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I fear I'm going to be quite boring today, I haven't had a Mormon encounter all week, life is dull.  It's Saturday 29th January and it's so cold, the type of day where your breath hangs in the air.  I'm absolutely frozen and my left hand is cupped around a skinny capp in the hope that the yellow tinge will leave as the blood flow and feeling returns to my dead fingers.  On the plus side, the fields around here look beautiful covered in a thick, white frost.

We had another deadline in work this week and all the pressures and sleepless nights that brings, I do however have an extra long weekend to look forward to, the car is being MOT'd on Tuesday, (keep everything crossed,) and so thought it rude not to take Monday off also.

Despite being shattered every night, I've managed to keep up with the jogging, only 2 more lbs of Christmas lard to shift thank goodness.  Can you remind me next December to stay away from the fat laden Christmas foods or you'll only have to listen to my struggles to get it off again.

It's Sunday today, yesterday I felt kind of dozy all day, no comments thank you.  Maybe I was just overtired, slept pretty well last night, got up this morning and jogged,  I was aiming for 45 minutes but must have been "in the zone" so I'd done an hour before I realised.

I'm just ear wigging a conversation going on behind me, a bloke broke his ankle and started writing, sent off possibilities, didn't get anywhere, broke his ankle again, (really?  Do we think he subconsciously set out to brake the same ankle again so he could write more?)  Now it's too noisy to hear, damn it!  By the tone, I'm guessing he was successful in the end and from what I can gather, he writes children's books, bet he doesn't write a blog though.  You do realise I can't now move until I catch the end of this conversation and I would hear a lot more if people didn't thoughtlessly order frappuccinos, it's January for heavens sake, who needs more ice?

Covert spying has come to a halt as Carol has just arrived for a catch up and to tell me about latest visit to "build-a-really-expensive-stuffed-animal," she's down another £46, will the woman never learn?

Thought you may enjoy this blast from the past, it's on my iPod as we speak...

Gloomy Sunday

Went to bed early last night and slept like a log...ahhh.  The icy cold and fog of yesterday are gone but it's still cold and looks pretty gloomy.  My co-regular customer is here again this morning, we've just had a conversation on how disappointed we are if we don't get to sit in "our" seats.  He's just likened himself to the Jack Nicholson character from "As Good as it Gets," at least it's not just me then.

I've done a little de-cluttering today, I'm starting to notice how much "stuff" I have and how I could quite easily live without most of it.  How do we accumulate so much?

I'm about to plunge into another week but at least at the end of this one, I get to enjoy a long weekend, can't wait!

The Wizard of Oz

Decided to get up early this morning to work out but once I was actually up, I thought better of it.  I did however strip bed and wash my bedding, had toast, two black coffees, recycled, got petrol, put air in tyres and I'm now here, in my usual Saturday morning haunt.  Just been talking to another regular who's apparently noticed that I'm usually here, where I sit and what I do, hmmmmm.   Anyhoo, we discussed the sad demise of Borders and the new Starbucks opening on the other side of here.

I've left home without my watch or a bracelet, (my weekend must have,) and I feel naked.  Still, I am wearing my new Christmas earrings from you and my Pandora collection as a necklace today, both look great even if I do say so myself.

The week didn't get off to a great start when I heard someone on my roof at 1am on Monday morning.  I got up, checked everywhere was secure then promptly went back to sleep but I haven't slept great for the remainder of the week, silly really.

Busy week in work, I'm handing over to a new manager but I'm still doing everything and explaining in detail as I go, so each day has been quite tiring.  The working week culminated in me putting a member of my team in an ambulance with chest pains.  Disclaimer; this is no indication of my managerial skills.

One of the managers who sits near to me has just returned form a trip to Oz.  Before he left, I gave him explicit instructions to bring me back a single Bondi Lifeguard, (a real one,) and by "single", I mean unattached not singular.  I made sure I reminded him before he left and on his return on Wednesday, we had a chat, discussed his fabulous trip, the beautiful smell of eucalyptus in the air on his arrival, the New Year fireworks in Sydney and how close he came to the devastating flood waters.  After a few minutes, he very quietly explained that the "real one" had been confiscated at customs and so he'd brought me this instead, at which point he produced a postcard showing a very fine specimen of an Aussie male with his back to the camera wearing Aussie green "budgie smugglers" with a golden "Australia" emblazoned across the back.  I thought it was hysterical and really sweet too.  So, my Aussie beach bum brightened the remainder of the week in work and I've now brought him home to brighten my kitchen.

