Yes! Snow! Hurrah!
I've just been for a wander in the snow. It was COMPLETELY marvellous. My hands are now dry and chapped, my nose is very cold but it was FABULOUS! I'd been pottering in the living room for most of the evening with the curtains closed and it was only when I wandered up the stairs that I discovered...it had been snowing! And it still was! I dashed to get my camera, started taking photos and then...donned coat, hat and gloves and wandered out. My my, SNOW!
And what's better than snow? Snow by the seaside! Hurrah! Yes, this snow episode is brought to you all the way from snowy Morecambe :)
So, wandering down my street I saw the first of many little groups of kids wandering, enjoying the snow and having little snowballing skirmishes. I think I only had one snowball thrown my way / at me and whoever threw that one was well hidden - and it completely missed. Generally folk just seemed to be having fun. Early on in the wander my camera got brain freeze (bless it) so I took to sneaking it out for a couple of snaps and then snuggling it under my big not-real-fur furry coat.
There must be at least 3-4 inches of snow lying on the ground and because I went out while it was still mid-flurry (I'd say snow *storm* but that just seems too severe...it was only snowing, after all. Big soft flakes. GORGEOUS) there weren't many folk about so I got plenty of virgin snow to wander through. Powderey and delightful - just brilliant. Not sure how many of the photos'll come out given I was on point and shoot mode on a non-SLR without a tripod, but hey, I've got the memories. From my house, along the Prom up to the Stone Jetty Cafe and back again. Just BRILLIANT.
Add to that the fact that I did the third coat of paint on the 2nd floor front room, finished up installing 2 built-in shelves and sorting out where my books were going to go, fed myself very well (2 hot meals, I love winter), went to the cinema and worked out how to fix a "broken" fan heater (a friend had turned it off in the way that I NEVER turn it off...I fixed it by taking the fuse out, buying new ones of the wrong amp rating, putting a fuse from something else in to see if the fuse was bust...and realising I just needed to turn the thing on...but actually, I'm pleased as it meant I dug out another fan heater that came with the house and now have 2 fan heaters - one for my room and one for the treatment room - which means I don't have to lug them up and down the stairs. Hurrah!) and it's been a marvellous day.
Did I mention how much I love the snow? Because, quite simply, Snow + Morecambe + Tigger in furry coat and brilliant boots = Marvellous Marvellous Fabulousness :)
Monday, December 21, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Here's to Ms Payne
"Are you still writing?"
Well, no. Not really. I half compose blogs in my head, I don't quite get them into "print". I don't want to spend hours writing anguished missives in the way I used to. I jot down when I need to - I integrate without more often than not. But I do LIKE writing. My brain has just been wandering elsewhere recently.
And therein lies the rub. Lots to say. Not quite the words to say it. Perhaps tomorrow...
Well, no. Not really. I half compose blogs in my head, I don't quite get them into "print". I don't want to spend hours writing anguished missives in the way I used to. I jot down when I need to - I integrate without more often than not. But I do LIKE writing. My brain has just been wandering elsewhere recently.
And therein lies the rub. Lots to say. Not quite the words to say it. Perhaps tomorrow...
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Perfect Day For Blogging
A free day that appeared from nowhere. A mug of hot sweet cocoa with bonus cinammon. A packet of bourbon creams. An empty flat and the sun's coming out - perfect time for a well overdue blog!
This past week has been "just like the old days"...but different. Just like the old days, it's involved scatting around, being incredibly busy, feeling like I'm getting stuff done, seeing friends and getting home late. Unlike the old days, life's very different and so my responses, reactions and actions have been different - and I'd hazard a lot more balanced and enjoyable than days of yesteryear.
Some time in the far distant past (about 10 days ago) I found myself up in Hebden Bridge for a NO HANDS Massage training course - not as a student, but as a trainer. I've loved being a trainer throughout this year and each course I learn more and more and more. The team we had was marvellous, the students outstanding and the learning unending. It felt great. I asked for what I needed, I offered what I could, I supported when the opportunity arose, and I worked my little socks off. Marvellous. Still going through all the lessons I've learnt from that weekend and suspect I may be for some time, but they're all amazing and powerful lessons that I'm happy to take the time over.
