Crash and burn

These are happy and wonderful times for me just now. It's like some kind of out of body experience where the new me is up here, orbiting around, looking down on the old me and thinking...I don't want to get back down there to the old me. When I do come back down, as I will have to, it will be as someone new. Not a total reinvention of course...just as someone with the courage to be the new me. The one up here.

The last two weeks have been fantastic. And just when I didn't think it could get any better, my minute taking training course programme was approved and accredited by departmental training HQ yesterday. I spent most of yesterday walking on air, as if I wasn't already...anyway it was fabulous timing as it was day one of the course today, and it went rather well if I might say so :)

Friendship, appreciation and respect...It's the happiest feeling in the world, and I have my online-life to thank for it, for giving me the confidence to go boldly in the real world.

I'm enjoying every minute of every day, because ,being what it is, means that crash and burn is inevitable. But in the meantime:

Life is good. Treasure it.

Job done²

A good day, all in all: Homebase had the chocolate brown wallpaper we were looking for, and I later headed out for my first grass-cutting session of the damage-limitation, sorry I mean 'gardening' season. Also I have the overwhelming urge for a topiary tub, as you do!

And I got a nice cardigan in Matalan too. :)

It wasn't quite up there with last Saturday's 'living the dream' but I guess I can't complain.

And it's only 9 days till my next holiday :)

Is it wrong to feel so good?

I haven't random-rambled since my return from Sweden so, almost one week later, here goes....

I am still on such a major (natural) high that I can't really describe it. Last weekend was the best weekend of my life. I went to Gothenburg, the sun shone constantly, our hotel was great, no flight delays, no spanners in the works, everything was perfect.

I met Salem Al Fakir - one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. He may be a musical genius, but he also happened to be such a lovely, warm, kind and generous individual - and a fantastic live performer in the concert which followed....read my review over at Planet Salem of course.

Life is pretty surreal just now. Next Tuesday and Wednesday I'm running a two-day training course at work - the first one I've done in 3 and a half years. I should be a nervous wreck, but I just keep reassuring myself that I can do it, because if I managed to talk to Salem, my absolute musical hero, for 45 minutes without tripping over my words, I should be able to speak about a part of my job which I've been doing for almost 15 years. Fingers and everything else crossed !!!

This time next week not only will it be all over, but I'll have finished up for my next foreign trip (Dusseldorf) so it will be party time once again :)

Spots. Bruises. Runny eyes. Sore throat.

...sounds like a Twitter post, but it's actually my current physical state: 4 days till I fly out to Sweden, I've been in the peak of good health for a while but you know there's a holiday coming up when you start getting spots all over your face and stupid little eye and throat infections...oh never mind, only two and a half working days this week. It's not all bad.

Good Friday.

Off work today and Monday (yay!)

As you know I've been riding on the 'life is good' bandwagon for several weeks now but this past week has been a bit trying - firstly discovering a number of unexplained bite-type marks all over my right leg, then I get a sore eye, and then the world's biggest spot decides to set up home on my face just one week before I go to Sweden.

This morning wasn't much better. Had the mother of all bad starts to the day: firstly I weighed myself (gained 1lb, not surprised as haven't been in diet-mode this week) then I accidentally spilled a glass of cola all over my duvet cover.

:(

Then the worst bit: I tripped and fell over in my bedroom, resulting in yet another knee injury - this time my left knee (my good one) which is now swollen and bruised although I can still hobble along.

:(

Went off on travels with mum to look for new three-piece suite - fruitless search.

:(

Later in the day I bashed my right knee (my bad one) against the kitchen door.

:(

Anyway...it wasn't all bad. There was some good news later which made everything so much better. (Sorry it's very personal so I can't share it here) Anyway....life is still good.

(And I'm going to Sweden next Friday, if I can stop falling over between now and then).

That time again.

Yes it's the official opening of the EuropeCrazy damage-limitation - I mean gardening - season.

Tonight I cut down some overhanging tree branches and pruned some overgrown rose bushes and ...I'd forgotten how therapeutic it all was, whilst repeating over and over again in my mind - "you're not gonna beat me this year/you're not gonna beat me this year..."

I say it every year, but this year I am going to make some kind of effort. And when I'm going through that whole post-Gothenburg-and-Dusseldorf-void, then I'll know what I need to do.

Oh, and the daffodils are in full bloom now...

It's ok...

...my spectacles have now turned up in the last place I looked for them.

Current mood: relief.

Where did I leave my glasses?

Currently in a panic. I have misplaced my glasses at home and can't find them anywhere. I don't need them for close-up/computer/reading but I'm so short sighted you wouldn't believe it....they are somewhere in this house but - where????

Current mood: anxious/agitated.

A year of Sitemeter.

A year ago today I got Sitemeter, and things have never been the same since.

Purely because I realised very quickly that a) more than 4 or 5 people were reading my blog(s); and b) with blogging you reach a truly worldwide audience.

So, at the end of Sitemeter Year 1, I give you my visitor numbers.

EuropeCrazy: 30606.

Planet Salem: 10400.

Random Ramblings: 396.

Thanks to each and every one of you who's ever accidentally stumbled across, or deliberately made a point of visiting, any of the above - much, much appreciated, I love having you all to visit - it goes without saying.

Now, off to Sitemeter for just one more check...!

Yep....

.....neigh chance.

Neigh chance.

I'm just about to watch the Grand National, which is an annual ritual at EuropeCrazy HQ - the only time we're ever remotely interested in horse racing.

I've drawn Himalayan Trail in the office sweep (!) and have also chosen Brooklyn Brownie, only because Salem Al Fakir's "Brooklyn Sun" is my favourite song just now :)

Mum's chosen Darkness which apparently is Andrew Lloyd Webber's horse, cue chorus of "It's my horse, it's my horse" from mum :))) and also Black Apalachi, she doesn't have any reason for this.

Apart from the office-sweep one there is no money riding on this, it's just a bit of fun :))))

British Summer Time

Just realised that I hadn't random-rambled for a while. Life is still good, and I've got two holidays coming up within the next four to five weeks so to say that I am hyper and excitable is an understatement.

Last weekend the clocks went forward, signalling light nights and the beginning of British Summer Time (ha ha) anyway the last two days have brought blue skies and non-freezing weather. Hooray!!!! (while it lasts)