Old News - Newsletter May 2004

I’ve had an extremely quiet couple of months since I got home from NZ. My credit card was well into the red, and I was determined to get it paid off by the end of May. Actually I was so good at the lying low that I managed to pay it all off by the end of April – but then suddenly noticed my SA bank accounts were almost dry so I had to send £500 there in a hurry! I have a various payments going out each month including a retirement annuity, which cancels itself if the debits bounce! So then I was in the red once more and reduced to minimal socialising again.

Next month I have to fix the ding (self inflicted while parking) in my car and give it a service and MOT (annual roadworthy – yes, annual!), but hopefully I shall weather that expense without going into debt again. I can’t complain too much about being skint as the taxman gave me a nice £500 windfall the other day, and I spent it all on my house and myself! So much fun!

I bought thermal blackout blinds for the lounge and bedroom, as they get sun all afternoon and evening until 10pm these days so I’ll be roasting by late summer. And a set of spotlights for the bathroom, which is now complete. And a hosepipe reel, and various other bits and pieces. Then I went to the garden centre and got loads of bedding plants, and a bush my Mom thinks might be a teabush, and a jasmine, a climbing rose and a blue clematis that I am going to train over the fence between myself and the neighbours.

So I’ve been drilling holes in walls, and sawing curtain poles, and teetering up on stepladders wrestling with blinds and light fittings, and digging holes in the incredibly stony ground of my garden, and playing with manure and compost. Hard work but very satisfying!

And the rest of the cash I spent on DVDs, books and jigsaws. It feels like Christmas ;-).

When not gardening I’ve been on a couple of club walks, and actually led one! It was at the beginning of April and I did a short walk through gorgeous carpets of bluebells in the local woods, and we ended in time for a leisurely pub lunch. My kind of walk ;-). I may put my name down for some more half-day walks, as they suit me well. I’ve also been along to a couple of club socials – a Thai dinner, pub night and musical. This Friday a group of us are going to a play, so I’m getting a dose of culture at last!

Apart from that I haven’t been up to much except visiting with K and N – a couple of girls who live in my town. K I know from work and she lives 5 min walk away. N I know from the walking club, and she’s 15 min walk away. Nice to able to have a couple of glasses of wine at dinner and walk home ;-). I’ve also had a cousin reunion at J and D’s where I met up with K and M. It was a good laugh and work was a bit hard the next day!

To make up for being so hermit-like lately I am away every weekend from now until the end of June! This coming weekend I am going into London to visit J and T. The next weekend I’m going to the Isle of Wight with K. There is meant to be good walking and cycling, so I may get to use my bike for the first time since buying it over a year ago! We have booked a tiny self-catering apartment above a pub with a balcony over the sea. Then the next weekend I’m off to Rotherham for J and K’s joint 30th. The next weekend I’m visiting N and N in Hatfield. And the next weekend K and I are taking a long weekend and going to Seville in Spain.

Hmmm. I’ll be lucky if I don’t go into the red again in June! July may be a quiet one again!

My Mom is still dealing with B’s death, although she sounds better all the time. She’s got a good circle of friends and keeps herself busy. And her work is currently totally frantic and stressful, so I don’t think she has a moment to dwell on things during the day! Unfortunately it isn’t really possible to visit her, as she’s half a day’s travel away even if I fly, but we talk on the phone a lot.

My work is far from stressful at the moment. We are doing a big upgrade release in a week’s time, but actually seem to be ready for it. This time last year we were working 10 hour days and straight through weekends – it’s very nice to have a decent deadline for a change! And we’re actually recruiting new staff (know of any Delphi developers?) in a time when other companies are still downsizing, which is very reassuring!

No blokes in my life, although I admit that I haven’t been looking much. K and I are talking about giving speed-dating a try soon, as we don’t seem to be meeting any interesting men! We went clubbing locally a few weeks ago, and there is very little talent around.

