Bambi Learns to Walk

As I have mentioned in a recent post, I'm the human Bambi on ice.  Find the smallest patch of ice on the ground and you can guarantee that I will find it, slip on it and usually fall on my ass.  It's quite irritating and very embarrassing.

I'm the girl you see clinging to the wall or anything sturdy to keep me upright, even when most others are walking normally and not slipping.  If there was an Olympic medal in most likely to slip over even in the most unlikely of circumstances, I would win gold.

This year though, it was time to regain the outdoors.  I have purchased a pair of ice cleats for my shoes and have decided to do a review on them, purely for the fact that until someone told me about them last year, I wasn't aware that they even existed.

Made of rubber, designed to attach to the front and back of your shoe

They are a lot sharper than I'd anticipated
but I guess they need to be

Spikes at the front and back of your shoe

Ignore the filing cabinets!

Once on they are barely noticeable

I bought these from a local sports shop for £10.00 although I have seen different varieties of them online from £5.00 all the way up to £30.00.  

When someone suggested me buying them, having explained what they were I have to admit that I wasn't overly optimistic.  How would they work, could I balance on them, would I really be able to work without looking like an idiot..... The only way I was going to to find out was to try.

I first used them yesterday.  I walked out of the bus station, encountered the snow and ice patches and decided to have a go.  

Firstly, find something that you can balance against when putting them on.  Although the rubber on each end was very easy to attach to my boots, I couldn't have balanced properly without using a wall to lean against.  I did get a few looks I will admit as everyone else was happily walking along in their boots, but sod them, I need industrial help.

After a few metres of walking in them, not sure how to shift my balance and with no confidence that I wouldn't slip whatsoever, I began to realise that they do actually work.  I'll clarify that, THEY BLOODY WORK!!!!!

There I was, after years and years of shuffling on snow, falling over and getting a million funny looks as I battled with the weather, I could walk!  I even found myself purposely going for the more icy patches just to test them, and was able to walk over anything.

Anyone who is reading this and has been the same over Winters as I have, practically disabled by the weather, I urge you, buy them.  

I'm Now Officially Old

I'm now officially old.  I haven't had a birthday or anything like that, but I have reached a point that in my youth, I swore would never happen.  I have fallen out of love with "going out on the town".

When I say going out on the town however, let me be a little more specific.  Because we all know that there is "going out on the town" and bar trawling.  My town, god love it, is a bar trawling type of place.  Many bars that you can frequent over the weekend, nightclubs offering cheap drinks, dancing until dawn rises if you want to.

I would go out with my friends all weekend and for years, the magic of a "night out down town" was there.  Overcrowded was "it's busy so it's cool", the age limit of over 25 in the nightclub was a weekend game to be played and usually won.  Weekends were edged in a kind of magic, where everything was fun, romance and whatever you wanted was there for the taking.

For money, work, university and a million other reasons, I haven't been out into the town on a weekend for a very long time.  Over Christmas I went to a party and afterwards, we decided on a foray into town to hit a couple of bars.  That's when it hit me.  The magic had gone.  I stayed for a couple of drinks and then made a rapid escape, via the kebab shop though, some things will never change.  Food at the end of the night will always cure most of your hangover.

I realised the next day however that it wasn't the magic that had gone from the town.  The town hadn't changed.  The bars had changed over the years but were still there, the cheap drinks, the masses of people out for a good time.  No, it wasn't the town that had changed, it was me. For one thing, I could no longer go out with just a purse in my hand with a lipstick crammed in, how did I ever manage????

My 30's are just as much fun as my 20's, just in a different way.  My idea of a great night out is now somewhat more expensive, but as I don't go out nearly as much as I used to, this type of night has become more affordable.

See, she's still there, just better dressed and drinking cocktails ;)

So hence, I'm sat here planning a night away in Manchester next Friday.  The hotel is booked, just a Premier but who needs something fancy for a one night stay, the eating place is chosen, in this case Revolution which does nice on the go food well, with good cocktails and then off to sample some more cocktails at the delights of the Alchemist Bar.  

Good friends, great conversation, lots of laughs, cocktails, a night away and a good breakfast in the morning.  That's my style these days.  What's yours? 

Snow is Falling

Cold weather isn't all bad.  Cozying up in front of the fire, warm soft clothes, comfortable layers.  Cold weather isn't all bad, if I could stay inside the house that is.  Outside brings snow, ice, freezing cold standing at the bus stop, falling frequently on my ass and feeling generally petrified.

I know why I'm scared of snow.    I'm aware in the telling of the story that it is amusing, but it wasn't funny at the time and is the only explanation I have for the fear I feel now.   You are allowed to laugh at it though ;) 

When I was around 6 I walking with my mum along a street covered with snow, snow like it used to, very very deep.  We had both been visiting my grandma and we were on my street making our way back to our house when I disappeared.

Did I disapparate like in the Harry Potter books?  No, I fell down a manhole.  Yes, ok, haha.  This was in the 1980's, before the "Health & Safety" culture got going.  Some workmen had obviously been doing something with the manhole and had it left it uncovered for whatever reason.  With the heavy snow you couldn't see any difference and no signs had been erected.   So little Vicky disappeared, luckily managing to grab hold of the pavement so I could drag myself back up.

Telling the story always gets a laugh, but the truth of it is that since then I have always been frightened of snow, with ice being added to the fear over the years on the grounds that I am the human Bambi on ice, clumsy and unable to keep my balance.

One of my (many I admit) pet peeves are people that wish for the snow.  Why???? You get maybe one day, at best, where throwing snowballs for an hour is fun, the rest of the time you are miserable, wet, cold, slipping and in my case, falling over, a lot.

When people talk about what they would do if they won the lottery, the same thing is always at the top of my list, move to a country where it DOESN'T BLOODY SNOW!

Tell me, please, how is this fun???