Green

All Round Update

2008-09-02T10:21:00.002+01:00

Well now let's see, on the 17th of July, Erik came to stay with us for three and a bit weeks, which was very nice. He went back home on the 11th of August, just after his birthday. On the 16th of August, my dad, mum, brother and I went on holiday to Greece. Then, on the 20th of August, Erik moved in to our new apartment. We all got home from our holiday on the 31st of August, and now, there are only 18 days until I move permanently to live with Erik.

That's pretty much what has happened since I was last here (and I know, it was a shamefully long period). So the next few weeks will be manic, as I still have lots to pack and get sorted. I will try my hardest to keep you updated on that, though. And I'm thinking once I'm in Sweden, I will have a lot more to write about :) So until next time, buh-bye! :)

1 Whole Year!

2008-07-02T22:15:00.003+01:00

Today marks a year since Erik and I got together :)

Rant: Designer Clothes on Children

2008-06-28T22:19:00.003+01:00

Apart from being a complete waste of money, seeing as kids of nursery age grow so fast they'll hardly get the wear out of them, it's stupid to let them wear this stuff to nursery. Let's face it, kids are messy. Kids, on the whole, like being messy. Damn it, they're supposed to be messy! Knowing this, please designer loving parents; DON'T put them in designer clothes and then get annoyed they've got them dirty!

I'm not against them completely, I'm not a fan, but if you *have* to put them in designer clothes, please, do it on your own time, not whilst they're in nursery. Unless of course you don't mind forking out a small fortune to see the stuff destroyed before your very eyes. It's your call really.

I think this obsession with buying children expensive clothes from a want to give your children something better than you had, which is a good idea, but in most cases, this idea is poorly executed. See, most parents do this in the form of toys and clothes. Both of which will be outgrown. What I would do is set up a bond for my children, something that can go towards their education, something that will last. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of choice items I do want my kids to have that I never had (a wooden play house comes to mind, hehe), but not to the great extent some parents go to. Anyway, this is going into a whole other area, for another day I guess :)

...And I Got Mad

2008-06-28T22:05:00.002+01:00

You know, there are a few times when it's really, really good to say how you feel, and I guess I haven't had that for a while, as things have been, well, good (for want of a better word). Work has been regular, so that makes me happy, I have a wonderful boyfriend I love very much, and soon I'll be moving to his country to start our life together (we have an apartment now, woo!). But now and then, something comes along that makes you feel, peeved, annoyed or whatever, and at times like that, there's only one thing to do, blog about it! So, that was the clincher; I need this blog, and it might not be regular, but who cares, it's when I want to write, about the stuff I want to write about. I refuse to do posts about nothing any more; they're no fun to write, and I know they're no fun to read. So, if I've skipped for a while, I'll update in my next post :) okay? Cool. The post that follows is a rant, my favourite! :)

Hmm, I wonder...

2008-06-15T09:30:00.001+01:00

I think I may have outgrown this blog. And I'm not sure whether I'll start again... yet.

Urm...yeah

2008-05-24T13:37:00.003+01:00

And I've done it again; left it an age before posting again. I find now I'm working full time, it's hard to remember to update, or even to know what to write. I went to work, I was ill so I had Thursday off, and woo hoo, the weekend's here and I'm off to Sweden on Monday. That's about all I can say.

I remember getting fed up with people who wouldn't update regularly, but I understand that it is hard, both to find the time, and also, sometimes to know what the hell to say. It was much easier when I was unemployed! :) Not that I want to go back to *that*, oh god, no. So, congratulations to those who write every day, and write some wonderful posts (I've seen you, I know you're out there!), full of ponderings, whimsical observation, and loveliness.

On the plus side (if there is one to this), for a - hopefully - brief time, I will be unemployed once again in September and be finding my feet in a new country, which I guess might create some fun opportunities for posts. But as it is right now - eh, I've got nothing. But I am going on holiday! :) Maybe that'll recharge my batteries. See you in two weeks!

News, Updates, erm, Stuff!

