On our way

to Bristol and Bath to see David. I will update tonight, surely I should find a bridge somewhere or something else.

Well as you noticed, I didn't have time to update last night.

This was the start of our journey

and it continued and ended up the same way.  It looks like we picked one of the worse day to do sightseeing.

We first had to go to Bristol's University to pick up some laptops from a previous project we were working on. Not much time to do sight seeing as we needed to head towards to Bath to have lunch with David. We are so used to work from home that by the time we arrived we were already exhausted by the horrible driving conditions, the horrendous traffic and the road works.

When we arrived to Bath, finding the University was OK, but finding David's place wasn't too easy as the campus is massive and there are student accommodations everywhere. He was the one to come and pick us up. We went to a small restaurant called Jimmy's spices, close to the railway station. It's a kind of Indian/Chinese Buffet, it was great.

It was funny to see how grown up David was when he talked, it was about how expensive life is and how he defined a strict budget ...  After lunch he showed us around Bath a bit. It's really beautiful, but the weather . . .  We had to hide wherever we could.

We dropped him at the Uni because he had a lecture and arranged to come back and visit his place at 6. We went back to Bath town center to do some sight seeing. It was still raining and windy so with or without umbrella we very quickly ended up completely wet.

The river Avon goes through Bath, so we walked a bit along it, we saw the Cathedral and the Roman Baths.

By then we were so wet that we both started having a bad mood so we went hiding into an inside market. Bad luck, that' when we met somebody we didn't expect.

I get a photo of me together with the Queen and I have to look like hell. My luck !!!

Then we went into a museum displaying amazing sculptures. Can you guess what this one was made with ?

Yep, acorns !

Then it was time to go back to the Uni and meet David again. We were a bit too early, so we had a walk around. Obviously we looked so old in there, only surrounded by " kids ".

They have their mini HongKong with trees changing colors every 10 seconds.

So this is where David lives. It's really nice. The room isn't very big but it is en-suite and there is a large kitchen shared by 7 of them, with dedicated cupboards and fridge space.

That's one of the things his group is working on:

Well, he seems happy and it was really good to see him. Then it was time to drive back. TomTom told us it would be better to use normal roads as it was half the miles of the highway trip, so that's what we did.

Bad move. I was so car-sick that I was close to go out of the car and continue the trip back home walking under the rain. We finally reached home still under pouring rain and I really had to take it easy for a while.

The girls were happy to see us. We sat down on the sofa and then all was like it is normally is.




Project 365+1 - Day 325 : Bridge

We had bridge as a word already and I wasn't even sure if I would find one anyway, but I did find so many of them. This is one of the most beautiful. It's the suspended bridge of Clifton in Bristol. It's much more impressive from down, but we didn't have time to drive there.

Take care everybody, xxx
   

If my husband didn't exist . . .

Today is grey skies day, not specially pleasant.

We had a round in the park as usual, but then had to head back home as we were expecting somebody.  

We have an expression in France that kind of translates into : If he/she did not exist, he/she would have to be invented. I guess that must exist in English too.

Something happened this morning I still can't believe. Our pet sitter is going on holidays and she recommended another lady she is working with. This morning this other lady popped in so we can meet her. I am a bit nervous about who I let around the girls, so I asked a lot of questions to this lady and had a look how she behaved with the girls. Dennis was here too, working on his computer.

When the lady left, I told her I would call. I thought she was OK but asked Dennis for his opinion. He said he didn't have a problem wit her but would follow what I thought. He then added " You know, looking at her socks and her shoes, she doesn't seem a weird person at all. "

I am still laughing about it. Yes, that's my husband and if he didn't exist, he surely would have to invented . . . . .

I guess she will do as pet sitter, then !




Project 365+1 - Day 324 : Free choice

I thought my free choice had to be season related :

Take care everybody,
xxx

Cold, cold and cold

When we got up this morning the park was completely white with frost. Sophie was here so we all had breakfast together and by the time I went to the park, the frost had gone but it was still biting cold.

