New Job, New Top

My sister Jemma, the one who lives with me, the old one (;D), has had M.E. and epilepsy since the age of nine. Because of these incurable illnesses, she has never been able to work. Since moving out she's decided she would like to test her illness and her body and see if it could cope with a little work. So, a few weeks ago she went to see the local job centre people and they found her a placement in BHS. It's only one afternoon a week and she won't be paid for it (it's a scheme they've put her on where she's just trying work so that her benefits won't be affected if it doesn't work out); she started work for the first time yesterday. There's no guarantee that she won't get ill, there's no guarantee that she will. At the moment it's all a case of trial and error. It's fantastic that she's come this far and I'm more than proud of just that achievement. Over the coming weeks we'll see how her body's coping with it, whether or not it's depramental to her health, and if it's worth continuing on. Only time will tell... But for now: WELL DONE, JEM, ON THE NEW JOB!

To show my support, I went down with her yesterday. The shop is in a retail park so while she went off to work I went Christmas shopping. Yes, I know it's only October but something's telling me to start buying early this year. It was a very long afternoon but I have to admit it was extremely enjoyable. I really am enjoying going out and about by myself. I've always liked my alone time but that's always been in the house; now I'm starting to enjoy the confidence that going out and about by myself brings. I still think I prefer having someone to giggle with and talk to but there are definitely bonuses to shopping alone. One is that you can shop for presents with everyone in mind, instead of having to ignore things you think the person you're shopping with would like. I did quite well. I bought Daddy this because he loves the fun of Christmas and always says that presents should be inventive. I also got Jem a funny present (we always get each other a silly one as well as normal ones ;D) which I won't link to because then she'll know what it is. I got Ray a couple of small things - this being the best ;) Amber's birthday present has been bought as well.

Then there was the second bonus of shopping alone: trying on clothes you probably wouldn't normally do in company. I picked up a top in Next. It wasn't my usual style but it felt lovely and soft and I just thought it was a superbly sexy garment. Now, I don't do sexy. I'm clumsy and dorky and even if I try and be pretty I usually have to ruin it with a pair of trainers. This top was gorgeous, though. I tried it on, was surprised by how well it fit and how much I liked it. I then nearly passed out when I read the price. Usual clothes in Next cost between £20-£30. This gorgeous, lovely, sexy top... only £12! I told myself no - no, no, no. Bargain, yes, sexy, yes; but, no, I was Christmas shopping not me shopping. I persuaded myself by saying it could be my Christmas top - as in the one I'll wear to all the Christmas dinners I'll be attending. So I bought it.



Mine is black and so makes much more of an impact than the coloured ones do but you get the idea in the pictures.

I now have only enough funds to get the rest of the Christmas presents and no more treats for myself. I think I may have to do the rest of my shopping online, that way I won't get distracted by pretty things. But, hey, at least I'll look good during the festivities!

Labels: christmas, clothes, jem, life, photos, shopping

by Ys | COMMENTS? 3 | permalink |  

All That Glitters

I thought I was the only person who'd seen Velvet Goldmine. I watched it back in '98 with Mammy and really enjoyed it. Since then although I've spoken about it - who could forget Ewan McGregor jumping up and down on stage with his pants round his ankles? - I haven't found a copy anywhere. Then Hannah randomly mentioned the film and I jumped on her to borrow a copy. This weekend I introduced Ray and Jemma to "Velvet Goldmine".



It's glittery and fabulous! I'd forgotten Batman was in it, and that the main star was actually Henry VIII not Ewan McGregor. The film is still as great as I remember it being, even more so in fact.



I'd forgotten it was a film about being gay, being yourself, fighting the prejudices. A coming-of-age type of film set in the seventies where there's so much glitter, flared pants and platform shoes. My memories were of Ewan McGregor naked and Ewan McGregor high. Now I've seen it again I can see why it spoke to me on more than just the enjoyment level. I've always been a fan of films that concentrate on the underdogs.



Perhaps this film shaped the path of my future job. I can see elements of Tajar in there. I can also see now why I thought having two extremely pretty boyfriends all to myself could be possible after all; that people other than me were bisexual - and that they were having fun with it. Around the time of first seeing this film I stopped thinking I must be gay and too scared to admit it (although I've never been afraid of such a thing) and just accepted the fact that I liked both genders. I wonder now whether "Velvet Goldmine" played a part in my acceptance.

Go rent the film. You won't be disappointed.

Labels: films, homo-erotic, life, photos, writing

by Ys | COMMENTS? 2 | permalink |  

Making Friends

It's been a busy couple of days and I'm still trying to catch up with it all. You know what it's like when you meet a new(ish) person and they make you start to see things and yourself in different ways? I'm experiencing that right now.

On Wednesday I went out for lunch with a girl who I last saw when I was eleven years old. We've been corresponding via email for the last six months or so and have met up once before but my shyness took over then and I just clammed up. This time round we knew each other better, and, more importantly, knew we were both shy and nervous about meeting up; so promised each other not to let the nerves take over. And it worked. I had a really lovely time; one of those days you hope to have but never expect to. Weirdly, although we've been apart for fourteen years we've lived mirrored lives at times. It's an equal balance that makes the friendship really work. We know enough about what the other's been through because we've experienced a version if it ourselves, but, there's still plenty of other things that's new to one another to make it, well, new. We had lunch, we had drinks, we talked about old friends, remenisced over things we remembered from childhood. We discussed relationships and family; the good parts of growing up and the bad. I wondered how long the meet-up would last; I didn't end up getting home 'til gone seven in the evening.

In many ways we're very similar. In many ways we're not. Again, it's a perfect balance. I feel very blessed to have found her again. I honestly didn't think I would. I thought we were too far apart now. I mean, how many people do you know who are still friends with the person who was their best friend from the age of three? People grow, they experience things that change them, and often they leave the people behind who were there at the beginning. In this case that's not true. The years apart have made a new friendship. And I'm really enjoying it :)

We've promised each other more lunch dates, more cups of tea; maybe even a night out or two (if the budgets hold). It feels very strange to be making a new(ish) friend at my age because the last time I made a new friend - and I mean a proper close friend - I was probably still in school. Making friends in adulthood is such a different experience. The good thing is it means there's lots more to talk about because you've experienced more, and there's absolutely no whining about parents and how they don't understand you ;) I think there was so much gushing over family members. It was nice to be with someone who was able to show me, just by listening, how much I have in my life and how happy I am. The bad times were bad and I was pleased by how little I wanted to dwell on them, and how hard they were to actually remember considering how good things have become since. Sure, some days can still be crap. I'm not one-hundred percent happy with where I am, I wish some things were easier than what they are, but I have my health (cough and snot aside ;D), my boy, my family, my Sweepie, my writing, and a brand new friend to share it all with.

