My body has rebelled this week. In no uncertain terms, it has thrown the wobbler of a two year old. I have had two nights of the most horrendous night sweats, whilst being freezing cold and clutching on to a hot water bottle, like a woman clinging on to driftwood in the rapids. Sore throat, glands up, earache. When I do manage to sleep, the pain in my left hip and knee wake me and I won't even describe the back. I feel one hundred and one years of age, and not in a good way.
Next week, I finish the meds I've been taking for my skin. It's an extremely mild chemo, which can cause joint pain amongst other side effects and while my skin is the best it's ever been and I can't believe six months is up already, I'm wondering if my body is saying; "enough now."
Still, that doesn't explain the night sweats and the sore throat, so I think I have a combination of things going on, including for the first time in my life... hay fever.
I have gone easy on the exercise this week, just a little gentle toning but even that sends my hip screaming. I'm eating pretty well but for the weekend, I have stocked up on uber healthy ingredients to try to give myself a boost. After my usual coffee here, in my usual haunt, I'll be heading for the health food shop on the corner to peruse the supplements.
I should have been seeing a friend tonight, but I've cancelled, or rather postponed until I feel better. Hopefully won't be postponed for long.
Anyway, I have just rocked up to the counter to get a free refill of filter and the lady and her son in front of me are over from NZ. So I of course start chatting to her and ask her where she's from. Turns out she emigrated over to the South Island, from here, around the same time you headed for North. While you have remained as if you'd never stepped on the plane, (accent wise,) this lady has a nice, hybrid, twang. I explain that I initially thought she was a Kiwi, how you and hubby have remained accent unchanged, however the kids have adopted a new twang and how I struggled in particular with our gorgeous girl and how I needed an interpreter for a good two years but how it's all good now, and I can understand our conversations... unaided.
Today is supposed to be a scorcher, well, a scorcher by our standards anyway, 26 degrees and so, I'm heading home to do as much housework as the body/heat, will allow. Later I'll watch a DVD then dose myself up and aim for a good nights sleep.
Showing posts with label Starbucks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Starbucks. Show all posts
Sunday, 7 July 2013
Saturday, 26 January 2013
White Out
So, last night, we had TV blackout, for several, (okay two,) uncomfortable moments, while I willed my picture to return I pressed every button on the remote multiple times I felt like I was Miranda from Sex and the City, when Magda accidentally sat on the TV remote, killed Tivo and wiped "Mimi and Jools". If you watched SatC, this would illustrate the horror. Anyway, moments later and it was back. Must have been the weather.
The week in work wasn't too bad. I finally feel comfortable and sort of know what I'm doing, enough not to not feel panic stricken at every moment through every day, anyway.
Monday, I visited the dentist. New dentist, my old dentist decided to go and teach, (damn it,) and so like any normal, terrified person, I boycotted the dentist for a good two years until the excruciating pain every time I ate or drank something very hot or very cold, became impossible to ignore any longer.
I went in on time, always good for me as the longer I sit there waiting to go in, the worse I get. Anthony, new dentist, was lovely, very nice, very gentle, no sudden moves, everything was very relaxed. He reminds me of someone and I don't know who but for now, I'm going to go with a young Danny Bonaduce but I may revisit that.
20 minutes, one exam, two x-rays later and I'm done. Good news is that I don't need anything new. Bad news is, three of my old fillings need replacing. Anthony couldn't find the source of my pain but one of the fillings that needs replacing is near the location of the pain and A explained that pain travels so there you go, hopefully, when I get that one replaced, no more pain.
Tuesday I was at the doctor's and I'll be doing a fasting blood test soon to check on cholesterol and sugar, never been tested before so that will be interesting, no problem, just being tested due to family history.
Wednesday and Thursday, positively boring. Friday, we were forecast to have heavy snow between 3pm and 9pm then heavy rain, I wasn't worried for once this week because I thought the rain would melt anything that would fall as temps were due to stay above freezing. We had a little, light, swirling snow earlier, then nothing. I went to bed around 9pm and woke to about 8cm of snow.
