What happened this year? read on my friends.

It’s that time again, a year in review. A short q&a by Mrs A E Bennett.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Got made redundant, got pregnant and had acupuncture. What a weird mix.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
well my three new year resoultions were:
A) get pregnant Tick, done
b) learn something new. Tick, done went to a Buddhism course
c) feel better about my body still working on this especially as the pregnancy is changing my body in all kinds of freaky ways but I’m getting there.
Next year my goals are small because I figure my life will change so much that it’s hard to set goals. But I’m going to give it a shot.
1) Learn to French plait my hair
2) Don’t let my grey roots get out of control
3) Go for lots of walk
I’m setting the bar low I know but all easily achievable.


3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
i don’t think so, i can’t remember baby brain apologies if i have forgotten anyone’s child.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope, another year and every one is still hanging in there. Good job guys.

5. What overseas cities/countries did you visit?
New York, felt sick the entire time because of the baby thought I was going to vomit every time I ate, walked, slept and moved. Went back to NZ to see the family, went back to Austria to see the other family and I think that’s it. we were planning a last hurrah summer sailing holiday but the redundancy put the brakes on that one.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Better hair. Seriously I have no idea what to do with my long thick dreadlock type hair. I’m one step away from chopping it all off. But I have bought new straightners instead. Notice I didn’t say money because I am so rich it’s not funny. (this is a joke but when you don’t earn a wage for a while and still manage to eat having no income scares you less.)

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
when I found out i was pregnant that was quite exciting and at the same time terrifying also the first scan was awesome, the baby jumping up and down made me smile and I was so nervous, but then it all turned out okay. The second scan good but not awesome.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?.
Getting pregnancy but does that really count, to be honest it wasn’t that difficult for us, although Jamie did complain that we were having sex too much. can you believe it! Doesn’t know how good he has it.
Actually probably getting made redundant and not falling to pieces, at times it was really tough and really lonely but I think I got through it really well. it would have been very easy to be bitter but now I remember only good things about my old job which is the best way to be I think.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Don’t think I failed this year actually, can’t think of one.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Morning sickness which I have renamed all day feeling queasy with headaches all I want to eat is rice cakes sickness and apart from that pregnancy has been pretty easy a swollen foot a few cramps and a bit of fat. I have got off easy.
I had shoulder surgery which was awesome because the hospital was private and they had L’Occatine toiletries in the bathroom (which I stole, I also tried to steal ruber gloves but Jamie wouldn’t let me and at this point I was one handed so needed his help for my criminal exploits)
And as an interesting aside I have had way less cold/flus/ general sickness this year hardly any. I think my old job was making my sick with the general crappiness of it all.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Okay i dibn;t buy it but my husband gave me a mulberry handbag for my 30th, Iw as so excited I had to put it downa dn got the toilet. I love it. And it smells nice.
Also we bought a kick ass vacuum cleaner which I love even though I never use it because we have a cleaner.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Jamie takes such good care of me I am a very lucky girl, my feet were swollen so for the first time last night in 14 years he gave me a foot rub and I didn’t even have to beg. I am a lucky wife.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Last week I was reading the newspaper and on one page there was a story about how a father had killed her daughter because she was in love with the wrong type of Muslim and there was a story about a serial rapist and there was a story about a women being sold into the sex trafficking trade. It just made me sad that women are still the victims of such horrific violence.

14. Where did most of your money go?
My paid off our mortgage a lot, we are so glamorous. Try not to be jealous of our lifestyle’s of the rich and famous.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
This ia hard I would like to say abay but it excites me and scares the bejesus out of me at the same time. I really loved it when we painted and did up out flat and it was so nice to live in a lovely space.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Sexy bitch by akon because anyone that can work the word disrespectful into a song deserves a Grammy.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
Happier, I have a little kicking baby inside me and also I think I am more chilled and a little bit wiser this year. I hope.
b) thinner or fatter?
Fatter but come on I am pregnant.
c) richer or poorer?
About the same I guess. But I like think I am little but better with budgeting after being on the dole for a while.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish i had been drunk and stupid when I wasn’t pregnant. And partied like it was 1999. I know I say this every year but also I want to lie in the sun for about 8 years of my life non-stop to make up for the crappy weather I have endured while living in London.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Stressing, again, Jesus there is a pattern here. Also I feel like I spend my life in front of a computer and the baby bump now makes it hard to get all that close to my desk.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
With friends and my husband and no booze, feel free to feel sorry for me. Also my new years will be sober and my 30th was sober. SADDO.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Nope, maybe with my baby. Although sometimes my baby annoys me because it kicks at odd times but I love it, most of the time.

22. What was your favourite TV program?
Project Runway! Love it love it love it, it is the only thing I watch although now it is finished so i don’t watch anything, although I watched the first episode of glee and loved it. That might be my new favourite breastfeeding programme I think. Also Peep show and The thick of it are so clever I wish I was clever enough to write something that funny. Or just clever enough to get all the jokes.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nup, can’t be bothered.


24. What was the best book you read?
Haven’t read much this year due to me being a lazy bugger, the 19th wife was a quite good plane book,also read a load of Buddhism books which I loved. Any reading sugggetions welcome.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I’m gonna say JLS because there hasn’t been aboy band I can take the piss out of for ages.

26. What did you want and get?
A baby inside my belly.

27. What did you want and not get?
You know what I feel like I have everything I need. I am content. (This is a bit of a lie but sounds good, what I really want to a lovely house and a garden to have a baby and all my family and friends around me and a personal trainer.) But overall I am a lucky sausage.

28. What was your favourite film of this year?
In the Loop, so funny I laughed until I had to go to the toilet, plus I was drunk in the movies when I saw it which made it ten times more funny. See it. Immediately.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was the big 30 and it was sober and I felt a bit sick the entire time and I was in Austria which was fun and then on a ryan air flight which was the complete opposite of fun. But over all happy that I had made it to 30.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Last year I said a new job and now I have one. Yippee. This year I hope for more sunshine in London, come on global warming, get a move on. While I’m on the topic I think they should re-name ‘global warming’ ‘global shit weather’ because the warming aspect is really mis-leading.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
I had to buy a whole heap of new stuff for the baby belly, also my skin is allergic top anything that isn’t natural fibres. So it’s more about what fits than an overall concept. A

32. What kept you sane?
My husband again, man he does a good job.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Still after all these years it’s Johnny Depp and also James Francois making a late run.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Poiltics in Britain is quite boring really worldwide I really don’t understand why Americans are against giving everyone free healthcare. Insania.

35. Who did you miss?
Do you need to ask, all my friends and family in NZ. I haven’t had a Christmas at home for six years now and I am bored with it.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
All my new work colleagues are very nice and that’s it, I have small social circle, even smaller now everyone has bloody left London to go home.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
This is my new mantra. Life is change. The only certainly in life is that it will change, it may change for the better or for the worse, but it will change. Roll with it.

peace out x

2009 a photo essay

Photos from my 2009

Beautiful Auckland
Emily's wedding

Mum and Louis in New Zealand

The bottle of wine which Johann bought us for our anniversary

Drunk after the bottle of wine dad bought us in the back of a cab.

Amy and my old office

Our new but actually now is a year old vacuum, try not to be jealous

Another awesome tea party, all home made.

In amsterdam, look how pale jamie is, he looks quite chavy I love it.

Walking in Amsterdam

Steve and Yavanna'a enagagement party where I got so druunk ic ouldn't stand and the I dislocated my shoulder was so drunk it didn't hurt. It was awesome.

Jamie's bowling birthday and Rene won the trophy.

The gang at Jamie's bowling birthday.

Our friend gave us free tickets to a concert it was cheesy but awesome, I am smiling so much because I had to drink a lot to enjoy it. We saw Leona Lewis, Katy Perry, Akon and ....

Lionel Richie

Me in hospital modelling my surgical socks, I didn't steal these although I wish I had.

It's August and I am pregnant!

Perphaps in bigger news a Tesco opens up the road meaning the overpriced newsagents are tasting it.

Oh a serious crime scene up the road from me, See what you can see from the top deck of a bus.

30th birthday.

Decroating the xmas tree. And we bought a cheap one so it lost all it's needles in the first three minutes and then i swept on needles over the whole christmas period. I never thought I would say this but next year I'm going fake.

Jamie with his xmas present, his presents had a egg theme this year, he got an egg cup, egg top cutter, an egg timer and a soilder maker and wait for it...eggs.

Me on xmas day.

Jamie on the tube at 12:00 news years eve.

Dinner on New Years Eve.

And that's it 2009 in two easy blog posts. I suspect in 2010 the posts will get even less and there will be many pictures of the baby. But I'm going to give it my best shot to keep all you fellas informed.

Totally forgot to put NY and Austria photos in never mind you can imagine it. xxx

New Years 2009

First sober new years in 15 years, wasn't that bad we went bowlign and had yummy food. Ah who am I kidding it would have been better with booze. Anyway here are some photos from the night.

I bought a new dress, had my hair blow dried and did my make up and this is the best it gets. And I looked fat. I am twice the size of Jamie, twice the size.

Me after I had seen the pciture of fat me. I am not happy.

But yet the fat picture didn't stop me from eating the biggest ice-cream sunday ever made.

Happy 2010 everyone xxxxx

Argh trying to find baby names and we don't have any! we are bad so this morning we were looking on the Internet and you guessed it we headed straight towards an argument. The boys nsames we got up to C the girls we didn't even get past A. We are going to have a nameless baby or panic name and call it something kooky like branch or flea.

In other news my boobs are looking terrible at the moment, non-underwire and Andrea do not mix. All my life I have had good boobs mostly because I buy supportive bras but now they have gone south and bizarrely spread out. It is not a pretty picture. Tried wearing underwire the other day because my boobs were so pitiful but it hurt to much so I went back to wearing the nylon travesty that is my maternity bra. I would post a picture but it would make you vomit.

Also my belly is huge. It'd weird from behind no baby and from the front a whole lot of baby. When people ask me how pregnant I am and I say about 6 months, their eyes widen and they say 'Is it twins' Four people have asked me this. And when I say no they say 'Are you sure? sometimes they get it wrong.' Even the fireman that came to install the fire alarms last week looked shocked and he is a professional. I think this is going to be a big old baby, nine pounds, minimum.

xxx