Blowing in the wind

Some days feel like real change is happening.  Today was one of those.

Today my thoughts of change ended up focusing on Pepper.  A little bit tired after my day, a little bit frustrated by the elements of change I have no control over, a little bit lonely as I came home and certainly fed up of the rain that plagued Norwich this afternoon.  All I wanted to do was dig out the biggest glass I could find, fill it with wine and lose myself on the sofa for the night.  Except now, I had a little ball of fur dancing and squeaking at me as I opened the door.  Forcing me back out of the house, where I realised that the sun was shining, the humid air had cleared and it's a really beautiful evening, Pepper made me smile as she pranced along and took me for my evening walk.  


I'm still tired and looking forward to my glass of wine, but it is with happy thoughts of the changes I've had in the past twelve months.  I am extremely excited about getting married to Gav next year, his rally (sponsor him here!) reminds me that the biggest change in our lives is coming here faster than we expect.  I love coming home to Pepper and will never want to change back to the nights where we don't get to wander along the river.  I'm ridiculously proud of Gav for changing his path and returning to school.  I cannot wait until I have completed my own 'learning' and have my evenings back to myself...and find out exactly where that will take me.  I'm even looking forward to the change of bedclothes that I've organised for myself tonight.

Other life changes, out of my control, well they can only mean good things in the long run.  

Just like the storm that cleared the air, it's all change here.
 

Hearty Rally

 
Some of you may know that, in May 2009, Gavin had a heart attack.  He woke up in the middle of the night with chest pains, breathlessness and was so incredibly uncomfortable.  Neither of us knew what to do, he was 29 and the last thing that either of us expected was a heart attack.

We were actually very fortunate.  The Norwich and Norfolk Hospital has one of the best cardiology departments in the country so I know that he was well taken care of.  The ambulance was equipped with an ECG which meant that right from the very start Gav was given the best treatment.  Not every patient in the UK would receive this outstanding level of care so immediately.


Gav spent four days in hospital and I started to learn about what it was that could have caused the heart attack (doctors still are uncertain) and figure out what we could do to keep him healthy.  The British Heart Foundation were amazing - their website is full of information and they have the resource to send out information on healthy eating, heart disease and recipe books with some excellent curries in.  There is an online community where patients and family members can exchange ideas and support for each other as they go through the different stages of accepting what has happened.  



As I said, we are very lucky.  Gav doesn't seem to have suffered long term effects and, like everything that happens, we have chosen to see his heart attack as a reason to make a few changes for the better.  Not everyone is so lucky.  This is why he is really keen to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.  

The boys are going to Prague and back with the Urban Allstar Rally.  They have purchased (for under £200 each, amaze!) three old Civics that they have painted black and pimped out to the max (of their budget!!).  The cars look awesome and the boys are going to have a wicked time. If you are able to support them along their way then please go to their Just Giving page or follow the link on the top right of this screen.  It'll really make the difference to their journey!  And help save lives, cause that's what this is all about.


Good luck to the Hearty Boys!

1996

I knew when I was 16, nothing could actually top that year.

This weekend's Glastonbury coverage reaffirmed the belief.  I got to listen to Pulp (ah, the broken-hearted memories!), Eels (soooooo cool to have loved them when I did), Placebo, Suede, so many more, and I knew for a fact that 1996 was the year that the party really did start and it was freaking cool.
I went to see my first gig in April 1996, taking a little road trip with Rosie, Anna, Cat and Rosie's dad to Southampton to see Ash supported by the 60ft Dolls and Bis ("sugar, sugar, candy POP!" - sometimes good music is nothing to do with talent, but with your friends making it so fun).  I remember we all stood outside waiting with the cool kids commenting snidely on our teeny bopper ways, Top Shop wraparound skirts combined with our shiny DMs, and realising just how far we had to go to actually look cool with these indie kid regulars.  But the gig itself, that was amazing.  I had been in love with Ash since Girl From Mars had truly hit the airways and was sickeningly jealous that these boys were just a couple of years older and living the dream.  The album had come out just two days before, we had all purchased the special edition with the secret tracks (rewind from track 1 to find them, sneaky). We had all listened to every song a thousand times and by the time we arrived even Rosie's dad knew all the words.  We got to the very front, discovered moshing, wondered if it would be worth a crowd surf, decided against it and sang our little hearts out.

By December, we were really cool though.  Another road trip, this time to the Cardiff Indoor Arena to see the Manic Street Preachers on their comeback gig following Richie Edwards' disappearance.  The band started with Australia and ended with You Love Us.  I shouted the words to every song in between and didn't want it to ever end.  I still think You Love Us being played to an incredibly over excited crowd is one of my favourite memories.  

