You can't blame me..!

I can be quite mean sometimes, in a subtle and satisfying way.
This morning some itsy-bitsy little blonde chick pushed past me to stand in front of me in the aisle on the train, and proceeded to consume what, up till that point, was performing perfectly well as my space and air. Oh she with her perfect hairdo and cute little button nose.... PFFT!!
So finally two stops before mine, I got a seat... and guess who came and took the seat next to me? Yep, li'll Miss Perfect.
So I couldn't help myself - I waited until she'd just finished opening her magazine and then I stood up so she had to move to let me out.
I know I shouldn't have enjoyed her irritation as much as I did. I'm a nice person... most of the time. Perhaps this week is not one of those times. Irritation levels are up, compassion levels are down.
I blame Eve. If the silly cow hadn't taken a bit of that apple, us women wouldn't have these violent hormones to contend with, would we now?!


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New Babe on the Blog

Well and here's me been fretting about planning holidays and meanwhile my friend BeadinggalinMS went and had a baby girl yesterday!!!

It's been long, tough months for my friend and I'm just so happy Baby is here and both Mama and Baby are doing well.

CONGRATULATIONS LINDA!!!

And special thanks to Aunty Lori for keeping us updated when Beads couldn't get to blog herself - I trust you'll put that new camera to good use for us sometime soon ;)

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challenging

I never thought I'd say this but thank heavens our proper winter weather has finally arrived - the wind is coming down from the North Pole, as it should be at this time of year; there is frost on the ground and the air bites at my face during my walk to the train station to go home at night.
Why does this please me?
Well, it means that the storms that have been hurling themselves at us from the Atlantic have finally gone away, taking with them some of the strongest winds I've ever experienced. I do so hate the wind! There were nights, over the last few weeks, when I honestly expected to wake up and find half the roof missing in the morning. We were fortunate, though, our home is still intact. More fortunate than many other people across Europe were.

It didn't help, I suppose, that it was so strong that it kept me from riding my new bike. Learning to ride a motorcycle is challenging enough without the added worry of trying NOT to get literally blown off the thing.
Yep, I'll take the cold any day over that wind!
* Bike Update *
I've been put-putting to and from the train station on my bike happily this week and I'm pleased to say it's getting easier every time, as I become a little less scared every time. It helps that I seem do be able to pull away without stalling every time now, too. Yay me!

Now, I have a challenge for you all. Feedback is mandatory, in fact.
It's like this: If I don't go somewhere soon (away from Ireland, I mean), I fear I may just pop. So for various reasons, I'm planning a trip for the weekend of 23rd February, which I am turning into a long weekend. I'm taking my sister and young Cinderella and we're going away. The trouble is, I don't know where yet.
That's where you come in.
Are there any suggestions on a good place to go in February?
Somewhere in Europe would be good since the less flying time is involved, the better.
Somewhere that offers good shopping would be good, since one of us is 16 and not so much into the ol' museums and stuff, probably.
The only stipulation is that the weather should be milder than it is here, even if it's not actually warm - temperatures in the double figures (celcius, not farenheit!) will do.

I was thinking Barcelona - any advice?
I humbly (if somewhat impatiently because let's face it, time is running short) await the pearls of your wisdom.

***

The A - Z of me(me)

Since it's Thursday, and since Ben O. took the time to not only do this himself, but also to think of me all the way over across the Atlantic at the same time, I thought I would both answer his call and treat you all to another enthralling look into the nuts and bolts of the what makes me me.

Yes, it's The Alphabet Meme...!!

A - Available/Single or Taken?
... Very much taken - my 6th Wedding anniversary is looming. And yes, I had to stop and count that up on my fingers.
B - Best Friend?
... Would have to be my long-suffering husband, who loves me in spite of myself :)
C - Cake or pie?
... Hands down, yummy apple pie with cream..! Athough Black Forest Cake has been known to win out on occasion. And Carrot Cake. OK so maybe the answer to this on is, in fact, Cake and not pie.
D - Drink Of Choice?
... Coffee. Or a wee drop of Old Brown Sherry every now and then. Did I mention I have trouble making up my mind sometimes?
E – Essential Item You Use Everyday?
... Toothpaste.
F - Favourite Color?
... Green - pretty much any shade of jade green, specifically. Or perhaps lilac. Nope, definitely green.
G - Gummy Bears or Worms?
... I could really do with a third choice here...! OK, I'll say Gummy Bears 'cos they're almost like Jelly Babies, right?
H - Hometown?
... The seaside city of Port Elizabeth in sunny South Africa. For years I couldn't wait to leave and now I'm yearning to go back. No doubt if I went back it wouldn't be long before I wanted to leave again but hey, it's home.
I - Indulgence?
... Boots. I really do have more pairs of boots than I need, but they're soo purty!
J - January or February?
... January - it's my birthday month!
K - Kids & Their Names?
... I have none of my own and don't foresee having any, but I always liked Kayleigh for a girl. Right up until close friends of ours named their sheepdog that. So now, it just doesn't matter anymore.
L - Life is Incomplete Without?
... music. And Hubby, of course, but that goes without saying.
M - Marriage date?
... March 2001. Twice actually - a week apart. (Yes, to the same man!)
N - Number of Siblings?
... 2 sisters, one older, one younger.
O - Oranges or Apples?
... I'd have to say oranges. Apples are too hard to eat.
P - Phobias/Fears?
... I've been afraid of fire as long as I can remember. And actually I'm scared of doing just about anything, but I tend to go ahead and do them anyway.
Q - Favourite (movie) Quote?
... "Grab that cat!" (- from one of the Lethal Weapon films)
R - Reason to Smile?
... I am loved.
S - Season? Spring or Fall?
... In Ireland: Fall 'cos it's really pretty, but in SA I'd have to say Spring when the sun shines and the sea sparkles and it smells all fresh and the birds start tweeting and it gets all nice and warm. Spring in Ireland is not much different from Winter in Ireland so it pretty much sucks.
T - Tag 3 people?
... Angel, Spookie and Buddess
U - Unknown Fact About Me?
... I attended my first Salsa class last night - now that could be an enjoyable form of excercise! Although, I'm quite glad I have an appointment with the chiropracter this evening...
V - Vegetable you don’t like?
... Without a doubt, Brussells Sprouts.
W - Worst Habit?
... Smoking. Yeah, I know, I'm working on it...
X - X-rays You’ve Had?
... Teeth. Possibly a foot when I was a kid but I don't remember.
Y - Your Favorite Food?
... This is hard. I love ALL food. Especially smoked salmon. Ooh, and salami and cheese. Or prawns, I love prawns too. Or... ok, I think you get the picture.
Z – Zodiac sign?
... Capricorn.