Driving in it this morning was horrendous and I heard on the news that 3 local motorways were closed last night because so much snow came down, so quickly. As usual, the council's were not prepared to take action. Yesterday, eight days after the initial snowfall, pavements were still full of ice, it's a disgrace. Anyway, I crawled to Starbucks, and I'm getting a refill today, an extra filter, stuff the caffeine overload and the jitters, I'm hanging around longer so that hopefully, this weak sunshine will melt some of the snow before I slide home.
I worked out for 25 minutes this morning and for the past two weeks, I've done Jane Fonda-esque leg raises every night, it's actually worked, I've lost some inches and it's looking good back there, well, it's looking, "not terrible" anyway.
Fingers crossed that the snow is gone by morning. Quite frankly, I'm sick of negotiating with it and worrying about it, and as pretty as it is, I'm done driving in it. Snow, be gone, I'd love to wake up to green tomorrow.
The week in work wasn't too bad. I finally feel comfortable and sort of know what I'm doing, enough not to not feel panic stricken at every moment through every day, anyway.
Monday, I visited the dentist. New dentist, my old dentist decided to go and teach, (damn it,) and so like any normal, terrified person, I boycotted the dentist for a good two years until the excruciating pain every time I ate or drank something very hot or very cold, became impossible to ignore any longer.
I went in on time, always good for me as the longer I sit there waiting to go in, the worse I get. Anthony, new dentist, was lovely, very nice, very gentle, no sudden moves, everything was very relaxed. He reminds me of someone and I don't know who but for now, I'm going to go with a young Danny Bonaduce but I may revisit that.
20 minutes, one exam, two x-rays later and I'm done. Good news is that I don't need anything new. Bad news is, three of my old fillings need replacing. Anthony couldn't find the source of my pain but one of the fillings that needs replacing is near the location of the pain and A explained that pain travels so there you go, hopefully, when I get that one replaced, no more pain.
Tuesday I was at the doctor's and I'll be doing a fasting blood test soon to check on cholesterol and sugar, never been tested before so that will be interesting, no problem, just being tested due to family history.
Wednesday and Thursday, positively boring. Friday, we were forecast to have heavy snow between 3pm and 9pm then heavy rain, I wasn't worried for once this week because I thought the rain would melt anything that would fall as temps were due to stay above freezing. We had a little, light, swirling snow earlier, then nothing. I went to bed around 9pm and woke to about 8cm of snow.
Driving in it this morning was horrendous and I heard on the news that 3 local motorways were closed last night because so much snow came down, so quickly. As usual, the council's were not prepared to take action. Yesterday, eight days after the initial snowfall, pavements were still full of ice, it's a disgrace. Anyway, I crawled to Starbucks, and I'm getting a refill today, an extra filter, stuff the caffeine overload and the jitters, I'm hanging around longer so that hopefully, this weak sunshine will melt some of the snow before I slide home.
I worked out for 25 minutes this morning and for the past two weeks, I've done Jane Fonda-esque leg raises every night, it's actually worked, I've lost some inches and it's looking good back there, well, it's looking, "not terrible" anyway.
Fingers crossed that the snow is gone by morning. Quite frankly, I'm sick of negotiating with it and worrying about it, and as pretty as it is, I'm done driving in it. Snow, be gone, I'd love to wake up to green tomorrow.
Saturday, 29 December 2012
Christmas Eve
It's Christmas Eve and I woke early but after a good nights sleep. I've come out for coffee and brought with me an old journal, and an old issue of Elle magazine. The journal makes me laugh out loud (slightly embarrassing,) and the Elle has so much reading in it, it's two years old but no wonder I haven't managed to part with it yet. You see, this is why I have trouble recycling my magazines.
I jogged for 25 minutes this morning at a pretty good pace, got a text from my friend Lisa to say she was on her way to work after all, that was at 6.40am.
