Bye Bye

Well, today is my last day in my current job. Last Friday I was made redundant, and today I leave. As I walked into work this morning for the last time, I took more notice of the nameless faces that I pass at the same time in the same places everyday. It struck me that I'll more than likely never see them again, and although I never actually met them, I would make up stories about them and their lives. Some were on their way to work, some to college. One or two were heading home after a night shift. Of course it's all fictional, but it was the little stories like those that made the 40 minute walk into work bearable in the rain and snow! Those stories will now be forgotten, but new ones will be made as I trek to a different job somewhere else.

Another thing about being made redundant that sucks is I'm going to miss all my friends from work so much. I've been here for over a year now, and I've made some incredible friends. The work itself is pretty soul-destroying, so having people around you that you can get on with and have a laugh with is really important. I keep having reality checks that it's not going to happen anymore...No more throwing stuff around the office, no more making stupid comments and jokes with my section head, no more making countless cups of tea with Laura because we're bored. I'm not even sure when or even if I'm going see most of these people again. I'm sure I will if I (and they) make the effort to meet up.

Looking on the plus side I'm sure I'll have as much fun in whatever it is that I do next, and therefore have more friends than I do now! But either way, I'm just gonna see where life takes me, and what I end up doing now...

A Walk in the Woods

Way back in October I went to stay with an old uni friend in Norwich, Norfolk. It was such a beautiful weekend, so on the Sunday we went for a walk around a very picturesque lake. The only camera I had at the time was the one on my phone, but the photos are pretty good (if i may say so myself!). I particularly liked this one of Chris walking away down the boardwalk...I love the shadows on the ground, and the way I want to follow him to see where that path leads.

Along the way, we came across a bridge over a small part of the lake. The day was so clear and still, that the water was like a perfect mirror. We stood for a while contemplating the clouds reflected in the water, and our faceless images below us. There were all sorts of fish swimming around in there too that every now and then the surface would break into all kinds of patterns.

As we were nearing the end of the walk, we came back to the University of Norwich, where I was awestruck to come face to face(?) with this amazing wall of Ivy. Unfortunately the colour doesn't come through that well here, but the red splash was enough to catch my breath. Through all the autumnal colours we had passed along the way, none were as vivid as this, especially against the grey wall. I'm not sure how long the ivy would have lasted on that building, or even how long the building lasted with the ivy, but it makes you wonder, when it gets that far spread, which one relies on which one? Does the ivy need the wall to survive, or does the building need the ivy to stay in one piece? Maybe it's one of those situations where they need each other to survive; like all good relationships should be. May the both have a long and happy life together!

Scary Tree

Hi Guys...This is my fisrt attempt at putting a picture in here, and what do you know? It worked! I called this one scary Tree. It was taken last summer when I was walking down a random road with my friend. There was such atmosphere and feeling around this tree, and with it's branches gnarled and twisted, it had a very oppressive feel to it. I just HAD to take a picture, and have been meaning to post it!

Well...Now that I can do it, I shall be posting more here! YEY!

The Rest of my Weekend

Sorry this is a bit late...It's only been 2 weeks! haha. So the rest of my amazing weekend was spent with my sister, relaxing and doing not very much! She had subscribed to Sky Movies, so that we could stay up and watch the Oscars live! It's the first time in years that we've been able to watch them together. When we were younger we would camp out in the living room, or curl up in Liz's big double bed and try to stay awake all night. But then we both went to uni/school and they changed the channel showing it to one you had to pay for...But this year we got to do it all again! It was so much fun, we had a bowl of Cadbury's Chocolate Buttons, quilts to wrap up in, and numerous cups of coffee! The show started at 11.00pm our time and finished just before 5.00am! We made it though, we stayed awake all the way through. This year was pretty good, because I had a keen interest in the winners, for the first time in a while. I'd seen most of the Best Movie Nominee's, and was supporting Brokeback Mountain in all it's nominations! Needless to say we spent most of Monday morning sleeping! The rest of that day was spent watching TV and various movies, and again, just general chilling out. That night i was introduced to House, which is much better than i expected...And we also watched a few episodes of CSI, which is excellent! Then it was time for bed, as we all had early mornings! So it was back to work on Tuesday, and back to reality too I guess! It was a wicked weekend which I enjoyed thoroughly!

