4 People And A Funeral

When Neil rang me a few days ago to say that we were having a funeral for his rat, Rosie, I thought he was joking.....how very wrong I was. 

Yesterday evening, I went out to the car so Neil and I could go to his friends house for dinner and sat in the passenger seat was a tiny wreath of flowers. That was it, I was gone!! I collapsed on the floor in absolute hysterics, this was too much, I wasn't sure how I was going to take this seriously and I really didn't want to offend anyone so was hoping the giggles would get out of my system pretty quickly!! 

When we got to Neil's friends house, we bought a bottle of wine and first-things-first, we toasted to the lovely rat that was (who was now in a shoe box in the fridge). After dinner and a lot of wine, we got ready to head up to Ally Pally for the funeral so Neil and D put their suit jackets on, picked up Rosie's box and held her on their shoulders as if starting the funeral march....as you can imagine I really tried hard to keep it together and felt very lucky I was the one standing behind the camera so that I could concentrate on something else. Beauty was though, D and Neil also struggled to keep a straight face and after taking about 25 pictures, we finally got a good one:

Then we all headed up to Ally Pally to say goodbye to the lovely Rosie. A hole was dug under a really big and beautiful tree, and the diva that was Rosie got placed gently inside accompanied by a Cath Kidston baby blanket and her 'packed lunch'. D said a really lovely poem about her and we all put a handful of dirt in and buried her up wishing her a safe journey, leaving the wreath on top. Having been laughing all evening, it now was actually rather sad. M, D and Neil all had a moment together and I think they all found it hard to leave, because although I have been joking the entire way through, Rosie was a big part of theirs lives; they told me hundreds of stories about times she had made them laugh, she sounded like she had a really great personality and was so human that she even offered them kisses. I have to admit, even I found it moving.

Farewell Rosie, as D would say "The best rat that ever was". Sleep well xxx

P.T.X

"PTX! PTX! PTX!" was being chanted as we walked into the O2 empire in Shepherds Bush and Dani and I couldn't help but join in. The atmosphere was full of energy and excitement. People from all over London came to see one of the best Acapella groups in the world; stood in front of us in the queue was a gentleman of about 60 or so reading a newspaper, as we rounded the corner to get into the venue, a group of 14 year old girls were all squeeling with excitement and standing next to us waiting for Pentatonix, was a family- the 'kids' must have been mid-20's! It was great to see such a large range of people there.

I digress--- so we are stood maybe 10 rows of people from the front cheering PTX to the stage, the lights went dark and BOOM there they were, all 5 of them singing in perfect harmony and both Dani and myself became 15 again. The family next to us looked a little concerned at first by the two 20-somethings jumping up and down like loony-toons and screaming our little hearts out. Having waited 5 months for this moment to come, and here it was, PTX standing just a few metres away blowing the crowd away with their mutant lungs, we couldn't have been happier even if we tried. 

Let me take you back a few years when we first found them; we were doing a show at Uni and the song of the moment was "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore so Dani went on YouTube and came across this gorgeous little group doing an AMAZING rendition (take a listen) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0qJdShOL_s 

and that was it....we were OBSESSED and started to look up every song they had ever done and we discovered 2 that really stuck with us. 'Run To You' which is an original song written by the bassist Avi, and 'Evolution of Music' which is just pure brilliance! Leading up to their show last Thursday, Dani and I were both tweeting them asking to sing 'Run To You' so every time a new song started we were praying it would be this one so when Avi announced them doing an original our hearts jumped and we reached out for each other whisper-squeeling "oh my god, oh my god, this is it, oh my god" and the 15 year old in me got a little too carried away and screamed out "I LOVE YOU AVI!!!"....maybe not an appropriate time but it just happened.

Standing in a triangle formation, a spotlight hit the 5 of them and the beautiful sounds of 'Run To You' started to wash over us. We stood there holding hands, staring up at the stage as if they were some form of demi-gods, mouthing every word along with them. At the end of the song, we turned to each other with tears in our eyes and big grins on our faces feeling like they had been singing just to us. 

We knew that the gig was coming to a close which made our hearts sink and wish for more, so when they sang their final song 'Carry You Home Tonight', we danced til our feet couldn't take anymore and sang to each other. For you best friends out there, you will understand me when I say it was a moment neither of us will ever forget; just us two, in a moment of pure brilliance loving every second. As we left to get the tube home, arm in arm, we couldn't stop grinning knowing our faces would hurt in the morning from our crazy smiles feeling incredibly happy and satisfied with life. Thank you to my gorgeous best friend for an amazing night which I shall never forget. xxx

 

The Keys To Happiness

Someone said to me today "Why are you always so happy and what's with this #100happydays thing you are doing? If I could just have one of those days it would last me a lifetime" and it got me thinking about all the things that makes me happy and how I can help everyone else around me get a dose of the happy pill, so here I give you a few cheeky tips on how to make your life a happier place;

1. Music and Dancing- listen to songs that make you happy; there are so many online soundtracks you can download. I always like to put on the soundtrack to the film Footloose and before you know it I am up on my feet dancing in my room without a care in the world. Challenge for you; when you are next out in a club, dance like there is no-one watching---it's amazing how good it will make you feel

2. FOOD! 

3. Get Creative- making something out of nothing is such a satisfactory thing whether it is an item of clothing, a card or a cake, create something and it will make you smile.

4. Love- I think this is one of the most important keys to happiness. It doesn't have to be the lustful or sexual kind of love that you have for a partner, remember your love for your friends and family and the way they love you back, it's such a great thought. Here's an idea; think about someone you love and admire, write a letter to them and post it. Making someone else smile will make you smile too!

 5. Silliness- being silly can really get your heart pumping and helps you feel like a child again

 How am I always happy? The answer is I just let myself be; let your inhibitions go, run like Phoebe from Friends, dance like the drunk uncle at a wedding and love with every part of your body. 

I shall leave you with this; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOH_mioL3TU