So there ya go. I now feel safer in the belief that you will all go away feeling enlightened.

TLC

I received my first birthday card yesterday. It was from my sister in Cape Town and it says:

I know what you'd like on your birthday...
... TLC ...
***
(Ten Less Candles!)

Haha, how right she is.
Come Monday I turn 35. Yikes! What happened???!
It could be worse, I suppose. (In fact it will be worse - every year. haha, now that's funny!)
Actually, y'know what? I'm not going to bother dwelling on it. Every year I get all worked up before my birthday and for what? It's not like there's anything I can do about it. I've tried pretending it's not my birthday but my family and friends won't let me get away with that. I almost gave in to arranging for a bunch of people I work with to go out for drinks with me but I chickened out and they still don't know it's my birthday. Ah, I don't like being the centre of attention anyway, so it's better this way.
Tonight, Hubby is taking me out to dinner - it's a black tie event so I get to wear my black velvet dress again (that's twice in as many months, wow!!!) and I'm happy with that. I've painted my nails and everything. Of course, the nails keep hooking on the keyboard as I'm typing so I'll have to do a bit of a touch-up later... {sigh} the sacrifices I make for my blog...!
Despite all the 'issues' surrounding this birthday, I must be doing OK though - I finally managed to write (and finish) a short piece of fiction, which I submitted to the Silent Grey short fiction contest over at The Clarity of Night. If you feel like reading some great short stories you should go on over and check out the other entries.

Well I gotta go start getting ready now - there's an awful lot of hairy stuff to be done before tonight (washing / straightening / removing... you know how it goes) although I suspect that once I leave the house the effort will all have been in vain because we're currently being battered by yet another filthy, wet, windy and just plain miserable old winter storm.
What time is Summer, again..?


~

farewells in the new year

My stepson is going back home to SA next Friday and I'm already fretting about him leaving. This time more than normal (although I'm not exactly losing sleep over it) because it's all about to change.
He turns 18 in April (I'm trying not to dwell on just how old that makes me feel!) and he's starting his last year of high-school. The next time we see him he will probably have finished with school... and this is where it all gets kinda 'iffy'.
The way I see it, the next time we see him he be a young man who will be making his way in the world and somehow it's like something is ending. I still sometimes yearn for my own childhood, when I was one of three sisters with my single-parent SuperMom and we all lived together as a family. And now I guess it's like my 'new' family is about to begin breaking apart as well.

You see my Mom is in SA, as is my one sister, but they live in different cities; my other sister lives in London and I am here in Dublin. Not exactly easy to organise afternoon coffee together, y'know?
And now with the Stepson on the brink of leaving the nest (even though it's technically his mother's nest, not mine) I guess I feel like I have to say goodbye to something. Who knows if we'll ever spend a Christmas together like this last one, a family of me, Hubby and both his kids. It's a little unnerving for someone like me, who has serious trouble saying goodbye at the best of times.
My Stepdaughter has only been living with us for a year and she'll finish school next year so it's a bit of a double-whammy. It's like I've only just started getting used to living as a family and it's all going to end too soon. Most people have 12 years per child of PTA meetings and stuff. I only went to my first one ever about 2 months ago! I never wanted children of my own but somehow I feel like I've missed out on something here.

Now don't panic - I haven't been kidnapped by aliens and I'm not pining for a little bundle of joy of my own (although occasionally my biological clock wakes up for about half an hour to disagree with me). I guess I'm just a little apprehensive about change.
The fact that my 35th birthday is looming probably doesn't help... I always get a little weird before my birthday and I think with this one I'm finally having to accept that I can no longer fool myself into believing I'm still a kid.
Mid-life crisis?
I dunno.
I'll think about that tomorrow when I go for a ride on my new motorcycle..!