Ash and the Manics are far from my favourites now, which is a little sad, and they didn't play Glastonbury either.  Which is okay because I felt grown up enough as it was listening to bands that I could sing to in my sleep and feeling a little smug as the young hip things are discovering the coolest thing since Leonard Coen (seriously I'll never get it) on their own.  But as the sun sets on another weekend in the sun, we can all raise our glass to the Cider Bus in the Sky and toast the year that made us who we are.

What is your favourite year?     

It never rains...

...at least, not in Norwich these days.

That's a bit of a lie.  There was definite misting this afternoon as we were planning on leaving the office, but by the time I had returned home the streets were dry and I got to go on the evening walk with Gav and Pepper.  Which was lovely. 

But not lovely for the allotment.

Yes, at long last we've managed to do a bit more work in the allotment!  Not alone, I hasten to add, it would have been impossible without the kind assistance of Papa B and under the watchful eyes of Zoe, Pepper and Rodney, but we finally have a Vegetable Plot.


The Vegetable Plot lives at the front of our allotment, possibly as far from the Shed (at the back) as you can get.  By the Shed we have got Tomato Corner.  More on Tomato Corner later.  The Vegetable Plot is positioned by the entrance because, just before the tree with bird seed feeders hanging from it, there is a water source.  This water source is kind of like a giant sink with a tap that comes from it, rather than a tap that pours into it.  Does that make sense?  I hope so...


Firstly, an allotmenteer must clear carpet from their patch.  We have done that.  Rolled it up into nice piles.  Ready for the winter when we want to lay it again?  Not quite sure what we'll do with it, but we are a family of hoarders.  Having cleared the carpet, it is time to get the shed built (done, but not blogged about - maybe another time) and the plot rotovated.  This is where the boys come in.

 Apparently, rotovating isn't as hard as all that.  Not that I was too interested.  I was completely distracted by the goodies.

I know it's not 100% how you should do it, but we've been contending with a lot, both procrastinating about our studies, I've worked away, Pepper dog takes up a lot of time, Norwich have been promoted, we've got a wedding to plan (dresses to try on) and none of our horses won the Grand National.  Which was pants.  But the plants were good.  

See what I did there?!  I'm a freaking comedienne.

In there we had a whole bunch of:
- Lettuce
- Leaf beets
- Beetroot
- pretty flowers, that I've already forgotten the names of
- 1 x cucumber
- 2 x chilis
- 3 x cherry tomatoes
- 2 x courgettes
- 2 x pepperes
- Kale that my parents started off
- 3 x tomato plants we picked up outside a house near my parents'
- Potatoes!!!!  Lots of

Plus, we also planted seeds for:
- Carrots
- Broccoli

- Artichoke.

I'm most excited about the artichoke.

Doesn't it look good?  We're going to put some scarecrows and netting out to protect our little plants this weekend.  Tomato corner lives by the shed, as it is a bit more sheltered for my precious plants.  The previous allotmenteers had kindly left us with many, many bottle 'green houses' that we are utilising to make sure the plants grow big and strong.  Not sure if we're meant to make them grow that big, but I'm excited.

 
So I've been spending my lunch breaks watering the seeds and talking to the plants.  It's really quite nice.

And probably the first time I've wanted a downpour in quite some time.

As I said, it never rains...

All work and no play

I love to complain.  What Anne cannot complain about probably isn't even worth mentioning.  Having said that, working away isn't always so bad and I really do enjoy my job on the sly.  Last week I got to stay in a hotel in Sheffield that made the best burgers I've ever had (and I've had some burgers in my time).  While the hotel seemed to be situated on a dual carriageway, it was within a two minute walk to a local pub that had a claw crane by the front door with perhaps the ugliest toys I've ever seen.  But, even better than that, I was introduced to the best pub quiz game I've played ever.  The pub quiz game is actually available nation wide I would imagine, but my kind colleagues introduced it to me here.  I was cheated out of a £2 prize.  Gutted.  Here's to the next time.

I also got to stay in a hotel that shall remain nameless because it really isn't worth mentioning - slightly Fawlty Towers-esque with 70s carpets.  Best pillows of the week, for sure though.  What I really liked about this hotel was the fact that it was situated in the Yorkshire countryside, just outside of Bradford, with a field of cows right beside us and it didn't rain.

Perfect.

  
After our first day I went for a little wander into the village and saw the pretty cotton-puff clouds in the sky.  There's something pretty lovely about a blue sky with the green grass beneath it.  I found a village green where the locals were playing cricket.  I sat and watched for a minute before remembering I didn't have the faintest idea about what they were doing and really didn't care.  Plus I was missing a drink and knew it was almost time for my next three course meal courtesy of the company.  So I headed back through the fields, past a cute church complete with stocks (still in use? Who knows what happened to the losing cricketers) and the best cared for churchyard I've seen in a while, with pretty little benches and hundreds of wild flowers.
 