My rather bizarre and circuitous route home meant I went to Leeds, waved at the 2040 train to London, and then promptly headed north to get the 2140 train from there (had booked in advance - paying another ~£70 to get home an hour earlier didn't appeal). In a way only I could, I really enjoyed the journey - grabbed myself some chips in York and spent the journey south making the most of the free wifi on the train and catching up on 4 days' worth of no internet. Oh, internet-free days are fun!
"The day job" has become rather frenetic over the past few weeks - testing, finding bugs, having people fix the bugs, retesting, finding bugs...you get the idea. No particular highlights or lowlights from my three days in the office last week, but I did benefit from fabulous evening activities.
Tuesday
Finally saw and had dinner with a friend who I've been trying to catch up with for months. Literally. One could say that Tuesday's dinner was the rearrangement from last December. We had a lovely evening of chatter, Thai food (which, sadly, I kept comparing to the outstanding food of The Thai Elephant in Leamington and it just didn't come up to scratch, but it satisfied the hunger), and live blues just round the corner.
Wednesday
Various possibilities were in the mix, but after much to-ing and fro-ing, an evening at the cinema resulted. And my, what an evening it was. My admiration for the late Mr Heath Ledger and his acting abilities meant The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was always on my list to see, and see it I did. And loved it. Beautifully made, fantastically surreal and touching in its own special way (both the film, and the fact it was Mr Ledger's last and 3 Hollywood A-listers then stepped in to make the release of the film possible) I'd had a couple of escapist hours in The Ritzy only to come out to a heavy mist / fog that had befallen Brixton while I'd been inside. I'm not sure I've ever seen Brixton like that before, and it added an even more magical end to the evening - as did a conversation with a friend who I kept being reminded of by one of the characters in the film. Marvellous.
Thursday
More culture in The Land of The Tig, this time at the Chelsea Theatre. Very odd performance piece - a definite experience, although not one I would necessarily choose to experience again. The chattering in the bar (with the friend I went with, her friend who runs the theatre and I know vaguely from Cambridge, and other various folk who were in the theatre bar) afterwards was, however, most enjoyable although the cycle home was not particularly appealling - until I got on my merry way and remembered that, at the end of the day, I love my bike and I love cycling in London. Good job too!
Friday
Was a day of many elements. Started with my first lie-in since, well, a while and then involved a massage swap with a good friend. I don't often choose to do chair massage but we'd agreed to give it a whirl and I was definitely surprised by how powerful a treatment I took. Much chatterage and several cups of tea later the friend went on her merry way and I went off for a visit to my local hardware shop. I love that shop. It's a *proper* hardware shop, independently owned and the folk in there are just marvellous. Turns out they've been there since just after the second world war and continue to beat off competition - because they're just marvellous. Anyway, armed with a rather cool looking plunger the bathroom then got a going over and the sink now drains at the proper speed...result!
Mid afternoon my cousin from a distant land arrived and shortly after, leaving her with the shower and a spare pair of keys I headed into town for a massage trade test at a central London day spa chain. Was happy with the treatment I gave and the "interview" as a whole - not sure if I'll be what they're looking for (it's basically to be added to their books as an on-call therapist when they have gaps to fill, such as holidays and the like) but if I'm not I'm confident it's because I wasn't a match for them, rather than because I let myself down in the interview.
Wandered over to Covent Garden to meet my cousin who was having drinks with various friends that evening and ultimately ended up back at Chez Tigs (London) around 1am. Cue sleep.