If you look at this picture below, it was taken at 11:52 and the shadows show how much  and how quickly the days are decreasing. In Summer, that would have been an end of afternoon photo !

On our way back, Rhea managed to find a place that was still a bit in the shade ( so very wet ) and she happily rolled over as much as she could.

Oh and I told yesterday I would show my knitting. I love knitting when watching TV,  we watched a movie with Sophie last night and a recorded Merlin today, plus some Crime Stories so I almost finished the front now.

After my £100 at Thunderball, I got another £15 on Friday night so I went to the shops on Saturday to cash it in and play for the evening. I glanced at the newspapers and read that this coming winter should be the coldest in 100 years and Britain should expect being in a standstill due to snow. I do hope they are wrong !

Oh and I got another £10 at Thunderball last night. It looks like my luck is back.



Project 365+1 - Day 323 : Playful

I wasn't sure if I would get a good football shot in the park so I asked Rhea if she wanted to play, but she spotted the camera and declined ( little monster ). I then asked Bubbles and I didn't have to ask twice !

Today being Sunday, that's what a lot of Eastleigh males are normally doing in the morning and believe it or not, they scream and fight worse than kids. Men . . .

Take care everybody, xxx
  

Crazy day

When I was waiting for Dennis to arrive last night, I started my knitting and it looks really great. I will take a picture tomorrow, I am too lazy to do it now as I already uploaded all my photos.

He eventually arrived at 1/4 to 1 this morning, so we only got up at 9 and after a nice breakfast we went to the park. It was a very different day from yesterday but also different depending where you were looking. Either blue skies

or threatening skies

Hard to believe the photos were taking at a 45 degrees angle only.

We spotted a massive mushroom. My facing shot was out of focus but the side one might give you an idea of the size. No idea what it is.

The trees are getting redder and redder.

Even Dennis noticed they changed colors.



Project 365+1 - Day 322 : Books

Last time you saw the paper ones, let's go to digital this time.

The start of my Kindle's directory. As you can see I love Mark Billingham. Kim got me hooked last year after sending me the 1st one on paper through the World's night and Nicky kindly offered me most of the remaining digital versions.

Take care everybody, xxx
  

Spooky . . .

Today is certainly a spooky day. We waited until 10 am to go out to the park, but it was still foggy.

The air is so humid that you can't help but breathing water

It's pretty funny ( actually it isn't ) when people come out of nowhere, just exiting the fog. Hopefully they are announced by their dogs first.

Sometimes in Winter I just can't go to the park as the fog is so dense we can't even see the other side of the road, 5 meters away. I guess it's due to having 2 streams around. But if I have to choose between that and rain, I definitely take the rain !

Oh a question. I know some of you are using PhotoBucket to store their photos. I think it's a great program but now when I open it, I immediately mute my computer because when I upload my photos, after a couple of seconds there is movie ad popping up and it is so loud that it makes me jump each time. Is it just me or does it happen to you too ?



Project 365+1 - Day 321 : Fence

I didn't fancy revisiting Fence so i decided to go for Free Choice today.

This is the wool I bought with the rainbow colors.

I even starting knitting just a little bit last night in front of the TV.  I am not so sure these colors are really matching my age and if I am not going to look like being on my way to a carnival party, but hey, we theoretically only live once, so if I want a rainbow knitted jumper, that's what I am going to knit, even if I have to wear it only at home, lol.

Take care everybody, xxx
  

Back to bad

I was very tired last night, don't know why so I ended up asleep before 10 and only woke up at 8am this morning.

It keeps on amazing me how quickly the weather can change in this country. Yesterday was gorgeous, T-Shirt, no heating and today is grey, humid and cold.

The girls had a lot of fun, though the park was kind of deserted.

The Vet called me back last night and agreed that we could try to reduce Rhea's pain killers and see how she is doing.

