New People: What I have learnt from people that I’ve met

Looking back over the people that I’ve met during the challenge, two words come to mind: randomness and opportunity. Usually I’ll add in the end of the category blog posts what the best part of the category was, but I don’t think you can do that with people.

Going on holidays always provides an opportunity to meet new people and going to Rome and the Brecon Beacons did just that. I met people from all walks of life with great stories to tell.

Other people I’ve met I admired from afar, like Mary Berry and Freddie Flintoff and even though there wasn’t much of an opportunity to say much I’m glad I met them.

People can make a good evening out great, they can add entertainment value when you least expect it, like Darren who I met on the tube who loudly asked me out. And meeting Louise and Punita at Davina McCall's empowerment evening meant that it was nice to share a new experience with like minded people.

I’ve met people who are the keys to my friends’ happiness, like Ayden is to Humaira and Rob is to Laura. And then sometimes you meet people who become one of the keys to your own happiness and for 6 months this was Matt.

Over the challenge I had in my mind that I was going to meet due to some opportunities I created, but they fell through. Not all plans work out. I thought I would meet Bradley Cooper after seeing Elephant Man (thinking it would be easy like meeting Jake Gyllenhaal in New York) and I was due to meet a Bath rugby player as well, but that didn’t materialise.

Until very recently I thought that a guy I met a few weeks ago would be the perfect happy ending for the people part of the challenge. But after three dates and the first lasting from 8pm-2am and both of us not wanting it to end, he met someone who blew him away even more. Yes it was only three dates, so no time at all really, but sometimes you just have a feeling something is different. And for me that rarely happens, I try not to get excited too quickly (unless it's to do with Australian Masterchef.) I am after all the person who would only get excited about a holiday when I’m sitting on the plane ready for take-off.

There have been great highs and unexpected lows during the time I’ve been doing the challenge. Meeting new people have distracted me from the bruises in life I’ve got and help me back together again and become stronger. Jane Fonda, the main inspiration for this challenge said in her master class about studying muscles, that they can tear but they build back stronger. So I guess meeting people this past year has helped me build up muscle.

While I’m talking about meeting new people I thought I’d share one of my favourite quotes; ‘People are in your life for a reason, season or life time.’ And at the end of this part of the challenge this quote couldn’t be truer.

New People #24-35: National Trust Working Holiday

This past week I have been on a National Trust Working Holiday in the Brecon Beacons. There were 10 of us in total and 2 group leaders. The group was a great mixture of people, a wide range of ages, nationalities and backgrounds.

So what is a national trust working holiday? I’ll briefly state what it is here in this post as I’ll go into itfurther in a few days’ time. The working holiday gives a group of volunteers a chance to work on an area of National Trust land and work to improve it.

From Sunday to Friday we spent nearly every day at the Brecon Beacons working on digging ditches and drains. Starting at around 10am and finishing around 3.30. Our group leaders were Di and Peter and on the first day Peter managed to break his finger! They had been on several working holidays before and have done a variety of activities, so they were a great fountain of knowledge.

I got on well with everyone and was probably closest to Mel as she was one of the first people I spoke to. She was 20 and from Germany and was training to be a teacher. In Germany it takes 6 years to do this! She was great fun and in the last couple of evenings we ended up going for late night walks before bed to help big meals go down. Louise was also great fun and we cooked together the first evening. We made a fish pie which had the best roux sauce ever!

We all had different senses of humour which was good, Ulrich was a real joker and already knew another member of the group in Rob, Ed had a warped sense of humour which was entertaining and Malcolm’s was quite dry. Paul came out of his shell towards the end of the week and Jill had a very strong sense of self.

Our ranger for the work was a guy called Rob (different Rob to the one already mentioned) and he was very knowledgeable and funny. He ended up calling me Ross most of the time so I jokingly called him Bob. Huw who also worked with the trust was good fun. He was 27 and always wanted to work in the outdoors. He thought he’d get a job with the National Trust when he was much older so he was really pleased he got a job now, and he’d only been with the trust a couple of months.

