Hair...grow it!

This is the longest my hair has ever been - a full 18" - another 2" and it is being cut off for charity.  Dark glasses on as no sleep due to pain.  Admire peter Kavanagh's bum in the background.  Winter Solstice soon - having huge bonfire at Helene's house and a Solstice party.  Hopefully going on Buddhist retreat for Christmas.

Wigs galore!

 Take one box of e-bay wigs and four people and you get a whole load of silliness.
Later on a very touching moment when we drank a toast to Uncle Harry as my four family members had all met him, dined with him and appreciated my sadness without Harry in my life anymore.
Long live laughter, love and loyalty.

Lovely family visit

John

Ruud

Margo

Sandra

Four of my lovely Dutch family came over for a week - John , Sandra, Margo and Ruud.  I had three really good days and then EDS flare up - but it was worth it.  So much fun, laughter, stories and love. 

Two carpetmen, two cats........and a happy Tabi

Wimble's comment

In comes the 4m x 4m purple carpet bought from e-bay

The end result

My lovely faux suede deep olive green sofa which no-one is allowed to sit on except me!

Chevvie inspecting Mark's work

A took a long time to get that carpet in!

Hubbie, for reasons only known to himself, vacuums the ceiling

As my computer room was starting to look like the local tip and I kept tripping over the carpet, action had to be taken.   So Mark was called in again and hubbie his ever-trusted labourer.  Chevvie the Cat became Health & Safety and Quality Control and Wimble the Cat remained totally unimpressed with the whole situation.  I, on the other hand, am over the moon!

Horses

Just had for the last 1.5 hours one of those unforgettable experiences which changes your life and your perspective on it forever. Standing in a field with twelve free horses being nuzzled, necked, nibbled, heads on my shoulders, wither scratches, sniffed, blown on and gazed upon. Thank you horses, thank you Mike Harrison and thank you Running Free.   It's called Equine Assisted Therapy and this was my first session - standing still and waiting for the horse to come to you, next session is creating boundaries.  This is Tia - he took a special liking to my cashmere sweater and my boobs!

Chopper time

As the weather couldn't be more miserable .... cold, damp, drizzly and yuck ... it's time to chop kindling  So with Badger Bob-Staffie's help the local Dutch lumberjack came by and did that chopper ever go.  Now to light the fire.  I am at present wearing a cashmere rollneck, a cashmere sweater, a cashmere & angora cardigan, two pairs of leggings and some Uggs but the damp makes it seem colder.  How I long for Spain now - New Year and I will return.

Shoulder fixed....off to enjoy sun

Having dislocated my shoulder for the umpteenth time I patiently waited for the paramedics to come re-locate it and they did.  So then went to Sheringham Park again.   The sun has disappeared now and I'm going for a nap.

Getting Badgered!

You'd better watch out, you'd better take care, you'd better not shout, you'd better beware....Badger Bob-Staffie is coming to town!
He's the roughest, toughest, meanest Staffie ever and if you come a-knocking he will bite you on the bum.   Ha ha ha ha ha

All of this is totally untrue....he is the sweetest, loveliest, loving dog I have known since Treacle.   Here he is doing his Dracula impression.  My cats, especially Wimble, love him.

The woodman cometh

Huge pile of wood delivered yesterday in preparation for winter and, guess what, today is sunny, bright blue skies and around 12C.  My friend Ruth in Yecla, Murcia has just ordered another tonne of wood as where she lives is desert (up to 55C in summer and well below freezing in the winter).  Spain is such a diverse and amazing country - can't wait to go back.

Dad

I miss my Dad.  Been two years since he died and I still cannot believe it.  He was a bad father but a good man.  I could talk to him about anything from Plato to Pluralism.  He was a steadfast in my life...always there regardless.  Even after arguments or quarrels he would always be there. 
I remember his calls from Greece when we would get cut off in the middle of a sentence because his card had run out.  He loved Greece so much...I wish he had lived there...it would have suited him.  The saddest thing was the dementia - for a man so articulate and well-read.  I think also some of things he had done through his life haunted him. 
I believe he is in Greece now, sitting on a beach with a bottle of wine, a piece of cheese, some bread and a book.  He gazes out to sea.  I will never forget you Dad. 

A year of 'Fs'

Thought I would give the old blog a fire up.
It's been a strange and interesting couple of years - mostly things beginning with 'F' -
funerals, farewells, family feuds, freedom from emotional bondage, fabulos fun, flights, frights, fires, floods.
Much sadness and loss counter-balanced by much happiness and gain.

Cleared out and learned to recognize the: manipulative, the passive-aggressives, the sanitizers, the cruel, the matyrs and those who demanded I be who they wanted me to be and say what they wanted me to say rather than accept the person I am. 
Have met wonderful new friends full of artistry, poetry, life, love, compassion and kindness: Vince, Mick, Alison, Rayhonor, Emma-Jane who have helped me heal from the almost unbearable pain of grief, abandonment and rejection by those too blind to see the marvelous person I am.
So much travelling: Spain, France, Greece, Canada, USA...even the UK! (and of course The Netherlands).
Thank you also to Mark, Amrei, David, Howard, Linda, Alice, Julia and to those who I have never met on FaceBook.
Thank you most of all to the horses.