Day 16 & 17: It's The Weekend!

It's the weekend again! I've decided I'm going to combine Friday and Saturday's posts again due to the fact that I'm still catching up on things. Yes I know; excuses, excuses! Honestly, May and June are always the busiest months in the year for me or at least it's been that way during the past couple of years.

Yesterday (Friday) was a rather ordinary day to be honest, nothing very exciting to report I'm afraid. Well apart from a visit into town in the morning and a coffee in Costa before heading back home and passing time that I really couldn't afford to loose pottering around in my room. I suppose you could say I was making my bed and putting on a little makeup to cover up my ghost like face. But if the truth be known I was tired from staying up late to watch Bruce Springsteen's live stream at Rock in Rio Lisbon the previous night. Before I knew it, it was almost twelve o'clock and had around half a hour to spare before my tutor was due to arrive. By this point Mum had put lunch in the oven so I quickly ate that and got my art stuff out and continued working on it until my tutor came.

We're working on a collage type thing as a final piece although, I wouldn't exactly say collages are my forte. I'm much better with a paint brush and pencils, it feels a lot more natural to me. Then again when you're doing a Nat 4 in art I suppose you have to show examples of varies types of media which I've done and like everyone else there's definitely some materials I prefer to use than others.

As I sit here writing this, I'm actually attempting to wrack my brains and remember what else happened yesterday yet nothing seems to spring to mind. It really was one of those boring days to be completely honest. To be honest, I spent most of the evening working away on my laptop trying to catch up and actually get things done.

Saturday, is one of the best day of the week in my opinion! I managed to actually have a long lie for once until around mid day. I hate being so lazy but the extra sleep seriously did me the world of good! That's what's great about weekends; you can catch up on sleep, leisurely get up and just take things slowly-bliss!

Mum, Laurel and I enjoyed a leisurely lunch before Dad arrived home from work in the afternoon to watch the football which everyone seemed to be watching. Well at least that's what it seemed like according to my Facebook page-I don't have a clue about it to be honest!

Us girls decided to head out into town for a coffee and to do some birthday present shopping for my sister's friends who all seem to be born in June. I'm not much of a shopper unless it involves music or vintage shops but it was still nice to have a wee look round. My sister picked up some lovely things for her friends which I they'll absolutely love! I'd tell you more but seeing as the internet is a very public place, I better not! I don't think my Sister would be too chuffed at me if I gave it away and one of her friends saw it.

We were pretty disappointed to see that Store 21, one of the shops we often pop into as we like the home wear department is closing down. Didn't see that one coming! It was a little strange going inside to see what was on sale an area filled with Christmas decorations as well as Christmas jumpers that they're trying to sell off. The reductions were pretty good but honestly, there's nothing more bizarre than going into a shop near the end of May and seeing Christmas things everywhere. And to top it all off a kid had found one of those musical ornaments and all I could hear was Christmas carols-don't quite know how to feel about that! It was definitely a weird experience.

Dinner time was drawing near as we left the town centre and I think we were all becoming rather hungry so paid our favourite Chinese Takeaway a visit to order a Saturday night treat. Again, I had my favourite Singapore chow mein which was rather delicious! And of course to top it all off, sitting down to watch Britain's Got Talent is always the highlight of my Saturday night! Oh, what a sad life I have! But let's face it; it's all a bit of good old fashioned fun!

Day 14 & 15: New Wheelchair!

Angie and I at the wheelchair clinic

In order to catch up with my daily blog posts I thought I'd combine both yesterday and Wednesday's posts so that from today onwards I'll hopefully get back into the swing of things.

Wednesday morning, a very tried Robyn dragged herself out of bed after the excitement of the day before. Normally, I'd of had a lie in as my tutor wasn't due to come out until the afternoon however I had an appointment to pick up my new wheelchair at something like quarter to ten in the morning. So no lie in for me I'm afraid!

After dropping Laurel off at school we stopped on route to pick up a bouquet of flowers for Angie, who I met at the wheelchair clinic who unlike most professionals I've met in my time wanted to make a difference to my life and I wanted to say 'Thank-You' for her help. She really thought out of the box and wanted to give me as much independence as possible. It's rare that happens nowadays usually because it often means putting more thought and effort into something.

