Quick Catch Up...

This work lark really does get in the way of the interesting parts of life doesn't it? When you add 12 hour shifts into the mix it really does get in the way of anything even vaguely interesting!

It's been an odd month so far, my birthday was fun and Valentines Day was quiet due to work, although I did get a beautiful poem written for me, but work really has taken over, with my phased return well and truly over and trying to get to grips with working every day. It's been hard, harder than I thought, but hard as in tiring physically not mentally and I think I'm coping quite well all things considered.

Last weekend brought with it a bit of a novelty. Due to the success of the last court hearing, and the new amicable relationship between Dan and his ex-wife, he had an extended weekend of contact with his boys. The plans for the weekend were drawn up between them and he was away from Friday to Monday. According to Hague he had a truly wonderful weekend, with time spent with family, friends and Muppets :) It's honestly been a revelation since the last court hearing. Things are moving forward in a positive and  constructive way and everyone seem happy with this progress....and hearing about paintings, football, milkshakes and all the other things that little people love doing with their Dad is more than enough to compensate for being alone for the weekend :)

To be fair it wasn't a massive hardship being on my own. I can count on one hand the nights we've spent apart since we've been together, and not having him here means I can please myself....so....the 43 episodes of Come Dine With Me on the Sky+ box have been reduced to 9, the animals spent a night in bed with me and I ate a lot of Lemon tart :) I still missed him though!

This week has continued with the "I'm Missing Hague" theme, with 3 twelve hour shifts, we've been like ships in the night, something we are well and truly rectifying this evening. Due to the ever wondrous generosity of The Parentals we have two bottles of Las Vegas Jack Daniels to drink and a whole weekend to enjoy together, so I shall leave you dear blog, and head off to enjoy the rest of this Saturday evening with the men I love....Hague and Jack ;)

MIA

Missing in action, that's me! Unfortunately the action hasn't been that exciting, it's been work. Over the last two weeks I've worked over 90 hours, and as such I just haven't been able to find time to do any interesting things, or to blog about the uninteresting things I've been up to.

Sorry for the neglect, I shall be back with a sparkling and witty post covering my adventures in February very, very soon!
xx

My Exploring Shoes

Today we had planned to go to the Valentine's Beer Festival at the BlackFriars Brewery, but neither of us had a great night and it took an enormous effort just to drag ourselves out of bed and into the car to go and pick up a freecycled DVD player.
When we were driving home we passed The WaterWays on the seafront. Due to it being absolutely bloody freezing just about all the water was frozen - it looked gorgeous, but I hadn't brought my camera or a coat and so we headed off home.

Indoors I snuggled up on the sofa, fully prepared for a whole lot of nothing, but the blue sky outside and the thought of the beautiful frozen gardens kept gnawing away at my head and so I gave up, and in the name of taking some pictures and getting off my butt (part of my ever exciting Get Off My Butt And Do More regime) I wrapped myself up all cosy and set out.

Now the WaterWays are way up the North end of the sea front, past the piers and I guess past the radar of some of the tourists who confine themeselves to the Golden Mile, but they have been there since 1928. When they were built the water contained boats which were electrically propelled around the gardens. The boats are long since gone, but the bridges are still there, and it's still a pretty little hideaway away from the bustle of the arcades and beach.

I'd never had a wander around there before and took the opportunity to take quite a few pictures, avoiding the ice and snow that was still surprisingly abundant. Most of my time was taken around the lake, where the ducks where crammed into a much smaller area than usual, and as such were easy to get nice and close to. I thoroughly enjoyed my walk, getting some fresh (cold) air, and taking some pictures and once again I find myself wondering why I don't go exploring more often.....

The WaterWays ...

Big Ol' Rant!

I'm quite an easy going type of person. Not much gets my back up except a "Veggie" that eats fish, that's jut how I roll....however...our recent purchase of the complete Harry Potter box set on blu ray, and our dedication to watching them all has re-introduced me to possibly the worst book to film translation EVER...

