TM's Blog: beard

Showing posts with label beard. Show all posts

7.4.16

My happiness non-negotiables

I’ve been nominated by Mama Bear over at ObliviouslyAwesome to post about my happiness non-negotiables.
These are the things that you just can’t live without in your day-to-day life, the things that, without them, you just can’t be happy.

Initially I though "well that will be simple, I'm a happy soul, I should be able to rattle off a few things no problem" but then I saw that family was sort of assumed and not really allowed to be in the running, which is a shame as Darling Teen Daughter makes me not only happy, but on occasion even makes me cry actual tears of laughter, she always has done, she's hilarious. And then there is dear husband's beard...but I'm losing the thread...I was wondering what I would add, books? music? TV? birdsong? squirrels? the feel of a raw egg yolk in your hand? ... none seemed quite 'me', I had a longer muse... and so here they are, my happy things.

Festivals and Camping

Being in a field in my tent, near my tent, with a fry up or beer or gin in a tin...I love festivals and camping so much I have a whole 2nd blog devoted to it! The feel of a lack of urgency about life, no need for clocks or schedules, no need to wash (for a few days - I'm not that scuzzy) , the joy of drinking as and when the mood takes, just the general freedom...so yes, getting into the wild or into a festival full of folk dressed up, dancing to unknown bands in a field these are my extreme happy things. I hope heaven is just one huge music festival, with camping, no rain, and free beer and bacon.

Cava

I love a glass of bubbly. I am rarely flush enough to afford champagne and prosecco isn't made in the same way, so I opt for the slightly cheaper version, sparkling Spanish wine made in the champagne method. I like to start each Sunday with a glass (or two) while peeling the potatoes for the roast dinner later. And a Friday and Saturday night are not complete without a large glass of fizz to hand. A wine that is easy to drink, makes me light headed though not properly 'drunk' and never gives me a headache, a wine that can be as cheap as £4 a bottle, that is a definite 'happy'. (reading this back I realise I sound like an alcoholic....I could give it up; if I wanted to)

My Bed

I am always tired. Partly due to having Charcot-Marie-Tooth, but mainly just because I'm me I suspect. I can sleep for England. I usually go to bed at 10pm as I get up at 5.30am for work, but at weekends I have no trouble sleeping 12 hours straight, and when camping I love to snooze in in the morning, no hurry, just laying half awake, half dreaming, eyes shut, listening to whatever is going on, feeling the soft warmth of the bed. Snuggly. I love my bed.

Dogs

We used to have two border terriers, they were mine for over 13 years but they are now chasing ghostly rabbits over the rainbow bridge (they are dead! Enough with the euphemisms) So we currently have no dogs, but a dog makes a house a muddy, hairy, messy home and I do love dogs,. Cats are OK, and I have kept mice too, I like all animals but there is nothing quite like the stupid, tongue lolling face of a dog to greet you in the morning. The daft worship on their face when you magic a tennis ball from your pocket or toss a tiny scrap of bacon to them as you sit in a pub garden enjoying lunch, the sun and a pint. Dogs are slaves, I don't fool myself. For years we have bred an animal to be obedient and do our every bidding, yet at the same time we have bred in a love, a desire in them to please and adore us. I don't know what sort of person it makes me , I suspect all dog lovers are seeking adoration and love (who wouldn't love that!) and so a dog, or dogs are on my happy list. (I realise saying I must have a dog to be happy while having no dog is a bit of a contradiction, I'm filling the dog shaped space in my happy with cava)

Twitter

Last I'm going to name Twitter as a happy. Maybe it should have been first. I once gave it up for a week and was as miserable as the most miserable thing you can imagine. Twitter is still my love despite all its changes (many of which I dislike). Twitter is a sounding board, a place to whine and whinge, a place to show off, to just spout rubbish, to 'let my brain leak' as many people have said. But mainly Twitter is a link, a link to other people all over the world. Friends that I have never, and probably will never meet, but who I can talk to about anything. I have met people in real life that I know on twitter but friends are friends whether you've met them in the flesh or not. Twitter is a place where someone is always awake, someone is always there to be silly, to be serious, to console or to cajole. Twitter is a place where people will send you a recipe, a beard picture or a kitten as necessary, a place to make you care about others, a place to move you to tears both of sadness and joy. And so Twitter, my very happy place, filled with my friends, that is a happy.

And so there is my list. What would yours be? Come over to Facebook or twitter and let me know. And in the meantime I tag MamaCrow over at Views From The Crows Nest to tell us her happy non-negotiables. I'm also tagging Siren of Brixton and NotReallyALlama. And if you would like to be tagged let me know and I'll add you here.

17.3.16

A Lady Reviews Beard Oil

Mr TM has been sent a gift! A small bottle of beard oil for his hairy face from the nice chaps at Envy The Beard.

They have a cunning plan, so cunning you could stick a tail on it and call it a fox, to supply the beards of the UK with regular supplies of beard oil for the tiny sum of £5 a month. A monthly subscription for your beard.

Mr TM is notoriously shy so you will have to take my word for it that he has a beard, lately this beard has reached fairly epic proportions, mainly as he feels the need to compete with my online bearded friend, CJ (see below)

CJ displaying his ... beard

So Mr TM did need some taming and some softening...well his beard did anyway. In the past Mr TM has received gifts of beard oil and has been less than impressed as he always manages to pour too much out of the bottle, so he was pleasantly surprised to find this bottle came complete with a dropper for precision oiling!

