I did get to go to my favourite place on Wednesday- Hay-on-Wye. I spend all my day working with books and then spend my days off in bookshops! Hay on Wye is a tiny town on the Welsh/English border and has a great literary festival there every year which I went to and Hay-on-Wye has thirty bookshops, most selling second-hand books. I also popped to Hereford on the way to Hay and had an amazing cream tea although I'm not too sure it was a good choice for my waistline.
Here are some of my photos from my lovely day out-

One or two of you lovely ladies asked if the article I wrote for Fat Quarter would be available online so I thought I would put my original copy on here (the final article was edited slightly)-

'Cardiff is a small city with a population of just 328,000 but there is plenty to do here. With over 20,000 university students living in Cardiff it has a really young feel.

Cardiff boasts an array of Victorian and Edwardian arcades which are home to lots of unique stores and cafés.
Wally’s delicatessen is based in the Royal Arcade and stocks a great variety of meats, cheese, whole foods and sauces. It’s also a great place to pick up American treats like a box of Lucky Charms and Reese’s Cups. http://wallysdeli.co.uk/


One of Cardiff’s most famous shops, Spillers Records, the oldest records store in the world, has recently relocated to Morgan Arcade – its 3rd home since opening in 1894. Spillers offer a diverse selection of music on both CD and vinyl. They host some great in store acoustic sessions and the staff have a vast music knowledge and don’t mind you spending hours flicking through all the great records. http://www.spillersrecords.co.uk/


Cardiff isn’t just a top shopping destination there’s also plenty of culture on offer. National Museum Wales is hosting a programme of exhibitions to celebrate LGBT History Month during February. People, Personalities and Power: Faces from Wales is a display of Welsh portraits from the museum’s collection and is on display until Sunday 8 May. The display will include recently acquired photographs by Angus McBean, including a self-portrait by McBean and a pair of portraits of Welsh actor and playwright Emlyn Williams. There will also be a talk about how Angus McBean’s sexuality influenced his work, more details can be found here- http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/

(obviously this bit is a tad dated now but the museum currently has a fab Toulouse-Lautrec exhibition and a new collection of contemporary silversmithing called Silverstruck)

For a great night out try Chick Habit. It’s a club night at Undertone (basement of 10 Feet Tall) that only plays indie, pop and Motown records sung by girls.
Cardiff is Europe’s newest and smallest capital but that’s no bad thing.'



A few more Cardiff related things for you here...

I've mentioned Cardiff Arcades Project blog before but it's well worth another look. Amy Davies takes the most wonderful photos of the shops and the people in Cardiff's arcades, here are some examples of her work-

 

The Bridal Suite really has everything you and your loved ones need to look great on your wedding day. The suite stocks everything from fabulous hats for the Mother of the Bride, adorable outfits for the flower girls and ushers and finishing touches like shoes and tiaras. I really loved the favours that the Bridal Suite have created; you can buy personalised cards with pin badges in a variety of colours and designs. They are a really great way to ensure that your guests have something to take away with them to remember the day while also supporting cancer research and the Velindre Hospital here in Wales.


If you want to save cash on one of the most expensive parts of your wedding while giving to a great cause you need to visit the Cancer Research Wales Bridal Suite in Whitchurch!

You can find the shop at- 55 Penlline Rd,Whitchurch


To arrange a viewing of the Bridal Suite or to make a donation of your wedding dress or outfit call 029 2031 6976

Helping you make informed choices at our BMI Private Hospitals in Manchester

Here's what I wore to work on Saturday-

I used my Urban Outfitters satchel which I don't use very often for work because I can't fit my lunch in it but it's the perfect shape for files and papers.

I went to the CILIP Cymru Welsh Libraries, Archives and Museums Conference and the theme was Survive and Thrive which is very apt because of all the difficulties that are facing libraries at the moment. My favourite talk of the day was Phil Bradley's  Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Stuff; service development outside the Tardis. Who doesn't love a Dr Who themed presentation with pictures of David Tennant?

Have you all had a nice week? It was actually quite nice for blogger to be down for a while, I didn't spent some time reading and updating my CV.

Would anyone be interested in a Cardiff blogger meet up? There are always lots of events in London but I've not come across one in Cardiff before.

I'm hoping to plan one for early October and I wanted to know what people wanted to happen on the day and how many people would come.
I was thinking that we could meet for lunch in the day and visit some tourist destinations in Cardiff or do some shopping in some of the great independent shops that we have here.
I would also love to have an evening event where there will be drinks, some music and some activites like a A/W preview of some clothing collections and hair and make up etc

What do you think?!
Leave a comment to let me know if you are interested and what days/times suit you best.

I will consider all the comments before deciding on a final date and programme of events.
xx

Despite having a week off work in April I feel like it's been a very busy month. I've had a few lovely nights out for friends birthdays (see drunk picture above, don't know who that guy is!) and it was very busy in work because all students were paying fines and taking books out before they went away for the Easter hols.
I'm going on a course about blogs in the library profession soon which sounds rather exciting, I may start a blog charting my career progression and new developments in the field (yawn, only interesting to fellow library staff).

I'm very excited about moving and I took a few pictures of my new room so I could plan how I'm going to furnish and decorate it. As you can see it's very old lady at the moment and I can't wait to sand the floors and rip the paper off. My bedroom has a little bathroom in and I'm planning to have a little built in wardrobe, sooo much work to do!
I've been busy making mood boards and I've bought every home magazine available. I want a greyish lilac wall, with lots of cream and a hint of dusky pink a little bit like this. I've bought a little bit of bedding and a few other bits and bobs but I'm trying not to go too mad because I will have to move all the new things I buy. I'm going to get all the big pieces delivered to the new house instead.

April has been a tricky month for me diet wise. Bank holidays and birthdays are not easy when you're on a diet. Knowing that I have to do a weekly update on Where Are My Knees? means I didn't go a crazy as I could have on my nights out. On nights out I would normally drink lots of calorie filled cocktails and me and my friends would all visit the chippy on the way home but I switched to wine and skipped the end of the night take aways.
My losses this month have been a little slow but with over 24 lbs loss in total I'm starting to feel the benefits, I was a lot more confident on my nights out and I'm wearing different clothes. I'm usually completely covered up in leggings and cardigans but I went out in tights and bared my arms for the first time in years.  

I hope I continue to do well with my diet in May, I'm looking forward to my trip to Hay on Wye and Hereford and the ballet. Only 6 weeks left in work until I get all summer off!

What's been the highlight of your month?
xx