Wild Flowers 🌸

This year I have had a real chance to see wild flowers come into bloom. I have a dog, little Hattie and we walk all over the place. Parks, fields, streets, heathland and down where we live by the stream.

Down by the stream

Walking around Ipswich, and at times further afield, has been an adventure. This is my first dog 🐕 so I’ve never had the reason to walk around. I only did that when the car wasn’t working!

I have to say this whole experience has been beautiful, I feel really lucky to have a keen eye for nature and still the ability to walk, albeit slowly. My health isn’t great but having Hattie has improved my mental and physical health. I have COPD and asthma as well as some joint pain. This isn’t going to stop me from getting around on foot. Just walking for the sake of it. Looking at the flowers, watching a bee at work, or going to the park and look up at the trees.

At times the weather is definitely not with us. It could be raining, snowing, or very windy – I got Hattie in September 2022 so we’ve not had a Sumer together. Only autumn and winter. However, we’ve loved it, I got a big coat, wellington boots and the right clothes to be outside in the cold. Hattie has jumpers and coats. No matter what has been thrown at us with the weather we just keep enjoying ourselves. I am finally learning to slow down a little, and I’m happy with this new way of being.

Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 May 23

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Over the Moon!

Just like the Cow in Edward Lear’s “The Owl and the Pussy-cat,” I am feeling Over the Moon. Why you may ask?

Because I have a new job and feel very happy about being asked to work for this prestigious company. I really do feel that this is just the right job for me; although there is a catch. It is only for 3 months, so it is a temporary appointment. There may be an extension of the post, so this means i have to outperform myself, and make myself invaluable!

No Pressure Then?

This post gives me a chance to enjoy one of my much-loved poems from childhood. I have a memory of owning an Edward Lear book of Nonsense Poems, and it was so worn out by the time I had finished with it, that I can’t remember what the front cover looked like. The front cover of the book has long gone, along with the book itself, but the memories of reading this wonderful poem and the rest of the book are still firmly held in my heart. Thank you Edward Lear for cheering up a small girl from Ipswich…

I

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea

   In a beautiful pea-green boat,

They took some honey, and plenty of money,

   Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

The Owl looked up to the stars above,

   And sang to a small guitar,

“O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,

    What a beautiful Pussy you are,

         You are,

         You are!

What a beautiful Pussy you are!”

II

Pussy said to the Owl, “You elegant fowl!

How charmingly sweet you sing!

O let us be married! too long we have tarried:

   But what shall we do for a ring?”

They sailed away, for a year and a day,

   To the land where the Bong-Tree grows

And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood

   With a ring at the end of his nose,

             His nose,

             His nose,

   With a ring at the end of his nose.

III

“Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling

   Your ring?” Said the Piggy, “I will.”

So they took it away, and were married next day

   By the Turkey who lives on the hill.

They dined on mince, and slices of quince,

   Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

   They danced by the light of the moon,

             The moon,

             The moon,

They danced by the light of the moon.

Image from http://the-office.com/bedtime-story/owlpussycat.htm

They make me happy!

Who are they? My friends of course! Who else can make you happy – the way your friends can?

Today I meet up with a really good friend called FD. FD and I went for a coffee at Costa, but even before we had got to the coffee shop we were chatting, questioning, spilling truths and laughing.

As I didn’t have any money FD paid, and so I didn’t feel awkward she reminded me that many times in the past 4 years I had treated her. I thought about this, and realised that helping FD has been a pleasure – all I used to do was pick her up in the mornings when we were both going to our job.

FD and I met at work and we immediately gelled, we were both studying and it felt like we understood each other’s stresses; although FD already had her degree and was working towards a masters degree! A smart cookie.

As we worked during the weekend, we were glad to have each other’s company – it was a horrible journey to work. No one else was ever around, the streets were completely empty. No other idiot was out at 8.15am on a Sunday morning for minimum wage. During the summer it was cold at that time of day, and when it was warm and sunny we were even more miserable. We would be cooped up in an air-conditioned office. That crappy job brought us together and for three years we continued to cheer each other up, and would crack up about so many silly things, laughing together on the way there and back. Bitching about the terrible customers, and giggling about how sad these people were!

Surprisingly our ages are different, so I’m not someone FD would normally hang out with, which makes this friendship even more special. She’s my eldest girl’s age, and I’m lucky enough to be close to my daughter too. I consider myself very fortunate to be part of their lives and having these two amazing young women as friends is something I cherish.

Tonight I feel happy, and really enjoyed my day with such a wonderful friend; which confirmed to me that “they” really do make life better.