I'm having a lovely and peaceful hour, (just listening to 'Summertime' on the Starbucks sound system, it's much preferred to their choice of Christmas music this year which seems to be some kind of Tudor/Gothic ensemble, not my taste at all.) I'll be heading back into the insane traffic soon, well, not much traffic but people driving insanely, I'll just give everyone a really wide berth. The rest of the day will be spent dropping off presents and packing reading for tomorrow.
Going to be a long day, my sister Bee is staying overnight after midnight mass, she'll get home around 12.35 so that's when I need to stay up until, then I need to get as much sleep as possible before I have to get up to make breakfast then drive to my cousins.
I jogged for 25 minutes this morning at a pretty good pace, got a text from my friend Lisa to say she was on her way to work after all, that was at 6.40am.
I'm having a lovely and peaceful hour, (just listening to 'Summertime' on the Starbucks sound system, it's much preferred to their choice of Christmas music this year which seems to be some kind of Tudor/Gothic ensemble, not my taste at all.) I'll be heading back into the insane traffic soon, well, not much traffic but people driving insanely, I'll just give everyone a really wide berth. The rest of the day will be spent dropping off presents and packing reading for tomorrow.
Going to be a long day, my sister Bee is staying overnight after midnight mass, she'll get home around 12.35 so that's when I need to stay up until, then I need to get as much sleep as possible before I have to get up to make breakfast then drive to my cousins.
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
Reunion
Goes without saying, you surprised me on Wednesday night with your phone call and, "landing on Friday at noonish," declaration. So this flying visit is predominantly to see family, but of course we're going to squeeze in some "catch up" time.
Sunday was such a treat, first Sunday in weeks that I haven't worked, picked you up at 9am, drove to my old Sunday haunt, we had breakfast and talked and talked and it was like I saw you two days ago.
So we had breakfast, several hours of shopping and a Wagamama, bland for once, Yaki Soba lunch with green tea later, and I deposit you back to base. It was a roller coaster of a day but make no mistake, it was great to see you x
Sunday was such a treat, first Sunday in weeks that I haven't worked, picked you up at 9am, drove to my old Sunday haunt, we had breakfast and talked and talked and it was like I saw you two days ago.
So we had breakfast, several hours of shopping and a Wagamama, bland for once, Yaki Soba lunch with green tea later, and I deposit you back to base. It was a roller coaster of a day but make no mistake, it was great to see you x
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Interview Day... the Prequel
It's Wednesday 5th September and, apart from feeling a bit stiff and sore from the past two days fisty cuffs, I feel pretty good. I've had so much sleep the past 3 nights and I've slept through the night too, first time for weeks.
I woke early this morning, around 5.30am, I just stayed in bed until my alarm went off at 6.30. I jogged for 15 minutes, felt great, stretched out my back which has been sorely neglected for weeks on end now, had cereal and toast for breakfast with butter and blackcurrant jam, de-lish.
Now I'm here in Starbucks and I've just read over my application form and notes ready for my interview this afternoon, interview is at 2pm and even though it's only 5 minutes away, I plan on leaving around 1.15pm, just to be on the safe side.
I've come out without a jacket but it's actually quite chilly. The sun is trying to shine, and I'm sitting here flicking through magazines and writing to you, it's all very leisurely and lovely, feels like so long since I've had the opportunity to do this.
I talk out loud on the drive home, spout my potential answers and practise my delivery. Back at home, I pace and talk some more for about 45 minutes before changing into my interview clothes and heading out the door. Of course, that large glass of water before I left was not the best idea, nothing I can do about that now.
So, that was yesterday and this is today, you know how it went. I'm just going to forget about it now and leave it all up to fate.
I woke early this morning, around 5.30am, I just stayed in bed until my alarm went off at 6.30. I jogged for 15 minutes, felt great, stretched out my back which has been sorely neglected for weeks on end now, had cereal and toast for breakfast with butter and blackcurrant jam, de-lish.
Now I'm here in Starbucks and I've just read over my application form and notes ready for my interview this afternoon, interview is at 2pm and even though it's only 5 minutes away, I plan on leaving around 1.15pm, just to be on the safe side.
