Airport Angst

There is always some trauma when I fly.  Finishing off the job application form, I somehow lost track of time and we end up leaving for the airport around an hour later than I had planned.  J did an excellent job of getting me to the airport, still with a little time to spare and while managing to adhere to the speed limit... honestly.  However, I'm traumatised, I'd rather be an hour early than 2 minutes late and while I'm technically not late at all, I feel like I am.  On the plus side, for the first time ever, I glide through security and even have a nice chat with security man as I pass through the bleep machine, speaking of which, I probably should not have mentioned the "d" word or the "e" word in the previous post, heaven knows what adds will appear next. 

It's a small plane with two propellers, I'm assuming two, I can only actually see one from where I am.  My carry on luggage won't fit in the overhead compartment so it's rammed under the seat in front.  The emergency lighting in case we crash, appears to be fluorescent sticky tape but hey, I'm confident it'll do the required job and in any case, the nearest exit is only in the next row so I'll be fine.  We taxi for a few minutes then, just as the pilot puts his foot down, aiming for warp speed, the cockpit door flies open and scares the bejesus out of me but two minutes later, I'm gazing out of the window, admiring the green patchwork of fields below.  Flying above the clouds always amazes me, but I don't like to analyse it for too long, I'd rather just wonder at the fluffy magic of it all, can't help wondering if this is this what heaven looks like? 

Fifteen minutes into the flight and I'm starting to feel a little cooler and a little calmer, last week, I was searching for cabin crew jobs, now... I'm not so sure.  I'm wearing Pandora and enough Swarovski to blind the pilot as you never know who you'll bump into and what opportunities may arise.  Yep, the sun is hitting the bracelets and it looks like we have a glitter ball in here.

Coming in to land and we bank over the Solent, I've never sat on the right before and the view is amazing, the water looks so big and so green!  Captain Osborne brings us in for a textbook landing, really feel like I'm on holiday now.

Time to Pack

Had a horrible nights sleep last night, dreamt I was being chased along a pitch dark road, I crossed over the road as it was darker on the opposite side so that I was less visible, but when I got there, it was so dark I couldn't see where I was running, couldn't see a thing.  While I was running, I started to feel someone touching the top of my head, at which point I woke with heart pounding.  Tossed and turned the rest of the night then rose at 5.30 a.m. to breakfast and run, no time for stretches today. 
I've shopped and recycled and I'm here with my filter before heading home to pack for my weekend away.  I feel like I'm in a bit of a rut, so it'll be good to have a change of scenery and do something different.  Have the gillet on today, big mistake as we have, "that fine rain that soaks you," so, currently sporting rather wet sleeves.  However, 22 degrees down south today so I'm torn over what to pack.  You know how organised I like to be with outfits but a carry on bag is not very accommodating.

Put wash load in this morning, complete with silvery, grey scarf which I thought I may pack but it's stiff and scratchy so added it to the wash.  It's very fine like gossamer and apparently half of it's weight was dye because I now have a pale grey sports bra and slightly darker grey knickers.

I'm flying down which is always interesting.  I must look really suspicious as I usually get frisked and the last time I had my bag swabbed for drugs? explosives?  I even had my bag searched boarding the plane to leave Auckland so I'm internationally suspicious.  I've had conversations about the number of liquids I can fit into my baggie, "you should only pack essentials madam."  To me, mascara, perfume and okay, several tubes of lip balm are essential, you can never have too much lip balm, what if you have a lip balm emergency?

Carol has just been over to tell me her boss who was around on Monday, thinks I have a lovely smile apparently, I should hope so after a brace, an Invisalign adventure and hundreds of pounds worth of dentistry and Olympic class flossing.

Lucky Me?

