Finding from packing

I'm still in the process of packing and will continue to work through the night until I'm either tired or there's not much left to pack. While I've been packing, I came across a few items I thought had gone missing; in this case, clothing.

While searching through my wardrobe, I discovered a 'new' blue shirt that I had completely forgotten about, as it was buried under socks and other clothing. I call it 'new' because I've barely worn it. There are a few other items of clothing that were buring alongisde it; I'll have to ensure these are hung up in the wardrobe when I'm back in my accommodation, rather than waiting on the shelves.

Jacket luck

I had a bout of good luck yesterday afternoon. As it was raining outside, I wore my thin coat over my fleece; however, by the time I made it to my bus it had stopped raining, was warm and I was sweating. I tied both my fleece and my coat around my waist before I boarded the 48 to the city centre.

When I arrived in the centre, without noticing it my jacket slipped off me. It was only when I was in Bulwell that I realised it had come off; at first, I thought I'd lost the coat but then I remembered, assuming it had come off on either the 48 or the 17 (my bus to Bulwell), there was a chance it would be in Nottingham City Transport's lost and found collection. After I'd finished in Bulwell I returned to the city centre on the 68 line.

On that bus back I realised there were other places it could have come off. When I was in the Victoria Centre, for example, although there was a chance I could get it back in there, too; but there were other places, like Bulwell bus station and the entire stretch from the 48 to the 17. I had conceded that the coat was lost but I hoped that someone in need would pick it up, such as a homeless person.

As luck would have it, when I returned to the bus stops back to Clifton, the jacket was next to a bin; it was dirty from being trodden on but it was there! I picked it up in relief and couldn't believe my luck in retrieving what I thought was a lost coat.

Walking in sandals

This evening, I walked from Clifton, through Ruddington and to the city centre; this is a relatively easy walk for me and took 2 1/2 hours to complete. However, the complication for this occasion was that I wore sandals.

Why? Because my main shoes are starting to wear from my walks. I was about a third of the way into this evening's walk when my right foot pained me; by the time I was in the city centre, I needed to sit down and rest my feet. Even now, my right foot is hurting in parts but I won't find out how much until tomorrow.

Still, I had a lovely walk - it was too beautiful to stay indoors!

Pants for long walks

I recently purchased a pair of pants/trousers specifically for when I go on long walks. Back in the summer, I wore out a couple of pairs of my trousers because of the five-miles-a-day walks that I undertook back then; as we are starting to progress towards warmer weather, I anticipate more walking.

Also, I do sweat significantly when I walk in warm weather; rather than my everyday clothing have to be affected by my sweat, better for walk-specific clothing to absorb it.

New shoes 2016

Last summer, I bought a new pair of shoes, as my old pair at the time were falling apart. Less than a year later, this new pair have also started falling apart: due to the way I walk, I've worn down the heels but not only that, the front of one of them has split and continued use will split the shoe further.

As such, I invited a friend to come shoe shopping with me today. The first stores we looked around either sold "trendy" shoes or shoes that were way too small for my feet. After over half an hour, we checked out a store that sold outdoor products. The shop assistant in there was as first unsure if they carried shoes in my size but when he looked in the back of the place, he found two pairs in there.

The first pair were well-built but slightly pricey, so I held out for the second; however, they turned out to be even more expensive and far outside my price range. As such, since the first pair were otherwise suitable, I purchased them. It possible that my friend and I could have found a slightly cheaper equivalent pair elsewhere but I'm happy with my purchase: these shoes are tougher than my previous two sets.

Broken button

A button on one of my trouser pairs broke yesterday:

A supporting piece in the centre of the button is missing and is the part of the button onto which the thread held. As this is the second time this particular pair of trousers has broken a button, I think I'll find a stronger button for them.

On the bright side, my phone can take good close-up shots, such as the one above.

Aching foot

As a result of my recent walk to Hucknall, which I am fairly certain is my longest walk to date, I am in pain in my right foot. I thought the pain would have ameliorated over the course of Sunday but it hasn't; I limped to my bus this morning and back to my house in the evening. I think the problem is that I've been walking so much with my current shoes that they are becoming unsuitable for long hikes.

My Hucknall walk on Saturday was worth it, though, and I intend to complete the walk again. At some point I will need a new pair of main shoes!

The dress debate

I'm going to be lazy for the second post in a row and copy and paste what I posted elsewhere:

"I've observed quite a few strange arguments on the Internet (well, more than a few) but the 'what colour is this dress?' debate that's been raging on is easily amongst the most bizarre discussions I've ever encountered anywhere. I shouldn't be amazed by things like this anymore but I am!