 
The best part of it all though was when I got to pet the cows.  They (the cows) didn't let me near the little calves, but it was like a petting zoo with potentially really wild animals.  Don't tell the people left in the office just how much fun it really is working away, they'll all want to go too!

Wedding Fever

Leaving the palace in style

After yesterday I cannot imagine that many people aren't feeling a little bit of the warm and fuzzies when thinking about the royal couple starting their lives together.  There is a definite chance we're all suffering complete media overkill but, as a bride to be myself, I know I could not get enough of watching the crowds, the flowers, the dress and of course the looks that the couple shared during and after the ceremony.  I loved the nerves before the wedding, the smiles during, the excitement when it was all over - and of course the surprised look as Kate and William walked out onto the balcony for that kiss and realised just how loved they were.  Not to mention the fact that afterwards, I got to sit in a sunny (although slightly chilly...) garden with friends, drinking champagne to toast William and Kate for the day off work and discuss the minute details with my like minded girlfriends.

I would never suggest that my wedding will be anything like the royal wedding yesterday.  Goodness knows that there will not be street parties across the land, although having a member of the world's media present to assist with skypeing the ceremony so my grandparents can watch in Colorado would be a nice touch.  Having said that, while planning is still in the early stages I hope that I don't get lost in the details and remember, like I think William and Kate did, that despite all the hoo-ha all that really matters is the commitment you are making.  It's not about the diamond tiaras, or horse drawn carriages, or expensive (really beautiful) dresses.  It is about having fun with the day, enjoying each other and the family and friends who are there to share it with you.  Plus the hats, I am really expecting some good hats in the crowd...

I know that I'll be Gav's princess, not just for the day.  I can't wait! 

Catching up

It's been a while since I sat down and wrote out a little something to say.  I think it's because the sun has started to shine and the world seems a lot more exciting than in the depths of January.  Well, maybe not more exciting, but there is definitely more opportunity and willing here to 'do' the fun stuff than 'not'.

So, what have we been up to?


Not as much on the allotment as we'd like, unfortunately.  Gav's been busy with projects and work of his own and I'm not certain how to use the rotovator, which is our next big task.  However, we did have a busy weekend just after my last post, where I got to borrow a Very Big Van from work and drive it around the city, to collect a shed that we bought on ebay.  For the bargain price of £20 we got to dismantle the shed, put it in the van and then put it back together again at a later date.  I was extremely helpful in the dismantling and carrying and Gav's done a fine job of rebuilding and making the shed nice now.  

He's also rearranged our 'poo store' and put it next to the shed.  It's nice to be able to have a proper home at the allotment, we've put some chairs there and bought a wheelbarrow that can live in the shed.  It's probably bigger than some New York apartments so all in all, a good deal.

The plan now is to rotovate the plot and create some proper beds for me to start work at planting and growing.  I've already pot planted some raspberries, blueberries and strawberries so should hopefully have a pretty mean fruit salad waiting for us later this year.  Given our current time scale I think we'll have to aim for some late season bits and pieces, not quite sure what yet as Gav is the primary reader of the gardening books, but any suggestions are welcome.  I'm mildly shocked that it's already late April but think that even if we don't get huge crops from our work this year, we'll have laid out the groundwork for some pretty good years to come.  Especially with all the poo that Gav's purchased.


Some photos coming soon for you (woops, lost my camera!).......  

After today I am going to be enjoying the best 11 day break from work since Christmas, so it is entirely possible I will get some time to play on the allotment.  Or do some studying of my own!!  I hope that everyone out there is looking forward to a nice long weekend, followed by another nice long weekend, possibly with a nice short work week or (if you're super lazy like me!) three extra days off in the sunny sunshine that we're currently enjoying.

Don't eat too many eggs!!

Living in the forest

We live near a place called Mousehold Heath in Norwich.

Mousehold is pretty cool for walking in and especially cool now we have a dog - 10 minutes out of our door and you can pretend you're in the wilderness.  Or, as wild as it gets in Norfolk.  

I was walking home from work yesterday and arranged to meet Gav, his dad and Pepper on "our favourite walk".  I think it was a nice surprise for Pepper to meet me in the heath.  I wonder though, does she think that when I leave the house, I just wander the heath waiting for her to join me.  I bet she wishes she got to go to work, too.

 

Fortune cookies of the world

I spoke tonight with one of my favourite people.  Possibly the only person who could say to me, "even without the accent, I knew your voice...my beautiful Anne" without a hint of irony. It always makes me really happy to speak with Grandma and I know I should call her more, because I'm pretty sure it makes her happy too.

There's very little I would change in my world beyond distance.  I have been extremely lucky to have spent my life in all the places that I have and my friends are fortunate to be spread in all the far-flung corners of the world.  I know that if I was to ask for a couch in most places someone would be able to sort something out, and that's a really wonderful feeling. At the same time, the world is sometimes insurmountably big and we don't get to see the people we want to all the time so I know it's important to appreciate the phone calls and say 'hello' to the ones we love.  And the ones we just really like.  Not forgetting the people that make us laugh, or find different perspectives, or even just sometimes get our goat even though they mean well.


