BLOGMAS Day 8: I was so tired.

As you may have noticed I did not post yesterday :( and my only excuse is that I was very over tired. I couldn't even watch TV! I was that tired. I had finished a night shift, got in at 915 ish, showered and wound down like I would normally. Thinking that I had all day to sleep. Only for a reminder on my phone to go off... I had a driving lesson at 3 pm. Not my smartest move really but I couldn't cancel as I hadn't had one in a while and I need to get back into driving.. anyway it's now 1030 and I just get into bed. I set an alarm for 2 pm as I need a good hour to fully wake up and not be dangerous for driving. I had about 3 hours sleep. Now bare in mind I got up at 1 pm the previous day, done a 13 hour night shift and now running on 3 hours sleep. I did pretty well (didn't crash or stall on my driving lesson and bossed a reverse bay park, thank you very much). Anyway that's my excuse out of the way. And honestly I have no idea what to do with this post. So, its going to be picture of my dogs doing  being stupid.

Enjoy and sorry for a crap blog... My next one being posted also tonight will be better. I promise.


Love yah
IsThataRedHerring

BLOGMAS Day 7: working as a carer.

I have been working in the care industry for nearly 2 years now, wither with the elderly or with children and young adults with learning difficulties. Now it is safe to say my job is not an easy one. And on more than one occasion I have had people say oh but you're just a carer, you wipe bums for a living HAHA yeah of course that's all I do... WRONG. I work my ass off. I am currently working 13 hour night shifts in a care home with the elderly who have dementia and a residential home. People assume that because I work nights I have an easy job. A few of my residents do not sleep and are often in an out of bed and I do a lot of personal care, plus the admin jobs and jobs around the home. Its not an easy shift at all.

I'm writing this just before I go to work, I cycle to and from work getting a bit of exercise in and try to eat healthily. On an average night shift I do over 12,000 steps so a lot of walking and on a day shift its more.

So, what is it like to be a carer? I'm going to talk from the perspective of an carer working with the elderly as that is my current position. I am currently an acting senior carer at night, which means to some extent I am in charge. Just means that I help the nurses out a bit more and make sure the level of care is the highest standard. I still assist with pretty much all care but I also help with care plans, admin work and making sure all the jobs are complete. A lot of my work involves making sure my residents are safe, that they are eating and drinking enough and are happy. Personal care such as assisting with showering, bathing, changing pads that kind of thing is an hourly occurrence. I think a lot of people assume that on a night shift once everyone is in bed you just sit around and do nothing but that is not true at all. We are always busy!

20:00 - handover from day shift (15 mins)
20:15-01:00- assisting residents to bed and personal care for those already in bed
01:00-03:00-  kitchen jobs, emptying bins, laundry, cleaning and tidying. As well as hourly checks on all residents and personal care if and when needed.
03-00-07-00- getting ready for the morning, emptying the dish washer for the third time, more admin jobs and of course personal care.
07:00-08:00- checking paperwork and one final check on the residents, some residents like to be up early from 05:30-07:30 so we do showering and bathing and getting breakfast ready for those. and of course our night handover to the day staff takes place at 08:00-08:20.

That is a really basic and quick guide to my job, I have properly left out so much more I could add. But I will be doing a day shift as well soon, more tends to happen as activities take place during the day. It is a stressful job and I've wanted to quit on numerous occasions but I am sticking with it. Getting used to everything and how best to work. It is hard work and I am not JUST a carer I am much more.

I hope you enjoyed this.

Love yah
IsThataRedHering

BLOGMAS Day 6: Internet dating... revisited.

I did a post way over a year ago about internet dating and how I was finding it. I actually had a long term relationship come out of internet dating, but that relationship ended after a year. A mixture of different reasons and a whole other blog post I’m sure to come. Anyway, since I am single and very much ready to mingle I thought I would revisit the topic of internet dating. I joined back in September time using two apps the first Tinder and the second Plenty of Fish (POF). It began okay trying to find the genuine people from the fuckboys was the hardest part. I have since ditched Tinder because it is simply just full of fuckboys and not worth my time. So let’s focus on POF.

