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!)

Published :)

I'm published. I have managed to cross an entry off of my Bucket List! I normally always have a quick flick through the local free paper, but for some reason this week, I didn't and Hague had already made a home for it in the recycling bin. I then got a FB message asking if it was my picture in the paper.....

Cue a panicked search through the recycling bin and a peruse of the paper and there it was - my photograph in print for all of Great Yarmouth to see (if they bother looking at the free paper). I was SO excited!

Okay, so it's part of an article about the iWitness website which encourages people to upload their pictures of local events and pictures of interest, but they chose mine and it truly did make my day :)

I'm famous!

Happy Birthday Bayleigh Boo

I know she's a dog, but to me she's my little girl, and I don't care if you think that's sad :op

Today she is seven and I can't believe how quickly that's come around, it seems like yesterday I went and picked her up. 10 weeks old and just about all ears and paws. Utterly adorable!

As far as I'm concerned she only got cuter - although that lovely blackness on her back soon disappeared, so here is a shot of her at 6 months old....

Still all ears and paws :)
Over the years she has been my constant. Through the breakdown of my marriage, through the trials of a messy new relationship she has always been there.
She is soppy, messy, scruffy, sweet and loving and yes, she might be "just" a dog, but she has been one of the most wonderful things I've been lucky enough to have in my life.

So my BooBooStink, my WigglePuppy, my DogBot, my StinkyPuppy, my Bayleigh Boo, my little girl.....happiest of birthdays and may we share many, many more together xx

Slowly Improving

2012 started off quite poorly as I blogged a couple of weeks ago, but since then it does seem to have bucked up its ideas a wee bit.
So far, in a mere 23 days this year has included two family deaths, a court hearing, still no CRB for Hague and utter skintness.

However....

Things are looking up, no-one else has died, thank goodness, and the court hearing last week went exceptionally well. Both Hague and his ex sat down and discussed the issues and came to an agreement together. Something that really does seem to have brought out the best in both of them and the current respectful, helpful and polite way that issues are being dealt with is the best thing we could have possible hoped for - long may it last for the good and welfare of all involved :) Add to that the fact that soon Hague will be having extended contact with his boys and it's definitely a bit of a high spot for the year so far!

The much delayed CRB finally seems to be in its final stages, Hague's soon to be employers are keeping him informed so hopefully he'll be back at work within the next few weeks. A development which will seriously help with the skintness, and will allow us to maybe start to save for some of the home improvements we've been unable to complete.

Finally my ground-breaking scheme to lose weight, Get Off My Butt And Do Stuff, has so far been working. The combination of being back at work, and so being way more active and me making little decisions regarding portion sizes and what I'm eating has resulted in my losing 4lbs so far this year. This means I'm still on track for my 1lb a week target without me feeling like I'm actually dieting or anything! Go me!

Soon I'll be back at work full time (next week) and so life will slowly be getting back to normal. I hope this is another huge step towards my full recovery. The last stage will be the slow removal of the anti-depressants, but baby steps eh?

Manic!

I'm still here, honest! I'm just struggling with this work lark, and balancing it out with the fun parts of life! I shall return very shortly with more in-depth, fascinating and deeply thought provoking posts for your perusal and enjoyment....

Or just more mindless wafflage :)

2012? Must Try Harder!

11 days in and already 2012 looks set to be complete and utter shite....So far this year we (as a family) have lost 2 people. My Dad's Cousin and her Mum....within a week of each other. Dad was shocked enough to lose his Cousin, to have that followed so swiftly by the death of his Aunt has knocked him a bit for six.

To add to that I heard to day that an old friend's brother hasn't beaten his cancer, and it has returned with a vengeance, so aggressively there is nothing they can do.

Days like today make you sit back and take stock. Make you remember how short life can be....I know these losses are not "close" family, but they are family nonetheless, and the loss is a heartbreaking one.