I wish my grandparents were closer, as I wish that I was closer to them (weather in Boulder today sounds glorious compared to Norwich).  I'm having a think about them and hope that you have a moment to be selfish too.  Pick up the phone, call someone you haven't for a while and put a smile on your face.

Grandma & Pa-Gordy on their wedding day.  Aren't they beautiful!

Nearly National...

Those who know me well will attest to my love of sports and running around a field filled with jolly hockeysticks and the like.  Or perhaps not.  Having said that, I have grown to appreciate the allure of sports since my days of standing in the rain (or, as I got older, "running" with Georgie and finding ourselves a piece of toast before heading back outside to and "look like we'd been active" by shaking water from the nearest tree onto ourselves in order to achieve that classic "rained on" look favoured by gym teachers).  In the past twelve months, I have been to see both an English and an American football game (Norwich and Denver each lost, so I am not a good luck token and should not venture to too many games in coming months) and if the opportunity for an ice hockey match should arise then I am there...love the fisticuffs.

Having said all that, I am very proud of my mother-in-law to be who very nearly became a national indoor bowls champion and proves that, despite what her son has sometimes said, second place is not first loser.   Well done Carol!!  Next time...

Published in the Ipswich Evening Star, 5 March 2011

 

Chilling

Tonight, my beloved is cooking chili for dinner.

I'm excited.











I am chilling out on the sofa, watching Masterchef and surfing the net.  A little bit of wine will be drunk and if we're lucky the blanket will come out.  Isn't it nice to look forward to the weekend?

Chilling.  The future.

Here we all are, sittin' in a rainbow...

Yesterday was perhaps the First Day of Spring.  I think it's my favourite day of the year, because it means that winter, with its miserable cold, rainy, long days is on the way out.  I like snowy winter days, yes, but I love seeing the daffodils and spring flowers starting to grow and make the green grass that little bit more colourful.  To be fair to the British weather, I am pretty sure we've had a few nice days recently but yesterday gets the title because it was actually a Lazy Sunday, the nicest day of the week and best day to enjoy spring.

And we totally enjoyed it.

The morning cranked into gear with a little dog walk alongside the riverside walk, past the old Jarrold Printing Press and Cow Tower. I was having fun playing with my camera and taking photos of the new buildings and old city wall while Gav made Pepper a little crazy and sent her off running amongst all the flowers.  I really love blue-sky-days and think that they make wherever you are just a little bit better than normal.  I especially love walking along where we are - we're lucky that we've got the Cathedral on our doorstep and lots of really quite beautiful buildings nearby that make the daily walk a little bit more interesting.  Norwich is my adopted home town and it keeps on providing me with new little gems that I didn't know existed before - I'd been living here eight years before I really discovered the riverside walk.  While it's no mammoth trek through fields it's a nice wander with ducks, swans and a little bit of history (not to mention a few memorable pubs, but this was a morning walk we took so the only hairs of the dog we encountered were Pepper's own) along the way.  

With all this blue sky, the allotment was calling.  Well, it called Gav at least.  He headed off after brunch, dressed to dig.  Pepper and I moseyed on up an hour or so later, having spent a little time making sure our hair was pretty and looking at the photos we'd taken.  She's such a poser, honestly.  Any day now she's going to get all Mariah Carey on me and start telling me which side is her best, but for now she's happy to work for tidbits and affection.  

We found Gav hard at work and busy creating his own little store of dirt.  The grand plan is to clear out our allotment and remove all the carpets that had been left by the previous tenants.  Once we've done this then we'll rotovate (that's the royal 'we' and mostly means 'Gav'll play with a big petrol powered toy and dig up lots of dirt') before we start the fun stuff and start growing all our food and really living the good life.  I didn't want to get too involved in this dirty work so set myself the task of cutting up some bramble bushes that were threatening to take over our carpeted allotment.  We have some nice 'before' and 'after' pictures, to show you the fruits of our labours:

The pile Gav started with... I think he was digging for treasure.

Gav's dirt store.  This will be emptied to fill in the  pond and then filled with some smelly muck that'll give us the best tomatoes you've ever had.

Bramble-tastic

The sun came out to celebrate my clearing.  It was impressive, I tell you!

A strawberry shaped bird feeder found on our digs.  Our allotment will be sponsored by Kath Kidson.

Of course, no allotmenteering is complete without a visit from the BEAMs. Our little helpers came and encouraged some worms to live in our allotment by mushing up the mud just outside.  I'm pretty sure that one day soon I'll get those little wellies marching up and down to aerate the soil and get all sorts of creepies and crawlies to come and help our garden grow.  As long as I provide their mum with some extra washing powder, no doubt!!!

