www.riverisland.com/women/nightwear–slippers/pyjamas/Pink-dog-print-pyjama-top-626751

http://www.very.co.uk/sorbet-elephant-flannel-pyjamas/1101036218.prd?browseToken=%2fb%2f1734%2fr%2f100

http://www.asos.com/Wildfox-Cloud-Set/pgeproduct.aspx?sgid=5370&cid=6046&Rf900=1529&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=200&sort=-1&clr=Blue

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk

http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk

Racing The World In Cardiff At The FIM British Speedway Grand Prix

27 Aug

Hi! Haven’t blogged in sooo long! This Bank Holiday weekend saw my boyfriend Dan and I roadtrip our asses up to Wales for the Speedway Grand Prix in Cardiff. This is my travel review of the weekend; not in my usual style so I hope you guys enjoy something new

xx Peace xx

Arriving damp, late and dishevelled somewhat distorted my first impressions of Cardiff. When one has wet toes and knotty hair, one doesn’t appreciate drunken scallywags interrupting an on-going, rainy hunt for the hotel. True to form, I’d dressed inappropriately and misjudged the enormity of the Bank Holiday Speedway Grand Prix crowd, so rapidly checked-in, changed into something more uncomfortable and met with the lads to get drunk with the rest of world.

For a moment, whilst pondering over Ice Speedway Tours the next day, I felt transported back to London mid-Olympics.  From the bemused Chinese claiming free cans of Monster energy drink (not a bad idea after last night); to the horny Polish in Ann Summers, rainbow flocks of patriotic sheep followed one another soaking up the atmosphere and cheap booze in the city centre. Cardiff had been transformed into a happy, sunny Speedway convention.

Everywhere you turned, various Speedway riders were seen out and about, much to the excitement of their diehard fans.

“Did you see Darcy Ward at the bar?”

“I stood by Rory Schlein!”

“Chris, can I have a photo?!”

Most of my meals were provided by fast food chains or a JD Wetherspoons bar as not only were they the only place with space to sit and eat, I was on a budget. The hotel (Cardiff Central Travelodge) was £140 for one night so funds were tight. However, most of the entertainment throughout the day was provided by the Speedway stalls, street games and live music, all of which were free.

The Grand Prix, held in the Millennium Stadium, seemed surprisingly under-booked as the racing begun. I put it down to the Olympics and the lacklustre entertainment because tickets were only £29.50. The atmosphere was still electric with European, Aussie and American fans all in close proximity, but not once did I feel anxious. 22 heats of quality racing later and we reached the Grand Final which saw Aussie Chris Holder take the title.

Leaving Cardiff was reminiscent of Friday’s arrival. Tired and in a mini-skirt I clambered for the exit. Next year, I’ll wear jeans.

[ All pictures are my own 🙂 ]

How’s This For A View…

6 Aug

If you’re ever in London your first stop should be Trafalgar Square/Horse Guards Parade. The Beach Volleyball Olympic Event was held at the Horse Guards and boy! What a view! Not only is the area steeped in rich culture and history it is also home to some wonderful architecture too.

These are some of the photos I took Thursday 2nd August at The Beach Volleyball Event (p.s sorry for poor quality they are from the camera phone!):

The hot dancers in between matches perked up the crowd with their random, upbeat moves;

& here are team Germany and team Netherlands about to battle it out on court;

Whilst the City’s world renowned landmarks, The London Eye and Big Ben, cut an impresive skyline just above;

I just wanted to share a few home snaps of my Olympic experience to follow on from my earlier post.

Photos are picture-perfect memories that last a lifetime.

x Peace x

2012 Games Pessimist PROUD To Have Been There!

5 Aug

I WAS THERE!

That is what I can say to my future grandkids, children, family and friends.

