The Right Thing ≠ The Easy Path...

An odd day today. It is the day of the much awaited and once adjourned second directions hearing regarding Dan's contact with his children. The boys live in Barnsley, 185 miles away from us in Great Yarmouth, and as is usual, the hearing is at the court closest to them - so a long old drive and a long old day. 


Dan was in front of the judge for around 10 minutes, long enough for the judge to register his utter disgust for his interpretation of Dan's behaviour whilst he has been ill. As Dan put it he was "utterly reamed".


When he first got back to the car and told me, I was so annoyed at the judge, how dare he decide all this and lay blame where it wasn't due....however, Dan could  have done more to stay in contact whilst he was ill, and during the course of the 4 hour drive home we have taken many positives from today...


Yes Dan was ill, very ill with a ruptured appendix, a wound that re-opened and then further damage to the nerves in his back...however, that should not have stopped him picking up the phone to talk to his boys.


Yes, it's easier not to have to deal with his Ex, but she's not going anywhere anytime soon, so she shall be dealt with swiftly, politely, and strictly on topic.


Yes it's easier to act like a victim, and blame others - but facing up to things gives a real sense of achievement, and looking into the eyes of someone you love and knowing they are proud of you is worth fighting for.


The boys deserve a Dad they can look up to - and I truly believe that today is the turning point. Today is the day when Dan will really push towards being that man, for the ones he loves. Sometimes you do need to take a good, hard look at yourself to realise who you are and what you want. I truly believe today was that day for Dan.


Perhaps now he'll learn to listen to his wonderful, all knowing girlfriend ;o) 

At Bleeding Last!

I'm finally feeling better! I'm still a bit sniffly and sneezey but the aching has finally gone, and although I'm still very tired, I know I'm on the mend, it's a wonderful feeling!


It's been a weird old week, starting as it did with me grumping massively over the flu and ending with Dan back at work and me in the house alone!! Now that may not sound like an extraordinary occurrence but it is to me. Except for when Dan was in hospital (when the only time I was here I was sleeping) I've not been alone here for years!


I've made the most of it with a looooong delicious soak in the bath, enjoying a little treat of some Hot Butter Fudge bubbles which just smell gorgeous and now I'm just relaxing and watching cookery programmes :o) Simple pleasures!


We are still waiting for the return of Mutley's ashes. We'll be looking after him until Lee and Tina are back in the country, when they'll decide whether to scatter him somewhere he loved or take him back to Singapore with them. It's still hard to think that he's gone, and has really hit home to me how hard it is to say goodbye to a pet. I will be beyond devastated when anything happens to Bayleigh :o(


All in all it's been a bit of a stressful week, Dan returning to work wasn't without it's issues, as it's been so long (September) since he's worked, and as he was going back to a different placement, it was an anxious day. This placement is a lot quieter than his first one, but...he's training up and this will give him experience with working with older people in a care environment. 


Adding to the stress has been a lovely letter from the CSA - due to their own incompetence they haven't taken money from his wages for two months. Apparently this is somehow Dan's fault....got to love dealing with government agencies! We have no idea why it's taken them two months to inform him that they've been unable to take his payments from his wages, and as for the fact that they've passed on false personal information to his ex wife......infuriating isn't the word!! Still, wage slips are on the way, so perhaps they'll sort it out before Christmas.....


In other, much happier news, at 9.30pm tonight, Dan will finish work and the weekend can begin! I think I'm finally feeling well enough for a little drink tonight, and as I'm planning on (finally) returning to Slimming World on Monday this may be the last chance for a big drink for a while! Next week will be stressful as well with a court appearance about the boys pending, so a relaxing weekend will be very welcome!


Oh...and I *may* have bought myself a DSLR camera.....I've been thoroughly enjoying my 365 and can't wait to start playing with my first "proper" camera :o)


A DSLR effort (with Lee's camera) of Lee and Bayleigh!

Enough Already!

Eurgghhh! Just eurgghhhh! I am STILL ill, my attempts to return to work today were thwarted when I visited my GP to get my certificate for my absence. She said I shouldn't be going back until I was more fully recovered, so signed me off for another week.


I am bored, I am sick of feeling so tired and aching everywhere. If I try and do anything it wipes me of all energy and makes me need to sleep for hours. I'm sleeping for 12-14 hours a night and am still shattered.


All I want is to feel better, to get back to work, to be able to get my butt to Slimming World and start losing weight and to start taking some interesting pictures for my 365!