Due to almost being eighteen I've now been referred to the wheelchair clinics for adults so I attended my first appointment a few weeks ago because my old chair was in need of replacing. Angie was very enthusiastic and wanted to find something much more sleek and modern compared to what I'm used to. So on Wednesday we attended the clinic to pick it up and I'm absolutely delighted with the result! The difference is incredible! It's so much lighter and much easier on the eyes. I've taken full advantage of it since we got it and enjoyed pushing myself around without any assistance from my family. My name is now on a waiting list for wheelchair training so I can learn how to bump it up onto pavements and go over unsteady surfaces such as gravel which will make a huge difference and allow me more independence! So the sooner that happens, the better!

I called my Grandparents on route home to let them know we were heading  home as they had plants to give us for the garden. We also needed something from the supermarket so by the time we took a detour to Sainsbury's they'd arrived at the house. Grandad unloaded their car before the four us went to get a bite to eat at TK Maxx before my tutor was due to arrive later that afternoon. I must admit I had a great time looking round the shop at my own free reign with no difficulty pushing myself!

My art tutor arrived a little while later, this week has just been a continuation of what I've been working on of late in art. But what really made my day was a very cool email that Mum received. I'm not going to say what exactly it's about just yet. What I can say is that it'll entail another exciting day and blog post to follow in the not so distant future-so stay tuned!

Yesterday, (Thursday to be exact) is always the busiest day of the week for us. A Thursday usually consists of music tuition in the morning and my weekly radio show in the early afternoon. Thursday's music session consisted of learning 'I Can't Get No Satisfaction' by The Rolling Stones-great song by the way! And the very famous 'Smoke On The Water' by Deep Purple. 'Smoke On The Water' was the first riff I ever learned to play on guitar when I must was around ten years old just like every other guitar player however, the bass parts are completely different to the guitar riff which changed things up a little.

The usual Thursday rush soon pursued; organise music for my radio show, put makeup on and eat an early lunch before setting off to 3TFM. As always my show went in extremely quickly and was great fun! And of course it's always great to catch up with my fellow presenters at the station. It's seriously an absolute privilege being able to do something I love so much and I'll be forever grateful for the opportunity!

After picking up Laurel up from school it was time for the weekly shop. I know it's got to be done otherwise we'd starve but none of us are particularly big fans of doing it. Again, I had a great time using the new wheelchair in the supermarket though; it was like a scene out of Christmas With The Kranks where Mrs Krank and another woman were racing to get the last ham on Christmas eve except this time it was Laurel trying to keep up with me. All good fun!

Mum, Laurel and I enjoyed a soft drink in the café where we bumped into a friend of ours who came and chatted for a while. We hadn't seen him for a while so it was nice to catch up and get a hug from his lovely dog Toto in the carpark. I'd really love a dog of my own one day, they make such amazing friends!

Back home we ate dinner (as you do!) and I pretty much spent the evening on my laptop working away like always. Although, I enjoyed watching my sister Laurel's reaction to some of the 1980s music videos my Dad happened to be watching on TV. By this point I was on the verge of nodding off again (this seems to be becoming a bit of a habit these days) but someone how woke up a little just in time to watch a livestream of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band performing at Rock In Rio, Lisbon. It was a brilliant show as always (not that you'd expect anything less from Bruce and the gang) and was a great build up for the Bruce gig I'm going to in less than two weeks-so so so excited!

Anyway, that's about as interesting as my life has been these past two days so I suppose I'll bring this post to an end.

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

Day 13: My First Radio Interview

Borrowed this pic from Graeme

You may have noticed an absence on my blog the past couple as I didn't get round to posting anything because I was up to something. I just so happened to be preparing for my first ever radio interview which took place yesterday (Tuesday). I'm a night owl anyway but I was up until silly o'clock making sure I had everything needed so that in the morning I could just pick it up and go. 

I physically don't know how I managed to leave the house yesterday morning without forgetting something. Yet, somehow I did. We dropped Laurel off at school and made our way to my Grandparent's where I popped in to see the live video stream from inside my Grandad's birdhouse as all the baby birds had hatched. Oh my goodness! They're so cute!

