Here we are in July already, half the year has gone and there's only one topic that is an absolute must for today:
There are 29 sleeps to go!
That's only 29 days of 41-ness before setting sail on the good ship SS forty-two.
For those of you new to Sleeps To Go, this is a family tradition around all significant events in life. The raison d'etre? Why wait for anyone else to make it All About Me?
So, that's just over 4 weeks of planning, wishlist-ing, shopping time for you all.
Today I came across a blog called Where The Bright Women Are. Their premise is this: what happened to all of the bright and brave young women readying themselves to rule the world and how did we end up so unrepresented at 'the top'? (According to Grazia magazine, only 12.5% of women run FTSE 100 companies and WTBWA confirms only 3% of CEOs are women.)
I have found myself asking that very same question quite a lot of late. Being at 'the top' just doesn't hold the same appeal any more and the last year or so has had me speculating why.
In retrospect, moving to London in 2004 was not the greatest career move but I suspect I was disenfranchised before this and maybe upping sticks like I did was my way of throwing all the toys out of the pram at once to see which of them I yearned for most. I have never wanted to get married and even less, to have children and that hasn't changed. And nowadays, I find myself ranking happiness, maybe even a little joy, and self expression most highly in both where I work and what I contribute.
Self expression - maybe that's the key. Not moulding myself to fit someone's ideal of what it takes but rather finding an environment that allows me to be the full force of 'me': demanding, smart, brave, compassionate and eminently likable. The creative thinker. The solution finder. The rapport builder. The one who loves to belong but needs her space. The pragmatic soul who revels in chasing the occasional rainbow.
One of the great benefits of the online world is that it is an absolute treasure trove of learning opportunities, opinions, discussions and communities. We may not meet others in the same way our mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers did but the circle of women is still there - asking, sharing, offering advice and learning from each other.
Don't get me wrong. I am not looking for Where The Bright Women Are to provide 'the answer'. But being amongst a group of like-minded women asking the same questions may provide some interesting signposts for me for the next stretch along my own path.
Yes, there is one - dedicated to marking the last 120 years or so of British history using the everyday items that have surrounded us. My colleague at work came in a couple of week's ago bubbling about it, I was working from our offices in central London today and I thought I'd make the most of the fine weather and close proximity.
The brochure says this:
The history of consumer culture is revealed decade by decade in our 'time tunnel', from the naive charm of the Victorian era to the sophistication of today. The exhibits reflect how our daily lives have changed over the years, the unimaginable revolution in shopping habits and the things we buy, the huge impact of motoring, aviation, radio and television, the effects of two world wars, and the gradual emancipation of women.
A tube ride, a wander through Notting Hill and £6.50 later, I entered the time tunnel for myself. It was amazing!
I spent almost an hour and a half surrounded by more than 12,000 items from yesteryear. Gathered from the Robert Opie Collection (and aren't we rather glad he was a little OCD about this particular passion!), every corner turned revealed more products and brands and their evolution alongside society.
I was fascinated to see products evolving in response to advances in culture, technology and changes in behaviours and attitudes. Everything was grouped in decades so you could see how the prevailing views of the time were reflected in the products we bought and the things entertained ourselves with. Royal weddings peppered the trail starting from the marriage of Queen Victoria to her beloved Albert and ending with the recent nuptials of William and Kate.
As I walked out through the cafe, there were rows and rows of old televisions and one of them was playing a reel of old ads - this one was my favourite and a perfect illustration of how products and brands are so integral in our daily lives, yet go unnoticed:
So in short, I loved it. And you should go! No kidding...
When I sat down at my computer tonight and started to tap-tap-tap away, I couldn't quite decide what to post about. It's been a long 48 hours and I feel a bit knackered after all of the highs, lows and running around that seems to have constituted life in the UK over the last couple of days.
You see it all started Thursday night. After dinner with an old work friend, it was a long bus ride home through a ridiculous amount of traffic, resulting in a rather late night and significantly less sleep than is sensible on a 'school' night. A Low.
However, I did find it fascinating watching the stream of humankind that was advancing steadily from Hyde Park (Kings of Leon playing apparently) who were squeezing themselves into the much smaller entrance to Green Park tube station - this all viewed from my comfy seat on the top deck of the (almost stationary) number 14 bus. A (slightly smug) High.
My rather epic struggle into work on Friday morning was a definite Low. Let me tell you here and now, a long commute is not conducive to morning perkiness at the best of times and I was rather concerned I might drop off and find myself well past where I wanted to be. But Friday is fish and chips day at work - always a High. (We have a canteen that provides meals at lunchtime so my evening toast consumption habit is not nearly as careless, lazy or diet conscious as it may look - ooh, there's anotherHigh). I booked a couple of days off work to have a 4 day weekend around my birthday (yes peeps, the countdown is a-comin'!) - another High. And then on the way home, there was a last minute invite to a 4 year old's birthday party (pizza-making at Pizza Express no less) on Saturday which dealt me a quick one-two: A High (to be invited) then a Low (realising I would have to get up early to get errands done before I went).
Today was a rollercoaster of Highs (wine, cake, pizza, 15 kids in cute hats making their pizza - aaaaawwww!!) and Lows (emergency locksmith call out, aborted afternoon drive to Southend-on-Sea, 15 kids full of excitement, sugar, squealing-type noises, more sugar and hysterical tiredness - uugggghhh!). The weather started off a bit grey and average too (Low) but by the time we were sitting outside Starbucks at the O2 shopping centre this afternoon bathed in sunshine, it seemed that tomorrow's promised dip into Summer had made an early appearance (High). An incident-free trip home and a little visit to Waitrose for bread, newspaper and a few bits (I do love Waitrose!) were the happy pieces that tipped the scales in the right direction.
But here's the best part.
I have a day at home tomorrow with he promise of glorious sunshine and a fab book to read.
That's only 29 days of 41-ness before setting sail on the good ship SS forty-two. 
Self expression - maybe that's the key. Not moulding myself to fit someone's ideal of what it takes but rather finding an environment that allows me to be the full force of 'me': demanding, smart, brave, compassionate and eminently likable. The creative thinker. The solution finder. The rapport builder. The one who loves to belong but needs her space. The pragmatic soul who revels in chasing the occasional rainbow.
The history of consumer culture is revealed decade by decade in our 'time tunnel', from the naive charm of the Victorian era to the sophistication of today. The exhibits reflect how our daily lives have changed over the years, the unimaginable revolution in shopping habits and the things we buy, the huge impact of motoring, aviation, radio and television, the effects of two world wars, and the gradual emancipation of women.
I spent almost an hour and a half surrounded by more than 12,000 items from yesteryear. Gathered from the Robert Opie Collection (and aren't we rather glad he was a little OCD about this particular passion!), every corner turned revealed more products and brands and their evolution alongside society.
