Happy boy!

We have finally booked Tim's flights for August and his annual visit to his sister in Stafford. He really misses her not being closer so I always feel it is important to keep their contact up to a healthy brother/sister level. And this time he will meet her boyfriend/partner - what do they call them these days I wonder? - for the first time, so also nice. They will have a great time and since I am working most of August it will be nice and quiet at home too. Still waiting to hear when Jackie is coming over in the autumn, so I have someone to look forward to seeing again. Oh, and of course Ineke will be braving the roads northwards after her holiday!!! I make the best chocolate brownies, by way of encouragement!!!
The sun is out once again and its a beautiful day. I am baking and cleaning and doing all the ordinary tasks we cannot avoid each week. Last study day coming up on Saturday so got to make two cards and some cakes etc for our last lunch. Got to is not right; I want to, am happy to do so, enjoy it!! Waiting for inspiration to strike for the cards - been a while since I got creative with ink!
Well, having said all that I think its time to dip into my stash and see what I can come up with while the brownies are baking...........oh, the smell of chocolate wafting upstairs, divine!
Sue xx

Don't they look good?!

Becci & Ric at their friends wedding.

Nice to see Becci and Ric's photo from a recent wedding they attended, Ric was an usher so extra smart!! They are at the age when friends marry or have children, so no doubt the coming few years will see call for more posh attire!! Having spoken to Becci via skype the other night, seeing her wearing an owl woolly hat in bed, it is to be hoped for!! Wonder when the day will come that I need to dress up like this?..................

The predicted thunder and 'disasterstorms' that were due to hit yesterday didn't. Well here anyway. We had a really sultry day with amazing temperatures, then some cloud and small drizzly rain for an hour, and then 30C again until the evening when it started around 8pm. The lightning was pretty impressive but the thunder was more a distant rumble than heavily overhead. The cats slept through it so that says enough! This morning it is very humid here in house but I understand that it is much cooler outside so I think it will be ok at work. When I arrived yesterday every door and window was open, which helped.
It is overcast and dull outside, no wind, and just the birds flying around searching for breakfast.
Have a good day!
Sue xx

Monday

and the first bad thing to happen was the washing machine chewing up my favourite bra!!! Totally wrecked sadly, so a replacement will be necessary.
Second thing going wrong was me turning up for an appointment dead on time, only to find the guy was not home and had forgotten his diary entry for today. So I came home again only to have to do this all over again on Thursday.................bah!
It was incredibly hot today - 32C in the garden so the parasol was up and the cats were settled on their chair under it whilst I had an hour on the sun lounger before watching Andy Murray go through. Well done that man!
Sue xx

Sunshine

and sitting in the garden all day was wonderful. Karen was over for the afternoon, and I do so enjoy her company which is sort of study related still, but more about sharing our personal stuff with one another etc and keeping in touch about the course etc. And enjoying the left overs from Friday's dinner party!!! I have to say that I really liked the Gazpacho and it was equally tasty today; handy, a cold soup!!
After a rainy day in Haarlem ( sounds like a song title ) yesterday it made a pleasant change to just sit in the sun and chat. All in all a very satisfying weekend!
Sue xx

rain........

for my day out with Hillie, what a shame!!! We were looking forward to a dry day but at the moment it seems unlikely. Ah well, more coffee stops, longer lunch, we'll be ok!!
Last night we had a lovely evening with friends, and as Tim says on his facebook page " great food and good company " - what more can we want?

I have been reading the awesome blog by Neil Pasricha and listening to his TED talk on youtube, to try and re-motivate myself and stay positive. It's so hard when you want and need a job really badly, and in your heart you know you are not going to get it that easily. Even when you know that it does not mean that you are a failure or not good enough or not lucky enough to get chosen, it feels personal. There is no getting away from that sense of rejection one feels in those moments after being told you didn't get the job.
But I have to keep trying and looking and thinking about all the skills I do have, and all the things I can do, and believe that it will all work out in the end.

" Everything will be ok in the end.

 If it's not ok, then it's not the end. " 

This is what sits on my bookshelves and stares at me every morning - my tiny spark of hope. This is what I read and allow to seep into my unconscious self so that I feel it inside and know that there is still hope. Listening to Neil's talk, and reading his blog, and hearing his story, I do appreciate and value all that I have in my life, and I never forget the awesomeness of all those special moments I have been privileged to enjoy. He talks about loving 3 year olds as they discover the wonder of learning about new things for the first time. About us not forgetting that first time we did something; met someone; achieved something..............I have never forgotten one single second of it.