2008-05-17T09:55:00.002+01:00

I realised through doing the 366 photo challenge (here and here), that I have been neglecting the blog, and information I would normally pass along, I haven't been. So, one of those more important pieces of info was that when I went to the doctors, I was given some tablets for a rash I have on my legs. I thought it was eczema, as I've had it before, in the same place. Apparently not, though. So, these tablets were for a month, and came with a truckload of side effects. The ones I've got are: blood disorder (weird bruising), tiredness, loss of appetite, aching limbs/joint pain and nausea. Really, I think that's enough to be going on with. I can't remember the last time I slept well, anyway. But luckily I'm coming to the end of the tabs, two more days!

And five more working days until I go to Sweden! :) So very exciting, I can't begin to explain it. We're planning on going to museums, go on a boat trip, visit Erik's favourite Indian restaurant, see the new Indiana Jones film (it's in English, just subtitled) and lots of other stuff :)

Today I am meeting an old friend in and old pub. After that, we're going for pizza, and it'll be great to actually do something social, I've done things like this (going out, having fun) for the past three weeks, and it's actually quite nice. I intend to make more of an effort to socialise and make friends when I get to Sweden. Hell, you only live once.

So, I think that's it. I lost my voice last Friday and it's only just coming back now. I do have a dreadful cough, which isn't a lot of fun, I had two days off work this week with it, but I'm hoping this weekend will obliterate it for good. Stuff has also happened to Erik, but I don't think he's updated in a while, either. Anyway, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here goes:

Time for a Change!

2008-05-14T14:12:00.005+01:00

In England, we've been having some very hot weather, and it's made me realise that having my hair as long as it is, is just not practical for the summer. I have always wanted to get my hair cut quite short, but as I've never had it shorter than shoulder length, I don't know what would suit me. This led me to using one of the hair styler programs. Okay, so I pay for it, but it's not much, and it is being useful, as well as highly entertaining! :) I'll showcase some of the nice, and some of the bizarre, here.

And for extra points, can you name the classic actresses hair I've stolen, for this rather silly post?

Too Much To Vent

2008-05-11T00:01:00.002+01:00

This is how I'm feeling, there's just not enough space to bitch about everything that's annoying me right now (and I'm sure not in the mood to, even if there were). So, let's just leave it at "AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!"

Ferries, Medical Records & Holiday Forms

2008-05-04T12:12:00.004+01:00

In September, my dad will be driving us (that is, me, my brother and mum) up to Newcastle, where we will then get a ferry across to Haugesund (Bergen) in Norway, and after that, we will be driving across Norway, to Umeå, Sweden where by that point Erik and I will have a brand new apartment to move into. It's quite exciting, as it's all booked now, but the 20 hour drive across Norway and Sweden (as Umeå is in the north east of Sweden) doesn't sound like a riot. Although of course we will have stops along the way, Norway is ludicrously expensive, so these will have to be few and far between.

Due to the fact I am moving to another country, and I am having ongoing medical tests, I was interested to find out whether my medical records will be transferred. I asked and it turns out they aren't, you start afresh in your new country, but they said they would see if the doctor would be able to give me a summary of my records to take, to give my new practice. When I got home from work on Thursday it was waiting for me, now when they said a summary, I was thinking, 'Oh, a couple of pages then'. Nope, 31 pages, detailing pretty much every appointment/operation/jab I've ever had. Useful, though, I bet :)

As for going to Sweden at the end of the month, even though Alex is definitely going, he still had to submit a holiday form to school. A useless procedure, if you ask me. It's only in the last few years they've made a big deal about kids not being in school, does that mean it was alright before, but not now? Kids I went to school with would go off to Florida in the first two weeks back of the new school year. Crazy, I thought, but no one said they couldn't. Where as with Alex, he's only taking a week off, we arranged it, so one of those weeks was school holiday anyway. We had to give a reason for why the holiday had to be in term time, so my mum wrote 'my daughter is emigrating, and this will be their last chance to holiday together', but really she should of put 'he has over 90% attendance, get off his back'. Anyway, that's the way it is.

It's Friday!

2008-05-02T14:51:00.003+01:00

And I'm done with work for three days! I'm going out this evening, as another of my coworkers is leaving. We're going to a restaurant that serves lots of different types of food, such as Indian, Chinese and Italian, to name a few, sounds good to me. Anyway, that all I have planned for the weekend, the rest will be filled with lounging around and enjoying not having to work. Next week marks the start of my busy hours, as the holiday season has started, and I will be covering those who are jetting off on their hols. But no matter, only three weeks, and I'll be doing that myself :) And when I get back, it'll only be three more months of work. It's all good, here!

