A Return to Blogging

So I know I pretty much fell off the grid by the end of last year. I didn’t mean to, it just sort of happened. This was in large part due to the fact that the laptop I was using was awful and pretty much gave up the ghost, and I had started working and didn’t really have the time for it. I have missed blogging and the community immensely in the time that I have been away. I have missed it all so much I recently went out and bought a laptop so that I could try and dip my toes back into the world and online happenings.

Blogging becomes a part of your life. I never felt that it was an obligation to do or anything, and I have been doing it for years, but I think maybe my hiatus was needed. Moving abroad has been a big thing, and settling into life has been a challenge. It was expected for sure, but many other things in my life took a knock – primarily blogging. I would like to think that I have gotten back to a semblance of normality, and I now have a laptop that actually (shockingly) works, so I am back. I have been watching loads of things recently, and reading, and even giving audiobooks a shot. So I have things I want to talk about! I want to get back to reading what everyone else has been checking out and enjoying and just getting back in touch with people in general.

I have missed the community. I have missed blogging. I have missed you guys.

So over the next few weeks I am looking to get involved again, posting again, reading about what’s been cracking with everyone and just get up to speed. I have my leftover Blind Spot movies from last year in my drafts box and will post them, and will potentially take up new Blind Spots for this year (as I already had a list on the go). Probably not though, as we are halfway through February already. Loads of things to work on! So let me end this here and just get back to it.

Site Overhaul

Hi guys!

Alright, so it is time to announce a few changes on my blog. Terrifying Exciting times! I have decided I have been blogging for long enough that it would be worth investing in a domain and all that jazz, so I am pleased to present my site as http://www.sporadicchronicles.com. Gosh, feels all official and grown up.

Secondly, with that you probably noticed that I have changed my blog’s name. I know, I know, what is this?! But let’s face it, I haven’t been a beginner blogger for like… five years now, so it’s time to move on. However, I am a comfort creature and didn’t want to go completely overboard. I mean, you all know me, and my Sporadic Chronicles, so I have decided not to shock my anyone’s senses too much and stayed familiar. I have played with a new theme (go big or go home, right?), and had enough banners/headers done to keep things fresh and fun.

I have also decided that my rating system should be changed about a bit, too, so as to stop all this silly “can’t give it a ten because nothing is perfect” crap that was drilled into my head since primary school (ask Natasha, she knows exactly what I mean). So let’s try this new thing and see how it goes – it’s nothing super special, just different from what you are used to on here. If I can’t get into it, screw it, then we go back to the numbers.

I commissioned Daniel of Alpha Arts to assist me in overhauling my blog with the new banners, score tiles and logo, and I am incredibly pleased with the results. If anyone is looking for a designer for any purpose (no matter how big or small), I recommend you give him a look see. Here are links to his website, his LinkedIn, and lastly, his Facebook page.

To those of you who have been with me for years, I thank you once again. For new readers, welcome. I love my blog, I love the community we all have, and I look forward to many more years.

We’re Moving!

I know I have been MIA for quite some time now, and I am sorry about it. I really want to catch up with everyone, see what’s been going on, and actually create some fresh content for my blog, but I have been ridiculously busy lately. Why, you may ask? Because my husband and I have made the decision to emigrate from South Africa to the United Kingdom. Since we have decided that, life has been a whirlwind.

It’s quite a big decision, and has understandably taken up every moment of my time, from ironing out the details, getting paperwork together, my husband doing all the crazy interviews and nailing something down, the extreme calculations, packing up our home/life, to selling stuff and just all the big and small things that come with the decision to leave one’s country. In between this all there has obviously been the thing of finalising everything at our jobs and saying goodbye to everyone, so things have been mad.

That being said, I think I am fluctuating between extreme excitement and sheer terror at the prospect of venturing out into the world with no support structure of family, etc. that one usually comes to rely on. I am really looking forward to starting our new adventure, and hope to be back on the blogosphere with more consistency sooner rather than later. I think my blog is going to be living up to its namesake in the foreseeable future for a change.

Catch up with all of you sporadically, and hopefully with more regularity soon!

100 Happy Days 2: Day 91 – 100

Okay, finally posting the end of my second 100 Happy Days Challenge! I know, it took me long enough. Will maybe soon share what’s been cooking 🙂 Thanks for checking in on this throughout the duration guys!