Old News - Newsletter March 2004

First of all, in case this letter is too long and you don’t finish it, I have some bad news: my Mom’s fiancé, B, died suddenly of a heart attack just over a week ago. Anyone who met him will know what a great bloke he was, and how happy he and my Mom made each other. I’m very sad that he is gone, and my Mom is completely devastated. My aunt is with her at the moment, and she has friends on the Isle of Man who are being supportive and I will be going to her over Easter. She chose not to tell me while I was on holiday as I would have been upset and worried, so I found out yesterday. He was a super step dad, and I will miss him very much.

Now for the long letter:

I am home from New Zealand, after a fabulous three weeks away. T and I travelled all over New Zealand and did pretty much everything we wanted to do. We were lucky with the weather and only got rained on for a couple of days, and on the whole it was milder than I expected. We were also lucky in that we got along together for the whole time, with just a couple of snarly days in the first week as we got used to each other’s ways.

I am very broke, as we lived extremely well on our travels. We stayed in very nice hotels and ate in good restaurants, and it was one of the most luxurious holidays I have ever had! The credit card is smoking and I will be paying it off for a while, but it was worth every penny!

We landed in Auckland on Sunday the 7th March, and were picked up by H and L, who took us on a whirlwind tour of Auckland. It’s all a bit fuzzy due to jetlag, but it was lovely and sunny and hot. They live in an area of Auckland called Kohimarama, which is on the coast and we went for a long walk along the promenade and had a lunch of mussels overlooking the bay. In the afternoon we went up Auckland’s Skytower, and then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening picnicking in L’s garden with lots of wine to combat the jetlag, which worked remarkably well for us but the girls were not too well the next day!

Monday 8th we all went to Waiheke island just off Auckland for the day. It’s very pretty, with wine estates and white beaches. We had lunch at a wine estate, and then lay on the beach and swam in the sea for the afternoon.

Tuesday 9th H took us up the coast North of Auckland, calling in at many pretty beaches. We went to a cheese farm called Puhoi for lunch, and then took a two hour walk along the very long and empty Omaha beach.

Wednesday 10th (my birthday) T and I picked up our hire car and headed North for the Bay of Islands. We got there just after midday and found a lovely b&b apartment right on the shore with a balcony overlooking the bay. We went parasailing that afternoon (great fun), and spent the evening watching a glorious sunset from the balcony with wine and nibbles.

Thursday 11th we headed off first thing to look for dolphins. We cruised all around the islands and out to sea, and finally came across a large pod of Common dolphins. They were riding our bow wave, and groups of 6 of us at a time could lie down on the bow within arms reach of the water and see the dolphins right there! It was amazing! In the afternoon we took a fast jet-boat boat ride out to the Hole in the Rock – a huge rock archway that boats go through. Really spectacular.

Friday 12th we headed back to Auckland via the West coast, which is famous for its Kauri forests. The Kauri is a tree that grows amazingly wide and tall, and we took a walk through jungley forest to see one with a trunk 5m wide. There is also an excellent museum of Kauri industry.

Saturday 13th L came with us to the Waitomo caves, where we went black-water rafting. This involves scrambling into a cave system with a river running through it, and stumbling along knee deep, or bobbing on an inner tube, in the dark. We were given wetsuits and helmets etc, but it was still very cold! Throughout the caves there are glow-worms and when the helmet lamps are turned off it is like a constellation of tiny green stars above you. It was brilliant! In the afternoon we went to Rotorua and spent the evening in the hot springs – a whole day spent in water!

Sunday 14th we toured the Rotorua geo-thermal area. This is a vast area of hot pools, geysers and weird mineral deposits and smells. After this we went zorbing. A zorb is a huge bouncy plastic ball that you get strapped into and then roll down a hill. Think hamster-ball and you have the idea! Kind of nuts but a laugh. In the afternoon L really wanted to go to a sheep show, which was very well done and I know more about sheep than I should ever need! Then L headed home and T and I continued to Lake Taupo.

Monday 15th we slept late and then headed to Palmerston North and stayed with A and L. L treated us to a fab 3 course home-cooked meal, and A stayed up drinking with us until the early hours.

