I succumbed

I did it, what can I say? I have no defence, I've been sucked in....I'm officially a FanGirl.

After lusting after the 4S since it was released I've finally got one. I called up my phone company, as I was close to my upgrade I figured they might match the deals I'd found online...but no! I was advised that they wouldn't match the £36 a month deal I'd found so I decided to throw caution to the wind and sign up for a new contract (with the same company lol).

So I've now had my pretty little iPhone for 2 days. I've played with it, downloaded things to it, taken pictures with it and have fallen utterly in love with it. I'm guessing this is why they are massively popular - it's not just style over substance, they are beautiful little pieces of technology. I've also discovered iMessage, so have been merrily texting away to friends from foreign climes - for free :)

Every day I'm finding out something else it can do, for once, I've had no doubts about the phone I've upgraded to, which is a pleasant change. Now all I have to do is wait for it's skin to arrive so I can personalise it a wee bit and it'll be utterly perfect :)

Little iPhone....I <3 you! 

The Yearly Debate

It's that time of the year again. Early spring, which brings with it daffodils, bright skies, Easter and FA Cup semi-finals. It also brings the most debated sporting event in the calendar (in England anyway). The Grand National.

I'm sure many of you have already decided what this blog will be about, knowing I'm a soppy, animal loving vegetarian. However, I'm probably going to prove you wrong! As always, Twitter and Facebook have been alight with calls to ban horse racing due to the devastatingly sad news that two horses failed to survive the race this year. Despite safety changes being made every year to the course at Aintree, yet more horses have sustained injuries that cannot be treated. I hate this fact, I hate than any animal has to die.....but.....those horses were doing what they were trained to do. They were doing what they loved, running alongside other horses, being part of a pack.

Whilst I can be upset at this news, I am confused as to the amount of people calling for the sport to be banned. I'm confused as to the difference between this "cruel" sport and the eating of meat. Purebred race horses are bred to race. They are looked after, nurtured and cared for by trainers who want the best for their animals. These animals are there because of the racing industry. If racing was banned, those animals would either be put to sleep, or put out to pasture, despite being bred to run and race and jump. Isn't that more cruel to those magnificent animals?

How is the tragic fall of a racehorse, who is then attended by vets and only euthanised if the injury is untreatable (as is often the case with broken limbs), and even then, is treated with dignity, shielded from the crowd and put to sleep quickly, more cruel than the death of a cow, pig, lamb or chicken destined to end its life in a slaughterhouse? Part of a production line with hundreds of others, dealt with as a commodity to satisfy the taste for fresh meat?

Perhaps I'm oversimplifying, but how is the value of one animal decided? Is it how cute they are? Is it the fact that horseracing is a spectacle, broadcast for the world to see whilst animals destined for plates are dealt with away from prying eyes, only reaching view when in palatable little plastic trays, devoid of their "cuteness"?

Before deciding that something is cruel, perhaps a deeper view is needed. People in general will never, ever agree. It's our very nature to provoke and debate. However, much as I don't eat meat, wear leather and try to be responsible in the products I use I would not call for the eating of meat to be banned. It's an industry, like any other, that contributes to our economy and the same goes for horse racing.

If you ban horse racing, do you then ban halaal meat? What about battery eggs? Non free range meat? Feeding mice to snakes? Where do you draw the line?

A Spark Of Invention

I have, this evening, invented a word. I shall ignore the ridiculous versions on Urban Dictionary and I shall present to you my new word....

Squilly :)

This is the state you find yourself in when, after partaking in a few alcoholic beverages you find yourself feeling a bit squiffy....being in such a state means that you might start embarking on behaviour that others may find slightly silly.

Congratulations, you are being squilly :)

I feel that this word is deserving of being spread across the t'interwebz as fast as fibre optic cables can carry it.

Enjoy!

Getting There?

I've realised something today. Whilst driving home from Asda it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't felt anxious once.

Perhaps it's had something to do with Hague being away for the weekend, so I HAD to go out and walk Boo, and pop to the shops on my own, and I managed. Despite feeling anxious then, I got through, and so today, the first day of having Hague back, I've not felt panicky.

I'm really hoping this is real progress. I've been following my Occupational Health advisor's advice and it does seem to be slowly helping, it would be nice to think that maybe I'm getting there, that maybe, just maybe I'm only a matter of weeks away from being back to myself, feeling normal again. Able to cope like most other people cope with the normality of life from day to day.

My certificate runs out on Friday, and whilst I don't feel quite ready to go back, I'm certainly feeling like that isn't an impossibility, that going back will be happening sooner rather than later. A feeling I've not had in a long time!

So I shall keep pushing myself onwards, I shall keep doing as I'm advised, and with a bit of luck, I'll be back earning a living before too many more weeks have passed :)