As for the dress, as far as I am concerned as long as whoever wears it is comfortable in it, that's all that matters."

The debate over the colour of a dress, if you're not up on this, can be found here. Honestly, it's one of the most bizarre debates I've ever witnessed; the comfort of the wearer is the only important factor.

The scarf

My Hong Kong uncle bought me a scarf during his recent visit. The primary reason he bought it for me was because my grandmother wanted me to wear it on the bus to help protect me from additional colds; however, I have also been wearing it for the way scarves are intended: to warm me.

Prior to the last few weeks, I had never really worn a scarf. I found them annoying and inconvenient and thus, never bothered to wear them. My opinion towards scarves has since changed: my dark navy blue scarf, which matches my usual black attire, suits me and it's extremely comfortable. In fact, since I put it on this afternoon I've only taken it off for short periods.

In short: I like my scarf.

Smart clothing

My cousin and I spent the afternoon clothes shopping...for me. Next week, my class and I will be having a Christmas party at a fancy venue and I needed to purchase some smarter clothing than anything I had in my attire collection prior to today.

Within half an hour, my cousin and I found a suitable pair of trousers for me. The difficult part was finding a decent light, smart jacket to match it. Over the course of the next two hours, we experienced little success in searching for something to fit with the trousers; the three jackets that would have matched them were too small, too large and too expensive, respectively.

Finally, around twenty minutes before my cousin needed to leave, we searched around one more store. In there, we located some ideal suit tops that were in line with what I wanted and they matched the trousers well. My cousin was concerned about the price of them (they were above £50 but below £100) but I received a significant discount for the top I purchased.

I am mildly concerned that the clothing I have purchased is a little too smart for the venue of our party but as one of my friends with whom I was texting said, it's better to be decent than indecent.

Sorting out the room

Yesterday, I wrote about having to sort out a backlog pictures on my computer before I move. This afternoon, my mother and I spent some time sorting out my room; in particular, we sorted out my clothes. Most of them will be coming with me to Nottingham but some of my old clothes needed to disposed of: I had several old, hole-ridden t-shirts that I hadn't worn for years, a few long-sleeved shirts that were too small for me and a handful socks that were in ruins (given the age of my socks, it's impressive that more weren't a mess).

The reality of how close I am to moving out has not yet hit me. A possible reason why might be because I am going to live with my grandparents, rather than on my own or with non-family; even so, this is going to be a major change. I haven't felt many emotions throughout my college application process; no sadness, little excitement and little fear. It's strange.

There are still a few more things to sort out in my room. Most of the my belongings will remain here; it's important items like clothing, toiletries and electronics that I'll be taking. I will, however, be taking a few sentimental items, such as the framed pictures I have of our cats.

British feet

This was a strange article, yet it might be good news for me:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27662088

My feet are larger than British shoe size 10 (11 in the United States) and it's hard for me to get decent shoes; very few stores sell shoes in my size. My Nottingham aunt has taken me shoe shopping twice and it took us over an hour each time for us to find me a suitable pair. Perhaps this new report will mean that larger shoes will enjoy greater availability.

Kitchen towel with a hat

It's been almost three months since I last made a "...with a hat" post. Here is a completely random iten - in this case a roll of kitchen towel - wearing my Jubilee hat:

I had no other ideas for a post today, unfortunately, as I have been busy and have been behind on some things. I hope to have this problem rectified in the next day or two.

Camera with a hat

My "...with a hat" posts are more well-received than I thought they would be. Here is another:

I thought that it was time for my main camera to be featured (although its lens was seen in a Secret Life of Bloggers Blog Party post). After all, it (along with my phone) is what I used to capture all the photgraphs I post here; why not let it have a turn, and alongside the hat?

Fan with a hat

Okay, yes, I know they're silly but...another hat post!

This is my bedroom fan wearing my Jubilee hat. The hat is not the only item that my fan is wearing: can you spot a left over Christmas decoration from last year?

Jar with a hat

Time for another "hat" post.

It's the penny jar, wearing my Jubilee hat. While the penny jar is stored in my room, the coins it stores aren't mine; we use it to keep all the 1 pence and 2 pence coins that we collect. We've had various penny jars over the years.

Lamp with a hat

Another one of my "hat" posts. This is a lamp with a hat:

My grandfather gave me and my brother this lamp but it stays in my room, essentially making me its de facto owner. I love how the flash has almost made the lamp appear as though it's on! Unless I intend to photograph it on another object, I'll keep the hat on the lamp, as it keeps it off my desk.