Happy Anniversary To Me!

Well, it's been 1 year exactly since I first set up these musings. So much has happened and changed in that 1 year! However, I'm ashamed to see the lack of posts here in 12 months, it really should be more, but I guess it's better than none! I would just like to take this time to thank everyone who stops by here to read and those who leave comments, it's really appreciated!

Anyway, that's pretty much all I have to say on that....So thanks, and I'll try to make this next year a better blogging one than the last!

How Rubbish Am I?

I've just had the best weekend! I went to Hemel Hempstead to stay with my friend Beck for a couple of days. We went to a show about/starring(?) Bill Hicks. It was a 1 man show about Bill Hicks coming back from the dead to do one last show. It was incredible. The guy playing Hicks had obviously done a great deal of research, as his mannerisms, his intonation and his stage presence was scarily similar to the man himself! It was so good that at times, I actually forgot I wasn't watching Bill Hicks! Then on the Saturday, we headed into London to have a look around the famous Camden Market. It is such a wonderful place, with such atmosphere, it almost felt like I was holiday! The market has different sections to it, the first part was mostly all clothes - trendy, unusual, funky clothes. So we sauntered and meandered our way around all the stalls, taking in the colours and sights, before heading over to a different section which contained more modern, but still funky and unusual (the only word I can think of right now is...) STUFF. All kinds of things, from jewellery to homemade leather bound notebooks, to candles to crystals..Oh I could go on and on. The colours here were just breathtaking, and I did take a few pictures, but I still have to hook my laptop to the internet so that I can post them. Another thing that amazed me about this part of the market was the smells. Many of the stalls were burning incense sticks, which smelled exactly the same as the Hostel in the Forest in Georgia that I've talked about a few times. The memories came flooding back, which is always a good thing when they're good memories! At this time we made a pit stop for some fabulous Moroccan Chicken. We were stood by the river, holding a bowl full of amazing warming food, which is just what we needed in the freeing cold. It was the only thing keeping the feeling in my fingers! Then finally in Camden we found the final section of the market. This is where all the second hand clothes 'arches' are. I don't know what they were before, but it was a series of tunnels filled with so many varieties of clothes, shoes hats and pretty much anything you can think of. Also, there were furniture shops, more 'stuff' shops. Now, if I had thought the colours were amazing before, this is where they really kicked in. Every arch and shop was a different colour, a different smell, and a different sight to behold. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take many photos of these shops because of copyright laws etc. But luckily for me, I have all the memories!

that day was finished off perfectly with a trip to the Maple Leaf, a Canadian Bar in Covent Garden. They serve Molson and Moosehead Beer in the Maple Leaf - the only bar that we've found to serve them! We used to drink a lot, and I mean A LOT of Molson at College in Keene, and I miss it a lot! So whenever we're in London, we have to make a stop for some Beer! While there we met a Scicilian couple who were in London for a few days. They were so funny, and we spent most of the night chatting to them, and giving them ideas of where to go and what to do with their time. Eventually we rushed to the train station to catch our ride home. It was just so much fun, and I can't wait to do it again.

Then on the Sunday, I left Beck and and went to stay with my sister in Letchworth. However, on the say there, we made a sidetrip to the Asda Walmart nearby. It was almost as good at the American Walmarts, but not quite. It just didn't have the same feel to it. But even so, we spent an hour or so in there perusing the shelves. Then we were bored of shopping (is that possible??!?!?!) so we headed home. The rest of that day was spent quite lazily, we watched Batman Begins, which I had never seen before, and was totally blown away by. I think it's the best of the new Batman movies, and Christian Bale makes a very good superhero. Just as a quick sidenote, I've come to the conclusion that Batman is the best superhero. He does everything all the other heroes do, but without any super powers! Amazing!

Anyway...I have to go now....People to meet, but I shall finish the rest of my weekend soon! I promise it will be soon! ;-)