Tuesday 16th we caught the ferry from Wellington to Picton on the South Island, and met up with S and L in Blenheim. This is the heart of the wine region, and is very picturesque with vineyards and mountains.

Wednesday 17th S and L joined us on a gourmet wine tour. This involved in-depth wine estate visits, with explanations of wine and champagne making, and a fascinating wine-tasting introduction. We also had a superb meal at a wine estate included. It was a lovely day!

Thursday 18th we joined S and L for a boat trip through the Marlborough Sounds and lunch in Havelock – the mussel capital, and then parted from them and headed to the Abel Tasman national park. This is famous for hiking and kayaking.

Friday 19th we spent the day kayaking in the Abel Tasman, past cliffs and pristine beaches on clear calm sea. It was glorious, and I would love to go back and spend a week doing it!

Sat 20th we headed down the West coast to the glaciers, hoping to do a heli-hike. This would have involved taking a helicopter ride onto the glacier, and then a hike into ice caves. Unfortunately it was raining buckets, and didn’t stop, so we had to give up on that idea.

Sun 21st we drove on in the rain down the west coast. We caught a couple of glimpses of the coast, which is spectacular with rugged cliffs and wild black-sand beaches. We stopped at a salmon farm for lunch – yum! Then inland over the mountain range, and miraculously left all the rain behind. It was a stunning drive through mountains and along lakes to Lake Wanaka where we spent the night.

Mon 22nd we headed to Queenstown, with a stop at the Puzzle House, which has lots of optical illusions and a 3-d maze. In one of the rooms everything is tilted, and you stagger around like a drunkard! We got to Queenstown at midday, and met up with J, S and their daughter L who is one year old. We stayed with them for the next few days, and it was really good to stay in one place for a while and have some home cooking!

Tue 23rd we slept late for the first time in ages, and then did a tour of the local wine estates with J and L. It was a lovely relaxing laid-back day after all the travelling we had been doing.

Wed 24th I took a daytrip to Doubtful Sound. This is a fjord in the South West of the South Island, and is awe-inspiring. Most people go to Milford Sound, but Doubtful Sound is being kept as a non-commercial wilderness, and is completely untouched. We were the only boat in the fjord, and there were no shops or anything like that. It is extremely dramatic with cliffs plunging into the sea, and tall islands looming up from the dark water. The weather was a bit wet, but it only added to the atmosphere with mist and thundering waterfalls. T didn’t fancy the trip, and instead slept late, spent time in a flotation tank, had a massage, and browsed around town. I got back just in time to join them all for dinner, and then us girls went on a pub-crawl. At 2am I was shattered, having caught the bus at 7am that morning, so I turned in. T and J got home after 4am - much the worse for wear!

Thursday 25th T and I went jet boating on the Shotover River. This is very exciting, as the boats have a draught of about 30cm and can spin 360 deg in amazingly shallow water. They have very good manoeuvrability, and can speed at a canyon wall turning away at the last moment! It was pretty thrilling. Then T went back to bed, and I went out for a walk. I ended up climbing the mountain behind Queenstown, up to the gondola station. At the top is quite a large complex, with restaurants, shops, luge, paragliding and bungee. I sent the girls a text to say where I was and had lunch. Then since I hadn’t heard from them I went tandem paragliding, which was quite a rush! I caught the gondola back up the mountain and watched a short film on New Zealand, bought some souvenirs, and did a bungee jump. Yes, me! I still can’t believe I did it, and I have never been so scared, and it took me 5 minutes to jump off, and I will never do it again! I was still shaking several hours later when I got back to J’s to find the girls only just recovered from their hangovers. They listened to me babble on about it while I glugged back a couple of bottles of wine and then I suddenly went to bed at 10! Wow. Nothing compares!

Friday 26th we flew back to Auckland where L picked us up and we wandered about central Auckland for a bit shopping and snacking, then we bought some seafood from the most amazing fresh fish market and had a quiet night in.

