The next day... Year!
Gosh! How on earth did I leave posting here for such a long time. I'm sorry!!
Well, I guess the last post was a little terrible really and I was in no mood to wax eloquent so I guess the space between is justified. In my mind anyway.
December, January & February in a nutshell (I seem to do this each year - write a synopsis for the Dec, Jan & Feb, discuss) well. Here goes:
December was far less mental than the lead up to Christmas 2002. I made a decision that I was not going to fret, freak out or panic buy simply because the shops closed for 2 days!! I enjoyed the German markets, the mulled wine and the constant aroma of frying bratwurst and cinnamon than permeated the air in Manchester city centre for the entire month. I have to say I was very sad to see the market's pack up and leave on December 21. Christmas time was lovely and quite with Edith (mum-in-law) gracing us with her presence for Christmas Eve, Day and Boxing Day morning. We shuffled her off after breakfast on Boxing Day so Ian and I could enjoy our one and only day together before he went back to work. And you know what? I can't remember what on earth it was we did...
NYE was a quite one with our good friends James & PJ. Quiet because PJ was due to give birth to their first daughter on New Year's Day so we took in the doco-drama 'Touching the Void' (if you've not seen it - see it), a curry and a bottle of champagne. Good company is all one needs for a good night out methinks.
January rushed in and before I knew it I was at Stepping Hill Hospital with the aforementioned James & PJ standing in as their 'birthing partner'. I won't go into details but let's just say that after 18 harrowing hours Trinity Margaret Mack joined us and has made our lives a brighter place in the depths of another northern winter.
February is now over - a fact I'm still processing - and our much awaiting two week holiday in Andalusia was upon us! I had been planning this trip for months and months for Ian's 40th birthday and it lived up to our expectations. I see now that part of my utter fed-up-ness with all things UK was a desperate need to feel the sun on my face. We basked in temperatures racing into the early 20's (c) and actually saw the sun high in the sky - for this Aussie it was almost orgasmic! Until I saw the ocean ... Or should I say 'oceans' for we drove down to Tarifa, the southern most tip of Spain (Europe I think if you don't count Malta) where the Med Sea and Atlantic ocean meet. Magical...
March is here and today is the first day of what in Australia would be Autumn. The seasons are not split that way here in the UK but in my head it is Spring for there are blossoms on the trees in our backyard, the magnolia tree a few doors down is slowly flowering and the days are drawing out. I can't tell you the thrill I get when I leave the office of an evening and the sky is hanging on to the light. God I need a trip to Melbourne - now!
I read my brother's blog yesterday and was shamed into updating mine in the hope that I can, once again, keep a daily (weekly?) record of my time here in the motherland. Maybe my kids will one day find it interesting. Maybe.
Listening to: A self made compilation which I title Kitchen MusicCD, it is a kind of soundtrack to my life.
Reading: The Subtle Knife, Philip Pullman
Well, I guess the last post was a little terrible really and I was in no mood to wax eloquent so I guess the space between is justified. In my mind anyway.
December, January & February in a nutshell (I seem to do this each year - write a synopsis for the Dec, Jan & Feb, discuss) well. Here goes:
December was far less mental than the lead up to Christmas 2002. I made a decision that I was not going to fret, freak out or panic buy simply because the shops closed for 2 days!! I enjoyed the German markets, the mulled wine and the constant aroma of frying bratwurst and cinnamon than permeated the air in Manchester city centre for the entire month. I have to say I was very sad to see the market's pack up and leave on December 21. Christmas time was lovely and quite with Edith (mum-in-law) gracing us with her presence for Christmas Eve, Day and Boxing Day morning. We shuffled her off after breakfast on Boxing Day so Ian and I could enjoy our one and only day together before he went back to work. And you know what? I can't remember what on earth it was we did...
NYE was a quite one with our good friends James & PJ. Quiet because PJ was due to give birth to their first daughter on New Year's Day so we took in the doco-drama 'Touching the Void' (if you've not seen it - see it), a curry and a bottle of champagne. Good company is all one needs for a good night out methinks.
January rushed in and before I knew it I was at Stepping Hill Hospital with the aforementioned James & PJ standing in as their 'birthing partner'. I won't go into details but let's just say that after 18 harrowing hours Trinity Margaret Mack joined us and has made our lives a brighter place in the depths of another northern winter.
February is now over - a fact I'm still processing - and our much awaiting two week holiday in Andalusia was upon us! I had been planning this trip for months and months for Ian's 40th birthday and it lived up to our expectations. I see now that part of my utter fed-up-ness with all things UK was a desperate need to feel the sun on my face. We basked in temperatures racing into the early 20's (c) and actually saw the sun high in the sky - for this Aussie it was almost orgasmic! Until I saw the ocean ... Or should I say 'oceans' for we drove down to Tarifa, the southern most tip of Spain (Europe I think if you don't count Malta) where the Med Sea and Atlantic ocean meet. Magical...
March is here and today is the first day of what in Australia would be Autumn. The seasons are not split that way here in the UK but in my head it is Spring for there are blossoms on the trees in our backyard, the magnolia tree a few doors down is slowly flowering and the days are drawing out. I can't tell you the thrill I get when I leave the office of an evening and the sky is hanging on to the light. God I need a trip to Melbourne - now!
I read my brother's blog yesterday and was shamed into updating mine in the hope that I can, once again, keep a daily (weekly?) record of my time here in the motherland. Maybe my kids will one day find it interesting. Maybe.
Listening to: A self made compilation which I title Kitchen MusicCD, it is a kind of soundtrack to my life.
Reading: The Subtle Knife, Philip Pullman
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