Friday, December 26, 2008

In the early hours

:)

It's been mentioned that people don't read this anymore because its too depressing (lmao). Sorry about that ;). Truth is this year has been really hard for many reasons which I won't get into here. I have enjoyed many things about 2008 though (of course I have) and despite my frustration i am happy to be with my friends and family. It has been a turbulant year and it's nice to see most things working out for most people.

Today has been lovely. I spent the whole day with my lovely husband in my new Pig slippers. We ate and ate and ate and LOF enjoyed the fact that I had deliberatly made too many sausages wrapped in ham - this meant that he could say " I want a sausage" and one would be delivered - heaven! lol Needless to say all 12 are gone now ;)

We've spent the whole day chilling out. Watched movies, cooked and ate dinner together. We entertained my Nan, Mum and Dad, Sis and G for about 2 hours and fed them some tea when they were on their way back from the hospital (visiting my cousin) which was fun. They did help those sausages to disappear though ;)

Once they left we just chilled out a little more. I'm really enjoying my new CDs. The Live Lounge 3 CD2 is awesome and very chilled. I actually like some of the songs that normally I HATE.... I suppose it's not the actual song I have a problem with.... lol

All in all it's been a very relaxed and enjoyable xmas. We're going to pop to see my cousin tomorrow and maybe take a trip on the bike so LOF can try out his new jacket. It all depends on the chain being oiled... apparently! If not I'll be reading "Beadle the Bard" and enjoying the complete lack of pressure to do anything. I'd forgotten what that felt like ;)

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY ;)
I've posted todays pictures below. :)

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas 08

Images as our day unfolds :)

Merry Christmas!



Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everybody :)


Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Friday, December 19, 2008

On living in the Uk for 374 days



dodgy quality (and video)
All true except the lyrics which imply I am tired from recreation...

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Christmas

This song isn't intended to start a big debate about Christmas but it struck a chord with me (as it were) and I wanted to share it.


Thursday, November 27, 2008

Uk = No blog

Well aparently it does. I never seem to be able to find the time to write anything longer than a few sentences these days; most of those seem a little dull!
I guess the blog has always tracked how i felt about things, what I was up to etc. Things are dull, dull, dull. LOL. No travels to report on, not very much in the way of new experiences either. Lots of thoughts in my head: most of them not suitable for the blog! lol

SO Update time...

1 ) We've started saving for the epic return journey. It's time for us to make a move (well as soon as the epic amounts of money are saved and the house is sold) back to the land of upside down. No offence England but you're killing me !! ;) As much as I love my friends and my family i KNOW that they're all ok and will continue to be ok even when i am in the other hemisphere; that's exactly what happened last time anyway.

Australia has it's head screwed on right and the beaurocracy, lack of trust and pressure just drives me closer to the airport with every passing week!

2) We have bought a new camera. SPAN its a lumix jobby and it's cool. Our old faithful HP Camera bit the dust after sucking the life out of yet another battery to the point where it was totally non -rechragable! LOF loves the fact that it has what we have called a "pap" mode - shot after shot continuously. He even followed me around a shop with it! Strange but celeb like.

3) Xmas shopping hasn't really begun and need to get on with that...

4) See! It's been over a month and i've run out of things to say...... tum tee tum tee tum....

LOL

Friday, October 31, 2008

All Hallows eve!!

PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Sutdley residents already look confused when we open the door and look scarier than their dressed up children!! (MOAH HA HA!) Party here we go!!!

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Today i learnt

To not get too emotional at meetings!
Honestly... I need to not let it get to me... i start to foam and run off at the mouth! lol Ahh passion for your subject is dangerous! ;)

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Life's too short...

Just so you remember, life is short and precious and hard and complicated, scary and emotional and wonderful. Don't waste it.

There are two people in my life at the moment who are in serious trouble and I am sending them all the happy thoughts I can muster. On their behalf I want to say... NO regrets... LIVE! Do it right and without missing out on anything you deserve to experience.

Lecture over.

Sunday, October 05, 2008

I shot a gun!!

I know! Me the pacifist... tut tut. LOL We went away to a lovely persons lovely farm and there was a shooting competition. Apparently I'm not to bad with a giant air riffle thing.. Watch out.. I can shoot cans!! (Moah ha ha)

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Motorbike LOF and Moch


LOF has a bike. It's big and black and chrome and shinny! ;) (A Triumph Bonnie)

I went on his bike! (Woo hoo!) I got to hold onto a "sissi" bar and ride around on the bike with my helmet (£60), my jacket (£70) and my boots (£100)! Who knew that when your OH gets a bike you emd up forking out £200s so you can ride on the back!! OMG - You certainly don't have that problem with a car now do you! (Be warned Hoppy!)

What was it like?
Cool actually. I was quite happy on the back whereas I think LOF thought that he needed a stiff whiskey and coke when we returned to calm his nerves! Bless. I thought he did really well and although it was dark (and a little cold) I felt perfectly safe!

