It's all a facade

“Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.” ― H. Jackson Browne

Now I have been thinking about what to do for my next challenge and I think I have decided... 

Now I will admit I have been slacking on the fundraising side. My brain seems to be so full of stuff from my usual 9-5 job that it has very little room at the moment to be creative and have interesting thoughts.

Then, when my imagination decides it's ready it is at 8am on a saturday morning. I MEAN COME ON! this isn't fair! 

On the plus side I am up and being productive and there are parrots in our garden which makes me feel like I am on holiday so it isn't all bad! PLUS (and this is the best bit) I am having no-bra saturday as well as no-bra sunday! I mean life doesn't get better than that! seriously, this is the peak of my week.

So... I am going to put forward a little plan for my next challenge.... Again, I am not sure I have thought this through very well but I don't seem to have done that for my previous challenges and it's worked out pretty ok! So this one is based on the same thing as movember which as you know if you read my blog was much more unpleasant as I had anticipated and actually I think this one may be worse... but here goes....

IF I CAN GET MY  FUNDRAISING PAGE TO £6500 I WILL WEAR NOTHING BUT FANCY DRESS COSTUMES FOR A MONTH! 

Now I am talking PROPER fancy dress... here are some ideas:

However if you have something you like in particular and you donate heftily then I am willing to try that instead!

The rules of this challenge are:

• I will wear a fancy dress costume for one month (hopefully May if I can raise enough by then!)
• The costume will be worn at all times outside of work - unfortunately I don't think I will get away with a mutant ninja turtle in work. The moustache was a little less obvious
• The costume may change throughout the month dependent on dry cleaning fees and weather
• If during my challenge you are in need of a "guest appearance" from an angry bird or tele tubby I can definitely show up for a donation

Now all I need you to do is get sharing and get donating to get this challenge on its way!

Tweet it, Facebook, write it in your own blogs, tell people at work and at the pub and in the supermarket. 

Now get going! help me get this money raised to get this going!

Hope... Out x

P.S. The drawings from my life-drawing class posing will be up on eBay at 7pm this evening so have a look and remember ALL money goes to THE AUTISM TRUST. Such a good cause people! FIND THEM BY SEARCHING "Life Drawing for THE AUTISM TRUST" or just my name hopeanscomb

Something for everyone's bucket list

"The body is meant to be seen, not all covered up." - Marilyn Monroe

You know what, I completely agree. 

Now, I am not completely prude or scared of being naked. With a partner I am free and easy with my body being nude and when it comes to wearing a bra... I am totally against it. In fact my friends and I are starting to spread something we now call 'No Bra Sunday'. This is as simple as it sounds in that no matter what you do or where you go, no bra is worn. This obviously may be a problem if you are doing some kind of vigorous activity... bras are allowed then!

Anyway, I suppose I should tell you all about my life drawing posing last Thursday... 

I will totally admit, that although I will do almost ANYTHING for a good cause and it's because I have pretty much no shame, I was bloody nervous. Luckily I had been so busy I didn't really have time to think about it much, until I was on the tube on the way there!
Now I was meeting my friend Jen (Partner in Crime) at Victoria as she was coming with me. Now Jen and I are pretty close, ok very close. Too close some may say, so I wasn't worried about being naked in front of her, however another friend had asked to come along and i said "NOOOO!" the two of them together would have been horrific. They enable each other to be double as ridiculous! I was more worried that with two of them I would end up in fits of giggles. I mean, being naked is one thing, having a naked laughing fit is quite another!

So it was just Jen and I. She was coming for moral support and also because she is arty and already attends a life drawing class. I also kind of needed her to draw me so I have some lovely drawings to sell and a friendly face in the "audience". 

Now the lady who runs the class mentioned she would be hiring another model on the same night because there had been big classes and she didn't know whether i was going to be good. Now as much as I am not your stereotypical girl I instantly thought "please be old and fat". bad I know, but I was about to be naked in front of quite a few strangers.... 
Anyway a lovely lady called Stephanie turned up. She had been doing it for a long time which was reassuring. 

So off we went to change into robes. 

Now when a room of 30 odd people are standing in a circle staring at you you really have no inclination to take off the robe. However, Stephanie - being a pro - whipped it right off and that kind of made me think "what the hell". And actually... it wasn't so bad!

The lovely Anne who runs the class was very sympathetic to the fact that I hadn't done ANYTHING like this before and so let me start off with a lot of sitting poses. 5 minutes warm up poses. After a while I realised that the people standing and sitting around me were genuinely kind of "blind" to my nudity and instead were REALLY concentrating on what they were drawing, they were pulling out all sorts of artistic looking moves - the looking at me through a pencil one I am still unsure about.....

By the time I got to the 10 minute poses I was a pro. Using my "posing time" to think of what to do next and suddenly I wanted to do really well! Like, I wanted to get into a good position for them to draw...! I was suddenly really getting into it. Well, as into standing still as i could get. The only problem I came across was, while standing, I encountered an itch on my right bum cheek. I definitely couldnt drop my arm and scratch so mind over matter came into play and I willed it to go away so badly! It worked, don't worry I didn't scratch my behind in front of 30 odd people. Mind won!

Anyway, so after a quick 10 min break during which I got told I was "a pleasure to draw" which is one of the nicest compliments I have ever had, I decided to be daring and twist myself round a bit for an interesting pose and the lady who runs the class approved so I was quite pleased with my positioning. Well, I was, until she then mentioned that the last pose was for 35 MINUTES! I looked at Jen and mouthed "that's a long time". She looked almost as distressed for me as I felt. I was starting to cramp during the short poses, let alone for 35 mins!

Turns out, I can zone out pretty easy though! I am not sure where I zoned out to but I finished my 35 mins with relief and a huge stretch!

Now I know that most people are not comfortable being naked in front of other people and I am included in that. I have never been topless on holiday and the only person that gets to see me naked is my other half. So don't get thinking that this was a walk in the park, everyday thing for me so when I say what I am going to say I am not just saying it...

EVERYONE SHOULD TRY IT! It should be on your bucket list. Try being a life drawing model and get a drawing from the class. It's very cool and although my drawings aren't quite as classy/sexy as that of Rose in Titanic, it's the closest I am going to get! :)

So I suppose you wonder what I am going to do with the drawings - ok so you might not be wondering but I will tell you anyway..

I will be putting my faith in eBay once more and selling the drawings with ALL profits going directly to the charity. 

They will be going up Saturday afternoon. Search for LIFE DRAWINGS FOR THE AUTISM TRUST or I am sure if you search my name it will come up as I imagine if I am the only one of my on Facebook I am probably the only one of me on eBay!

I will of course link to them on my twitter and Facebook :)

I am currently unsure to my next challenge but as soon as I have some plan(s) I will of course let all you lovely people know.

I might even write a blog in between, just to tell you about my life. I know you all constantly ponder about what I may be up to 24/7! :P

Remember, you can donate to the Autism Trust through my just giving page at any time and you don't even have to pose without make up for it! And I will be more grateful for just £3! £1 would be good!

www.justgiving.com/ayeatomakeadifference

Anyway, Hope.... Out

x