Saturday
...was a day of possibilities which ended up being just the right amount of everything! Although at one point it looked like I was going to be out of London this weekend I ended up spending the earlier part of the day predominantly with my cousin (including giving her a massage first thing - 3 treatments given in 2 days, almost unheard of ;) ), late afternoon curled up on the couch recooping some energy and then across London to a pub to spend a wonderful evening with old friends, new acquaintances and a lot of people in fancy dress!
Which brings us to...Sunday
A late start, a bath, potterings, a new travel bag for either my fabulous crystal ball or wooden carved ball and a quiet while on the sofa...writing this blog. I have my suspicions the rest of the afternoon holds more pottering and just enjoying having a day of quiet before the next week begins. But my, it has been a *marvellous* week :)
This past week has been "just like the old days"...but different. Just like the old days, it's involved scatting around, being incredibly busy, feeling like I'm getting stuff done, seeing friends and getting home late. Unlike the old days, life's very different and so my responses, reactions and actions have been different - and I'd hazard a lot more balanced and enjoyable than days of yesteryear.
Some time in the far distant past (about 10 days ago) I found myself up in Hebden Bridge for a NO HANDS Massage training course - not as a student, but as a trainer. I've loved being a trainer throughout this year and each course I learn more and more and more. The team we had was marvellous, the students outstanding and the learning unending. It felt great. I asked for what I needed, I offered what I could, I supported when the opportunity arose, and I worked my little socks off. Marvellous. Still going through all the lessons I've learnt from that weekend and suspect I may be for some time, but they're all amazing and powerful lessons that I'm happy to take the time over.
My rather bizarre and circuitous route home meant I went to Leeds, waved at the 2040 train to London, and then promptly headed north to get the 2140 train from there (had booked in advance - paying another ~£70 to get home an hour earlier didn't appeal). In a way only I could, I really enjoyed the journey - grabbed myself some chips in York and spent the journey south making the most of the free wifi on the train and catching up on 4 days' worth of no internet. Oh, internet-free days are fun!
"The day job" has become rather frenetic over the past few weeks - testing, finding bugs, having people fix the bugs, retesting, finding bugs...you get the idea. No particular highlights or lowlights from my three days in the office last week, but I did benefit from fabulous evening activities.
Tuesday
Finally saw and had dinner with a friend who I've been trying to catch up with for months. Literally. One could say that Tuesday's dinner was the rearrangement from last December. We had a lovely evening of chatter, Thai food (which, sadly, I kept comparing to the outstanding food of The Thai Elephant in Leamington and it just didn't come up to scratch, but it satisfied the hunger), and live blues just round the corner.
Wednesday
Various possibilities were in the mix, but after much to-ing and fro-ing, an evening at the cinema resulted. And my, what an evening it was. My admiration for the late Mr Heath Ledger and his acting abilities meant The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was always on my list to see, and see it I did. And loved it. Beautifully made, fantastically surreal and touching in its own special way (both the film, and the fact it was Mr Ledger's last and 3 Hollywood A-listers then stepped in to make the release of the film possible) I'd had a couple of escapist hours in The Ritzy only to come out to a heavy mist / fog that had befallen Brixton while I'd been inside. I'm not sure I've ever seen Brixton like that before, and it added an even more magical end to the evening - as did a conversation with a friend who I kept being reminded of by one of the characters in the film. Marvellous.
Thursday
More culture in The Land of The Tig, this time at the Chelsea Theatre. Very odd performance piece - a definite experience, although not one I would necessarily choose to experience again. The chattering in the bar (with the friend I went with, her friend who runs the theatre and I know vaguely from Cambridge, and other various folk who were in the theatre bar) afterwards was, however, most enjoyable although the cycle home was not particularly appealling - until I got on my merry way and remembered that, at the end of the day, I love my bike and I love cycling in London. Good job too!
Friday
Was a day of many elements. Started with my first lie-in since, well, a while and then involved a massage swap with a good friend. I don't often choose to do chair massage but we'd agreed to give it a whirl and I was definitely surprised by how powerful a treatment I took. Much chatterage and several cups of tea later the friend went on her merry way and I went off for a visit to my local hardware shop. I love that shop. It's a *proper* hardware shop, independently owned and the folk in there are just marvellous. Turns out they've been there since just after the second world war and continue to beat off competition - because they're just marvellous. Anyway, armed with a rather cool looking plunger the bathroom then got a going over and the sink now drains at the proper speed...result!