Flu...you suck, big time, please sod off and leave me alone :(

Goodbye Mutley

Despite the inevitability of yesterday, it was still a very hard day. 


Lee arrived safe and sound with us, and managed to get a few hours with Mutley. Even the appearance of his Dad wasn't enough to really perk him up though, and sadly it just seemed as if Mutley knew it was his time.


He was a very sweet dog, he liked nothing more than snuggling into his crate and the  occasional fussing. Yesterday all he wanted was for someone to be there with him, just stroking him and talking to him, and we were there with him until the end.


The vets were lovely, giving us time with him, and making it as calm as possible, but many, many tears were shed for a dog who was definitely part of the family, and to Lee a dear, close friend who had seen him through thick and thin over the last 13 years. It will be a hard few days as we come to terms with the house without him


Mutley - you have left a huge gap in our lives, and I will never forget the time you spent with us.

A Long Night

I'm still suffering from flu, but that's the least of my worries at the moment. A post or two ago I described our little menagerie of animals, and today Mutley isn't well :(


Mutley's Dad is en-route from Singapore as I type, and we shall be staying up all night to ensure he is as comfortable as possible. He has descended quite quickly in the last 24 hours, and much as I hope he will be okay I'm really not sure how good the outcome will be for him. He's 13 and his age has been showing in recent months with him becoming more and more unsteady on his legs.


All I want is for him to be as comfortable as we can make him tonight, and for him to still be with us in the morning when Lee arrives.....not that much to ask for. I hope beyond hope that he will be okay, but until he sees the vet in the morning, we just won't know.


Not a good day, and it will be a long hard night....


Mutters

Zeitgeist

Today has mostly been supremely unproductive, I'm still feeling awful - in fact worse than I have since last week, and as such have barely had the energy to move from the sofa, let alone doing anything interesting or exciting.....so I found myself meandering through Facebook (for a change..lol). 


One of my friends, Lisa, posted on her status that she had watched Zeitgeist, and recommended that her friends watch it as well. This is a film that I have been planning to watch for ages, in fact Hague had already downloaded it for me months (if not years) ago. Seeing her status reminded me, and I finally bothered my arse to get onto the website and watch it.


Watch Zeitgeist Here....

I found it utterly intriguing - it contained many, many things that myself and Hague find ourself pondering and discussing over and over again. The Paganistic roots of Christianity are no surprise to me, being a Pagan it's something I'm well aware of, but to see the extent of the crossover I found interesting, and as I'm interested in theology in general, it will probably be something I study in more detail.


The second part of the film concerns September 11th 2001. Now, I'm sure everyone is aware of the multitude of conspiracy theories regarding that day and the aftermath, and whilst before I accepted there were oddities about the day, and certainly a cover up of sorts, I refused to believe that a government would sanction action of that level on their own countrymen and women for their own ends, but Zeitgeist throws up many questions on so much surrounding that day, that again I will read further about. The thing I liked most was that the facts were simply presented, you are left to come to your own conclusions regarding the information.


The final part of the film discusses the power of money and wealth, and the level to which our economies and commerce are warped and corrupted by banks, and the further pursuit of the few for ever increasing riches and power - and the subtle direction towards war as a business enterprise.


The film opened my eyes to a few things, but it didn't preach, it presented facts, and encouraged me to go on, explore, question and research the world around me and the growth of our Big Brother society. To keep my eyes and mind open, and value the world and people around me.


The final message was not one of uprising, protest and war, it was one of hope, of love and of the power of intelligence and curiosity. One of the final quotes spoke to me in bounds....


"When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, the World will know Peace" - Sri Chinmoy Ghose.


Whatever your views, give the film a go - if you take nothing else away, the message of Love is one we can all appreciate.

Regular Check Up

On my challenges that is! We're now 9 days into the New Year, so a good a time as any to have a bit of an update!


A minor spanner in the works appeared in the form of getting ill last week with either a really nasty cold, or a dose of flu. I certainly felt as rough as hell and pretty much slept my way through Thursday and Friday! I'm still not feeling great now, but should be okay to go back to work tomorrow. However, it's meant that not a lot has been achieved for some of my challenges....


Going well....is the Project 365, a photo has been taken every day and I'm still really enjoying the challenge. I've also found a website where you can chronicle your project (My 365 Project) and have really enjoyed browsing through other projects and getting to know some people on there in the last few days.


Going as well as can be....are the Trust and Money challenges, no significant issues with either at the moment! Well, the money is there to pay the bills - but that's it, but that's nothing new lol! I suppose I can put the Photography challenge in here as well, as I've decided against the Photoshop course for now, as I can buy the Dummies book for £15, and shall see how I get on with that first!