And on Sat 27th we flew home, and I finally stumbled through my front door at 8:30am on Sunday after 25+ hours travelling. I somehow managed to stay awake until 7pm, and had the most delightful nights sleep for weeks. It is so good to be back in my own bed! I’m still a bit jetlagged, but nearly back to normal.

New Zealand is beautiful, and the people are lovely. I would love to go back and do some of the amazing hiking and kayaking, as I have barely skimmed the surface of what is there. It’s definitely an option as a place to live – watch this space!

I’ve tried to keep the letter from being too long, but there was just too much to tell! If you’ve read this far, well done ;-).

Old News - Newsletter February 2004

Well, here we are Feb already. This year is starting to speed up, and it is now only 4 weeks until my New Zealand holiday in March. I can't wait! I haven't had a holiday since October, and I'm feeling a little tired. T and I will be spending 3 weeks traveling across the North and South islands, visiting old friends along the way. We've roughed out an itinerary, but plan to keep things flexible in case we decide to stay on somewhere or skip a place.

The NZ trip is going to swallow most of my leave this year, but I should have enough over to squeeze in a couple of short hols this year too. If anyone fancies inviting me along to play gooseberry on their holidays, that'd be fine! I don't mind paying single supplements... bear me in mind for skiing trips next winter too ;-). I'm definitely hoping to go diving this year anyway, as it has been way too long since I last went.

We have a major release of our product happening on Monday, so things are slightly stressed at work. Not too bad though, and we haven't had to work weekends this time. We have a new Dev manager who seems to have his head screwed on right, and deadlines are much better than last year. I'm still happy here anyway, and got a little pay increase last month... just enough to cover the bank lending rate increase - drat!

Speaking of debts, my house is pretty much at a state where I can leave the decorating for now. There are some bits to finish painting, and I need new curtains, but it's really finished for this year. Next year I may replace the kitchen, but we shall see. I am now turning my attention to the gardens, and have a chap coming this month to take out the cypress trees in the back garden before any birds nest in them. The trees are too big for the little back garden, and block all the light, so have to go. This year I will probably just knock the lawns into shape, as I can't afford the landscaping I want (can you "landscape" something the size of most South African's driveways? I wonder.)

Spring is coming - the days are getting longer at last. The weather is doing its usual mad late-winter thing, with snow last week and up to 16deg this week! Never a dull moment. I have had a load of purple crocuses come up in my window boxes, and they are lovely! There are about 4 other layers of bulbs in there, which should come up at monthly intervals ;-).

I haven't been doing much walking with my rambling group, although I have decided to start attending again in spite of my ex. I average one walk a month I suppose, although I've been out walking on my own a few times too. I have been having fun exploring the area, and have discovered some really good walks starting from my house (and ending at a pub of course).

This coming weekend I may go for a walk on Saturday (depending on how big Friday night gets - the dept is going out together), and on Sunday my friend Kat and I plan to go for a "snowdrop walk" at one of the local estates who open their grounds in Feb to the public. It's supposed to be a clear cold weekend, and it will be nice to be outside.

Next weekend I have R and her family coming for Sunday lunch and to show off my house. The weekend after that I'm visiting T and J in London, and the weekend after that I'm visiting R and S in Hertford. Then off to NZ! whoohoo.

Old News - Newsletter December 2003

I am very settled into my new home, and most of the decorating is complete, although I still seem to spending plenty of money on it! I went ahead with a new bathroom last month, and I am thrilled with the results – very light and clean and classy. I have ordered new carpets for January, and have started looking at curtains… this homemaking thing is expensive but fun! I’m very happy with it anyway, and walking through the front door lifts my spirits. It’s small, but cosy and comfortable, and all MINE. Fabulous. I’m now frantically trying to finish painting the skirting boards before the new carpets come!

Work is going well, and we are busy with a new release of our main product. It’s nice to be busy for a change ;-). Things are winding down for Xmas of course, but there is still enough to make the day speed past. I’m still happy working here, and the team is great.