Mid afternoon my cousin from a distant land arrived and shortly after, leaving her with the shower and a spare pair of keys I headed into town for a massage trade test at a central London day spa chain. Was happy with the treatment I gave and the "interview" as a whole - not sure if I'll be what they're looking for (it's basically to be added to their books as an on-call therapist when they have gaps to fill, such as holidays and the like) but if I'm not I'm confident it's because I wasn't a match for them, rather than because I let myself down in the interview.
Wandered over to Covent Garden to meet my cousin who was having drinks with various friends that evening and ultimately ended up back at Chez Tigs (London) around 1am. Cue sleep.
Saturday
...was a day of possibilities which ended up being just the right amount of everything! Although at one point it looked like I was going to be out of London this weekend I ended up spending the earlier part of the day predominantly with my cousin (including giving her a massage first thing - 3 treatments given in 2 days, almost unheard of ;) ), late afternoon curled up on the couch recooping some energy and then across London to a pub to spend a wonderful evening with old friends, new acquaintances and a lot of people in fancy dress!
Which brings us to...Sunday
A late start, a bath, potterings, a new travel bag for either my fabulous crystal ball or wooden carved ball and a quiet while on the sofa...writing this blog. I have my suspicions the rest of the afternoon holds more pottering and just enjoying having a day of quiet before the next week begins. But my, it has been a *marvellous* week :)
Monday, September 7, 2009
(just because life is ace)
I really am phenomenally lucky. I have amazing friends, fabulous family, a house which becomes more of a home by the minute, the chance to be by the seaside LOTS, visitors, victories over tubes of silicon gel, laminate floors...the list goes on! I've had a wonderful day with two friends - DIYed before they arrived, DIYed after they left, and had time for some relaxing televisual entertainment in between. Life's ace :)
Friday, August 7, 2009
Seaside Joys
Today was a classic "Who *wouldn't* want to be right here, right now?" day. The sun was shining. There were families playing on the beach. Gorgeously warm without being melting. Relaxed and easy going. Just amazing. And, best of all, the beach wasn't *swarming* with folk, it was just nicely busy - none of this too many people to have enough space for yourself, lark. Morecambe really is absolutely fabulous and anyone who tries to tell me otherwise may end up with a long conversation on their hands. Or a very short "Been here? Recently? Well maybe you should fix that..."
I remain utterly baffled by Morecambe and my relationship with it. I love being here. I love the space. I love the beach. I love the "favourite places" I'm continuing to find - and the fact there are loads of them for different moments. I love the break it gives me. And yet I still struggle with the fact that I very rarely *do* a huge amount up here. It's a break for me, and a fabulous one at that, but even today I had a complete stranger arrive and throw me (prospective tenant) with "So what, are you doing the place up or something?" Actually, no. I'm bringing it round to being *mine* but I'm not "doing it up or something" - it's already gorgeous. It's already fabulous. But true, it's not necessarily clear what or why or how.
My attic room has had a makeover, including losing one wardrobe and gaining another. It's beginning to feel much more like the room I want it to be. Yes, it still needs a full redecorate and the like but when I arrive in it now it feels, well, ready to be lived in. Which is fab as it means I have a proper escape, a proper bolt hole - and there's a lot more light up here. Fabulous.
And so now my mind wanders...so many possibilities, including just to breathe & take it all in.
I remain utterly baffled by Morecambe and my relationship with it. I love being here. I love the space. I love the beach. I love the "favourite places" I'm continuing to find - and the fact there are loads of them for different moments. I love the break it gives me. And yet I still struggle with the fact that I very rarely *do* a huge amount up here. It's a break for me, and a fabulous one at that, but even today I had a complete stranger arrive and throw me (prospective tenant) with "So what, are you doing the place up or something?" Actually, no. I'm bringing it round to being *mine* but I'm not "doing it up or something" - it's already gorgeous. It's already fabulous. But true, it's not necessarily clear what or why or how.