It's the 6th and apparently today is supposed to be incredibly lucky for me!  So I'm here, with my filter coffee, waiting for a million pounds to drop on my head or some other such good fortune.  I'm now off work for six whole days, and I can't tell you how great it was to wake this morning and remember that I didn't have to go in.  Had a nice moment yesterday, a few weeks ago I had a chat with a colleague and we talked about life outside of work, about looking after ourselves, sleep, or lack of it, exercise, how bad smoking is for the body, it was just a general pep talk.  I gave her some encouragement and suggested introducing a bit of exercise even going for a walk after work to maybe help with the sleeping.  At the end of the chat, she hugged and thanked me for, I don't know?  Taking the time to listen?  Yesterday, I bumped into her and asked if she'd started to go for a walk yet, fully expecting her to tell me, not yet, too cold etc.  She quite proudly told me that she'd joined a slimming club, attends an exercise class once a week and has started walking/jogging at least a couple of times a week.  I couldn't have been more proud!  The effort and motivation is all her own but I wondered if I'd planted a tiny seed to get things moving and really felt like I'd done a good deed.

I didn't haul myself out of bed until 6.15 a.m. this morning by which time, I had totally seized up, think I need a new mattress.  I ran for 55 minutes then did 10 minutes of stretching with Blissology master, I was dripping with sweat but the stretches felt great although my balance is ropey... it used to be pretty good.

Watched Supersize vs Superskinny last night.  In case you haven't seen it, it is what it says on the wrapper.  Two members of Jo public enter the house, one obese, the other underweight and they diet swap for a week which creates all kinds of problems but, it is always interesting.  In previous series, they have shown a personal message from a morbidly obese American to the obese person.  This series, they fly out the UK person to meet the American so that they can see first hand what it's like to live at that size and  have a heartfelt, "don't venture down this road any further" chat.  The UK person was my height and just over double my weight, the American lady was double again and had severe mobility and health issues.  It was really sad to watch, the American lady was only 56 years old but had to reside in a retirement home, not an obesity facility and so her care was not geared to doing anything about the weight issue.  It was very brave of the lady to take part but the way she was filmed was dreadful, she was afforded no dignity at all and I wonder if the family gave consent to the final cut.  It was obviously filmed this way for shock value and to get a serious message across but there must have been another way to show this, shame on you Channel 4.

Remember "Ban", the Tsunami dog?  He has been reunited with his owner!  There are hundreds of animals who haven't been reunited but at least we have one happy ending.

Supposed to be a fabulous day here weatherwise, and while it's mild, (I had the patio door open this morning while I got ready,) yep, it's cloudy.  Beautiful sky though, it may be grey but it's gorgeous, the shades and depths of grey were mesmerising and the cloud formations just beautiful, smooth ones, fluffy ones, layer upon layer of shapes, there was even a volleyball player up there, mid dive and complete with head tilted skywards and a ball floating just above the players outstretched grip.

I didn't work out yesterday, I was running on empty when I got home but that's what you get when you have cereal at 4.15 a.m. then nothing for 12 hours except a rather disgusting tomato soup from the machine in the canteen, I'm fussy about tomato soup anyway so don't know what possessed me, plus, muscles were complaining... everywhere.

Watched a couple of episodes of Bondi Rescue last night, one of the regular lifeguards who broke his neck surfing last year was featured.  It was really moving to see him in hospital then working on regaining his strength.  The progress he made was incredible, I won't tell you what else he got up to as I don't want to spoil it but it was a really great, inspiring and heartwarming episode.  The other ep was great for very different reasons, one of my faves seems to have had a bit of a make-over.  I thought he was handsome when he was a little unkempt, not the tallest, not the fittest, (sorry,) but the newly shorn hair and designer stubble isn't bad either.  Is it warm in here?

4th April

Good Morning!  It's such a treat to be here today, I'm here for a quick coffee, then home to work.  It's so quiet here!  The day started beautifully, around 5.30 a.m. we had a goregous blue and pink sky, it's now as dull as dish water and looks like it's going to chuck it down.

I did the TA butt and thigh workout again yesterday, if I only do 10 reps of each move on both legs, I'm done and dusted in 10 minutes!  Ran this morning for an hour, I've been wondering why I feel like I'm getting stiffer, especially in the lower back and hips instead of feeling fitter.  According to my "blissology" instructor, Eoin Finn, (he uses words like "blissification" which is so cute, even if it is made up,) running causes tightness which is why it's important to stretch!  Lucky for me, Eoin has very kindly provided yoga stretching for runners on You Tube which is another one to add to my list, what did we do before You Tube?