When you look at it more closely, making friends is such a selfish thing, isn't it? ;D

Labels: friends, life

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Catch Up With Pictures

I lost my internet connection! AOL had a turn and decided to breakdown. It's only been working for the last few hours (thanks to Amber for walking Jem through the steps of how to reconfigure her modem!) so I have got so much to catch up on online.

My news? Well... Ray bought me some flowers, which were very pretty.





Sweepie is still as cute as a button:



Yesterday I took myself into town and as what usually happens when I'm there on my own I started to shop. Although I did look around the clothes shops and fall in love with several cardigans, I actually bought stuff for the house, which is my second favourite shopping trip :) I ended up buying some more spotty things for the kitchen - yes, there are more spots out there for me to buy!



And I also bought Ray this beast of a guy because of all the gorgeous Halo toys I looked at he was the heaviest!



Now it's time to start shopping for Christmas!

Labels: christmas, halo, house stuff, internet, life, photos, ray, shopping, sweepie

by Ys | COMMENTS? 4 | permalink |  

Pre-Weekend Hits

I'm still coughing. I have no idea why.

Badminton sucked today. I won four out of the six games but there were too many other badminton players there. Only they weren't playing more just making noise and pissing me off. Why has everyone in Wales decided to play badminton now? And why are they playing it where I go to play?

I averted a crisis over shopping bills. Do you know it's true what grown up people say: talking about things before they esculate into hysteria is a good move. And there was me thinking the head-in-sand option was the best one to go with.

The cleaning was strangely fun today. I zapped every single room downstairs with my polish, lemony Mr Muscle and vaccum cleaner. My back now hurts and the vaccum cleaner is making strange high-pitched noises.

The housing market is crashing, it'll be years and years before we can afford to get onto the ladder. So we're all three stuck here. Growing older and more irritated by one another. This is God's little joke. He's up there on His cloud, chuckling and pointing, saying, I let you move out; don't go asking for more than rented accomodation. He tries me. And I love Him for it.

Sex was amazing last night. (God isn't spiteful all the time.)

I have absolutely nothing planned for the weekend. And I like that fact. Who needs plans? The last-minute ones are always much more fun :)

I tell a lie there is one plan: to buy the new copy of Look magazine. I'll be lost in celeb goss and fashion for the weekend. See you Monday!

Labels: badminton, house stuff, life, money, religion, sex

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on being a girl

A while ago I mentioned how I needed some help to be girlie. Gen suggested I buy a magazine every week and indulge my inner female. So I took her advice. I went for the prettiest one of the rack, one I've been known to read before and enjoy, one which mixes both blatant lies about celebs (come on, we all love the lies) and heaps of fashion, all mixed together with some pretty damn fine page layouts. Look is my new best friend.

Continuing on on my Embrace The Fact That You're A Girl mission, I have fallen in love with a jacket. It's just out of my price range, I keep telling myself I don't need a new jacket, my green one is still gorgeous, but nothing can stop me thinking about this coat.



According to my new best friend it is the height of fashion, too, which makes me quite smug. Because I've never been fashionable and never known what was in for this season and out for next. Seems like this embracing my inner girl has brought out a fashion victim ;)

I'm enjoying being girlie. It means I nearly always wear pretty clothes and I now get new reading material weekly. Plus, I found out that "The Hills" is now playing every Saturday morning on Channel 4. I am now officially happy :)

Labels: life, photos, shopping, the hills

by Ys | COMMENTS? 2 | permalink |  

Rugby Groupie

The rugby was fun on Saturday. It was a lovely warm, sunny day, which always makes for a good day to stand pitch-side. We lost rather spectacularly but that's apparently been the norm for his season. It was almost as though we'd never been away. No one spoke to us, save for a handful of hellos, and we were quickly surrounded by the opposing team. It was nice that it wasn't a big deal that we were there.

Now I'm not sure if it was just because it was a sunny day, because I had such a fun time, or if it's really something I miss but... I really do feel like I might want to go back to supporting the team on a weekly basis. Leaving was a bit of a non-event. We weren't exactly liked down there anyway cos we'd stopped working on the website (handed it over to someone who had more time for it, but there you go), they were all high on themselves cos they'd gone up a division and it was like it didn't matter that we'd supported them when they were crapper than crap, they were a division higher, we'd stopped working on the website so we weren't needed anymore. I didn't mind too much; I had Ray to keep me busy; and then the new house. Things have settled down now, though, and I feel like maybe I have time to devote to the rugby again. Only in a supporters way, not in a running-the-website way. I wouldn't go to the away games cos I can't be bothered but I think I'd like to do the home games again.

Like I say, this might be just rose-tinted glasses cos it was such a lovely sunny day after about a month of greyness. I might go next time (in a couple of weeks this would be) and hate it. But I guess nothing ventured nothing gained, right? I have missed seeing the boys every Saturday and hearing their inane chatter about which girl they've shagged and how many pints they drank the night before. I think I've just missed being surrounded by people my own age.

So I think I have decided to become a rugby groupie again. Only without the outrageous flirting because this time round I have a boyfriend. That should mean it's more fun because there'll be no sexual frustration involved ;)

Labels: life, rugby, tumble

by Ys | COMMENTS? 2 | permalink |  

Something for the weekend

I'm not leaving a woe-is-me entry up all weekend!

Ray and I talked last night. I asked if we could, we did, and we just got everything out in the open. He understands why I'm feeling insecure; I understand it's not completely his fault. I think it's just been one of those times where everything fell down all at once and we were both just scrambling to catch everything and put it back in place. As I said last night, I like the fact that we have tough times. I trust it more when we go through a bad time because then I know we're strong enough and love each other enough to see through those shitty times. So all is getting back on track again now. Cue loved up happy me again :)

I've bought myself something ... It's okay, this was in the budget; this wasn't an impulse buy. I got myself some pretty basic black shoes. I just needed a pair that had a small heel but weren't too fashiony; something I could wear with skirts and trousers, that would give me a small lift, and were comfortable. They were a steal at ten pounds!