My attic room has had a makeover, including losing one wardrobe and gaining another. It's beginning to feel much more like the room I want it to be. Yes, it still needs a full redecorate and the like but when I arrive in it now it feels, well, ready to be lived in. Which is fab as it means I have a proper escape, a proper bolt hole - and there's a lot more light up here. Fabulous.
And so now my mind wanders...so many possibilities, including just to breathe & take it all in.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Top Tips for Eating Elephants
I forget where this came from, or who to attribute it to. What I do know is that it adorned my desk in Warrington (and got various interested remarks) and that it is fabulous
Top Tips for Eating Elephants
Take one bite at a time, so break down your task into bite-size chunks
Take it slowly; don't get indigestion by attempting too much at once
Be consistent
Add variety to the way in which you prepare and serve your elephant
Some parts need slower, longer cooking but taste just as good in the end
Enjoy each bite, savour it
Don't skip meals
Don't leave all the tough bits until the end
The only guaranteed moment you have to eat your elephant is now
Each bite you chew today is one less tomorrow
Top Tips for Eating Elephants
Take one bite at a time, so break down your task into bite-size chunks
Take it slowly; don't get indigestion by attempting too much at once
Be consistent
Add variety to the way in which you prepare and serve your elephant
Some parts need slower, longer cooking but taste just as good in the end
Enjoy each bite, savour it
Don't skip meals
Don't leave all the tough bits until the end
The only guaranteed moment you have to eat your elephant is now
Each bite you chew today is one less tomorrow
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Productive Day!
"My My!" said Tigger, "It *has* been a productive day!"
And so it had. A day which had had the potential to be frustrating and limiting had turned into a marvellous pottering day of many achievements. Having been tied to the house to take receipt of 3 things (laminate underlay: check; laminate beading: not check; and piano: check) she took receipt of 2 of the 3, got a third bonus package (a hammock!) and wasn't too devastated about the lack of beading as they've promised to deliver it tomorrow before midday. Getting the piano was very exciting indeed and the living room is now beginning to feel much more like just that - a Living Room. Still working on the whole issue of being able to be here to live in it, but hey, step by step.
Last night I'd taken the decision to say farewell to the large and cumbersome gloss-white wardrobe that has been in my (attic) room for as long as I've known about the house. I have no idea how they got it up there, but it wasn't coming down in any way other than pieces. Initially I'd thought I was going to remodel it (so it would fit with the eaves better) but half way through the conversion I decided it was going to be a more complex job than I'd anticipated and, in truth, I wasn't particularly married to the wardrobe in the first place. So, bit by bit I unscrewed it, carted it down 4 flights of stairs to the basement (who needs central heating when you're flying up and down stairs?!) and then felt very pleased with myself.
Next on the list was continuing to assemble by ingenius raised-bed-frame-made-out-of-old-divan-bases. All was going well until...I discovered it didn't fit through the final door into the yard. Took it to bits again (not too traumatic), reassembled it outside, had fun sticking tiles in the bottom of it (partly for drainage, partly because I have a load of tiles I don't know what to do with and hence thought I'd "hide" some in the raised bed) and then loaded it up with some potting soil plus various bits of greenery I've been nurturing in the yard. I now have a small bed containing a patio willow tree (my only non-functional purchased plant to date), 2 gooseberry bushes, a blackcurrant bush and some mint. Time will tell if the bed works.
Fascinating fact: worms seem to self-generate anywhere there's anything vaguely soil-like. I found loads in the pots containing the plants now in the raised bed; and whenever I clear out bits that have blown into my basement entrance "sunken bit" (at the front of the house) there are always little worms having fun. Bless the worms - they are fab. Unlike the slugs who I've started a zero-tolerance policy with...