2012 really needs to buck its ideas up. After 11 days you really have delivered a whole lot of crap to a whole lot of people and some good news would be rather nice!

Nothing...

....can cheer you up and dismiss the trials of the day like a beautiful, chocolatey, kremey box of delicious doughnuts :)

Chuck in a bottle of Jack Daniels from the younger Hague brother and I've almost forgotten that West Ham were knocked out of the FA Cup as well :)

Zooooooooom!

2012 has barely started and already we're nearly at the end of the first week! Madness! I really don't know where the time goes sometimes.

I've managed to complete 2 shifts so far this week, with a third to do tomorrow, and I'm getting more involved with the tasks in my eventual job as part of my phased return, however...I'm still not sure that I'll be going back full time in just over a week, but I have a review with my boss tomorrow, so things will be clearer then. I actually feel fine about being back at work. It's a nice change, and it definitely makes me feel a whole lot better just being there and getting to know the new people I'll be working with. That has to be a good sign, but I'm struggling with the routine, with sleep and controlling my moods - I'm sure a happy medium will be found that lets me continue at work until I'm ready to get back into it full time :)

As for the rest of the week, Hague has had a phone call and hopefully his CRB check is in it's final stages and he might be starting his training by the end of the month - which is wonderful news. We also managed to get a statement sorted and posted off in time for his next court hearing, and my 365 has continued unabated, so things are definitely looking up in just about every area right now :)

One thing I haven't managed to do is weigh myself. Rather than diet this year I'm going to just make little changes to make me fitter and healthier, merely being at work will increase my activity and I'll be just cutting back on fatty things for now...but I need a measure, and my weight will be it - so I need to get my fat 'ol butt on the scales so I can get me (yet another) weight ticker to track my progress.

All in all, not a bad start to the year as far as I'm concerned!

December Book Club

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer
A while ago I asked for recommendations on my FB page, I tend to read similar kinds of books and wanted to try something different. My friends came up with a huge variety of suggestions and this was the first one I chose...
It was something different for me, and I loved it. It's the story of a writer based in London just after the end of the Second World War, and how her life changes through the receipt of a chance letter. It also gives an insight into the occupation of Guernsey during the war. I adored the writing, and admired how the author gave each character their own voice (the book is written in letters from and to many of the characters) and how she brought alive a part of history I knew little about. Try it, it's fabulous :)

Holes - Louis Sachar
Another recommendation from FB, although this was a book I'd fancied for quite a while, but I am too tight to hand over nearly £5 of my own money for a Kindle book....so when I got a few Amazon vouchers I treated myself. This seems to be the story of a boy sent to a correctional camp for a crime he didn't commit, but it's so much more. It's not a long book, but the story grips you utterly and I couldn't put it down!

Integration - Stephen Edger
I tried this one as the reviews on Amazon were amazing. Five stars all the way with phenomenal things to say about this book.
So, although I enjoyed reading this book, I have learnt to not always believe Amazon reviews....
It's the tale of a normal guy who gets caught up in something way beyond his control, and how his whole life is turned upside down. It's a good enough read, although somewhat formulaic and frustratingly ended with a "To be continued" I'll be reading the follow up, as I do want to know what happens to Mark next. It's worth a read.

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
I finished this not long before Christmas and it was simply wonderful :) Oh of course I knew the story, everyone from The Muppets to Bill Murray have done the story, but to read the original words, and the delightful turn of phrase that Dickens has in this tale was priceless. It is quite simply a magical story that is full of the spirit of Christmas. I think I'll find myself reading this before many future Christmasses :)

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
Another one from the Big Read. I tried this one as it's supposedly an easier read than LOTR. I can't argue with that, after all I finished this one lol! Whilst I did enjoy the story, I can't say I loved it. It's obviously about Bilbo's journey, and much as I really tried to absorb it and love it, I just couldn't. It's okay, it's a story about a journey....but without the gorgeous depth of detail that would have made it come alive for me. I'm sorry, I know Tolkien's books are deemed wonderous, but not for me.