Not going anywhere yet....are the Losing Weight and Fitness challenges. I've had to wait for payday to join Slimming World, which will be on Monday. I'll be signing up for 12 weeks, so no excuses! The fitness one has been thwarted by me feeling rough, but I will certainly get myself into a routine once I'm back to something resembling health!


Things are going pretty much as expected so far I suppose, I'm looking forward to started at Slimming World tomorrow, and shall be setting up a ticker as soon as I get back. I do need support when losing weight, so feel free to kick me up the arse through comments lol!

The Menagerie

I am very much an animal person, I like having a pet around, am a vegetarian, and hate to see an animal suffering needlessly. This doesn’t mean that I am against meat-eaters, each to their own after all, it’s just my view. In Hague’s words, I’m a soppy cow when it comes to animals!

This has somehow led to us becoming the owners of what can only be described as The Menagerie over the last couple of years. Originally, in the times before Hague I had only one pet, my Basset Hound Bayleigh Boo (alternatively knows as The Boo, BooPig, WigglePuppy, PwincessPaddyPaws and a million variants thereof). I’ve had her since she was 10 weeks old in April 2005. She has a wonderful personality, is very stubborn, playful and jealous of anyone being around “her” Mummy. She likes to be the centre of everyone’s world, and will always try and make us giggle. She doesn’t just wag her tail, she wags her entire body! She can be utterly naughty and defiant as well if she thinks she can get away with it…..it other words, she’s a typical Basset! She also thinks she is a little lapdog despite weighing in at just under 5 stone, and is constantly trying to sneak up for cuddles with me on the sofa, thinking that Dan won’t notice the appearance of a ridiculously long dog taking up most of the seat! She owns the soppiest puppy eyes you’ve ever seen and for all intents and purposes is my baby….yes, I know that’s incredibly sad lol!

In July 2009 I got a phone call from a very old and dear friend, he was moving to Singapore with his lovely lady and was unable to take his Doberman with him due to his age. He had made plans for someone to take him in, but they fell through at the 11^th hour, so he made a desperate plea to us to take his 12 year old boy in – I shall refer you back to my opening paragraph to ensure the fact that we agreed to take him in is of no surprise to you!

Despite being much larger than The Boo, Mutley immediately moved himself to the bottom of the pack in the house. He obviously missed Lee desperately as he was very quiet to begin with, and we had issues with him settling. I think he has found a happy level now, he’s an old man, and he spends most of his time making his crate into a nice nest and snuggling up in it and sleeping. He has lost some of his bounce, but still has a good old wag of his little stump when he gets a treat for being a good boy :o)

Obviously 2 pretty large dogs weren’t quite enough for our house, as in the Autumn of 2009 Hague decided he needed more pets – and so the Gerbils arrived (for some reason pronounced with a hard G….don’t ask!). The new members of The Menagerie were named quite quickly, and as such, don’t particularly suit their personalities too well. We have JCB – named due to the fact that all he does is dig, and dig, and dig, and dig….he will also eat stuff in his cage, but digging is mainly what drives our little sandy coloured friend. The second of the Gerbily Little Dudes is TiggerPig, so named as all he did on the first day we had them was bounce around the cage like Tigger! He’s a brownish colour, and contrary to his name is actually much quieter than that. The last Gerbil is the bossiest one, woefully named Mousey as he barely showed his face for the first few days and was a pretty silvery grey, so we wrongly decided that he must be the quiet one….we couldn’t have been more wrong!! He bosses the other two around, always wants to be first to any food and is without doubt the leader of the tiny Gerbilly universe we have! I had owned a Hamster years ago, so wasn’t overly keen on the addition of more rodents, however, The Gerbils are way more fun, they are very nosy and at every noise or bit of movement a little head will pop up to see what’s going on! It’s like having a budget Meerkat commercial running constantly!

So, we’re now up to 5 pets and 2 people! Hague though is Cat People, and as you may have noticed, a cat flavoured pet was missing from The Menagerie. So we started to check various Freegle/Freecyle/Pet Charities for the perfect cat for us. They had to be used to dogs and litter trained, and we tried for a fair while until I randomly answered an ad for someone looking for a foster or permanent home for their PussyCat. After exchanging a few emails with Claire she decided that we sounded like the perfect home for her, and so we had our final addition – PussyCat, now more usually known as Flump. A tortoiseshell cat of unknown age, but totally dog savvy, litter trained, and who has slotted straight into the Random House of Mayhem that is the MitchHague residence! She enjoys nothing more than snuggling up on the settee and having cuddles, although she does get very vocal if her bowl gets to anything even vaguely resembling empty, again, she has a great little personality, and seems to revel in being allowed on the sofa when Bayleigh isn’t. In fact her interactions with Boo are highly amusing as Bayleigh has absolutely no idea what Flump is…..she keeps sniffing this weird looking dog thing with such intent, but seems to have no idea how to deal with her – poor thing!