Sadly all lazy Sundays must come to an end.  Ours ended with a nice little wander with Pepper dog on Mousehold.  Have I mentioned how awesome Norwich is?  There's a giant heath waiting for dogs to explore and kids to race dirt bikes on.  We set our little four legged friend free to run in the forest and chase squirrels and look for frogs before we headed home to rest and be happy.  

Something new

About a year ago I realised that there were lots of things I wanted to do to become the accomplished woman I knew I could be.  I wrote out a little list on facebook in which I wanted to learn how to use my 35mm SLR camera, sew, learn Spanish and start growing in-house tomatoes like they were going out of fashion.  I chucked in a bit of 'computer language' on the list too (not quite sure what was meant by that, but it sounds pretty smart) and also thought that losing a couple of pounds wouldn't go amiss.

Well, how times have changed.  Today you'll find me photographing with my fancy digital SLR, knitting up a storm and kicking Gav out of the house to spend time on the allotment with Pepper dog.  And of course my computer geekiness has been verified with the slow start of this blog... but that doesn't stop me from wanting to do more.  I thought a nice little 'What I Could Do' list would be a great thing to talk about because I am finding (is it my age?  Is it the economic times?) that people seem to be a little bit more back to basics now and I'd love to know what it is that you're doing to keep yourself entertained, challenged or generally out of trouble.  Or, if you're doing none of the above and spending a good portion of your time sitting watching Kirstie's Homemade Home and thinking 'I could do that' then maybe you could come up with some bits for me to add to my own 'What I Could Do' list.  Cause your ideas might be better than mine..


So far I have got:


1 - Now that I have the Digital SLR camera and have finally realised how to actually focus it manually (don't ask) I hope to take some beautiful pictures this summer.  Of Norwich, of friends, of Pepper, of the seaside, of family, of little bugs sitting amongst the bluebells on my walk to work.  You may all get photos for Christmas presents.


2 - Knitting, ah yes, my newest phase.  I have learned the basic knit and purl and am getting fairly accomplished at using the 8mm, 7.5mm and 4mm needles, sometimes even as a mix of the three.  At once, I'm that good.  I have Googled 'how to knit' and seen a pretty neat cable knit scarf pattern that I might actually understand.  You may all get scarfs for Christmas presents.


3 - Sewing, my mama's provided me with the most BEAUTIFUL Singer sewing machine.  I've never seen anything more wonderful and will leave it at that for now, I will do a whole post dedicated to its beauty.  I am hoping though that I will be able to create more practical delights along the lines of the doorstop I made earlier this year and learn how to put zippers in stuff.  You may all get a doorstop (or eyemask, cause I can do those too) for Christmas this year.


4 - Languages.  Well, I am getting pretty nifty at using the 'link' button on the blogger website.  Does that count as programming?  No language books for y'all for Christmas.


5 - Green fingers aplenty, I will be attempting to grow tomatoes, shallots, potatoes and many more vegetable delights with Gav on our allotment.  It's exciting.  You'll probably get veg all summer long, you lucky devils you.


6 - Read a book a month.  Cause I have more than enough to last me a lifetime, and I've not even considered a Kindle.  


So, Spring's given me the energy to create this list......what do  you want to do?

Shilly-shally do it?

So, I am going to start by saying that you know you are procrastinating when the first thing you can think of is to look up the synonyms for procrastination so you can write a blog about the best things to do when you are procrastinating.

My online thesaurus came up with gems including to 'drag one's feet', 'poke' (ah yes, that Facebook classic), 'tarry' and 'temporize' before offering my antonyms including 'accelerate', 'complete', 'do' and the all inspiring word, 'finish'.

Ah, to finish.  That'd be nice.  For those of you who don't know, I decided to improve myself by taking a marketing course to supplement my already extensive knowledge of events.  It's very interesting to finally fully understand why I do what I do on a daily basis and fill in any gaps that had been left between managing national roadshows in my day job and studying Steinbeck, Kerouac and the rest in my student days, but by golly doing homework hasn't gotten any more interesting in the eight years since I last attempted it.  Which made me wonder what it is about procrastination that is so attractive, when really you're just delaying the inevitable (getting the work done) and not actually enjoying yourself as much as you will when you have finished and get to curl up on the sofa with a good DVD and have a snuggle with your beloved.  Because when procrastinating, you must appear to be busy. Hmm.

When I was at school my favourite way of procrastinating was to clean my bedroom.  Because I have a whole house to help keep tidy now, that doesn't offer the same novelty factor.

The dog always needs a cuddle and to be walked.  Except I think it's raining (I haven't opened the curtains in my study room, out of protest and fear it's a beautiful day I am missing).

I could cook lunch.  Except my lovely fiance has already made me a big old bacon roll to start my day off, and I'm not hungry.

