Busy, Busy....

Non-stop at the moment, what with Canada, then new kitten, then Italy, then back to work, and now rushing to clean kit for Caerphilly Castle.....

So, some pictures for your delectation and delight.....

The three of us together again after 5 years of separation......

All of us waiting to go whale watching - and yes, we saw a whale.....Pender was his name!

And finally - me in my new 'summer' frock in the rainy Italian field.....with John and Tim keeping an eye on the 14C stove....

I'll be around, but busy until next week....

cq

Drench Brains

I laughed out loud when I saw this - it's SO clever!! :-)

Enjoy!

cq

Curveball

Sometimes you're just trucking along, getting back into the swing of work after an overseas holiday, preparing for a weekend in 14C Italy, quickly sewing up a new re-enactment dress (nice yellow now I'm not a filthy peasant!)......and you get a late night phonecall with a plea for help...

and life serves you a curveball.....

Say hello to the curveball......

Little man has no name - MB and I are disagreeing; I suggested William, he suggested Amos...........so at the moment he's just a kittycat.

He's about a year or younger, still got his baby teeth - and all his equipment (if ya'all know what I mean.....). And he is very sweet. When he's [ahem] done, he's going to be a lovely pet. He's a stray and very skinny. Off to the V.E.T with him as soon as possible!

But - well, he is a very pretty cat - and kisses nice......

And in case you're wondering - Charlie is rather bemused but not horrified.

cq

Don't forget to visit my Race for Life page and sponsor me! See my sidebar.

Calling all Blogpals, Friends and Passersby!!

This will stay at the top of my blog until after the weekend - watch this space for more Canada news next week!

It's that time of year again. This information will also remain in my sidebar until after the Race.

My teddy bear Mac and I will be taking part in the 2008 Race for Life, to help raise money to continue the research into cancer and the chances of finding a cure.

Read about my 2007 Race here.

Everyone, everywhere is touched by cancer, be it family and friends or celebrity, in one form or another.

Race for Life is Cancer Research UK’s flagship event that has grown to become the UK’s largest women-only fundraising event. Whether one chooses to walk, jog or run the 5k course, the events are an inspirational day out with family and friends.

In 2007 665,000 women were brought together to walk, jog or run 5k to raise £40 million pounds for Cancer Research UK – the world’s leading independent organisation dedicated to cancer research.

Click on the link to find out more about Race for Life and who takes part.
And here to learn more about Cancer Research UK and the vital work that they do.

Click on the counter in my sidebar to sponsor me to complete the Race for Life on June 14th 2008 - or just to donate to this worthy cause.

My fundraising has been kicked off by Naomi in the Hills with a generous donation!

The more money I am pledged, the faster I will walk! Please help – every pound, dollar and euro counts.

Thank you - from me, from the women and from the families.

cq

Jetlag...

After a long journey home and a car breakdown which added two hours onto a very tiring trip, I just went to sleep when I got home...

Now its 3am and jetlag is keeping me up!

My brains feel like....
I have heard that cyberkitten is also up and about at this ridiculous hour....
perhaps he is sorting through the 350 photographs we took between us!

cq

It Rains.........

...in Canada too!!

I'm still getting used to being around my Boo - although silentmum and I just picked up where we left off five years ago...
On Saturday we did the lakes and lots of walking with wonderful BC fresh air!
We have visited Bear Mountain - yes, there are bears, but they are now vying for land with the developers of million pound estates and houses - not to mention a large elite golf and country club.
We also went to see Thetis Lake, a thriving summer day out for long hot days. In early spring it was deserted and peaceful - we took lots of photos of this beautiful lake (to whet your appetite, this one is from BritishColumbia.com)

While doing the whole lake thing we drove out to Esquimalt Lagoon, a wonderful bird sanctuary:

and we drove out to Metchosin and walked the beautiful lagoon there too - with the orca-watching boats in the distance. Definitely more on this later, as we discovered hidden treasures!

More on these wonderful places when we are home and have downloaded photos!

Needless to say we have plenty of photos so far! My camera is very poorly so ck's shiny new camera is getting lots and lots of use!!