I've come out without a jacket but it's actually quite chilly. The sun is trying to shine, and I'm sitting here flicking through magazines and writing to you, it's all very leisurely and lovely, feels like so long since I've had the opportunity to do this.
I talk out loud on the drive home, spout my potential answers and practise my delivery. Back at home, I pace and talk some more for about 45 minutes before changing into my interview clothes and heading out the door. Of course, that large glass of water before I left was not the best idea, nothing I can do about that now.
So, that was yesterday and this is today, you know how it went. I'm just going to forget about it now and leave it all up to fate.
Friday, 24 August 2012
Day 1
So, today is my first day off in 24 days and it happens to be my birthday. I think I'm actually more excited over the day off. You'll roughly remember how old I am? Well, if you double that figure and add 10, that was how old I felt last night, still, after a sleeping tablet and 2 glasses of red wine... and 11.5 hours sleep later, I feel quite refreshed and much nearer my actual age.
I woke to 2 texts, one from my sister V and the other from J. Had a busy couple of hours in which I squeezed in replies to texts, a phone call, breakfast and 10 minutes of jogging. It's been at least 3 weeks since I jogged and it felt great.
So far, I have a bag, purse, scarf, several bottles of wine, (hmm,) chocolates and 2 "mind, body, spirit," magazines from my friend Debs.
Just after 9am, I head out to my much missed Starbucks, I sit relaxing, reading and writing to you for an hour. It's chilled and quiet, with a soft buzz of noise in the background, it's just so lovely to be here. I eventually pop in my iPod and CBR, and it's like I've never been away, perfect start to the day.
I recycle, buy fuel and head to my eldest sister's for a coffee and a catch up. I finally get home and do a bit of tidying then 30 minutes later, B arrives and we head off to have a panini for lunch, well, we split one and have half each, B's is rounded off with coffee and walnut cake.
We head home, to mine, and I then tidy and clean for a couple of hours while B reads and chats to me, then at 5.30pm, we head out to Wagamama's. J & G are taking me to dinner for my birthday and nephew CJ is here too. B has never been before, and I know she wouldn't have chosen to go but we give her detailed descriptions of meals and she opts for Yaki Soba, the same as me and J, we have variations of gyoza and edamame to start. CJ opts for "firecracker" for his main dish, we both agree that the next time he goes on a date, he should veto the hot stuff as the sweating situation is not attractive. G has Prawn Chilli Men and he is another trooper as I know he was probably a bit unsure at the beginning. Meal and Pinot Grigio Blush are divine, J and I share a carafe of PGB. Everyone has desert, except me.
We had a lovely night. J, G and CJ drop me home. CJ picks me up and swings me like a rag doll, well, I suppose it's kind of nice that he can do that? I watch TV for an hour then crash into bed, another day, another birthday over, good though.
I woke to 2 texts, one from my sister V and the other from J. Had a busy couple of hours in which I squeezed in replies to texts, a phone call, breakfast and 10 minutes of jogging. It's been at least 3 weeks since I jogged and it felt great.
So far, I have a bag, purse, scarf, several bottles of wine, (hmm,) chocolates and 2 "mind, body, spirit," magazines from my friend Debs.
Just after 9am, I head out to my much missed Starbucks, I sit relaxing, reading and writing to you for an hour. It's chilled and quiet, with a soft buzz of noise in the background, it's just so lovely to be here. I eventually pop in my iPod and CBR, and it's like I've never been away, perfect start to the day.
I recycle, buy fuel and head to my eldest sister's for a coffee and a catch up. I finally get home and do a bit of tidying then 30 minutes later, B arrives and we head off to have a panini for lunch, well, we split one and have half each, B's is rounded off with coffee and walnut cake.