From there we headed up to Glasgow for the second time this week (hmm! I think I was there already this week!) and parked at Kelvingrove Art gallery. We popped inside for a little while in order to pass some time before I had to be somewhere. I felt a little bit nostalgic visiting there as I'm pretty sure the last time I stepped foot in the building was back during my last week of P7 which feels like a lifetime ago now. I miss my primary school days a lot so it's strange going back there and reliving my old memories.

My Grandparents and Mum wanted a cake and coffee so we nipped into the café whilst I nervously sipped on a bottle of juice admiring the building. I don't think I fully appreciated just how beautiful a building it was up until then. Above the lobby area (pictured in the photograph) is the most beautiful organ which as far as I know is played at least once a day but unfortunately, I was there too early in the day to hear it. 

A little while we left the art gallery and headed in direction of Kelvingrove Park which is just over the road really. It's a really quaint and peacful park which is reminiscent of the parks I enjoyed visiting during my many hospital stays in London when I was younger. We took a leisurely stroll through the park to a familiar place that I visited last year for a certain gig. It was a little café called 'An Clachan' hidden in the park where I saw Graeme Clark from the Scottish band Wet Wet Wet perform live last June. And funnily enough, that just so happened to be who I was meeting up with.

Graeme kindly agreed to sit down with me for my first ever radio interview which was pretty exciting and a little nerve-wracking all at the same time. I'm not going to give too much away because it was an interview after all and obviously, it's still to be aired on live radio (more details to come). However, it was great to sit down and chat with Graeme about music and his career. It was also great to chat a bit about bass as we both play the instrument. For me, it was pretty inspiring to talk someone who's had an amazing career thanks to playing the same instrument as me and ask him about it. He even signed some of my Wet Wet Wet vinyl for me addressing it to 'The Hat Hippie'!

I'd been wanting to do my first radio interview for a while now and in true Robyn style had to start big so I'm ever so grateful to Graeme for firstly agreeing to it in the first place and being so supportive and sweet during the interview itself. I'm not going to lie, I was rather nervous and probably sound it during the recording but you know what? I'm proud of it and can't wait to go out there and do more interviews in future! And I'll always have a great story to tell about my very first one!

On route back home following the interview we stopped in Dalry to pay a visit to The Factory Shop which I've not been to in ages and can't believe how much it had changed! They have ALOT of cute knickknacks which was right up my Mum's street in particular. The décor is really quite quirky and colourful now; I seriously can't get over how different it is now!

We dropped Gran and Grandad off at their house and popped in for a little while so I could use their internet to show them the selfie Graeme had posted online of us both. My Mum and Gran ended up watching something on TV (couldn't tell you what as I wasn't paying much attention) whilst I nodded off on the sofa due to being absolutely exhausted from the exciting events of the day. Mum woke me up a short while later so we could head home and I could get some much needed rest.

Back home I managed to keep myself awake long enough to eat dinner and tell my Dad about how everything went before settling down in my room to update my blog. As you can see, I never quite got that far! I think I must have typed a couple of words before nodding off in mid sentence-oops! I stirred a couple of times thanks to my hamster creating havoc in her cage before waking up later on to find that it was dark outside and that everyone besides Mum had headed off to bed-I must have been asleep for a while!

So that's the story of my first ever interview in as short and as brief a description as possible and what a cool interview it was! Again, I owe a huge thanks to Graeme for putting up with me and being so enthusiastic about everything! It really was a pleasure to chat to him! Really, looking forward to his gig at Siempre Café in a couple of weeks time, I think it'll be a great evening!

Anyway, I'll go for now. Thanks for stopping by, I really hope you enjoyed reading about my day! I'll be back soon with the next post!
Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

Day 12: A Shopping Trip to Glasgow

It's late and I've been glued to my laptop for hours on end working on various things so I'm guessing this'll be a fairly short post as I ought to get to bed and get some rest as I have tutoring in the morning. Sadly, that's the weekend over for another week but at the same time it's one less week until the Summer holidays which are drawing near so I'll hold onto that in the meantime.

