Winning and Dinning

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I love the opportunity to get dressed up and enjoy a great meal at a nice restaurant, but I equally love my own home grown version.

If I had to chose my top 5 activities then preparing a meal for a guest rates up there for me.
Giving it some thought a few days earlier, checking on allergies and dislikes then concocting a menu that will give the guest an enjoyable taste sensation, as well as give me a very satisfied and contented result. It doesn't have to be the most expensive of meals (although I do always get the best ingredients I can afford) that is not what counts the most when winning and dinning at home.

One of my most successful meals was on Bonfire night a few years ago for a group of friends after we had been in the local park watching the fireworks and getting cold noses. They were all busy professionals who were used to eating at some very nice places, but all 5 of them fell over themselves with praise for the simple yet perfect-for-the-occasion meal of Toad In The Hole . With lashings of onion gravy and mountains of fluffy mash potato, very tasty it was too.

Hmmm I think it's time I invited some more friends over for supper.

Wobbly Head

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I've just had a divine massage. It wasn't a 'happy ending' massage or even a sensual seductive massage from a lover (my favourite kind) , it was however one of the best massages I've ever had.

My neck and shoulders are so relaxed I could hardly hold my head up walking home.

Sarcasm a sibling thing?

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Growing up in close proximity to my sister I had to develop some sarcasm just to survive through to dinner time, and so did our younger brother.

It seems these days that we are all at our best - banter wise, when together. We are rarely all together, my siblings never meet up without me, I am a true middle child in that I have a (mostly) great relationship with both of my siblings and yet the two of them barely make an effort to keep in contact, and I like nothing more than bringing us all together.

My brother-in-law will sit as though at a tennis match when we get together, he says that my sis, although still with a wicked sense of humour doesn't banter with anyone else the way she does with me, he himself is a very laid back relaxed man, who says very little.

My sister-in-law-to-be will join in when the challenge is to put my brother in his place, but she is not quite confident enough to send any barbs in the direction of the sisters - not yet anyway, although I do look forward to that day.

Few of my friends would say I was sarcastic, its rarely shown in my current life, but when I find myself with a worthy opponent, well then I really enjoy the banter.

So I wonder, even though we are rarely together is there something about growing up with siblings, feeling at ease with the banter, giving as good as we get and surviving to challenge another day, that allows us to easily slip back into the role, no matter how rarely we spend time together.

Sunday

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I feel quiet, happy and content.

I feel well rested, yet I've been busy for most of the weekend. I've enjoyed warm embraces and sticky kisses from small children, they have filled up my love bucket to over flowing and that is just the way I like it. I'm ready to take on a new week and all that it throws at me.

6.4%

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6.4% is my new favourite number, I'm hoping that it will change in the next month but for now I am loving it.

What's so special about 6.4%?

That's how much my body fat has been reduced by in the last 2 months. I'm fitter and leaner and happier and faster and bendier and lighter and overall in so much better shape.

This weight I am at now, I was last at in September 2003 - yes I do keep a record of such things.

Degrees

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I've been blurfing and stumbling across some interesting new reads. I've been exchanging a few emails and having IM conversations with some new people.

One new (to me) in particular I found only 3 degrees away from my old blog, he amuses me and we have both been treated in a similar way during past relationships so there was a feeling of "I know where you are coming from" when we first chatted.
Yesterday as I read the comments that his other readers have left him I noticed something which was quite surprising, there is a commenter who I read via a totally different direction, it just goes to show how we are all connected by a few degrees or a few clicks of the mouse.

I'd help if I could only find you

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I had the strangest of dreams last night.

There was someone calling me, someone who needed my help.
I can't remember who it was but it must have been someone important, because when I woke at 3.45am I was on my knees on the floor looking under the bed - I'd moved away the bottle of water and stack of book that were in my way and I was trying to help - really I was.

What did those men teach me

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Occasionally I look back over past relationships and wonder what did I learn ........

The power of the high heel.
Life is for grasping with both hands.
That Firefox is a much better browser than IE.
That I believe in the fundamental goodness of others.
That Battlestar Galactica is wayyyyyy cooler this time around.
Knowing when to let go and walk away is something I find difficult.
No matter how much you love someone, you can't make them love you back.
That I am a geek, and I love finding out new ways to collect, store and present data.
That some things need to be tried at least twice, in case the first time was just bad luck.

Rain

Waking to the sound of rain, it drums against a nearby metal roof.
I curl up under my duvet, wrapping my arms around the warm pillow.

Its perfect weather to stay in bed.


The day is cold outside, I find warmth on skin.

I've never:

I've never*:

taken salsa dancing lessons

had cocaine

eaten oysters

been to Canada

drunk beer

said no to a massage

seen a moose in real life

been to the gym as often as I have in the last 2 months

got dressed up in evening wear specifically for the purpose of staying in and eating curly-wurlys




*Not to be confused with the drinking game of 'I have never'

8.12 am

An email arrived in my inbox at 8.12 am today.
Phrased nicely but basically the outcome is a negative one.
Luckily I hadn't pinned all my hopes on a positive result, just lots and lots of them. So I took myself off to watch an early showing of Hugh Grant being Hugh Grant (rather than just turn to chocolate) and now it is time to regroup - again.

Honesty & communication

I've just had a long heartfelt conversation with my father, it has the possibility to change things dramatically for the better within our family.



He says he has taken onboard my comments and suggestions and can understand where misunderstandings have arisen in the past. He was totally surprised by some of my statements, not realising how his keeping things to himself has affected his children and our relationship with him.

With him if he doesn't have a plan set in stone he sees no point in even mentioning it - I told him that we (his children) no matter how old we are need to feel that we matter to him, if he ignores what is going on in our lives it just makes us appear insignificant to him.

It was the most adult conversation we have ever had.

I then called my brother to warn him that our father may be showing interest in his life and not to be too surprised.

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Scent

My sense of smell isn't constant, yet at the moment it is quite acute.

Walking through an organic food store this afternoon I was so very aware of the smell of apples - not being a huge fan of apples nor do I dislike them I was lured over and ended up buying a couple of succulent juicy organic apples - and they tasted just as delicious as their scent promised.

Whilst I sit here and type this fresh from the shower I can smell the lovely fresh scent of my clean hair and the gentle soft scent of my shower wash. I smell absolutely delicious.

Tonight when I pull back the duvet to slide under I will have the scent of jasmine floating across my pillow from the sprinkling of dusting powder that I left there.

When a bit of a fiddle isn't a good idea

For a few days now my inbox has been startlingly empty. Not a single new email from anyone and just a couple of replies to messages I've sent out. Turns out that I had fiddled with the settings and somehow managed to archive all new messages without knowing they were arriving.

~sigh~

Still its all fixed now, hopefully. And I've just spent the last hour or so replying to the 3 lovely men who sent me special valentine thoughts as well as keeping a few other people up to date on what is going on in the next few months.

Who am I today?

Some days I wake as though I'm another person, full of hope and dreams.

Just another Wednesday

Yes, it is just another Wednesday, but want to send out some special loving to the friends who have held me in their arms in sorrow and in joy. Who have lifted my spirits with tender and kind words or who have offered me distractions from my world when it all gets too much.

~hugs and kisses to you all~