To Change or not to Change

As we role inexorably towards 2012 we see the inevitable, good riddance to 2011,  heres hoping 2012 will be better comments. A lot of store is set by new year, people make fresh starts, new diets, new resolutions and make changes to their lives. I have never really understood it, aside from the human physche needing an actual push and shove to get them to do something that they could have done at any given point during the year. It has always confused me, and it is one of a few reasons why I don’t a) get excited about New Year and b) why I don’t make resolutions. This year I chose to lose weight, I chose to drop the kilos, and I did. It didn’t take a momentus occasion, or a special date, or a change in the roatation of the earth. I just woke up and decided to do something about it and I have. I am now over 17 kilos down and it didn’t require a calendar change, it did however require a wardrobe change.  This means that I walk into January with a smile, no long terrified to stand on the scales, and no longer scouring the back of the rails in stores to find clothes that will fit. It took me a long time to figure out what was wrong with me, and once I did I havent looked back. Except to look at pictures of my old self and think how sad it was that I hadnt found the key to my success earlier.

I wont be making a new beginning this year, I am making plans, but I do not want to brush 2011 aside and pray for a happier year. I would indeed hope that 2012 brings more of the same for me, in the sense that 2011 gave me a lot. It gave me a project that taught me a lot, and not just in work terms, it taught me a lot about who I am. 2011 brought me my family to the same building as me, strengthening a bond that was already unbreakable. It brought me my other half who in turn brought me a sense of calm and a sense of priority.

This year there will be no flippant remarks about ensuring that I don’t die my hair purple or drink too much, that is inevitable. The drinking, not the hair dye. Their will be more of what you have seen of the junior Redding in 2011, more music, more events, more working my ass off. Less ranting, less partying and less tears. I will remain at my desk doing what I believe I do best, working with some remarkable people to bring what is quite clearly one of the biggest loves of my lives, great music, to your doorsteps and to your ears. I shall also continue to be delighted by the man in my life, who has to be the most patient man alive, I shall remember how lucky I am to have him and to have the life that I do. I shall strive to be like my Father, who still to this day pushes boundaries and has vision and strength that men somehow lack these days, I shall celebrate my Mother, one of the most special and remarkable women I have ever known who is so much to so many but remains the most to me, and my brother, the man who quietly shines, and with no pomp just silently goes about being my brother in the best way he can, in a way that no other could.

New Year should be a quick pit stop, time for us to look back and note the things in our lives that we love, and want to continue to cherish, you don’t need a date, or a countdown or fireworks to help you make a change. If you want something badly enough, no calendar date will stop you.

I wish everyone a great New Year and I know I am looking forwards, and not back to what will be, I am sure, another great year.

Christmas Spirits ...

So its Christmas, a lot has happened since I last blogged, and so before the Christmas shenanigans begin and the New Year let down, as it inevitably is starts to loom, I thought it about time I put some of my wandering thoughts down on paper. So in no particular order, what’s new  in my world ?  Well the Boy is new. Well, he isn’t new he has been around for 38 years (he may kill me for that) but he is new to me, and new to most of you too, although I have done, in my humble opinion a rather fantastic job of trying to introduce to him as many of you as possible. The slightly terrified look on his face whenever I say the words ‘we have a dinner with some friends this week’ is testament to how many of you I have shown him off too. He also gets a massive gold star for remembering 99% of you. So he is what’s new in my world, he is also what’s happy in my world (cue sentimental ridiculousness comments here), being that he is quite unbelievably awesome. However this is what you should expect when your Mother orders your boyfriend off the internet. Don’t raise your eyebrows at the computer, no Pauline hasn’t worked out how to shop online at all, I am indeed joking. I do however believe that someone put a list of things that would suit me perfectly and then checked them off next to his name and then sent him my way. Sadly no one did the same for him, and he is left wondering how this happened to him. However we do hope he never works it out J

