Myopic Vision

I woke up to a blinding ray of sunshine this morning and I thought it would be a wonderful and warm day. God knows, after the last few bitterly cold days we’ve had, a bit of warmth from the sun would be really good. Someone should have hit me on the head to remind me that we are in winter still and that the sun is deceptive. Of course, the reminder only came when I left the house to go to the gym and discovered that it was not just sunny, but cold and windy. In short, it was freezing. So when I got back home, there was really not a lot else to do, besides curl up like a lounge lizard and watch some telly. I caught a bit of “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”, which I think is one of the most brilliant musicals ever made. That barn dance is one scene I’ll never tire off. After that, I made myself a cup of steaming coffee and sat down to watch Inspector Morse and his sidekick Lewis attempt to solve another wonderfully scripted murder. The story today was called “Happy Families” and was abo

So I've been tagged by my cousin Mark, which means that I've got to continue this tradition of 7 sevens and tag some other poor soul. 7 things to do before I die Travel to as many places as I can afford Learn to swim properly and swim with the dolphins Learn to ride a horse Go on a safari Win the Lottery and retire early. Stay forever young (in spirit and mind if not in body) Learn to speak French fluently 7 things I cannot do Grow taller Shower in my local gym (you'd be repulsed if you see what I see) Swim Sing professionally...I'll stick to singing in the bath. Play a musical instrument (I'd love to learn how to play the guitar) Go on a diet Go into the Gents Loo 7 things that attract me to London Family The easy accessibility to the rest of Europe The parks and wide open spaces within the city The transport network. its' amazing when it works. The weather (come on. It could be worse) The multicultural population and cuisine The Waitangi Day pub crawl 7 thi

I hate Monday mornings. It usually is the worst time for me, particularly being the start of the working week. I usually find that I am always having to hurry on a Monday to get to work on time. This morning I decided to get up a bit earlier so that I'd have enough of time to myself before rushing out the door. It would have all gone smoothly except for the fact that Murphy's Law really came to play today and the result has been a disastrous day in general. I left the house at about the usual time, but then returned about 5 minutes later as I realised that I had left my travel card behind. So that trip cost me a few minutes. I was lucky to be dropped off to my local railway station and I stood at the platform and waited and waited and waited....but there wasn't a train in sight. Then after a good 10 minutes, the announcement came " Owing to a problem at Stanmore, all Jubilee line services are severely delayed. Please seek alternative transportation". So along with

The way to my heart, quite literally is through my stomach. I love food, and judging from my chubby cheeks you can tell that it is one of my passions. I consider myself a pretty decent cook and an enthusiastic eater. I'm not too fussed when it comes to food. However, I draw the line at internal organs like heart, brain, eyes, balls etc. I'm sure that there are loads of people who relish these delicacies. I, am just not of them. To me, the very notion of consuming internals is repugnant to the point of being nauseating. Travelling is a great way to sample the delicacies of other countries. During my travels, I have sampled, a variety of ethnic cuisines like Thai, French, Spanish, Chinese, New Zealand, Italian, English and Middle Eastern. I've also tasted game like Ostrich. Now Ostrich is not for the faint hearted as it is a really strong tasting bird. I think it is a bit of an acquired taste to be honest. You either love it or you don't. I did not. My eldest cousin Mark,

On Friday night, I re-discovered my dancing shoes as I joined my friends in a club. I must confess that it had been ages since I went clubbing and when my friend Sally invited me to join her group of mates for an evening out, I accepted readily and I'm not sorry because I had a really great time. The first stop was at Sally's because it was the first anniversary that she and her flatmate Kathy had been in their current flat in Willesden Green. There I met a truly eclectic and fun loving bunch of people like Dave, Nathan, Kathy, Goff and a lovely young couple (sorry I can't remember their names). The club was called the Good Ship in Kilburn and the DJ was known to the girls. The music was lively and the so was the spirits. At the club were were joined by the other friends Flavio, Jason, Kristine and her partner, Lalee and Sam. I spent most of the time on the dance floor with them all. Sal says that these are her closest friends and I can see why. There is not just a bond of

The unsuspecting travellers on London's Circle Line train on Saturday, must have thought they were stuck in the middle of a big Mardi Gras celebration. In reality, this was a much better party.....the celebration of Waitangi Day, antipodean’s style. For those that don't know, Waitangi Day is the anniversary of the signing of the treaty of Waitangi between the Maori and the Crown, symbolising a unification of the New Zealand people. Although a bit controversial and political back home , there were no signs of divide here in London as thousands of patriotic homesick Kiwis came together to celebrate the joy and uniqueness of being New Zealanders. It's not entirely clear when this grand tradition of the circle line pub crawl actually began. According to the TNT magazine, it was somewhere around 1976, when a group of Kiwis (not to be outdone by the Aussie’s celebration of Australia Day a week before Waitangi Day) came up with the brilliant idea of doing a pub crawl along the cir

For those that don't know me at all....let me fess up and say that I'm a moaner. I'm always moaning about something. And today is no exception. I'm moaning about something that may seem trivial and banal, but has made it to number one on my "list of things to moan about".It's about the whole dilemma of how to loose weight in the quickest and most effective manner ( read PAINLESS ). While I am not grossly fat... I do think I’m gloriously chubby and although that does not really cause people to stand and stare, it does make me want to do something about shedding all the unwanted lard. The other and more pressing need for me to loose weight is because I have to fit into a dress and look totally ravishing for a big wedding in December. And thus begins my battle of the bulge. For months now I have agonised over my options. Do I opt for: * the tried, tested and failed diets - wont' work because I’m far too lazy to stick to a diet, * the wonder pills,

Hi Everyone Welcome to my world...I'm Kim Valladares - a lovable but very dippy bird, a bit of a dreamer, a sparkling gypsy and all round eccentric really. For a long time now I've been secretly intrigued by this whole world of blogging. After having read my cousin Mark's blog, I've been toying with the idea of dabbling in this whole blog scene. I think it's a case of the old adage "tired of looking in from the outside and wanting to be on the inside". Well, you get my drift don't you? The idea that someone may chance upon my blog and attempt to read the ramblings of a lunatic like myself is not just inconceivable, but also vaguely amusing. However, I'm told that stranger things do exist. so I'll just have to wait and watch....and of course ramble on.