When LOF arrived at the house on the "beast" last weekend mother took lots of pictures. As you would expect she made him pose with the bike! ;0) I've called her to ask her to email me them - when she works it out I'll add them to here so you too can share in his glory! When I arrived yesterday, fresh from the biking trip and without my helmet, didn't even recognise me!! (Typical!)

;)

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Guest Books



There was an official flag signing and then there was the alternative...

LMAO Hoppy... you're naughty!




Das Wedding! :)


How do you write a blog entry about your own wedding? It's hard! lol It was such a big day and I know that I have so many people to thank and appreciate - I wouldn't want to miss anyone out and I am sure they all know who they are and how much LOF and I appreciated all their help and support in the lead up to the BIG day.

The day was wonderful, the weather was freakishly amazing and we both had a great time! :) In the end, despite all the doubts and worries about the weather the day went exactly as we'd imagined it and we really loved the relaxed and calm atmosphere that resulted.

The strangest part about the whole day was the fact that I was being called Mrs Woodward and someone's wife! I wasn't at all sure about that!! lol Alas, Miss Clarke is no more and has now been replaced with Mrs Woodward; don't worry though, all that's changed is the name - not even being married has made me grow up! ;)

I thought I was going to be late for the civil ceremony after the fathing and flapping of the morning. The cat almost ensured we were late by choosing that moment to go outside and wedge himself under a bush. It was most amusing to see mum and dad in their posh froks trying to coax a kitten from a bush! lol In the end Matt was the one who was a little late! ;)




The civil ceremony was quick and simple. We met with the registras at 12:15 - they were a bit grumpy to start with - we warmed them up and by 12:30 we were agreeing to "take" each other. Now at this point LOF seemed to get the giggles...I thought this was just the excitement of it all and caught
these giggles in return - just as they said his middle name. Over tea yesterday however, i was informed that Matt thought I was laughing because I was saying that i would "take" him in front of his family... apparently that's why he was laughing!! OMG even in a situation like that his bizarre thoughts take control.


Two other amusing elements occurred: My dress just would not stay up, despite numerous pieces of lingerie tape and as a result most of the images of the civil ceremony involve my bra and when the registrar said "and I believe there is a tradition at this point" Matt looked confused until I leaned in for a kiss - Bless. You wouldn't expect anything less really would you! lol We were having too much fun to take it all too seriously :)

After the civil we separated for an hour and half whilst we got all beautiful for the blessing. I was in the room on the ground floor and so could see all of you arriving on the drive and lawn. My nan was sat just outside the window at one point and none of you had any idea that I was so close! I wanted to wave but somehow managed to resit the urge! It was really cool to have all my hair and make-up done for me and to have my hens clucking around :) They're all ace! I was really excited that Hoppy had turned up early as I wanted her to come hang out with me while I got ready - that was ace!

Seeing everyone gather was really scary and I was so worried that I'd end up forgetting to take my vows with me to the top of the aisle! It was more scary however when everyone disappeared and SPAN started to say "They've gone! Oh my god they must be seated! It's about to start!" her voice slightly more raised than usual ;).

When the Manor man came to get me we went outside and the whole thing looked awesome! Flags blowing in the breeze, sunny cloudless sky and a lovely looking finance in an awesome suit! It was time to go! I was much more nervous about this part than I was the civil ceremony. I was already married so I should have been more chilled but there were 100 smiley faces waiting for us!! eik!

In the end it was all ok and no one fell down the stairs as we headed for our gravel aisle. The sun stayed shinning and all went mostly to plan. Hearing Matt say his vows was wonderful, i never realised that he could say such beautiful things and he had been so thoughtful in what he was saying. Of course, that isn't really too much of a surprise; he has always been the most caring and thoughtful man I have ever met. There was a slight hitch with the music on the way back up the aisle but that just added to the fun of the day and was, in the end, cool!

Fr J was awesome and is the only man I know who could have done that ceremony as he did. It was perfect for us and a great opportunity for him to turn a standard mass in to a cool panto :) I loved that! Especially the heckling of the guests when they didn't support us loud enough. Thanks soooo much Fr J :)

After the service, we headed back up the steps and then to our photos whilst the rest of the guests had some vino in the sunshine.

The photographer (Richard Barley most of these pictures were taken by him) was ace and managed to get all the formal shots out of the way in plenty of time. Of course this wouldn't have happened quite so quickly is Span hadn't been ruling the proceedings with an iron rod! Good on ya span!

The rest of the day was good fun we got to chill out then and enjoy the food and music. The speeches were ace and although I was worried about what SPAN would say after I'd leant her the Trisha video and she'd been pawing through my memories box she did me proud and was very kind in what she said :) It was brilliant to have speeches from both the groom and bride's mates I'd recommend it!