Weddings.  I am getting married in just over a year - there are some fun websites with ideas on weddings.  Yes, I have had a look at a few this morning.  Except I don't think even an experienced procrastinator like me can go and make beautiful lace covered vases this afternoon, without completing my homework first.  Which is annoying because I have the perfect vase to start with.  But no lace as yet...

Music.  iTunes offeres a form of distraction that I don't remember from my days of GCSE revision and listening to Jo Whiley on the radio.  Now I can create a really kick ass playlist to study to.  My ears are grateful.

Ah, and the infernal facebook.  I am truly grateful for my age and knowledge that it was just instant messaging and emails that could distract me in my youth because there is no way I would have ever managed to graduate university with the constant distraction of facebook.  Thankfully I am not into gaming and had forgotten, until this moment, that Bejewelled was out there waiting for me...oops. 

Anyway, to finish.  I've sorted out the comments section on this (yes, more procrastinating...check) and would love it if anyone out there fancies sharing their top procrastinating tips.  I have an exam in just over a week so really do need to find new ways to distract myself!!

Every dog has a silver lining

After having had Pepper in our home for just over a month, it was decided that our little princess deserved some special treatment. She'd been taken for walks, fed plenty of treats, bought many toys and there was only one thing left to do.De-scruff.Research was carried out, Tickles were checked (nope, none for her...but a bargain for me)and a dog groomer found. Sonja instructed me how to find her home, "it's not a shop, it looks just like a house...because it is my house" and informed me that Pepper's hair care programme will be more expensive and frequent than my own.

Friday, Dog Groom Day, arrived. Money was organised, Pepper was brushed (well, we didn't want her to look a mess!), Pepper was fed a little bit of breakfast (we didn't want her to embarrass herself), Pepper was walked and then tricked into the car with the promise of tidbits and, if she was good, a trip to the pet store later. Gav and I drove off wondering whether she would look like the dogs in the pictures - would the groomer suddenly discover how to give her pointy ears? Would Sonja bleach Pepper's beard? What would we do if we found out that our scruffy one wasn't really a little grey dog after all? With some trepidation, we arrived, met Sonja (a jolly lady with an inside out t-shirt, which made me pleased I wasn't being styled that day), left Pepper sniffing around the hallway and went to the supermarket to buy food. It was next on our list of things to do.

A remarkably short while later Sonja telephoned to say that Pepper was ready for collection, with a strange timbre in her voice suggesting that the grooming hadn't gone quite as expected. "No, no need to rush," she said, "Pepper is fine here...she'll still be fine when you're ready."

Which isn't quite what you expect, is it, when your little princess goes to the beauty parlour. Fine? Beautiful, stunning, glamorous, those are the words Paris Hilton would have expected and while Norwich is no Beverley Hills, I still think that is what I should have heard. Hmmm.

Time to head back out, neither of us wanting to voice our concerns.What was so fine about our dog? We didn't feel any better when we saw Sonja, still wearing her inside-out t-shirt, this time with a few extra stains. "Hi," we said, peering past her. "Hi," she said, blocking our view a little. Hmm...I thought. "So," she said, "Pepper's been cut and it had been quite a while since her last haircut, which means..." (and I know that I NEVER want my hairdresser to start out with a sentence like that!) "...you may be a little bit shocked. BUT I have spoken with another groomer, and while we have never seen such a, well, I guess, white Schnauzer, we think she might not be a pure Schnauzer?" Workman never blames their tools? "But having said that," she rushed on, noticing our faces, "I've gotten used to her and you will to." With that, she turned around and headed into the hallway (hallway of doom in my mind, I can tell you. Dog groomers are now in the same group as dentists I think) before returning holding the familiar yellow lead attached to a slightly familiar, very white, very bouncy and very happy little dog.

"So," she said, "I think it is slimming?"

I'm not so sure "slimming" is the word. Less scruffy, and, after a trip to the beach on Sunday, less dazzling than it was initially. If only she had been able to perform the same whitening trick on that ginger beard.

Flirting with February

It'd appear that we're already in mid February - goodness me how did that happen!! There's always such emphasis on January starting and resolutions forming, I think February gets a little bit forgotten about. It is such a short month, after all...but still quite important.

After two years of waiting, we finally got our allotment at the end of last year. Last weekend, Gav donned his heavy gloves, grabbed an axe and disappeared into the heath. To tackle the brambles from our neighbouring allotment, and trim some dead wood from the little apple tree that I will spend my summer relaxing in the shade of while reading a nice book, of course!!