One Month, woo hoo!

2008-04-26T10:23:00.003+01:00

Only a month now until we (Alex and I) go to Umeå. I'm glad I've been there already, I'll know the airports and how to do things a little better this time, like booking a taxi in Umeå, not waiting around for one. It turned out when I got there that all the taxis were waiting for specific people. If it wasn't for a nice man who offered to call me a taxi as well, I'd probably have had to call Erik and ruin the surprise. Although this time it's not a surprise, it's going to be so nice to be back in Sweden, to be with Erik, for two whole weeks! I'm hoping my brother will like Sweden, he says he's excited to be going, but then he is 13, and they're not great at enthusiasm, hehe.

Still, to be on a plane bound for the country of my love, right now there's no better feeling. I can't wait!

Can't stay up wondering any longer

2008-04-22T22:18:00.003+01:00

Worlds away? Now it's only hours.
But you seem further away than ever before.
Have fun, but go back to the land of snow soon.
I miss my Viking ;)

Rant: Work!

2008-04-21T10:56:00.002+01:00

Right, work is shit. And I feel like shit every morning. Not just because of work though, I'm having, shall we say, digestive problems. I'm thinking it could be affected by the long gap of not eating, and then not having breakfast as soon as I wake up (as I don't seem to get the problem as bad on the days I have to be in early, where I will have to eat breakfast first thing).

Back to the work situation; I'm not enjoying it anymore, and here's why; it's unorganised, everyone is on a different page, and my bosses are unwilling to change a thing. I will be speaking to them tomorrow, but in vain, I think. You see, when I start at 9, I don't immediately go upstairs, my day is split between the big kids for the morning and the babies in the afternoon/evening. If I didn't have the responsibility of making sure the babies have had everything they need throughout the day, and that this in turn is relayed to the parents on pick-up, I wouldn't care, a half day each way is quite nice then.

But as it is, the bosses main response to 'how have the babies been?' is 'fine', which tells me nothing, and the only proper information I can give parents is that that has happened in the afternoon whilst I was there. In a word, it makes you seem incompetent, and that you don't care about their children. Also, because information is lost, it can lead to problems, ones which parents will pick up on, and could lead to complaints. And I get affected by complaints pretty badly, as I do my very best, but without all the information, these kind of things are bound to happen.

The main reason for these problems and why it won't change is the bosses like working upstairs for the morning, because, let's face it, you don't have to shout, you change, you feed, you sing and play, that's about it. Then after dinner, they go home. Nice for them. Anyway, that's why I'm not enjoying it. Every day is a struggle to get through, hoping you haven't forgotten anything. Still, at least it's a half day today, if they don't give me all the information, that's no one's fault but their own.

Rant: I'm Going to Kill Someone

2008-04-19T12:11:00.004+01:00

And they're not that far away either. Our neighbours are very noisy, especially their five boys, who coincidentally have the room next door to mine. This is where they are, most of the time, and I'm just about ready to break down their door and wack 'em all! I wouldn't mind if they didn't realise they were loud and when you asked them to be quieter, they were (how likely is that scenario anyway?). They don't give a shit, like most people these days with this attitude, they'll do what they want and fuck anyone who doesn't like it. The noise ranges from wrestling matches and fights between themselves (with the added 'Oi, get the f*** off me!' and the resultant crying of the one who lost), general banging, jumping and thumping, swearing, door slamming, singing rap music with the stereo blazing, and other noises I can't even identify (and think perhaps it's best not to).

We had the recording equipment from the council about a month ago, and it was set up in our dining room, but to no avail. They were suspiciously quiet the whole week we had it, so we only had at most, three minutes of noise. If they give it to us again (and hopefully they will), I'll get it set up in my room and see what happens. I have a sneaking suspicion though, that when we have the recording equipment, the council let the neighbours know, it sounds about right, the way the country's going, that everyone needs to be informed of everything that is happening around them, less they get annoyed and sue you. It's probably something to do with the data protection act, but it destroys the point of have the recording equipment anyway. Anyone got a silencer?