Day 91:

Restarted The Walking Dead recently. I really liked the first two seasons and watched until five, but thought it got so boring. Let’s see what happens after that.

Day 92:

Picked up a Slush Puppie on the way home from dinner the other night. They are amazing.

Day 93:

Super chilled – watching The Walking Dead and snacking on some Nik-Naks. So good.

Day 94:

What a gorgeous day it was! Green, lush, super sunny without being excessively warm, loved it.

Day 95:

Snaaaaaaacks! The guys chilled and played some games this weekend, so we got snacks and I watched some series and relaxed. We totally needed it.

Day 96:

Naturally ESKOM had the power off for the whole day. Again. So we tripped out to see Alien: Covenant while waiting for the power to come back.

Day 97:

OMG! MY PASSPORT! FINALLY! Had some issues with this. I applied for it, and all went well, and then suddenly last week they closed the home affairs here without any indication of when they would be open again. Naturally this happened after my passport had been dispatched, so I have been panicking. We dropped by and they happened to be open, so I snatched the opportunity up to get this sorted no matter the amount of time it took. Yay! I now have official travel documents again!

Day 98:

Got a sweet score recently from Clicks with their online sale. Yay!

Day 99:

Decided to get adventurous and step out of my comfort zone and try the Nescafé Gingerbread Latté. Not bad.

Day 100:

I love Italian meatball subs. This must be said. This one looked glorious, and I was super excited, but sadly it was not as awesome as I was hoping – it was rather bland. But points to be awarded for presentation.

100 Happy Days 2: Day 61 – 70

Ahhhhh, what an awesome week it has been! It was my birthday week (so naturally I took leave) and Natasha came to visit – for a whole week. Man, we had fun. Thanks friend!

Day 61:

Super sweet gift from Natasha – Cadbury Bubbly chocolate, a crochet hook set, and wool she maintains is purple. I should open a poll for this one so we can settle this like adults – what colour is the wool?!

Day 62:

We have been friends for almost two decades, and yet we have virtually no photos together. We are trying to remedy this.

Day 63:

My husband bought me the most gorgeous floating lockets for my birthday and I love them. They really are beautiful and unique and so customisable.

Day 64:

So birthday dinner (are you noticing the theme here?) we went to my favourite steak restaurant in town – heck yeah. I even got daring and dipped my toes into the unknown by trying a new steak: fillet topped with halloumi, bacon, onion jam. While it was nice and all that, I will be sticking with my Mexican fillet in future.

Day 65:

This day was all sorts of crazy, with rude people and crap service all round. We went for lunch and had some super scrumptious strawberry daiquiris. All was well in the world again after.

Day 66:

Oh yeah! So many movies I have been saving up for rewatch with Natasha (though most were a first viewing for her). Drive has been especially high up on my list. So glad I did it again.

Day 67:

Yet another photo of us chilling together, waiting for everyone to arrive to braai. What a holiday man, thanks fairest!

Day 68:

Oh yeah! A friend made me these chocolate cluster things – I am a huge fan of them, and was spoiled to get a whole Tupperware of it! Hmmmmm… been feasting for days.

Day 69:

Guys! Guys! Look! First poncho I have ever made, and it came out pretty well. I am so pleased with myself, not even going to play.

Day 70:

Ahhhhh, chocolate. You are one of the greatest things in the world.

100 Happy Days 2: Day 51 – 60

Next lot folks!

Day 51:

My project is well underway. So nice to have a cappuccino and time to work on it.

Day 52:

The road on the way to a quick visit with Natasha. So beautiful.

Day 53:

Imagine, I actually went to see Beauty and the Beast with my bestie and her family, and what fun we had! The cinema we went to was really pretty, too.

Day 54:

Stopped at this roadhouse on the way out and got a delicious Ferrero Rocer shake, and it was lovely!

Day 55:

Haaaaa, long weekends are the best. This Sunday was spent watching Fringe, the guys gaming Diablo III, reading and crocheting, snacks, great lunch, and plain down chilling. Much fun.

Day 56:

Yes. I have a wool problem. So much new wool here for some projects I am working on.

Day 57:

Oh yeah! Chicken pita for dinner – something a little different for us, and it was yummy!

