Oh Mr Darcy!

Isn't is fab to catch up with friends you don't get to see very often?

This weekend we stayed over in Chesterfield with very good friends who we just don't get to see! We arrived quite late but that didn't stop us from chatting well into the night - polishing off a gorgeous bottle of merlot along the way!

We had a good nights sleep followed by a superb breakfast - nice one Matthew :-)

Lisa had planned a very special day for us - at Chatsworth House & Gardens! Now some people don't enjoy that kind of thing but Chatsworth is in a stunning setting and even the kids have a great time! There is so much space and it is so beautifully kept - everyone was happy!

This visit was even more special because they have a sculpture exhibition in the grounds. There are some fabulous and fun pieces!

The weather was great - blue sky and sunshine (thank heavens the weatherman got it wrong!!) and we saw everything in true splendour! I was out there with my camera and often had to run to catch them up - I can't help it - I just love taking photos!

One of my favourites was called 'The American Love' by Robert Indiana. It faced the sunlight and was brilliant white (Dulux would be very proud!). It was attracting alot of attention from every angle and could be seen from many places in the grounds.

I basically spent the whole day just taking photo after photo and had a fantastic time! The exhibition is only on until 2nd November so if you fancy having a run over then best get a wiggle on :-)

Oh Mr Darcy - where does he come in then? Well of course 'Pride and Prejudice' was filmed mainly at Chatsworth and there is a scene in the film when Elizabeth Bennett arrives at Mr Darcy's home and finds a room full of marble sculptures - and amongst them is a bust of the man himself (played by Matthew Macfadyen). Well I must say that he looks very dashing in the movie and it was quite a moment stood before his image ;-)

Anyway - another fab day in the life of a new 40 year old!

Hey - guess what?

I showed my naked photos to my friends and they thought they were fab! I feel really brave but I am not ashamed of them and feel really proud that they came out so well - it has done so much for my confidence I can tell you :-) - final decision coming up - I'll let you know what I decide!

Kinky or What?

Remember the naked photo shoot I had last week - wow - can't believe it was just last week! It feels like it should have been a part of my life forever! I have felt so good since doing it and John has no complaints either ;-)

But I have a dilemma...

I have decided to get a large print of one of the shots (the one which made me do the shoot in the first place!) and a couple more framed for the bedroom but I would also like to get a few photos from the shoot to keep in an album!

The question is - which ones? Do I choose discreet? Flirty? Raunchy?
The chains ones are definitely my favourites - am I kinky or what?
Not my usual thing but hey - I'm 40 now :-)

I need to choose my final selection quite soon so as to not get caught up in the sudden influx of customers to Leighs studio after reading my blog ;-)

Hey Leigh (I know you read this!) - do I get commission ;-)

Oh well - better get back to choosing ...

Gigging It!

So, I got a text from Gary asking 'wanna come to our gig on Tuesday?'
Sure, why not sez me :-)

My diary is so full this week it's mad! (But I'm loving it!!)


Gary and Lisa sing in a band (the 'band with no name' although they hope to resolve that issue shortly!). The band plays for free at various venues to raise money for Jesses Fund, a York based charity which helps disabled children through music.

Lisa has a gorgeous voice and is accompanied by hubbie Gary on guitar and Simon on keyboard. Favourite songs include 'Ironic' by Alana Morrisett and 'In Your Care' by Tasmin Archer.

So, luckily I had a night free tonight (!) and was able to pop along to the Hole in the Wall pub in York where they were playing ... the bucket was passed around and so we hope they did well for Jesses Fund :-)

Tomorrow night is Skate Wednesday and so I had kept the evening free so as to be able to ferry No.1 son to and from his skateboarding. Now this week Skate Wednesday has been moved to Skate Thursday - good job Thursdays plans can accommodate this - otherwise No.1 son would be very upset!

Thursday is my Open House event for Phoenix cards - The new Christmnas range is out now and so I am having a 'look-see' evening for everyone to come and have a look and a cuppa and a natter .. what a good excuse I thought! Get out for a bit - leave the kids with hubbie! Fab!

Friday night is the Royal Signals Annual Dinner at the Worsley Barracks in York. This is usually a great night - a chance to catch up with good friends whom we haven't seen for ages and of course a totally fab excuse to dress up too!)

On Saturday evening we are driving over to friends for a sleepover and even though John doesn't drink we still manage to get through plenty of bottles of wine - how's that then ;-)

Sunday will probably involve a walk and a pub lunch and then back home to get ready for Monday ...

Wow! I never had a week like this when I was 39, or 38, or even 37...

I like being 40 :-)

Appropriate Lyrics!

The song is 'Roll On Rollercoaster' by Kid Rock

'Roll on, roll on rollercoaster,
We're one day older and one step closer,
Roll on there's mountains to climb,
Roll on we're on borrowed time...'