I received some wool today that I ordered to make a rainbow pullover. I saw one on somebody on TV and I thought it looked yummy. Now I just have to find the time to
knit, lol .




Project 365+1 - Day 320 : Uplifting

I believe that massive money by itself doesn't bring happiness if you are already unhappy inside yourself. We just have to look at how many rich people use drugs or drink or even commit suicide and how many lotto big winners ended up bankrupt and divorced within a couple of years ( I remember terrible cases in France when I was still living there ). Money certainly can be extremely detrimental.

On another side, if you are not greedy and see money as a way of paying your mortgage off or helping some other people, I guess that kind of money can do miracles and bring happiness on you and others.

When I got up this morning, as I said the weather was depressing. I switched my computer on and checked my Lottery and Thunderball tickets. I had the good surprise of finding 4 numbers on one line, what won me £100.  Yeah !!!

I won't be able to pay off the mortgage, lol, but it will come handy for Xmas presents !

So, a mood uplifting discovery ? Yes, certainly !

Take care everybody, xxx
  

Nice day

If I were part of the Government, I think some people would have a very tough time with me. There were fireworks last night until 11pm. I would have understood it's somebody's birthday and they have some fun at 9pm for 5 minutes, but it all started at 7 and every half an hour, we had a lot, all coming from different directions, so they were definitely involving several groups. If I could catch them . . .

But after that I must say I slept like a stone. It was raining a bit this morning but then it opened up and it is actually pretty warm, only wearing a T-shirt in the house with no heating. Well I must say my craft room is South so the sun is currently baking me and it is soooo nice.

There are some topics i am incredibly interested in and they all turn around Psychology and Criminal Psychology. I watch a channel called C.I. ( Criminal Investigation ) and sometimes when you think the movies or series exaggerate a bit their murder cases, I don't think they do. I have watched unbelievable things, of course they are all true stories, and this morning it was the case of a woman who poisoned her 2 husbands, then when the police started have some suspicions on her, she poisoned her 17 years old daughter and made up a confession letter saying she had killed both her dad and step dad. It was a miracle but the daughter survived, so the mother ended up in jail.
How about having the beginning of your life completely messed up ?

We then went to the park. I couldn't take many pictures because the gardener was on his tractor cutting the grass. With Rhea obeying so well, I didn't want to have her ending up below the truck so I needed to keep a close eye on her. This is the only picture I took. I could take pictures of this tree for ever. It looks like gold now.

Last night I got an email from the swimming Pool lady, asking me where I had left the cheque, because she couldn't find it. Oops, well, she couldn't have, it was still in my handbag. I need to buy a new brain one of these days !



Project 365+1 - Day 318 : Nostalgic

Our friend Google says :

Nostalgia :
- A bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past.
- The condition of being homesick, homesickness
- describes a sentimental longing for the past, typically for a period or place with
happy personal associations

To me, that's a very difficult word to interpret as if I rely on this definition, then I am the opposite of a nostalgic person.  I wouldn't like being 18 again,  I am not homesick,
I appreciate nice moments from the past but I don't long for them to come back.
I am just happy standing on my own feet here and now.

If you are into this kind of reading, there is a beautiful book from Eckart Tolle called 
The power of now . Dennis and I read it when we were in Borneo in 2003. We had just come back to the hotel after climbing the Mount Kinabalu. Our bodies needed a serious rest and our minds were in a very special high. I had taken this book with me and we both swallowed it in a couple of hours. It's one of the most inspirational books we ever read, because it applied so well to what we just had done. But that will be a story for another time.

I see this type of Nostalgia as a very traitorous feeling because it kind of prevents people from being happy or working out difficult situations in the present, by keeping them stuck in the past.  It's like wishing not to be old and get wrinkles. Each age is fascinating and we need to take what comes and do our best out of it.

I think in France, we might have distorded the meaning of the word, but it appears to me that Nostalgia is much more the enjoyment of looking back at something nice that happened in the past, but without the bitterness associated to it. That's what I will base my photo on ( or I wouldn't have one for today ). 

