Thats more than lucky

I am without doubt the luckiest girl in the world.

I have two parents, one who when I was a teenager was fantastic. He was everything that a stroppy argumentative horrible teenager could want. Not to say the other one wasnt...we just didnt 'get' each other.

Now with me pretending to be a grown-up the positions are reversed. I recieve unlimeted unconditional love and support from the parent that I now 'get'.

She married a man who loves her enormously, as she does him. He had to take on three step grown-up children and a grandchild who is very noisy. He does it, unsuprisingly brilliantly.

He obviously isnt a blood relation, and I have only known him properly for about 7 years. But he has offered me something that just blows me away with the kindness, love and support he is offering me and my daughter. In a time that shows the type of man that he is.

I dont know what my mother, brothers, daughter and I did to deserve such a man.

Thank you G.J.

lybxx

Someone else started this!!!

I have just read 'hoping to be a hippy's' blog. In it he mentioned what he would do if he ruled the world. I wanted to run with that idea.....

For a long time I have had this idea, I promised people that I wouldn't go on about it when I began my degree (which is in criminology) but then I found out that Plato....(who ROCKS!!) thought the same thing, and wrote about it on several occations.

You know Australia....and they transported criminals and prostitutes and the insame there.....and then there was Alcatraz....well I think its a great idea!!

You would have (when I rule the world!!) murderers, (not the i've come home and found the missus doing the milkman and so killed him,) paedophiles and rapists on this island. they would be chain ganged and they would work the land. Harrold Shipman (if he were still alive!) could be the doctor....you wouldnt want any diabetics on the island would you?!
The army would run it. anyone trying to escape gets shot in the leg.....then Harrold can sort you out! ...no 'ologists'...no T.V. and you're there till you die.

Now, having nearly finnished my second year of my degree, I have to say that my opinion has not changed a great deal.

Rehabilitation works. No doubt about it. I can back this up with facts and statistics, and there are people that agencies within the criminal justice system that can be helped.

But there are others that cant be.

And that is why Plato and I agree on 'island life'


lybxx

www.communities

'Oldest-friend' and I had a conversation the other day about communities within www.

We both have blogs (obviously) and people leave comments about what we have written. We both said how much of a community feel it has, and how everyone who reads the blog now comments on each others comments and so the feeling of community is getting bigger. I have people reading my blog that I have never met, (see you at the house warming!!) and am delighted to read what they have written, (heaven only knows what they think of me)....and do they know me better than someone who has met me a couple of times and formed an instant oppinion of me, because they cant see me, only read what I have written? .....honestly, I dont really care, I like it that I am part of a little gang of 'bloggites' !!!

Have a fantastic weekend!!

Lybxx

Can you feel it?

Can you feel it?

Spring is here...definantly, you can smell it, see it and hear it!

I went into my garden yesterday and everything is growing, which is fantastic, little buds appearing and bulbs are flowering and the grass needs cutting.
The sky is so blue, it makes you want to go to dulux and say 'I want this colour'
And my mum and I...actually and Laa-Laa, say we can smell spring, which may sound odd...particually if you live in city..but you can....and I love it.

It's time (essays permitting) to get out there...into the garden and grow things. I had an allotment last year, and grew everything I could get my hands on, and it tasted like nothing else I have ever eaten, probably because I had watered, loved and weeded it myself. This year might be a little different, but with Alans help (lovely Alan!) I shall 'grow my own' in containers.

Its so exciting!!!

lybxx

Reality

Is what is said to you, what you hear? (I feel like SJP starting like that!! grin)

It is a trueism that if a situation happens in front of 5 people then there are 5 different, sometimes very different versions of what happened.
There are situations that cannot be misunderstood, because what you see, hear or experiance is so clear that it burns into your brain and you never forget it. There are also situation that you read into whatever you want to, so that you dont actually get the true meaning of them.

I am a big fan of the truth, as previously mentioned in the K.I.S.S. blog, the Font Of Great Wisdom, and Giver of Great Advise, is also. He says that if you know the truth then you can go from there. And I agree. Where you go, and how you deal with it are choices only you can make.
Life choices and decisions are so individual and personal. Where you go and how you get there is different for everyone.