There were regular trips to the pub after work which was a great way to wind down. We were really lucky with the weather and it only rained on the Friday evening, so we didn’t get wet while working. I even got sunburnt on the first day!

The week was hard work but fun and the group of people made it a memorable holiday.

New people #22 and #23: Friends of friends

The great thing about my friends is they always like getting to know friends from different friendship groups. Take for example my friends Alice and Rachel; whenever I used to have uni catch ups in Hitchin, I invited them along as well, and by the end of the night you wouldn’t have known that they didn’t know any of my uni friends. And as you read in my blog a few weeks ago, at the Sevens and the City festival, Rachel and Ro both came along and get on like a house on fire.

So I’m always up for meeting friends of friends, and the first time of this in the challenge happened a few weeks ago when I went to the cinema with my friend Coops and his girlfriend Fran, and their friend Alex. We went to see Spy which was really funny and Alex was a nice guy, very similar to Coops so we got on well.

And going back to Rachel, it was her birthday a few weekends ago and we had a night out in Milton Keynes which was great. I’ve known Rachel since school, but hadn’t met her friend Claire who came along. She was a really nice, very friendly and had the best laugh which is great for a night out. 

New People #21: Time Saving

Yesterday it was Charlotte’s birthday and we went to see Bradley Cooper in the Elephant Man. It was a great play and was very well acted.

I was hoping that the next person I met on the challenge was the man himself, but after the show he signed autographs by stage door, but we just weren’t close enough to get a picture or autograph.

In the interval however we did end up chatting to a woman called Christina in the queue for the toilets. As with any theatre there is always a very long queue for the ladies, and Christina was in front of us; she turned around and said she knew of a hotel next door and was going to use their toilets if we wanted to do the same. So we thought why not and went with her. She glided through the restaurant part of the hotel with us in tow, straight to the toilets and then told us a bit about the hotel when leaving.

So a great life lesson was learnt, when going to the theatre, to save queuing for the loo, go to a nearby hotel!

New People #19 and #20: Finally get to see Freddie

Last night I went to see the cricketer Freddie Flintoff in his show 2^nd Innings with my friend Ando. The show was about his career from the 2005 Ashes where he became a national hero to present day where he most recently was on the Australian version of I’m a Celeb.

From start to finish I was laughing non-stop, lots of cricket jokes, lots of funny anecdotes and great cricket clips. His friend Clyde Holcroft guided the whole thing and did a great job, he really let the whole thing be about Freddie. One of the best stories was how Freddie is bad with names and after a taping of A League of Their Own they went to a bar and he got talking to Theo Walcott. He tried his best with conversation, talking about England Arsenal and upon leaving Freddie said to James Corden how nice Theo was. James then replied it wasn’t Theo Walcott, it was Marvin from JLS.

After the show Ando and I hung around in the foyer to see if we could meet Jack Whitehall as he was in the audience, but we didn’t get a glimpse. Instead we saw Merv Hughes (an Aussie Cricketer) and Frank Skinner. We then went round to the stage door to see if we could meet Freddie and to our surprise there were only half a dozen people waiting. One of them was a guy called Jordan and he was a very big cricket fan. He’d brought lots of cricket programmes that he wanted signing.

We didn’t realise but while we were waiting, Freddie was doing an organised meet and greet for a around a hundred people, so when he came out he was very tired. But he still took the time to have pictures taken and sign all those programmes for Jordan (which took forever, you could tell he was getting annoyed.) It was great to meet him as a few weeks ago me and my flatmate Charlotte were 6 people from the front of the queue to be in the audience for A League of Their Own.

And we saw a bonus celebrity in Richard Curtis. He came out of stage door while we were waiting. I told Jordan who it was and he ran after him and got a picture with him.  