I read through the job applicaiton form yesterday, you need to have existing experience in the area they're advertisting for but I'm going to have a bash anyway.  I'm not totally devoid of what they're looking for so will just have to blow my own trumpet and see what happens!

Happy Mothers Day!

Hello Sweetie, before I forget, can we go kayaking again on my next visit?  I know I gave you a fright when I disappeared temporarily around that bend, but if you forget about that, slight, heart stopping moment, and me getting caught in a bush by my hair, it was so amazing!  I felt like I was in Jurassic Park, everything was so big, unspoilt and quiet, and like a dinosaur may appear at any moment.  Can't wait to do it again.
Did you read about the Japanese Tsunami dog?  A dog has survived three weeks at sea and been found alive and well, if a little traumatised.  The dog was in his owners house which had floated out to sea, sadly, no other survivors where found.  You can't help but wonder about the dog's owners, I hope they made it.  If that dog could speak; what a tale he could tell.
I'm totally addicted to "Nothing to Declare,"  just watched an episode in which 40 reptiles and lizards were being smuggled out of Oz, poor little buggers were cooped up in socks and while I'm not a lover of such, I felt so sorry for them and for what they'd been through.  Sadly, only half survived.  How can people do such things?  The Shingleback lizard of which I'm now acquainted with, has quite a cute face...for a lizard.

I know that you're dying to know if my bum survived the Tracy Anderson workout.  Having attempted the Tracy Anderson cardio DVD, for which you need a degree in dance-ology and a rather large room in which to spin out of control in without doing too much damage, I wasn't sure how I was going to fair.  I was however pleasantly surprised, you don't have to be a qualified contortionist or have muscles like Madonna to do the moves and Tracy was very encouraging throughout.  You're on your hands and knees for most of the time as if you're going to do a mini press-up then lift one leg at a time into various moves, you're not just working the butt and thighs but the arms, abs and shoulders too.  I was quite impressed with myself, I managed 15 - 20 reps of each move, (Tracy does 30.)  My form wasn't fabulous but then neither is my butt...yet.  As I gazed south throughout the workout to check on my form, was leg higher than hip etc, it wasn't a pretty view but hey, plenty of time to improve.  I can feel it a bit in the derriere this morning but also in my thighs, supporting leg takes a bit of a battering, in my shoulders and in that bit between shoulders and neck, but in a good way like after a workout not in a, "dear heaven make it stop" way. 

I ran for an hour this morning, it was great although really should invest in a new sports bra.  The two I have are eons old, one is like armour plating and the other one can stand up by itself... without me in it.

Did a few stretches with happy yoga man on tv, (Eoin Finn,) post running and ended with a shoulder stand, haven't done one of those since my last Pilates class which was ages ago!

Burnt knuckle on oven yesterday, pretty good for me, it's at least a week since I last burned a digit, running it under cold water and my trusty Elastoplast burn spray did the trick and it's not too bad today.

I was standing in line to buy a lottery ticket yesterday when I got that unmistakable feeling of a tiny human wrapping himself around my leg.  It was so cute, Mummy behind asked if he thought that was Mummy and he really should look before he wraps himself around a wayward leg.  I said "Hello!" but he just looked like, "who the hell are you?"  Cute moment though, for me, toddler maybe scarred for life.

Watched the most of "Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles" yesterday, dear Lord, what a waste of time that was.  Possibly the worst film ever made, and I say that with affection.  I remember a very long time ago, absolutely no idea what show but Paul Hogan was doing a piece on how the first few slices of bread in an already opened loaf, where utterly poisonous, (he was right incidentally.)    Love Paul Hogan but gee, this was bad. 