Mother made me laugh with her three outfits and the way she managed to be late (by getting changed) just before all the major events. We had to wait for her before we cut the cake and then when we were about to perform out first song - We didn't do a first dance. We're musicians! ;)


Thank you to all of you who shared the day with us and who bought us lovely gifts or contributed to our honeymoon :) Don't forget the 500+ images on woodwardland ;)

Friday, August 15, 2008

Only a week!


I'll be Mrs Woodward this time next week! yay!

We've practically finished the planning and so now all i have to do is relax. Shocks over how much things cost will soon be over! lol (The flowers £500 odd!!!!! OMG)
I've created another website so that we can all share our pictures and have already got images of the hen and stag dos up there so that's cool. Feel free to add more if you have any :)

I doubt I'll be back on here before the wedding and hopefully I'll be reporting as Mrs W in my next entry :) :) :) :)

Check out woodwardland and the wedding website in the mean time :) NB// This site no longer exists (08/09)

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Made me laugh

Lof's off ill at the moment and I am busy getting things sorted for school (I know!! I'm not doing too much though I promise)
Anyway... I was sat there making a transcript of the advert below. All was quie$t until I heard a drooling voice say "Are those your vows?" LMAO



If it's that easy then i'll just start carving a turkey at the end of the aisle!

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Zatoo


Want to watch TV on your pc? Don't want to buy a usb TV tuner?

Well you don't need to!

Mini has been trying to tell me about Zatoo for ages but I've been too busy to play with it! It's ace and easy and free! LEGAL too!
You download the software and get a free log on (You have to provide your postcode - I assume this is to do with TV licenses.) and then you can watch the Tele on your Pc as if you were sat on the sofa! Brilliant!

Get it here

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Mr and Mrs Siddall

Tis the season of weddings :) No! I'm not talking about my own (for once!) but the weddings of friends! First there was Rob and Anouska and now there is Rachel and Dave! There are two more weddings to attend this year as well (no that doesn't include mine :) ) I've been really looking forward to seeing Rach and Dave tie the knot. You see I've known Rach for years and years and it was really nice to be at a wedding when the person getting married is so important and special. It was, in the words of Dave, "Very, very, very, very, very, very, very good" lol... (It's funnier when you imagine him stood with another beer in hand and fag in mouth!)

It was such a lovely day that I still get a little emotional even now. Especially after having made that video. The first dance brings little tears to my eyes every time (much to the amusement of LOF). Little Purn has gone and turned into Mrs Sid! She's all growed up and it's brilliant! :)
Rach has been what I consider to be a close friend now since 2003 when I started working at Tommies and she's been a brilliant mate for the 5 years that I've know her. It was amazing to see her looking so happy; watching her dream come true.

Good luck Mr and Mrs Siddall! (Not that you need it :)


Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Oh what a to do!


So today marks the day where the countdown clock stops talking about months and begins to count down only in days... There are 30 of them to be exact (unless you're reading this on any other day than today of course!)

With 30 days to go most of the details for the summer Soire are now in place. This week has seen hair and make-up trials, Cake choosing, budget organising and Hen and Stag dos.

Now the boys, it would seem, consider getting so drunk you can't lift your head and have to miss half the weekend end as the best way to spend your time. Being women we were, of course, far wiser and had a wonderful time at the SPA in Nothamptonshire. Although the buzzing of the formula one cars at Siverstone could be heard in the the distance the mood was far from rushed this weekend. We spent quite a lot of time just lying around while other people brought us food and drink and made our faces and bodies the happiest they had been for a while.

Although the focus was very much on relaxation, detox and all things body our minds got a good massage too. We spent the whole weekend reminding each other just how fabulous we really are! We are four hot chicks! ;) Don't you forget that husbands, boyfriends, fiances and potential flings!

The place was amazing and although I was a little concerned when Span informed me that we would be experiencing "hot ice" treatment - which she was convinced involved standing in hot water whilst cold ice or ice water was chucked at you, my fears were unfounded. The "Hotice" treatment invovled moiving from room to room - a hot one and then a cold one. I've never seen so many different saunas and steam rooms. There were crystal ones, Salt ones, ones with birds tweating along to flashing lights and one which was just hot! There was a foot spa and a whirl pool and fine dining! Mmmmm tasty fine dining. The Hens did some serious chowing down on the likes of wild boar with quail eggs and some amazing desserts! I, of course, opted for the veggie option!

There was no getting horribly drunk but there was a tasty bottle of Pinot Noir which set us back £40! OOps! I say we but the hens clucked around and paid for it all... I'm sure I must owe someone some money somewhere...

Saturday will see the fitting of the bridesmaids dresses and then I think we're almost done! Only 30 days to go!! woo hoo!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

It's been a tough ol' week. The pressure should be off now what with only 1 week until the end of term but the news of a loss as big as the one my form and I suffered this week made it a complicated and difficult week for everyone. It's a really tough pill to swallow. No one should ever have to suffer the loss of someone who is so young; it seems unfair. I know that there are always reasons for things and I have to keep my faith in that respect. I just wish that this particular thing didn't have to happen.