Well today saw a last minute visit to Glasgow this afternoon although it was verging on a little too busy for me I'm not gonna lie! Our first stop (well for Mum and I anyway) was into TK Maxx (surprise! surprise!) and I treated myself to a new top and bag as I'd been looking for a new one for quite a while now. I'm trying to remember exactly where we went and in which order but my tired brain is taking it's time on the minor details. Then again I suppose the order doesn't really matter too much. I do remember we took a short detour to avoid the biz through the Argyle Arcade which reminds me of something you'd see in a movie. The entire arcade is filled with upmarket jewellery shops with window displays filled with glistening jewellery.

As we came to the other end of the arcade we made our way a little further up Buchanan Street and into Princes Square, another arcade style shopping centre. It's here where one of my favourite jewellery shops called Argento is. We used to visit one of its sister branches situated in the Brunswick Centre which was just a short walk away from the hospital I attended in London. You can find some really beautiful jewellery in there which would make lovely gifts at such reasonable prices. I could easily have left the shop with a couple of purchases but decided to refrain and save my money for going away during the Summer. It was a difficult decision though!

Laurel and Mum popped into Lush for a visit whilst Dad and I waited outside. Normally, I'd have joined them but considering how busy it was I decided I was safer outside and wouldn't be able to see very much from my wheelchair with all the other customers in the shop. Heading further up the street we dodged the hundreds of other shoppers that had also decided to flock to Glasgow this afternoon. Seriously, it's a nerve-wracking experience from a wheelchair users point of view when everyone looks straight ahead and not down below.

We decided to pop into the Hard Rock Café as I haven't got round to paying it a visit since it opened and wanted a nosy in the merch shop. However, I was very disappointed in the disabled access. The main entrance can only be access via a flight of steps and the accessible entrance is through an alleyway if you like to the side of the building where all the bins are kept (get the picture I'm trying to build up?).

We took the small lift to the next floor up where we worked the merch shop was situated. As far as I could see there was no signage to direct customers to what was on each floor. There could have been but as far as I could see it wasn't very clear. We arrived on the shop floor (or at least that's what we thought) and were immediately met by yet another stumbling block; the shop was situated down a flight of steps with no way of access for wheelchair users or those with mobility issues. Considering it is a new restaurant and was only opened just a couple of years ago you'd think it would have to accessible under all the strict rules and regulations nowadays! I am very disappointed about this and will be writing to the Hard Rock franchise regarding this issues. Not acceptable! 

Next, we popped into Paperchase which is a firm favourite with us. I love all the cute stationary and bits and bobs they sell in there. They also have a brilliant arts and craft department which is so exciting for someone like me who is studying art in school and would to some degree like to pursue this at some point down the line. There is so much to look at! But again, I managed to refrain from spending any money.

On the way back down Buchanan Street we were planning to pop into Starbucks but everyone else seemed to have the same idea so we ended up getting a takeaway and sitting on a bench and watching one of the moving statues dressed as the Duke of Wellington statue with the traffic cone on his head pulling faces in people's photographs when they weren't looking. Children's reactions to it are also pretty hilarious! Although, I know how I felt about those sort of things when I was little. To be honest, they still freak me out a little so I always tend to keep my distance. Watching from afar is fun though!

Mum and Laurel appeared with our orders; I had a chocolate Frappuccino minus the cream today; a change from the strawberries and cream one that I always opt for. I don't really know why I bother getting one though because every time without fail my body ends up uncontrollably shaking. I think the ice in it shocks my nervous system which is already sensitive enough because of my condition. So I'm guessing that's why I shiver as much. Ah well, as long as I enjoy the drink; that's all that matters!

Returning to the car, we made our way to SeeWoo the oriental supermarket to stock up on ingredients that my Dad uses when cooking. I love SeeWoo because I find it interesting to look at all the different foods you can buy. They sell some pretty delicious snacks too I must add! I always enjoy the seasoned peanuts particularly the coconut cream ones which I happily munched on during the car ride home. Mmmm!

So that's the most interesting part of my day. I've spent the rest of the evening working away so there's not much else to report I'm afraid. Tomorrow's the start of what looks like a busy week so stayed tuned to read about it hear on my blog. Have a great week folks!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

Day 11: Happy Saturday

What on earth am I doing? The Eurovision is currently on and I'm not going to lie it is a bit cheesy but it is what it is. Although, it get's worse! Jaws 4: The Revenge was on earlier and I'd never seen it before; I can't understand why they even bothered to make it! The ending was so quick and awful, no offence!