Anyway….there you have it….an short introduction to The Menagerie, or How I’ve Suddenly Found Myself One Pet Away From Having My Own Zoo!

A Few Firsts!

Not all good ones! I've had to ring in for my first sick day of both the new year, and since my job became permanent. I felt rough yesterday, but despite an early night and tons of sleep I woke up this morning feeling even worse! I'm hoping it's not full blown flu, I really don't want to be ill like this, work is busy right now, and I just can't be off for any amount of time! I'm keeping myself full of paracetamol, orange juice and lemon and ginger tea, which will get me sorted nice and quickly with any luck!


The first takeaway of 2011 has also been ordered, mainly as neither Me or Hague have the energy to walk to the kitchen, let alone make hot food, as once again we've both got sick together, so much for being looked after and waited on hand and foot! O_o


Another first is that I have my first (and second!) follower on my blog! This is most definitely a good first, and it really has put a smile on my face. I mainly write this blog for me, but it's nice to know that people have had a look and are interested enough to follow it. *waves*


Perhaps I should up my game lol???


In other news, I'm 6 days into Project 365, and despite feeling awful still managed a picture that I like, which is my first food/beverage themed one! :o)

Back to Work

First day back at work today after 11 gorgeous days off. I couldn't have been in a less enthusiastic mood to be honest, but have to get myself back into the swing of things quickly.


We've got a busy few weeks coming up at work, but I can't seem to get myself in a positive frame of mind for any of it. It's at times like this that I am so jealous of people who have found jobs that they love. I can't think of anything more rewarding than going to work everyday with a feeling of anticipation about what the day will bring, and a desire to excel at something you truly enjoy.


I've had quite a few jobs over the years, but never anything I've really wanted to do, certainly nothing that has had me waking up full of enthusiasm about the day ahead. I think half the problem is that I'm not entirely sure what that job would be for me....I have quite a few things that interest me, photography, anything 50's/60's retro, family law, reading, cooking, and expanding my knowledge in things that I could never tire of learning about, such as space and religion. However, they don't really fit neatly into any sort of job. 


I think this is why I live for the weekends - it means I can do what I want to do, I'm not restricted and confined by a job, or by an early night, or by having to do anything. I'm free to do what I enjoy. 


Now, if someone has a job going that means I can get up late, take pictures of interesting retro items whilst reading about religion......give me a call ;)

They Think It's All Over :(

And it is now, all those wonderful days off, Christmas and New Year - all done and dusted. It's the evening before I have to go back to work and it's come around way too quickly for my liking!


As I've blogged before, Christmas was lovely, as was New Year, but I don't feel ready to go back yet - but I haven't won the lottery, so back I must go! It will be a busy few weeks at work up until my Birthday in February so the time should go quite quickly, but I'll miss the freedom of being at home. The simple pleasure of waking up and knowing that the whole day is yours to do whatever you want to do, such bliss!


I'm also on day 3 of Project 365, and am enjoying the challenge of finding something that will make an interesting photograph and will be a reminder of the day for me. For the first time, my camera will be coming into work with me as well - no opportunity shall be lost! :)


Tonight will be spent relaxing, trying to get myself in the mindset of going back to work, and the reality of getting up in the AM again! lol! Hague is also back to work as soon as his placement is sorted, so a back to earth with a bump moment for both of us! 

Challenges for 2011

I am not much of one for making resolutions, but I have set myself some challenges for the year ahead. Some are to improve my health, some are to improve me as a person, and some are just things I'd like to do - which I suppose covers most things that people resolve to change when the New Year comes around! So, in no particular order, here are my challenges for 2011.


Lose Weight
I think this has been a resolution of mine every year for as long as I can remember lol! As always though, I start January absolutely determined and shall be returning to my Slimming World class on Monday. I need the weekly weigh in to help keep me on track, and so have decided to go back to give myself a fighting chance. I have a hell of a lot to lose, so look out for the return of the ticker :)


Project 365
I am really excited about this one! My first picture is taken and I think this is one resolution I will find easy. I love taking pictures and this should encourage me to keep my camera on me at all times and enable me to take those pictures that I miss time and again due to not having it with me. I'm hoping that my photography will improve over the course of the year as well. At the end of the project I'll put all the pictures into a photobook as a record of 2011 for me.


