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.
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!
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?
