Dream Home ...

I've done a LOT of thinking about how I want our house to be when we finally own one and so far I have come up with the following:

• wooden floors
• all white walls
• all white furntiture with odd brightly coloured highlights
• all our quirky bits and pieces on show
• my eames style flea market finds and kimono fabric cushions
• the wooden initials of my husband and myself
• all my books
• the piano, sax and guitars

turns out I'm not the only one ... this place is stunning ... how green am I?

One small step for man, a giant leap for this Guynan

This year I am officially starting my training to become a Paramedic.

It has been a serious ambition of mine for some 10 years now to leave my IT career behind me and join the medical profession.

My introduction started in November 2008 when I was employed by the East of England Ambulance Service as a software developer, and over the past 16 months I have been promoted to senior developer, and am currently the interim Development Manager for the Ambulance Service.

Since April 2009, I have been a community first responder for the ambulance service which involves being clinically trained in BLS (Basic life support) This includes CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) AED (Automated External Defibrillation) and the diagnosis and treatment of many life threatening conditions.

Should the ambulance service be unable to get to a patient in an agreed amount of time, ambulance control will activate a community first responder to be first on scene and control the situation until a Paramedic arrives.

While working for the ambulance service and responding within my community, I also volunteer to work 12 hour shifts with APRU, Advanced Paramedic Response Unit.

I ride out with APRU, call sign 222, as and when I can, this is the ambulance services Critical Care Paramedic car. They are a team of 2 advanced Paramedics. 222 specialises in pre-hospital care and trauma for both adults and children (paediatrics), they are a registered charity and rely on public donations to enable them to use advanced equipment and carry pre-hospital drugs.

This is a fantastic opportunity for me, as I get to learn many skills beyond the level of a community first responder, and gain priceless experience on the road.

As I have to wait 2 years before I can apply to become a student ambulance paramedic (I need to clear the 3 points on my driving license, and get my Maths GSCE at C grade) I have decided to join Norvic Ambulance, a private organisation that will enable me to gain a recognised clinical qualification, and gain even more experience.

I will be starting my Norvic EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) course in May this year, and upon passing my assessment, I can work part time for Norvic as a technician.

I will blog more about my training in the near future. But for now, I will continue to respond, ride out, and work my way through my Paramedic bible, Emergency care on the streets by Nancy Caroline.

Joe&

Taking Pleasure in the Small Things ...

Well I think today was the first day of spring weather we've had here in Norfolk and it was glorious. I got a lot of chores done and the silliest things seemed to make me smile.

I took particular pleasure in being able to hang my washing outside for the first time this year, and in the little green buds that are showing on my hydrangeas.

Bliss!

Sarah&

Want Lots, Waste Lots

Oops ... Joe and I did a really, bad thing: We went to Lidls to (to pick up chicken for supper) tired and hungry and without a list and as a consequence spent £30 pounds (more than our weekly food budget) on things we didn't need.

Amongst other things:

Walnut Ice Cream £1.89
Guava Juice 75p
Pomegranate juice 69p
2 packs of sunflower seeds 29p each
Cherry Crumble £1.19
Mini Rum eggs £1.79
Mini Marzipan Eggs £1.79 and a
Superking Fitted Sheet £6.99

Even worse I'm fairly sure the chicken wasn't free range. 

Well I've done penance for the chicken by donating the difference between the price at Lidls and Roaming Roosters (about £3) to Hugh Fearnley Whittinstall's Chicken Out Campain.

I guess the penance for the £30 overspend will be another night spent number crunching on the excel spreadsheet.

Waste Not Want Not

Every year in the UK we throw away £12 billion worth of food which could have been eaten. Love Food Hate Waste is a campaign from WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) which shows that by doing easy practical everyday things in the home we can all waste less food, which ultimately benefits our purses and the environment too. If we all stopped wasting food that could have been eaten, it would have the same environmental impact as taking 1 in 4 cars off UK roads. lovefoodhatewaste.com has lots of delicious recipes to use up leftovers, handy hints and tips for storing food to make it last longer, a portion calculator to help you cook the right amount, and information on what food date labels mean. There is something for everyone, whether you are a keen cook, or simply want to reduce the amount of food which you throw away.

Too Many Projects Not Enough Time ...

Oh dear - while doing my usual "blog hopping" (finding one cool blog then jumping to one of their recomendations and so on) I have found a couple more projects that are too cute to pass up.

I think a little mouse will soon be on its way to my new nephew, Oskar, and the ambulance is a must for my step-daughter as her daddy is training to be a paramedic and she loves dressing up in his high vis.

Jodie at Ric-Rac is an incredible inspiration.

I will keep you posted on my progress. And if I get brave I'll post my efforts on the Ric-Rac website.

Tied to My Apron Strings

Well I've been browsing the web again and have found another delightful website devoted to one of my weaknesses - vintage style aprons.

This site is sheer heaven - so my next project must be to make and submit an apron of my own!

New Year Blues and Blog Envy

Well clearly I have blown my New Year's Resolution to "Blog Daily" which I made in a moment of high optimism and possibly under the influence of Christmas alchohol - having blithely ignored the fact that my FMS is often so bad in January and February that I can barely string a sentence together verbally let alone on screen.

So on top of feeling blue because I just do at this time of year, I also get to kick myself for setting unrealistic goals and also for not living up to them. (Yes I know there is no logic to kicking myself for both, I just do!)

As a simultaneous punishment and delight then I love to visit worthier bloggers than I who do blog frequently and whose blogs and lifestyles awaken in me a deep envy.

My latest favourite is Wee Wonderfuls a blog so, cool cute and perfect that I want to be its best friend and keep it in my pocket.

So check it out, but don't forget to come back, I'm officially out of hibernation now!

Gnome Loin Cloths and Other Adventures in Crocheting

Well having just taught my self to crochet I had to share my amazing creation. Check out my Gnome Loin Cloth.

Soon to be followed by a square and a circle - yay me!

Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas

So it's our first Christmas as husband and wife, which is very exciting, so I decided to go all out on the food and trimmings.


With a small puppy in the house, we decided not to risk having a tree (especially as we usually have real candles on it)

Christmas 2007

So this year I found an old tree shaped candle holder and sprayed it white, added candles and hung a few of our favorite  ornaments on it.

Not quite as effective, but puppy proof at least!


I did the full roast dinner, with organic turkey from M&S bought with vouchers we received for wedding presents, and as neither of us are that crazy about  Christmas Pudding, I did the Spruced Up Vanilla Cake from Nigella Lawson's Christmas program. I bought the bundt tin from Amazon.

And because it was his first Christmas, Fitz got a bone," the one as big as wot I am"

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, holiday season etc and a Happy New Year