Day 58:

Such pretty flowers in the garden, and always nice to see coming in or heading out.

Day 59:

Oh man. The sensory pleasure overload I experienced with this delicious chocolate caramel heart from Woolworths that Natasha bought me was intense. I need more. So good.

Day 60:

Oh yeah! That feeling when you get to turn your alarm off because you’re on holiday is simply amazing!

100 Happy Days 2: Day 41 – 50

We are coming up to the halfway mark here folks! Can you believe it?! Amazing.

Day 41:

Lazy Sunday meant a lovely, lazy slow cooker chicken curry. My goodness, it was awesome ❤

Day 42:

First French manicure in forever – nice and all, just usually find them boring. However, this worked out really nicely, and lasted three whole days before I decided I just couldn’t do it anymore.

Day 43:

Ran out of my favourite eyeliner recently (Avon Always On Point) and had to order more. The new ones finally arrived and all is right and balanced in my world again. Phew.

Day 44:

This “formal letter note” that Natasha left for me on my birthday a few years ago still endlessly entertains me. I am so lucky to have such an awesome bestie, truly! “This gift is not from me” xD gets me every time.

Day 45:

Whoop! I love it when I get to hit all my step goals at work, it’s great.

Day 46:

Hmmmm, a McDonald’s McFizz is just fantastic, so refreshing in this heat. Yummy!

Day 47:

Oh yeah! Got wool for a new project I am working on for myself. I am so in love with this red! Cannot wait to see how it all works out in the end.

Day 48:

Oh wow! I’m becoming a huge fan of this Yardley Supermoist lipstick for numerous reasons. It is really moisturising, the colour holds for some time, and the shade is amazing (Toffee Cream). I can see this becoming an everyday lipstick for me, it goes with pretty much anything.

Day 49:

You can never be too old for stuffed animals, in my opinion. This is a little sand filled lizard my husband got me when we went to the reptile park.

Day 50:

Love it – Pepsi and a good book.

100 Happy Days 2: Day 31 – 40

So apparently the last ten days were all about food, movies/series, and beauty.

Day 31:

Oh man, lazy on so many fronts means I was going to have a simple, lazy dinner, which also made for a simple, lazy lunch. Sometimes that’s all you want. It was really good. Hmmmm.

Day 32:

Ha! The dawn of yet another project, so stoked! We have moved into autumn and the mornings and evenings are definitely more chilly, so yay, it means I get to work on bigger projects again. This one will just be a simple slouchy hat though, but I do so love these colours!

Day 33:

Oooooh, my husband got me Californication for our anniversary and we have started going through it again. This show is awesome, and I really never thought it would appeal to me at all, but it just works on so many levels. Very adult humour, and David Duchonvy is absolutely excellent.

Day 34:

Goodness gracious, but this was delicious! I made a spicy chicken, mushroom, green pepper and baby marrow penne pasta for dinner the other night, and it was glorious. Light, filling, tasty… and a great leftover lunch 🙂

Day 35:

I added yet more movies to my collection, and I am happy with these buys. Can’t wait to watch them all again! I will be sure to eat like a king before rewatching Chef though – I will not be repeating past mistakes.

Day 36:

I am addicted to lip balm. There, I said it. Not that that means I am on the path to recovery, or anything. Natasha has known me the longest, and I always have one or two (or three) lip balms on me at any given time. These Labello Lip Butters are my favourite; they last forever and they smell absolutely divine.

Day 37:

Ahhhhh, after much back and forth, I treated myself to some Essie nail polishes. The polish I have used from Essie until thus far has been wonderful and there are great colours. Excited to see how these ones work out.

Day 38:

Made some delicious crispy chicken cheese burgers with chilli garlic fried onions and salt and pepper chips for dinner. So good!

Day 39:

Okay, so it might officially be autumn, but it is not really cooling down yet here by us. This has not stopped me from eagerly dragging out my huge blanket project that I started last year – a king size blanket is no joke. I am so excited to be working on it again!

Day 40:

A chill day to be had with some hazelnut cappuccino (again – I have a problem) and some awesome Lindt Strawberry Intense dark chocolate and Criminal Minds to keep me company.

