Friday, May 13, 2005

Well, Hello world! Yep, I know, the comments section is still not working, but I'm just too darned busy to change anything!!

I haven't blogged since Feb........hmmmmmmmmmmmm.......... not alot has happened. The wedding in March was brilliant, fantastic day and the weather was amazing. Couldn't have gone better. The weekend after was Easter, and Craig whisked me off for a surprise weekend in Paris, travelling 1st class on Eurostar...........see, romance isn't dead!!

As if that wasn't enough, on Easter Sunday, our year anniversary, he got down on one knee and presented me with a gorgeous ring, asking if I'd marry him. You could have knocked me down with a feather!

Anyway, surficed to say, the day is now booked for Oct this year, church, reception all sorted. I've even got my dress and just today ordered my bridesmaids dresses.

The invitations are on their way to my parents, as they are going to finish them and send them off (we're making them ourselves....well, when you've got talent!). There are still a few things to sort, but we're getting there.

Planning to honeymoon in Oz, so that is taking a bit of time to decide where we really want to go, and how much we can physically fit in, but all in all, we are really excited!!

It may be really cheesy and all that, but I can't get over how things have changed for me so quickly. Craig makes me so happy. WE can be stupid together, laugh together, work and cry together. 14 months ago I was single, and certainly couldn't envisage the prospect that within 2 years I'd be married!!

Just goes to show, you never know what is round the corner I guess.

On the other side of the coin is a couple who have been together years, young baby, and now he decides he wants to be with someone else. Now that I could never have seen coming. She is facing the prospect of brining up a baby on her own, and being a single mum, not a place she would have seen herself a year or so ago either.

Crazy world.

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Still no comments left. Either no-one is reading this (which is possible as I have been rather sporadic, and lets face it, I'm not writing anything that exciting!!), or the comments aren't working properly...........?

Moving on. Even more excited about the wedding stuff now as I've been asked to do a reading!! How fantastic. I'm reading a poem.....need to practice.........could do with west counry accent, but don't want to offend the locals!!

Work is OK right now, suprisingly. Still silly nonsense from upper management, but today I've been put forward to help produce a newsletter for the team, so a bit of journalistic practice, which is good. Also going to San Antonio in May, accompanying some Docs to a conference. Obviously pleased about this, although I'm rubbish now when I have to leave Craig behind...... I know, I'm crap and sentimental, but I don't care!!!

The 'detox' is going quite well. Still not succumbed apart from a cup of tea at Craig's Mums on Saturday as she didn't have anything decaf. Even managed to resist pudding last night when I was out with some docs. How I didn't order the banana toffee waffle I'll never know!!

Got another reminder of marathon today when the official magasine with photos & the full time listing came through the post. Still gets me a bit emotional when I read about it. Thinking about the crowds shouting your name and cheering you on, incredible. Don't think I can expect same support for Tamworth 10k in 10 days time! Mind you, that is more about getting Craig round. Know he'll do it, but I'll be there to ensure he paces himself and doesn't run off to quick at the start!

Flat is coming on. Mainly painting jobs and then the finishing touches, like changing the light switches, fitting the lampshades, getting a carpet for the hallway! We'll both be so glad when its' on the market!

Hmmmm...can smell my jacket spuds......must be dinner time!

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Well, it is a momentous day, and I don't care what anyone else says, Ellen Macarthur is a star! I've been listening to the radio today getting increasingly irritated by people saying "What's the point?" "She's not brave, she chose to do it" "She's a whinger" whatever. Well, I reckon they should try to emulate her achievment and most of them would not even make it to the start line.

Yes, it is her past time, just like running is a past time for Kelly Homes, and not everyone likes sailing...don't think there are many people who like sprinting round a track either! Maybe it's because in an age where the public attention span is too short, the fact it has taken Ellen 71 days to complete her challange is just too long. The public want instantaneous satisfaction of winning or losing. Other say it is because sailing is eliteist. Well, so is rowing when most of our good ones are Oxford or Cambridge graduates, but we all applauded Matthew Pinsent and his crew didn't we? Makes me mad.