Weekend plans include the rugby with Daddy. It's Ray's fault. We were out at the weekend and we met some of his friends from college. They did this group boyish cry when they saw him and I immediately thought of the rugby boys. I felt all nostalgic and decided it was time to pay a visit. So we're all going down tomorrow afternoon to watch the game and then spend a couple of hours in the pub catching up. Sunday? I think that will be swallowed up with trips to visit the two families, which means lots of cups of tea and choccy biscuits mmm ;)

So crisis averted. I was adult about it and talked the problem through. Which has to be a first for me because I much prefer sticking my head in the sand and hoping it all goes away. Now I can look forward to a weekend of making up :)

Labels: daddy, life, love, ray, rugby, shoes, shopping, tumble

by Ys | COMMENTS? 0 | permalink |  

just call me insecure

I was just writing in my diary and I realised that this last week has been one of the worst in a long time. So much upset and anger and fear and worry. I haven't argued with Ray this much ever, as far as I'm aware. He's never made me feel this insecure before. I know none of it was his fault. He can't help when he's called into work, how long that job will last, when his boss will not get work in and therefore have to give him a day off. But when I'm away I feel really lonely. The last thing I need to hear is that every time I'm not there he's coming home early. I then don't need to have to start walking myself home from the job because, yes, you've guessed it, he's finishing work late on the day he was supposed to be there to pick me up. And then on my first proper full day home he's late back again. And I then get told that he acts nicer when I'm away.

I know if it was anyone else's boyfriend I'd be saying they were perfectly reasonable in suspecting something was going on. I mean, your boyfriend is meant to want to be there with you and will do anything to make that possible. To hear that he's then arriving home early when you're not there and late when you are... yes, a reason to hear alarm bells. But, like I said, he really isn't in control of his work hours. It's a small firm, he's bottom of the pack, and therefore the hours are controlled by how much work needs to be completed on that day and how much work his co-worker (the next one up in the chain of command) wants to do. But when I'm away my mind does evil things to me and my imagination shows me things I'd really rather not ever see.

I've never really experienced jealousy and insecurity like this before. And it's bloody horrible. I know I'm bugging him a lot with my jokes about him having another woman; I know it hurts him when I tell him, no, I don't trust him (in fairness I don't really trust anyone; that's just what happens when everyone you've ever really cared about has stabbed you in the back). And I know it's making me feel really sad.

Basically, this week sucks. I'll be glad when it and the feelings it's conjured are but a very vague memory.

Labels: dog-sitting, life, love, ray

by Ys | COMMENTS? 3 | permalink |  

I Am A Girl

I'm dog-sitting again so naturally I get a text from Ray saying he's finishing up work early today :/ It's amazing how in equal measures that boy can make me feel so strong and capable and yet at the same time weak and useless. The dog-sitting has really upped my confidence these last few weeks. I always hate the thought of doing the jobs and yet after a few goes it just makes me feel so much better about myself. It's not the whole work ethic thing; I've never been one to need a job to define myself or to make myself worthy. I think it's just the fact that I'm doing something by myself and even though things always go wrong I somehow manage to deal with it. It makes me stronger, which I like, because I get far too shy and introverted sometimes.

I am now hooked on... The Hills. I know, I know, what am I thinking, right? Well, I thought the same thing when I first watched an episode. I sat laughing, asking what the hell the show was all about. But somehow I've got hooked. I think it's cos Lauren (the main girl) seems like a me kind of girl, as in she's normal and not overly Hollywood. Hey, if nothing else we all need a guilty pleasure, don't we? ;)



In related-girlie news: I went shopping Saturday. I know we're poor and getting poorer (so far new bills include the car, the electric and gas, and the water) but as a treat for all the work I've been doing I bought myself: a navy top and flared jeans. Funnily enough I only tried the top on cos it looked pretty and with no intentions on buying it, and only picked up the jeans cos I was wearing a skirt and so needed trousers to try the top on with. My number one rule when trying not to shop is to not to take a whole outfit into the changing room cos you just know that you're going to fall in love and end up spending ten times more than you ever intended to. Oh well, it's a pretty outfit and I did need some new jeans... ;)

I'm allowing myself one more treat and that's to go and see my friend for a lunch date. I haven't seen her in ages (we're both always too poor) so it's going to be really nice to spend a good few hours doing the girlie chat thing.

And that's all my girlie news for the day ;)

Labels: dog-sitting, friends, life, money, ray, shopping, the hills, tv

by Ys | COMMENTS? 1 | permalink |  

on being annoyed

I'm annoyed so I thought I'd whineblog about it to make myself feel better.

Monday I asked Ray to take the day off work. He said he had to go in. Tuesday I tried again. "I'm not going to be here for the rest of the week." But he had to go into work. Now today, Friday, the day I'm away he leaves me a message saying that he's got the day off work. To say I was annoyed is an understatement. Yes, I know, sensible me says that we need the money and he can't just go taking days off whenever he feels like it; and it's not his fault that the boss gave him today off. But screw being sensible! I want to bitch and whine about the fact that I asked for two days this week and he said no and then when I'm away he has a day off! So my Quality Time With Ray has now turned into Ray Hanging Out With Jemma Until It's Time To Pick Me Up. Which just isn't fair.

On top of that: money. My least favourite subject. Ray got on the phone to me last night and the first thing he said after hello was that the gas and electric is going up another 20-odd percent next month (oh joy), and, that the exhaust has fallen off the car. The car that we just spent £220 fixing (I never did tell the Tale of the Car of Woe, did I? I'll try to remember that) now has to have at least another £50 spent on it. I told him he could have left that wonderful news until I'd come home.

This week has been a bad one. But I think I'm coping remarkably well considering this is my third day off the pill. I've only burst into tears a few times ;)

Labels: car, dog-sitting, life, money, ray, the pill

by Ys | COMMENTS? 4 | permalink |  

Waterboard Misery

And the fun didn't stop there.

I'd forgotten my toothbrush. So Ray brought it round for me after he finished work. One crisis averted. But there was another. The water went off.

I was sitting eating my dinner when the pipes suddenly started making some very strange gurgling noises. I finished up eating, tried to run the taps to wash up and nothing happened except an awful lot of noise. I got in touch with the guy who's house this is and he said I should ring the waterboard because this has happened before. So me who hates ringing people I don't know about things I don't really understand picked up the phone dialled the number and spoke to a very lovely woman who said they'd sent an engineer out to look into the problem. She said to ring back in an hour if the water still wasn't on. It wasn't so I rang again. A hydrant had burst (I think that's what she said) and was being fixed and the water was due on any minute. True to her word it did come back on. But it was spitting and gurgling and a lovely yellow or green in colour. Yum. I had to drink Pepsi Max as my Last Drink Before Bed and cleaned my teeth with the minimal of water. How the hell I fell asleep after being doped up on Pepsi Max I'll never know; that stuff usually gets me shaking and wide-eyed. This morning the water was still brown. I rang the waterboard again who said they were going to flush it all through again (whatever that means) and that if I ran the kitchen tap it would eventually clear (I had already done that for about an hour the previous night - and I hate wasting water! - and it hadn't worked...).