The Science Festival is over, and it surpassed even my own expectations, all the months of rages and tears and damn hard work paid off. Yes I was rewarded with a new scar on my leg where a small child was so desperate to get inside the Festival that he kicked me out of his way as he hurtled towards the door. Small child was wearing tiny little boots, that I believe had steel toe caps, and so as I was left bleeding (fact) he hurtled off into the festival, followed at a more sedate pace by his Mother, who occasionally yelled encouraging things such as, ‘quick before anyone else gets there’ and ‘Just ask for 2 of everything’ as he bounced off our theatre tickets desk. It was indeed a spectacle. Watching 3000 kids a day line up and troop into the hall, with excited little faces and their too big uniforms was a little bit sweet. Watching them leave not looking so tidy whilst clutching windmills and mini robots and frantically shoving cereal bars in their faces was practically heady. I did however get to meet the Boss. Yes, the main man himself H.H. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, our Crown Prince. Not only did he shake my hand and pronounce it a pleasure (I always knew I had an awesome handshake, and we all know it’s a pleasure to meet me, so no surprises there), he requested a photograph, and then very nicely told me to enjoy my stay. My only worry out of this exchange is that he knows something I do not, I mean after all he is the man in the know, and he seems to think my time here is limited. I shall keep you posted on my movements, however I am avoiding blacked out trucks and people with bags. So the festival is done, with over 121,000 people through its doors I was quite rightly the most tired person ever. It is done though, and as I said I was so annoyed with the festival I was going to beat it into submission, I got very close, it came back at me for a couple of rounds, but in the end, and after a stewards enquiry I was declared the Victor. I cant tell you yet what my spoils were, but it’s an emphatic return to Music. Which whilst I am still the most tired person alive, is still making me grin. I almost am bursting with excitement and the need to tell people but as always my lips are not only sealed, but stapled and glued shut. I am however fully shouting from the rooftops about ColdPlay

I am fully in the Christmas Spirit, it took me a little longer, thanks to being felled, literally by a bug / virus / fatigue thing. Apparently according to the fully crazy Dr I saw ( the usual magician I see had dared to go on holiday) I had fatigue of the muscles as well as a virus. So on the same day that my poor Mothers Christmas tree crashed to the ground in front of her eyes, so did her daughter. That was a bad day for the Mothership. A cracked tree and a knacked Daughter. It also was a bad omen for my poor boy, who spent his birthday cooking me bacon sarnies and cuddling me while I cried. I manned up for the present giving, although it was done in my Pyjamas, and then dug deep and headed out for his Birthday dinner, which by any means was a resounding success. Red wine, steak and chips and a whole lot of laughter meant that the day was not lost altogether, plus I have a sneaky suspicion that the QPR football club cakes were a definite winner …. Many girlfriend brownie points gained there (swiftly lost again during the ‘please note your girlfriend is rubbish when ill’ period swiftly following the birthday).

So Christmas is now truly nearly on our doorstep and I for once am done ahead of time, I am being overly smug about this, and its not helping anyone, or making anyone like me very much. It is however making me feel much better about Christmas and the Redding Family tradition of ‘best present’ as ever we are competing, to see who gives the best gift. Not in terms of money or size but in terms of thought. I think I have this sewn up. Then again I think that every year. So let’s wait and see.

In the meantime I will be finalizing my event report for the Science Festival, and looking forward to the arrival of Chris and the gang, New Years Eve is going to be damn cold, damn amazing and I get to spend it with my damn fine boyfriend, and Coldplay (coldplay coming a close second) which I cant wait for, ringing in our first new year together to fireworks and live music, doesn’t get much better than that for me.

So on that note I wish you all a festive weekend and my wish is that you spend it wherever you are, with friends and family, and that you laugh and smile and forget all your worries for one day. For those of you who are my Kandora wearing friends, please excuse us while we all go a little insane, its like Eid, just with a tree.

Much love and festive sparkles