I'm Back!

I've had the most fantastic weekend! I've found my centre again, trusting myself once more and feeling secure.

I've partied with some very good friends and then been able to just sit round reading with them with no words needed.

I now have kittens all over me (I think they missed me), sunburnt hands (again) and a sunburnt nose, and I know that people have faith in me.

Now, a hot bath and new book are calling me, you'll get pictures later!

Holiday Holiday Holiday!

I'm going camping tonight!

I get to go frolic in the green wide open spaces of Shropshire with some of my bestest friends!

So I shall be AWOL until Monday night, and then I shall come back and post photos.

Woo! Hoo!

Todays horoscope

You are starting to come into your own personality and be more expressive of who you are, so don't make compromises at this time, KATE. These next three weeks are a very strong time for you, so don't waste the opportunities that are coming your way. Plan a vacation for yourself in the mountains and make sure to bring along your best friends in the world. Have fun while doing the things that you do best.

Does going to the Shropshire hills count as mountains?

Roll on the weekend!!!

Giggle

I found this on Morganna's blog and thought I'd see what I got...

You Are 26 Years Old

26 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

I'm so impressed that I actually got my real age!

Especially today when I really feel about 18, kicking back and chilling with M&S (healthy eating) chocolate puds.

Text message received 23/5 at 4.14am......

I got a new piercing! xx



(That's Emily btw, I have no piercings and don't intend to get any either! A new tattoo is always a possibility however)

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'm a sleepy Kate...

I did spend a lovely lazy weekend though. I didn't manage to do any website work or reviews (sorry), but read some books, watched Grand Prix racing and did some cross stitch.

I also came up with an idea for a sampler for my library, but I'm making myself finish my current project first or it'll never get done and that would be a shame.

Still looking forward to the camping next week, it'll be great to spend time with some truly great friends, something I've missed during my withdrawn days.

I've had some replies to the wedding invites and although there are people who can't be there who I wanted to see, there are also people who I though wouldn't make it who will be there.

Oh, and if you ever need a fabulous place to stay in Derbyshire, try Windlehill Farm. My parents knew them when they lived in Butterow (in Gloucestershire, my parents moved there with me when we left Bahrain) and we stayed in The Chop House my middle summer of 6th form (nine years ago it must be, as my dad turned 50 then too). My bedroom was that top left one, and Emily used to play hen skittles (look at the pictures of the woman looking over the door, then make her a 10 year old who likes opening the door at speed and scaring the chickens!).

Ohhh, getting dozy again, time for sofa, kittens, cross-stitch and Phoenix.

But first a toast: "To Friendship".

Glah.

I know, I know, I'm crap.

Well actually I'm not, just very very very tired.

I wake up through the night at odd times and I'm awake early each morning, then by 8am I'm dozing on the sofa. I doze during my lunch hour and then doze all evening on the sofa.

I managed to stay awake last night to watch more Beiderbecke, I'd forgotten how good it was and definately need to get myself the DVD set at some point.

I'm also strangely apathetic about coming online, just don't feel like I need to twice a day so I've just been nipping on for ten minutes to clear my inbox before I head for bed. I'm only online now cause it's payday and I needed to get some bills paid before work.

I have got this weekend off so I shall attempt to do some work on my website, book reviews and all that.

But right now I'm going to go do some cross-stitch with a kitten on my lap, fabulous way to start the day.

Up early again

Ok, so 7 isn't early really, as it's the time I normally get up on my days at work, but 7 on my day off is early...I usually manage another hour!

So that means that I've already done most of my pootling around on the internet, including playing on Neopets (although I've saved some games for later). So now what?

Well I have some washing up to do....but I'm really not in the mood for that just now (oh and for any FLYLady peeps, I'm dressed to my shoes and my sink is shiny) so I think I shall just go play more Simpsons. I'm trying to complete each level to 100%, perfectionist me.

Oh, post just arrived...

...

...boring, bank statement. Yesterdays post was much more exciting: 2 Lush face-masks (to sort my skin out before the wedding), three acceptance cards for the wedding and a letter from my parents friends Frank sending his apologies (he's building an extension to an orphans house in Lusaka so can't make it) and our first proper wedding present.

It's earmarked for a gorgeous picture of something that makes me think of him and Theresa, probably a French-style painting.

Right, lets go get Bart captured by aliens.

Not really a morning person

I've never really been a morning person....I'm definitely an evening person. When I have time off and don't have to get up for anything my body clock sets itself to get up at about 11 and go to bed at 2. Good, until I have to go back to work and I spend the first few mornings in a blur.

The daylight clock that my mother got me for Yule has been working well and I've been waking up in the dark wintry mornings to nice light and have felt good. Now that the dawn is getting earlier though, I'm waking up at 5ish. It's not a huge problem because I can wake up, look at the clock and go back to sleep...usually. This morning I woke at 5 and went back to sleep for about an hour, then I was wide awake again.