It is of course Mother's Day over here and so, I can't help but think of mine. Not going to wallow here but one of my favourite memories of Mum is very blurry.  You know when you laugh so hard your eyes well up?  Mum and I were in the kitchen, creating separately, but together.  After a misunderstanding over who was doing what, we were laughing so hard, I was crying, but through those blurry eyes, I could still see that wide and bright smile and scrunched up, loving eyes.  Can't help but think she was seeing the exact same thing reflected back at her.

This afternoon I need to tidy then I have a date with Bondi's finest while I catch up on chores.  Working from home tomorrow but not without coffee first so you may get more ramblings very soon.  Happy Mother's Day x

Smile!

Dentist went well yesterday, my dentist is brilliant bless him, he knows I'm always petrified and after he'd asked me how I was and I'd replied in a high pitched voice, "I'm fine," he launched into a conversation about travelling around the country and the waterfront development, either to pass the time while I numbed up or to distract me, probably a bit of both.  The filling was, "tiny" as promised but in an awkward place and we'll apparently have to keep an eye on it, typical.  I never have anything normal with my teeth, I hate teeth.

I seem to be running ahead of schedule so far today, I slept great, apart from brief spell around 1am, I ran for an hour again this morning, playlist currently rocks so it requires practically no effort on my part to keep going as the tunes pick me up and push me along!

So, I'm away next weekend, I will of course be writing to you while I'm away and I'll post on my return.  This afternoon will be spent putting outfits together, it's very difficult to pack for various events in a little tiny weekend case, we have a few things planned so I'll need to get imaginative in the clothes department.

I've found a job to apply for so keep everything crossed, I think the closing date is 12th April, only drawback is I'll be giving up my lovely Sunday mornings sitting here, writing to you and watching the world go by while I sip the beverage of my choice, fear not, I will find some other time in which to write.

Watched a bit of Gok yesterday, I do love Gok but the last two episodes I've seen were he dresses the victim... subject of the make-over, up in clothes they would never normally wear then sends them off about their normal day, whether that be collecting the kids from school or going to work, call me a prude but if he's dressing these women in a theme, the theme appears to be that of; "prostitute."  I wouldn't thank him for dressing me up in a clinging jersey mini dress with plunging neckline and high heels to go to work in.

Also caught an episode of Ugly Betty were Posh appears as Wilhelmina's bridesmaid for her wedding to Jim Robinson, she was really funny!

At some point today, I'm going to attempt Tracy Anderson's Butt and Thigh webisode.  It looks like a killer, I've watched it through once and she says to start slowly with low reps and who am I to argue with the expert so that is what I'll be doing.  I'll report back tomorrow and now that I've rather foolishly told you all of that...I'll have to do it.

Corrine Bailey Rae has just come on singing; "Put Your Records On," reminds me of all of us in the car on Good Friday on the way to the beach!

Just about to flick through my copy of Janet Street Porters, "Life's Too ******** Short," it's a guidance manual, not for the easily offended or faint of heart, but really funny and full of gems like; "too much cack on your face will ruin it."  Brilliant.

Dentist

I'm working from home today...or I will be.  I figured that my brain would be more cooperative and in a happier place, if I started the day with a few hours for myself before jumping into the reports which lay in wait for me.  So, this morning started with extra sleep then an hour long job followed by my favourite coffee.  This is the last perk before switching roles at work so two days working from home equals at least two hours extra sleep!

After I finish my filter coffee... you know where I am, I'll be off to the dentist for a "tiny" filling, it had better be tiny.  Work has flown by this week just because I've been so busy, Wednesday I had five meetings in five hours then couldn't sleep that night... wonder why!

Last weekend I indulged in a little blast form the past and wallowed in "Three Men and a Baby."  Tom Selleck, ahhhhh Tom Selleck, the lovely Celeste Holm...Celeste Holm was in "High Society," played Jack's Mother, (Ted Danson's character,) even Captain Brass from CSI was in it, he was the baddie.  It was great to watch again, best line of the film; "I've had enough of this do-do!"  Priceless.

It's a very grey day here today, looks like it's going to bucket down actually.  Still no further on with the career pondering and no responses yet from my jewel enquiries, keep everything crossed!