Thanks FD 💜

Grrrr!

I don’t know about you – but I get fed up of hearing when someone’s got a week off. I’ve still got to go to work there’s no half-term when you’re at work! 

I know you’re probably thinking I’m mean? What a grumpy cow! But I’m not, normally, I’m happy for people to have holidays. Although, I don’t want to hear about it every 5 minutes. 

Work doesn’t stop every few weeks to have a break – I get 16 days & Christmas time off. 

That’s bloody ages away! I’m very tired & all I want is a week off. But no! I’ve got to wait because I only get 3 weeks a year. A bloody year – that’s such a wait to rest & chill out. 

So please don’t think I want to hear about your holiday more than twice…  okay? 

Time & Effort

My time & effort has finally paid off – I’ve got a new job that I’m starting to enjoy. A hiccup for me at first. You’ve gotta remember I’ve been at T&M for a few years so I got comfortable. That’s not a bad thing that I moved jobs. I guess!

I really thought that I wasn’t any good at this job. Even though I’ve only been there 2 and a half weeks. However my boss told me today that I’m doing fine and to stop wasting my time & effort on worrying. Especially as it is stopping me from going to sleep. 

So that’s what I’m gonna do…

SEO

I’m soon to be an SEO executive. How cool is that?

But. I hear there are many more steps to the top. 

SEO manager, SEO director, SEO dictator, SEO prime minister, SEO president, SEO god. 

So I’ve a way to go yet. Am happy to get on the SEO ladder! 

Snow

Okay so it’s a weather blog? Well it’s gonna snow. Yes snow. I can’t wait – until it’s gone.

hate driving in it, walking in it. And best of all. I bloody hate falling over in it.

So hurry up snow. Do your stuff and go.

 

Star Wars: Rogue One

I loved The Force Awakens last year, and was looking forward to this new offering. 

Being a Star Wars fan (I’ve got a 20 yr old son). I hoped it would be a roller coaster of iMax 3D madness. 

It wasn’t. 

I’m not saying it was terrible. It wasn’t but it didn’t blow me away like the previous one did. It just lacked something. Perhaps because it was a caveat. A side story, an add on. 

It’s no match for such epics as The Hobbit, LOTR, and previous Star Wars films. 

I’m sure I’ll get to watch it another hundred times. This will change mum’s wrong opinion. If Connor and Paul get their way. They loved the film. 

Totally! Just shows that we all love different things. I love that. 

2017 goals!

Okay so I’ve got a few goals this year. 

(Main goal) continue to work on being less anxious, and keep working on myself. 

1) make a patchwork quilt. I’m giving myself 1 year to do this. Hmm! We will see about that one. 

2) currently growing garlic, rocket and salad leaves. I’m hoping to start my own gardening blog. When I leave T&M I’ll be able to do it. 

2a) grow potatoes at the allotment. And in the summer I hope to grow fruit with cathy. 

3) sort out a job where I can settle in, work hard and enjoy the interesting parts of it. 

4) lose weight. I’ve never been this fat before and I feel literally weighed down by it.  

5) decorate home. Been here 5 yrs now so time for a change. 

6) read more. 

7) smile every day and be thankful for the good things. 

8) go on holiday. Please, please, please. 

That’s it I think. There’s so fun stuff, some hard work and some solid plans. 

Interviews!

I’m confident, funny, intelligent and capable. So why is it I get a serious bout of memory loss and an inability to speak normally; whenever I sit in an interview? 

I sit thinking “I could do that job. I’d love it!” But all I manage to say is “glurikitupimaism?” 

I’ve got to work this out! Get over this rather annoying and very frustrating hurdle. 

I know I’m worth taking on as an employee. Now I’ve got to try to convince others that I’m a good employee! That is not so easy. 

I’ve watched my lovely friend Karen struggle to get a job. Her difficulties were different to mine. But she still took ages to get a job she wanted. 

Yes I could get a’job’ job but I worked hard for my degree and I want to use it. Not for the big figure salary (that would be a welcome bonus) but for the challenges, the adventures and the chance to grow and learn in a sector where there is tech and innovation. 

I love new tech but don’t seem to get time to use and enjoy it. So working in a job where it’s used is appreciated. A chance to improve and share knowledge. And enjoy cracking the code! 

I’ve just bought Affinity for Mac. Their version of photoshop. I still geekishly love my MacBook Air. It’s a year and a half old but looks new. 

Getting back to the reason for the post. I’ve read the articles “How to get that dream job” crap. It’s meaningless! 

All I want is to give a good interview- where I explain a little about myself and use the technical language I use at work. 

Is that so hard?