We head home, to mine, and I then tidy and clean for a couple of hours while B reads and chats to me, then at 5.30pm, we head out to Wagamama's. J & G are taking me to dinner for my birthday and nephew CJ is here too. B has never been before, and I know she wouldn't have chosen to go but we give her detailed descriptions of meals and she opts for Yaki Soba, the same as me and J, we have variations of gyoza and edamame to start. CJ opts for "firecracker" for his main dish, we both agree that the next time he goes on a date, he should veto the hot stuff as the sweating situation is not attractive. G has Prawn Chilli Men and he is another trooper as I know he was probably a bit unsure at the beginning. Meal and Pinot Grigio Blush are divine, J and I share a carafe of PGB. Everyone has desert, except me.
We had a lovely night. J, G and CJ drop me home. CJ picks me up and swings me like a rag doll, well, I suppose it's kind of nice that he can do that? I watch TV for an hour then crash into bed, another day, another birthday over, good though.
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Glorious Sunshine?
All week, we've been promised glorious sunshine for two whole days. I've been nursing a bit of a cold all week and on Friday and Saturday, my legs felt like lead, so I went to bed early, and slept great, until 5am when stomach cramps woke me. I didn't feel like running but my laundry basket was grateful anyway.
So, Saturday, stomach cramps wake me at 5am. I don't feel up to working out so instead, I do two loads of washing, wet wipe the washing line, (again... I did it in Spring but it's now been rained on so much and not used, that it needs doing again,) and proudly, amidst the chilly air and wetter than wet morning dew, hang out my washing ready for the brilliant sunshine that we have been promised all week... this weekend.
I pegged each laundered piece out one by one, two pegs each, lovingly, in readiness for the sunshine. I still had time on my hands and so I commenced ironing before heading out for coffee.
It's a little busy here in Starbucks this Saturday morning, (I've just realised that Starbucks should be paying me some kind of commission for all of these mentions.) It's a little frenetic, quite busy and bustling, the music is a little intrusive, I should embrace it, it's lovely, but I'm feeling a little more silk pyjamas and eye mask today. I put on a little CBR, (Corrine Bailey Rae,) but I'd have to have her blasting in my eardrums to muffle out the din so the background noise is.... still in the background.
The good news is, I got home again, in time to take the washing in before the rain started. Yep, so much for glorious sunshine. Washing was just as damp as when I hung it out, three hours earlier.
After wrestling in the damp washing and finding somewhere to hang it, indoors, I ironed a little then B arrived to pick me up and we headed for Ness Gardens at noon.
We parked up just as a coach load were unloading and heading into the main building. I tell B that I'm making a break for it and I overtake the pensioners heading into the cafeteria, sounds mean but trust me, we'd have been there all day if we'd let the pensioners get seated before us. B has lasagne and I had bacon, cranberry and brie on wholemeal before we head off into the gardens.
Neither of us are particularly bursting with energy today and so we sit on pretty much every other bench that we come across, (there are many dedicated benches in Ness, thank goodness, really useful for a day like today.)
It's a nice day, not glorious sunshine, I have my jacket on the whole time we're walking around, that includes inclines, but it's still clement and we spy families and blue dragonfly's and busy bees and so much pond weed, I swear I could have walked across it was so thick. It's so peaceful though, no matter how many coach loads, and always calming, we have to do this next time you're home.
Towards the end, in the plant sale, a lady with a basket over her arm and cutting shears in her hands asks if we belong to the coach party. Do we look like we belong to the coach party????
I don't sleep well on Sunday night as usual, Monday morning, as I swoop around the bend of my close, heading out, the old man with the dog is on the footpath by the side of the road, he has already stopped as he always does in the wake of a car and he's waving at me before I even clap eyes on him. I wave and beam him a smile.
Work goes well, I appear to be super charged for some reason, be it, luck, skill or fluke, but I achieve just over two days worth of stats in a day on Monday, it's a great start to the week.
