Here comes the sun....

Vienna is in the grip of some very warm weather, which I'm sure would be amazing if I had the time and resources to be able to do nothing except sit by a pool under an umbrella.

Sadly, I have to go to work, although we do have some form of cooling there to make it bearable. My Northern European origin is always blatantly obvious amongst my colleagues who are far more acclimated to these temperatures, although I feel less hot than I did last year.

I do know that at least I am not in my flat right now, and that we have learned some lessons from dealing with the heat.last summer. Keeping the sun out is the most important, and while this probably confuses the cats it is better that it doesn't get too hot for them. They can always escape to our bathroom, which due to having no window remains cool and shady all day. The bath is a particular favourite spot of Zelda.

The temptation is to spend my evenings swimming in the river, but due to the high water and flooding of the beginning of June swimming in the Neue Donau is currently forbidden. Hopefully things return to normal quickly so that the option to cool off after work will be there!

I passed.... with Merit!

After what feels like forever, I finally got the results of my dissertation and...... ..... 

I scored 78 on the paper and was awarded a Pass with Merit!!

I am so so chuffed, can't believe it to be honest!! I have now also been awarded my MSc in Development Management. Now all I have to do is work out where I'm going to attend a graduation ceremony and book it... Paris is looking promising!

Saturdays are precious

There is nothing I like better on a Saturday morning than a nice lazy start. All too often recently have our weekends been taken up by visitors, events, happenings etc that have meant that the lie ins we so desperately crave have been cut short.

This isn't a bad thing, I enjoy visitors and being busy. But things have been so hectic over the last month it is nice just to take a moment relax.

The sun is shining, the weather is sweet yeah (the remix of the classic Bob Marley track is one of my favourite tracks ever, so completely 1999). So I'm going to leave the Beard in the shady comfort of our flat playing video games and head out to the shops for a little retail therapy. Aka the great hunt for a suitable cardigan for the season. In black (I have a taupe one). And maybe a little make up shopping, I fancy some new stuff. Not that I don't have enough already but since I changed my hair back to my natural colour (ish...), my perspective on make up has shifted and I'm finding that some of my current stuff just isn't working anymore (I'm sure this is why I resisted having natural hair for so long). I have my eye on a Paint Pot from MAC and a new lipstick of some description.

My most pressing decision right now is where to go to shop. I think the long Mariahilfer Strasse is winning somewhat because of the possibilities of the arty Neubaugasse and the food of Naschmarkt, plus the sun will be shining and there are loads of places to grab a soft drink in the sun.

Lunch in the arty/hippyish 7th district or on Naschmarkt will make life easier, as I'm currently back on a Slimming World based plan having basically spent the entire month of May drinking and eating like a mofo.

So to the shops I go. How successful I will be is unknown!

The sun finally shines

As you may have seen in the news, Central Europe has been under water this week. According to the Austrian weather people, two months of rainfall fell in two days. I missed the worse of the weather, ironically, by escaping to the UK for 4 days, but it was pretty grim the day I left. When I was on my way home from Bratislava on Monday, the train passed over one of the Danube's tributaries on the border with Austria and that was pretty high. Apparently at one point the Danube in Vienna had 11,000 cubic metres of water flowing per second, a new record! To give you an idea, the normal flow is about 2,000 cubic m a second.

So the BBQ festival at the weekend is cancelled, the Sunken City is underwater, and the water is a lovely khaki colour. All a bit ironic for the 25th anniversary of the opening of Donauinsel as a recreation facility - it is a major part of the city's flood defence scheme.

But finally today, the sun came out. It was so nice I decided to walk home from work. It takes about 35 minutes, but the tube journey takes me nearly 25 some days, so when the sun shines I like to get some exercise and walk home. The canal is also very very full; only yesterday did I see some pictures taken just by the bridge at the end of our street where the water was crashing up onto the tow path. The waters are slowly receding now though, the news today reported that they are going down by approximately 1m a day, so in about a week or so, provided there is no more rain, things should be back to normal again. Hermann Strandbar on the canal seems to have resumed business after being closed yesterday, and have opened up as 'Camp Sweden' in preparation for tomorrow's Austria vs Sweden football match at the Ernst Happel Stadium. More on that tomorrow maybe, especially as I'll be a lone England supporter stuck between an Austrian and a Swede!

Why hate me for the way I look?