It does seem to have cleared up a bit now but I'm not risking it just yet. I mean, there's all these stories about people getting sick in North Wales from contaminated water and there's me seeing yellow water spurting from the taps... I know it's probably safe enough but yellow water just conjures up bad thoughts, doesn't it?

The gardener also came round this morning and spent about two hours mowing the lawn, when it really should have taken no more than thirty minutes. I'd planned on sitting out the back reading in the sun (yes we have sun today!). Instead I sat in the freezing cold living-room and finished up Song of Susannah (just as weirdly short as I remembered it being). So now the plan is to read The Dark Tower in the garden this afternoon. I might even get out the Bible and have a read of that too. I always enjoy reading the Bible outdoors; feels as though I'm closer to God somehow.

That's the plan anyway. To be honest my plans don't tend to pan out too well...

Labels: bible, dog-sitting, life, reading

by Ys | COMMENTS? 3 | permalink |  

The Sex Pill

Do you know, since reading Todger Talk I've realised just how many people out there have trouble with their sex lives. I feel unbelievably blessed that after a few rocky months (on both parties sides) everything is great, feels great, is great, and we can still sit and talk about how much we enjoy each other physically. We're not always both horny at the same time, we don't always keep the same speed, but nine times out of ten we are, we do and it's amazing. And I've never been so attuned to another person's body before. If he's not feeling right then neither am I, even if I don't know why. I never realised it was rare to feel this way. Or is it just that Todger Talk attracts a lot of people who have troubles?

The reason I mention it is because the majority of people blame their birth control pills/injections. Again, I feel extremely lucky because apart from the first few months when I started (and who the hell feels great when they're bleeding for about four weeks?) it hasn't affected my libido in any way. It didn't make me put on heaps of weight. It did give me bigger breasts (which are not as fun as I thought they would be cos they ache now!). It did stop me getting pregnant. It did alter my moods, I can be scarily, deriously happy so much that I'm crying with laughter and half the time I don't know why; flip it and the tears are tears and I'm extremely low and I don't know why. But the laughter happens more; the tears are only pre-period, during my week off.

And the reason I mention that is because on Tuesday I took my last pill. I was meant to wait until the prescription ended in December but I started to feel the low times much more than the highs. And I know my luck. While I'm waiting out the end of my prescription I'll suddenly fall foul of the depressive side-effects. It was Ray's suggestion; I agreed; we discussed it all again just to make sure and we were sure. As from Wednesday 17th September I'll no longer be popping pills.

For the record this doesn't mean we're planning babies, cos we're definitely, definitely not. It does hopefully mean I'll be more my hormonally-challenged self again, and my extreme highs and lows will even out to just plain old human nature. And hopefully my breasts will shrink. Now if you'd have told me ten years ago I'd be saying something like that... ;)

Labels: life, ray, sex, the pill

by Ys | COMMENTS? 3 | permalink |  

Catching Up

I've been absent from the internet all weekend! In fact the last week has seen so much work done that I don't think I've spent more than a few minutes checking in on my favourites and answering emails. Planning a party for Daddy has been hectic - and I was only helping out in the evenings! My poor mother must be just about ready to drop. But it's all done now. I'll do a proper post about it once I've got the pictures uploaded. In short: it was tiring, fun, and there was singing and guitars.

Whilst I've been busy another one has run off and eloped... CONGRATULATIONS Jenny & Mike. They were sneaky and pretended to be planning a big wedding and then snuck off and did it on their own, which I think was a great idea :) I hope you two have a great life together :)

I'm just checking up on the blogs now and will probably bombard everyone with lots of comments throughout the day - you've been warned. I'll be having a break soon because Jem's friend Shannon has come down for the day to visit. So far we've walked the dogs, and now them two have gone off down the beach. We'll lunch together and then Jem is showing her the town. Shannon is lovely. So smiley and friendly - and I adore her Australian accent. I think she should live locally and just pop in every morning to smile at me and that way I'd always be happy :)

Labels: birthday, blogging, daddy, jem, life, mammy, visitors, weddings

by Ys | COMMENTS? 1 | permalink |  

Making A Home

I did indeed join the Mages Guild... but only because I'd completed my third mission of the Fighter's Guild. That was my rule to myself: three missions and then I can join a new Guild. I suck at sneaking so I'm not sure I'll be any good at Fink's favourite Guilds. I much prefer talking to people, making potions and bartering. My levels are so high on those three. I'm starting to get into my Spells now, though... Watch this space ;)

I only played "Oblivion" in the afternoon today, though. Because today was the Landlord Inspection day. He turned up on time (which none of us were expecting because he's so laidback he's usually quite late), he said hello to the dogs and went out the back to check on the paintwork on the outside of the house. Ray went with him, they did their man-chat thing where he asked if things were going okay, any problems, how long do you think you'll want to stay, etc. Then they came in, he asked us girls the same things, breifly, and then he left. He apparently told Ray he liked how the house looked; I'll take that praise smugly ;) So really there wasn't any need to clean as frantically as we did but I'd happily have the house this clean every day if I could :) The house feels even more like mine now. It feels more homely somehow. Probably because I've been expecting the landlord to turn up and say he wants to sell up (during a credit crunch and all!). I want to lavish the place with new pretty things but I can't afford it right now. (If you're lucky, I'll tell you the tale about a certain silver car that is going to be scrapped if she doesn't sort her ass out, later in the week; and if I'm very lucky there'll be a happy ending.) And the new Ikea catalogue just fell through the letterbox! God can be unkind sometimes ;)

Anyway, tomorrow I get back to writing full-time, which means only part-time playing of "Oblivion" - how will I cope? - so there should be much less mooing on about all things "Oblivion", which I am well aware is extremely boring if you don't play the game.

Reality, here I come (for a short time anyway...).

Labels: house stuff, landlord, life, oblivion, writing

by Ys | COMMENTS? 3 | permalink |  

Unreality Vs Reality

I've resurfaced for a little while; thought I'd better enter the real world and see what's happening ;) I am seriously that bad; the game has me absolutely smitten. I'm up to level five already, which doesn't sound like a lot, but I have only been playing it for three days. I'm kind of upset it's grabbed me cos I can't get anything done anymore. At least it's not affecting my writing, not in a negative way anyway. Oblivion might not be anything like "Olimpia Valley" (or anything else I write for that matter) but it hasn't stopped the inspiration from flooding my senses. I won't be able to write again until Tuesday, though, cos we have the big Inspection By The Landlord on Monday to contend with. Which also means a weekend of cleaning, cleaning and cleaning (with some Oblivion playing, of course).