Wednesday's visit to the dentist was spectacularly fraught, I knew it was either scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday but as I hadn't received my usual reminder via text, I'd convinced myself it must be Thursday still, I phoned on Wednesday morning just to double check only to discover that it was in fact Wednesday.  I arrived, I thought, 30 minutes early to be told I was 30 minutes late!  Anyway, everything looks healthy apparently apart from one "tiny" hole near the gum line which needs attention.  I'd told my dentist I'd had an on/off ache around an old filling.  Three x-rays later, (how much?) worst case scenario is root canal treatment, oh joy...you just know that's what I'm set for.

Had another encounter with the Mormons, (is God trying to tell me something?)  In this instance, I nearly collided with one on his bike.  I was driving at snails pace and indicating into my road , one gentleman had stopped at the top of the road on his bicycle while his other half who appeared to be new to biking, appeared not exactly in control and so wobbled  slowly in front of my oncoming car.  Maybe he only recently got his bike and just needs a bit of practice, we may run into each other again.

Today is the first day that I've put my jeans on and not felt like I'd pulled on someone else's jeans, (someone smaller.)  I'm almost back at my Christmas weight then I'll carry on doing my best to lose a few more lbs and tone up.  I'm back to jogging every night for an hour.  Ankles are holding up nicely, not perfect but much better than they have been.  They've probably improved more in the past two weeks than in the past three months combined, I'm quite relieved as I thought I'd done irreparable damage.

That said, I'm heading home to to work out, iron, blitz kitchen, declutter, make bed then it's wine and Walkers Thai Sweet Chili crisps night, I know... I know how to live.  Hope you're having a fabulous break, love you x

Good Life!

Good Morning again sweet pea!  It was so good to speak to you and C this morning, despite the chat, I'm going to regale you of the weeks riveting happenings.  Manic Monday was..... well, manic.  I was also feeling a tad unappreciated but I know that in a matter of weeks, things will calm down a bit when I move to my new team.  Must tell you that Carol, (manager at my Starbucks,) has just interrupted my writing to tell me I was late this morning!  I explained that I had a very good reason for breaking my routine and that was you.  Carol's just got promoted to District Manager so I won't be seeing her so much so she has my number to keep in touch.  I did ask her who's going to notice when I'm late and she said she'd get a couple of the others on look out. 

Monday night, I tidied my desktop and chose a new screen saver then quickly came to the conclusion that I need to get out more. 

Tuesday I got an email from an LA based management firm asking if I was seeking representation.  I must have mailed them years ago when I was hawking my screenplay and they were probably doing a data cleanse, still exciting to get the mail though.  Told them I had nothing new in the pipeline for now.

You know what happened on Wednesday, and I know I can always rely on your calming words of advice, so glad that you got the general consensus of opinion from the girls in work as you collectively came up with things I hadn't considered.Nice work ladies.

I excelled on Thursday factoring in the time difference and sending you a birthday email, I'm getting so good at this!  How many years has it taken me?  Friday I had scouse for tea, again, as provided by B and then spent most of the night up with terrible indigestion. 

I woke early Saturday so got up and jogged for an hour before heading off for the mall where I purchased the loafers I told you about.  Yep, £85 down to £26 in Dune, I could hear the envy in your voice lol.  Loafers and Brogues are in over here so you may get some over there in a couple of years.  J and I ate in Giraffe, never been in there before but it was excellent, the food was delicious and the service fabulous from Sarah and  Chris so we'll be going back there. 

I've been back to running for 9 days now.  Ankles are holding up, not 100% but much improved and good enough to run on so I'm happy and can I add that my running play list on my iPod rocks.  I did two hours yesterday, an hour before the mall and an hour when I got home but I usually just do the hour each day.

Carol informed me that she was also at the mall yesterday, she took her daughter to "Build-a-really-expensive-stuffed-toy," works out something like; £10 for the carcass, £20 for the stuffing, £4 for the "heart beat" (what?) £5 for one shoe, £10 for the matching shoe.  You get the idea and am I the only one wondering what kind of trauma is laying in wait for the child once bear develops heart failure?  Do they book the bears in for pacemakers? (£36) or heaven forbid, heart transplants?  (£136).  Call me old fashioned but my Peter Panda is "alive and well" and living in the garage and he never had a heart beat  that I could hear.