This is all what makes February exciting, the preparations for summer are starting all over. Every day as I leave work recently someone has said "it's nearly 5 o'clock...and still nearly light out!" until yesterday we could triumphantly claim 5 o'clock had indeed passed but we were enjoying daylight (albeit sunsetting) hours. When we're out walking Pepper (nope, not bored of that chore yet) you can see the snowdrops and other bulbs making their presence felt and it feels like the daffodils are just around the corner. I found myself in a garden centre pondering exactly what we should grow - I feel some onions, potatoes and beetroot are likely candidates, alongside my obligatory field of tomato plants. I am sure that we will get totally over excited and then learn the hard way about what actually works on our little patch of ground but I am looking forward to working with the seasons again and getting into a natural rhythm of digging, planting, tending and eventually harvesting the results of all our hard work. After several years of working hard, especially through the summers, when Gav would temporarily relocate to living in a truck on the road, I am very excited about spending the summer together and hopefully encouraging our healthy active lifestyle that we know we really want. We're also very pleased to have seen another little dog running about on the allotment so our newest family member will be able to enjoy our patch too; I'm hoping that she'll be a great scarecrow in the crucial seed-planting stage.

Talking of Pepper, she's doing great. Pepper has settled nicely into our home and perhaps a little too nicely into our sofa. She's going to be a lot of fun this summer and plenty of excuse for us to go out and play on the beach or the Broads in coming months. If anyone knows how to make a dog chase things though, we'd appreciate any tips you have...

Bookspot

A friend of mine noticed Norwich got mentioned in the New York Times this week, which made me feel a little bit special and proud of where I get to spend my time. Isn't it funny how a little bit of international recognition makes you look at where you are in a slightly different way? The article is all about how wonderfully literary Norwich is; this suits my view of the city nicely, as I came to UEA to study literature. I remember my excitement when I realised that my A-Level text, Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day, had been written shortly after Ishiguro had left the building I found myself studying in. So I knew Norwich had many literary leanings, but I am definitely now going to have to look at visiting The Book Hive and see what readings they have in the pipeline. I am also going to have to look into seeing plays at the Cathedral, in my efforts to ensure that I am only culturally entertained within a 1 mile radius of my house and that I fully appreciate all the benefits of city centre living while Gav and I remain here.

What I found perhaps most exciting about the NY Times article was the fact that it finally answered a question I've had for a while - what is that building with all the writing all over it?


I found it one sunny Sunday afternoon while walking along the River Walk and have been trying to find out what the story is behind it. Apparently it's the entire text of Sir Thomas Moore's Utopia on this building - no, I've not heard of it either. But definitely something I'll look out for now, maybe on my trip to the Book Hive!

I guess what this all culminates to - we all know Norwich is indeed a wonderful place and it's nice to look just a little bit beneath the banality of your every day to find these hidden gems. I mean, New Yorkers are being told to come to this Fine City! Which is just great. If I happen to bump into any of the traveling Americans (Carrie picking her way down Elm Hill in her Manolo's??!!!)then I shall be sure to point them towards Tombland with its rickety old buildings and stories of the plague, recommend just popping into the Puppet Theater to see those puppets hanging from the roof tops and demand they take a trip out to UEA on the number 25 to see those strange old Ziggurats. before catching up with you all at the Playhouse while we ponder why exactly we would ever want to venture further afield.

11.1.11

So as today seems to be all about the number 1, or 11, depending on how you look at it, I thought I'd list out a few of my favourite (and.... not quite top ten) things.

Number 1....
Movie - Fight Club
Book - Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Food - Burritos wrapped in tin foil, with lots of extra hot sauce and a corn based salsa
Snack - gotta be donuts
Time of day - about thirty seconds before the fun starts
Person - Gav, just because
Place - This is a toughie. The Rocky Mountains or Norwich...hmmm...the Mountains win out, well done Wolf Creek Pass and your beautiful, beautiful view that makes me so happy, sorry lovely Norfolk folk!!
Song - No Rain by Blind Melon (watch the video here, there is a happy ending)
Saying - Good times...
Bit about my job - the fact I think I have made some of my very best friends since I've been there, you lot are blinking lovely.





And number 11...
Thing that makes me happy - the very fact that I've just made myself a list and could go on, and on, and on, and on......but I won't, because I hope you'll check back here again sometime soon!!!

Top 11s, just that little bit more. Nice.

Reason to be happy, No. 1...

Tuesdsay, despite being the horrible let's-return-to-work day after the Christmas break (and my, doesn't that seem a million years ago!) was perhaps one of my favourite days ever! Not only did my return to work not seem quite as bad as it could have been (I woke up on time, the heating was on in the office) but I got to leave before I normally would (always a bonus) and Gav and I collected our newest McBarnson, the delightful Pepper.

Pepper has already delighted me totally and the pair of us are a little smitten. Gav is quite disgusted by the whole thing and perhaps a little bit put out that despite our love affair he is the one doing the morning walk and the final trip outside before bed.

Her first trip home is probably where it all began. Gav chaufeured us home with her whining and cuddling into me. It was exactly what 10-year-old Anne would have loved, so of course I had to snuggle her all the way home and whispered sweet nothings into her ear to calm her down. Things haven't gotten much better since. Me and my shadow are very happy together, particularly since she discovered today that going up and down the stairs is actually quite good fun and that at the top (or bottom) there are usually a handful of treats waiting to ensure her continued devotion to me.