Fitness
Now, I can lose weight with the best of them, over the years I've lost stone upon stone (but not kept it off) but I'm not so hot with the fitness side of things. I start off with good intentions but never keep it up. However this year I've been given a Wii Fit Plus for Christmas, so I am setting myself the challenge of getting it out at least 3 times a week. That's not a daunting amount, and as they say, Every Little Helps :)


Trust
This is a harder one to describe, and to measure I suppose. I need to have more faith in others, need to believe that if they say they will do something, they'll do it, and not worry about things that are not "my" problem. This is something I find hard, as I've blogged before, but I think I need to focus on it a bit more this year.


Money
Things are slightly better than they were, however, they could be better. I want to be more sensible with money, use it more wisely and try to get some savings together for emergencies. We have the money to do these, but we are terrible at talking each other into spending it!! We're both totally to blame for this, but I'm hoping to be a little more productive with cash in this coming year.


Photography
This fits in with Project 365. The local college runs a few photography courses and I want to attend two of them..."Improve Your Digital Photography" and "Introduction to Photoshop". They cost £74 each, which isn't too bad - so this should be another one that I should be able to achieve :) (Presuming the Money one goes well of course).


So there we have it, those are the challenges for myself for 2011, and the final one is to keep up this blog to both record my progress for all of them, and of course to witter on about general crap along a similar vein to last year! 

Backwards and Forwards

Well what else did you expect on New Years Eve? lol! 


2010 wasn't a good year for a multitude of reasons, in fact, I'd say it was probably one of the worst years I've had. A bold statement maybe, but sadly it's the truth. However, there were some wonderful moments during the year, and it will be those I will keep in mind. Dan finding a perfect job, me getting a promotion and the ever growing, ever changing nature of our relationship which just keeps getting better.


As I said, I'll be glad to see the back of this year, but it's years like this that make you a stronger, better person I think. When you get yourself through the hard times, it makes you enjoy the good times all the more, makes you take that little bit more out of each experience, just in case there is a pothole around the corner.


I'm feeling optimistic about next year, I have set myself a few challenges for the year ahead, I've already blogged about Project 365 and losing weight, but we are also saving for a sofa (exciting I know), I am planning to take a photography course and Dan will be heading back to work at last after his surgery. I don't normally like making resolutions, but the time feels right to pick myself up after 2010 and work on some positives :)


I hope that 2011 is a wonderful year for you all, and brings you whatever you wish for. Keep a positive attitude and don't let the bastards grind you down! Happy New Year! xx

Well That Was Christmas :)

And what a fabulous Christmas it's been so far :) I'm so glad I took Christmas Eve off, as we had a lovely day, and every day since has been good. I can't think of a single low point.
Minor frustrations have stayed just that!! Christmas Day was typical, lots of food, drink and presents with The Parentals. Jenna and Carys were adorable as usual, my parents were enormously generous with gifts and my Mum, as is customary, overcatered massively! I was really pleased that everyone liked their presents as well, we don't have a huge amount of spare cash, so couldn't spend fortunes, so bought personalised gifts for most - the photo calendars were a huge hit with my Sister and Mum, and my Nan seemed to love the photo of the four generations of our family that I had framed for her. Sometimes the simple presents are the best, and the reaction from everyone was well worth the time it took to put the calendars together for them. We even came home to no accidents from The Menagerie!


Boxing Day was in a similar vein, albeit without the roast dinner, but snacky foods which allowed us to graze all day. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with family over Christmas, and it was probably one of the best I can remember of recent years!


Since then we have been at home, Mum gave us a doggie bag on Boxing Day which has kept us in food since then, and we have been working our way through the Carry On box set Dan got for Christmas from my Parents. It's been lovely to be able to chill out together for a few days, having a few drinks and relaxing together, with nothing to do! Heaven!


I have a few things to get sorted in the next few days, a bit of a back to earth of sorts I suppose, but nothing too major, and Friday is the day when we are planning to hit the sales with our Christmas vouchers, and treat ourselves to lunch with more vouchers lol!


I suppose I'd better make the most of it.....I have decided to return to Slimming World on January 3rd, so keep an eye out for a new ticker, hopefully heading downwards all through 2011!


