Legally Blonde

“All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of thing will be well…”

Don’t know if that’s a slight misquote cos I can’t find my amazing mother julian book at the moment, but you get the gist. Anyway, she’s right, you know.

yep… we’re back on

it’s a year tomorrow – eek!!

He’s gone to Tenby for a drinking “golfing” holiday with bloke mates, as regular a fixture for him as GB is for me, so I don’t have a problem with that, except that I’m missing him heaps already, seeing as we’ve just split up, talked lots and got back together within the space of a fortnight, so it feels odd he’s 2 hours’ drive away in west Wales rather than 10 minutes’ the other side of Townhill! he’s been sending sweet texts though (interesting cos he’s v v dyslexic but he’s trying which is the point).

Much more relaxed and happy, and it shows. Mum sent a text asking how I was when I was in work yesterday, and said when we spoke last night she could tell from my answer (a 5 word text sent in haste cos work busy) that I was smiling again(!). Even Benjamin aware of the difference. Still tantrummy at times, but less violent and frequent than recently.

Which is good, n’est-ce pas?

Birdie and British Standard have both mentioned in passing my stonking birthday present, but I didn’t put 2 and 2 together until after I’d met it. (I’m so slow about hints round here!) In all it’s glory, I can finally show you… the added excitement was that we met and chatted almost because of this. I remembered birdie and her lovely baby boy from last year’s wibmeet, but hadn’t actually met her/them in the interim. Since she was in the same boat, on first crossing paths at the Tiny Tea Tent we were both a bit not sure about whether each other was who we thought. She thought she vaguely recognised me (and babyblonde), but wasn’t sure enough to approach us. However, she spotted The Bag under my buggy, and then knew I couldn’t be anyone else a friendly conversation and much tea ensued.

taken a day off to oversleep, unpack, do shedloads of washing, and washing up, and drying tent, and the sort of thing that goes with having not been at home for 4 days. oh, and rescuing my relationship. not sure how much i’ll tell all about the scary hiccup during the last week. mustn’t spend all my productive unpacking catching up day on the computer!

GB was good – not as great as some years, but that’s partly ’cause I was in a state about other things, and managed to miss most of the things I’d starred in the programme. Might buy the tapes, though a lot of what I wanted to hear wasn’t being recorded. Also B so much more independent these days have to go at Little Legs speed = every walk takes a lot longer. What he enjoyed most wasn’t even GB – he went on his first train journey (on the steam railway round the back of the racecourse towards the Cotswolds and back). He now says chuffchuffchuffpooppoooop and (an approximation of) blackberries. he also loved the drumming workshop and the miller’s ark animals – Hmm, yes, very Godly! My best bit was seeing Mum for 4 whole days and having a chance to catch up properly with Moog and family. I managed 2 1/2 talks, 1 worship and a lot of aimless wandering, which was a nimprovement on last year. Oh, and Tea, of course, and the Wibmeet. And Dave’s Book

Eek! first… I can’ts pell my surname!!! too k me three attempts to log in given current state of drinking> typing … oops. so, in now.

I’m ok, we’re ok, and we’re going to be even more ok. Thank you VERY much to people who noticed, whether or not they wanted to say anything. And specially one of myy Best Friends from Home (who reads here very occasionally). Dai is less freaked now by my having male friends he hasn’t met. We are fighting LOTS less. Which is a GOOD Thing.

And… the surprise, as requested by Miss Lisa… Well, for most things, Dai is SO unbelievably laid back that he just says “I don’t mind”, “whatever”, “you choose”… or other noncommital grunt. So I’m thrilled to bits tjat he’s taking an interest in one particular a spect of the w*****g. He’s planned the Transport. For as long as he can remember he’s invisaged (“IF I ever get married”) leaving church in a carriage not a car. So yesterday he tole me we had a nAppointment, and took me to the top of kilvey hill to this place and put a deposit on this beautiful creature and we’re going to the church on time in STyle. I’m chuffed he’s getting in volved. AND it vindicates me slightly with Mummy,l who thinks I’m getting FAR to organised Far too far in advance, BU T the one we REALLY like and would be big enough to take my mum and the girls as well is already booked that day that year so we aren’t the only ones!

we are thinking of something else rather unusal and very very cool for the girls, since we’ve not enough space even in two trips. sorry blame miss high heels and hardware and mr tasmania!! also dave and maddy, and kate and the hyperactive mountaineer. too much weddingness round here!!

Thank you to everyone putting up with me yesterday. I had a lovely party, and people were very kind and humoured me … I drank loads and got silly, but I didn’t htink toooo silly, and bullied people into playing boardgames far into the night, and then had to try cutting my cake (another surprise) but missed slightly and the carpet had a slice.

