Sometimes its not the choosing, it's the deciding!!!

What is the difference?
Does wishing on a star really work?
Why do lightbulbs blow in pairs?
Why do we see shapes in the fog that are not there?
Which coffee tastes best first thing in the morning?
Why are warm towels such a luxury?
Will this early morning fog delay flights to Schiphol today including my friend Jackie's?
What is the best time to buy the train tickets if I am not sure about the fog?
Where to go Saturday.......

As you can tell, I am not yet fully awake and functioning this morning but at the same time, I have been awake most of the night so that is not strictly true! Where does tiredness come into it? The awake or the half asleep part? Cup half empty or half full dilemma?
Saying thank you to the lads and lasses at work yesterday was actually quite emotional for me. I had lots of hugs and the odd kiss or two, and when I left I was sad not to be seeing them again for some time. It had been a tough day with some hard work in it but I felt I handled it well and that pleased me. It's not the sort of thing I talk about, but we got there in the end and that is what counts. Some of them didn't understand that  I wouldn't be there on Monday though!
The fog this morning is almost pea soup thick here. Genghis is out in it but this is the worst so far this year I guess. He will be the white phantom if he meets anyone at this early hour!!!
Finka is on her cushion here with me.
Tim is asleep.
Ann and I have exchanged emails ages ago!
We have talked.
The rads are on warming my towels!
I have to go to Kwikfit for my lightbulb.
Nescafe......jury still out on this one!
I hope so.
Schagen?
Sue xx

Front and Back

 Looking out from the front of our house this evening Tim took this beautiful sunset.

Looking out from the back of our house - at the same time - I took this photo of a vague rainbow wisp.

Dancing at the Movies

C'mon Becci, I'm sure you will recognise all 40 of the different movies that went together to make this happy video!! For example:- singing in the rain; seven brides; flashdance; saturday night fever; billy elliot, to name but a few!!! Enjoy this.
Sue xx

Genghis the Brave

Me too actually, for daring to allow him to venture out in the dark last night for the first time! He is a sensible old boy though, and does listen to my whistling when I call him back. He doesn't go too far I suspect, and during the day he is still rather wary of the neighbourhood cats, so I think this is his solution to  getting outside here. He appeared from across the way when I stood at the corner of our street and whistled him, and then we walked sedately home together. Finka goes crazy when he is not around, sitting by the front door waiting for him to return. She is potty about her furry friend!!
I seem to have done something painful to my neck when I was climbing up the steep steps to the storage part of our department on Monday carrying large sacks of shredded paper. Ouch! It does hurt and my range of movement is rather limited so not nice when driving the car. We shred lots of paper at work and these sacks go to an animal sanctuary for the dogs, cats etc to sleep on and so on. The guy came for it all yesterday and I felt happy that we were doing our bit to support such a worthy organisation.
And now it is my last day-for a while at least. My clients are excited about the return of my colleague next week as they have really missed him, and I know he will have plenty of humorous anecdotes to amuse them with on Monday. Still, they would have me back I think next time he wants a break!
Like the song? It was on the radio yesterday when I was on my way to work.
I have found a great program for playing with photos that is something to do with Alienskins......there is a free 60 day trial which I am going to download and try. I liked what I saw and it seemed easy enough, so that is my 'new thing to do' this month. I am not good with photoshop but that is because I don't practice enough or regularly, so something quick, uncomplicated and different might be just my thing. Confidence of having done a mosaic master heart I hear you saying !!! Well, maybe, but I will have a go anyway.
Now, time to get ready for work. Still very dark outside this morning, and no beautiful sunrise like yesterdays which was stunning. However, there is still time.
Enjoy your day too.
Sue xx

A good feeling

Yes, I made the scones!! Always so quick and easy and yummy to eat whilst freshly baked and still warm!
I was pretty tired when my friend was here however, and felt rather dullish company last night, but never mind, we enjoyed ourselves so that is all that matters.

And back to work today!  I've been promoted! Allowed to do some painting by my gang, which was great. They are really looking after me well and I am going to miss them when this is over. We had tons of paper and cardboard to sort today and in amongst it all we found some long thin strips of 'schuim' - can't think what the word is in English, sorry! Anyway, they were ideal light sabres........(of course, why didn't you think of that immediately)?!.........so I bagged being Obi Wan whilst one of the lads was, oh, Luke SkyWalker say, and we had a little go at fencing with them!!! Ok, probably not the most grown-up and sensible thing to be doing at work but I simply couldn't resist it once the idea popped into my head that they were perfect for the task!!! No-one else saw us...........no-one will tell on us and we had some fun!!! And that is what life in a sea of paper and cardboard is all about, right? So I didn't mention it to you earlier.........I tell it much better here and it will make your morning start with a smile I hope? I am sure you can picture me, light sabre in hand, making all the appropriate sounds etc................zuummm!!