So I got up at 6, and I've been puttering around and reading, using the playstation and checking email etc. It was nice to have the time to do all this in the morning, but now that I have to start getting ready for work, I'M KNACKERED!

It's like my body has just gone, nah...I'm tired now and I just want to go back to bed!

Good job it's the morning meeting today, we get to sit down for half-an-hour and discuss ways to sell more books and RichieFingers's fabulous Hitchhiker's window display complete with giant Marvin standee.

Never mind, day off tomorrow. Then even if I do wake up full of energy at some strange time, I do have the option to doze on the sofa at half-eight if I get tired, rather than heading off to face the delights of the Wolverhampton ring-road during rush hour (stopping at red lights seems to be a new thing here, meaning crossing the road is a definite experience).

Voting

Well I've been and voted.

I had a choice of five candidates: Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, UKIP (UK Independence Party) and BNP (British National Party).

I chose the Lib Dems, (mo surprise there then) but was intrigued by the BNP candidate.....

Our "local" BNP candidate lives in... Cornwall!
It's obviously legal...but very very strange. Perhaps he's well aware that if he was a BNP candidate actually living in a majority Asian/Black area that he wouldn't have many friends. I guess it makes sense though. He's a man who dislikes "foreigners" so he chooses to live in a part of England where there aren't many.

Pseudonym time

I was chatting about blogs with a colleague at work and asked if I could big up her fabulous talent for making CD's for us to listen to at work. She agreed, but then asked to have a pseudonym...

After a quick flick through some baby name books nothing much had suggested itself but then when another song of hers came on I knew just what it had to be.

So here's to the fabulous "Jolene" whose musical taste and talent for joking makes our days just flow by. We'll miss you!

Wonky Week

It's been a strange week this week. I seem to have been either running around like a mad thing, or doing nothing at all.

I've been feeling really trapped recently. Now I like Wolverhampton, I love the people I've met here, but it's just not green enough for me. Back down in Billericay I'd walk to work down long green streets of houses with gardens and travel on the bus through open countryside. Here I walk down streets full of terraced houses until I reach the ring road, then cross that and I'm in the town centre and at work. I haven't got a car so i can't even get to the countryside that I know is just 15 minutes drive away. I can't wait to go camping at the end of May, and to go home for that week in June. When we buy our house, it MUST have a garden with grass in, or at least be more of a space I can do things with, and ideally it will be somewhere a little more green and growing. I just can't get used to all this concrete.

Tomorrow it's three years since I met Phoenix, the time has just flown by. We met when the Chelmsford Moot held a Beltane ritual in Danbury woods. I went with Pami and was still seeing Luke at the time yet was fascinated by the quiet stranger at the fireside. I miss those woods, they weren't the closest woodland to home, but they were the ones where the moot people went quite a few times, I can remember fire-walking there in Jan/Feb 2002.

The other thing I miss is the sea. I'm not even sure why because we never really used to go there from Billericay (Southend is about 30 mins drive and would be the closest beach I think), but I guess the peace of that holiday at Southwold has really stuck with me. I wish it wasn't so expensive there, it would be the perfect place to spend our July holiday. For now I will keep listening to the sea CD we listen too at night (it's a nice change from thunderstorm sounds).

Still I've had a nice relaxing evening tonight, just chilling with my man and the mad fuzzies. Roll on the rest of the Bank Holiday weekend.

Roses!

I found my rose!



Apparently it costs about £1 a stem, so I shall have to work out sizing for my bouquet.

WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!

The Hills They Are Hollow - Damh the Bard

Damh's Site

As I walk upon this green land,
This land that love,
I see figures of chalk,
Carved into the hillsides above.
Cerne Abbas a man so proud,
And the Long Man opens wide the gates of his world,
And invites you to step inside.

And the hills they are hollow and home to the Fey,
Who dance on Midsummer's Eve,
Some people don't understand when I say,
These are the things I believe.
These are the things I believe.

There is an old circle of stones,
That stands on the moor,
Every moss-covered face,
Tells the secrets of ancient lore.
The Tors stand as guardians,
Witnesses to the Rites of Nature's Gods,
Of Darkness and of Light.

And the hills they are hollow and home to the Fey,
Who dance on Midsummer's Eve,
Some people don't understand when I say,
These are the things I believe.
These are the things I believe.

Let's sing of the mystery,
Of Sacred Land,
See the shapes in the corn,
Made by invisible hands,
Secrets of the Pagan Ways,
Lie all around,
Written upon the Earth,
In rock and Sacred Mound!

And the hills they are hollow and home to the Fey,
Who dance on Midsummer's Eve,
Some people don't understand when I say,
These are the things I believe.
These are the things I believe.