Hm, at this rate it will be galoshes and macs and brollies and a very wet day out!!!! Just an hour to go before I get the train, so time for coffee and breakfast and a chat with the cats, and off I go!!!!
Sue xx

Friends coming round

this evening so busy cooking and preparing for our summery mediterranean meal!! Pity the early morning sunshine has turned to rain at 11am........it was so lovely when I went shopping at half  past eight!! What did you do to the weather?!! But it won't stop our pleasure I'm sure of that. At the moment I have got the top half of the Vacherin cooling in the oven, and the bottom two thirds of the raspberry cream, brownie cheesecake, and the Gazpacho so we are on schedule. Wouldn't the Mrs. Harrisons be proud of my time-keeping?!! Both the Domestic Science teachers at my school were called Mrs. Harrison but they looked like chalk and cheese from one another. I always had the slightly rounder one teaching me, which I was happy about, as I thought she was the more lenient one of the pair, and more inclined to bake cookies!!!
I didn't do O level DS though as I always did better when I was practicing than during the actual exam.
And my O level music score was too high to exclude in the choices...........shame. Who knows, I might have turned out to be a pastry chef if things had gone differently??????????

We had our Karaoke evening last night with the choir, to round off the year. I confess to being a shy and retiring violet who didn't get up there and singalong to the rock songs. However, it was a nice evening and plenty of other willing and budding soloists did take the floor!! I have photos but they need to follow when I have more time. Not today that's for sure. Maybe next year I will take my turn.......

Tomorrow I am going out for the day so let's hope this rain comes today and goes tomorrow. Spending the day with my friend Hillie in Haarlem, well, that's the plan. I just about have enough left in my bank for the train fare, but nothing more, so it will be a fun day of window shopping, chatting, and hopefully sitting on the terraces facing the sun for some summer warmth.
Sue xx

A lucky escape

Amazingly I have escaped from a very nasty accident with barely anything to show for it, but it could have been so much worse! We have a small cooks blow torch and it was empty, so needed filling again. I tried to do it, didn't succeed; asked someone else to try, also no luck, so yesterday I went to buy the gas to see what we were doing wrong. Whoops!!! I filled it alright - in the kitchen - then thought I ought to test it. There was an enormous whoosh and the whole of the kitchen lit up including me!!! The huge flame swept across my body and hand and burnt all the hairs off my right arm, and scalded me in several places. My hair got caught so lots of burnt bits falling out all over the place..........the flames did catch my top but luckily it didn't catch fire otherwise...........................someone was watching over me I guess, from up above. I smothered myself in vaseline so amazingly I have very little to show for it today. The pain is more or less under the skins surface so if I don't touch it, its fine. Hurt a bit in the shower this morning though!!!

What else? Oh, didn't get yet another job............least said about that the better, right. I love it that my friends all say such nice things about there being a better one out there somewhere for me - it just needs to appear soon, that's all!!! I cheer myself up with the knowledge that where I work at the moment, the clients are very fond of me, and whenever they see me, I get so much love and positive responses from them, it makes me feel better.
Well, there is nothing else happening; this is enough, right?!
Sue xx

Sunday sentiment

"If you do not know where you stand within yourself,

where does that leave you?

When you stand centered in your own space,

it will become clearer what your choices are

and which ones to make."

Ron Rathburn from "Words that Matter."

Now I'm just plain

tired!!! I had an incredible headache all yesterday but I think it was because of the change in weather and it being so horribly humid all day. The paracetamol didn't help either which was a shame as I slept so fitfully all night long and am now only half awake, but needing to do some stuff before bedtime. A good sing though - and by the look of the night sky I am home just in time as the wind is gathering speed and those huge grey clouds are beginning to spit water from the heavens...........just like this morning as I drove to work. Couldn't see the road in front of me at times, so bad. It eased off around lunchtime but apparently here it was awful all day long. Well, one more day of work to go and then things ease right down again for me. Sort of looking forward to having some time in the house as I see housework getting neglected and not so shiny taps in the bathroom.....whoops!!! I miss being at home to do the chores, as I like to tackle them little and often - and you would not believe the cat hairs at the moment!! I think there could be a jumper in it for me if they continue shedding at this rate!!!
So now I am tired enough to fall straight to sleep ( I hope.) I'd opened the bedroom window just now but I think I'd better shut it fast!
Sleep well.
Sue xx