When I was that age i'd only just had my first kiss, I was beginning to explore the possibilty I had talent in music and I was only just beginning to learn who I was. There was still so much I had to do and of course I never really knew that.

I was so proud of them. They were so brave and resiliant and mature and fabulous and without that I think I would have fallen in a heap. I had underestimated them and for that I was sorry and pleasantly surprised. Something like this helps to remind me that these kids struggle everyday to be the person they think they should be. Most of the time that person is someone they are not and the real them is so much more than the person they think they need to be. I think some of them learnt that lesson this week too.

I've been better this week. A long talk with someone with their feet on the ground last week and this event have pulled me back. I had a meeting where I got enthusiastic without being unrealistic about time frames and my faith in my ability to do this job properly without having to 'change the world' has been slowly trickling back into me. I have a really important job to do, I always have had, and I can't allow a confused ideal alter what is the here and now. I have to stop beating myself up with comparison; it breaks one of my own golden rule! It's a waste of enery. I always laugh when other giggle at my occasional slip up - talking about how shit things feel doesn't actually solve the problem! Now I've stopped over analysing and doing a literary critism of my work life I am actually starting to see the wood for trees and no decisions need to be made right now. It's not so important anymore.

Saturday, July 05, 2008


This is Dalek Caan. He was placed in the time war without protection. His brain was lost as he watched the whole of time unfold before him... he lost his hat in the process. This character is clearly a biographical representation of R T Davis... He must also have lost it a little.

We were all on the edge our seats. Women everywhere were scouring the net for clues as to who the next Dr would be. We were all frightened that this would be the end of David's reign and that someone else would fill our Saturday night spot. Emails were being sent to me from people who were not even remotely interested in Dr who when I was cowering behind the sofa. Everyone at school (well the kids) were coming up with theories and ideas... then we were faced with that....

Well at least all the little characters were happy and Rose got to keep a Dr who was in touch with his feelings. They used it as a vehicle to add characters to the new series of Tourchwood and thought they were oh so clever.... mmm

It was cheesy and obvious and badly written and a shame. Thank goodness Russell T isn't doing any more. I thank you for contributing to the return of the Dr but you're right to bow out. The series felt like it was going round in circles... It's not supposed to do that.

I am certain that this was David's intial reaction to the script. They must have offered him chocolate or whiskey or something.... LMAO!

In fact I still prefer the good ol' days where a series was about one story that the Dr had to solve. I'm not sure that the reason this felt so odd was because it was trying to link so many little, random and totally unrelated things together as an after thought.

Well at least Span got to see two Davids and, as she will remind you, he was naked!

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

BB9

I'm becoming a bit addicted to Big Brother. AGAIN . No matter how I fight it this happens every year! This week I want BECKS OUT! If only annoying Luke hadn't had the opportunity to vote... then we would have had a chance to get rid of the boob wobbling, attention seeking, loud, chav-like, child! GRRRRrr! Poor girl... I'm a little mean aren't I!

Saturday, June 28, 2008

feeling down today. Probably have no right to feel that way but it's happening anyway. I think I need to change some things... Need to get a piano! Need to sing... Need to think about jobs... need to think about location.. Need to eat chocolate... OOOh I have some in the fridge. Things are looking up!

Thursday, June 26, 2008


It's actually been a tough couple of weeks for me. Work got more than just a little ridiculous and even had me bursting in to tears on one exhausted evening! Crazy! It's not good enough and I really wasn't happy at all. At least things should calm down a little now. I've said my piece about how we shouldnt' be expected to do so much all at once and I can only hope that the powers that be will put more thought into the 'calendar' next year.




It's been very busy at home too. I've seen 'Lanis and Bon Jovi in the last week or so and have celebrated my 28th Birthday. I went on the London tube for the first time and even did a bit of it all on my own! (lmao) Last time I was in London I got to the top of the escalators and decided to walk!! It's a good job I've seen a little more in my life since then!

The wedding plans are moving along well and I have my first dress fitting on Saturday morning. Time is starting to speed up a little now. Only a month and half to go :) :) It should be great although i am sure that this last little run up will be the most stressful part. It's all the 'little things' that needs to be sorted that are the pain in the arse. What if we forget something!!??? Amusingly, that's exactly what lil' P said to me today when I bumped into her at the train station! So at least I'm not the only one worrying a little!

Ah well I'm off to sort out teacher technologies. It's about time it did a little more showcasing ;)

Friday, June 13, 2008

Sunsets or Stress?

It's been a strange experience returning to ol' blighty. It's been 6 months now. I can't believe it! I'll be Mrs W in no time at all now (and that's cool) but that 6 months has flown by, with all of its complications, reunions, brilliance and confusion. I still get asked by at least 2 people every day whether or not I'm "going back". I now have a practiced reply: "Oh yes! It's just a question of when". In truth my head is now split and it goes 50/50.