Can't we just accept that as individuals we may never achieve something of this significance, but that we admire those who do? She is a British woman, lets embrace her achievment!!

I've been reading her book (for some time now, as I don't seem to have much time to read!) and it is a fab read, even though I don't know one end of a boat from another, and as for the different types of sails, well that is beyond me. But just seeing the effort that goes in to her getting to the race, never mind completing it, is remarkable. Of course she has a team of people around her for their expertise and advise, but we all know other sportsmen & women have nutritionalists, coaches, physios etc working with them to reach their optimum performance.

So, for Ellen, raise a glass, a pancake, whatever, in salute of her achievment and put a sock in the mouth of any decenting voices around you!

End of rant.



Friday, February 04, 2005

Well, just got a few minutes before Craig gets back from the flat. Would have been there too, but we had wedding stuff to attend to again today. Final fitting for the dresses, and then the search was on for headwear. Jo had an idea of what sort of tiara she wanted. For us bridesmaids, we didn't really have any idea!!

Anyway, got them sorted after a trip to Pronuptia (or something like that....I'm a new comer to this wedding lark!!). Got little tiaras for us too. Well, they are on order. Doesn't seem they let you walk out of any of these wedding shops with any of the items you have paid for!!! You have to wait!!

While in the wedding shop, we had a go at walking in these stupid shoes we bought the other week. They are a nightmare! Can just imagine how practical they will be if we end up with a snow in mid March!

Don't worry, I won't shirk my duties this weekend, on the decorating front. I'll have to prepare the bedroom walls and hopefully start painting, if we can decide on a colour! Craig will probably want white or cream like the rest of the flat. Probably best I suppose. It's only small and anything else would make it shrink further!

We're still on the 'feel good Feb (FGF)' campaign. Craig suffered with bad headache for a couple of days and was certainly a bit crabby, but he seems to be improving! Not sure how easy a weekend without alcohol will be! And with England playing rugby too???!!




Tuesday, February 01, 2005

I know, my blog has changed, and you can't leave comments and it just looks rough, but after deciding on a template I forgot to save the other settings and need to crib from Haigh jnr's to get the settings back. Be patient!

Madness of work has settled as I'm now back in old (pre-Christmas) role which is great. Have a new boss who seems lovely, and might make it a bit more palatable to stay. however, the financial press are musing about take-overs and if that happens, it will almost cetainly mean job cuts. It always does in this industry. There are definitely too many of us!

Life is still manic. Craig is on a real push to get the flat finished and on the market. Seen another (almost identical to his) for £80k which would be brilliant. fingers crossed.He's made a great job of the kitchen, which I think will sell the flat easily, and he is now working on the bathroom. He bought some gorgeous tiles for the walls, and then found he couldn't cut them. They are thick terracotta ones and he had to hire a cutter in the end! I learnt a few new swear words!!

In the meantime, I have given the hall a couple of coats of paint. it will need another though. I've also varnished the paintwork, and spent Sunday stripping the paper in the bedroom. Life is Rock and Roll!!!


Today we have embarked on Feel Good February. With holiday and my mates wedding looming, we have decided to go on a healthy living kick. We already do a bit of running, but it's more the eating that's the problem. So, for Feb we are cutting out alcolhol, caffiene and chocolate, replacing them with fruit drinks and fruit snacks. We're going to really try to eat as healthily as we can. Hopefully we'll feel better for it, but I wouldn't drop round for dinner this month!


Friday, January 14, 2005

It's now 12.25 and I still haven't left the house today! Some may call it laziness...I call it craziness!!

After the debarcle my company call a restructure, last October, there have been some leavers, and some movers. I was a mover, not out of choice, to new territory, new products. Now, just 8 days into the new job (2 of which I've been off sick for!), I find that my old job has become available again.