DiscWorld!

Many many moons ago I played the DiscWorld computer games when I was at uni.

I have the third one still, but wanted to track down the first two. This week I managed to buy them both on eBay (along with a Brambly Hedge book, some red glass bottles and a red velvet skirt).

Now my dilemma is the fact that I can't play them both at once!

(Other than that, my week has been quiet, with periods of misery interspersed with moments of joy - pretty normal really)

Carn't Be Trusted - The Bluetones

This just came on Q and I remembered the summer I was 17.

Who is she to say you carn't be trusted?
And come to think of it how does she know?
Her doubt is just her faith in disappointment
She can't be blamed if she decides to go.

Her dignity is what makes her an angel
You know she needs it more than she needs you
It doesn't pay to take these things for granted
Something which you always seem to do
You always seem to do

But she just wants to spend some time with you
Just a minute, or just a moment
Just long enough to throw one clean punch.

Now you've reached the point where she sees through you
Your low-esteem and lack of self-control.
Everything she had she handed to you
And what she didn't give you, you stole.

Sometimes I stop to question it all
Must I look at the stars and live in the dirt?
When all I have to show for my doubt is a blow to the lip
and some blood on my shirt.

Well I didn't actually need any help deciding as I'm going to vote Liberal Democrat. But I did this test anyway just in case.

Who should I vote for?

Your expected outcome:

Liberal Democrat

Your actual outcome:

Labour -58
Conservative -57
	Liberal Democrat 82
UK Independence Party -9
	Green 37

You should vote: Liberal Democrat

The LibDems take a strong stand against tax cuts and a strong one in favour of public services: they would make long-term residential care for the elderly free across the UK, and scrap university tuition fees. They are in favour of a ban on smoking in public places, but would relax laws on cannabis. They propose to change vehicle taxation to be based on usage rather than ownership.

Take the test at Who Should You Vote For

Wedding

My top finally arrived yesterday!

I really, really like it. Gorgeous Top It gives me fabulous cleavage for a start.

Now I just need the skirt to turn up and I've nearly done.

My necklace looks fabulous with the bodice. It's a tiny weeny bit long, but we should be able to fix that easily and if not I'll just have to keep fishing the horse out of my cleavage for folks to look at.

My tiara is cute (I'm working on a picture,,,) and now I just need some shoes.

The shoes could well be difficult. I need something with a tiny bit of heel, but it has to be a wedge heel or I'll fall over. Closed toe too.

This afternoon we're off to the registry office too, so that we can give notice and get everything sorted!

I'm off to hunt through the internet for some sparkly shoes, now I just need the invitations to arrive so I can start writing them!

Lazy day

It's been nice and relaxing today.

I read a bit this morning, then came on the pc. Internet browsing and Sims house building followed. Jason came downstairs looking a tad rough (he, Bizkitt and Phoenix went out drinking last night and Jason stayed over) and drank black coffee until his brain was reconnected.

Then I re-started the Simpsons game on the playstation (I'd got all the way to the end and just fancied starting again) and we spent the afternoon playing Simpsons (me) football games (Phoenix) and listening to Kerrang.

This song came on and made me think.
It was this line in particular: "Nothing ever smells of roses that rises out of mud".

But roses do rise from mud. Adding manure makes them grow even better.

It made me realise that all this shit will just make me stronger in the long run. All this manure will just help me to grow taller, and greener, and to have beautiful big blooms.

So roll on summer, I'm ready to bloom again.

NASA Rose
Orange and Yellow Rose
Pink and White Rose
Cream and Red Rose

All those roses have reminded me that I've got to get onto the florist to see if they can track down the roses that I want for my bouquet. (Very dark red with yellow snips on - saw them once, in Chelmsford, three years ago).

Mitfords, Mitfords everywhere....

For the last three months or so, the Mitford sisters have been turning up everywhere I look.

I'd decided that since they were turning up all over the place I'd better find out a bit more about them and decided to go to the library when I got back after Easter.

Over the Easter weekend I had a conversation with mum about the holiday they'd just been on where they'd stayed near the Mitfords childhood home, dad turned on the tv on Sunday morning (to change the clock) and Ben Fogle was walking through the graveyard where Nancy and Unity are buried. Then later we were watching a documentary about Freddie Mercury and they had an interview with his main costume designer...Diana Mosely. Obviously not the Diana Mosley (nee Mitford), but still....

So I'm reading all about them at the moment, something which has reaffirmed to me the fact that while books like Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre don't do anything for me, books/people/places from the first half of the 20th century (especially between the wars and during the Second World War) really do catch at my heart.

I've felt a bit guilty about not liking those books, because they're so obviously ones that you're supposed to adore. But they just don't do anything for me. So I shall read them, and say "That was ok." and then get on with reading the stuff that calls to me.