So 3 hours of entertainment and meeting another cricketer, all for £15! Not a bad Monday night.

Meet new people #16-18: Confidence is Key

Last night I went to see Davina McCall give a talk and Q&A at Bafta 195 Piccadilly in London. The talk was organised by Cosmo magazine and it was all about confidence and empowerment. I originally asked a few friends if they wanted to go, none did, so rather than miss out I decided to go on my own.

There was a drinks reception when you arrived and I did a bit of people watching to begin with. I then got talking to Punita who also came on her own, and then we got talking to Louise who was also flying solo. So we hung out together for the rest of the night. They were great company; we all had the same sort of attitude of not missing out on things. And I found out Louise likes Aussie Masterchef, fans of this show are far and few between.

Davina was great, funny, motivating, real and just like us. When she came on stage I thought it wasn’t her as she looked so normal. She was a real chatterbox and wanted to chat all night, so just over an hour didn’t seem long enough. She even spoke to me and Louise. During the drinks reception I was saying I need to lay off the carbs as I had eaten loads over the weekend. Davina mentioned she wanted to do a recipe book about smart carbs and Louise started pointing at me when she mentioned carbs. And Davina said to me, you must eat your carbs! I think Davina is a real good endorsement of the see food diet.

When it came to the Q&A one of the first questions was by someone who had a tough first day in a new job, and she said how the talk had cheered her up. Davina got down from the stage, gave the lady a hug and then asked her questions about her job and gave her a pep talk so she could conquer the next day. Davina then stayed in the audience area and tried to get close to whoever was asking a question. She had great words of wisdom, the best line was; ‘To try and fail is temporary, but to not try at all is failure.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to meet Davina afterwards, but we decided to have a group photo anyway. We also ended up seeing another celebrity in the street. We were walking back to the tube and who walks past but Bill Nighy! I smiled and he smiled back and then I only realised who it was when he walked away. Luckily Punita and Louise were my witness and can confirm it was him.

The fun didn’t end there as on the tube the most embarrassing/funniest thing happened. A guy comes onto the tube I'm on and loudly says he saw me from the carriage next door and asks if the guy standing next to me is my boyfriend. I had never met the guy next to me and we both looked very embarrassed and said no. This random guy then asks again very loudly if I’m single. Now to be honest I didn’t fancy the guy and so rather than embarrass him, I said that I was going through a break up (which is sort of true) and that I wasn’t looking.

He accepted the answer and we continued to chat as he seemed a nice enough guy. I learnt that his name was Darren, from Newcastle and lost his job the previous week and had just been on a personal development course called 72 hours. So a completely random encounter, but I did say to Darren that it takes serious balls to go up to do what he did. I guess the night really was all about confidence.

Meet New People #15: About Time

I’ve known my friend Laura since 2009. We met at my first job out of uni and she trained me in the role. We bonded over shoes and Neighbours, and even though we both left the company we both worked for, we've still kept in contact and see each other a few times a year.

She’s getting married in September and it dawned on me that I hadn't actually met her fiancé Rob! On Friday I went round to have a girlie night watching Gerard Butler and Ryan Gosling films and I got a chance to meet Rob as well, who's a great guy.

I’ll be seeing Laura before the wedding, and I’ll next see Rob on the big day itself.

Reconnecting #18 and Meet New People #14: Cricket Traditions and a Bowling Cameo

Today my dad and I went to Lords Cricket Ground to see the first day of the England vs New Zealand test. The day started with a bit of reconnecting. We go to the cricket once a year and for the past few years we start the cricket day with getting a Boots Meal Deal from Baker Street station Boots. And every year we get served by the same guy, and today was no different. We got talking to him and even got a picture with him. His name is Islam and no doubt in a year’s time we’ll be served by him again!