100 Happy Days 2: Day 21 – 30

Today is part three of my second round of the 100 Happy Days challenge. I am not going to waffle on or anything, so let’s get right down to it.

Day 21:

Yummy! Initially my parade was pissed on when heading out to see Logan and my husband got called in for work. So I sulked and snack shopping for Africa ensued, then I curled up on the couch with The Vampire Diaries and had a total blast anyway.

Day 22:

Been looking forward to rewatching Sherlock for a while now, I do so love the show. I was beyond happy when my husband decided to watch it with me this time (his first viewing). We had a total blast.

Day 23:

Another beautiful gift my husband brought back for me from the States – a sugar skull! I was so pleased, and I think it is stunning. And look, purple! xD

Day 24:

Oh yeah, adding to my collection again! I updated my Lethal Weapon collection to Blu-Ray, and replaced my Crazy, Stupid, Love that shattered in the last case because it had a shitty design. Chuck because, well, Chuck is awesome. Plus I wanted all my seasons to be shiny and new.

Day 25:

Went for a quick coffee on the way home from work at The Beantree Café. Man, they have delicious coffee. Today was a hazelnut latte day, next time will surely be a caffè mocha kinda day. They also have the most amazing cinnamon biscuit things. Hmmmm.

Day 26:

Okay, okay, I didn’t intend for this to be yet another coffee post but I just got my new (read first) blender, and wanted to make iced coffee. It came out perfectly – and it was ridiculously quick and easy! Since then I have gone on to make an array of smoothies and milkshakes, and I love that little contraption. Totally worth the money. Soon I want to make some soup with it. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Day 27:

Got out and watched John Wick Chapter 2, which I am sure most of you know I have been super amped for because I freaking adore John Wick. Keanu Reeves man, Keanu Reeves.

Day 28:

It was our first wedding anniversary, and I am eternally grateful to be fortunate to share my life with my husband. He is absolutely amazing.

Day 29:

Oh yeah! Got spoiled with a Terry’s Chocolate Orange the other day. Bliss I tell you, bliss. Wish we had the dark chocolate ones here. Nothing like orange in chocolate I tell you. Yummy.

Day 30:

YES! My topcoat of choice, Essie’s Good To Go, was not being brought into South Africa anymore recently (I even tried that other super crap No Chips Ahead of theirs but it sucks). My heart was broken and I had to start hunting down a new top coat. Unfortunately I am super finicky about what I want, and nothing was ticking the boxes quite like this one, but then I found it and I bought it. My manicures are back to looking amazing again. So stoked.

100 Happy Days 2: Day 11 – 20

Today we take another look at the 100 Happy Days challenge that I am doing again with Natasha. This is actually a really enjoyable challenge!

Day 11:

I freaking love my Harry Potter keychain. Seriously. I have had it for years, and it is still awesome.

Day 12:

Relaxing Friday afternoon for me – crocheted a bit more on a new project, had some Pepsi and watched some Criminal Minds. So good.

Day 13:

Everything has been stacked against me recently in my quest for iced coffee (I am an iced coffee fiend), but on Saturday I finally won out and got some, and my husband got a frozen strawberry goodie.

Day 14:

We had the most beautiful stormy weather over the weekend. I love this kind of weather – it’s totally movies/books/bed type of weather.

Day 15:

Got some new goodies from Avon, so pretty happy about that.

Day 16:

Made some scumptious spaghetti bolognaise for dinner the other night. Hmmmm. Simple, fast, delicious. Ticked all my boxes.

Day 17:

In December I was bold and lopped off a massive amount of hair. I loved it, and all too soon my hair grew out and it was too long. I went over the weekend to have it cut into shape again. Ahhhh, so satisfied!

Day 18:

Oooooh yes, hazelnut cappuccino and speculaas? SOLD! Also – shameless excuse to show off my mug. I love it.

Day 19:

The flowers are in full bloom outside and it is gorgeous! This is a picture of the one tree growing in the back yard. It’s so pretty to see.

Day 20:

Oh yeah! Recently I finished my favourite nail colour to wear (the Gel Envy one in Up The Ante – the shade on the right), and I had to replace it. I went in to buy totally unrelated things (except the primer, I did need that), and ended up with a whole bunch of other things, including a replacement of my favourite colour, as well as the Hold ‘Em that I have been eyeing for a while.