Blogtember Day 15: What's in Your Handbag?

Hi honeys
Back again for day 15 of the blogtember challenge organized by the lovely Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog.  We're halfway through the month and it's been such fun so far! 

Today's prompt asks: What's in your bag? Pick up your purse and peruse its contents, then share with us!  Cool! OK, off we go then on today's journey honeys... 

1. My Handbag

This handbag is my favourite! I've had it for some time now. It was a birthday present from my dear friend Miriam (thank you my wee angel x) and I so love it!  It was from Marks & Spencer, as I said it was a while ago so I'm not sure if they still make this style or not.  If they don't, they should because it's such a wonderful bag, looks fabulous and is great for work.

2. Notebook & Pen

I always have a little notebook and pen with me so that I can quickly scribble down notes to myself.  Notes on potential blog posts, interesting things I've seen for our home, shopping lists for groceries etc.

3. My Phone

I adore my little phone even though it's pretty old and would probably be considered a dinosaur in the mobile phone world now :) It's a pretty little pink Motorola and is a very basic model, no "bells & whistles" it has photos of my furbabies (we lost two precious furbabies before we adopted Jade) a Doctor Who ringtone and makes calls/texts.  That's all I need it to do :)

We've been together, my little phone and I, since Summer of 2006.  Hubby keeps asking me if I want a new phone but I'm so used to my little phone I can't bear the idea of parting with it.  There will be tears on the day I'm forced to buy a new one honeys.   Underneath my phone you can see it's current little phone sock, I also have a little Bagpuss one too :)

4. Purse

This brings us to one of the language differences we have on either side of "the pond" :) I know that American sisters call their handbag a purse? and their purse is referred to as a wallet or coin purse?  Is that right honeys?  Here, the home of a lady's money, cards, maybe little things like photos is called her purse.  This is mine...

I so adore this purse :) It was a gift a while ago from my dear friend Miriam, yes the same friend who gave me the handbag :)  She brought it back from Italy for me (thank you angel, love you x) because of the little reindeer :) When we were at college together, during our first year in the run up to Christmas we all wore these large antlers attached to a hairband for the entire week leading up to Christmas hols. 

Really, we wore them everywhere.  We'd be sitting in the library wearing antlers, we've have lunch in the ref wearing our antlers.  On the odd occasion (not at all odd actually...) when anyone stared or did an (understandable) double take we'd take turns saying "what? what are you staring at? Have we got horns on our heads?" From that point on we were known collectively as "the reindeer."

I actually had a new bus pass photo taken of me in my antlers and a new bus ticket made up for that  one week.  I would stand at the bus stop every morning in my antlers and when the bus stopped I'd flash the driver my antler bus pass. He'd glance at the ticket and then back to the wee smiley person wearing the antlers and usually grin right back :)  Half an hour or so journey to College on the bus with tiny bells on my antlers tinkling away with the movement of the bus :)  College was such a fun time! I have so many happy memories of that time, and a best friend who is closer than a sister. I have a great deal to thank College for. Twenty odd years later, I'm very proud to still be a reindeer :)

5. MP3 Player

My music! Goodness, where would I be without my music! It keeps me calm and is always with me.  The joy of having countless albums all contained in this teeny tiny pink (of course :) unit! It's wonderful to be carrying all of this fantastic music with me.  I am old (ouch) enough to remember carrying my little Walkman CD player around with me as well as additional CDs to change over! I still do listen to CDs, what can I say, I'm old school :)  Actually I even had, back in the day, a Walkman cassette player which was my constant companion :) Oh the wonders of technology :) I can now carry all of my favourites with me.  You can see some of my favourite music here and here honeys.

6. A Pack of Tissues

That's it.  Just a pack of always present tissues. You never know when you'll need them.  Oddly enough, I'd normally always also have a small pack of "wet wipes" or moistened hand wipes too but they're not in my bag.  I never go anywhere either without a pocket sized bottle or spray of anti bacterial gel.  One of the meds I take to try to hold back the progression of the damaging inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis unfortunately wipes out my immune system.  With RA it is the body's own immune system which damages joints.  Because I effectively have no immune system I have to be incredibly careful with regards to hygiene. <Makes mental note to replace hand wipes and hand gel with new supplies>   

7. Assorted Meds

This little zipped purse is rather like my very own mobile Boots the chemist branch - or at least it feels like it at times :/ Seriously though, this wee baggie has my assorted daily meds for arthritis, as well as my pain meds.  In addition I have meds for my stubbornly high blood pressure. Not glamorous, just unfortunately necessary honeys :/

8. Asthma Inhalers

This is what I refer to as my "emergency bag."  I always have it within grabbing distance. It contains one each of my two inhalers, one a ventolin inhaler, the other a steroid inhaler. It also contains an Able spacer and a face mask which attaches to the spacer  This is in case I am at any time unable to use my inhalers myself. It allows someone else (Hubby) to help me in the event of a particularly bad asthma attack.  I keep an identical small zipped bag upstairs too in our bedroom, in case I ever need it during the night.  Again, not glamorous honeys, but necessary.

9. House Keys

That's all honeys, just keys for our hug filled home :) Attached to my key ring is a tiny angel.  Do you believe in angels dear ones?  I do.  Very much so. 

10. Tiny Foldable Shopping Bag in Holder

I always try to have at least one of these wonderfully useful little fabric shopping bags with me, in order to avoid the dreaded plastic carrier bags :) They really are amazing because they hold quite a lot, in weight and capacity, and yet they fold away to almost nothing and then pop into their tiny storage bag.  The storage bag keeps it neat and orderly in your handbag but it also has a clip at one end so that you can attach it to the handle of your handbag or to a belt.  Wonderful invention, I love these :)

So, that's it honeys.  If I went outside more often than just going to work or to the Doctor's surgery or to hospital I might have my tablet with me, but that tends to live on either my desk or my bedside  cabinet.  Til next time then dear ones, keep smiling and hugs always xx