Too true - Snowdens on my list - what about you :-)

Jersey Boys!

You'll be pleased to hear that this birthday treat was undertaken fully clothed!

One of the wishes on my 'To Do' list was a London Theatre weekend and so John had arranged, without my knowledge, tickets for Jersey Boys and a hotel and even overnights for the kids at his Mums! (Well done babe! Thanks Mam!)

I had seen an interview on GMTV briefly when the production first opened and immediately decided that it would be fab to see it!

The Jersey Boys tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and I have to say that the music was fabulous! We were all clapping and singing along and one lady bopped her way through most of the production regardless of anyone sitting around her (this wasn't me I might add!)

The show was at the Prince Edward theatre in Old Compton Street in the heart of Soho. I've never been to Soho before ... so thought I'd better have a look around!

Well you can't go somewhere like that and not explore can you??

It was fab!

It was so busy - people everywhere and everyone dressed in their own way! So many colours and styles and hats and scarves and bags and shoes on girls and guys! It was great!

I'm keen not to offend anyone but being from 'the sticks' it took a few moments to get used to being surrounded by so many openly gay guys! So many good looking blokes in one place - unbelieveable!! I've never known John to hold my hand quite so tightly!

At one point I was aiming to squeeze through a gap between some mopeds and had to hang back behind a couple of guys who paused to share a moment - then a minute later I looked sideways to check the traffic before crossing the road and caught myself blushing at a couple kissing beside me!

Shame on me - live and let live has always been my motto!

China Town wasn't far and one of the nearby streets was strung with lanterns - it looked great! The shops were full of fresh produce and we found an amazing cake shop too! The restaurants smelled fantastic - even though we had already eaten by this point (Pizza Hut - don't ask!).

Anyway, what with the shows and the shops (!) and China Town and of course the guys, what a weekend! I wish we could do it more often!

I wonder what else I can add to my list ...

Where did that idea come from?

Following one of the comments on the previous post I had better answer Vals question - where did I get the 'Naked Photo Shoot' idea from?

Well as you know I recently cut my hair - rather drastically - and gave up my specs in favour of contact lens - and as a result felt so different that I actually felt like I should have a photo done ... not a naked one at this point - just a regular portrait!

I wondered if I could get my make-up done at the same time - well, I've never been one for much make-up and I thought it would be rather fun!

That led onto thoughts of outfits and internet searches and I found Mighty Aphrodite!

The idea was firmly planted in my head and just wouldn't go away!

Don't get me wrong - I am rather timid really - but I simply couldn't shake the idea and felt that if I was really going to make a statement then I should just go for it!

They do loads of different photos, including much more modest shots and all of the images on their website are beautiful, but I just couldn't get away from one particular image ...

... a girl, naked, bound by chains, suspended in darkness ...

... that was it - the more I dared myself the more I accepted the idea - so I decided that I should be brave and have a go! John rang and did the booking for me and the rest, as they say, is history!

It was amazing and made me feel great! I get the feeling back whenever I look at the pictures - I still can't believe it's me!

Thank Gok! ( Let's get Naked! )

We all know Gok Wans fabulous TV show 'How to Look Good Naked' where he takes a woman and transforms her, giving her the foundation to build a more confident lifestyle for herself. Part of his 'therapy' is to have the lady take part in a naked photo shoot ...

I too have been feeling the need for more confidence and so I took the plunge ... today I had a NAKED Photo shoot!

It was fabulous! Totally amazing!

I never thought I would be brave enough to go through with it and kind of hoped for a few nice lingerie shots ...

... in fact I allowed myself to follow my heart ... I dared to be brave!

Yes ... I bared all and now have 135 stunning (and sexy!) photos of me! (and for someone who spends all her time behind the camera instead of before it - that makes a change!).

After careful research I chose Mighty Aphrodite in Reading. The photos on their website were amazing and nobody else even came close!

The photographer is Leigh and he was great - really down to earth and he made me feel completely at my ease! Nothing awkward or forced and it was really rather fun ;-)

The lighting was carefully done and Leigh knew exactly which shots would flatter me! I bravely told him which website image had inspired me and he agreed that it would be possible for me to have a go ... I was braver than I dared to hope ... and I am so pleased with the results!

John stayed in the studio for the whole shoot and he enjoyed himself too ;-)

Now all I have to do is decide which shots to have framed ... if I'm feeling really brave I might upload one for you to see ... ;-)

Oh go on then!
Diane :-)

Thanks Robbie!

I heard a song on the radio today and it reminded me why I feel the way I do ...

The song was 'Feel' by Robbie Williams and the line that struck me was ' ...I got too much life, running through my veins, going to waste...'