The visit from the landlord has set me off into my daydreams of what if he says... My whatif this time is What if he was to say he'd sell us the house if we rented it for at least two years? (which gives him time to pay off the mortgage using our rent). I have wonderful plans for this house; this house that will probably never be mine. Such as the full upstairs extension to go with the downstairs one, which would add two massive rooms to the upstairs area. That would add so much value to the house. And would also give me an office for writing. I'd also put the back-door in the kitchen instead of having those silly crappy double patio doors that we have in the back-room. Those doors would then be filled in (like next door) and we'd have a lovely big picture window there. And don't even get me started on the back garden... Bye-bye huge decking and hello green grass and a perfectly proportioned raise decking area. Hmm such big plans ;)

But to start with we have to get through the Inspection. The house is usually always clean so I'm not too worried. If the weather holds out I want to do the gardening tomorrow, then Sunday we're all going to pitch in and give the house one final rub down to make it sparkle that extra bit more.

Which is why this Oblivion crush should not have started now. It should have held off for another week! Now all I'm thinking about is what mission to take on next and whether or not I should join the Mages Guild yet or just stick with the Fighter's Guild for a little while longer... ;)

Labels: cleaning, house stuff, landlord, life, oblivion, writing, xbox 360

by Ys | COMMENTS? 4 | permalink |  

I Have Entered Oblivion

I thought I'd give the game a try yesterday and now no longer want to be parted from it for very long. It was a wrench to get me upstairs to my writing this afternoon. My only plan of action was to set a profile up for Jem and get her to play; that way I had no other choice than to leave and do some work. I am an now an Imperial lady, most commonly referred to as the Hero of Kvatch; the one who closed the Oblivion Gate.

I'm hooked. I'm even dreaming in Oblivion. Still, we all need a vice, right? At least I'm not drinking or smoking. What's got you hooked this week?

Labels: jem, life, oblivion, xbox 360

by Ys | COMMENTS? 3 | permalink |  

Bank Holiday Holiday

I'm in the middle of a small holiday. I didn't think I'd ever get one of these again! I haven't gone away anywhere but due to a Bank Holiday weekend and an extra day off work on top of that, Ray and I are having a little break together in the house. And it's been so much fun.

Friday morning Jem's friend Gesine and her boyfriend Will came down to stay for a couple of days. I'm quite shy with new people (okay they're not new-new but I haven't seen either of them in about a year or so) so I struggled with things to say but that was okay cos I was only in part-time hostess mode. With them being Jem's friends I got to take it easy :) It was the best thing for me cos they'd go out in the mornings/afternoons and have time together as friends and then in the evening we'd all come together and have hours worth of conversations about music and ... well, Martha ;) Will tried to tune Ray's guitar, which just reminded me how much fun it is to listen to boys play guitars. I will get on Ray's case to play more often! We had a lovely meal down the local pub and a few drinks to wash it down with, which loosened my tongue a lot. It was a lovely two days and we were all sad to see them leave Sunday morning. I always get wound up about guests arriving and then by the time they're leaving I'm always sad to see them go. One day I might learn not to get nervous about it. We're trying to persuade Will and his band to do a Welsh tour so that they can come and stay again :)

So then Sunday was Day Three of the long weekend holiday. It was spent visiting all the families. The Olympics ended, which was very sad indeed. I'm going to be lost without it! Today Ray is having a Boy's Day with Dale. Which means I'm catching up with stuff online, writing my diary, and maybe even working on the photo albums, which I haven't done in months! It's a miserable, grey day today. Typical Bank Holiday weather.

Tomorrow the car is going to the garage because yet again it won't start. That will be Day Five of the holiday... the last day. Surprise holidays are so much fun. Probably because there was no pre-planning so really nothing could have gone wrong or been a disappointment. Come Wednesday it's back to reality. Humph.

EDIT TO ADD: Even more exciting news: I'm going to see Coheed & Cambria in December... and they're going to play my favourite album - the entire thing - Good Apollo IV Volume I. This is such a cool idea for a gig! I cannot wait! :D

Labels: friends, holidays, house stuff, jem, life, martha, ray, visitors

by Ys | COMMENTS? 1 | permalink |  

Playing Halo

I have my Pill caught in my throat some place. It's making me burp. And it's also making me gag sometimes. I hate little tablets. Only another 83 to go...

Ray's birthday was fun. He adored his presents, which was good, and we got to play a few games of Halo ActionClix. I won... I lost... and I lost again! Stupid special ops guy. It's a really fun game to play. We're going to get a table for the little guys and then they'll be safe from a certain hairy monster who is jealous of them and so wants them eaten.

I decided last night that I have officially been turned into a boy-nerd. Not only is there the excitement over the Halo collectibles, there's also the ActionClix game, which was far too much fun; and then there's my obsession with Oblivion. These are boys things. I think I'm in desperate need of some female friends.

RAY'S BIRTHDAY

Labels: birthday, halo, life, photos, presents, ray, the pill

by Ys | COMMENTS? 3 | permalink |  

A Trip To Telford

It's Ray's birthday today. He turns twenty-two. When we first started dating he was nineteen. As I keep on reminding him: he'll always be my younger man no matter what his age ;)

The celebrations started Friday night with what I seem to recall was called "the best ever". Saturday we planned a lazy day slobbing around the house, hugging Sweepie and making sure she didn't feel too sad when we left her the following day. It didn't work: she saw me packing and started pouting that night. Sunday was a very early morning wake-up call so that we could be on the road by 8. We weren't actually on the road 'til twenty minutes after that. The wedding vow renewals were lovely. They got it done in a little wood hut, which got me quite excited cos I've always had this vision of my ideal wedding day... I won't give it all away but a hut-like building is in there. The party afterwards at the pub didn't include dancing unfortunately (the singer didn't turn up!) but there was lots of conversations with various members of my family. I rarely get to see my parents' brothers and sisters so when I do I always feel like a stranger. They're all really close so we're always out on our own. Not this time, though; this time we were embraced, which was really nice. I got clucky over my second-cousin who is four years old and doesn't ever shut up. "Are you ready to be tickled, girls?" So dodgy ;) Ray curled his hand over mine, tapped my wedding finger and mouthed "Mine." The night was going great 'til I got really bad stomach pains and had to run to the toilet in fear I was going to vomit. I had to go home by 9pm. I couldn't work out what was wrong until I remembered that I'd taken some painkillers without food. That's what upset my stomach last time. I'd worried my period pain would ruin the night so I took my strong painkillers; turns out they were what ruined it for me in the end. Typical. I missed my mother being hilariously drunk. She's always a laugh when she's drunk ;) She did think the room Ray and I were sleeping in was a toilet... But found out quick enough it wasn't not to cause embarrassment ;)