On top of all that, I did a bunch of sewing earlier in the day while waiting for the various deliveries (4 new pillow cases, 3 new cushions including home made cushion pads, a cover for one of my massage kneelers, various other fixings) and sorted out all my fabric into "big bits", "scraggles" (bits which are worth keeping but not "big") and "bits for cushion pads" (see above: the fabric sorting happened before the cushion making). And now I have a cup of mint tea, with mint leaves from my own estate (they're not entirely "my own" yet as I think they're still leaves that were grown by Morrisons on the live plant I got but the live plant will keep on growing, so they're *sort of* from my own estate). Marvellous.
Did I mention I have a piano & a hammock? ;)
:D
And so it had. A day which had had the potential to be frustrating and limiting had turned into a marvellous pottering day of many achievements. Having been tied to the house to take receipt of 3 things (laminate underlay: check; laminate beading: not check; and piano: check) she took receipt of 2 of the 3, got a third bonus package (a hammock!) and wasn't too devastated about the lack of beading as they've promised to deliver it tomorrow before midday. Getting the piano was very exciting indeed and the living room is now beginning to feel much more like just that - a Living Room. Still working on the whole issue of being able to be here to live in it, but hey, step by step.
Last night I'd taken the decision to say farewell to the large and cumbersome gloss-white wardrobe that has been in my (attic) room for as long as I've known about the house. I have no idea how they got it up there, but it wasn't coming down in any way other than pieces. Initially I'd thought I was going to remodel it (so it would fit with the eaves better) but half way through the conversion I decided it was going to be a more complex job than I'd anticipated and, in truth, I wasn't particularly married to the wardrobe in the first place. So, bit by bit I unscrewed it, carted it down 4 flights of stairs to the basement (who needs central heating when you're flying up and down stairs?!) and then felt very pleased with myself.
Next on the list was continuing to assemble by ingenius raised-bed-frame-made-out-of-old-divan-bases. All was going well until...I discovered it didn't fit through the final door into the yard. Took it to bits again (not too traumatic), reassembled it outside, had fun sticking tiles in the bottom of it (partly for drainage, partly because I have a load of tiles I don't know what to do with and hence thought I'd "hide" some in the raised bed) and then loaded it up with some potting soil plus various bits of greenery I've been nurturing in the yard. I now have a small bed containing a patio willow tree (my only non-functional purchased plant to date), 2 gooseberry bushes, a blackcurrant bush and some mint. Time will tell if the bed works.
Fascinating fact: worms seem to self-generate anywhere there's anything vaguely soil-like. I found loads in the pots containing the plants now in the raised bed; and whenever I clear out bits that have blown into my basement entrance "sunken bit" (at the front of the house) there are always little worms having fun. Bless the worms - they are fab. Unlike the slugs who I've started a zero-tolerance policy with...
On top of all that, I did a bunch of sewing earlier in the day while waiting for the various deliveries (4 new pillow cases, 3 new cushions including home made cushion pads, a cover for one of my massage kneelers, various other fixings) and sorted out all my fabric into "big bits", "scraggles" (bits which are worth keeping but not "big") and "bits for cushion pads" (see above: the fabric sorting happened before the cushion making). And now I have a cup of mint tea, with mint leaves from my own estate (they're not entirely "my own" yet as I think they're still leaves that were grown by Morrisons on the live plant I got but the live plant will keep on growing, so they're *sort of* from my own estate). Marvellous.
Did I mention I have a piano & a hammock? ;)
:D
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Tigger: Invincible!
Not entirely true, but I've got that sense of feeling marvellous just now. I think Morecambe has a lot to do with it. I do so LOVE walking along the prom. And although my camera didn't quite capture the image I want to be able to share, my brain did. Ace.
Speaking of invicible, I'm clearly not entirely invicible given I think I may have lost the energy to get upstairs, but that's beside the point.