Cricket wise it was a great day, England ended up scoring 354 runs after starting off 30-4 which was a great achievement. They announced that in the tea break Steven Finn would be signing autographs. Steven Finn is an England bowler who used to play test cricket but now plays ODI cricket. So I went up to him at the stand he was at, got an autograph and then got a picture with him. He’s the 4^th cricketer I’ve met and for some reason I always get nervous around cricketers, so I barely said anything.

And you may think I look particularly small in the picture, but Steven Finn is 6’7!

Meet New People #13: Everybody get up

Last night I went to see Five with my friend Jen. They were my favourite boyband as a teenager and I saw them when they were part of the Big Reunion as a 4 piece, then on their own tour also as a 4 piece, and last night as a 3 piece!

                              

                             A couple of years ago at the Big Reunion concert

Also at the concert were Jen’s brother’s friend Gihan and her friend (whose name escapes me.) They were both great company and a sign of my age I did have to show Gihan’s friend the dance routines to their classic songs!

Meet new people #12: Some people you don’t want to say goodbye to

As I’ve said time and time again a challenge isn’t always easy. And yesterday was pretty hard as my guy broke up with me. I’m devastated but at times like these I always finding writing helps. Last time a guy broke up with me I wrote an episode of my web series within 90 minutes of him dumping me. I guess it’s always good to put things in writing.

So my guy’s name is Matt C and I met him in November and he is great, we always had fun, I got on with his friends and family and I was always excited to see him. It wouldn’t be fair on him to explain his side of things, but ultimately after 6 months, he could no longer see me.

I love him, and I think what hurts the most is that it was nothing about us that was wrong, it was his past that he couldn’t escape. If only Doc and Marty McFly’s time machine was real!

I hope one day in time he can move on from his past and maybe we can get back together, but that is the chick flick way of thinking which does no good. He wrote a lovely letter saying that I shouldn’t sell myself short, I’m worth 100 times more than I think I am and I’m one of the most considerate, creative and caring girls he has met. So I’ll try and go forward with my head held high, but it won’t be easy.

So if you're reading this Matt, I hope your past doesn’t have such a strong hold on you one day, and I hope you can be truly happy like you deserve.

Meet New People #11: Baking Royalty

Last night my pole sisters Harriette and Teri and I went to see a talk and book signing of Mary Berry. For those who don’t know who she is (yes there are some) she is one of the judges on the Great British Bake Off. But she’s been writing recipe books for decades before that.

Even when she walked to her seat in a dark blue sparkly dress you felt like she was royalty and I really wanted her to do a royal wave. Why she isn’t a dame is beyond me.

The talk was really interesting, finding out about her career, what makes her tick and of course throughout all this she gave baking tips. There was then a time for questions and there was a variety of ages in the audience. One question that stood out for me was; Mary your my favourite berry, but what is yours?

Our Mary Berry recipe book had already been signed by her before the talk, but if we wanted it personalised we could wait after the talk…..which we obviously did!

Unfortunately I couldn’t get a picture with her, but she said she nearly spelt my name wrong, and then looked up at me and because I was wearing just a dress she asked if I was warm enough! Even baking royalty cares for her people.

It was a great night and Teri, Harriette and I were very happy with our signed books. Harriette got her mum’s Mary Berry book she’s been cooking with for years signed, so that’s going to be extra special in her kitchen.

Reconnecting #7, New people #10 and new food #15: Midlands meet up

After finding out at work I had 2 and half days holiday to use before my contract finishes I thought I’d catch up with some uni friends.

The first being my friend Humaira, but to me she is known as Di-Lowe because she fancies Rob Lowe and Leonardo DiCaprio, so the name combines both guys. And to her I’m known as Doll, because when we went out for lunch once a waiter called me Doll, and the name has stuck.

                                This is us in 2009 at the Capital FM Summertime Ball.

We've been friends since uni, and we’re both firm believers in the quote that Carrie Bradshaw says in an episode of Sex and the City: ‘Friendships don’t magically last forty years….you have to invest in them.’ Upon leaving uni we’d text or email nearly every day, support each other through job hunts and have regular catch ups every few months. Even though she is based in Birmingham, and I’m in Hitchin, distance wasn't a barrier for us.