My god I miss it though! The totally different way of seeing the world. But as someone said to me recently, the fact that I can see things differently may be of benefit to those who may be happy to open their eyes too. However, I'm not sure it's my job to do that for others; or indeed whether there is any point! It's very hard to remain inside my new ethos. I am sooo totally exhausted tonight as a result of workplace who actually seemed to have planned to have so many important things going on at the same time that I can't see the wood for the trees!

This week I had deadlines for 120 reports (although, thank god, system outage means only half of that work needs to be done by Monday), I had to prepare a lesson for an annual observation ( and that was important to me), I had to help run two very enjoyable but completely hectic media days and I needed to get on top of a trip I am trying to organise next Wednesday. I stay and I work an extra 2 (unpaid) hours every night. That's 40 hours a month... but the bosses decided that we needed to have two meetings a week every week for a while and they decided to do this at the same time that they expected us to complete all of the above! (!!???!!) I had my after school time taken away by two large meetings on four nights in the last 2 weeks. The result of these meetings meant even more work and most of it all had to be done by Monday 16th (the same deadline as the reports)! LMAO.

I feel that in hindsight, that calendar decision may have been a little unfair to all staff! Granted some of those decisions (the trip for example) are my own doing but CRIKEY! I hate feeling like I'm not on top of things... it's so easy to sit here and give in and become a British English teacher; sit here for hours, in my own time (half asleep and exhausted) marking, writing reports etc to meet these unrealistic time scales. BUT - and that's a big but ;) I'm not going to. I can't and I won't.

Seriously... it's not a good thing to have had all of that... I am drained and knackered and i need to rest. The fact that I am not going to have any free time until Tuesday to complete some of these things is not my concern... It's just the way it is and so I have to learn to relax, accept that and get on with relaxing in my weekend! In truth most of the massive hurdles are already done but trying to keep up this week has been exhausting! lol

Ah well! I could really do with a nice stroll along the beach you see. Maybe to Glenelg. Sitting on the balcony at Starbucks (where they make actual coffee not the crap they charge you 3times more for here that does not resemble coffee at all) and watching the sunset would be just what the Dr ordered. I reckon I'd pop to "Goodlife" for a pizza too. MMMmmmmm that was tasty pizza.

I wonder which lifestyle you would choose?

Sunday, June 01, 2008

Alanis is back

Yay!



Got the tickets to see her (again!) Woo hoo!!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

So we've been in the house for nearly two months now. Time certainly flies! We've got most of our furniture now, most of our furnishings and this week will see the replacement of a fire place and the beginnings of a garden.

The saddest thing that has happened in the last few weeks is the disappearance of Dunk. He got married yesterday and then ran off to Thailand! Cheeky! Poor N has to stay here until she finishes her course and I dread to think what he might have done to their flat by the time she gets there! She needs to have regular updates! lol

We made sure that he had a good send off with bowling, bbqs and then Frisbee :) I was very grateful for the bits that he decided to leave with me. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with 2 tubes of shuttle cocks but hey! I'm sure I can think of something :)

It's been a harder time for my closest of friends what with people leaving and very ill family members. But I can see hope in the eyes of all of them. Especially in the eyes of the one who really does have too much to deal with. That hope comes from the fact that she's getting angry and if it doesn't change soon there will be no going back. I can tell that it's happening already and although it terrifies her I am proud of her strength and courage in such an awful time. :)

School is cool (as they say) and exam season is upon us. The Literature examination was today and there was a real mixed response from the students. Some were overjoyed at the questions another announced that "that was the crapest exam I've ever done" and quickly revealed they'd done no preparation,. mmm dedication ... they're doing it wrong :) I'm sure they'll be fine in the end though. It'll be the best summer ever for them :)

Friday, April 18, 2008

It's been a while...

Because I had NO internet!!! I know! It's a wonder I didn't go crazy! But now I have lots of broadband bandwidth and can start to post, post, post!! Moah ha ha!

We're in the house, we have a sofa, a TV a kettle and much much more! It's taken a couple of weeks to get it looking like a home. We hadn't got any furniture at all and so everything has been bought in dribs and drabs ( i can tell you now that as a direct result of us moving back to the UK IKEA has seen an increase in it's sales and profits - no recession worries there!). It's really nice to have our own place and to have the kitties to share it with us. Henny is lying on the sofa next to me, whining to himself about the fact that he might have to turn over in a moment.

All is well any hoo and now we just have to get used to living in the UK again!

Bridemaids dresses to sort out tomorrow. LOF needs to get himself a best man, a suit and a stag do... Ahhh plans, plans, plans... at least it keeps us busy. ;)

Monday, March 31, 2008

We're in!

We got the keys today...

