wagwaan?

Feeling positive today - of course it helps when el jefe is in a good mood ;)   Last week I felt so drained, everything was an effort, but this week has got a lot better as it's gone on. The weather hasn't exactly been brilliant, but we need the rain really, and the perennials in the garden  have gone wild. At least I think they are perennials and not weeds!  I'm no gardener, as you can perhaps tell.

I've been trying to work out whether I can afford to go to France for the bank holiday at the end of May or not.  My heart says I should, as I really want to see my mum and be at the family barbecue that's planned; my head says it's a lot of money for 2 days. I just paid off my overdraft last month, and this month I've had to dip into it again while waiting for the ex to pay the 3 months he owes me, as I've had some osteopath bills and other household bills that won't wait.  We are going to France in July anyway, and I'll have to pay for those tickets soon too.   No, really, it can't be a good idea. I'm sure my mum would understand, but I really miss her!  And it'll be exactly one year since her stroke...

Anyway, must rush off and finish dinner. And some washing. And some more typing. And all the other stuff!

Bank holiday Monday

Ah, long weekends - love 'em!  To follow on from my shopping spree on Saturday, here is the item I've been coveting for weeks:

I knew they had it in cream, but when I got in the shop I realised they had it in pink too - oh the dilemma! I thought cream would go better in any decor, and at the moment I still scrap in the bedroom, which is its original vibrant orange. I never thought I could live with it when we first moved here, but actually it makes the room quite cosy.  Still, can't wait for my new bedroom.  And scraproom :) 

I also got this cake stand in the same shop. They are coming back into fashion, and I love them.  Next time we make fairy cakes we'll have a lovely display. In the meantime, it's a great fruit bowl...

Claire has gone off to town with a friend to see this band, who are doing a signing in the local record store.  Actually, only two of the guys are there, but one of them, the bass player, is her absolute fave. I think he's only about a year older than her!

Right, must finish the typing. Byeeee.

What weekends are for...

This is the life. Chilling with your homies :D   LOL  Yesterday I had a full day - the hairdresser, osteopath, coffee with a friend, shopping and even a nail touch-up to mend a chip.  I will edit this later with photos of the purchases, but here's one of the de lish pastries on offer at the coffee shop (my friend had the one with too much cream!):

She'd managed to "ditch the kids" - her daughter always loves to come along, but this time she said it was grown up time, so we had a good old chinwag.

Then, as if that was not enough calories for one day, after dinner last night we made banana sundaes in the new glasses bought last weekend (for the non-UK people, those chocolate logs are Cadbury's Flakes. Hmmmmm) :

And sitting between us on the sofa was Lyle. Hogging the remote. Typical male....

Today I've had a looooong lie in and then done some housework. I'm supposed to be typing that Tender Spec for the OH... so I'd better be going.   Peace out.

Relax, people!

Last night was absolutely great. I got home to find my brother and his wife had arrived before me, with lots of French goodies (yum), and after the obligatory cup of tea, we went out to dinner at a local eatery. Didn't realise it was just pizza and pasta, actually, but anyway the food was lovely. The waiters weren't so good, unfortunately, but we did have a laugh. DD was quite quiet, but afterwards she said it was because she was checking out the "talent" in the open pizza kitchen.... We took some very very bad photos (especially the one of me and my brother ROFLMAOPMPL)

I'm a bit concerned about how my head and my brother's look twice the size of DD and my SIL's heads. Mmmm. Worrying.

We got to bed quite late, natch, but I was up at the normal time to go to work.  Nice quiet day, lunch with the OH and then a visit to this place, where I think the bosses will be watching their footie on 23rd May.

The title of this post applies to all the crazy bitching and back-stabbing going on in the scrapping world (huh - they don't call it "scrapping" for nothing!). Can't believe it, and when I think of the people in my world who are going through REAL problems with sickness and bereavement, i just want to say STEP AWAY FROM THE INTERNET to those people who are getting their nicks in a twist. It's just paper and glue and photos. Honest, it is!!

And so to bed....

This is who I am

Thanks to Jakey, on whose blog I found this...

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

I can't come up with a new title every day! Anyway, what gorgeous weather we are having. I'm quite happy the sun is shining but we have a nice cool breeze. Can't stand it when it gets too hot this early in the year - global warming and all that :)   

I didn't get much chance to go out at lunchtime, but on the way home it was gorgeous. As I turned one corner the low evening sunshine was dappling through the bushes, and it was quite simply peaceful and beautiful.
I love the walk home, well most of it. I always see hear lots of birds and I dawdle and try and locate them, see which one is the blackbird, where the little robin couple are (that's their patch, above). I'm no expert, but I have noticed the regulars.  Funny thing is, tonight I was trying to see what other birds I had heard, and went on the RSPB website. I was listening to various bird calls (chaffinch, sparrow, blackbird), and Lyle was sitting on his stool, as usual, right next to the loudspeaker. He looked up occasionally, but continued grooming. Until I played this one, that is. Oh dear, all of a sudden he was up and alert and looking all around at the ceiling, wondering how on earth a cheeky magpie would dare come inside HIS house!  From that experiment, I can confirm that the loud, obnoxious magpies in the tall trees behind the house don't annoy just me LOL.

I really shouldn't be online - I should be doing some housework so that my guests tomorrow don't think that we live in a total tip. I find it very hard to be houseproud when I know the place is going to get torn apart in the not-too-distant future. I long for it all to be over and done with, and for my house to look the way I want it to look.

Just one last thing: tonight on TV was the first in a three-part series about a "school swap" between an "inner city" school and a posh boarding school. The funny part is that the "inner city" school is where my mum went to school in the 40s. Only, back then it was an all-white Grammar School. It has been in the news in recent years because, after a bad period, it has been shown to be a very good High School. Must remember to video the next one, because that one will show the school and I think my mum would find it interesting.

Anyway, off I go to do the vacuuming - do you think the neighbours will complain about the noise? It's after 10pm!

Thank you

Thank you for letting me whinge, ladies! It is all pretty trivial, when I consider all my friends who are going through serious health issues right now, or have lost a child...  Today was a lot better - plus, it's really sunny so that's always good for the morale!

Must rush, as I have lots of typing for the OH and there's a new CSI at 9. Cheers!