It's hard to pick a favourite this month. I can't say how much I loved Holes and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - they are both wonderful, amazing books that I am so happy to have been recommended and as they are both utterly different I just can't pick between them. Read them both, you won't be disappointed.
Worst is The Hobbit, I know I'll like the film - but the book just didn't do it for me!

So Long And Farewell

To 2011. It's not been the best of years, in fact it's been rather massively shite. If you regularly read my blog you'll know that the delights this year have brought have included 7 months out of work (so no money) for Hague, redundancy, wage cut and a nervous breakdown for me, plus the usual debt issues, failing to lose any weight whatsoever (and gaining even more),  and the ongoing court appearances and I think you can see why it's been one to forget....

However...

There have been some wonderful highlights! The long awaited and utterly enjoyed holiday in Cyprus, Hague getting himself a new job (I'll gloss over the ridiculous wait for a CRB check), earning £255 in cashback from good old Top Cashback and achieving one of my resolutions - completing my 365 Project :) Along with the 365, just using my camera every day has meant that I have learnt SO much about photography, definitely something positive to take away from the year.

Looking forward to 2012 I'm going to continue with 365, or as it will be next year a 366 project :). I'm going to be editing as well, so that will be another skill to learn.
I'm planning on losing some weight (for a change)! With my change in role I'll be more active at work anyway, and rather than "dieting" I shall be making a few changes to what I eat and just aim for losing 1lb a week that way rather than pressuring myself.

Apart from those, I want to focus on getting myself healthy, getting back to my old self and shaking off the depression and anxiety that has dogged me for so long. Finally I want to be there for Hague as we muddle our way through life - trying to keep smiles on our faces and determination in our hearts as we shove our way through whatever 2012 might throw our way!!

So in that vein, I shall take my leave for the evening. I'll be enjoying a few drinks with the man I love and the silly old furballs that share our home, I shall be positive, and smile and giggle my way through the last few hours of 2011, and merrily welcome in the New Year and the new start it always promises :)

Happy New Year! x

Far Too Quick :(

It doesn't seem two minutes ago that I was bouncing off the walls with excitement on Christmas Eve and now it's all over! Dinner has been demolished....

The presents have been opened...

And some presents are close to being gone already....

It was a lovely Christmas, the girls were on wonderful form, Hague got to talk to his boys lots over the holiday, including a short but fantastic call on Christmas morning, everyone loved the presents we got them and we got some lovely presents in return. I've been in a really good mood as well. Full of the spirit of the season if you like - with a smile on my face and a spring in my step!

Present wise, I got my main present in August (my new camera) so wasn't actually expecting anything, but I ended up with loads! Hague's Mum had treated us to a lovely food hamper and some delicious cheeses, money was also forthcoming from some and from my Parentals we got a new printer, a bottle of Jack Daniels, socks (ongoing family joke...) a really cute Basset figurine and a gorgeous Gok vanity case full of shimmery smellies :) Lucky old me :)

How cute?

With Boxing Day also spent at The Parentals it seems to have all passed in a bit of a whirlwind and so yesterday was spent relaxing in front of the TV with nibbles, but now....it's time to go back to work already. Sure it's only two days, but it's the signal that Christmas is over. New Year is obviously still to come, but the end of the year is very much nigh. I am 4 pictures away from the end of my 365 project, and my mind is now focusing on the turning of the year and everything that 2012 will bring, but that's a whole other blog!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and that Father Christmas brought you everything you wanted!

It's Christmas :)

I suppose Christmas starts at different times for different people. For children, Christmas is already here, starting when school finished. For some it's when they finish work, or put the decorations up. For some it's not Christmas until December 25th.
For me, Christmas begins when I finish work. That's when I can feel relaxed and festive. The busy parts are usually done by then....
Presents wrapped...

 Decorations up....