We're at mum's tonight because until tomorrow we don't own a bed! lol
But we officially have the keys and the dinning room is full of boxes... Boy what a lot of stuff for the charity shop ;)

Friday, March 28, 2008

Update

Well the house is nearly sorted. They told me that I might have to wait until NEXT Friday!! I was most unhappy about that so set about poking my nose into areas that I am sure only solicitors are supposed to poke. I called the mortgage company and let them know that I wanted the money to go through in hours not 7 days. They were surprisingly obliging and told me of a little known Speedy Fax number which I could ask my solicitor to use. They couldn't guarentee the money would be through by the end of the day Friday but at the very latest it would be Monday - this was a big improvement on making me wait another whole week! A week in which I am off work and can unpack!

So... we instructed our solcitor to use this number, we went in to sign the contracts and then went to the bank to transfer the deposit. I recieved a phone call at 1pm (lunchtime) to tell me that all the money had arrived. Great! that should mean I can pick up the key and have all weekend to move things out of attics and into houses with the help of strapping young men who have the weekend off. UH ER! (Buzzer noise ;) Unfortunatly, the vendors solicitors have informed me that their clients have not signed their contract yet.

WHAT?!!
Oh no!

So we have spent all afternoon trying to get hold of them to get them to their solicitor to sign. We were unsucessful.... Here's hoping they managed to do it on Monday... I'm paying interest on a mortgage and I don't have a house! EiK!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Happy 88th

It was Nan's birthday last weekend and I meant to mention it on here.
Officially, she was 88 on St Patrick's day ( which officially, i have been told, did not exist this year).lol

Ot was cool to go to Hereford and see everyone and even more exciting to bump into to Cuz and Mini Cuz :)

The invites to the wedding were posted last week to and so some of the replies have begun to come back to us. If you think you should have got an invite and haven't recieved on yet then check you email.... we might not have your address ;)

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

To SPAN and Criggie and the rest of the gang



See you can make a living doing actions to look like a dance routine!

Sunday, March 09, 2008

In need of a piano and some time.

What I wouldn't give right now for some quiet space filled with just a beautiful, black baby grand and some inspiration. I need some, I need some time, some space and some keys.....

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Update

The barnio....

Ahh the barnio... that was interesting. Last you heard we had been invited to make another offer. Mindful of that fact that they had previously accepted an offer of 235,00 we offered 230,000!! Well, they'd messed us about and we had two other properties to choose from anyway. We'd both kind of moved on. They rejected this offer of course so we then thought ah well... we've had 235 accepted before so we'll try that again. They rejected that aswell.
I suppose from their point of view we had gone all the way up to 2,000 over the asking price of 240,00 last time and they were probably hoping that we wanted the barn so desperatly we'd do the same thing again.
Obviously they were wrong... we weren't in the same position as last time. So we told them that that was our final offer.
We then made an offer on another property and had that accepted!! yay! So we have a house! Of course on the way to the mortgage advisor to finallise the paper work Nigel Poole rang to say that they though that they really should have accepted our offer and would we wait until tomorrow to get an answer. It was very satisfying to tell them to get stuffed. Nigel Poole's assistants will tell you anything to get a sale and to try and push you. Be warned. Walk away, Particularly if the sale on the property has fallen through 3 times previously.

So...where are we going to live?
Studley! Yep we've bought a house in Studley, Warwickshire. It backs onto Studley common and has a lovely view,

is detached and refurbished and has a big conservatory for the cats to lounge in. I will finally be able to have a reading chair in a sunny spot and line up my books on the window sill :) Yay! And Debs can pop round for a cup of tea after work. We havne't seen each other for over a year!!!!! NO GOOD! AT ALL!
We should be in at easter :) :)

Monday, February 25, 2008

The Barnio Returns

It's strange. Chatting to LOF this weekend we had almost given up on a house, we had almost made the decision out loud to go straight back to Oz after the wedding (even though we both know that this is not a good idea! Not that quickly)and we were both feeling a little more than fed up. I had a headache and a cold and was a grumpy ol' thing and he had been feeding paper into a printer over and over again in an attempt to get some invitations finished.

Then things started to change today.

I got so fed up in a meeting at work that I suddenly, without really thinking first said out loud what has been in my mind for so long... I told everyone how I felt about it all how it was making me miserable, making me consider a new job and how it was all so sad.

As a result a whole new (hour long) debate started where everyone seemed to sigh and seem relieved. Everyone was surprised but seemed to agree and for the first time in a while everyone was united in something... I felt terrible at the time.
Things were getting desperate and I wasn't sure I could take much more...
So I said it
and now I know I need to say it again to the right people all at once.
It made me feel a little better to know that it's not just me. That it's everyone. I am clearly not going mad and have clearly not got confused about what this job is.

Then... when I left work and met Matt at Span's house (we stole a tea bag ;) He told me that he had had a phone call. Apparently the barn's sale fell through. Do we want to make another offer?? Well well well well well. Of course we do but it'll be about 8 grand less than we offered last time and we want to use our own solicitors. Are things starting to take a turn for the better?