Snow globe with a hat

Remember my year-round snow globe? Also remember my mug and my frog...both with a hat? It's my snow globe...with a hat!

It's the hat I obtained at the Jubilee street party last year. I was looking at the hat earlier and then I decided to look at my blog posts where I featured the hat on another inanimate object. I know it's immature and silly, but my other posts in the same category as this one attracted laughs; I also had no idea what to write for today and thought that this would do.

"Oh, Missing Pair of Jeans"

Oh, missing pair of jeans,

 just where have you gone?

We used to be a team,

now we've been apart too long!

I used to feel serene,

now I feel distraught.

It makes me want to scream

"Has it all just been for nought?"
 

 Perhaps you have been taken

 without your own volition.

If you didn't leave me forsaken,

your return is now my mission!

Oh, missing pair of jeans,

please return to me

I pine for your seams;

all that makes you be!

-------------

Oh, Missing Pair of Jeans was inspired by my brother, who has had a pair of his jeans missing for several months and has been annoyed about it somewhat. I thought about turning the situation into a Short Story, but a simple rhyming poem seemed more appropriate. He's not obsessing over them, though!

Is the meaning clear, or is poety more open to interpretation? I very rarely write poetry so let me know what you think!

More about the city again

The 10th of August marked the departure of all my relatives from the East of England and my cousin's boyfriend. They spent the morning and a part of the afternoon packing their belongings, finally leaving around 2:00pm. My aunt and uncle from Nottingham, my brother and I were not present when they departed, though, as we had left for the centre of Nottingham around midday (we did, of course, say goodbye before we set out).

Our primary reason for going to the centre of Nottingham a day after my brother and I went there the day before was to find new pairs of walking shoes for us (mine were wrecked from the mud jump, and my brother's were falling apart and in need of replacing). We visited a handful of shoe stores before coming a place called Millets, where we found shoes that suited us in every way - they looked decent, were durable, comfortable, and not too expensive. It was a relief that it only took us half an hour to shop for shoes, rather than an entire afternoon, as has happened before.

With the main objective out of the way, we had a small lunch at a Caffè Nero. We then went to the local Hotel Chocolat outlet, followed by going to another small store to try our luck at the £148 million pound Euromillions jackpot (the same one that Gillian and Adrian Bayford won). With several hours in the afternoon still ahead of us we went to the City of Caves (known colloquially as the "Nottingham caves") to learn about the vast cave network located underneath Nottingham.

I found it fascinating to learn that over one thousand years ago the people of Nottingham built and lived in underground caves. A few hundred years later, around 1500, a tannery was housed in the caves; this led to the pollution of the city's drinking water when the animal skins were washed in the cave water, which led to the river. In the 1800s the residents of Drury Hill, a neighbourhood, lived in basements within the caves; the basements were often one-room dwellings, and the cramped conditions combined with the poor sanitation led to a number of diseases affecting the inhabitants. The most recent use of the caves prior to their conversion into a tourist attraction was during World War II, when they were utilised as air raid shelters.

After we had completed the tour of the City of Caves, we walked over to Nottingham Castle:

My aunt, brother, a cousin and I visited the outer gate to Nottingham Castle last year, but we chose not to enter because of the high cost at the time (I think it was around £10-£15 per person); with it being less expensive on this second trip there (about £5) we did decide to visit the castle. I'm glad we did, too; the castle itself was primarily a museum, containing local artifacts and information about the city's links with other parts of the world, but in my opinion the best part about the castle was the main balcony on its grounds, offering amazing views of Nottingham:

I have seen pictures of Nottingham taken from this vantage point, but I never realised until then that they captured from Nottingham Castle. Can you spot the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station in the first picture?

This is the Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem - also known as The Trip to Jerusalem Inn - the pub we visited after leaving the castle's grounds. The Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem claims to be the oldest inn in England, but this label is disputed. Disregarding the supposed age of the building, it was a quaint little place to have a drink (I had a Coke), and I found it interesting how the building is built into the cave system (in the lower section dust from the sandstone often falls from the ceiling and into food and/or drink).

After a refreshing drink in the Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem the early evening had set in, and so we returned to our grandparents house. Our family members from the East of England had long departed Nottingham by that time, and were probably even close to home. Those of us still in Nottingham went to Nando's for dinner that evening; I had two "yes!" moments in the restaurant when I correctly guessed the names of two of the waitresses without looking at their name tags.

Our grandparents took us back to their home after the meal; with that day over, only one full day of the trip remained.