Forgot to tell you that there is an expo on moving to Oz on in Manchester in March which I'm thinking of going to, I would only be a very short plane ride away from you, can you imagine?  It would be good for information and a day out if nothing more.

Well, I have the kitchen to blitz, jewellery to create and a Bondi Rescue Marathon to watch this afternoon.  It's the Golden Globes tonight, I can't wait to peruse the frock triumphs and disasters tomorrow morning.

You asked me today if I enjoyed doing this, I'm writing and it's to you, what's not to love?

Back to Reality

Tuesday was my first day back at work after the New Year.  As the security light came on in the pitch dark not long after 5am, I looked to the heavens and said out loud; "you've got to be kidding me."  It was snowing.  Luckily it was only very light and the journey in was fine.  The day was long and chaotic with new and returning people showing up for duty but they didn't have access to anything and all needed training so finding something useful for them to do was a challenge, still, I didn't think it was too bad a day but my face must have told a different story.

On the journey home, I stopped at a set of traffic lights on the Strand.  Above the noise of the radio, I heard a muffled, "Hello!"  I looked around, as you do, only to see two very clean cut looking young men stopped in the lane next to me, they looked and smiled.  The driver indicated for me to lower the passenger window but not having electric windows, I wasn't about to reach over to wind down the window when the lights might change at any moment so I gestured, "what?" with my hands, thinking he may have had the misfortune to ask the least useful person in the world for directions.  At this point, he reached down to his lap then slowly raised the "Big Book of Mormon Prayer."  Okay, it was the "Book of Mormon...." something.  I wondered if I'd had electric windows would he have tossed it into the car?  Sadly, the lights changed to green so I gave him the thumbs up and drove off, wasn't actually sure what I was supposed to do.  I haven't checked the Highway Code but I'm pretty confident trying to convert someone at traffic lights would be frowned upon by the Traffic Police, but points to them for trying eh?  I must really have looked like I needed saving.

After my brush with my potential saviours, I made it to my Doctor's appointment about the broken ankles, she didn't go into any more detail other than; "ligament damage."  Gave me twirly exercises to do several times a day and told me to buy proper running shoes.  I did get a, "don't you think your body is trying to tell you something?" comment which I chose to ignore as I'm aiming for "hotness" by summer, (again.)  Oh, also thinking of going blond but think that will probably pass and I''ll leave the blondness to you.

It was hard getting back into a routine with sleeping and eating all over the show this week, can't wait to get back to "normal."

Friday brought heavy snow at 9am, because of the layout of my building and the surrounding buildings, any wind creates a bit of a vortex and so the heavy snow swirled around outside my window like a cyclone, it looked amazing.  It did stick but had all but gone by the drive home.

It's Saturday and I slept over 10 hours last night...bliss.  I'm here in Starbucks with my discounted, (because it's January and I have a little book of vouchers,) tall, skinny, capp writing to you.  Thought I was getting a cold yesterday, I'm a moving target in work with everyone around me coughing, sneezing and wheezing, I even did a "bless you all!" yesterday when three people sneezed simultaneously.  I'm hoping the extra sleep over the weekend will stave it off.

Sunday 9th already and it's your birthday week.  Can't wait to hear what you've been up to.  I'm enjoying beautiful blue skies and sunshine today but with an icy wind thrown in just to remind me that it's January.  I'm starting back on daily, (very gentle,) workouts now, even though doctor said no to jogging and only gave the green light to "power walking", in my defence, my slow and gentle jogging is probably slower than my power walk so I'm sticking with the jogging, just need to get my stamina and distance up to where it was before I had to rest them.

B has called in for a tea and was in good spirits, full of ideas of sorting and de-cluttering for the coming year but as the world's worst hoarder, I know she's all talk...again.  Tried to phone Auntie B, (Mum's friend,) in Wales as I haven't been able to get hold of her since before Christmas and still no answer so tried the warden who told me she's in hospital.  Medically doing better but not so much in herself.  Need to find a get well card with a hunky man on the front, preferably shirtless, she maybe in her 80's but she knows what she likes, although she's very fussy, no Americans and no blonds.

I'm about to create a "vision board", if nothing else then it'll be something new to look at  I'm almost done with all of my Sunday correspondence then it's time to enjoy my Bondi Rescue marathon ahhhhhh bliss  ;)

Happy Birthday!