A TRIP TO TELFORD

Today, it being the actual day of Ray's birthday, Ray and I spent half an hour in bed before we had to get up. He opened his cards and was allowed one of my presents (Series 5 of "Red Dwarf"). Tonight he gets to open the rest, gets to eat banoffi pie, and he has one extra present, which I picked up today in town. I'll gush and share pictures tomorrow. Today I have to wrap presents and get everything ready for him :)

Labels: birthday, family, illness, life, love, mammy, photos, presents, ray

by Ys | COMMENTS? 1 | permalink |  

Inspections, Cleaning & Weddings

I'm pretty wiped out this week. I feel like I haven't sat still for more than five minutes.

Last weekend we got a letter from the landlord: we're having an inspection on September 1st. To start with I panicked. This is my home now and the thought of someone coming in here (the someone who actually owns the house) and judging it and me kind of freaked me out a bit. Then I realised I was worrying over nothing. The house is pretty much spotless 90% of the time; we've got all the rooms looking very pretty now; and we love it here, which I think brings an extra element of niceness to the overall feel of the house.

But the inspection has made me go a bit cleaning mad. Well, that and the fact that in between the Olympics watching (yes, still hooked) I get a bit twitchy cos I'm not writing. I always clean much more when I'm not writing. I guess I have all that extra energy and time then, don't I? So I started with the floors. I hoovered and then mopped them all with the special stuff especially for laminate floors. I then moved onto my room. I ended up moving furniture around on my own (the wardrobe was the heaviest!) and have got it looking a bit better in here now. I'm still not 100% happy with it but that's cos it's a square-shaped room and working with a square is all but impossible when you have a big double bed to squeeze in, and an oddly placed radiator to contend with. I then weeded the front garden, pulling all the weeds up on the other side of the wall, too - the road side. I weeded the potted plants out there and then washed the front door cos it looked a bit grubby. Today I plan on cleaning the bathroom, and over the weekend I might tackle the back garden. Phew. I find cleaning strangely theraputic. Plus it should mean the house is sparkling like a new pin when the landlord arrives next month :)

The decision I thought I'd have to make fell through. Well, when something makes you cry you know it's time to walk away and explore other options. I don't think there'll be other options to consider. I think it's all done now. We're all happy where we're at. So - touch wood - no upheavals any time soon :)

The weekend starts now, doesn't it? Mine will be an extra day long because I've got the family wedding and so won't be back 'til Monday. We've all got our pretties (even Ray, who relented and let me drag him round the shops trying to find trousers that fit him - he has such tiny legs! 29 inches! I wear 34 inches! BHS is the only store I found who sell 29inch-length trousers for men.), we've got our drink's money sorted; now I'm just waiting for the pining for Sweepie to kick in. I haven't had to leave her in so long. I doubt she'll miss me, though ;)

Enjoy your weekends! (And don't post too much cos I won't be back online 'til Tuesday to read your blogs ;D)

Labels: cleaning, landlord, life, olympics, ray, renting, shopping, sweepie

by Ys | COMMENTS? 2 | permalink |  

The Big Decisions

First of all: CONGRATULATIONS to Gen & Andy who got married over the weekend! It was such a romantic story; made me go all goose-pimply when she told me :) Good luck with your futures together, guys; may there be much happiness and love.

It seems to be the time for the big decisions in life. Ray and I have had a few conversations this weekend and they've culminated into a decision about one aspect of our future.

For those who don't know: I might not be able to physically conceive or/and carry a child. I had some surgery when I was in my teens to get rid of some out-of-control ovarian cysts and in the process of being mis-diagnosed (GP's are great, aren't they?) they'd grown huge and spun and tangled things up. During the second op' I lost my right ovary and fallopian tube. It's perfectly plausible that I can still conceive. Plenty of women have only one ovary and have babies perfectly fine. But then again plenty don't. I also have no idea what the scar tissue is like and whether or not that will play any part in it.

So, what's that got to do with anything, right? Well, I stumbled across a test that can tell whether or not I am producing any healthy eggs. (For the record: I don't believe I stumbled; I believe I was guided to it.) It won't test for anything else but for me that's one of the big things that hangs like a question mark over everything. Am I even producing any eggs from that one remaining ovary, and are they healthy?

So we've made a plan. My Pill prescription runs out in December. I won't renew it. We'll wait at least six months for my body to run off the effects of The Pill and then we'll take the test. Of course I know it shouldn't take six months for the effects to wear off but a year from now sounded like a good time frame for us. From there we'll make a new decision. That'll depend on many factors. If the test shows I'm fine are we ready to have babies then? Or, do we even want to have children of our own, do we just want to adopt/foster? If the test shows I've got no healthy eggs then I'll probably go to the doctors, get it assessed and find out exactly what's wrong. Then the question will be: are we ready to adopt/foster yet?

This decision doesn't mean we're planning babies for next year; it's just the first step in that direction. I've always wanted to adopt/foster anyway but I'd still like to know whether or not I am capable of conceiving naturally because a part of me really wants to have Ray's baby. But that's all a decision for next year. For now I'm just extremely happy to be moving forward and making that first small step. Coming off The Pill isn't such a big deal, either. It was never really the wonder drug for me - my periods are still heavy and painful, my mood swings are a little extreme on my off-week, and my boobs have grown too big! ;) So come January I'll be starting down the path back to the real hormone-challenged me, and the path to motherhood.

Labels: adoption, fertility, friends, life, marriage, maternal, motherhood, ray

by Ys | COMMENTS? 5 | permalink |  

There's This & That

I think I may be all blogged out this week. There's not much to talk about...

There's been a trip home to see my parents. There's a dress I want to link to but I haven't got the code for it and I can't find it on the website. It's a strapless wonder at the moment but because it slips down when I raise my arms (don't all strapless dresses do that? So why make them the new in-thing?) I need some straps for it. My mother had a brainwave: use the belt/ribbon that comes with the dress to fashion some straps. So it's at home at the moment waiting for AmberMammy to work her magic. It's extremely pretty. It was a present from Mammy for the wedding-nuptials we're going to in a couple of weeks. Not my wedding nuptials. It's a renewing-the-vows type of thing. It's also an excuse for me to show off Ray to my mother's side of the family. A couple of them have met him already but quite a few haven't. I get to be proud girlfriend for the night :) There's also been a lot of writing this week.