Smears and Blood Tests

2008-04-18T17:25:00.003+01:00

I went to the doctors today to try to get some answers as to why, for the first few days of my cycle, I am bed ridden, due to severe pain in my stomach, even when dosed up on Nurofen plus. It's so painful I can hardly walk and when I do, I have to bend forwards, as if I stand normally, it feels like I have a string inside me, which is taut and painful when stood with proper posture.

Sadly, like most things, it's not a quick fix, and to find out what is causing such pain is a method of trial and error. First, I will take my daily pills ('the' pill, that is) for three months, so no period for that time, and see how that works. If I still have pain, I will be put onto a different pill, and in 6 months I am supposed to go back to the doctors to see how it's going, and maybe schedule a scan.

I also had to have a smear, my first one and it was awful, extremely painful, and they're not supposed to be, just uncomfortable (it made me cry with pain, that can't be right). Which led to embarrassing questions, the likes of which I'm not going to go into here (as to tell this story, I've already had to go more in depth than I would have liked). Let's just say it's weird talking about this stuff to a man who has been looking after your health since before you were born. Oh, and a blood test, but after the smear, that was a walk in the park!

As for what will happen in 6 months, I don't know, as I will be in Sweden, and I'm thinking at that point in time I will have no medical records there, due to me not being a proper citizen (I will be awaiting my residence permit). It's tough, you know. I'm guessing once I am a resident, they can look at my files, and carry on treatment from there. But I will find out for sure. As it is, I'm really worried as to what's wrong with me, my doctor seemed very concerned, and that's never good.

sigh More Work Crap

2008-04-13T11:51:00.003+01:00

Remember I told you about the full time position I got? Well, the 9 till 6 hours, five days a week lasted about 2 weeks. And I'm no longer downstairs, doing preschool, I'm upstairs with the babies. I don't mind that, it's just I wish I was doing full hours. This week I'm doing three full days, one half day, and have Friday off. From now until August (when I leave) I will be upstairs, most of the time, so at least that is a constant, but I need as many hours as they can give me. Since they offered me full time, and I accepted, they should be giving me the full time hours (either 9 - 6pm or 8 - 6pm). It's just frustrating, anyway, I'll keep you posted *sigh*.

Erik's off to Leeds

2008-04-13T11:00:00.003+01:00

Today Erik is going on a school trip to Leeds with his classmates. He will be staying at a college campus, and visiting various nice places in that area, including a trip to York and York Minster. There will also be work involved, he has learning to do (he's a student teacher, currently learning to be an English teacher), involving a project, not quite sure about what, but he and his group have lots of questions to ask the English teachers they'll meet here.

It's slightly annoying that he'll only be 3 hours away, and I won't be able to see him. But work is important, and in these kind of things, you have to be part of the group, you can't just say 'right, I'm going away for the weekend'. Anyway, I'm hoping he'll have a good time, and take lots of pictures (although there's no doubt about that!)

True Love Meme

2008-04-06T13:50:00.003+01:00

Tagged by Roxiticus Desperate Housewives

What does true love mean to you? It means being yourself with someone. I mean, you have lots of different versions of yourself, for different people, but the person you are alone should be the person you are with your true love.

How do you know you're really in love? You can see your future together spanning your life.

How many times in your life have you fallen in love? Three times, the first was when I was 16, once when I was 18, and again at 21 (except he didn't know about it until I was 22).

Have you ever fallen out of true love because you were mad at the moment? That would require something big and unforgivable happening, so no.

Do you feel love and physical attraction are the same thing? They're definitely not. I wasn't hugely attracted looks wise to my first two boyfriends when we first started dating, that came afterwards. But with my boyfriend, Erik, I was first attracted to him physically

If your true love became ill or disfigured would you continue to love them the same way? What kind of a silly question is that? Love is love, you don't just turn it off when things get tough. It's the hard times that really show your dedication and love for a person.

Should anyone else be able to tell you who to love or not love? People can help you find someone, but the decision is a mutual thing between two people, no one else is really involved.

Do you believe people that ended up divorced were ever truly in love? A lot of people rush into marriage, so that could be a reason, but I would have thought you'd have to be in love to even consider marriage (unless of course you feel pressured into it because you're having a child).

Would you give up something you want for someone you love? That all depends on what it was, and for what reason. I think it's a bad idea to give up friends for love, because you need both for a healthy life. But I think I would give up something, yes

If you truly love someone do you feel it should be unconditional? No, everyone has boundaries. If you let your love be unconditional, partners could do whatever they want and you'd let them. Basically, you'd be a doormat, and that's not good for anyone.