I’m still single, and loving it. I’ve made friends with a couple of girls from work, and some girls in my walking club, who live near me, so I have people to go for a drink with locally at last. Actually, I’ve had to avoid my walking club for a while, as my ex who belongs to it has been harassing me, and he goes on all the walks and to all the socials. Luckily there are about 7 other groups in the area that I can also walk with, so it’s not stopping me walking! I joined another group last Sunday for a 10-mile walk, and had a lovely time. (Luckily it was an easy walk, as I haven’t walked since Sicily! My dodgy knee was a bit sore the next day, but not too bad.)

This Xmas is going to be quiet, as I’m broke and all my mates seem to be busy doing family duties or are in SA. My Mom has now moved to the Isle of Mann, and I can’t afford to get there for Xmas, so we had a little early Xmas celebration before she left, with crackers and hats and all the goodies ;-). On Xmas Eve I will be joining some friends for a festive evening and sleep over, and then I plan to have a nice day at home in front of the fire recovering! I’m really looking forward to it.

Old News - Newsletter October 2003

Things have been pretty mad since my house purchase went through, and I have spent the last couple of weeks doing DIY with Mom and B. Nothing too major, just repainting and a new kitchen floor, but it is still amazing how much effort it takes! Then there is the packing, dismantling, moving etc. And the buying of furniture… this homemaking is an expensive exercise! It’s a lot of fun having a place that is all my own at last though, and being able to rip up floors or repaint ;-). I am looking into replacing the bathroom too, but that might have to wait until I have some money again! I will be moved in properly from today. My fridge and washing machine came on Tuesday, and my lounge suite comes next week. Lotsa fun! I've chosen a warm bright palette of colours for my little home, and the place feels lovely and cosy, especially as it is well below freezing most nights now.

I am single again. Things went pear-shaped with The Dour Scot in Sicily, and although I managed to make it back without breaking up (a first for me, perhaps) it was definitely on the rocks from that point, and is now over. At least it means I don’t have to go to Edinburgh for his family gathering over xmas, which I was dreading! Speaking of which, is anyone doing anything interesting at Xmas and New Year, as I might be at a loose end?

Apart from bloke difficulties Sicily was great. The weather was hot and humid, and the scenery fantastic. We spent a day walking on lava fields around Etna, and walked on the lip of a couple of craters, which are still smoking! The rest of the time was spent walking up and down mountains. Unfortunately I seem to have wrenched my knee on the first day, and it got progressively more painful with each day’s hike. I ended up only doing 3 walks out of 5, but was quite happy to go off sightseeing instead ;-).

Since then I have had a couple of dinner parties, and have spent some time with D and T who are sadly heading back to SA. We all went to Bath for a weekend, which was lovely as always. T and I have finalized our plans for New Zealand next year, and have bought our tickets for March. Hopefully I will have some funds again by then!

Mom and B are with me again at the moment, while they decide what to do next. They’ll be going to stay with B’s sister soon though, as my new home is a bit too small! In the meantime we’re having lots of fun redecorating ;-)! I get home each night to a pair of creaking and bruised people!

Old News - Newsletter September 2003

My house buying is progressing slowly. I can't wait to get into my new home and start customizing it! Of course it is autumn here so I won't be able to do much in the garden except plant bulbs and perhaps remove a large conifer that takes up most of it. I hope to move in next month, but I don't have a date yet. Then I have to get a washing machine, fridge, lounge suite... it's going to be an expensive time!

Work is ok. We are tweaking the product, which is in beta testing at the client. So things are mostly laid back, especially for me, as I don't have much to do. A bit boring in fact... there doesn't seem to be a middle ground!

The Dour Scot is still treating me well, spoiling me in fact; it's nice to be on a pedestal again after so many years ;-). We've been together for about 6 weeks now, and are still happy. I think I'm falling in love, and it's rather nice. A bit scary too after being independent for a long time, and some days I miss being selfish. Just call me fussy!

Things have been pretty busy, and I look forward to the occasional early night. I’ve had work do’s, a Lord of the Rings movie marathon at T and J’s, J and D’s housewarming, an open BBQ at The Dour Scot, R and S’s birthday river trip, C’s farewell, a couple of pub quizzes and various nights out. And there are many other people I just haven’t had a chance to see – we should remedy that ;-).

