Bizzy Bee

Well I have been a busy bee, not done a blog entry for eons, joined facebook, changed jobs, been to Italy and very many other new and good things in my life.

I met a very interesting person in January, went out for walks, the theatre and a quiz or two and lo and behold he has become an integral part of my life these past five months. Not one to bare my soul in public, so those thoughts remain a private part of me.

Mac and I went off to Italy for a week, spent a week on the Amalfi Coast in Sorrento and had an amazing time wandering around Pompeii and Herculaneum (yes a man who likes old ruins) and a boat trip down the coast which was not as romantic as it sounds as we were hit by a massive wave and laughed our heads off on the deck of the little boat as we did not look very elegant and were out for dinner once we docked. Needless to say the restaurant put us in the corner. We had such fun and I think it was the best holiday I have ever been on in a long time.

Fallen off the planet

It is one o'clock in the morning and I keep thinking if I don't post a quick blog today I will never do it and people will think I have fallen off the planet. Life is fine and dandy at the moment and a new life and my new job seem to have been a great turning point this year and as the song goes 'it can only get better'

I am constantly out being miss sociability going to archeological talks, ceileidhs, eistedfords, blues bands and even to watch the footie in a pub !!!

Life is good and I could not be more content, happier or tired. Work is good, the social life is excellent and my finances healthier due to a new job, a part time small job and careful planning.

It is blowing a gale outside, I am tired so off to my charpoy for a good nights rest. Sleep tight all you insomniacs :0)

A new job and a new day

Well the first day has arrived and it has gone and I am now on day four. It has gone quickly and although not too much of a strain on me initially - looks like interesting work and I am back balancing accounts and playing with figures. What a sad bugger - enjoying that sort of thing.

Life has been good of late and I am changing each day and the great thing is that I will not allow other peoples negatives to influence me any more. I live in my world and enjoy what I am doing and that is the most important thing, because for the first time in my life I am doing it for me :0)

My last day at the 'instiution' was great, a lovely presentation with gifts and flowers and lots of flowery words (except my favourite colleague who wrote Good Riddance on my card) We went out on the town and ate loads of nasty pizza and pasta and drank wine ! But because I did it all in moderation - Saturday was a good day and no horrible 2 glasses of wine hangover !!

Saturday was even better, went to a Ceileidh and has a fantastic time, cannot find the words at the moment to write about how good it was and what good company was there. On Sunday started a part time caring job, which involves looking after a little old lady and chit chatting with her of an evening and preparing a meal for her. The evening went quickly and it was great.

More to come as I am just sneaking a quick lunch time break :0)

We nipped down to Maughold yesterday morning and it made me realise just how lucky I am to live with such spectacular scenery around me. We were really on a mission to try and move some furniture so needed to borrow a truck for the purpose, but as I am playing with picture function on blogger, don't really feel the need to justify such a gorgeous picture. :0)

New job, new life

They say that life begins at forty, but that I am sure was in the 'old' days. Last year was not a very good year and I felt a little bit as though life was being very unkind to me and spent most of the year licking my wounds, tentatively trying to take brave steps and then having to go back into a safe place and lick my wounds again. But I made it through 2006 and if January is anything to go by then 2007 is my year and I am going to embrace it and

I started this year with clearing out not only the physical clutter but other bits of baggage as well, I disposed of things I have hung on to for sentimental value and other silly reasons (although not all of it - yet), I took stock and decided that I needed to take control of my life.

I wrote a letter enclosing my CV to an organisation that I had been offered a job with last year and as it was about the time of my car crash, did not accept. I regretted it, and had such a bad year that never gave it another thought. When I sent the letter out, I expected a no thank you nice of you to drop us a line - but nooooooooo. I actually was called in for an interview and believe it or not start on the 12th February. What an amazing thing to happen. It is a job that will hold my interest, with well educated and intelligent people and best of all, a decent salary that will pay the bills and maybe even let me go on holiday to a destination of my choice. Roll on Venice, Florence, Prague and all the cultural centres of the world.

Merry New Year :0)

Well the silly season is almost at its end, and it certainly went out with a bang as I had a New Years ever party at 'my place'.
Up until the end of next week I had virtually no plans and a vague outline of how the party would go. I started with 12 people, and by New Years eve had 18 all seated in my makeshift dining room.
It was like a restaurant and amazingly everything went really smoothly - the food turned out great, the ambiance was perfect and the mix of people spot on. We all had a fantastic evening, and one of the guys has 'booked' for next year - as he said it is the best New years party he has been to in an age. We didn't try too hard to be jolly and have a 'party' with masses of booze' and dancing - I think we are all at the age where a dinner party, with good food, good conversation and a bit of an atmosphere make the night.
Only disaster, in my attempt to create a nice environment I had a log fire in the lounge and dining room where there was a buffet set out, candles burning in the hallway, lounge and our makeshift dining room. One of the candle burnt down to nothing in a tin and has burnt a bit of a hole in my alter table !! C'est la view, I should have been a bit more cautious and not swanned around without checking everything.
Happy New year and may 2007 be a good one.

z list celebs

On a more cheerful note today I finished my Christmas job, and on the last day I worked at 'the store' I was asked if I could go and help out in the coffee shop. Before you have visions of me wearing a nice little waitressing outfit and carrying trays with a lovely smile - it was far from that.
I reported for duty in the kitchens and was given my 'outfit' in preparation for the job in hand. I was presented with a hair net and a purple cap. Those who know me well, know that I do not do hats never mind hair nets - but who was I to argue the health and safety of a big concern.
I squashed my hair into the net, stuffed on the purple cap and my glasses and skulked out into the resteraunt like a movie star trying to avoid the paparazzi. As I was in the public, clearing and cleaning the table, I hoped and prayed that I would not meet anyone I knew. If anyone came in that remotely looked familiar, I slipped into the dark recess where all the dirty dishes were stacked.
Oh the glamour and excitement of my life at the moment !! It is just so hard to beat ;0)

Christmas is over and this year and although very different from other years a really good one. I spent time with Droo and Lesley and it was a really lovely day (especially the words Mr Magoo made up ! ) only thing missing was the little one :0)

I finished my Christmas job on Saturday and it was good just to have time to myself, but I found that I had to much time to reflect on things over the last year - which was not really a good thing.

2007 is going to be a year where I centre more on my needs and those of my closest friends. I think I have had a real wake up call in the past 12 - 14 months. True friends are always there for you, and I have discovered a few who have been there to laugh with me and at me and cry with me - these friendships have been symbiotic (word gained from my little biologist).

I have tried to maintain friendships this year that were not really worth the time as they have not be reciprocal, I have given energy that I could ill afford to people who took, and gave nothing in return. I can blame nobody but myself because although I consider myself a very perceptive person, the child in me is still very strong and I maintain the trust and optomism of a child until somebody breaks it.

I could write so much, but it would only be jumbled and confused so below are some of the words that Gibran wrote on giving and on friendship.

On Giving

There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their baptism.
And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue;


On Friendship

And a youth said, "Speak to us of Friendship."
Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.
When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the "nay" in your own mind, nor do you withhold the "ay."
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.
And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.