Last night there were some chippie-chips. Jem takes Martha to the groomers every six weeks and it always falls on a Thursday - Shop Day. Because I cannot be bothered to cook again Ray and I always have chippie-chips as a treat. It's this one weird evening every six weeks where it's just me, Ray and Sweepie. We always take Sweepie with us to get the chips and it's just this tantalising taste of what's to come in a few years time. It's great that I can get a taste of things to come and that I like how it tastes. The chips tasted damn fine, too ;)

Today there was badminton - I'm still the champion ;) There will be the Olympics in an hour. And The Tudors this evening. The weekend? I have no idea yet. I think there's some window-shopping with Mammy tomorrow; visits to the families on Sunday; in between hasn't been decided yet. I like it when there's a whole weekend stretching out in front of me like this with very little planned. In fact Friday afternoon/evening is probably my favourite part of the weekend: because there's so much to come and Monday feels like it's weeks away.

Enjoy your Friday, Saturday and Sunday :)

Labels: amber, badminton, blogging, family, in-laws, jem, life, mammy, ray, shopping, the tudors, writing

by Ys | COMMENTS? 4 | permalink |  

How The Day Ended

Ray came home early from work to join me in my lazy day. Well, that wasn't really why he came home early. The why is because his co-woker decided to give himself the day off and didn't inform Ray until an hour after Ray had been sitting in his house waiting to get going! The excuse was the van was broken. Ray had his car, obviously, and therefore they could have gone to work in that but that didn't happen so said he was going to do as much work as he could on his own in the house they're working on. By 2pm he couldn't do anymore cos he needed tools that were in the van, which he hadn't had chance to get that morning. So he wasn't in the best of moods when he got home. I'm of the belief that work life should be a happy place. Usually it is for him but his co-worker is the boss's son so although the boss and son might communicate between each other neither one of them thinks to let Ray know. It happens a lot and is usually the only reason Ray gets pissed at them. It wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't being paid minimum wage. He works hard and deserves more. When they piss about like this he gets annoyed and gets very itchy feet. On top of that we can't afford to have random day's off because that means we're down a fair chunk of money, which just isn't workable for us. I know things will be fine again today (no early arrivals yet anyway) but I do wonder just how much longer this will continue. Going self-employed is an option we've been discussing cos then his boss would pay him on a day rate (of his own choosing) and be able to do other work for people so really he could work/earn as much or as little as he chose to. But there's risks involved. More financial than anything else. Such as the dreaded tax man. Ray's been self-employed before so he knows what he's doing but there's actual bills that need paying that could see us out on the street if they're not paid this time round. Ahh there's always decisions to make, isn't there? And they're never easy. Any one gone self-employed? Any advice? Scream yay or nay!

Anyway, my lazy day did continue. I held Ray while I read. He slept on and off, waking up to tickle me every now and then. We made love, we made food. Ray then went out to the cinema with his cousin. I answered some emails, wrote in my diary. Then I decided it would be best to wrap Ray's birthday presents up because I think they're so so pretty that I keep getting them out to look at them! It's quite pathetic. So last night I wrapped them up and they're now hiding in Jem's room waiting for the two weeks to be up. The rest of the evening was spent laughing at Halo 2 and reading. My reading bug is fierce at the moment. I cannot put the damn book down (I'm re-reading the Dark Tower series so it's one of those seven books). I love it when I can't stop reading; it always, always helps to improve my writing. Ray returned home with chocolate and Starbursts (remember when they were called Opal Fruits? I still call them that; Starbursts is such a stupid name and makes no sense), which I picked at until it was time for bed.

I woke this morning pining longingly for my lazy day to be able to start over again. I doubt I'll have another day like that again this summer. I think you're allowed one a season, right? Roll on Autumn then! ;)

Labels: birthday, life, money, presents, ray, reading, self-employed, writing

by Ys | COMMENTS? 2 | permalink |  

Just Lazing About

I've had a very lazy start to a day.

I woke up to say goodbye to Ray this morning and decided that I wanted a lie-in. "Leave a note for Jemma to tell her to feed the dogs for me," I mumbled. I fell asleep before he'd even left the room again. I thought I slept for hours after that (even though I knew I couldn't have really cos I have a second alarm set for when I have to take my pill and that hadn't sounded). I had very vivid dreams about attending a prom, Gary Barlow was my date and was going to show up wearing red just like me. But I wasn't wearing red. And when he did turn up I couldn't actually see him. When it was time to leave loads of people started crushing towards the taxis and one guy got ran over and I heard his bones crunch. In the dream I had a panic attack. It was a very strange dream. Usually I can make out where the weird bits come from, where my subconscious has pulled them from, but with this one I'm at a loss. I'll blame it on the going back to sleep; that usually gives me weird dreams.

I wasn't up and about 'til gone ten and wasn't showered and dressed 'til twelve. Such a lazy day.

But it's raining out so I knew we wouldn't be walking the dogs (Martha refuses to walk in the rain for some reason). I haven't had a lie-in in weeks so I thought I may as well act on my impulse and have a lazy day. It feels fantastic. I've just been reading (the Bible and Wizard & Glass) and poking my head out the window to watch the rain fall. I haven't seen this much rain in ages. It smells fantastic.

I'm sure there's more to say but my mind is lazy. I don't know if I'm going to write or not today. A part of me thinks what will come will be sloppy and bad, another part of me can't keep away from the story.

So I think I'll make a cup of tea, eat a few squares of chocolate and see what happens with this grey, drizzly, lazy day :)

Labels: dreams, life, reading, weather, writing

by Ys | COMMENTS? 3 | permalink |  

How Much Do You Say?

I'm having one of those Oh Jeez how old are you, girl? moments. Because I spent a large portion of this morning contemplating why butter is the same price in all the supermarkets - be they the big ones like Tesco, or the cheaper ones like Farmfoods. I thought it strange that I can shop around for pretty much every other item on my shopping bill and find lots of different prices (and varieties) but with butter it's all the same. Why is that, do you think?