Thinking about all this makes me want my road to be slightly uneven but mostly smooth and have flowers trees and water running beside it. And to have people to chat to as I make the journey.

lybxx

Monday afternoons.

I have a cleaner. I have had her for the length of time I have been at uni. She is utterly marvelous and I would do alot to keep her. She cleans, irons and generaly sorts my messy house out.

Monday afternoons are really lovely. She comes during the day on monday and sometimes I see her, and sometimes not.
Then when I come back from uni, you can smell what she has done before you see it. It is just fantastic. My house looks like it should, not like it usually does, and order is restored.

I can justify having her in any number of ways, I can afford to pay for her (and sometimes even if I couldnt , I still think I would keep her!!) I am a busy mother/friend/student, who wants to sit with wine, not race about with the iron when I have any time that is not already allocated to something else, but most of all, I like it.
I hate ironing. Really hate it, and am really bad at it, the general cleaning is ok....no-one really likes it (unless your one of my friends that wont be mentioned by name...but she really really likes cleaning....very odd!) but it has to be done. My cleaner does the bits no-one likes doing, the cobwebs, the kitchen floor, the skirting boards etc....

Obviously I am not going to offer her a payrise, but if she demanded it, I would very easily give in, but being a kind and generous soul, I am sure she will never put me in that position.

....lets hope she doesnt read this, and use it against me!!!!


lybxx

Firsts.

You know when you have split up with someone that you have had a reasonable length relationship with. And the 'love' word was used alot. ...what is the acceptable length of time taken to want to experiance 'firsts' again?

If the relationship broke up, not because of someone overtly cheating physicaly, but because of apathy from one side towards the other.....does it take like the old addage 'a month for every year you were together?' .....old sayings are great, they are there because there is truth in them. Is there in this one?

I dont know. All I can say is I have learnt from the past. And now want a little bit of the future. Not immediately, but I am ready to concider the possibilities.

I know absolutly what I dont want in someone. And I also know what kind of things I do want. Strength. Humour. Passion. Confidence. Old fashioned values. An enormous heart. Kindness. Truth. The ability to dance. Being able to hold their own in conversation. Being able to have a conversation. And physicaly a huge smile, rugby player thighs (!) and to be tall, really tall.

Please send anyone fitting this description to me...... I would be delighted to see them!!

lybxx

poorly pingger

I had a lovely time this weekend. I took Small to her riding lesson on friday with Stinky in the boot, mum had said she would 'granny-sit' them both while I went clubbing with friends. ..Small had a great lesson and was really brave when she took a tumble, and rode really well.

Then my mum took them both away!!!!

I drove with my music on really loud to the hotel we were staying in, and jumped out when I got there too a huge vodka or 3, a shower, a lovely meal and fantastic friends. ..We danced until 3am, I have to admit to 'flexing my flirt mustle' ! But at 3am we had sore feet, were very hot and actually had had enough!...us all being the 'other' side of 30!!

I was inside Blade's stable by 10.30!!!! ...and without a hangover!!! he was really pleased to see me...he licked my face from chin to top of my head (which was great in the love stakes, but actually really discusting and a little scarey, as I wasnt entirely convinced he wasnt going to bite me!!) As he is on box rest, and going for little walks so his tendon isnt made any worse, but he is kept mobile I thought I would take him out. Big mistake. Huge.

He turned into the horse from hell. He grew about 3 hands taller immediatly on leaving his box, and looked like the stallian from Shrek 2. Prancing around tail akimbo, snorting, farting and cantering on the spot. We, and I use the term loosely, 'walked' for about 15 minutes, and there wasnt a second of it that he behaved!! I lost it at him in the end, just after he reared up really high, narrowly missing my face with his feet, before landing a spinning around away from me.(very proud of the fact that I didnt let go, but spun round with him shouting 'whatthebloody***kinghelldoyouthinkyourdoing?' )
My finger somehow got caught up in the genral disaster and immediatly started to hurt. By the time I 'put' (!) Blade back in his stable it hurt really quite alot.