So the only thing to do is to embrace the season. Tonight's dinner shall be party food nibbles, and the drink of choice shall be eggnog. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, the day when traditions take over. To the Parentals as they cook the turkey and to indulge in my Mum's Fish Pie (not me obviously). It's also a chance to enjoy the super-mega hyperactivity of my Nieces. They are 8 and 5 and so time is short for Father Christmas, but they still believe this year - and it's beautiful to see the sheer excitement in their eyes as they wind themselves up into a frenzy over his visit!

Christmas Day will also be at The Parentals, after a nice relaxed morning of just me and Hague (and hopefully a phone call with his boys - double dose of mega excitement). My Mum never knowingly undercaters and so we will be rolling out of there in the late hours of the 25th.

So for now, I shall sup on my eggnog, in a room lit with fairy lights looking forward to the most wonderful time of the year.

Happy Christmas to you all, I hope each and every one of you has a magical Christmas full of joy and love.

Let Battle Commence

At this time of the year there are many traditions. Turkey, tinsel, cards, presents, shopping etc. One that is more recent is the race for Christmas Number One. Back in the days before X Craptor et al it was always an interesting race, would it be something Christmassy? Or something a bit more boring?

Once Cowell got involved it turned into a stream of nameless faceless nobodies who had their 5 minutes and then disappeared forever, until Rage Against The Machine made it there backed by a huge campaign. It's now become a sport to try and spoil the Cowell domination. I'll admit to downloading RATM and I was so chuffed that it was top of the charts for Christmas.

This year there are a hell of a lot of alternatives out there, The Only Way Is Essex, Military Wives and Nirvana. I had thought my download would be Smells Like Teen Spirit, but then for the first time in ages I was in the car early enough to listen to the Chris Moyles show, and was reminded of one of the best Christmas songs ever....

So there you have it. The MinxyMissK vote/download belongs to little Dominick the Donkey, so if you want to keep Little Mix (seriously....WTF have they done to Cannonball o_O) away from the top spot, get yourself to iTunes and download a proper Christmas song that will make you smile right through into the New Year :)

Download Dominick :)

SO Much Progress!

Wow, what a whirlwind few days! I was incredibly nervous about going back to work. It's been so long since I've been in that I was in a right old state at 2.45pm on Monday as I made my way into my new department to meet my new manager...He really couldn't have been nicer, and in the two 4 hour shifts I've completed so far he has been amazingly supportive. I guess that's in everyone's interest but it's nice to know that I have people looking out for me in my family AND at work. I did have to change the pattern we had decided on, as I'd planned to go into work on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, however I woke up on Tuesday feeling utterly drained, but a quick chat with my manager and it was all changed. I have one more shift to do this week, on Friday, but after how this week has gone, I know I'll be fine. It's a nice feeling to have, and a nice place to be on my road to recovery.

Progress has also been made in the Christmas department. ALL the presents are now bought! I'm glad they are all done and dusted now, I just hope they are all liked! We also got all the wrapping gubbings and the cards so that side of Crimbo is all done! Yay us!

Dan's contact over Christmas and New Year has also been sorted, so everyone knows what's happening, so that's another tick on the old To Do list.

The only job left to do now is to get the decorations up. Now I'm back at work I'm looking at Tuesday to get that done, as we have a few bits to do on Thursday and on Saturday I'd like to try and get up to Horsey to see the baby seals. I think me and Hague might just have this Christmas thing sussed already.

With my return to work progressing, as is Dan's CRB check it looks like (fingers very much crossed) that 2012 might just start off on a good foot - here's hoping eh?

Milestones

I AM finally feeling Christmassy. After much delaying I have finally written out the cards and they are ready for posting. I have to admit that I was aided and abetted by Elf, which happened to be on the telly and has well and truly switched on my Christmas Spirit! So from here on in I'm hoping this good mood lasts for the remaining 2 weeks until the big day :)

A second, way more scarier milestone will be passed tomorrow. I have been absent from work since August 4th after suffering from an apparent breakdown caused by stress and depression. With help from two counsellors, my doctor, a healthcare advisor, my family and of course Hague I am now in the position where I will be going back to work. Tomorrow...