Jet lag is proving a challenge - I got so tired I was throwing up yesterday and slept for five hours during the day. But I am feeling a bit better today, although I am all blocked up with cold - must be the climate. With silentmum at work and Boo at school today, ck and I have scheduled a rest day, reading, watching movies and chatting. I daresay we will, at some point, be blogging too!

I phoned MB last night - it's the furthest apart we have been for a very long time (since he regularly worked overseas) and I got a bit weepy. But I'm so glad I came.

More later!

cq

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Today I am going to London, accompanied by my best mate cyberkitten, to stay at a Heathrow hotel before getting on one of these tomorrow morning...

ooh, look at the classy wording on the Boeing 777-300....'Air Canada'
:-)
And that purty little red leaf on the tail - such a pretty plane in its understated paint job.

Cyberkitten and I are going to see long-gone friends who emigrated five years ago, my best girly mate silentmum and god-daughter Boo :-)

Apparently Boo, who we haven't seen since she was four, is almost hysterical with excitement. silentmum is bursting too - and I am sick with nervous excitement. I understand cyberkitten is packing a supply of tissues!

I'll be be blogging if I find an Internet cafe or spare computer - otherwise, we'll be back in the UK on the 6 May.

Abyssinia!

cq

Guess What.......?

I have this picture on my phone and was stunned by how - er - different it looked.

So, you'll never guess what it really is, so today's game is to make up what it is.......

So, using all your imagination tell me what this is a picture of......

And if I like your answers, I might tell you what it really is.......

update - While I was getting out of my car with my cell phone in my hand, I heard the sound of it taking a picture - so this is actually what the world looks like from inside my hand. The pink on the left is my finger, the glare is daylight.....

cq

Beautiful Boy

Isn't my boy just so beautiful?

We miss Pandora, but Charlie is proving a stalwart comfort.

cq

'Danger, Will Robinson!'

Wow, check out the smoking counter......down on my sidebar - down a bit, bit more.....

Only two days to the Danger Zone.

I have given up smoking before and the 18 month mark was when I fell by the wayside, a smoking cigarette in one hand.......well, I was drinking too [blushes]

So, to me 18 months is a scary milestone.

Yep really, because I still crave cigarettes.
Yeah, ok, I went cold turkey and got the nicotene out of my system.
But when you have an addictive personality, the craving never leaves. I even still find myself unconsciously reaching for the packet of cigarettes - usually in the car!

It doesn't help that people are still asking me 'was it hard to give up?' or 'do you still want a cigarette?'. I won't write it on this family friendly blog, but I really, really want to shout four letter words at those well-meaning people.

So, for the next few days (or weeks!) cigarettes will be at the forefront of my mind, but I will try not to surrender...

cq

Friday Night Out, Saturday Night In....

Last night was Friday Night Out with MB's friend from work and his wife.

I hadn't met them before and I was very nervous. I wore my 'swishy' blue skirt and a blue top, hoping to appear, at the least, respectable. As I was buckling my shoes MB came downstairs in jeans. Needless to say, one cutting sentence later, he was heading back upstairs to put some proper trousers on.

I really struggle with strangers, and that is why I like my Crazies, where I work and also the Company of Chivalry. Neuroses are so hard to control sometimes. Work and hobby have been so understanding about my little ways and the Crazies are as mad as me. Anyway, I tried to be cool about this new couple in my social circle, although I was terrified.
They were lovely. We talked about cars, me and Wife jibed at Hubby, we discussed kittens and cats, re-enactment, work and all sorts.

I was good; no weirdness, no kooky humour.......and it was a nice evening.

Today I went to the cinema with my Boy Crazies; cyberkitten, SleepyPete and Bionicdwarf. '21' was ok, nothing special. A bit of a let down, given Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne. Nothing to grab your attention - the plot was predictable and not saved by the mediocre acting.

Now I am having an evening in at the Aginoths' - babysitting while Mr and Mrs have toddled off to help Nanny A celebrate her birthday.
The girls, Jnr and I had a lovely time watching CBeebies (kiddies BBC) before the girls went off to bed with a story each. Aren't cuddly little kids in pyjamas just the best? Jnr is a very self-contained young man for 7yrs and he just went off up to bed to read his book just a few moments ago.

So the children are asleep, my friends are enjoying a rare night out together and I'm having a Saturday Night In......just me and my chocolate bar [chuckle]

Oh - and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NANNY A!!

cq