Dear Colette, this is part of your 2011 birthday present!  Yes, it's the gift that keeps giving, whether you want it to or not.  Hopefully it'll be like a magazine subscription to Grazia rather than to Horse and Hound, (no offence to H&H.)  I'm still going to email you with annoying regularity, but I know that your email time is a rare and snatched affair at present and so I try to keep them short and snappy.  Combine this with the fact that given the time, you're an avid reader, so  I decided to write you a book, well, blog, which you can pick up and put down whenever you like.  I'm free to ramble incessantly and you can read...whenever.

No idea how this will work but we can try can't we?  I have a feeling this may turn out more Alan Bennett Talking Heads than Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones, but we'll see.

01.01.11

As with any New Year's Day, I wanted to tackle about a million different jobs from making soup to stripping the beds to sorting my wardrobe.  I was my Starbucks first customer of the year, and I'm not saying I'm a regular but Carol, the manager, gave me a hug and a kiss Happy New Year!  I tried an Orange and Jasmine tea, probably won't be doing that again, then drove home under a very heavy, grey sky with only the smallest window of blue peaking through the blanket.  It only lasted a couple of minutes but it was nice to be reminded that blue is actually up there even if I can't always see it.

I made veggie soup, (probably enough for all of Hamilton,) with extra garlic and lemon grass as these sound like health boosting ingredients, and, in the deepest, darkest depths of winter...I need it.

I worked out on the "broken" ankles, did I tell you about the ankles?  They are not technically broken but lets just say that the pain implies that they are not in fact...whole.  I Googled last night and self diagnosis went from, "it's all fine," to possibly a sprain on the left and tendinitis on the right, still, at doctor's on Tuesday so I'll find out then if my hopes for London 2012 are shot.

The soup went well I think, I found this amazing garlic press in my kitchen drawer, (who knows what else is in this relatively uncharted territory?)  Remember that 99.9% of the utensils were Mum's so the garlic press is a bit of a puzzle as she hated garlic.  Anyway, I was marvelling at how brilliant it was, then wondered if it was an old family heirloom?  Was Grandad a closet cook?  He was a butcher so maybe he brought home the odd steak or two and rubbed it with crushed garlic?  On further investigation, I discovered marvelous garlic press was, "made in Taiwan."  Grandad was born in 1884 and I'm not exactly sure when Taiwan started exporting garlic presses but I'm pretty confident that it wasn't Granddad's garlic press.

Anyway, I had one and a half packets of organic red lentils, the half was best before Dec 2009, that's not a typo, still, they looked the same as the in date ones and figured I would only poison myself if they were off so in they went.

You know how you have to skim off the water as you heat the lentils?  Well I did that, chopped everything and threw it in, but after I added the onions, the whole thing started to foam.  I'm not sure soup is supposed to foam?  Still, I fished off the foam and it looked relatively normal after that and a couple of hours later, it was done.  I hadn't overdone the garlic and the lemon grass was a nice addition.

I did manage a million jobs; washing, ironing, taking the decorations down, bed making etc, so I did get a fair bit done, so much still to do though.  I can't remember who I've said this to in the last couple of days, but I feel like I want to de-clutter and sort like I'm getting ready to move.  Don't get excited...yet, but I don't know how you did it and  I don't know where to start.

02-01-11

Slept like the proverbial last night, think I was exhausted from all the veggie chopping.  Drove to beloved Starbucks this morning, much colder than yesterday, sky is a blue, grey and white dappled affair and is really quite pretty.  I'm sitting here writing to you with a filter coffee, much more agreeable than the orange and jasmine of yesterday.  Heading home shortly to workout, (gently,) heat soup, do some sorting then I'll find a job that can be done while I watch...think I'm in the mood for Pride and Prejudice, the Keira version, did you ever get the BBC version on DVD?

Really need to do something drastic with the wardrobe and drawers, I have plenty of space, it all just needs reorganising.  I'm going to stop now as I'm even boring myself.  I'll be back with more ramblings shortly.  Love you x

3.1.11

Saw bunny on the way home yesterday, (squished,) and two hawks, one standing majestically on a fence post and the other in flight, beautiful.  Emptied "walk in" cupboard which I haven't actually been able to "walk in" to for some time.  Found plastic bag of white powder with the washing stuff and thought I'd found a way to fund next trip.  Upon inspection, plastic bag had "Borax" printed on it.  Googled and sadly Borax is not in demand on black market and suffice to say, will not be funding trip after all...shame.

Last day of freedom then back to the 9-5 tomorrow.  Contents of "walk in" are now filling the dining room so home to sort that, workout, and spend last few hours pottering before I get myself ready for tomorrow, back to reality eh?