Part of me sort of feels like it's not quite happening, I've been away for so long that it seems unreal to be getting back to normal. Another part of me is absolutely bricking it about going back to the place that laid the final straw on my overstressed back and knocked me for six. I know I won't be sleeping much tonight, but I'll do my best. I'm pretty sure my work trousers won't be fitting me after 4 months of eating crap, but that's a minor issue. I have silly things whizzing around my head, where are my keys? Where is my clocking card? Work shoes? Hat? Will climbing the four storeys of stairs kill me on the first day? How are people going to be with me?.....It's going to be a hard day, but...I have a new Christmassy spirit, I have support from my family and I will have Hague to wave me off and be there with open arms when I get home

How bad could it possibly be? 

The (Slightly Delayed) November Book Club!

The time has got away with me this month, and I only managed to read three books - and one of those I didn't finish until the 3rd! So this months book club will be slightly short, so perhaps not worth the lateness lol!

So here goes, the first book this month was;

Stephen King - Everything's Eventual
I decided to re-read this one as I'd finally seen the film 1408, despite mixed reviews I rather enjoyed it and it spurred me on to read this book as it contains the short story the film was based on. I'd forgotten just how much I enjoy Stephen King's short stories, and it has been years since I read this one. The 1408 story didn't disappoint and was one of my favourites, along with the autopsy room tale and Riding The Bullet. If you're a fan you'll enjoy this, no question. If you've not read a SK book before, it's a good introduction in bite sized chunks :)

Adam Ross - Mr Peanut
This one was a shot in the dark, it had good reviews so I took a chance. It's an odd book, and the reason that I only managed to read three books this month....The writing is sublime, I really loved how Ross wrote, his prose  really is something special and I could have easily got lost within his work, but, the story was too complicated, too long and too full of pointless twists and turns. You start the book presuming (perhaps wrongly) that it will be a straight forward who dunnit, but it's not. It's more of a dialogue on the state of marriage and the extremes that can happen within the lifes of seemingly normal couples. It also contains a novel within a novel, of another murder mystery. Much as I loved his writing, I was left annoyed and confused by the ending and carried on reading to finish it, rather than to find out what happened. I got bogged down in the middle and struggled to get through to the ending. Perhaps others may enjoy it more than me, perhaps others will see something deeper than I did? I don't know, I would try to read another Adam Ross book again, but I would hope he'd try not to be so clever next time, as too much story detracts from the joy of his skill.

Ben Hatch - Are We Nearly There Yet?
After trudging my way through Mr Peanut, I wanted something more lighthearted to read and so I stumbled upon this one. A story of a family taking a few months out of their life to write about family friendly attractions across the UK. It was exactly what I expected, funny in parts, and due to the authors Father contracting cancer, touching as well. It's nothing exceptional, but it's an easy enough read and at the end of it you feel you know the Hatch family really well - not a bad thing :)


So that's it for this month, I'm already well into the first of December's books and enjoying it immensely, so perhaps next months book blog will be a tad more interesting!

Ups and Downs!

December has so far been a bit busy! The 1st is always exciting as it's Hague's birthday, tight funds meant that we couldn't really uber-celebrate, but he loved his pressies (Two and a Half Men box set and a Karl Pilkington t-shirt). We managed to scrape together enough for a Chinese and some alkyhol and we had a lovely evening watching trillions of episodes of TAAHM :)

 Pressies!

The Birthday Boy!

The next day was a bit of a bummer. I woke up with a horrible sore throat and a headache, never fun - and it meant that I spent the day indoors rather than outside at the Christmas Fayre!
With the continuing down theme, I still felt rough on Saturday and despite getting up late was in bed at 8pm, partly as I felt poo and partly as we had to be up early to go to Barnsley so Dan could see his boys...