We've actually been very lucky, Pepper had been in a home before she was put up for adoption, and so far we've had none of the problems we had anticipated with accepting a new dog into our homes. She's a pleasure in the house, walks quite nicely on the lead, and doesn't beg. If all goes well, we will train her to sit on the bed, howl if we sleep past 7am and refuse any food that isn't marinated in meat juices and served with cheese. She doesn't seem to play with any of the toys we wasted money on, but is convinced the huskies on the TV are living in the Sky box just underneath it (isn't she clever!). I am looking forward to growing out her eyebrows and taking her to the groomers to discover how to clear the brown beard that I suspect may be a permanent feature (she will be better groomed than Gav and I ever hope to be!). It's all good.

I can't wait for you all to meet her. I may be biased, but isn't she just beautiful?

Day before work...

Today began with the realisation that it was the last chance to have a lie in for a while. Of course I was up nice and early to celebrate this news, and I'm quite pleased I did.

After a morning taking down the tree (boo) and generally tidying the house up, I had the option of doing some studying or finding something fun to do. I managed to spend my afternoon catching up on True Blood episodes that I had stored on the sky box (and we're now at 28% free...this is apparently great news, but not as good as it'll be when the movies we have on there are deleted) and being a bit crafty in the new year. I had a scrap of fabric and found this tutorial, dug out my sewing machine and I was away!! I did away with the zipper, as it did seem complicated for a novice like myself (and Anglian Fashion Fabrics was shut for the bank holiday, and I didn't really fancy venturing any further afield), but I am quite pleased with how it all came out. None of our doors are particularly susceptible to being blown about, but I figure it'll be a good stop to keep a door open for our new arrival, or maybe keep her out...although I will be surprised if a kilo of rice keeps her at bay.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my creativity with you before heading to bed and the Buzzcocks, as I want to be fresh for a long and exciting day tomorrow - back to work, followed by collecting Pepper!!! All very exciting.

Thanking You

New years always mean new beginnings and thinking a bit about the past.

They also mean writing Thank You notes.

When I was young, my parents religiously sat me down with the list of who had sent me what for my birthday or Christmas, and the slightly formulaic (but always appreciated) process of writing what I was thankful for, what I would use it for, and how much I was looking forward to seeing that person soon was completed. Now I am at a much more responsible age I must sit myself down and write to the givers, and it made me wonder. Is it a totally out dated process, writing thank you notes? I know that I always love receiving a letter in the post and I also know that people will generally only write to you, if you write to them as well. Which in turn led to the thought about who actually initiates the correspondence? And who is responsible for continuing it? We're all generally very spoiled these days, sending out a text rather than picking up the phone when you want to see a friend, inviting people via facebook for parties ('ah, don't ask me, it's all on facebook...'). I also know I am not alone in having slightly teased people for always being the last to text, unwilling to end a conversation that is really going nowhere. Isn't it funny though, that you never want to really have the last word in a texted correspondence but if you don't reply to a letter, it'll be the last you get?

Maybe a return to the slightly older, slower days is a better way to be. Even emailing is a little too quick and there's no sense of anticipation as you wonder whose handwriting it is, or admire the pretty stamp from a faraway destination.

Not that I am going to resolve to write to each and every one of you. The Royal Mail has put up the price of stamps again and I'm fairly poor at emailing, texting and keeping in touch via facebook as it is. However, I am going to sit down and write my thank you notes today and maybe, just maybe, I'll get something in the post in return some time soon.

Adding some spice in 2011

So, another year has begun and I can't help but think things really are going my way. I am starting out without a heavy head, despite having had a ridiculous amount of fun watching fireworks, wishing on lanterns, photographing party poppers and being out danced by a degree level (doncha know) dancing queen and am pleased to report that on the great checklist I never like to admit is there, I am well on my way of achieving the role of Official Adult, as set out by 7 year old me.

Firstly, I have my lovely fiance (I love that word! So grown up!) and we will be planning our wedding for 2012. I know, it's a long time coming. But that just means I have plenty of time to enjoy the preparation, spend time with my friends and organise the best day we possibly can.

Secondly, we are going to be adopting a schnauzer from the dog's home on Tuesday. This means that I will finally have the dog I have always wanted - I didn't know she would be schnauzer shaped but I did leave some details out at the start - with the man I didn't always know was the right one for me. Things are pretty good.

If you want to visit Pepper online, you can give her a hug. I know you want to. From next week you'll be able to come and hug her in person. Until then, we need to make sure she knows how much she'll be loved....

http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/milliepepper1067100.aspx

All that remains now on that list is the lottery win and the big house in the mountains... baby steps, but we're working on it.