Every day on Channel 4 at 7.55pm, you can find 4Thought, a short film about a particular topic. Each week sees a new topic that the films present a series of perspectives on. "Why hate me for the way I look?" is the title of this weeks 4Thought series.

You can watch all the "Why hate me for the way I look?" films HERE

It was thanks to the tweets of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation that I found out about this week's theme, as not living in the UK anymore means I miss out on stuff if I'm not careful! All of the films are thought provoking, but Gena Buchan's story brough tears to my eyes. All the people featured in these film have experienced hate as a result of the way they look, three of the participants are from alternative subcultures, one is a Sikh and the other suffers from Cherubism.

I'm consider myself fortunate that the worst I have been subjected is the odd shout of "Greebo" from dumb ass teenagers in Plymouth or Exeter. I know people who have experienced worse. Since moving to Vienna I get the odd look, but the attitude here is much more accepting of sub cultures (race and religion can be another matter though). I think it is in part because it is a large city, partly because it is an incredibly diverse city and also because it is a pretty cool place to live, with a vibrant culture.

Enough of my rambling, go and watch the films, and spread the word. Honestly, the best way to reduce the amount of hate directed at people because of the way they look is to talk, educate and explain, over and over and over again if necessary. Start dialogues, politely. Invite people to ask questions. Most of all, be proud of who you are (and be nice and polite with it), and be true to yourself.

Jessica Black Beauties Nail Set

Image from Gerrard International

I've just spotted these over on BritishBeautyBlogger, and I am so so tempted.

I love Jessica polishes, they apply beautifully and last well. I am also a sucker for a black nail... I'm so tempted by this set, but I'm not sure I'd use the matte polish because I am not that great at painting my nails in anything other than a single colour (and I even struggle with that!).

But boy do I love them!! Check out BritishBeautyBlogger's post for more pictures!

So yeah... Hi!

Life has been so hectic! First finishing my Masters, then a big project at work coming to fruition, combined with some family issues and a hectic social life. I don't really feel like the last 2 months have actually happened.

Still, things are starting to calm down a little bit, and the decks are clearing. Which means I can think about returning to blogging more regularly, and hopefully, finally, about more interesting things!

For now though, I'll just run down the things that have changed in the last few months, and the things I'm looking forward to.

• I have sorted out my skin. It may have taken an expensive skincare regime, but it is sorted. And the scars are fading. And my foundation (which is also expensive), looks great every day. For this I have to give credit to Caroline Hirons and the advice she gives in her clinics and on her blog. It was her information and expertise that made me realise exactly what I needed for my skin, and that there is no point having expensive make up if the skin is not right. I can concur with her high rating of hyaluronic acid for keeping skin looking amazing, and for helping with scars. 
• I cut my hair and got rid of all the black from it.... (well, it is still a little bit red, but not in an unnatural way because my hair has always been a bit red). I now have very short hair. Which I love, because it makes getting ready in the morning really easy! 
• I got a job. It is only a short internship, and I'm already half way through but I'm having a blast. 
• I joined a gym, and have been making an effort to go whenever I have time (which hasn't been much as I've been away so much!). I really enjoy all the weights, but I really need a new pair of trainers!
• I discovered that Marks and Spencers in Bratislava not only sells clothes, it also sells English food. Which is amazing as I can get things like Muscovado sugar and treacle, which are practically impossible to get in Vienna. 
• I'm heading to the UK at the weekend for my first trip back since we moved. I am taking hardly anything so I can bring things home!
• With that, I'm looking forward to going to TKMaxx, Boots, Superdrug, and Debenhams. 
• Due to one thing and another, this year has been a bit up and down. So the Beard and I have decided to get away for some sunshine and pool action later in the year. Our current thinking is pick a couple of weeks, save up some money and go wherever our budget will take us. The only stipulations we have are All Inclusive accommodation (I'm not normally a fan, but I want a supremely lazy holiday), 4 star, warm enough to sunbath and swim in the sea, and preferably no injections required (that's my preference anyway). 
• In June I will be making Christmas Puddings and Mince Meat ready for Christmas. 
• I have 5 metres of linen and I intend to put it to good use! Trousers and a dress I think, for nice easy summer dressing. It is of course black.
• I also bought some new Birkenstocks and some trainer shoe things and I now have practical, comfortable summer footwear to see me through the warmer months. 

That is about it for now.... There are tons of things coming up for us, and hopefully some of it will be fun.