Tuesday I maintain my lead. Wednesday, I'm just closing the garage door at 5.25am, when I hear, "Morning Darling!" Scares me half to death but as I turn around, it's old man with the dog. I say "Morning!" All bright and breezy while I wait for my heart to stop beating quite so quickly, but I carry on closing the garage door and he carries on walking. By the time I turn to get into the car, he's walked far away but is now shouting and waving at me from a distance. I can't hear or understand a word because I'm next to the running engine of the car, and he has no teeth. He could be saying... "I'll kill you tomorrow, ok?" And I'm waving and smiling at him. He's not really, I'm sure he's lovely but I haven't a clue what he's just told me.
Wednesday and I've increased my stats lead. This isn't actually a good thing. We always argue about how difficult it is to get our stats and it is... I'm not actually sure what's happened this week, but I'm flying. I honestly feel like I'm on a production line though, and I'm bored. My craft has been honed. I'm churning out eloquent and lawful letters fit to go before a judge, and I could do it with my eyes closed, half asleep, with one hand tied behind my back, whilst I recite the alphabet backwards. I long for a challenging, creative task.
Wednesday evening and I'm usually in bed by now reading as there is nothing on TV. It's just before 7pm and a kid hammers with a fist, so hard on my front door, that the door almost flies open. As usual with these "knock and run" kids, they have fled the scene before I have got to the kitchen window. I remember being a kid, I even remember doing "knock and run" once, and only once, well it wasn't actually me, it was a group I was with. But I don't remember hammering hard enough to give someone a heart attack. I do remember why they hide like cowards though, it's because they know they have done wrong. And while the enraged lion in me wants to stride to the top of the drive and no doubt spot them cowering, waiting for my reaction, I quietly count to ten and hum a tune in my head until the anger subsides.
My Mum was always hot tempered, as am I, (we're fire signs, Aries and Leo, so you can like it or lump it.) In her later years, I pleaded with her not to answer the door or to go outside when antagonised, not because she couldn't handle herself, but because these days, a) you never know how things will escalate and b) someone has to be the grown up. Although it kills me not to scare the bejeezus into the little.... darlings, I am choosing to be the grown up.
Forty minutes have passed and I haven't had another pounding of the front door, maybe my... taking the higher ground, actually worked.
So, Saturday, stomach cramps wake me at 5am. I don't feel up to working out so instead, I do two loads of washing, wet wipe the washing line, (again... I did it in Spring but it's now been rained on so much and not used, that it needs doing again,) and proudly, amidst the chilly air and wetter than wet morning dew, hang out my washing ready for the brilliant sunshine that we have been promised all week... this weekend.
I pegged each laundered piece out one by one, two pegs each, lovingly, in readiness for the sunshine. I still had time on my hands and so I commenced ironing before heading out for coffee.
It's a little busy here in Starbucks this Saturday morning, (I've just realised that Starbucks should be paying me some kind of commission for all of these mentions.) It's a little frenetic, quite busy and bustling, the music is a little intrusive, I should embrace it, it's lovely, but I'm feeling a little more silk pyjamas and eye mask today. I put on a little CBR, (Corrine Bailey Rae,) but I'd have to have her blasting in my eardrums to muffle out the din so the background noise is.... still in the background.
The good news is, I got home again, in time to take the washing in before the rain started. Yep, so much for glorious sunshine. Washing was just as damp as when I hung it out, three hours earlier.
After wrestling in the damp washing and finding somewhere to hang it, indoors, I ironed a little then B arrived to pick me up and we headed for Ness Gardens at noon.
We parked up just as a coach load were unloading and heading into the main building. I tell B that I'm making a break for it and I overtake the pensioners heading into the cafeteria, sounds mean but trust me, we'd have been there all day if we'd let the pensioners get seated before us. B has lasagne and I had bacon, cranberry and brie on wholemeal before we head off into the gardens.
Neither of us are particularly bursting with energy today and so we sit on pretty much every other bench that we come across, (there are many dedicated benches in Ness, thank goodness, really useful for a day like today.)
It's a nice day, not glorious sunshine, I have my jacket on the whole time we're walking around, that includes inclines, but it's still clement and we spy families and blue dragonfly's and busy bees and so much pond weed, I swear I could have walked across it was so thick. It's so peaceful though, no matter how many coach loads, and always calming, we have to do this next time you're home.