I haven't done much walking lately, as life is getting in the way. In fact, I think the last proper walk I went on was on the August bank holiday, nearly a month ago! This coming weekend I am off to Sicily with some of the walking group, including The Dour Scot, for a walking week. I'm a little worried that I'm unfit, but it looks like it is hot there so that should even things out as these Rooinekke can't handle the heat. I also plan to take a couple of days off from walking to go sightseeing, as there is some fab stuff to see... why not? It’s already paid for, so what I actually do is up to me!

The diet is going surprisingly well, considering that I don’t stick to it much and I’ve been slack with exercise! Perhaps it just keeps me in check, as I haven’t lost or gained anything over the past 4 weeks. I am now 1kg above where I finally want to be, which is fine, and I have lost a total of 5kg. My bum has shrunk the most, although it’s been an allover thing. All my trousers are now too baggy, and I’m going to have to go shopping soon ;-) hee hee.

What else? I’m slowly beginning to pack, and I’m going through cupboards doing a clearout. Although my last move was only a year ago, so there isn’t much to discard yet. I’m giving away most of my furniture as it’s too big to fit in the new home, and have found takers for most of it. My Mom should be back around the middle of next month, and I’m hoping she can find an alternative storage place for all her stuff, as I can’t keep it. I’m also hoping she’ll help me pack and move! Bleah – I am so tired of moving! This will be my eighth move in 5 years. Hopefully the last for a bit though.

Old News - Newsletter August 2003

Guess what? I am actually having an exciting life at the moment! I have a new boyfriend, and I’ve just bought a house.

In order of expense ;-), my new man is The Dour Scot. He’s 37, Scottish, an IT project manager, lives and works in Bracknell (where I currently live), has his own home and car, is just under 6 foot, blondish and blue eyed, and has a lovely strong chin. Nice bum too. But that might be more than enough info for now… We met on the walking weekend I went on recently. He’s a member of my hiking club, which is great, but not into peak bagging, which is greater. Finally, someone who walks at my level! We really seemed to click on the weekend, and since then have got along like a house on fire. This could be the real thing – hold thumbs for me!

And the house… for those of you in SA it’s not really a house, because it is attached to others. It’s something they call a back-to-back terrace, where you have a quarter of a building. I have a strip of front garden open to the road outside the lounge (where I can have flowers and bird table), and a piece of back garden which is fenced off on its own and reached down a short alley (for braais and sunbathing). On the ground floor I have a small but airy lounge with a gas fireplace, and a little kitchen with a tiny breakfast bar. On the first floor is the bathroom and bedroom with built in cupboards. All rooms face west, so I’ll get afternoon sun. It’s a lot less than I am now renting, but at least I will get onto the property ladder. In a few years time I may be able to afford something bigger. My monthly expenses will hopefully drop in the meantime, as my current rent is barely affordable.

The house is in a village called Thatcham, which is west of Reading. It’s on the same train line as my workplace in Theale, and I will be able to walk to the station. There is a direct train to London Paddington, and it is a fast trip to Reading too. It’s also right next to the Kennet and Avon Canal, so I might be able to cycle along it to work when the mood takes me (once a summer). The village centre is walkable, and has some lovely old houses and a flint church, and a good selection of shops and pubs. I have bought in a newish area, so it’s very quiet and residential, but not too many kids in my street as the houses are small.

What else? Work is incredibly boring, as we are testing and installing at the client. I have made the mistake of writing no bugs in my software, so now I have nothing but documentation to do until we start new work. Bleah.

I have not been exercising much lately, as we had a bit of a heatwave (broke the UK record of 37deg or something). I am hiking more than usual though ;-). The diet is all over the place as my social life picks up, but I lost 2kg on the walking weekend and have been holding steady since – I am now 2kg off my goal weight! I started a jigsaw a couple of weeks ago, and haven’t touched it since, or watched any TV. The moment I get some free time I will have a bash at sketching again… or try and finish the book I started over a week ago.