Last time I was on the train over to Morecambe the strangest thing happened: two girls (between 10 & 14, I'm guessing, I have no idea) decided to "befriend me". It was weird. They sat at the table I was at, were just chatting between themselves but would randomly say things like "I like your jacket". Slightly surreal but lovely. In a surreal sort of a way.
Continuing the Morecambe theme, I find myself here today after a very successful (and surprisingly brief) trip to Aberdeen to land myself a new tenant, a couple of hours in Edinburgh catching up with two friends (brief, but I may have convinced them to come for a weekend in Morecambe in July - result) and a very uneventful train journey down. I didn't expect to get here this week, even less for a full two nights-worth so I really am rather pleased. Huzzah.
This week has seen my cast come off (hurrah!), some initial improvement in movement (although I'm still awaiting my first physio appointment) and continued ponderings on the meaning of life (generally) and in particular, mine. We'll see. A couple of interesting massage leads have emerged which is rather exciting. Things develop and plants grow. C'est la vie.
And now - The Stairs. I shall overcome.
Speaking of invicible, I'm clearly not entirely invicible given I think I may have lost the energy to get upstairs, but that's beside the point.
Last time I was on the train over to Morecambe the strangest thing happened: two girls (between 10 & 14, I'm guessing, I have no idea) decided to "befriend me". It was weird. They sat at the table I was at, were just chatting between themselves but would randomly say things like "I like your jacket". Slightly surreal but lovely. In a surreal sort of a way.
Continuing the Morecambe theme, I find myself here today after a very successful (and surprisingly brief) trip to Aberdeen to land myself a new tenant, a couple of hours in Edinburgh catching up with two friends (brief, but I may have convinced them to come for a weekend in Morecambe in July - result) and a very uneventful train journey down. I didn't expect to get here this week, even less for a full two nights-worth so I really am rather pleased. Huzzah.
This week has seen my cast come off (hurrah!), some initial improvement in movement (although I'm still awaiting my first physio appointment) and continued ponderings on the meaning of life (generally) and in particular, mine. We'll see. A couple of interesting massage leads have emerged which is rather exciting. Things develop and plants grow. C'est la vie.
And now - The Stairs. I shall overcome.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Right! Blog.
Oh my word. I've started (either in my head or in various electronic forms) about a gazillion blogs since last I posted. But none of them have made it this far. Poor, unloved non-blogs.
It all started a looooooooong while back as I was cycling home one evening. It was about 10.30 and I was skirting the Loughborough Estate (non-sequeter: prospective new flatmate today is currently living in Loughborough, and might move into my flat in Loughborough Junction...oh the irony!), just minutes from home, and it struck me that I was experiencing one of those "isn't this ace?" moments. It was mild. The road was dead. I was cycling my dear Billomena. The birds were singing (which is weird, but very London, and made it feel like it was about 5am, which somehow was even cooler). And I was loving it. Absolutely loving it. I can still feel that feeling now. Brilliant. Made me look forward to more similar moments.
If only I knew then what I know now!
Lots has happened. In its own way. I forget why now, but at some point after that wonderful moment cycling home I had a strange acceptance that my time with Billomena was coming to a close. I don't know why. Something just felt like it was coming to an end. I had no intention of just giving up on her while she was still going strong but I had a sense she'd be going her own way at some point soon. I expected her to get stolen or something along those lines. She actually got her front fork squashed. Cue next story...
It was a Thursday evening and I was cycling to the pub. Nothing extraordinary about the set up, except a bus driver decided to wave a motorcyclist across my right of way causing a collision between me and said motorcyclist. Billomena's front fork got squashed (given her condition, that effectively wrote her off - getting it fixed, even if it was an option, would almost definitely cost more than was worth spending on her). I got a sprained wrist and some bruises. The motorcyclist was unpleasant and rode off without leaving his details. A pedestrian and fellow cyclist stopped and gave statements to the police (after the cyclist had taken control of the situatoin and got the motorcyclist's number plate as I was entirely incapable of doing any of the above at that point). I hobbled Billomena to one of the Accenture offices (which I happened to be very close to) and went to the pub for lots of hugs and support.