This morning I was a little fragile, but not (or not just) after-effects of alcohol. more celebration this afternoon – one of Benjamin’s friends in church was 2 today and we went to his party. the little people had great fun on trikes and slides and a trampoline in the huge garden, and the bigger people nattered and ate marvellous homemade grub and occasionally reacted to a cry of “mummy” from up the garden. with about 15 toddlers each mum can identify their own offspring’s voice out of the noise.

Quiet evening in recovery – Sarah came home, Dai watched a film, I had a bath. Ready to face the new week…?

Started the day before yesterday when lovely Dai brought home my first present – a strimmer. I’ve been going a bit nuts about the wilderness; having spent the first nearly year of being here trying to get the house unpacked and a bit sorted I am now finally turning my mind to the garden, and spent the last two evenings weeding and clearing as long as there was still light. Either he’s suddenly becoming enthusiastic about the garden, or he wants to give me labour saving devices so I’ll spend less time out there…!

Yesterday afternoon Dai went to the Parcel office at Llansamlet with the first postcard (the second arrived this morning) and in the evening we went out while Dai’s mum babysat – lovely large rosé at gorgeous Morgan’s followed by supper at Charlie’s – the atmosphere cosy and service impeccable, but the food let them down rather. Very clean windows though!!

This morning I was brought tea in bed, and the parcel collected yesterday… some lovely spoiling goodies from my parents including bath smellies, beautiful writing books and a new ironing board cover (yup, sometimes practical as well as girly!) Benjamin loved playing with all the tissue paper and sparkly ribbon. The boys have gone swimming, and I am (supposed to be*) starting to cook for tonight. Oh, and I’ve just been bunched!

Feeling very lucky and loved…. and old.

*instead I’m blogging, answering the door to the flowers postman hiding behind huge bunch of flowers, and having a conversation with one of my best friends from London who also happens to share my birthday. Cooking can wait!!

at a rather lovely Methodist songs of praise last night, a beautiful and moving story of butterflies, and loveliness coming out of sadness death

at blackpill lido earlier in the day, a sudden realisation of and gratitude for the very obvious but oftentakenforgranted blessings – time with family, heat of the sun on my back, tempered by the cooling breeze, a good book (thanks ee!), time, not having to rush to deadlines

even earlier yesterday, a packed church, a good service, three congregations meeting together (overlook the fact a large proportion 2 of those 3 deciding “joint” means “week off”…)

two gatherings of friends in pubs, one friday night and one saturday night, an overlap of some people, but v different occasions and atmospheres… reminder of the friendship and love it’s so easy to forget to notice and thank for

my son coming out with more and more intelligible words, and little things i notice that pull at my heart and show he’s no longer a babe in arms but a very independent, intelligent, hungry to explore and experience, nearly two-year-old

my fiancé planning such a lovely surprise for my birthday… unfortunately not a surprise any more, but he had to tell me because he’d told me we weren’t doing anything this weekend so i assumed he hadn’t organised anything so asked friends to the house so we could do some informal celebrating anyway, whereupon he had to change the night of the surprise… oops.

impromptu lunch and good time with my nearly-mother-in-law, her next door neighbour, dog and cat, all of whom are v tolerant of and friendly to the aforementioned curiosity of the aforementioned son

aren’t I lucky? surrounded by the love of God, friends and (almost) family, and this weekend really noticing and appreciating it more than sometimes

I’m so impressed I managed to do link code in a text message, and surprised it worked!!

I’m going bonkers. Really seriously scarily mad. I’ve had to come home from work to let the plumber in (see many previous moans for the saga of the new radiators…!) and luckily I could do it without missing too much time because I was running so late this morning, and have plans for straight after work this afternoon, that I had Dai’s car with me in town. So, I left the Clinic, thought for a minute where I’d parked, headed off up the hill, and as I neared the car started to rootle in my bag for the keys. Couldn’t feel them. Rootled harder, stopped, panicked. Emptied bag out on boot: diary, sunspecs, clinic keys, book, pens, phone, lipbalm… no car keys. Started back down the hill towards the Clinic – could I in a moment of madness have left them on the desk? – and felt them in my other hand. Where they’d been all along, because I didn’t want to lose or have to hunt for them one-handed at the car.

D’oh!!

The plumber’s banging away upstairs, hopefully the lake that issues forth from the radiator will soon be dry, it’s cause actually solved this time, so I can get some lunch and back to work. Keep fingers crossed for me – third time lucky maybe?!

Congratulations to Ramblin'Folkie who passed her driving test this morning v deserved good stuff!