Old News - Newsletter July 2003

Work is starting to come back to normal now, and we’re cutting back on the weekend work, so I am more inclined to boot up my PC when I get home and catch up on correspondence. So I’ll be writing back to those sweet souls who have been mailing into the void – and chasing up those who’ve as been as bad as me!

I have also balanced my budget on aforementioned PC for the first time in a month, and remembered why I normally do it more often. Last month got completely out of hand! I will be starting August in the red, and will have to curtail my London visits for a bit – wah! I have the next couple of weekends organised to go away too, which doesn’t help the budget either. Sigh – it’s going to be a long month. If anyone fancies visiting me for a cheap dinner or barbeque, c’mon over! I’ll even throw in a nice country walk for free. Or bring your cozzie and sunbathe in my pretty garden – sound good? You know you want to!

Next weekend I am heading to France with J and T to pick up booze and go to a cheese festival. They have friends near Liseux, with whom we will be staying. I’m really looking forward to it. The weekend after that I am going away with my walking club to the Wye Valley. We’ll be walking on the Saturday, followed by a medieval dinner in an old castle converted to a YHA!

As I mentioned, work is calming down. We missed the deadline, so I don’t know the bonus story. Seeing as I not yet ever received a bonus in my working life (unless you count redundancy payments), this does really affect me much as I wasn’t exactly banking on it. It would probably have only gone into the House fund anyway. Yes, that’s right, I’m thinking of launching into real debt for the first time later this year. I finally feel secure enough in my job, and settled enough in the UK, to think of buying property. Very scarey! Of course I can only afford a tiny place, but at least it will be mine.

What else? I’ve got the diet back on track (with the spectacular exception of this last weekend!), started exercising again, done a little sketching and finished Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I hope to get back into book reading, as I’ve become a little too hooked on TV. My Mom has been gone for just over a week, and I’ve almost remembered how to cook and clean again!

Still nothing on the boyfriend front, but I’m starting to get restless. I think the hermit phase might be drawing to a close, although I’m determined to be ultra-picky with the next one. So don’t hold your breath, as I haven’t seen anything worth perving lately, never mind to take home!

Old News - Newsletter July 2003

The past few weeks have been kinda hectic in a very uninteresting way. We are approaching our live deadline for the project at work, and everyone is working long hours and weekends. I have worked through the last two weekends, which makes it 19 days working without a break now. And some of the guys have missed more weekends than that! I don’t know how they do it. I am very glad I had such a relaxing holiday recently, as I am knackered in spite of it! There was a large bonus riding on us meeting a deadline last Monday, and as far as I can tell we missed it. So now they’ve moved the money incentive to the live date in 3 weeks time. This means we are expected to continue to work unpaid overtime until then… sigh. The worst part is that I really don’t have that much to do – my sections are finished or still untested, so I don’t even have bugfixing to do. I am picking up bugs to fix for other people, which is pretty deadly. In spite of this I am still expected to work late, and there are mutterings if I leave on time. Not a happy bunch at the mo – it’s going to be a long 3 weeks!

We’ve been given this weekend off (big whoop), and I am catching up with as many people as possible. I haven’t seen any of my mates since before Turkey! I’ve decided it doesn’t matter if I’m tired at work at the moment, and I’ll be trying to see people after work during the week as weekends are a bit of a mess. Who’s free?

Mom and B are still with me. They went to Spain for a week recently to give me some space – unfortunately in the week I was working very late – but I still had a breather! As the housekeeper market is proving a bit tough, and will be closing down completely over the summer, they are considering going to SA for a few months to eke out their money while being out of my hair. I don’t have a mother; I have a yoyo.

Well, no other news as I have done nothing but work since my last email. Booooring! My diet is shelved, my exercise doesn’t happen, I haven’t touched a sketchpad in months, and I can’t make the weekend hikes. Make that boring and fat! Whenever we work late we get free takeaways – I have eaten more junk food in the last 3 weeks than I did in the last 3 years!