This photo was take in 2003 in our park. David was 10, Sophie 6 and a bit and Rhea only 7 months. Bubbles wasn't to be born for another 2 and a half years. It is our 1st family photo, the first time the children felt confident enough that we all appear in the same small space ( it took them a year ), so it's a very important one. 

It hangs in our living room and my plan is that in 2013, 10 years later, we will take the same photo, in the same spot, with all of us older and now including Bubbles.

Take care everybody, xxx
  

Typical autumn day

Shame on me, I ended up spending all yesterday in my PJs. I was so stressed by fearing something would go wrong that once everything went OK, it had taken all energy out of me. Dennis said we should get news in a couple of weeks, so fingers crossed.

This morning I took the girls to the pool. Rhea is in the shape of her life, she swam 32 minutes and Bubbles 34. I fed them when we came back and they just had the big special swimming pool biscuit. They are now sleeping like the house could collapse, it wouldn't wake them up.

It's still raining, less than yesterday, but it's not a nice day. When we arrived back home, I had just missed the postman so I need to go out and pick up a parcel this afternoon. If I didn't know they are crafting goodies for making Xmas presents, I think I would have waited until tomorrow.

I started my Xmas shopping, online of course, there's no way I put a foot out of the house and end up in crowds, excepted I ordered something and just go to pick it up. Sophie has her birthday mid of December, then comes Xmas, so it's a tough time. She will be 16 this year. When I saw her the first time, she wasn't quite 3 and David was 6 and a bit. I can't believe that one of these days they are both going to bring boyfriend and girlfriend home !



Project 365+1 - Day 318 : Thoughtful

This is what our friend Google has to say :

Thoughtful :

1. Absorbed in or involving thought.
2. Showing consideration for the needs of other people.

I think I am both. I reflect a lot, sometimes we are watching something on TV and Dennis will ask " Are you windowing ? " . Yes I do that constantly.
I am also considerate towards people I love,  I've always been more of a giving type
( what doesn't mean I don't receive a lot too ) and I enjoy buying gifts more than receiving them. But it would be arrogant to talk about myself as others could do that much better, so I much more prefer talking about Dennis.

He is a really sweetheart in many ways. One of them is his memory. He has probably the worse memory on the planet. He doesn't forget Birthdays or anniversaries but he struggles for the small stuff. Sometimes though he will call or text, out of the blue and ask how was my doctor appointment, or if I enjoyed having coffee with my friend.  I don't know if he makes notes everywhere or sets an alarm, but he tries really hard.
Another one is when he is going to travel for a while. Although I am the one going to the supermarket, and I am well capable of cooking, he always makes sure that there is enough food ready for me in the fridge. I really don't eat much, a piece of cheese and a yogurt, but there is no way he can accept that. So on the Sunday before he leaves, he will cook food for 6 people and say " oh, I cooked too much, well at least you will have something ready when I am away ". I do as if I wouldn't know and he is happy !

So that's my fridge and I already starting eating !

Take care everybody, xxx
  

Such Bad luck

It looks like Murphy decided traveling now . . .

We got up at 3 am and Dennis left at 3:30 as planned. He texted at 6:20 that he was in the plane. I got another text at 8:03 and I thought he had arrived.

Well no, he hadn't left yet. After they finished boarding the plane, the air bridge was removed but probably by a moron because it caused so bad damages to the plane that they were waiting for news if it could be repaired or if they would have to move all passengers to another plane.

Dennis mentioned " It had to happen today " in his text because he has such an important meeting in Bern this afternoon and that means also taking a train after landing in Zurich. They have worked months on that and it's an important project for the next 3 years. It has to be presented to the Swiss Government this afternoon and they are not the type to reschedule.

Got another text at 8:20, they need to change plane, that means deboarding, reboarding, wasting so much more time.