“Remember when London hosted the most successful, beautiful, poignant Games in history, kids?! NO?? Come here, Grandma Shelby will tell you all about it…”

I am soooo into it! Yesterday was an astonishing day for British Athletes as it saw new hero, girl-crush and all round superstar Jessica Ennis finally get her Gold Medal draped around her neck as she powered through the 800m race to, of course, come first. Greg Rutherford threw himself as far as he could to bag the Gold in the Men’s Long Jump and gave the most heartfelt yet baffled speech as he tried to get his head round his achievement. Hardcore runner Mo Farah got his anticipated Gold in the (rather tortuous) 10,000m race. Dani King, Joanna Rowsell and Laura Trott rowed their way to victory in the Women’s Pursuit; Andrew Trigg Hodge, Tom James, Pete Reed and Alex Gregory also rowed towards the Gold in the Men’s Four and Sophie Hosking and Kat Copeland got their hands on a somewhat unexpected Gold Medal as they won the Women’s Lightweight Double Sculls!

But winning aside, what I really can’t get over is my insistent love for it all! Rewind to one month ago and I was the epitome of a digruntled Brit; “What is all the fuss?”, “Olympic bed covers? What else can they flog?” and “Why are Olympic stars endorsing blister plasters and Subway food?” were some of my most frequent whinges.

The Opening Ceremony started (I was forced to watch it by my better half and I’m glad I did now in hindsight) and I didn’t get it. It was boring, confusing and downright messy (in my own humble opinion but don’t judge me yet).

Then they cleared away the Industrial Revolution stuff (thank goodness!) and got on with what can be confirmed as the greatest show on Earth (so far). From the music to the choreography to the set to everyone involved, the whole thing was perfectly timed, included world renowned superstars (David Beckham on that boat…ahem!), had a touch of the Great British sense of humour (Her Maj shooting out of that chopper… classic) and exuded a powerfully stunning visual to millions of people around the globe.

My Olympic obsession began.

So ever since I’ve been watching, following, pining for tickets that the media keep telling me are NOT available (yet hundreds of empty seats are clearly visible at almost every event…sigh…moan…sigh) and cheering on for Team GB!!

But then…

Horse Guards Parade, London, Thurday 2nd August: I WAS THERE!! A good chum of mine offered me a ticket to the Beach Volleyball Wednesday evening and I hurriedly accepted, booked a dogsitter and went home early from work. Excited is an understatement. I was BUZZING!

Next day, a good service on all tube services meant the trains weren’t grossly packed and the City felt friendly. I don’t remember a time I was EVER said “Hello” to on the tube let alone asked where I’m from and what I’m coming to London for today! A Brazilian tour guide and a very cockney lady were having a conversation directly opposite me about empty seats and Team GB, a German couple and an Australian were talking flight prices and what each of their countries has to offer and that they should go stay because it really is a fabulous country. All whilst a group of European lads were being sternly warned about their beer drinking.

Inside the arena I took my seat at around 2pm and didn’t leave it until 6pm! Honestly, the feeling of being in that arena felt like I was on an 18-30s holiday not casually supporting the Beach Volleyball teams! Sexy conga dancers and a perky female host perked us all up between matches and started mexican waves and long bursts of cheers for whoever we were there for.

My pal and I sat through Germany v Netherlands, Grrrrrrreat Britain v Russian Federation and USA v Spain – all cracking to see and an almighty barrage of support for Great Britain. So much so it gave me gooseys!

After dinner at Garfunkel’s (Trafalgar Square – go there, the pizza and rosé were to die!) we headed for home and I literally collapsed into my bed. The dogsitter had thankfully walked the dog 3x already throughout the day, groomed her, cleaned her up and got her ready for bed. Touch! (See below for her website, her services are FULLY recommended!)

I can apologise at this stage as I seem to have rambled on for over 800 words! However I’m glad I gave in to my hardened British disapproval and involved myself in an event that will be forever remembered and cherished.

x Peace London x

News & Photo Sources:

www.mirror.co.uk

www.itv.com

www.telegraph.co.uk

www.thesun.co.uk

www.metro.co.uk

For a personalised pet day care, dog walking, house sitting and pet grooming service use Pets, Muts & Huts:

http://www.petsmutsandhuts.co.uk/default.html