Enmore & more...

Bring on December

2007-11-24T18:36:00.000-08:00

Back from St Andrews
A day at home to repack.
Off to Bruges, Belgium - WLS/RNY
Home for peace and quiet
Relaxing whilst everybody else is rushing around, frantically before Christmas,
like headless chickens...
Christmas carols...
Daughter away for her birthday.
Hibernating...

November decides

2007-11-24T18:31:00.001-08:00

WLS decided, booked and deposited.... No looking back!
Work, friends, time with relatives...
My son's 21st, the other's graduation...
Dealing with bicycle theft claim...
My niece's visit for a long week-end.
91st birthday celebration.
St Andrews for my nephew's graduation.
Meeting friends.
Packing, unpacking, repacking, laundry, ironing, mending...
Reading horoscopes,
continuing to research WLS
Nothing worthwhile is achieved without a struggle...
Bring on December!

Many new directions with October

2007-11-24T18:26:00.000-08:00

Trip to Biarritz with my husband / a good break after my bereavement.
But more importantly "togetherness", just the two of us, quietly alone, doing what we would like,
for us, with each other... Very comforting and refreshing..

WLS? Back to the computer and continued research... Discussing it with my children.

A trip to Paris - on the perfume trail for a theme with a dear girlfriend
Shopping ad infinitum! Bliss... Good to be back soaking in France and all things French..
Missed it!
Birthdays, obligations, work, making up for lost time, planning my future, setting the world to right..
feeling great! on a roll!

New horizons to consider during September

2007-11-24T18:22:00.000-08:00

WLS?! Preoccupies all my thoughts, keeps me glued to the laptop researching options...
Becoming very knowledgeable.
Serious consideration.
Sibling and nephew visit

August

2007-11-24T18:19:00.000-08:00

Arrange for the division of the estate and the move of the legacy.
Packing, packing, packing and still packing...
Visit friends
Finish off with my brothers and their families. Felt good.

July

2007-11-24T18:16:00.000-08:00

drive from UK to South Sweden...
50th birthday "celebration" with my marital and maiden families - great reunion
Up to Stockholm for a wonderful funeral
Clearing the flat and preparing it for sale
Drive home to UK with my husband (the children dripped home one after the other...)
Deal with practicalities at home, having been away nearly one month...

But then came June....

2007-11-24T18:08:00.000-08:00

Back from my wonderful days in Oslo...
Visit from my niece, staying with me. Full programme and great company.
When she returned to Stockholm, I called my Mother.
Mother had had a fall that day, but nevertheless we managed 47 minutes of non-stop talking of events that had occurred in the last week, dissecting every morsel and all in all it was a very good conversation.
Later that day, I received a 'phone call from my brother informing me that Mother was hospitalised, in a coma, as a result of that fall.
Caught the last seat on the last 'plane that same day. Arrived 2am at her bedside. Lived for one week with Mother in her hospital room. Doctors, nurses and staff were exemplary.
One week after the fall, no Mother any more - 89 years was fair innings, but she was MY Mother! And I miss her...
Ensued an intense 3 days of immediate clearing up of her home.. then home to my family...

February, March, April, May

2007-11-24T18:06:00.000-08:00

So, retroactively, the months have flown by...
May I went to Oslo, Norway and spent wonderful days again with my dear, dear friend of 40 years...
After this all becomes a big rush and the speed my Life takes on from then is unrivalled in the last few years...

2 birthdays in one day...

2007-02-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

19th February 2007. Two of my neighbours, both across the road celebrate their birthdays today: A is 4 and Jess is 18. Can't believe J is "that old" already, having lived here "way before" she was even considered! To think that my baby Din grew up with her all those years ago! How boring!

A&S returned to their seaside university town this afternoon, after a good pub lunch and a proper, grown-up conversation. Thrilled! And Din was in the dog house this morning and again this evening! Ah parenting! It gets harder the older they are!

Am seeking a nice hotel for J's birthday celebration. We were thinking of getting out of London for a breather and to mark time. Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire? My favourite counties. Dinner needs to be equally considered - a main element of the whole celebration!