Sleepy, Grumpy Karen!

Unfortunately his youngest was a bit under the weather, and so Dan made the decision not to go up. It's not fair to drag a 6 year old who's feeling icky away from his Mum and then on buses, hopefully he'll see them next weekend.
Surprisingly we didn't go back to bed, despite being up at 7am, we'd both showered, and by the time Dan had made the decision it was past 8.30 and although we stayed in bed for a little while longer, sleep wasn't forthcoming and so we had that rarest of things....an entire Sunday spread before us, with nothing planned!
It made sense to finally head for the Christmas Fayre, it usually contains lots of foodie stalls with noms to taste and the odd crafty stall. This year was a bit naff to be honest, but it was being held in the church. Now, Great Yarmouth's Parish Church, St Nicholas is ENORMOUS, it's the largest Parish Church in England and as such it was rather lovely to have a wander around. There are displays and information boards all around the Church and we spent quite a while exploring and finding out little known facts...

1. The church was founded in 1101
2. Nelson returned in triumph after battles to the church to be blessed.
3. Bodies were stolen from the graveyard and taken down to London
4. In the 1500's 5 men were banned from the Church after bartering for Herring during a service.
5. The church was all but destroyed during WWII, but rebuilt in the 1960's

Fascinating :o) Of course I took lots of piccies too...

It truly is a beautiful Church, despite me being of Pagan persuasion, I can appreciate the beauty of the building and the various altars, chapels and windows.

So, not a bad morning at all really, add into that a rather impressive haul of 3, yes THREE fleeces and a bad day has turned out not so bad after all. Tonight we also have chocolate cake which was supposed to be a part of a birthday surprise for Hague, but now has to be eaten by us.....I've had worse days!

'Tis the season to spot fleeces...

Finally, I know I'm late with the Book Club, I have been a major slacker and only read 3 books this month (and I only finished one of those on the 3rd of December)....but I will let you know what I thought very soon!

I Had To Share

I found this through a link someone posted on FB. I had to share it, it's as simple as that.

http://community.thisiscentralstation.com/_Mysterious-paper-sculptures/blog/4991767/126249.html

I love living in a world where art and magic combine in such a truly selfless and beautiful way :)

A Surprisingly Good Day!

When I woke up this morning after not enough sleep the day didn't promise much...It was only 9am, and ahead of me was a meeting at work, a counselling session, trying to remember my Mum's enormous order for my company shop and trying to juggle the finances as I'd managed to leave the Sky bill out of the monthly budget :(

But...

The work meeting went well. My new manager (another one) seems to understand that my return has to be handled carefully and together we have worked out which days and shifts I'll be working. Planning ahead seems to be the key to keeping me calm and so this was a perfect way to achieve something quite difficult. So, I shall be returning to work on December 12th and right now, I feel just fine about that :)

My counsellor was up next, and she was really pleased with my progress. It will be my last face to face session with her, and she has helped me so much over the last couple of months - even a month ago returning to work seemed miles away, but now I'm well on the way to recovery, able to cope much better with problems and much closer to the person I thought had gone AWOL for good!

After such good results from unexpected places the draw of going into town to see the Christmas lights switched on was just too much to resist. I love Christmas, and I love fireworks and this evening the two combined. I rather like the fact that it is practically December as well before the council switched on the lights - keeping it relatively special. The marketplace was packed, and the mood was joyous, little children everywhere festooned with reindeer antlers, santa hats and various neon crapola :) I managed to forget my tripod, so any technically perfect pictures were never going to happen, but I liked the results.

Due to the lights being switched on, the shops were open late and so we were able to pick up another present, the list is getting much shorter now :) Finally, when you're out on a chilly night, all wrapped up, literally NOTHING warms you up like a portion of market chips, fresh, delicious and hot! Me and Hague got a portion each, and wooden forks in hand devoured the paper wrapped morsels of nom. Just sitting eating the chips next to Hague, all cosy and with his birthday tomorrow just made me happy. Happy that I have him, happy that my life is getting back on track and happy that simple Christmas lights and fireworks can still create childish wonder in me.