Now, I love the Harry Potter books. I love the subtlety of the clues to the whole tale weaved effortlessly throughout the seven books. I love the character development and the underlying message of friendship, loyalty and love. The films were never going to be truly faithful. After all you can't fit everything from a book the size of a brick into less than 2 hours - never going to happen, but even with restraints the first five films aren't bad. Yes some of the subtlety is lost in favour of clunking great signposting, some wonderful characters are lost, and whole storylines are cut - but I can accept that. With The Half Blood Prince that isn't the case, in fact I can remember leaving the cinema angry, and wondering how the hell they could even make The Deathly Hallows after the utter shambles of HBP!

So after watching it again last night I just have to get some of this off my chest (before Hague kills me for repeating it all every time we watch it!).

(Big Ol' Spoilers BTW!)

1. Why invent some random love interest on the Underground shite instead of showing Dumbledore visiting the Dursleys?
2. The Other Minister - so much explanation in that simple scene, why cut it?
3. Why cut Dobby and Kreacher? Or Harry's inheritance of Grimmauld Place and Buckbeak?
4. When you are pushed for time (cinematically speaking) why invent pointless and contradictory scenes like the burning of the Burrow? How about you use those wasted minutes on the Dumbledore memories that are ESSENTIAL TO THE FECKING PLOT OF THE NEXT BOOK!
5. Ginny is feisty, fun, cheeky and massively popular, not a quiet, meek plank of wood.
6. Draco spends the whole film trying to get DeathEaters into the school, in the book this is so they can support him and help fight their way past the DA and the Order of The Phoenix members guarding the school.....with no battle, why are the DeathEaters there? They can't kill Dumbledore for Malfoy!
7. YOU CAN'T APPARATE INSIDE HOGWARTS, EVEN IF YOU ARE DUMBLEDORE!
8. Dumbledore stupifies Harry on the tower, are we really supposed to belief that the same Harry who recklessly goes to the Ministry of Magic in the middle of the night to save Sirius, who, as Hermione points out, has a bit of a hero complex just stands there whilst Dumbledore is surrounded by his enemies and then killed by the teacher Harry hates?? Seriously? He just stands by and watches? NO, NO, NO!!!!
9. Robbing Snape of the moment where his frustration of the last 15 years comes pouring out when Harry calls him a coward is just wrong on just about every level. Snape's anger at being called a coward is rightly a  huge, emotional moment and cutting it robs of what would have been more Alan Rickman fabulousness.
10. Would it have been so bloody hard to have the locket looking like the description in the book? It's the entire cover of the adult version of the book FFS!
11. The funeral - giving Dumbledore the send off he deserved should have been in the film. Fawkes' lament would have been more fitting than the random holding up of lit wands weirdness when he died.

Sorry to go on, but after re-watching the film all the old anger and frustration has come flooding back, and to  be honest, I doubt I'll watch it again. It's a mess, it has turned what was one of my favourite books into a travesty of frivolity, I mean with so much back story needed to continue the tale why focus on the stupid things? Ron and Lavender etc?

I shall stop now - but I'll look forward to hearing some of your views on this film :) Or even if you think one of the other films was worse?

Big Plans!

Next week I'm off work. "What?" I hear you cry from through the t'interwebs..."You've only just started to go back!" Well yes, that is indeed true, but my job involves working three weeks of shifts and then having a week off. This may sound heavenly but I don't get paid for that week off, and during those weeks of work I'll have rather a few 12 hour shifts, so it works out that I work roughly 48 hour weeks when I'm there...Anyhoo, that's not what I'm blogging about - but I thought I'd set the stage as it were :)

This is my first proper week off since back in August and I'm not planning on wasting it. I am going to get all those niggly little jobs done that I have been neglecting. The various piles of Things That Need Sorting Out will be getting sorted out. I'm starting small :)

Things That Need Sorting Out...

I am pondering sorting out the smallest bedroom, but it might not get done, so I might save that for my next week off in 4 weeks time!

Tomorrow, the little things in the living room WILL get sorted! I might then have a rest day on Tuesday and tackle the little bedroom on Wednesday. That leaves the rest of the week to do absolutely nothing except enjoy being at home, enjoy walking the WigglePig and enjoy my birthday - did I not mention that?? It's my birthday on Friday as well.

When you add to all this the fact that right now Great Yarmouth is covered in snow, Hague has declared that I am to be spoiled rotten today AND we have Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the house and you have one happy Karen! Long may it continue!

(January Book Club coming soon - I promise!)