Blackpool - trip of the year

Myself, Honestly, Princess and Lovely went on our 'annual girls trip away' (we dont often go). It was AMAZING. I'd like to say I love Blackpool, but i don't. I love being away from everything (including Starbucks) and spending time with my girlfriends talking about everything, drinking, sleeping, talking about everything again, etc.

We did so many fun things in one day it was immense. Unlimited by a baby and set meal times (my main grumble about having a small person in our family) we walked from out hotel to Blackpool pleasure beach doing EVERYTHING fun along the way. We played pirate crazy golf, i had fresh made doughnuts for lunch, drank pitchers of mojito, ate chips with every meal, went on the pier and realised that once you win big on the 2p machine the joke is on you and your pockets for the rest of the day. We sat at the end of the pier and drank tea and listened to an waltzer- and in Blackpool you can officially share a pot of tea (i'm sure in London they make up rules about having to have only 1 cup per pot or frowning on you if you dare suggest sharing- like it's stealing because if you ask for more hot water, or more milk, you technically are getting something for free?). At midnight we went on the feris wheel whilst eating ice-cream. Some people were so scared that there was a volume of melted ice-cream dripping over cluched metal handles at the end and very little eaten.

Blackpool was fun, but it is obviously struggling with poverty. Behind the front beach lined road it very quickly gets poor and dischevled, and the locals seem to have fallen out of love with it, perhaps guilted by years of promise with no regeneration. Watching their town decay around them. Luckily we only stayed 2 days and left them to it, to enjoy the luxury of London. It was odd to be pretty low earning girls in London, living plain, simple lives but to feel relatively affluent and free to spend  unrestrained up there. There are various issues with this north south divide, but i as i often do, (often wrongly) ignored it with the thought that i'm helping my own poor teenagers in Peckham. Thats a kind of get out of jail free card on any other caring issue isnt it?

 Princess on the beach at sunset.

 Princess (pretending not to be scared of the donkeys), Honestly and Lovely

P

Tea on the pier: Lovely, Princess and Honestly.

We got ID'd everywhere we went, but i think it was because they were illequiped to judge how old people not wearing make-up, revealing clothing nor caring that they were all dressed in sensible walking shoes and coats, were. 31.

16/52 Happy? having the choice and resources to do new things

How to solve a problem work style.....

I have no major problems in my life, so i like to get overly worked up about the small ones. The latest of these is Xss going to bed late and waking me up when he does. The first night it was loud whistling in the bathroom, the next shaving with his electric razor (at 11:45pm!!). Rather than get mad (i was silently mad- but when you're in bed, in the dark this might just seem like you are asleep- the opposite of what i wanted). (i tried some angry tossing and turning,to try and make him feel bad). Anyway. whats the adult way to solve a problem like this with your partner? Go to work mad and fire off lots of passive aggressive emails to my friends Honestly and Lovely. All prefixed with, 'Xss is really great BUT.....'

So i asked for inspiration from their jobs. How would they tackle this problem at work?

In my work i would:
- tell him his behaviour is 'unacceptable'
- work out suitable rewards and sanctions for good/poor behaviour
- Issue Xss an Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC/ASBO) detailing what specific behaviours are not allowed in the bathroom at what times (which takes a lot of work, and then means nothing once broken)

Lovely, who works for a well known homeless charity suggested that her work would:
- swear
-  write a letter saying that if he looses his home because of his behaviour, he’ll be found intentionally homeless and then no one will help him.
- tell his mum (this is one of Lovely's very effective and non-protocol techniques with her younger teenage clients)

Honestly would:
- Use a Measurement framework (a flow diagram) so that you can measure progress of your responses to his behaviour, learn from that and then adapt your response until it’s perfect (and you sleep well!)
- campaign for change by getting large organisations and MP's involved

12/52 Happy? Having only small things like this to 'worry' about.