The Big Old List of "What We Got"
Wii Fit Plus
£220 towards our sofa fund
Lush Gift Box
Cinders Ballistics
Russell Brand's Book (well two of them...but these things happen at Christmas lol)
Raving Rabbids Game
West Ham vs Man U programme
2 Raving Rabbids figures
£50 in Love to Shop vouchers
Dinosaur Money Box
Necklace/Watch
Shortbread


PS3 F1 game
Carry On box set
The Expendables on Blu Ray
CK 1
Barnsley Shirt
T-shirt


Amazingly generous, and all greatly appreciated! :)

Christmas!

I'm all done :) It's midday on Christmas Eve and I am now ready. The family cards are written, the last present is wrapped, the shopping for the festive period is all done (and Asda wasn't even that busy), so I'm now able to relax and well and truly enjoy Christmas!


I love Christmas, not the religious aspect, as I'm not Christian, but the whole feeling that is seems to induce in people. Everyone seems smilier, kinder and more likely to do something nice for others. We came in from shopping to a text from Dan's ex asking if he'd like to talk to his youngest today as he was poorly yesterday, a small thing, but one which has really lifted Dan's spirits. What's not to love about a season that seems to bring out all that is good in people? I am now in happy tears after that call. To hear the boys so excited about Christmas and then to hear them singing We Wish You A Merry Christmas has made my Christmas, it was absolutely wonderful. All due to a simple, kind act - Christmas Spirit in action :o)


Today will be spent relaxing, watching the Christmassy fare on television before the huge blow out that Christmas Day will be. I can't wait to be bombarded with Jenna and Carys telling me all about what presents Father Christmas left for them, and playing with just about all of them over the course of the day!


Christmas at The Parentals is traditional, with Turkey, TV and way, way too much food - and I can't wait :)


I hope you all (whoever you may be) have a wonderful Festive Season, regardless of belief, religion or circumstance. Peace, Love and Goodwill to you all xx

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

It most certainly is! I have made a last minute decision to take Christmas Eve off, so as of 4pm today.......IT'S CHRISTMAS! I am really excited this year, so is Hague, and I think we're rubbing off on each other!


He is very shortly going to talk to his wonderful boys, and I'm sure he will get lots of excited talk of Father Christmas and snow! I can't wait to hear them! 


After that call, we shall be settling into Christmas mode! I have 11 days away from work - and I shall be enjoying every single minute of those 11 days!


SO overexcited!!! lol!!!

The 365 Project

If you read my blog regularly you may have noticed the little block of Christmassy pictures that has appeared over there *points to the right* labelled Project 365.

One of my friends on Facebook has undertaken the 365 Project this year - quite a few started it, but she has carried it on all year. I found myself watching for her photos being posted every day, and the idea to start the project myself has been whirling around in my head for several months now.

Every month that passed, on the 1st I pondered starting, but it didn't feel right, but of course, the 1st of January is almost upon us, and so it's the perfect time in my mind to start.

I don't have any themes in mind, I just like the idea of charting every day with a photo of some kind. I know some days it will be a quick snapshot to get a little tick on my internal 365 scorecard, but I'm hoping those days are minimal. I want to try and make each image count, be a record of that day for me. I think I might end up putting them all in a photo book at the end of the year as well.

If I do manage to get the funds together to take the Digital Photography course I have my eye on next year, I hope that I will be able to see a distinct improvement in the pictures I'm taking as well.

So....keep an eye on the little box, from January 1st, there should be a new photo appearing every day! Check me out....a hobby and evryfing? I must be growing up!

Nice Things

Today is Monday, not known for being nice, but there have been niceties in my day so I felt like sharing them :o)

These flowers were given to me on Saturday as a thank you for organising the work party. It was totally unexpected and as I type this they are filling the room with a gorgeous scent, something quite rare from flowers these days, and most definitely a nicety!


The weather at the moment is shockingly cold, well into minus figures so due to the faulty garage door I have to defrost the car, however, driving into work showed me the upside to this sort of temperature. The branches of all the trees were frosted, it wasn't snow on them, they were just covered in a very thick layer of frost - as the frost sparkled in the sunlight the trees just looked stunningly beautiful. Another reminder that I really should take my camera with me everywhere.


I came home to a lovely warm cooked dinner, to a beautiful card from Hague and presents under the tree! Five of them!! To an overgrown, overexcitable immature person like me, this is beyond exciting, and of course very nice indeed!