Then I went to Tunbridge Wells for the first time ever and sat in a park. With friends. And read stories from a book I think by AA Milne. It was marvellous. And then I did some massage because No Hands is fab and I could safely massage without hurting my wrist. Super marvellous.
But more was yet to come. 4 days after spraining my wrist I sustained 3 fractures to my left distal radius and displaced my hand. No, not *misplaced*, although that, too, would have been very careless. I'd been on my roof with Donal "favourite roofer even" Doherty, checking the work he'd done. Which was fab. I was climbing back into the house through the bedroom window. My footing slipped. I did a "Superman" into the floor with my left hand. Sinething cracked, my hand went wonky and there was a lot of pain. Cue A&E, x-rays, morphine, orthopaedic consultants and being given a litre of saline before I could go home because they didn't have any vegan food to hand.
I'm healing. But it's taking a while. I can only type with one hand. I've been signed off work. All the usual Tigger things are out. And sanity is being held on to by the slightest of grips. So that's the state of the nation.
It all started a looooooooong while back as I was cycling home one evening. It was about 10.30 and I was skirting the Loughborough Estate (non-sequeter: prospective new flatmate today is currently living in Loughborough, and might move into my flat in Loughborough Junction...oh the irony!), just minutes from home, and it struck me that I was experiencing one of those "isn't this ace?" moments. It was mild. The road was dead. I was cycling my dear Billomena. The birds were singing (which is weird, but very London, and made it feel like it was about 5am, which somehow was even cooler). And I was loving it. Absolutely loving it. I can still feel that feeling now. Brilliant. Made me look forward to more similar moments.
If only I knew then what I know now!
Lots has happened. In its own way. I forget why now, but at some point after that wonderful moment cycling home I had a strange acceptance that my time with Billomena was coming to a close. I don't know why. Something just felt like it was coming to an end. I had no intention of just giving up on her while she was still going strong but I had a sense she'd be going her own way at some point soon. I expected her to get stolen or something along those lines. She actually got her front fork squashed. Cue next story...
It was a Thursday evening and I was cycling to the pub. Nothing extraordinary about the set up, except a bus driver decided to wave a motorcyclist across my right of way causing a collision between me and said motorcyclist. Billomena's front fork got squashed (given her condition, that effectively wrote her off - getting it fixed, even if it was an option, would almost definitely cost more than was worth spending on her). I got a sprained wrist and some bruises. The motorcyclist was unpleasant and rode off without leaving his details. A pedestrian and fellow cyclist stopped and gave statements to the police (after the cyclist had taken control of the situatoin and got the motorcyclist's number plate as I was entirely incapable of doing any of the above at that point). I hobbled Billomena to one of the Accenture offices (which I happened to be very close to) and went to the pub for lots of hugs and support.
Then I went to Tunbridge Wells for the first time ever and sat in a park. With friends. And read stories from a book I think by AA Milne. It was marvellous. And then I did some massage because No Hands is fab and I could safely massage without hurting my wrist. Super marvellous.
But more was yet to come. 4 days after spraining my wrist I sustained 3 fractures to my left distal radius and displaced my hand. No, not *misplaced*, although that, too, would have been very careless. I'd been on my roof with Donal "favourite roofer even" Doherty, checking the work he'd done. Which was fab. I was climbing back into the house through the bedroom window. My footing slipped. I did a "Superman" into the floor with my left hand. Sinething cracked, my hand went wonky and there was a lot of pain. Cue A&E, x-rays, morphine, orthopaedic consultants and being given a litre of saline before I could go home because they didn't have any vegan food to hand.
I'm healing. But it's taking a while. I can only type with one hand. I've been signed off work. All the usual Tigger things are out. And sanity is being held on to by the slightest of grips. So that's the state of the nation.
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