Towards the end, in the plant sale, a lady with a basket over her arm and cutting shears in her hands asks if we belong to the coach party. Do we look like we belong to the coach party????
I don't sleep well on Sunday night as usual, Monday morning, as I swoop around the bend of my close, heading out, the old man with the dog is on the footpath by the side of the road, he has already stopped as he always does in the wake of a car and he's waving at me before I even clap eyes on him. I wave and beam him a smile.
Work goes well, I appear to be super charged for some reason, be it, luck, skill or fluke, but I achieve just over two days worth of stats in a day on Monday, it's a great start to the week.
Tuesday I maintain my lead. Wednesday, I'm just closing the garage door at 5.25am, when I hear, "Morning Darling!" Scares me half to death but as I turn around, it's old man with the dog. I say "Morning!" All bright and breezy while I wait for my heart to stop beating quite so quickly, but I carry on closing the garage door and he carries on walking. By the time I turn to get into the car, he's walked far away but is now shouting and waving at me from a distance. I can't hear or understand a word because I'm next to the running engine of the car, and he has no teeth. He could be saying... "I'll kill you tomorrow, ok?" And I'm waving and smiling at him. He's not really, I'm sure he's lovely but I haven't a clue what he's just told me.
Wednesday and I've increased my stats lead. This isn't actually a good thing. We always argue about how difficult it is to get our stats and it is... I'm not actually sure what's happened this week, but I'm flying. I honestly feel like I'm on a production line though, and I'm bored. My craft has been honed. I'm churning out eloquent and lawful letters fit to go before a judge, and I could do it with my eyes closed, half asleep, with one hand tied behind my back, whilst I recite the alphabet backwards. I long for a challenging, creative task.
Wednesday evening and I'm usually in bed by now reading as there is nothing on TV. It's just before 7pm and a kid hammers with a fist, so hard on my front door, that the door almost flies open. As usual with these "knock and run" kids, they have fled the scene before I have got to the kitchen window. I remember being a kid, I even remember doing "knock and run" once, and only once, well it wasn't actually me, it was a group I was with. But I don't remember hammering hard enough to give someone a heart attack. I do remember why they hide like cowards though, it's because they know they have done wrong. And while the enraged lion in me wants to stride to the top of the drive and no doubt spot them cowering, waiting for my reaction, I quietly count to ten and hum a tune in my head until the anger subsides.
My Mum was always hot tempered, as am I, (we're fire signs, Aries and Leo, so you can like it or lump it.) In her later years, I pleaded with her not to answer the door or to go outside when antagonised, not because she couldn't handle herself, but because these days, a) you never know how things will escalate and b) someone has to be the grown up. Although it kills me not to scare the bejeezus into the little.... darlings, I am choosing to be the grown up.
Forty minutes have passed and I haven't had another pounding of the front door, maybe my... taking the higher ground, actually worked.
Friday, 1 June 2012
The Torch
I have had a dreadful week at work. I won't even bore you with the details, suffice to say that no one in authority takes ownership of their own mistakes and that no one in authority, at my place of work anyway, cares about the staff. I'm done now, thank you for listening.
So, in light of the farce in work that has gone on for the past two weeks, I decided to take extra leave. J is going on holiday the early hours of Thursday, so I won't have much contact and I won't see her for about three weeks. So I offered to take her shopping for last minute holiday stuff, and we could spend some time together.
Despite going to bed late on Wednesday night, I woke at 3.45am this Thursday morning, my usual time. I tried to get back to sleep for a good while, then got up at 5am. I had breakfast then jogged for an hour. It's cloudy and raining today, the first we've had for two weeks, and I don't care, I'm off work.
J and I avoided the Bridge like the plague as it was being closed while the Olympic torch was run across it. The Bridge was being closed for an hour, can you imagine the backlog of traffic? J and I headed for a neighbouring town, far, far away, where the traffic was free flowing.