I drove the 2 minutes to my mums to pick up Stinky and Small thinking 'ow'. Mum took one look and wanted me to go to A&E. I didnt think I needed to so we strapped it up and mum fed me, and then convinced me to stay the night .... I really didnt need any convincing....
We all had the best 24 hours, Mum really looked after me, and I had forgotten how much I like it!! My finger today is very bruised but not as sore as it was yesterday.....

So all in all despite having a poorly pingger, I had a perfect mix of Friends Horses and Family this weekend. Excelent. Thoughily enjoyed it!!!

lybxx

posting

I was going to write a post today, but have been beaten to it.....

All those of you that can... please see 'oldest friends' blog

All those of you that cant...well I'm sorry, your missing out on

A) a very well written, insightful, humorous blog written by 'oldest friend' set in the 1950's(!) with lots of awesome photography and prose that makes you think.

B) the opportunity to find out why I'm crying!!! (its good crying mum!!)


lybxx

K.I.S.S.

I was told today at work that I gave good advise. There is a situation there involving staff that mostly everyone is uncomfortable with. A member of staff came to me and was letting off steam about it.

So I said nothing.

I kept saying nothing for quite a while, just making encouraging noises to let her know that I was listening and agreeing with the bits I agreed with, but letting her find her own answers to the problem that she had.

When she had run out of steam and had found the majority of answers for herself, she asked what I thought, and what should she do. So I told her. In a sentance. (I'm like that!)

She told me repeatedly what good advise it was, and kept saying it till we had to leave to go home.....which is great, and I'm glad I could help, but what really annoyed me was it wasnt my advise....it was advise given to me a long time ago by G.C.D. ...which is really really annoying because if he knew that I had passed on these words of wisdom and others had got something out of it he'd be so bloody chuffed and he'd be all chest puffed out making 'you owe me a beer' noises.

I'm sure you have all heard the advise he gave me, and that I now pass on when I think it may help to others

K(eep) I(t) S(imple) S(tupid)

Its easy, good advise. Once you have taken away all 'the stuff' around a problem, and have really got to the bones of it, you can mostly sort it out.

So thank you G.C.D. for the advise, and I am sooooo not telling you that once again I have passed on something you said to me to someone else and it has helped!.........you can buy your own pint!

lybxx

nothing to say?

I realised today that its been a while since I wrote anything here...its not that i dont have anything to say, its that I am having too much fun to sit and organise my thoughts and write them down in a way thats cohesive and legible!
Uni is fantastic...I have an enormous amount to do, and have to be more organised about when I do it, Work is very good too...I seem to be working with the same people alot which is fantastic as we all get on so well. Small is just perfect, she and Iwere having a hard time, what with her pretending to be a teenager already, but yesterday we had a good talk about it and I told her to stop or I would beat her with a big stick!!! She giggled and said 'ok mummy' ...so thats that sorted!

Life is good. Mostly everyone I know is good too. Its definately getting warmer, and I feel that my glass is so full it might just overflow!!!

lybxx

shopping

Over the next couple of weeks I am going to be going out alot.....its just how its happened, birthdays, work nights out (our christmas do....yes we realise that its not christmas, but we didnt get round to going out in December because of many different problems that are far too complicated and involved, not to say boring for people not involved) and various other terribly good reasons for going out! honest!

I went shopping, and as it sometimes happens, when you have a bit of money, and really need to find something....you dont. And I shopped hard. In lots of shops. Repeatedly.
I also 'shopped' in many friends wardrobes....usually I can find something that will be 'just the thing' in a couple of friends wardrobes....but not this time.

So, in desperation, I looked in my own wardrobe....not thinking for a moment that anything would be good, and blimey...there it was, the perfect outfit....actually there was a couple ....for each occation....

I was very shocked!!!

I think its a good thing that I dont have to justify my shopping habbits to anyone...
I dont think I would get away with
'I havent got a thing to wear'
for a while!!


lybxx