Snatching time here and there to continue knitting a scarf that will hardly be used before the end of the year. Now I am only keen to getting done with it so that I can indulge in my next project, whatever that will be.

Off to Canon tomorrow to take both my video camera and my digital camera for repair. I will miss them both! I hate things being broken but am keen to fix them wherever possible. Am downloading updates for 3 laptops, filtering spam, virus checking and generally maintaining all three (E's, Din's and mine). Family technician! Implementing a new genealogy programme on my .Mac.

Ironing, baked potato for lunch, dog walk (had to shower them both on Saturday!), letter writing and scanning 40 photographs for a new book project, a little booklet on a friend's painting achievements. I look forward to preparing the alternative biography!

Wonder how mother is doing now that I have left her for over a week. She was pretty tired when I left and no doubt she is recovering slowly.

So long for now!

Over and done

2007-02-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

Transporting the food proved no problem at all. Self-service E-ticket check-in at Heathrow dispensed a luggage label which I promptly stuck onto my red bag and took over to baggage drop. S reckoned it weighed about 26 kilos (3 more than allowed) but the hostess did not blink, so therefore nor did I. Weighed my empty roll-on hand luggage, decided to use that instead and left S to go home with an empty bag, perfectly carrying off his role. Miss him already.

The food arrived intact and the birthday cake in 99% perfect condition. The problem is - there is no cake left, but mother was extremely pleased with it. So, the whole event is "over and done" with... The family gathering was a success, the lady looked lovely and all is happy family, ever after...

Pandora's Box

2007-02-03T01:48:00.000-08:00

Box into box into box... of sorts!
I bought at Marks & Spencers a dozen one portioned ready meals (doll sized!) to take to my mother who is not keen on cooking and appreciates encouragement. I put all those little boxes in a purpose acquired "blanket" plastic box with a secure lid. It all started out my needing sturdy packing for transporting my mother's birthday cake in my suitcase...
The blanket box filled with chicken casseroles, shepherd's pies and chicken korma, spent the night outside in lieu of the fridge (added bonus we had frost overnight!).
Now I am about to put this container, the size of a writing desk drawer, into my suitcase, having lined it with t-shirts and other soft items. Another few items of clothing on top, a few pairs of shoes on the sides and hey presto, the packing is secured.
Now, how about customs?! I have to get the wretched suitcase to Stockholm from London! Ah, only I could complicate Life like this! a bit of a challenge!
More upon arrival!

Friday

2007-02-01T18:17:00.000-08:00

laundry, ironing, packing, shopping and packing. Hand luggage is another story.
Dog walking. Baked potato and salad for lunch.
Last business: papers, 'phone calls, payments...
sit back and relax with S and E. Din will be off to chuch for choir rehearsal before dashing to the pub and more with her usual crowd. 18 already, believe it or not!

Countdown

2007-02-01T18:01:00.000-08:00

Way past my bedtime but it is during the night that I come to life!

A lot of unrelated thoughts have gathered in the last 24 hours, as if the ingredients available for as yet an unknown recipe. Now I am looking for something suitable to use most of these thoughts. The problem is that I am not a good cook!...

In Richmond Park today, S and I came across a lost, colarless pit/staffordshire bull terrier, which I temporarily named "Brad"! What else! Accidentally I called the police but once they heard my story were very bored and pretty much ignored my attempt to report this wandering dog... Just imagine if it had been one of my own! In all the excitement of their exercise, Lulah and Billy dashed into a couple of generous puddles - I washed their collars and leads in the washing machine and dried them beautifuly in the tumble dryer.

Countdown is how I organise my time prior to my trip to Stockholm to visit my mother for her 89th birthday. It has been so warm here (12 degrees) that I suppose Stockholm will hold its relative share of weather discomforts, hence a new outlook on packing requirements...

I need to get the birthday cake, chicken korma, tights, hot water bottles, Canadian Whiskey, a good notebook, various medicines, lotions and potions... I'll bring mother a few books too, a few sweaters and needless to write, my laptop and camera. So, I am in planning mode and breaking down time available. Still desperate to sit back and advance on my new knitting!

Good night for now!
M