We parked up and headed, in the horizontal rain, for Starbucks. A coffee and half a fruit toast later, plus a substantial conversational catch up, and we hit the shops. They are filled with holiday items, but as I'm not going anywhere and J is only going in this country, with the dogs, we passed on everything.
After mooching around the shops, with no purchases, J and I headed for Starbucks again, mainly for the sit down before we hit M&S for a food shop, they have special offers on for the weekend, and as it's "Dine for Two," I get two meals, or one meal twice, lucky me.
So, it's still raining when I get home. I start the ironing then head out to get my hair cut, it's desperate, I haven't been able to coax the barnet into anything for weeks now. After spending all day avoiding the torch, I see one! It's obviously a torch bearer, holding extinguished torch and having photo taken outside the Ferry Boat, remember we had coffee there? I park up and head for my hairdressers. Louise, my hairdresser asks me if I've had a stab at it myself and I confess all. She laughs and tells me that at least I own up, it's the customers who have clearly had a go themselves that don't own up that makes her scratch her head. As usual, I take multiple pictures to attempt to illustrate how I want it, better that than try to explain, but I always add that Louise can do what she wants, she has a great understanding of my weird hair, so I trust her. I ponder that I even saw a short hairstyle that I liked and that I considered it. Suffice to say that Louise put me straight, and with my weird, curly, fine, bald in places hair, there is no way on earth that I should consider going short, at least I know now. I really like Louise, she brings me to my senses. Absolutely no nonsense.
So I leave the hairdressers, do a little food shopping, (it's dead, think everyone is avoiding the torch,) and head home to make a few phone calls then continue with the ironing, life is so exciting.
So, in light of the farce in work that has gone on for the past two weeks, I decided to take extra leave. J is going on holiday the early hours of Thursday, so I won't have much contact and I won't see her for about three weeks. So I offered to take her shopping for last minute holiday stuff, and we could spend some time together.
Despite going to bed late on Wednesday night, I woke at 3.45am this Thursday morning, my usual time. I tried to get back to sleep for a good while, then got up at 5am. I had breakfast then jogged for an hour. It's cloudy and raining today, the first we've had for two weeks, and I don't care, I'm off work.
J and I avoided the Bridge like the plague as it was being closed while the Olympic torch was run across it. The Bridge was being closed for an hour, can you imagine the backlog of traffic? J and I headed for a neighbouring town, far, far away, where the traffic was free flowing.
We parked up and headed, in the horizontal rain, for Starbucks. A coffee and half a fruit toast later, plus a substantial conversational catch up, and we hit the shops. They are filled with holiday items, but as I'm not going anywhere and J is only going in this country, with the dogs, we passed on everything.
After mooching around the shops, with no purchases, J and I headed for Starbucks again, mainly for the sit down before we hit M&S for a food shop, they have special offers on for the weekend, and as it's "Dine for Two," I get two meals, or one meal twice, lucky me.
So, it's still raining when I get home. I start the ironing then head out to get my hair cut, it's desperate, I haven't been able to coax the barnet into anything for weeks now. After spending all day avoiding the torch, I see one! It's obviously a torch bearer, holding extinguished torch and having photo taken outside the Ferry Boat, remember we had coffee there? I park up and head for my hairdressers. Louise, my hairdresser asks me if I've had a stab at it myself and I confess all. She laughs and tells me that at least I own up, it's the customers who have clearly had a go themselves that don't own up that makes her scratch her head. As usual, I take multiple pictures to attempt to illustrate how I want it, better that than try to explain, but I always add that Louise can do what she wants, she has a great understanding of my weird hair, so I trust her. I ponder that I even saw a short hairstyle that I liked and that I considered it. Suffice to say that Louise put me straight, and with my weird, curly, fine, bald in places hair, there is no way on earth that I should consider going short, at least I know now. I really like Louise, she brings me to my senses. Absolutely no nonsense.
So I leave the hairdressers, do a little food shopping, (it's dead, think everyone is avoiding the torch,) and head home to make a few phone calls then continue with the ironing, life is so exciting.
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