The visit last night was really fun. I do really like having visitors. I'm sure I suck as a hostess (the fact that Ray's mother had to ask for a cup of tea, and then me giving her sugar when she didn't want one, pretty much proved that ;D) but it's just so much fun to get new people to talk to - fresh conversation and new reactions, and an excuse to babble ;) I've noticed something, as well. When we visit Ray's family they treat him like a kid but when they visit our house they treat him like an adult. It makes me giggle. Because I expect them to be one way and then they act completely different. Except his mother - she's the same whatever house we're in, precisely because she is his mother :) It's probably simply because he's always been baby-Ray at home, and then here they realise he has a house of his own and a life of his own that he's able to run by himself like a grown-up. What they don't realise is that I'm the one in charge - and he'd better not forget it, hehehe ;)

Sweepie was anti-social and barked for the first ten minutes they were here. Simon offended her somehow. By being a man, I think. She calmed down eventually and sulked in her bed, being a princess and not letting him touch her head. I picked her up in the end and after the cuddle she felt much better and ran off into the front room to sit with Jemma. She's such a slob. She never wants to leave the sofa for long ;)

Reverting back to the money topic: I got some Safex Condoms to try. Never tried that brand before. There's Sensitive, Natural and Ribbed. Any one tried those ones before? Any good? I'll be sure to review them once I've given them a go. I'll tell my opinion of the Crown condoms at the same time then. Good bargain, though, weren't they? I can always find a bargain ;)

Labels: condoms, food, in-laws, life, money, shopping, sweepie, visitors

by Ys | COMMENTS? 1 | permalink |  

Rain, Visits, Brains & Stalkers

You'll never believe it but... it rained again last night! I wouldn't say it rained all night but it did on and off. Today it looks like it did before the hot weather hit - cloudy and grey - but it still feels incredibly warm and sticky. I had to go into town today to get some food and I thought I might melt onto the pavement even though it was picking with rain! We're having some very crazy weather this year.

Simon didn't end up coming to visit yesterday. He's coming over tonight instead, with Ray's mother. But we went down to see him last night anyway. It was loud and excitable and extremely overwhelming! It was fun trying to play Guess The Actress, Guess The Film with Simon, though; his memory is even worse than mine! Tonight I get to play hostess here. Trying to stop the dogs from wrecking the place is the hardest part. They like to play and in doing so usually pull the cushions off the sofa and slide the mats up the walls ;) One more day and then they can run wild again hehe.

Ray and I then spent the last part of the night curled up in bed trying to debug each other's brains. It came to me as clear as day why my mind went into meltdown. My brain related something that happened to someone else to a bad time I went through a few years ago, and it just brought back all the memories and made me go a bit insane. Isn't the mind a weird and wonderful thing? I'm glad I know what was wrong now anyway. I was trying to work out Ray's psycology. He's had a very interesting life. The things he's been through should have seen him wound up in jail or something equally as bad, but he went completely the other way. He doesn't dwell on what happened then and is happy where he is now. It's very refreshing but also a bit annoying cos then I only get the facts of what happened and not how he felt about it all. I'll break him one day ;)

I've spent this morning hiding from Steve. Remember Steve the estate agent who wouldn't give us our deposit back, then later got fired for not doing his job right? Well, he's been walking up and down our street (that's not too unusual he does live up the road a bit but we've never seen him before) a lot. Then I had to go into town on my own and I was worrying I'd bump into him and... yes, I did! But he just looked away and pretended not to see me - even though we walked right on next to each other! Hehehe. Probably thinks I'm going to kick his ass again like last time I saw him - verbally, of course; I don't believe in violence. I haven't seen him again since so maybe he'll go back home now and stop stalking me.

Ooh more exciting than any of that crap, of course, is...The Harry Potter Trailer! I cannot wait 'til November :D

Labels: estate agent, harry potter, house stuff, in-laws, life, ray, trailers, weather

by Ys | COMMENTS? 2 | permalink |  

It's Raining It's Pouring

It rained last night! We were meant to have a storm but that turned out to be just some heavy rain (that lasted all of ten minutes!), a couple of rumbles of thunder and one bolt of lightning. Of course, we went recycling when it started up so had a wonderful view of all the clouds as we drove right into the so-called storm. I haven't felt so giddy over rain in years. It feels like ages since it last rained.



What can I say? Ray was also giddy from the rain. He loved running across the recycling car-park to get rid of the old toaster cos it meant he got absolutely drenched. Was it wrong of me to want to park up somewhere, get out and have sex in the rain? I swear, it hasn't rained properly here in ages! Don't be surprised if there was a million new babies conceived last night. That brief storm was quite electrical, or it could be like I said: everyone giddy cos there hasn't actually been any rain in ages.

On our travels we picked up some more spotty stuff for the kitchen. I got the tins I mentioned in my previous post. So everything is looking much cleaner now. I just want one more pack (there's two big tins in each pack) to put the dog stuff in now and I'll be happy. The kitchen is looking very pretty, I have to say. I'll take some pictures soon to show it off ;) I've had to make everything look sparkly and lovely for our visitor tonight. Uncle Simon is coming over, who is Ray's favourite uncle. We went to stay with him in August 2006 and had a great time. But I don't think I've actually seen him since, perhaps a flying visit here and there but nothing else. I love having visitors these days. We're having sleeping-over visitors next month and we're all - sadly - extremely excited about it ;)

Ray started playing his other new game last night - Dark Sector - which is so pretty. (So no worries of losing him to Oblivion yet, Fink, but thanks for the warning ;D) Jem and I read our books and Ray played his xbox, the dogs lazed about on the floor, and it was just a lovely, quiet time. As I said at the time: it's going to be one of those memories that I cherish when this time of my life is over. I love it when we sit there quietly together like that. No arguments, no bickering, no pouting, just all of us together as friends.

Labels: dogs, house stuff, in-laws, jem, life, ray, recycling, video, visitors, weather, xbox 360

by Ys | COMMENTS? 4 | permalink |  

Weekend Adventures

I'm going to draw a line under my emotions from last week. I can't change anything and obsessing over it doesn't help anyone so I'll do what I can when I can. And hope it's enough.

I had a lovely weekend, which helped to cheer me up a lot. I went out with Mammy and Jemma to see The Dark Knight on Saturday. Heath Ledger is as good as everyone is saying he is; it isn't just being said cos he died. I thought the film was a bit long-winded but it was still very good. I don't understand how it got a 12A certificate, though, cos it was seriously dark and quite a lot disturbing. I wouldn't want my children seeing it. At the end a group of them rejoined their parents and started saying how they'd cried in fright through most of it! Besides that factor, I really don't think young people would really get what was going on. On the top level, sure, but not all the psycological parts. I reccomend the film, anyway :)

Sunday was spent visiting everyone, and doing a little shopping ;) I didn't buy anything too grand. Just a mug-tree. It's not the one I wanted (I wanted a white wooden one) but it was the best I could find:



The kitchen is very fastly coming together. I love the white-with-spots look; it's cute. I'm going to get some round tins next to store some of the junk is s