I tag DutchBitch, this should be fun for her, because she's just started on a new relationship - congrats to you and Rob!

A Book Meme

2008-04-05T10:32:00.002+01:00

Tagged by Roxiticus, of Roxiticus Desperate Housewives.

The Rules:

Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages)

Open the book to page 123

Find the fifth sentence

Post the next three sentences

My closest book is the final chapter of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, The Amber Spyglass.

They were quite close now, and seeing what was coming, some of the villagers looked up and called to each other to look. The party from the road slowed to a halt, and Mary clambered stiffly down, knowing that she would ache later on. "Thank you," she said to her ... her what? Her steed? Her cycle? Both ideas were absurdly wrong for the bright-eyed amiability that stood beside her.

I'm not great at this tagging game, so if this meme sounds fun to you, go ahead, I'd like to see the results, so send me a link! :)

Quiz: Which Famous Leader Are You?

2008-04-01T19:53:00.003+01:00

Seen on Casual Slack, I just had to take the test.

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

I was expecting someone, well, a bit more evil.

Argh - Frustration

2008-03-31T18:55:00.004+01:00

Work is weird. You see, I was offered a full time position, which I took to mean, 9am until 6pm every day, as that's what they told me. What I have done for the last two weeks is mostly half days, starting at 12pm. No reason has been given for this, and if I ask about it, I will be seen as complaining, and, where possible, will be given even less hours. This is the way it seems to work. It took them long enough to even offer me a full time position. I started at nursery in June last year wanting a full time position, and only at the end of February did they finally offer it to me. I guess I'll just have to see how the next few weeks pan out, at least I am working every day nowadays, that's a plus. And there's really no point looking for something else now, I finish in August. It's just, argh! Horrid situation, is what it is.

A Very Honest Post

2008-03-24T12:09:00.003Z

Okay, so for a while I've been reading a series of books, all about how to improve yourself in the way of fitness and weight loss. They're not too preachy, and they are geared for lazier people (I consider myself lazy, these days, but I *do* want to change things) - The Lazy Girl's Guides, they are titled. And because of that I've upped my exercise regime. I now use the exercise bike for half an hour on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday. I also lift weights after that on those days. Oh, and I use a toner afterwards, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But I can't kid myself, you can't lose weight without eating differently. And I'm having a problem with that. Seeing as I don't eat fruit and vegetables, well, not many, anyway.

I want to lose weight because I'm unhappy with the way I look, and I want to be fitter, and healthier. I saw today a wonderful before and after picture - inspiring! The only reason I haven't joined a club like Slimming World or Weight Watchers is because it is all about the food you eat, and of course, to eat healthily, you've got to be piling on the fruit and veggies. But I'm thinking, well, I might just have to do it, eat it and get on with it. If I do it for long enough and see the results, well maybe I'll enjoy it, and maybe there'll be some foods I find I like anyway, who knows? I've just got to try and get my family behind it, because that's where it all falls down, I work usually until 6pm, so when I get home, I eat what I'm given. I'm not blaming them, I just have to explain the situation, and it can't all be put on them.

I did start this a while ago, after I did hypnotherapy, but, well, there was so much of what I tried that I didn't like (in fact I found nothing I did enjoy), that I stopped, putting it off for another day. Well maybe today is that day.

Calvin & Hobbes Rock

2008-03-20T22:06:00.003Z

I love the logic of children :)

My Next Adventure

2008-03-17T10:38:00.002Z

Hardly back two weeks and I'm already planning my next jaunt to Sverige (that's Sweden). I will be going again at the end of May, and this time I will be taking my brother with me. When I told the bosses at work this, they couldn't believe it. They said I'd be giving sisters all over the place a bad name; you're not supposed to get along with your brother, apparently. Well, I do, and he's a very good traveller, just like I was. No complaining, he just gets on with it. Besides, it's nice to do things together, gives me someone to talk about this stuff with when we're back in England. It'll be fun, and really, it's only about a month and a half away now :) Going in February really broke the time up I think. Anyway, it's not booked yet, but I'm thinking we'll go in the morning of the 26th of May, and come back in the evening of the 9th of June :)