We both liked the manly lumberjack smell of the oil and how soft it left his beard. If you are the sort of disorganised person that forgets the essentials, signing up to a monthly plan could be just what you need. The monthly subscription would also make a nice gift.

Find out more about the oil and the subscription plans at the Envy the Beard instagram. Stay hairy.

Disclosure : Mr TM was sent one bottle of beard oil for the purposes of this review. The words are all mine, the beard is all his.

5.8.14

Camp Bestival's Bearded Beauties

Many of you know that this year the lovely folk at Get Involved invited me to be a Camp Bestival Blogger . (I say 'invited' , I think they got fed up with my whining about wanting to go, to be honest) anyway, it did mean that I could attend the festival for families that this year really lived up to its circus theme of the greatest show on earth.

Now this is a short blog post, just a teaser really before the main event. Because I'm off to another festival on Thursday so, what with work, getting the washing done and re packing, I'm a bit busy!

I thought I'd share a few photos from around the Camp Bestival site. Showing all the fun and the beards...wait...I was distracted...beards

well yes there were a few fine beards and yes maybe a few hot dads and yes maybe I took some pictures...

and maybe I'll share some with you...ready?

This beard was so awesome I asked if I could take a picture!

But that's not all I, oh no, I also ate food, danced, got tipsy and dressed up...

But more of that in my proper review, for now be content with beards.

5.9.13

Beards, Beards, Beards

The blog post that gets the most hits is the one I (drunkenly) wrote about beards.

This pleases me as it means that many people like beards as much as I do.

Beards are very popular at the moment, (Chimping Dandy explains here, very eloquently, why this may be so) I hope they remain so for a long time, though I suspect that by becoming 'fashionable' beards may have sounded their own hairy death knell as fashions come and go and next thing you know it will be the 'smooth faced boyish good looks' that are fashionable and men will all shave and apply moisturiser 7 times a day including while on public transport....

Unless of course Justin Bieber succeeds in growing his beard, and then all teens the world over will be rushing out for the latest trend BEARD IMPLANTS (yes it's a thing.)

But never mind all that. I love beards. Often when out and about I see a man with a beard that is so gorgeous I feel faint. I stare. (I realise that this beard thing is much like the boob thing men do, and I'm not even sorry, for years women have said "Excuse me, those are boobs, my eyes are up here" when in conversation and finally it is men's turn to be objectified, so that they may find themselves saying "excuse me that is my beard, my eyes are up here) Actually a few blogs already objectify men regularly, have a peek at BigFashionista's weekly rating game Nom or Vom...

So I look at beards, I talk beards on twitter and one day someone (@kykaree ) said "I think you need a beard hall of fame section on your blog, with cards we hand out..." and this made me think that I should have a beard hall of fame section on my blog, with cards you hand out.

To start the project off I asked twitter to email me beard pics. Twitter is notoriously short of attention span (though not of beards) so many people tweeted me pictures of beards and didn't email. What ever, I have beards.

Here is some hirsute manliness

and I have created a card for you to download, print and carry, giving you both the added courage and a reward for the beard wearer, should you feel the urge to photograph and email me the beards you see.

In future the Beard Hall of Fame will have it's own Page. And it shall be here.

15.4.12

My Top Ten Celebrity Beards

I'm a tad tipsy, it's Sunday afternoon and I'm on a second glass of wine, I'm blogging about beards.

I love beards. I'm a feminist, I like that woman can do anything that men can do and vice versa - but obviously that is 'within reason' - biology makes us different and I love those differences. I like women to be 'feminine', soft, hair free, (also 'within reason') pretty, (I'm sorry but I do!). I like men to be rugged, manly, hairy (yes all over) muscular, and BEARDED. I love the beard.

So here is my top ten of sexy famous beards.

In at Number 10, Brad Pitt, now I'm not one of his crazed fans that adores his 'perfect good looks' but I admire his facial hair, it has a 'devil may care' attitude that I like, he wears it trimmed or wild and wild is good, no 'namby pamby' designer stubble for Brad, oh no, Angelina gets the full tickle.

At number 9, Johnny Depp, now I know his beard is very small, and maybe even puny , but it's still a bit 'rough and ready' and seriously, johnny Depp is under it! and imagine running your hands through his beard....mmmmm

at number 8, George Clooney - I've never been a huge George fan but he does have 'come to bed eyes' and he rocks a beard

at number 7, Sean Connery, yes yes I know he is a bad man and a mediocre actor but still his beard calls to me, that and hish schotish accent.....yes please Sean

at number 6.5, Tom Selleck, who slips in with a moustache to die for and awesome chest hair. Yes he looks like a 70s porn star, but I still would

at Number 6 I'm sneaking in the sneaky Rowan Atkinson, and the sneaky Blackadder, Suave, bearded and slightly evil

At Number 5, Sendhil Ramamurthy, remember him in Heroes? oh yes! Lovely facial hair my friend.

and at number 4, Will Smith, yum yum, what's to say Will is lovely in every way and despite his daughter's awful song, I still love him, with a beard, even more so.