As I sit here, watching Gremlins, getting cuddled by our cat, surrounded by fairy lights and on the receiving end of a lovely smile from the man I love, I think I can put today down as a nice day all round really :o)

Christmas Spirit arrives at last!

It's less than a week until Christmas and I have finally got the decorations up in the house! This is even more slack when you realise that as a Pagan, I actually celebrate Yule on the 21st, so I'm only just in time ;o)


Regardless of lateness, the house is now looking suitably festive, sparkly and twinkly!  We have 2 trees, 5 separate sets of lights, countless baubles and holly bunches, one singing snowman and a cheesily cute Nativity scene. I think we can safely say Christmas has arrived :o)


It's given me an excuse to have a bit of a play with my camera as well, as I'm hoping to manage a 365 project next year (a photo a day for a year), I'm starting to use my camera a lot more to see what it can do, and what I can do with it!


Looking round the living room now I'm certainly starting to feel the Christmas excitement arriving. I have a mere 5 days of work left, just a few pressies left to wrap and then I'm done, and I can enjoy 10 days away from work, relaxing, celebrating, and spending time with family and loved ones. Which to me, regardless of religion is pretty much the point of this time of year!

Stepping Back

I may come across as someone who is a bit silly, a bit scatty and even childish at times, but I have a worrying control freak side to me.
I tend not to worry about things I can do nothing about, but if I can influence the outcome then I will worry, and worry to a ridiculous degree.
It started off with my ex, who needed encouragement to do anything, as his default setting was not to do a lot. So I would find myself taking the lead, encouraging, cajoling and let's be honest here, nagging to ensure things were done, in the end, it's normally easier just to do it yourself.

Now, I'm with Dan, and much as I love him, he can be someone who will quite happily put his head in the sand about problems and issues if they start to spiral out of control. I know why he is like this, but couldn't deal with being the driving force behind another man and between us we have managed to turn that negative attribute around.

However, much as Dan will now deal with the majority of his problems himself, I still find it hard to stop myself from asking, pushing and encouraging him when he has to deal with something nasty, hard or emotionally draining. This is what has been pushing me over the edge and I now know that I need to step back. It's a simple thing to say, but such a hard thing to actually do! I have such a fear that if I don't push, things won't get done, that passivity will become second nature again for Dan when he has pushed himself further with dealing with things that I have ever seen him.

I think a lot of this boils down to the fact that I know he does still find some things hard, so I want to be there to help him in anyway that I possibly can, and by doing this we have already achieved a hell of a lot together, however, the time has now come for me to ease off the control. I need to believe that if something is important to Dan he will do it for himself, he doesn't need his hand holding, he is a grown man and is more than capable of dealing with any dragons that may appear in his life.

I guess this is what counselling is for, to make you think about your behaviour, and see how it causes self inflicted problems. It has made me think about where the fine line is between support and control, between concern and worrying to such a level that it makes you ill. It has already stopped me doing things which served no purpose other than to upset me, and hopefully will give me a more grounded attitude to dealing with the unpleasantness that life sometimes dishes out. Veering wildly between over optimism and crushing defeatist depression is not a good way of coping!

I can already feel optimism starting to grow again inside me, there is a small spark of the start of a positive attitude, and with the New Year hurtling towards us, it feels like a good place to start :o)

Time is running out......*panic mode*

Christmas seems to be creeping up on me quite quickly. I've not yet finished buying all the presents, the ones I have managed to purchase aren't wrapped. The tree isn't up, the decorations aren't out. I've not even managed to write the Christmas card list, let alone the actual cards! I have 10 days left. I'm working for 8 of them. I am hideously under prepared for a day that should come as no surprise - falling as it does on the same day each year!!


You'd have thought I'd have learnt by now, but I always seem to end up like this, wondering how the hell it's half way through December with me wandering around wondering why Norwich and the supermarkets are SO insanely busy before taking an unwelcome reality check to realise that yes....it really is the 14th of December, I really AM running out of time to get my arse in gear and get my small contribution to the festive spirit sorted out!!


*panics a wee bit more* I think I need a Christmas Fairy Godmother!!

I like it a lot!

After yesterday's blog about my stats - I had a think about the people reading my blog and realised although it's full of my random little days and thoughts, it doesn't contain a lot of information about me - and as my profile is a bit scant I thought I'd post some of my likes :o)

Hopefully it will be interesting for some of my far flung readers to learn a bit more about the person behind my WeirdHeadSpace. Of course, I could have just one reader, hiding behind proxy servers, determined to read whatever inane waffling I post for some reason known only to themselves. I have decided to optimistically cater for the far flung, interesting option A, rather than the sadly pathetic and frankly depressing option B!