It's Saturday! Woop! Woop! A much needed lie in was in order this morning although I did get up at a fairly reasonably time just in case the post man arrived with a parcel Mum had been waiting to allow her to do a few bits and bobs.

Sadly, it's become a lot cooler here in Scotland although the sun still shines so I won't complain too much. However, the weather was still nice enough to sit outside in the garden even if I did wear a jacket, Dr Martens boots, a hat (Surprise! Surprise!) and eventually wrapped an old towel round me as I was cold. What a sight!

Like I said yesterday, I've got plenty to do this weekend so my notebook accompanied me into the garden as I worked on ideas for something that cannot yet be revealed. My Dad found it quite amusing that I was using an Audrey Hepburn notebook, tormenting me that I was only 50 per cent posh. Firstly, it was the first notebook I came across and secondly, I am a big fan of Audrey Hepburn! I have a fascination with old Hollywood actresses and actors; I love the glamour and sophistication. There's something very special about it!

At some point every weekend we usually have takeaway for dinner; tonight we decided on Chinese. We're extremely lucky to have a brilliant Chinese takeaway just a few minutes drive from our house, although it's almost too close. I'm not as adventurous with food as I once was so ordered my favourite: Singapore chow mien which always tastes amazing! Mum and Laurel had vegetable spring rolls and Dad made something from scratch (I'm not even going to attempt trying to spell or describe it so I'll let your imagination do the talking!)

My Mum and Grandad had popped out to our local Dobbie's Garden Centre the other day and purchased an array of gorgeous new plants for our garden. Mum created a display of the flowers around our new garden hut with a cute lantern to bring it all together. My sister Laurel and I were sitting chatting whilst my Mum was on the phone and Laurel came up with the idea of using it as a background for photographs. So Laurel took a few photos of me with a vintage boho theme and in turn, I took a few for Laurel. I'm quite pleased with the results even though they were taken on my iPod.

Laurel and Dad headed off into the house as they were too cold leaving Mum and I as the last ones standing. I like to try and hold out for as long as I possibly can despite the fact that my hands were like ice. Eventually, I decided to give in and go back inside for a hot water bottle to heat myself up whilst forcing Dad to watch Britain's Got Talent. I can't believe it's almost time for the live finals! It feels like not long ago since I was excited about Saturday Night Takeaway beginning back in February! The year is seriously flying by!

And that brings us to the present moment; The Eurovision winner has been announced, congratulations to Ukraine! It's after midnight so I'm going to bid you farewell and try and get a few things done before I head to bed. Like I said before for whatever reason, I feel most inspired at night. Perhaps it's because it's so peaceful? What I do know is I get things done and that's all that really matters.

Speak soon my friends!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx 

Day 10

Hello from me! How are you all doing today?

My goodness has it been another busy day; I have a list of things I need to do logged deep inside my head. I don't know why but as soon as it comes into the Summer season, I always find myself absolutely run off my feet; there's always something happening!

I spent some time with my Grandparents this morning who brought down a few bits and bobs for our garden which had been stored at their house until we moved. We went out for a bite to eat at TK Maxx's café before my tutor was due to arrive this afternoon. It had been a while since I'd been in; I used to shop in TK Maxx and pay the café a visit a couple of times a week but with my tutoring schedule this year I'm not able to pop in as often so it was lovely to catch up with Kirsty, a friend of mine who works there-what a fabulous lady she never fails to make me smile! Fortunately, we were in early enough to order a cooked breakfast which was pretty delicious!

This was followed by a look round the shop. I left with two skirts which have a bit of bohemian vibe too them. After the heatwave we've had this week I realised I really ought to get some new Summer clothes so that's a good start.

Time was ticking on by and time for tutoring was soon approaching so back to the car it was with around twenty minutes to spare as we hit the house. At one o'clock my tutor arrived and it was straight to work for me. I have just over a couple of weeks to get all of my work finished and ready to hand into school-not long to go at all. My tutor had photocopied recent pieces of artwork I created of apples (the ones I got frustrated about painting the other day) and enlarged a few and shrunk a few and I have to say they look fab in different sizes. We'll use the photocopies of the artwork in various other pieces that I'm yet to create. I'm very lucky to have such amazing tutors who I can easily chat away to whilst working, today my art tutor even started playing some of The Waterboys songs as we were planning to using poems or song lyrics in my artwork and were looking for ones that were relevant to the portfolio I've created this past year. It's such a great idea, something a little bit different!