It suddenly dawned on me that this is why I suddenly have this urge to do stuff!

I have had chances and missed opportunities and now I feel the need to take these moments and run with them, make friends with them and live life through them!

40 isn't an age - it's a number and my number isn't up .. it's up for it!

Grab life with both hands and make the most of it!


Thanks Robbie x

Another birthday treat planned for tomorrow ... should I offer you a clue...?

Wow - Such day planned for tomorrow!

I barely dare tell you!

But just in case you're looking for a clue ... I bought some totally gorgeous, black, high heeled shoes today ...

True or False?

Whilst on webcam today I was asked today whether my eyelashes were false!

How random is that?

Are they really so long that they can be seen from such a distance?

I am flattered!!

(In reality I must assume that he'd simply not noticed them before - another bonus of wearing contact lens instead of glasses!)

Anyone thinking of ditching the specs - go for it!

Diane :-)

It's Official :-)

Well that's it!
It's official!
I'm on the team!

Amsterdam here I come!

12th June 2009 is D-Day and the start of a 250 mile round trip to prove something to myself and hopefully to raise money for Marie Curie along the way!

By all accounts there should be about 60 of us so there should be plenty to blog about when I get back! The last time I was in Holland was a family holiday when I was ... much younger! I don't remember much apart from buying a souvenir beer tankard in Valkenburg - and yes I do still have it!!

I am looking forward to the challenge and I am also very much aware that I need to keep a regular cycling routine! I have been out most mornings on my bike - not very far - just about 6 miles per day, but far enough to get me into good habits!

Many moons ago (when I was 16) I cycled around North Wales with my friend as qualification for the Silver Duke of Edinburghs award - it was a fabulous two weeks and we route planned (well, Helen did!) and sorted out accommodation (well, Helen did that too!) and all in all we had a fab time! We took the train from York to Chester and then cycled a circular route over the two weeks before landing back in Chester and getting the train home again!

We had two rest days and on one of them we climbed Snowden (hence the wish to repeat the climb as part of this years wishlist!). Hopefully it will not be so foggy next time!

We met so many people and learned so much! I still cannot believe that my Mum & Dad were brave enough to let us go! There were no mobile phones then and we had only Post Office books by way of access to cash (no cashcards for us!). We rang home every couple of days from a hostel payphone and kept a diary to share with everyone when we got back!

The journey will stay with me always and so will the diary - my daughter was fascinated to read it and couldn't believe that I had been allowed to do such a trip at such a young age (I can barely believe it myself!).

Helen and I made so many friends along the way and I'm hoping that this trip to Amsterdam will earn me some more friendships along the way :-)

I have another birthday wish list trip coming up on Monday but I'll have to tell you more about that later ... I've sworn to keep 'mum' til then ;-) ... suffice to say that I'm really nervous, really excited and really scared all at the same time!!

Want to know what I'm planning...?

Better log in again soon then hadn't you?

Diane x

Amsterdame 2009

Today I posted off my application form and cheque to register for Amsterdame 2009! No turning back now (unless I get a letter back saying that they're fully booked!!).

Hopefully I'll soon get confirmation back and can start badgering you all for cash - for Marie Curie Sponsorship of course :-).

The ride is 250 miles round trip - wouldn't it be fab if I could raise £250.00?

Anyone fancy sponsoring me £1/mile :-)

I'll see about setting up an on-line page at JustGiving if that's possible, it just makes it all so much easier don't you think?

More updates to follow...

Diane :-)

The Big Day!

Well - I started this list of 'Things to do when I'm 40' (and yes there is an actual list - it is quirkily typed in a variety of colours and is fastened to my kitchen cupboard!) Once I had started the list it became almost like a set of targets ... and I must say that I have never been one for targets but it just seemed like something I HAD to do!

I had thought long and hard about reaching 40 (well you do - don't you?) and had thought about a party... or a weekend away ... or a meal out ... they just didn't seem like the kind of celebration that 'fitted' me!

Don't get me wrong, parties are great fun and I love weekends away! As for the food thing - well we all like that don't we :-) but when I started thinking about things that it would be great to do for my '40th celebration' that was when I decided why stop at a one-off celebration? Why not celebrate for a whole year??

So, here I am! I just turned 40 and already I have ticked off one activity from my list! Hurrah!

Today I went to the Rother Valley Country Park and tried my hand at windsurfing! I don't know why this particular sport caught my imagination but I did once have a quick try (about 1994 I think!) but it was only quick and was curtailed by an unfortunate accident (not mine I hasten to add) and I never got the chance for another go!

Anyway, we arrived in convoy (two cars as I had hubbie John and two kids in tow and we went with friends, Gary & Lisa and their boys). The weather had been awful for the past few days and I had prepared myself for heavy rain and wind (the latter is necessary I know but I didn't want gale force!).

