Today I have had to endure being pushed, shoved, knocked into things, tutted at, sworn at… which can only signify one thing- its the run up to Christmas and I went to the mall to buy presents! Big mistake leaving it all so late. It was pure hell. I lost count of the amount of times I said ‘Sorry’ for accidently stepping in somebodies way and have them tut and comment on my lack of spacial awareness. Don’t you just hate the Christmas Vultures. Yes you know who you are; you ruthlessly dash about knocking down anything and anyone in your way, you won’t even think twice about snatching a toy from the hands of a child who has just picked it, the last one, off the shelf and you tut tut tut at everyone and make Christmas Shopping a truly horrible experience for everyone who DARES to cross your path. Anyway, I actually managed to get some things. JUST. Vintage Pink Kitchen Pots for Caroline my sister, plus a beautiful double bed size Pink Fur Throw. My twin nieces, Barbie Walkie Talkies and a kids electric guitar each (its this totally wicked guitar with tons of Aerosmith stylee noises- since they are 4 i opted for a pretend one). Nanna, loads of special brew and figgy puddings and Palmers Cocoa Butter. Going to get her a wok though. Couldn’t resist treating myself to 2 beautiful corsets from Warehouse SPOTLIGHT @ Debenhams. My mum convinced me to try on a red one (very 50s looking, which I ultimately purchased, its under the cut) and I never thought red and red hair would go together, but alas, according to her and the shop assistant it did, so I got it. And I also got a beautiful beaded one. Still have loads more to buy for however. Which is proving tricky considering Read the rest of this entry »

I was just reading an article about the 5 young women, who all worked in the Red Light District Of Ipswich, who have in the past few weeks been found murdered- 19-year-old Tania Nicol was found on 8 December, after she disappeared on 30 October. Her body was later discovered in a pond at Copdock. Gemma Adams’ body was found on 2 December, in a stream at Hintlesham . She was 25, her partner reported her missing on 15 November. Anneli Alderton was found dead on 10 December of asphyxiation, she happened to be three months pregnant. It was not sure when she disappeared, but before her body was reported to police, some days before a driver had noticed it but instantly thought it was a mannequin, and thought nothing more of it. She was not reported missing. Paula Clennell’s body was discovered on 12 December in woodland near Ipswich, she had not been seen since the morning of the 10th. Nearby her body,  Annette Nicholls who was 29 was also found on the 12th in Levington after being missing since the 4th. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6171469.stm

The only predictable thing in my life is that I have bought the same two newspapers everyday for the past 5 years, without fail. And when I have the luxury of cable TV, when I am not watching Lost or something Lost related the only channel I watch is Sky News or BBC News. I get that from both my grandad and Dad, we all are, and were addicted to the news, for some reason. Of course, whenever I hear of something tragic that has occured, and lets face it, thats all the news seems to comprise of, I feel deeply for the people that are involved. But most of it is ’so far away from home’ both geographically and literally. The last thing that truely struck a chord was when Sally Geeson was abducted from Cambridge in the early hours of New Years Day this year, and was found dead a few days after. This was because she lived 4 doors away from me, and because I was at the same place she was celebrating, and walked home as she did on the road where she was abducted.

I don’t think anything has affected me since. Until Now. The above quote comes from a page entitled “Deadly Dilemma On The Streets Of Ipswich“ 5 Young women murdered in such a short space of time, most likely by the same person or persons. Nothing has hit home harder than this. And why? Because they were all users of drugs. And reading the testimonies (most ironically, one of the girls who was the last to be murdered was interviewed as she continued to work the streets of Ipswich, even after learning of the other prostitutes targetted… she was that desperate but pledged she would be more wary) of working girls still out on the patch the other girls worked, which media companies are clambering to get interviews off, just is to close to home to ignore. I can identify with every word they say… the desperate state drugs get you into. You would once be adament that you will never get into that kind of situation, and you feel sick at the thought of it. Then Heroin or Crack comes along. And you still vow you won’t get that bad. But then, before you know it, its got you. And you just can’t quit it. And there are only so many ways to make money. You don’t want to take up something too risky, like shoplifting or dealing, because this could potentially seperate you from your reason for living… and if you are a girl, who is still good looking, or even not, you know that there are many guys out there willing to pay to sleep with you. Easy money, right? Or not in this case.

I think something must be wrong with me, because I am thinking about this all day long. I can’t even tally up the amount of times I have sobbed when I have read about the girls and their families, seen something on the news about it. I cannot even begin to describe how I might imagine their loved ones are going through.

This really hits home because that could of been me, or my sister, or my friends. I am hoping this might make everyone have a think about what exists in the underbelly of not just the big cities, but the little places around the country. It exists everywhere. I never dreamed for a minute that Cambridge had a squalid drugs and sex underworld. But my god, how have I learnt the hard way. I just hope those girls are now at peace, but I know their families and loved ones, even if their killer gets caught, never will be. I cannot begin to think of what they must of gone through. And I don’t want to.