Anyway, I spent most of the afternoon after my art session and into the early evening working away. Last year we focused on creating masks for a period of a few weeks using natural materials such as leaves due to the fact that it was Autumn and they were so easy to come by. As I sat at the kitchen table earlier painting/creating collages inspired by the mask designs, my Mum walked into the room to prepare dinner and looked over my shoulder for a peek. She immediately turned to me and said 'Oh that one looks a bit like David Bowie' and on second thoughts it actually did, through no intention of my own might I add. The only problem now is I can't look at it without a vision of David Bowie and the temptation of painting a lighting bolt on the face.

I'm pleased to say that it's finally the weekend. It's always a relief when it approaches. Although, for me it's going to be working one. I have so much to prepare and get done so I'll be spending a lot of time doing just that-wish me luck!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

Day 9: Thursdays at 3TFM

Good Evening Everyone! This post is a little earlier than the usual upload time that I've become accustomed to during the past few days so I'm pretty delighted that I managed to sit down and get it written a little earlier. The sun continues to shine here in Scotland although I do believe it's to get a little cooler, I can't say I'm too chuffed about that but what can we do?

Thursdays are by far the busiest day in the week for us; I usually have music tuition in the morning, followed by an early lunch, then heading straight up to 3TFM for my weekly show and then back home to pick Laurel up from school. It's crazy normally!

In today's music lesson my tutor and I decided to use sheet music from some of the music books I own as it's important to not only be able to play by ear but to actually be able to read music. Flicking through the books we took note of all the songs I'd already learned to play and eventually decided upon playing 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' by The Police. I've been listening to their music a lot of late-they got some great songs! We also did some work on ukulele which I've been learning as a side instrument. Fortunately, I've got the gist of it fairly quickly probably due to the fact that I used to play guitar when I was younger. It's great when we bring out the uke and my tutor plays along on bass so it becomes like a mini jam session which is always fun!

Like I said earlier on, a quick lunch was in order accompanied by a rush around the house as I threw on some makeup, (I'm getting pretty good at applying it quickly these days!) and organised CDs that I needed for today's show. I had a rough idea of which songs I planned on playing but that usually changes throughout the show. Each show is surprisingly unpredictable when you think about it; you never know what might happen.

When arrived at 3TFM, Chris was live on air and Kevin was manning the studio phone lines; it's always a good laugh behind the scenes in the studio. Today's discussion was about Kevin's rather large DVD collection, my answer was 'well I don't have a huge DVD collection but my CD/Vinyl collection is certainly getting there!'

Today's show went pretty well; I received a good few text requests which are always greatly appreciated! The time seriously flies in when I'm on air because I love it so much! It was also great to see Frank, a fellow presenter back in the studio today and hear how he was doing. I'm still so grateful for this amazing opportunity and can't get over the fact that I'm only seventeen and have my own radio show!

Fast forward to picking Laurel up from school where we immediately went to Sainbury's to get the weekly shop. The radio was on in the background as always and I think I may have gave my Mum a fright as shrieked when I heard a familiar tune begin to play. Yes, that would Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain'-love that song! Fleetwood Mac songs keep playing wherever I go these days, it's the fifth time that's happened in two weeks! I can't believe it's almost a year since I saw them, the time has flown in!

I don't know about you but on warms days like today my family and I enjoy particular types of food; things that aren't too heavy usually. So tonight mini baked potatoes were on the menu with prawn cocktail and salad-I've not had that in ages so it made a nice change! Mmmm!

Although it's been a busy day, it's been a pretty good day too! I have something exciting in the pipeline that I can't wait to share with you guys so I've also been a little excited about that today! It won't be too long until I tell you more about it but until then I'll keep you guessing! Oh, I'm so mean aren't I?

Well, it's already half eleven so I guess this post will be up just as late as every other day-oops! I thought I might have it finished and uploaded early for once but who am I kidding?! I come alive at this time of night and feel so much more inspired. Anyway, I really ought to go!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx