31/05/2008 by Aileen.

It’s Saturday morning, and I’m really well again. I was ‘nearly’ better yesterday, but had a couple of queazy spells in the morning. I did everything slowly!

I started a new, anonymous blog yesterday, as in this one I am so polite and well-behaved. I just don’t want to upset anyone. In this new blog I can say exactly what I want about who I want. It will be interesting to see my dark side!

So far I’ve put in two posts, and they are both harmless. I’m just in a good mood and love the whole world. Oh well. That can change!

Today’s plans …

shopping at village butchers and local farm shop
prepare another square on veg. patch for green beans
plant up 2 hanging baskets
prepare 1st Communion session for tomorrw
enjoy

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29/05/2008 by Aileen.

I had a really restless night - the collywobbles. I woke at 2am thinking it was the morning and I found I had the whole night to get through. I slept on the sitting room floor as I can toss and turn there. Also, John had the light and radio on (as usual) as he had a lot of pain (as usual.)
I got up about 8am only to fall asleep again on the settee, and eventually went back to bed. I feel a bit better now, and am getting used to the idea that I’ve spent the day doing nothing. J is out at a meeting, so I have an evening on my own.

I feel like I did when I was a kid. All the time in the world and I can please myself with what I do. My mum was always accusing me of being lazy, as I always had my nose stuck in a book. Probably that’s why I’ve grown up feeling guilty if I ‘waste time.’ Anyway, I still feel a bit weak, so am enjoying the evening on my own. Haven’t eaten much. I tried a smoked salmon sarnie for lunch, but it was too rich so one of our cats was lucky.

I think I was ill as I have had so much food over the weekend, and it has caught up with me. We had two pub meals and the party barbecue, plus lots of nibbling and drink. And this is after dieting since January. I think my poor system just couldn’t cope.

And I put on 2 and a half pounds at Slimming World last night. In less than a week! Disgraceful.

I’m still a bit woozy so hope I’m back to normal tomorrow. Things to do. Places to go. (Not. But I like to have the option.)

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28/05/2008 by Aileen.

We went birding to a lovely place today. Saw a cuckoo, heard turtle doves, and there were lots of the usual suspects. I would have stayed but felt a bit ill so headed off home. Then, with the air conditioner thing on, I felt a bit better so went to Cherry Cobb Sands and saw a bird of prey (marsh harrier or buzzard?) and lots of good views of yellowhammers.

I came home ‘over the fields’ (along back lanes) and very near home I spotted an owl on a telegraph pole. I did a turn, thinking it would be gone, but managed a couple of shots before it flew into a tree.

Successful day birding but I still feel unwell - queezy.

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26/05/2008 by Aileen.

We went down to Oxford on Friday for Martin’s 40th birthday party. We stayed at the Premier Travelodge as Ali and family, and a friend + 3 kids were staying at M & Fs.

We had a lovely meal at The Fishes (somewhere in Oxfordshire) on the Saturday, and the party was on the Sunday. Unfortunately the weather changed and it was damp, but we were still able to have a barbecue and some brave people sat outside. There were 11 kids in total, and they were all as good as gold.

Just remembered, John brought his ‘cycle’ down so we all went for a walk in the woods on the Saturday.

Fiona is a fantastic hostess and we all had a great time on the Sunday. We organised a ‘This is your Life’ event for Martin, and close family wrote memories of him, which I put in a file along with some photos. It was very touching.

Back in the Travelodge we were awoken at 1am by the fire alarm. It was a false alarm. Just as well as John refused to get out of bed!

All in all we’ve had a great weekend. Martin’s birthday is not until next week, and it is the turn of his friends to celebrate then. 30 of them are going for a meal in a restaurant. Thrity! John and I haven’t got 30 friends between us!

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23/05/2008 by Aileen.

Well, I finally decided to do my timed essay yesterday, as leaving it ’til next Tuesday was probably cutting it a bit fine. What if I were ill? Apparently if you don’t give it at least three days to get there (snail mail) and it’s late you could fail. I normally laugh at scare stories, but then I thought, let’s get it out of the way.

My life is one long series of ‘When I’ve done this I’ll …………………..’ and there usually follows a whole list of further enticing possibilities. Well, the garden needs attending to badly. We could be living on nettle soup for years to come.

We’re off to Oxford today (had to cancel creative writing as I have so much to do) We’re celebrating M’s 40th birthday on Sunday. Really looking forward to it, although the weather forecast isn’t good. It would be lovely to catch up with everyone in the garden, and go for a walk in the woods. Maybe we still will be able to.

Anyway, this might be the last post for a time. I’ll bring my laptop with me, but mightn’t get an opportunity to write. Back on Monday. See ya.

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20/05/2008 by Aileen.

…was much more satisfactory.

Granted, I didn’t do any gardening, but as we’re away for four days on Friday there’s no point in planting/sowing anything that will need watering. (I know I could weed)

But…… I took clothes that are now too big for me to the charity shop, returned some brass door furniture to B &Q and got a refund, got printer inks for J’s printer, got hair cut, bought top and bra, returned old specs to Vision Express who give them to 3rd World, got something to do with M’s birthday this weekend, got Eleanor a birthday card, bought some M & S food (which John ‘cooked’)

And I got 85% for my last OU tma. I just have the timed essay to do now, and I’ll probably do that next Tuesday.

This evening I’ve been experimenting with website design, trying to style a table using CSS. I’m still absolutely fascinated by website design.

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19/05/2008 by Aileen.

… to the week. Pleasantish weather. Washing almost dry. Housework almost done. One good thing was clearing my paperwork. My desk is quite clear now.

But at 6.30 John came into my study and said, ‘Do you know the time?’ I was supposed to meet my camera club collleagues at 7pm in Beverley. I grabbed my camera stuff and ran. (Drove!)

I knew we were meeting at Beverley Beck - been there before - only we were meeting at the ’smelly end.’ I went to the end I knew and intended to drive along until I found everyone. But the lane was a cul de sac. So I drove up and down the beck into a few industrial estates. Couldn’t find anyone. Phoned Kate but she was at the theatre. Phoned Dave but he didn’t answer. Didn’t have any one else’s number - which is annoying because I was going to ask for Nick’s last week. Decided to give up and was more than halfway home when Dave rang with directions, but I said I would go the North Cave Wetlands on my own instead as I was nearing home.

Didn’t have my bins so didn’t see the birds too well, but it was a beautiful evening. Took a few photos but I’ve deleted all but 8. I have so many photos I need to be selective. Will probably delete those 8 once I’ve seen them on the screen. If I like one of the sunsets I might upload it - but I didn’t use my tripod (couldn’t be arsed) so it won’t be brilliant.

So today wasn’t up to much one way or another.

And I didn’t get any gardening done. Must do so tomorrow.

Night night diary.

I sound a bit disgruntled, but I’m not really. At least we have had no earthquakes or cyclones here. I’m just a bit hot and tired, and my neck has been hurting lately.

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18/05/2008 by Aileen.

Back from the Enneagram course, which was really worthwhile as usual, but I’m too tired to write about it. Probably won’t write about it as it’s too complicated to sum up. I suppose roughly it was looking at our defence mechanisms, and how they give us strokes. That’s not quite right but it’ll do.

A new week begins tomorrow. I love new things. Hope to do some more gardening.

Yawn, yawn, goodnight.

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17/05/2008 by Aileen.

J and I are off on an Enneagram course today and tomorrow (non-residential). We are fortunate, as we got involved in this personalty type system down south and attended courses down there. Karen who runs them also puts on courses only 48 miles from here, so we haven’t lost touch with the system. Today’s focus is all about ‘freeing ourselves from projection.’ The Enneagram has similarities to the Myers-Briggs personality type indicator, but there are differences. Myers-Briggs is based on our current choices and behaviour, and can change. The Enneagram looks at our innate ‘qualities.’ It has a spiritual flavour and there are 9 basic types. Each type reflects an aspect of God, e.g. some people are peace-makers, others will fight for justice, others are creative etc.

It starts in slightly negative way, as the theory is that we ’skew’ our qualities. e.g. the peace maker maybe can’t be bothered to do anything (anything for a quiet life) (This is over-simplifying) So we start by looking at our compulsion.

I’ve just thought of the easiest one for me to describe. It’s ‘the helper’. Some people really love to help people. You might find them as priests, nurses, counsellors etc. But this quality can be skewed, and a compulsed helper NEEDS TO BE NEEDED. So they will help people, whether the person wants help or not, and will be really hurt if they are rejected.

I think I find this one easy to describe as I HATE to be helped. I’m really independent, and find it difficult to ask for help. However, I once knew a priest who noticed how stressed I was (I was First Communion coordinator, there were 80+ children about to make their First Holy Communion, and we had OFSTED the week before. I was so grateful he saw my stress and sympathised, but then he began to ‘pry’ as I saw it, and try to ‘help’. All I needed was a little bit of acknoweldgement about all I had on my plate. (No, Tony, I’m not talking about you.)

Anyway, will write up about the course, maybe this evening.

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15/05/2008 by Aileen.

I’ve got two outstanding (not read out yet) pieces of work to read at Creative Writing tomorrow. So rather than hog the morning by writing a biography (early years) of a fictional character like we were supposed to do I decided to write it as a limerick. Here it is.

There was a fine cockerel called Dumpty
Who fancied a bit of a numpty.
He wed the fair maid
And some ova she laid
And their first born they called Humpty Dumpty.

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