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Sea sick in the cinema (Saturday)

I'm sat in the foyer of the "empire" cinema Rubery. I@m supposed to be in screen 5, watching a monster rampage through New York city whilst a silly "vice president" man tries to get to Beth. At least I think that is what might be happening. You see I've had to leave the screen. The jumping, juddering hand held cameras have caused the same issues that they did when I attempted to watch the " Blair Witch Project".

The fresh air, quiet and the stillness of the foyer are slowly dissolving the overwhelming feeling of sickness. It's taken me 10 minutes to get to the point where I am able to write.
Note to self: Take sea sickness tablet at least 1 hour before voyeuristic, hand held camera-esq cinematography occurs.

Amusingly, I rarely get actual sea sickness. There was that one time, on a trip to a cold country in Europe but that's it. Trying to watch the 6th Sense whilst the sea lashed around you gave the overwhelming fear that life was about to end in a similar fashion to that of the brave souls aboard the Titanic. Ah well, at least this is proof of the DNA link between myself and mother - who, by the way, gets seasick on a lilo!

Maybe sitting in a foyer, avoiding the gaze of puzzled cinema employees will give me some time and space to ponder all of the many things that are fighting for prevalence in my mind at the moment.

The ever continuing saga of where to live and what to buy and the stressful revenge that life seems to be throwing at us. As if to say "You might have been responsibility free for 12months but here's what you might have missed = ALL AT ONCE!"

A frail and wonderful grandmother who worries so much about trivial things that she cries and cries until she can barely remember who she is.

The amazingly beautiful, intelligent and caring best friend whose heart has been splintered into several unbearable pieces who wishes she could forget sometimes.

The job that seems such a vocation which is starting to feel like the clichéd dead albatross around my neck.

The adjustment from solitude, solace and serendipity to hustle, bustle and pressure.

The niggling feeling that I don't know where I belong and the certainty that right now I need to be exactly where I am. And the constant warmth love and affection of the one control in my life.

It's been busy and uncontrolled and wonderful and unbearable. A true collection of oxymoron feelings, thoughts and events that remind you of what being with your friends and family means. Perhaps the point is that there's not supposed to be any one correct answer.

Several paths open everyday and the choice to walk is our own. I tool the path that was " less travelled". It opened up an entirely new world to me. The path that was the hardest was the most rewarding in the end. Squashing the tangled mass of terrifying thoughts and feelings allowed me to find parts of me that hadn't even existed before. How ironic it is that now the place that once felt so familiar and manageable is the most difficult thing to deal with.

Is sometimes wonder if is the place I miss or the person I was allowed to be there. I have to consider if that person can exist here too and I have to do everything I can to help her be.

Friday, February 15, 2008

For the future Elbarbarys


Congratulations. Now we need to hear how it was done ;)

The last time I wrote we had just discovered that the Barn was not to be. We were both a bit miffed about that, understandably so, and have spent every bloomin' weekend since trying to find somewhere else. Unfortunately, our search has been more or less fruitless. It is frustrating that at every turn we are thwarted! Australia never seems to be far behind. Houses are being sold because people are leaving for their new adventure, koalas and digeridoos are everywhere and all we ever seem to be shown are "new builds" which neither of us really like!

Half term has not been a holiday, as my diary demonstrates. I haven't stopped at all and rested is not a term I would use to describe my current state. How I am supposed to tick all the boxes and make sure I am perfect in time for a new school half term is beyond me. I am really struggling with the whole teaching thing at the moment if I'm honest. I'm am only 5 1/2 weeks in to my return to "normality" but it all looks pretty hairy to me! Here's hoping another 5 weeks will make me feel more at home with it all.

Obviously, the last few weeks have been harder for my closest friends. It's hard to know what to say to make it all better; especially when I know there really isn't anything I CAN say or do to make the hurt go away. I do know that they love each other very much and that this is all very, very, very sad. When love is meant to be it will triumph over everything and anything. We all have our fingers crossed that the thing that was shared, was really true love and that it will all be OK in the end. If it isn't, then maybe it wasn't and that's OK too. Well it will be one day soon.

I do know that they are both wonderful people. Wonderful and lovely people always deserve happiness and, although the the last 12 months have been nothing less than traumatic, I know that they will be happy again, that it will all make sense again and the only way is up. Sometimes life has a cruel way of throwing as many obstacles as it possibly can in a person's way. Although I know it doesn't feel like there could possibly be a reason, or that the reason might be a cruel joke, each of these trials does make you stronger eventually.

