Neither my boyfriend nor I have a car, and so we are condemned to spending vast quantities of our private lives marooned in the centre of Birmingham with nothing to do. In an attempt to stop us eating each other through boredom, I suggested that this week we go to the cinema. It seemed like a good idea; I like watching films, but I don’t get chance to very often. (more…)

As already noted in Esperanto, last Monday was the first anniversary of me and my extraordinarily annoying boyfriend being a couple, and in honour of the momentous occasion he bought me a book. It was very sweet of him to buy me a book, seeing as I hadn’t expected him to get me anything at all, and it was a great relief to me when I actually took it out of the envelope, because he had built it up by explaining it was something I wasn’t going to like. Quite what the rationale behind buying me something I wasn’t going to like was I’m not sure, but that’s men for you (more…)

Alveninte malfrue al Ni Festivalu 2007, mi ege esperis alveni ĉe la ĉi-jara evento je pli taŭga horo. Bedaŭrinde, malgraŭ la plej bonaj intencoj, mi denove malsukcesis alveni antaŭ la sabata matenmanĝo Audante tion, certa amiko mia diris al mi ke li tute ne miras, ĉar se mi iam havas elekton inter la plej simpla kaj la plej komplika maniero ion fari, mi ĉiam elektas la plej komplikan, por aldoni intereson al la vivo. Tion mi kompreneble disputas; ne estas mia kulpo se de tempo al tempo strangaj aferoj okazas al mi, kaj certe ne estis kulpo mia sabaton ke mi devis trajne veturi de Birmingham al Barlastono tra Leicester kaj Derby. (more…)

The reason that there have been no posts on my blog of late is that I am spending a fortnight working in the place which fast feels like it is becoming my second home; Wantage. Wantage, if you are fortunate enough never to have heard of it, is a small town somewhere in the hidden depths of Oxfordshire. Imagine the back of beyond, go beyond it, and Wantage is about thirty miles away. One of our major clients has a large plant there; they use materials which are rather exciting and dangerous, and so they have to locate themselves in towns which no one will mind if they accidentally wipe out with an industrial spillage.

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 It’s only 10am, so nothing special has happened today and nor do I expect it to.  Nothing special has happened for a long time in terms of what I would normally call special, because special things normally make me happy and right now I am more unhappy than I have been for years (no sympathy please, I brought it on myself).  But last night I was talking to my slightly inebriated mother, and she was commenting on how special Tim must be.  She had a fair point.  This post I’m going to write should probably be written next week, which will be the anniversary of me and Tim getting together, but I’m going to be at Ni Festivalu and then in Wantage and it occurred to me that if I didn’t write it now, I might never have time. (more…)

Nine days into the New Year, I thought it might be time to reflect on how many of my resolutions (if any!) I’ve managed not to break. (more…)

This is a post which I cannot write; a story which cannot be told, about a story which should not have been told.

On Saturday life as I knew it came crashing down around my ears and for a certain amount of time, I couldn’t see how there could ever be a way forward again. (more…)

 My New Year resolutions for 2008 are many and varied.  I am exceptionally good at making resolutions and exceptionally bad at keeping them which is an unfortunate situation, but whereas as a small child I used to resolve each year not to commit any more sins, this year I am going to focus on some more attainable targets (more…)

This afternoon I finished reading a remarkable book called ‘The Music of the Primes’ by Marcus du Sautoy.  It was actually a Christmas present from my boyfriend, and a rather sweet one at that, because I told him he didn’t need to buy me anything else, yet he still did :)  I am very glad he ignored my protestations and went ahead; otherwise I would have missed out on a real treat. (more…)