Surprisingly the sun was out and the lake looked grand - a few windsurfers were already out and I was as keen as ever - so we went to hire boards and wetsuits...

Now, wetsuits are a thing of dread for many and I am no different .. but Lisa and I had already decided that 'it wasn't going to be Baywatch out there' :-) but it had to be done!

No wetsuit worries for my teenage daughter - a veteran of various activity centres and school trips, even having made herself famous for capsizing a non-capsizeable dinghy!

The taming of the beast wasn't as bad as first feared and so I was soon out at the waters edge keen to get in and have a go ... good job Gary knew what he was doing and made sure that we each knew the basics - like how to get on :-) before stranding ourselves mid-lake!

Well - there was no fear of that and soon I was falling off just as much as I had guessed I would - but always with a laugh (and sometimes a gasp if I went under!!) but I soon mastered the art of getting myself up onto the board and hoisting the rig into the 'safe' position!

The trouble was that I found it very hard to move on to the next step! Whenever I was holding the boom (technical talk - are you impressed?) I seemed to end up heading for the shore and having to jump off and pull my board into deeper water in order to get back on and head off!

Eventually Gary moved onto the part about turning round and coming back into shore - which was great except that I still hadn't managed to get away from shore yet!



I did, after much practice, manage to get a (slow) move on and headed out towards the middle of the lake - and when I did eventually fall in (you knew it was inevitable!) I looked back to shore and saw that actually I was alot further out than I thought and in fact I had to worry about getting back on the board and sailing it back!

I kind of knew what I should be doing but keeping balance and 'walking the board' to turn it round just wasn't working! Sure enough I fell in again! After struggling to get back on I decided to simply swim back, pulling my board behind me ... not a simple matter but eventually I made it back and took a few minutes to catch my breath ... !!

Meanwhile Lisa had been going great guns and had mastered the art of surfing out and back again and was busy looking fab in all directions - I'm only a little jealous - honest :-)

My daughter had also got on really well and was far away from us in the middle of the lake but even as I admired her style she lost the rig and stood there with her arms out as if to say 'what should I do now?'. She tried to get it back up and was obviously struggling so Gary set of to help her get back to shore...

Lisa came in for a while so I had another short go before our time was up and we decided that lunch was calling - probably something to do with the fact that the boys had been tapping up John for coinage for the vending machines!!

Off to the changing rooms and we managed to peel off the wetsuits and get a hot shower - fab!

Lunch came in the form of a posh picnic (well - it had to be didn't it?) and we sat by the waters edge and admired the efforts of fellow windsurfers whilst munching on a variety of picnic food, all washed down with hot tea!

So, here I am, tired and happy and the first thing ticked off my 'Things to do when I'm 40' list!

I do have other things in the pipeline and will be keeping you up to date as they take place!
Want to see my list?

Well OK - here goes (now don't laugh!)...

I'd love to go on a climbing wall ... and I really want to abseil down the Humber Bridge too!

A 250 mile round trip to Amsterdam on bicycles to raise money for Marie Curie (all sponsorship greatly appreciated!) ...

A London Theatre Trip - I really love the theatre and would see everything that's on given half a chance but London shows are really special - John has helped me with this one because he has arranged a trip to see 'Jersey Boys' very soon - watch the blog for my review :-)

The Catbells Walk in the Lake District - I know that we've just had a week there but I've just seen the walk on TV this week and it looks great - so it's on my list!

My friend Caitlin and I are planing to do the Playtex Moonwalk in London next year...

I would love to walk up Snowden again - I haven't done it since I was 17 (remember that day Helen? :-)

Indoor Skydiving - yes really! There's a place you can do it - and you can use Tesco Clubcard vouchers too :-)

Attend a Rock Concert - not the kind where you all sit nicely in seats - the kind where you all get squashed and sing and dance and go mad!!

The Great Yorkshire Show - this event has been something I have wanted to do for several years but I've never made it for one reason or another! This year I want to go and spend the day with my camera taking lots of fab photos!!

Lose a stone in weight and keep it off! This target has been set for many reasons but if I keep as active as this list suggests then I may have a chance of accomplishing the weight loss without too much difficulty and I could certainly use the energy!!

So, there it is! My first PoshPinkBlog entry!

I didn't plan it to be quite so long - in fact I didn't plan it at all!

You should always have a plan - if you have a target then at least you have some chance of getting somewhere close - if you have no target then how do you know where to aim?

Why not plan your own activity just for the hell of it?
...and when you have ... do tell!!

I'd love to hear your comments or observations so please click on 'comments' and tell me what you think!

Come back soon!
Diane :-)