Being Thankful

I'm English, but in this ever decreasing world of ours I have friends all over the world, and as such I can't fail to acknowledge that today is the day our colonial friends celebrate Thanksgiving. Now I don't claim to know much about the whole Thanksgiving thing beyond turkeys, pilgrims and Indians, but taking time to give thanks for the good things in your life can't be a bad thing.
So here, to remind me that all is not darkness, are some of the things I am truly thankful for...

1. Hague, as always. The support of a partner is something beyond measure. There is a good reason that marriage vows have that richer/poorer and sickness/health malarky!
2. Boo and Flump. A house just isn't a home without pets, they bring so much love and want little in return. Nothing can calm me as quickly as a cuddle from one of the fluffy little monsters :)
3. My family.I've had ups and downs during my life with my family, I'l be the first to admit it...but over the last year or so they have been there for me in ways only family can be. Patient, understanding and caring, what more could I ask for?
4. My health - yes I've had health problems this year, but the treatment has been swift and I am definitely starting to feel that I'm on the up, I'm looking very much forward to getting back to work. Besides, looper status aside, the rest of me is pretty healthy :)
5. My friends. I am definitely of the quality over quantity camp when it comes to friends. I don't have hundreds, but the ones I do have are amazing. I know that if I need anything, if it's in their power they will help in any way they can. I am so very, very thankful for them, be they childhood friends, friends of long standing, or friends who are of the online variety. I love and cherish everyone of them.
6. My house. It may be scruffy, it may be in need of a tidy and needs a million little jobs doing - but - it's our home, it's warm, it's full of love and it has a pink elephant fairy hanging from the ceiling in the living room :)
7. Jenna and Carys. Yes they're family, but I feel they need their own category. The simple, unconditional love from little people is something truly wonderful, and to have two such loving, kind, sweet and beautiful little girls in my life is something I will always be thankful for.
8. Living by the sea. An odd thing maybe, but I love it. I am thankful that if I need some fresh, cleansing air I can be on the beach within 5 minutes. I can sit on the sand, hidden in the dunes and just listen to the sea, perfect peace, right on my doorstep!

So very much to be thankful for really. I hope I'm getting close to my optimistic, glass half full self and that my list of things to be thankful for will be even longer in 2012.

Gah! And Stuff!

We've been up in Barnsley for a few days. Hague was seeing his boys on Sunday, and then had a Family Court hearing on Wednesday. Now, petrol is ridiculously expensive and it takes a tank to do the journey there and back. It seemed sensible to spend that money on staying somewhere for those 3 nights and skipping the 350 miles of driving and so that's what we did :)

Good Points:

• The fog driving up - the light as the sun came up was so beautiful, and if we hadn't of been on a schedule I would have been constantly stopping to snap away!
• Getting to relax on a comfy bed whilst Dan saw the boys.
• Being able to chill out 3 hours earlier than normal - bliss!
• Treating ourselves to a lovely meal.
• The 3 hours spent in a state of utter relaxation.
• Finally getting the chance to take a light trails picture - and being really pleased with the result.
• Spending more time getting to know Dan's family :

I don't want to dwell on the bad points - there weren't many to be fair, and the ins and outs of the court hearing are not really to be discussed here as, much as I love the boys, I am merely a third party in the workings of the case.

We're now safely back home, Flumpy has attached herself to me, Boo is sleeping/sulking in her bed and we're trying to warm up after turning the heating off whilst we were away (BIG mistake lol). I was planning to once again change the url of this blog and turn off the google search after hearing (again) that I'm being "monitored" (again), but you know what? I'm not going to - I wouldn't write things here I wasn't happy with, I wouldn't share things I wasn't comfortable sharing, and so I shall leave things just as they are.