Feelgood Friday

First up, I have recently discovered Beautiful World, which is a photo blog (of beautiful photos of course) with various contributors including some of you reading this!  Take a look for a little haven of tranquility.

Feelgood Friday....  what made me feel good this week?    well the general progress of getting the house back to normal of course, but one thing put a particular smile on my face.

I got a little parcel in the post from Mr H, unexpectedly.  What could be in it?   maybe something that he thought I might need at home, or a funny something he's found like the vole pike-fishing hook he sent me once; or maybe a block of tablet, mmmm!   

When I opened it up there was my old friend Hedgey, who had been sent home so that he could be my companion on my flight up to visit next week. 

Change of routine

It didn't occur to me when I decided to move back upstairs, how much it would change the routine I got used to over the last 4 months.

I used to wake up at 7, get a cup of tea, then sit in bed until 8 with my laptop reading people's blogs (and writing mine).

Now I wake up at 7, go back to sleep, wake up again at 8 (or 7.30 if I'm going to the office). I usually check my home e-mails but then it's time to have my work computer on and get on with that.

I used to work until 3, then have time to do some studying, reading, chilling out.

Now I work until 5, take half an hour to look at some blogs/emails, then have to do an hour's studying before thinking about cooking tea.   Now that I have set up my studying desk upstairs I am not constantly distracted by the computer when I am supposed to be reading!

So, this all means that I am not finding so much time to read everyone's blogs, especially the long ones, so I apologise for that!

I don't even seem to be having so many random thoughts to talk about as I used to.. I need to make sure I don't get back into the old rut and still find time to expand my mind.

Latching on

In the garage, Mr H has a stack of workshop boxes with various things in them such as nails and spare car light bulbs; there is even one labelled 'fake £20 notes' but sadly it's always been empty.

My favourite is the one labelled:

Hooks

Catches

Hinges

Latches

Apart from the very satisfying rhyming of the label text, it is full of all sorts of - well, what it says on the box. Anything from tiny bolts, to window handles and old brass hinges. 

Yes we tend to collect stuff like that, I hesitate to say 'hoard' because it is in manageable proportions, but I like the fact that if we need just the right thing for a particular use, we are likely to be able to find something that will do the job in the garage. And it will usually be an old part, rather than a horrible shiny, weak willed new part from a shop.

What secret but incredibly useful store of stuff do you have that you have collected over the years?

Insiders

I have been reading about neurons and the central nervous system as part of my studies, in the biological psychology section.    I never took much interest in biology when I was at school but now I find such information interesting; and when studying psychology it is nice to have some black and white facts for a change, instead of the constant greyness of psychological theories.

Neurons are information processors, the little fellas who get notifications about pain and other tactile happenings to the brain and then back to the muscles for action. I think they are pretty cool.   It got me thinking about how my neurons had been affected by the crash and the fact that the shock means you don't feel the pain straight away.

This is what I think the neurons in my leg were saying:

Click to enlarge

Spot's Spot: Standing up is over-rated

New pages

Well, today is disgusting and wet so I'm quite glad I'm not going to the office again until Thursday!  I can huddle here and work with mugs of hot chocolate and cosy slippers instead...

I realised that many of you probably get completely confused about what I'm talking about, so I've added a new page about my boys.

Another new page is that my sitting room is now back to normal ie. the sofa-bed is a sofa again and the room feels huge now!   It will be nice not to have to sit on the bed when I have guests ;-)

Right, on with those e-mails!

Spot's Spot: Winter

Well I had a short day out today because Dad came home late morning because he wasn't well.

I was pretty relieved, look what I'm expected to go out in!   Thankfully Dad has started leaving me to sleep in his van for some of the day now.

Snow on the tops in Galloway Forest Park

February 1988

We were loading,
Or was it unloading,
Stuff from the back of the car
When

I said "Yes"

It had taken me five months;
I needed to be sure.
The fact that he waited patiently
Made me all the more certain.

But...

Before we had the right moment
To mention it to my parents
My elder sister and her boyfriend arrived.

Her boyfriend went up to our parents' room
At midnight,
To ask for her hand in marriage.

We couldn't believe it,
There was no way we could say anything,

Not now.