But then life happens and somehow the close contact we once had got lost. A few months ago we kick started our friendship and now we’re back to how we used to be. I last saw Humaira in 2013 which is a lifetime for the pair of us, so Friday was a happy reunion for us both, and it was if no time had passed.

I also got to meet her son Ayden who is 5 months old (correct me Di-Lowe if I got his age wrong!) and apparently I was a calming influence on him.

Di-Lowe not only made us Nachos and got my staple of appletiser, but she also made Biryani which she suggested I make. It tasted great, not as spicy as I thought and very filling. Can't wait to try cooking it myself.

Meet new people #2-9: Don’t be a stranger

Going on holiday is probably one of the easiest ways to meet new people, and even though there was a language barrier; Rome is a place that most people can speak a bit of English.

My partner in crime Linsey is the same as me in the fact we’ll talk to anyone, and we meet a guy called Stefano while trying to find out hotel (see previous post about getting lost!) Not only did he give us directions, he actually walked us to the hotel himself which was 10 minutes out of his way. We were a bit wary at first, but he was harmless and took a shine to Linsey.

The next person we met, became our new best friend; the hotel barman Salvidor! He was the nicest guy, got to know us well and even gave us free drinks on the first night, and on the afternoon we were leaving. He gave us great recommendations, such as going up the dome at St Peter’s church. And at a fountain we posed by we did wonder why people were drinking the water, was it sacred? Salivdor’s view on this, no they are crazy, I hope you didn't drink it!

Mario at the hotel reception was the third person we got to know and he also had great local knowledge, even though he lived in New York for the past 10 years. Now I thought that this only happened in films, but Mario was quite weary of the mafia, he’d whisper the word if it was in conversation. Both Salivdor and Mario both asked when we'd be coming back to Rome halfway through our stay!

Our second night was when we met 4 people, and all were British. Going out to the restaurant opposite the hotel (our feet were very achy), we ended up sitting next to two guys from Southampton called Mike and Russ. Unlike us having a girlie weekend in Rome, they were off to the football. It was great to compare views on Rome.

After dinner Linsey and I went to see our good friend Salvidor at the bar on the roof terrace. In an inspired move Linsey had bought a selfie stick, and upon hearing the couples behind us talk about them, she promptly pushed it in front of the couples. What a way to enter a conversation! One of the couples were American, but we didn't catch their names. However we ended up chatting to Darren and Kelly from Kent. The best part of the conversation was the American guy thought I was posh. If you’ve ever heard me speak you’d think otherwise!

The last person we met was a guy called Martin on our train back. He was from Vienna and loved Rome, visiting regularly. He was great to talk to as he gave us recommendations as to which cities we should visit next, and why we should go to Vienna.

Our hotel features a lot in this blog post, and for anyone interested in stayed at the Marcella Royal Hotel, and I highly recommend staying there. Good breakfast, great views and friendly staff, what more could you ask for. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of any of the people we met, so you'll have to make do with more pictures of me at the roof terrace.

Meet new people #1: Train friends

When I first started thinking about how this blog would shape, I already had a rough plan in my mind of an order of what I would write about. Then life happens. So on my way back from a night of comedy, on what could have been a very awkward train journey, when my good friend Laura’s (also known as twinee) boyfriend Dan recognises me and we end up chatting for the whole journey. It’s always good to meet up with people you haven’t met before, that you’ve heard so much about.

Speaking of train journeys at uni when travelling at the start and end of semesters, I always tried to speak to a stranger on a train. With long train journeys it made me think I had achieved something other than getting from A to B. Not everyone wanted to talk, but as you’re only in the same train for a few hours, and would probably never seem them again, what have you got to lose? Who knows maybe with this challenge I’ll start doing that on journeys again. Does anyone else talk to strangers on the train?