So, POF is a dating site, which allows you to make a profile, write about yourself, give a little bio, your basics and them do a very long and I mean very long chemistry test which I have to admit I still haven’t finished haha. Anyway, I have had a few good dates from the site and met some lovely genuine guys on there. I have had some absolute horrid dates, and some guys assume they are going to get sex on a first meeting/date. Now I am up for casual but come on dude, I barely know you let’s get to know each other. I have come up with some top tips for internet dating based on my experience.

Number 1

DO NOT GIVE A GUY YOUR SNAPCHAT

Like seriously, if you have been talking to a guy and all he ha asked you is hey, how are you and then boom straight in with have you got snapchat, you will receive a dick pic and loads of them. Words of warning that is what happens.

Number 2

DO NOT GIVE YOUR NUMBER OUT

Okay, so with this one be respectful of your mobile number. So, many guys use the excuse of this app is slow have you got whatsapp? Why yes I do, but know you cannot have it because I barely know you. If a guy really wants to get to know you they will wait. I normally do not give my number out until I’ve been messaging a person at least 3 days. I want to know them a little first.

Number 3

Don’t be afraid to play the field

I’ve had a few people ‘judge’ me because I am talking to several guys. Most of these people judging me are in relationships, and have been for a while. Now just because I am talking to several guys it does not mean I am sleeping with them. I am simply getting to know people. Figuring out if we have stuff in common and quite frankly it’s nice to know I have people wanting to talk to me. So please do not judge.

Just a quick revisit and a few little tips.

Love yah

IsThataRedHerring 

BLOGMAS Day 5: My go to films!

.

I own a lot of DVDs, like way over 500! I can't help it, yeah I have Netflix and Amazon Prime but I am still a lover of DVDs always will be. I have a few films that I absolutely love and can watch over and over again without getting bored. It's safe to say I like a mixture of films. I can't resist a good romance film but I also love action and of course superhero movies. I love a film that makes you feel good.

Feel good movies/ Romance 

The Fundamentals of caring 

New Moon 

The Devil wears Prada 

Angus Thongs and perfect Snogging 

Who doesn’t love a good RomCom or feel good movie. Of course I love the classics Bridget Jones and Love Actually. But the ones I watch over and over again are above. The newest one to my list is The Fundamentals of Caring, it is a fantastic film, hilarious and completely heart-warming. The film follows a 18 year old boy called Trevor who is in a wheelchair and requires round the clock care, his new carer Ben (Paul Rudd) who takes him on a road trip to see road side attractions along the way, their final destination the BIG pit. Along the way they pick up two other passengers. We learn the truth behind Ben, Trevor and their new passengers. A lovely film.

Of course the others include The Devil wears Prada this film needs no explanation really, I mean it’s a classic. What more do you want, its sassy all over and down to earth. With a strong message of never give up on your dreams, keep pushing and sometimes take a leap of faith. I had to add a Twilight movie onto the list and for me New Moon is the best, I loved it so much, it was also my favourite book. I don’t even class it as my guilty pleasure because I am not ashamed. And finally classic girly feel good film Angus, Thongs and perfect Snogging I don’t care if this film is for 14 year olds this film never gets old. Slaggy Lindsay and her thong from Bulgaria. The Ace Gang and of course the snogging scale. What more do you want, okay fine let’s throw in a beautiful set of twins, Dave the laugh, some dodgy hair and a cat that swims. That’s right it has everything. A coming of age film that never gets old. And yes I still quote this film.

Action 

Lock, stock and two smoking barrels 

Rock N Rolla 

Both directed by one of my favourite directors Guy Ritchie, follows essentially a bunch of gangsters and crooks in London, who pull off some great cons. I adore these films. I know a scary amount of the words and love how there are many twists and turns throughout the films. Another to note is Snatch another Guy Ritchie must see. Bloody and dangerous.

Marvel 

X-men 

Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 1

X-men is my favourite Marvel ‘series’ as it were, the Phoenix is y ideal. Damn I wish I was as cool as her… anyway off topic. For me X-men has everything a good superhero series needs. Also, mutation is something that happens in everyday life therefore we could all be mutants… which would be amazing. And finally Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 1, if you haven't seen or heard of this film where have you been? This follows Starlord, a human who got picked up by aliens who wanted to eat him or so they say. He becomes a mixed up in some dangerous business and is on a quest for one of the infinity stones with a bunch of unlikely sidekicks. Fantastic film, great casting and the soundtrack out of this world. 

Love yah 

IsThataRedHerring

pictures from Google Images 

BLOGMAS Day 4: Hair care and what I use.

I last dyed my hair back in July, I have bleached my hair to shit. It's been every colour under the sun. Although I love my multi-coloured hair I was sick and tired of having dry and damaged hair. I tried to kid myself that my hair was fine. I continued to abuse it, bleach, dye, heat everything bad I could do to my hair I did. I used no protection at all on it, and thought mixing conditioner in with my bleach would help the situation. And of course it didn't! I was a first class idiot.

Well now it's been nearly 5 months since I last bleached or dyed my hair. I have done nothing but try and repair my hair. I have had regular hair cuts. The first hair cut was the hardest. It was cut so short, I actually cried. I have never cried over a hair cut before, until that one. Absolutely heart broken. I knew from that moment that I need to sort my hair out.

First step
Was to stop using so much heat, I have only blow dried my hair maybe 3 times in the past 5 months and went a good 2 months without straightening it. Which was a big deal.

Second step
Better quality shampoo and conditioner. With all the bleaching came a horrid and quite frankly broken scalp. I had terrible bleach burns all over my scalp which were very painful. I started using Head and Shoulders itchy and dry scalp treatment, which has really helped. It has also helped strip out the extra colour I had in my hair. A win/win situation in my book. I've always used TRESemme and upped my conditioner to platinum protect and using the platinum protect hair mask. Both in which has helped my hair majorly. I used the mask 2-3 times a week for the first couple of months and then once or twice a week after that.

Third step
I upped my products once again. So this month, I had done a lot of overtime so got paid a bit extra. I thought it was time to buy some decent products for my hair.. so £37 later on 2 products, I purchased a heat defense spray called Argan Secret- Miracle 10 costing £17! I wanted to use it straight away, and I can honestly say my hair feels AMAZING already. It's not just for heat defense but has loads of other fantastic things (hence the miracle 10). I would highly recommend this product, expensive but well worth the money to protect your hair, as I straighten my hair almost every other day. The second was Maria Nila- Structure repair mask costing £20, I have used this twice now, once a week, I honestly felt the difference straight away and could not believe it. It felt like brand new hair. This combined with the miracle 10 spray my hair has been given a new lease of life, shiny and fresh. And people have noticed which is great.

I hope this has helped, in some way.

Love yah
IsThataRedHerring

BLOGMAS 3: TV shows you have to watch.

I watch a crazy amount of TV and when I find a new show I like I tend to watch it all in one go. I just have to watch it all. And it's a good way to relax for me. I like shows that have several series, but something easy to watch. I have selected a few of my favourites and most watched but of course the list is much longer. So here goes: 

Marvel

Jessica Jones

Luke Cage

Of course Marvel shows were going to be on here, I love Marvel and the shows are great. It took me while to get into Jessica Jones but the second time of watching it I couldn't believe I didn't like it to begin with. And plus it’s nice to have a female super hero who doesn't prance around in her underwear all the time. Also David Tennant as a bad guy, top notch acting and man was he a bastard. Luke Cage was my personal favourite I adored it, great story and great acting, must watch show, and the cross overs are brilliantly written. Daredevil is the last, I loved the first series but have yet to finish the second. I am making my way through it and look forward to seeing what happens. Let's face it the Punisher us epic. 

DC

Lucifer

iZombie

Now many of you know I am not a great fan of DC, I’ve just always been a Marvel fan. But I have fallen in love with two DC shows based around comics. I didn’t even know they were DC until I did some research into them. The first is iZombie, which is a great show, when a hard working doctor (Liv Moore) is persuaded to go to a boat party with her fellow doctors. They all take some drugs which turn them into zombies, however she doesn’t take the drug just gets scratched and is turned into a zombie ... anyway we follow her development as a zombie, she stops being a doctor and works in the morgue instead. Literal brain on tap. but there it a little twist, when she eats the brain she is able to see the last moments of the person’s life and she develops characteristics of that person until the brain has left her system. It’s an hilarious show and a new concept of zombie. She teams up with a detective who thinks she has psychic abilities. What more do you want from a show?

The second is Lucifer is a spin off show from the comic The Sandman, it follows Lucifer Morningstar aka the devil, the devil has become bored of hell and wants a bit of fun, and joins the human race. Lucifer is played by the glorious Tom Ellis (best known for Gary from Miranda), it follows Lucifer and his struggled to understand the human race, throw in a bit of romance a new found job (as a civilian police detective) and endless twists and turns and you have one hell of a show. Quite possible my favourite show this year.

Comedy

Parks and Recreation

How have I not watched Parks and recreation before? This show is everything I need right now. It is hilarious. Every episode is fantastic, I honestly cannot fault this show. It follows Lesley Knope and her colleagues who work for the government of Pawnee, in the parks and recreation department. Knope is a great character over ambitious and damn right fantastic. And her colleagues, Ron Swanson who thinks veganism is a myth and doesn’t believe in the government, Andy who lived in a pit, a literal whole in the ground for year with no job now works for Pawnee government, April who is the biggest pessimist ever but really loves Lesley, her job and of course Andy, not forgetting Tom, Donna and Jerry/Gary/Larry or whatever his name is. PLEASE WATCH THIS SHOW!

Other

Grey's Anatomy

Of course I had to add in the heart breaking, tear jerking Grey’s Anatomy because that show has ripped my heart out over and over again, but I keep coming back for more. Hot doctors, hot patients, romance, medical drama, musical scenes, plane crash, ferry crash, even a helicopter crash we have seen it all. Oh just a warning do not get attached to characters because Shonda Rimes will destroy them I repeat do not get attached to characters.

Well that was a long post sorry. I do have a part 2 coming up later on this month because yah know I watch a lot of TV.

Love yah

IsthataRedHerring

BLOGMAS 2: New Look, Forever 21 and Schuh haul.

It was black Friday and I really couldn't resist. I brought a few new things. Because I'm a sucker for a deal and pretty things.

 Forever 21 

                               1                     2                          3                         4

1- Plus size Skater dress burgundy size 2x - £13

2- Plus Size Floral Mini Dress Size 2x -£13

3- Plus size Floral skater dress size 1x -  £10.27

4- Plus size Longline stripe top size 2x - £13

I wanted a few new dresses ones that I could wear on a daily basis, I often wear the same thing, jeans and a t-shirt which is fine but even I began getting bored of it. And quite frankly I love dresses. And an added bonus they were on sale so win, win really. above are the dresses I brought. My person favourite is number 4, it is so very comfortable and easy to wear. I paired it with grey jeans and my new silver shoes from Schuh featured below. I got several compliments on this look.

New Look 

                                5                        6                        7                        8

5- Curves black cold shoulder T-shirt size 20 - £9

6- Curves white striped print shirt- size 20 - £10

7- Curves khaki cold shoulder shirt- size 20 - £11.50

8- Curves black V neck skater skirt - size 20 - £14.99

This little bundle from New Look mainly consists of new shirts, like I said I have many, many t-shirts but not many nice tops/shirts. So I treated myself to some casual shirts that are great for this time of year. I also purchased another black skater dress because I love this style on me. It is very comfortable and easy to wear.

Schuh 

9

 9- Silver creep platform metallic ii flats - £28

These shoes rock! I adore them (not the blister though) now that I've worn these shoes in the are fantastic. And everyone loves them. I've been stopped a few times on the street asking where I got them from. And for £28 you can't go wrong. I do actually want to go back and get a pair in black as well.

Well that's my little haul :)

Love yah

IsThataRedHerring