I was explaining to Jen and Kathi yesterday that I only can create under stress and Dennis is exactly the same. I think it comes from the fact that our life is never stress free, lol . Anyway, today I wouldn't mind getting Murphy back home if he could leave Dennis in peace.

It is raining, what I always like on a day Dennis has left because although I caught a couple of hours sleep, I still appreciate taking my time to wake up.

9:01 : Dennis is boarding the new plane.

Today is Rodin 172's birthday and this is the " Google of the day " that you all probably saw by now. Wouldn't have it been great for pondering the other day ? By the way, that's my favorite position when I am thinking, they used to call me Rodin at the Uni.

9:32  : Good news, the plane got taxied.

9:49 : The plane is airborne
Poor Hubby. Knowing the flight takes 1 hour 40 and he loses one hour because of European time, he will be landing around 12:30, then needs to rush to the train, catch one, travel time is 1 hour 15 to Bern main station. Then, I don't know how far it is from there.

12:10 : Landed in Zurich.
I sent him all the train times and which one is direct or needs changing, let's see what he can manage.

Today is my little brother's birthday. Well not quite because although he is my brother and it is his birthday and I see him as my little brother, he is turning 50. I can't believe it, he is still a kid to me !

12:40 Dennis managed to jump into that train, with no changes. That will get him there for around 2pm. I think he should be fine if he catches a cab as soon as he arrives.

It has been raining all morning and on the top of it I was half so tired and half so worried for hubby that we didn't go the park yet. It doesn't look it's going to improve and we go to the pool tomorrow anyway, so we might just have a play inside.

14:25 : Dennis just arrived at the hotel where the meeting will take place. He even can have 10 minutes to get a bite to eat as he is up since almost 12 hours already. I think I can breathe now.

It is 13:30 in the UK, I am still in my PJs and I feel like it's already time to go to bed. What a start of the week . . . I think I'm going to take it easy today, LOL.




Project 365+1 - Day 317 : Refreshing

It was an ideal word for today as I spent ages refreshing my screen to get more news about that plane.

PS: Colin, that's OK to answer back on my site, I do the same for others. My blog doesn't allow me either to answer comments.

Take care everybody, xxx
   

Back to gorgeous

Today is nice sunny warm day, ideal to catch a cold, lol.

We went out all together again and Dennis was making fun of me because I was full of wow's every 5 seconds regarding the trees. He hardly believes me, but they do change everyday now and yes they are different from what they were yesterday morning.

Today will be quiet day as tomorrow morning, the alarm will ring at 3am again.



Project 365+1 - Day 316 : Memories

I tried to tie my memories to November 11th, but honestly I don't have any. I know I lost my "real " grandfather on my mother side ( as my grandmother married again ) because he had been captured as a soldier during 1st world war and send to camps for  a couple of years. He managed to go out of them but died from tuberculosis he had caught in the camp. My mum was not yet 3 at the time, so even she doesn't have memories of him. As of the 2nd world war, my grandfather on my dad side was anti-militarist, my dad was 16 when the war started and he was sent to kind of " cadets war ' so he didn't really fought. Therefore November 11th does really mean much to me, excepted for other people, of course.

So I had to turn towards unrelated memories. This morning I prepared soft boiled eggs with soldiers, what my mum used to do for us when we were sick. It would have been a perfect memory, but at breakfast I hadn't look for today's word yet, so I didn't take a picture of our eggs.

A lot of nice memories are stuck on my craft room wall, so I just took a picture of one of them.

In 2005, I started making cards and wax painting and selling them. There was an exhibition each August called Hampshire Artists where you display your art in your own house and open it to visitors. 2 years in a row, I had given some of what I did to one of my friends who was exhibiting and it had worked well.

So in 2007, I decided to give it a go myself. It was panic on board for weeks, I had to have enough things to show and we had to prepare the house too.