So here we go....the random likes, in no particular order, of the MinxyMissKGirl!

1. Hague (the Daniel flavoured one)
2. Snow
3. Rainbows
4. The little people in my life, Jenna, Carys, and Dan's boys (always in my heart if not always in my presence)
5. Living by the sea
6. Walking on the beach
7. The varied animals of The Menagerie
8. Beatiful shoes
9. Beautiful handbags
10. Snuggling in bed
11. The poster on our bedroom door
12. Watching films
13. Being cosy
14. Eating out
15. Italian food
16. Cocktails (especially good Margaritas)
17. Jack Daniels
18. Corsets
19. Stockings and Suspenders
20. 50's style retro clothing
21. Pigtails
22. Mascara (and the never-ending search for the perfect one)
23. Facebook
24. Taking photographs
25. Baking
26. Listening to music
27. Dancing
28. Shopping
29. Lush
30. Vintage jewellery
31. Tattoos
32. Piercings
33. Being silly
34. Cuddles
35. Proper, full on snogging

I think that might be enough for now - a like for every year of my life so far, and a blog that has had me smiling as I type it, so it's all good :o)

Don't be shy!

As I've blogged before, I am fascinated by the Stats page on Blogger. My current figures show that the majority of my views are in the UK, which isn't that surprising to me - but I've had views from 9 other countries as well, including Russia and Israel!


I'd love for some of these random viewers from around the world to say hello! Of course, it could always just be someone using proxy servers.......but I am the eternal optimist, and like to think I have a few people around the world who check in, albeit all on Firefox! :)

Sometimes you just need a good laugh :)

There is nothing like a good laugh to lift your mood. It's been a good weekend, and a very lazy Sunday, which is always a good thing, but a chance link posted by a friend on Facebook has left me helpless from laughter, with tears streaming down my face today, so I just had to share the link here as well :)


Funniest Thing on the T'interwebs EVER!

Please click, you won't regret it - I promise *is still chuckling*

Birthdays and Snow Days and Glum Days

It's been a hectic few days! Tuesday was when the celebrations started for Dan's birthday, although to be fair, most of that was down to the Mighty Hammers and their epic result against Man U in the League Cup! But several bevvies to toast that win turned into a lovely long evening and we didn't see sleep before 4.30am!


Good job I had booked off Wednesday really lol! It was supposed to be a surprise, but being the dimwit that I am, I'd let the cat out of the bag on Monday...oops! Still, the smile on Dan's face when he realised I'd be home for his birthday was lovely, albeit 48 hours early :)


We didn't do a huge amount on Hague's 34th birthday in the end, he had pressies and cards in the morning and we ventured out into town, although as it was abso-bleeding-lutely brass monkey freezing, we didn't stay out for long. Long enough for me to get some candles, a scarf and a new bag though, yes, I know it was Dan's birthday, he did get himself a blu ray though, Alice in Wonderland - which was stunning to watch, the detail just looked amazing in high definition, a truly beautiful film.


Unfortunately I was back at work on Thursday, got to eke out my precious holiday days after all, but it's now Friday, and it started well with me waking up to finally look out of the window and see snow!! The rest of the country has been toiling under inches and inches of the stuff all week whilst Yarmouth has stayed resolutely dry, grey and with a distinct lack of Winter Wonderlandey-ness, but not today! So I left for work in reasonable spirits, soon to be dashed by news of some remarkable contortions by the garage door which had managed to pull itself off the wall and twist through 90 degrees rather than the expected result of just closing when Dan shut it today.


Cue calls to insurers and worry about having a gaping hole in the back of the house rather than a garage door! I came home early as I'm the policyholder, so have to be here (which is another good point in today I suppose - every cloud and all that). When I got here, The Shoes of Utter Gorgeousness mk 3 were here, so I excitedly tried them on.....only to find that my dinky sz 5/6 feet and 13cm heels are just not a good combination, so absolutely stunning, gorgeous, beautiful and delicious they may be, but they have to go back :( Damn that sensible head that appears sometimes!!


TSoUGmk3

Aren't they beautiful? Breaks my heart to send them back, but a girl as big as me just can't spend all night on her tippy toes!


So - not the best of days......but....it IS Friday, the weekend looms, tomorrow I am at the hairdresssers so goodbye boring hair, hello glossy black and mad colours. We're off to the House of Delaunay's as well, for a double celebration of Dan and Gary's birthdays, so as always, things to look forward to and to smile about!!