Old News - Newsletter June 2003

I have just come back after a week in Turkey, sailing along the South West coast. Just me and 6 other single strangers, lolling in the sun, swimming in the sea and generally chilling out. It was lovely, and I strongly recommend it for a break in the sun. I did get a little restless after a couple of days though, and I probably would have preferred just a couple of days on the boat, and some more time spent sightseeing inland… but that’s just me! There are very few beaches, as the coast is extremely mountainous and plunges straight down into the sea, so I was limited to the boat most of the time.

I was very lucky with my boatload. The average age was 50, and there was no one I really clicked with, but they were very nice people. 3 other women and 3 men - all very independent, but not too pushy. No romances on board, although the other women seemed to be setting a pulling record with the locals and tourists. Not my scene, but fun to watch! The Brits deserve their reputation!

My day generally consisted of breakfast (fresh bread and honey, olives, cheese and salad), then an hour or two of sunbathing, a swim in the sea, then reading my book in the shade of an awning and a snooze before lunch (yummy traditional fare with lots of rice, bread, couscous and salad). More swimming and snorkelling and snoozing in the shade before having a shower before dinner (freshly caught fish, or barbequed kebabs, and more rice and salad). Several beers and a few games of backgammon, then stretching out in a sleeping bag on deck for some philosophical chat and falling asleep under the most amazing sky. Very sweet.

We were also in harbour for three nights, and then we’d go bar-hopping after dinner. I wasn’t wearing a watch and was startled to realise one night that I’d been dancing until 4am! I sure haven’t done that in a while! The next day I was not very well, but seeing that things were not demanding it was ok ;-). I found the Turkish to be very friendly and polite, and I felt perfectly safe wandering around town alone at the crack of dawn. I would not choose to stay in a resort town, but it’s very lively if you’re in the mood!

On two days I had the opportunity to head inland for a bit of sightseeing. I went to see a stunning deep gorge with meltwater gushing below a precarious walkway suspended from the cliff wall. On another day I went to see some famous mudbaths, where you immerse yourself in glutinous mud, let it dry, shower and then soak in a revolting sulphur bath. I’m pretty sure it is a conspiracy to see what tourists will do if you tell them it’s traditional!

That is the first holiday I have ever taken on my own. I quite enjoyed it, although it was a little lonely at times. It would have been nice to have someone to gossip about the others with! On the other hand I was completely free to do what I wanted to do, in my own time. Pretty cool. Now I’m itching to see Istanbul!

At home things are a little unsettled. My Mom has quit her job in the Dales and moved in with me, bringing her boyfriend B. It’s a longish story, but effectively he’d sold his house and was going to move in with her in the housekeepers flat, when the owners suddenly decided the staff have to be single! Seeing as the butler has had his girlfriend and their children living with him for the last six months this was a bit rich! Mom and B are now looking for work as a couple, and hopefully will be back on their feet soon. There is a rumour of a post in the Lake District, which would be nice! Luckily B and I get on OK, but it is still a little trying to have others in my little home. Although the cooking, washing, ironing, mowing etc is all getting done!

My routine has been suspended for the time being. I’m in Buffy withdrawal! Mom and B are going to be away for a week soon, and I plan to watch as many episodes as possible while they’re gone! And maybe do some more sketching – I actually sat down and did a bit a couple of weeks ago. One was stunning, and the next not great, but I am gaining confidence.

I went along to a club walk a few weeks ago, bit it was a bit of a disaster! I’d given blood the day before, and it was just like trying to hike at high altitude. Except that at high altitude everyone else is also struggling! After the first hill I was seeing spots with my lungs were on fire, so I gave up and turned back. I actually had a fair walk, as we had taken a lift to the start, and the cars were about 4 miles away. At least it was flat. I also met a lost chap who’d been at an open-air all-night rave nearby and had missed his lift home. He was walking to the nearest train station 10 miles away, so I gave him a lift once we reached my car. It was nice to have someone to walk with anyway!