Dennis brought some big standing panels from the office and added pieces of wood so I could display everything. We sealed off most of our living room, so we were living in literally 4 sq meters for 2 1/2 weeks, with 2 adults, 2 dogs and 2 kids when it was their week-end. Everybody had a lot of fun preparing though and Sophie was taking that very seriously. She was only 10 1/2 but she entered into a long explanation about how I was going to set my prices was very important : too low and people wouldn't take me seriously, too high and people wouldn't buy, bless her.

Sophie helped Dennis to decorate the outside of the house. In fact, she was telling him how to display the flags so it would look professional. She really enjoyed taking charge.

1 week before the official start, I was all ready to go but I was getting more and more scared that after all this work, nobody would pass by.  I was new and although part of the official catalog, I thought I had to do something.

I contacted the Hampshire Chronicle Newspaper Art section and asked them if they would write an article on me. I was convinced they would have the laugh of their life, but to my big surprise, they didn't and they said yes. The interview was done over the phone but they sent a photographer to take several shots of me inside the house. Honestly it was like a dream . . .

Then when this half page was printed in the newspaper, I was kind of in real shock, LOL

The exhibition was great and I sold a lot of stuff. I changed direction again a couple of years later ( so don't bother to go to the web site, it doesn't exist anymore ) but I always look back on this experience as one of my best ones and a very sweet memory.

Take care everybody, xxx
  

Cocooning

We woke up to the rain but it didn't last so we were able to all go to the park together, to the joy of the girls.

It's a pretty gloomy day, almost hiding its autumn colors.

But when you get close, you can see more and more gorgeous trees.

Bubbles looking for squirrel tracks

If Rhea decides to lay flat in leaves, you hardly can spot her.

When I was still living in Paris, that means ages ago mid eighties, there was this English word that was very famous: Cocooning. Everybody was talking about it and it was considered very much " in " when somebody was asking you what you were going to do during the week-end to answer : Cocooning.

We need to go out later to buy some clothes for Dennis, but excepted that, yes it's going to be a quiet cocooning day today. it will be stay in, enjoy what modern technology has to offer and stay warm. Talking about warm ( didn't do it on purpose LOL ).



Project 365+1 - Dy 315 : Warm

When I was a little girl, I used to suffer from otitis very often and I remember it was very painful.

Even as an adult, I still have very sensitive ears and if I don't protect them in Winter against cold and wind, I get this unbearable pain inside my ears, that even can give my toothache. So these are my life saver ear warmers.

I remember long ago Dennis and I went shopping somewhere, it was such a beautiful day we decided to go to Portsmouth on impulse. When we started walking on the beach there was a terrible wind and soon I realized I wouldn't be able to do it.

The only thing I had was a scarf so I put it under my chin, around my ears and tied it on the top of my head so I could have a second layer down on my ears. I certainly looked like an Easter egg having lost its way through winter and my treacherous husband even took a picture if I remember well.

In all honesty I don't know where the photo because it was at the " printed photos " time, but if I ever find it, you will be the first to see it ( maybe . . . )

Take care everybody, xxx
  

Less wise than a camera . . .

Today is again a weird day but I don't have a headache so I don't really mind.

We went to the park and messed around for a while. One of the trees is almost golden now.

We had the nice surprise of meeting the duck family.

and Rhea was so well behaved that I could take my pictures in peace

although something happen that I only can blame on myself, I ran out of camera battery. That taught me a good lesson :

When a camera is clever enough to give you some warnings, try and be as clever by not ignoring them . . .



Project 365+1 - Day 314 : Ponder

I wonder if, with all the words I double checked to use more or less correctly during this year,  I could be entitled to any kind of diploma stuff. I surely have worked hard promoting Google, LOL.

Talking about the Devil, this is what I found today :

Ponder : to think or consider especially quietly, soberly, and deeply 
            to think about something) carefully, esp. before deciding or concluding.

Bubbles is our little thinking Queen. Sometimes like this morning, she is completely lost in thoughts and she appears to be trying to solve the world's problems. What she is exactly pondering, only she knows . . .

Take care everybody, xxx