Frisky ferrets

On enquiring how a friend's weekend away with a crush was going, I received the following reply:

"The badger is in the sett. I repeat, the badger is in the sett (that's code) ;-) x"

Better late than never

I haven't been able to make it home due to the weather. Unfort no snow in York :-(. But Pops has come up trumps and has sent the charger for my camera. So, without further ado, here are some piccies from my bday w/end

This is what greeted me when I got home *grin*

The man with all the dance moves!

The best birthday cake in the worrreeld - ever!

It kinda scares me that Sarah said there was an uncanny resemblance...

That's life

I strolled downtown today for my daily caffeine hit. Making my way through the barrage of bustling crowds was like making my way through my own thoughts of late. I found my usual spot by the window, seeking insightful revelations from my skinny blueberry muffin and my americano. I've felt a bit agitated of late. I feel like I've been stuck in limbo. Waiting. Any instant gratificationist will vouch, that to be in purgatory, is sheer unimaginable torture.

See, I'm usually impulsive. Go on my gut instinct. More often than not, I'll consider my options in retrospect. The main lesson that I've learned about myself, recently, is to trust when I don't think things are going my way. When I'm compromising my happiness, my core being, I need to take action. But recently, I've tried to think consciously about the decisions I make. I can't kid myself. I'm someone who's ruled by their heart, as much as I'll deny it. And you know what, that is not a bad thing, at all.

I learned from an early stage in my childhood, that life is seriously just too short. This isn't a dress rehearsal. And because it isn't a dress rehearsal, it means that we're entitled to make mistakes, the key is learning. Trying new situations, letting people in, engaging in different perspectives, most of all, making sure you just keep on trying. Oh, and the occasional hot chocolate and a big snog with yer girrel helps too ;-)

Dirty thirty

What a weekend I've just had! I drove up to Scotland straight after work on Friday, in convoy with some friends. We were well prepared for the trip with supplies of chocolate eclairs -not the pastry ones much to my disappointment, Jellytots -which I haven't had in ages(!), and wine gums -yuck. The destination was Pop's house. We hit the M73 around about 9pm which wasn't bad going considering the weather and the traffic. At this point, Karen excitedly blurted out - "Oh, I can tell I'm in Scotland, there's a castle over there!" *Confused look on my face* "Castle? Where??" I looked in the direction Karen was pointing and realised much to our amusement that she'd seen the outline of some high rise flats just before Easterhouse! From a distance, the square tops looked (some what) like turrets. Bless, an English person across "the border."

As I pulled into Dad's street I thought I could make out his shadow in the doorway. As it turned out, here's what greeted me:

Well, sorry to disappoint folks, I just realised that I've left the box and all the bits for my new camera at my Dad's! Work with me here and picture the scene...the front door was plastered with a HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner and balloons clinging for dear life *grin and a big wiggle* More birthday balloons and banners greeted us in the living room along with the rest of my folks. It felt sooo good coming home to them and all the decorations :-))

On the Saturday Sarah, myself and the girrels hit Glasgow for some shopping. Why is it when you're ready to part with cash that you never see anything that you like?! In the evening, along with the extended family, we all headed to a contemporary Scottish restaurant. I figured with all the foreigners attending that no trip to Scotland would be complete without some haggis on the menu! The venue of choice was Arisaig in Glasgow. I have to say, that it was the best meal that I've had in a long time, and they had an excellent selection of vegetarian dishes too, even a veggie haggis.

Well, no birthday is complete without the cake. Piccies will follow, but trust me when I say that it was the best cake that I've ever had. The design was a girrel on a bike, she even had dodgy spikey hair!

I really had the best time. I kinda feel like I've added the last book in the bookshelf that is this part of my life, and I'm now moving onto to fill the next. It feels like you've got something under your belt, turning 30. You feel more comfortable in who you are and the decisions you make, and you definitely appreciate the effort that family and friends make.

A big, big thank you to Dad for giving us his house for the weekend, and to Ann-Marie for organising the decorations and cake and helping Dad colour code the bed sheets, and for sending him back to the shops for the umpteenth time until he arrived with the correct duvet cover and valance sheet! A big thank you to my wee brother for flying over from Denmark just for one night! A big thank you to all my friends and family who were there to make the night so special. And last, but by no means least, a big thank you to Sarah for being the bestest girrelfriend in the whole wide world ;-)! (although you have lost some points for making me share the chocolate cake ;-))

Are we there yet? The weekend is just around the corner.

Bit of a stressful day. I had to stop myself, countless times, from pressing the button on my Bumblebee Transformer to try and relieve my stress. Bumblebee is fab. My Girrel sent him to me a couple of months ago. Bless her, I was opening the packaging when she was on the phone eagerly awaiting my reaction, when I noticed the sticker at the bottom of the packaging. It read (or words to the effect):

"Please note that toy doesn't actually transform. It makes noises instead."

Devastation. There was a long pregnant pause at my end of the phone. Dilemma. Do I want a Transformer that actually transforms or do I want one to really bug my workmates with? *starts to sing the theme tune* you know the one "Transformers, there's more than meets the eye. Transformers robots in disguise..." When I weighed up the odds, there was no argument. I wanted the non-transforming Transformer! I'm kinda hoping *hint* that maybe I'll get a transforming Transformer for my birthday folks. Oh, and I've also decided that which ever comes first, a pet or child, they're getting called Optimus Prime.

Anyways, so I've been a wee bit stressed, but my friend Helen popped round unexpectedly tonight for a quick cup of tea and a blether. Not long after Helen left my girrel called. It never ceases to amaze me how friends and loved ones can help put things into perspective. How sometimes they come into your life at just the right moment, just when you need them. They may not realise what they've done, but they've had an impact nonetheless. Moments like these cast away the grumpy shadows of a stressy day and make me feel thankful for the people that I have in my life.