Pros and cons weighed up, and although I don't see myslef being here long term, in the short term, returning to my old job would be preferable to trying to get to grips with this new one, and would also mean I wouldn't have to attend a further 2 weeks training already in the diary for Jan & Feb.

So, I'm hanging on for a call from my new boss, to see if she will grant my transfer request. Who knows??!!

Great excitement this morning for other reasons, as some posters arrived. I've had 2 of my studio flower pics and an outdoor flower pic printed 20x30 inches, and they look fantastic. The quality is amazing. All down to my briliance and my wonderful camera purchased last autumn (8 mega pixel Nikon Coolpix for the techies out there!). I also had a scyscraper shot, taken in NewYork, blown up to 24x36 (unfortunate terminology there....apologies to anyone I offended...seems you have to apologise publically for everything these days, so I offer that immediately to save The Sun editorial space!), and printed onto canvas. I have to say that it looks magnificent!! I know, I am bias, but I am also quite critical of my own work, so if I thought the shot was rubbish, I'd say so! The print quality is also great, so I recommend FujiFilm poster printing to anyone with nice shots they'd like printed up.

Craig is quite keen, and I agree, that it would be brilliant to be able to have a web site to sell some of the pics I've taken. I'd also like to take more, especially the studio flower shots, really close up shots of the flower centres. When I get a bunch of flowers now, the first thing I do is pick out the flowers and take their photos....sad really, but it keeps me off the streets!

I'm also sitting here next to my dresser which previously contained lots of nik naks. Craig hated most of them, but with a memory as crap as mine, I needed the trinkets to remind me of my travels and of my friends. Anyway, after new year, I decided it was about time we had a bit of a sort out. Afterall, this is Craigs house now too, and there is obviously lots more of me in it, than there is of him. The balance won't be struck properly until we have a place we've bought together, but I thought we should redress the balance a bit. Therefore, appreciation needs now to be given to a more uncluttered and neater looking dresser.

Guess we'll be doing another boot fare when the better weather comes along!

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Well, folks I'm going to try to write more often, but don't hold me to it!
Where do I start though? Last 6 months. Craig moved in, we went to New York. I ran the marathon. That just about covers it!

Wednesday is Craigs football night, so I get a bit of time to myself. Today I'm trying to put all the New York pictures into a folder. I couldn't find a photo album that would hold the pictures and our memorabelia.

I'm also sitting by the phone waiting for a call from my mate who has asked me to be a bridesmaid for her. Going to be a bit of a rush. Engagement on NY eve and wedding on March 19th!!! She's coming up this Saturday to go dress shopping...I'm like a little kid waiting for Christmas. I've not been a bridesmaid since I was 7. Hope the old story of 3 times a bridesmaid never a bride isn't true!!

Luckily we've kept up our running since the marathon, so I should look OK in a dress, and we'll have just got back from a week in Lanzarote by the time of the wedding, so I might even have a few extra freckles to show off!!

We've entered a 10k run in Tamworth in Feb. Craig is very determined to keep fit, which is great, cause he's more motivated than me. I need goals and there isn't much more of a goal than a marathon, so after that I need other little races to keep my interest up!

The rest of the freetime (of which there seems precious little!) we spend at the flat. Last weekend, Craig removed the old sink, put up the brushed steel splachbacks, and then put the new sink in. It isn't plumbed in yet, but the kitchen is almost completed now. I finished stripping the wallpaper in the hallway and prepared the the walls ready for painting. I hope to put the first coat on this weekend if I have time. I like to feel I'm doing my bit!!

On the work front, things are not too good. I've signed up with an agency again. It would be lovely to be settled in a job I liked! Maybe one day!


Tuesday, January 04, 2005

I wouldn't like to give you all hope that I might actually make an effort to keep a blog this year, but it is only the 4th Jan and here I am. We'll see how it goes. Going out in a minute, so it will be short. Off to the flat again to try and do a bit of work there. Craig has set his heart on finishing it int eh next 3 months or so. We'll see!!!