Just waiting for our new coffee table to arrive. After months of saving up for it, we are expecting it within the next couple of hours. According to one of my clients, I have to hope that it turns up because since I already paid for it they might not deliver it and make off with the money instead! She thought that would be funny....but I am sure it will arrive and the first thing we will do is? Yup, have a cup of coffee!!!!! :-)
Sue xx

Sun seekers

Whilst I was busy getting the spare bed down from the attic and ironing and moving furniture etc Finka and Genghis were sunning themselves on my snug windowsill. It was the spot with the most sun this morning and where I am they usually can be found as well, so it was hup! onto the cushion I keep there  for their pleasure, and a swift stretch and a yawn and........back to sleep again! Someone once commented that if they could be reincarnated, they wanted to come back as one of my cats!!! Pampered or not, they are the sweetest creatures ever and deserve our love. At the moment the sun is still in the back garden so Genghis is out on his chair while Finka keeps me company on her cushion, not quite snoring but it wouldn't surprise me! This is my mid-day rest.  I am toying with the idea of some baking but then again, maybe not. I got the weeding out of the way quite quickly which was helpful, and later on my friend is coming over for dinner and a chat. Will be nice to see her and hear the latest!! So perhaps thinking about the fact that she loves scones, I ought to go down and bake a few for her.........
Sue xx

Strictly

So the first round is over and although there are a lot of possible contenders this year, my money is on Matt right now. This is a terrible photo of him however; he is so nice really! Ann and Anton got the attention we all knew they deserved but I do fear for her Samba............and Anton's feet! He is the perfect partner for her and I see her as another John Sargent type..............so my guess is that Ola and Paul will go first now that I have seen the whole line-up dance. Roll on next Saturday!
We had a very pleasant autumn day in the end. The sun came out and I was able to sit in the garden between jobs and enjoy the sun on my face. It is raining again now of course, but tomorrow ought to be fine as well so the weeding is next on my to-do list. And making space for the spare bed and sorting out the attic with Tim - maybe even getting my last cupboard up, dare I say it?... so lots to do and then the weekend is over.
I had an unexpected treat today when my mother, sister and brother-in-law ( well, you are in the Dutch sense of the word John! ) all rang to talk to me! How nice I thought.............until I realised that they are not quite getting my blog log-in right: 'bag lady scrapes'????!!!!! John, John, this is not way to speak to a lady surely?....not even one made of paper?!! ;-) And as for philosophy - try 'Buddism for Sheep', you'll get more out of it than Proust! Just the right amount of sincerity mingled with humour and truth. Plus it is easy to read!!! And won't take 10 minutes let alone 10 years!!
Then Becci rang for a long chat which was very nice. Caught up with her work and love life and all that is happening at the moment, plus the promise of coming here in January which is wonderful news. She is still in the thrall of the cosmos and since it appears to be working for her, go Becci! My feeling is, if it feels that right, and you know it is worth going after it, don't be put off by anyone else's opinion, just see how it all turns out, and add a little push in the right direction when you think it is necessary. Obviously enlisting the help of Heathcliff is a good move!
Sue xx

Strictly Amazing!

Last night I went round to friends to enjoy and judge ( now we are '3 on the settee'!) the first 7 pairs of this years Strictly. The standard is amazing already, and it is obvious that once a gymnast, always a gymnast is the motto for Becci's favourite Matt Baker. Wow! Can he move!!! Onto the floor with a foreward flip, first outing.......got to be impressive. Even Craig was nice about the routine, totally ignoring the 'props'!!!! Initial  showing would suggest that Ola will not be around much longer this year as her partner has not got what it takes, and I feel that the viewers will swing more towards Ann Widdecombe and Anton than Ola and Paul. And Pamela Stevenson was beautiful; but can she rumba?!!! Anyway, the standard is set for this evening and the other half of the contestants ought to be nervous now..........all in all it looks like a great season and it makes the run -up to Christmas start with a twirl!!!
It's raining here. The forecast is better for this afternoon so I am going to get my shopping out of the way etc and do all I need to here so that if the rain stops, I can get outside for a while. I slept really poorly last night, tossing and turning, so feel only half awake, but I heard Tim go off to work earlier without feeling the need to get up until an hour later. So the washing is on, the heating is on, Genghis is back in, dried off with the towel and cleaning himself on the settee along with Finka's assistance...two licks are better than one!!!!
I went to investigate small hedging plants on my way home yesterday and am taken with the Berberis, so think that is my plant of choice for between us and the neighbour on the one side...haven't mentioned it yet to the other side, but I think it will be fine when I do. It has a lovely burgundy tint to the leaves this time of year which I rather like, plus the price was surprisingly good. But they are not available for another 3 weeks, so I have plenty of time to save up.
My week in the woodwork department was good in the end. We all got along well, in harmony with our singing, and freeing the town of its paper and cardboard at a good rate. The chaps were great and I enjoyed being with them a lot. Promised cake for next week as they were very interested in what I brought in for my lunch!! So just another 3 days and then my friend Jackie will be here from England - hurrah!! I am so looking forward to having her company here and catching up with all I have missed back home etc. The plan is to tackle the hall downstairs and see whether or not we can manage to decorate it by the end of her stay...............perhaps a tall order but if we don't aim high, we'll never know!!!!
Sue xx...ooh, rain stopping I do believe................

Morning ritual

Alarm goes off 6am. Shower. Talk. Feed cats. Let Genghis out. Make tea and yoghurt. Dress. Turn computer on. Finka finishes her breakfast! Watch the sun start to rise. Blog. Drink tea. Swiffer kitchen floor. Let Genghis back in. Go to work 7.40am. Phew!! Welcome October!!!!
Sue xx