X

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Barnio


So we decided to bite the bullet , to stop feeling so lost and to buy a house. We fell in love with a beautiful barn conversion in Brockhill that was lovely and had a nice proce tag (that we could afford) We made offers, battled it out, gave our final offer and it was accepted..... on one condition... we use their solicitors and noone elses. Now obviously it is not a good idea to have the same solicitor when buying a house; it's a conflict of interest. So we said we'd rather use our own thanks. They replied you use the same one as us or we'll choose the next best offer! They wouldn't give us the weekend to think about it and they wouldn't talk to our solicitors in order to work out any issues. So we had to pull out.
GUTTED is not the word.
Yet another set back for no apparant reason......

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Ideology

I was teaching my Year 10s about Ideology in Media Advertising today and showed them these videos....

It's amazing what we're supposed to live up to!





Makes the unreachable ideology quite clear I think! ;)

Thursday, January 17, 2008

despite my best efforts

I've gone and caught the lurgy. The one where your head hurts, you sneeze all the time and you need to lie down a lot. :L( RUBBISH. I'm off work for the second day in a row today; I'd only end up sneezing and wheezing at pupils every hour on the hour.

As i woke up this morning I was greeted with the TV show Wanted Down Under. There was a couple (a rather odd couple one was 30 one was retiring at 65) who were thinking of moving to Cairns. They had a budget of £250,000 to spend on a house and wanted to live by the sea. It was a very strange experience. Firstly, being thrown over there for a week is not long enough to make a proper decision. Especially when they hook you up with work experience etc. Although a paid for trip would always be welcome I suppose. Secondly, it upset bot LOF and I (LOF is working from home today) as it was just another reminder of what we've left behind.

As the sun refuses to shine it's getting harder and harder to stay enthusiastic about England. As much as I am always envious of it's beauty (particularly in the countryside) and it's eventful weather - the snow was AWESOME. I can't help but wonder whether we shouldn't go back sooner that we planned. LOF is particulary happy to just get back on a plane... I on the other hand missed my family and friends sooo much that I'm not ready to do that yet. I am also aware that it won't be long before the sun does start to win a few battles with the rain. Surely, it won't be much longer before I can turn of the lights in the middle of the day! PLease???

I really need to walk along the beach in the sunshine right now. That would make me sooo much better. I need a latte and a veggie Focaccia from Strada cafe, LOF longs for a trip to the Marion and a frozen coke at the cinema. Ahhhhhh why is the grass always greener on the other side?

Give us time. I'm sure we'll get over it.
lol

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Back to reality

It;s been a busy week. I've returned to work, been hunting for houses and bought a wedding dress!! yay! (Finally!) Obviously I can not divulge the details of the dress on a website where certain snooping eyes may pry but I love wearing it so it must be nice :)

Work has been great. Infact, in some ways it feels like I was never really away. The students certainly seem to be behaving in that way towards me :) It's nice to feel wanted and loved ;!! lol. I have been trying hard not to allow work to tip into life and have been staying behind every night to focus on the work that needs to be done. That said, this week my timetable is very light in comparison to the 3 5 period days have waiting for me Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and I do have some concerns over the effect such a crowses period will have on the amount of work ( planning, marking etc) I can possibly get down before 5:30 - especially as parents evening is on one of those evenings ... Ahhhh it's all very interesting how we're supposed to keep on top of it all. I guess I'll just have to keep trying! There has to be a secret nack to it somehow and thus far it's worked! I Will have to do some planning tomorrow though... I chose to go to the pub well before 5:30 came around on Friday ;)

We had our first snow of the New Year yesterday too. It chose to fall just as I was driving home from Birmingham. This caused havoc on the roads but kept me amused. I was definitly happy screaming and smiling in my car as I drove down the hills of the A441 with my hand out of the open window catching snowflakes! Unfortunatly, by the time I got to my destination the snow had turned to slush, the slush to rain and it was all over :( It was cool to see the snowflakes falling from the sky though :)

The house hunt is not going as quickly as the weddind dress hunt unfortunatly. There just doesn't seem to be "THE" house on the market. We'll keep trudging on I guess :)

Friday, January 04, 2008

and the festivities are over...


Indeed I shall be returning to work as of Monday! Trips to Santa Claus the musical didn't prove as popular as anticipated. In fact I am impressed that LOM and LOF even went back into the theatre. I though the puppet reindeer and Screaching Ice Queen (Played by Angie from EastEnders) was fun! I think it was all a little too sickly sweet for the lads! lmao

New Year and Christmas were quiet ones. Although not as quiet as it might have been had we remained over in the other hemisphere for the celebartion! Having said that reports that the weather has been up to 43 degrees C do make me wonder how it is possible for it to be a "mild" christmas at just 8.

The Nintendo Wii has proved to be a rather big hit this year with LOF and I . We've been having lots of fun playing on Kel and G's Wii. IT's amazing how inspired you can be when trying to box someone else in a virtual environment! It's even more impressive that when you wake up the next day you do actually feel like you've gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson!

"so it's back to work, back to reality... ooo here comes gravity" for us now.
I wonder how we'll fare??