What I've done so far - meme

This meme comes from Blog Schmog. I simply did a blog search for Meme as I haven't done one for a while and I seem to have too many things on my mind to be able to get them into good, understandable sentences and blog about. Ok, maybe I'm just lazy at the moment ;-)

Directions: Put an asterisk next to the things you have done in your life, and then feel free to pass it on in your blog!

1. Started your own blog *
2. Slept under the stars *
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (does an airport stopover count???) *
5. Watched a meteor shower (I tried but it was cloudy!!!) *
6. Given more than you can afford to charity *
7. Been to Disneyworld
8. Climbed a mountain *
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris *
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning *
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables *
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France *
20. Slept on an overnight train *
21. Had a pillow fight *
22. Hitch hiked *
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill *
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb *
26. Gone skinny dipping *
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse *
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset *
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person *
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person *
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person *
41. Sung karaoke *
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant *
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight *
46. Been transported in an ambulance *
47. Had your portrait painted *
48. Gone deep sea fishing (does trawling in Fiji count?) *
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person *
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris *
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling *
52. Kissed in the rain *
53. Played in the mud *
54. Gone to a drive-in theater *
55. Been in a movie *
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business *
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen *
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching *
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving *
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp *
67. Bounced a check *
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy *
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar *
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square *
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired/laid off from a job *
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London *
77. Broken a bone *
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle *
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car *
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper *
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating *
88. Had chickenpox *
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous *
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one *
94. Had a baby *
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit *
98. Owned a cell phone *
99. Been stung by a bee *
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person

Only a fraction of a lifetime!

Any excuse for a sausage...

Only the music was missing and the big party on the old Main bridge in Segnitz would have been perfect. The closed and with information booths equipped bridge was literally stormed around 10 clock - from kindergarten children through students who were delighted with the cancelled school lessons to senior citizens. This rare and spectacular bridge threading wasn't going to be missed by anyone!

The old bridge, built in 1948/1949 had been rammed by quite a number of barges through the years and was damaged beyond proper repair so it was decided to build a new bridge. Yesterday was the day the new bridge arrived!


As with every big event happening in a small village, everyone was out and about to see the new bridge being put onto its pillars. My parents and their neighbours didn't miss it either!

The old bridge was full of spectators!

And when I showed my friend Sandra G some pictures and we came across the one below she said that it's so typical for us Germans ... any excuse to have a sausage! ;-)

Pictures: courtesy of mainpost.de

Abandoned Britain

Via Miss Aniela's pictures I came across the website "Abandoned Britain" where you will find amazing pictures of Hellingly hospital, formerly Hellingly Asylum. Above is just one example that leaves an eery feeling with you...

Her possession

Her possession - Originally uploaded by Miss Aniela

I would like to invite you to all have a look at Miss Aniela's latest pictures, taken at Hellingly Hall, an abandoned asylum (or hospital).
I love how many thoughts went into the pictures, the little details like additional hands or an innocent teddy bear, or the movement of Miss Aniela's hair and check out the cloned images of herself in one of the pictures. Simply ingenious.

Miss Aniela is currently exhibiting in London and having been at her Brighton exhibition and being the proud owner of one of her photographs I can only recommend you go and see her pictures.

Sunset last night

We have a wonderful view out of our front window and see the most amazing sunsets. In the summertime the sun goes down almost right in front of us but the nearer we get to winter the sun moves back eastwards and I have to hang out of the window to see it! These pictures were taken last night as the colours were just beautiful. I know the pictures never do the real thing any justice but I just couldn't resist taking some pictures.

Zoomed in to leave the houses and the electricity wires out of the pictures... quality suffered but I still like it.

This was taken from the garden path and the leaves in the foreground are from my neighbour's tree. This is my favourite picture.

And this is the view from my back garden. I left the chimney silhouette in on purpose, I like it! My mum would say it looks typical English!

Much ado about nothing

Picture courtesy of artnet.com

A nude photograph of the actress Brooke Shields aged 10 has been removed from a Tate Modern exhibition on police advice. So called "child protectors" criticized the Tate Modern for the image "to use as a bait" to attract visitors to the exhibition and this was - in their mind - similar to child abuse. Furthermore, the exhibition could attract pedophiles!

Slowly but surely the religious fanaticism and fundamentalist thinking is destroying the normal social interaction between us people. I find it really sad that some people attribute nudity with sex, Botticelli's Birth of Venus is pure pornography, children shouldn't see their parents naked and vice versa. If I was to go by these people, would it mean that there was something wrong with me when I look at my naked dad and I don't think about having sex with him???

Act of God?

Picture courtesy of BBC News

My thoughts are with all the people who have to deal with the aftermath of the tsunami and I sincerely hope that my friends in Fiji are all well and that the region wasn't hit too badly by the Tsunami that struck the South Pacific islands of Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga.

I read up on The Times about the disaster and was amazed to see in the comments section that there are still people out there who "blame" these things on God. Maybe blame is the wrong word to use, maybe explain is a better word.

Here's a selection of comments that I noticed:

Its interesting that the Holy Bible says that not too long before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ there will be a considerable "increase in wars, earthquakes, famines and diseases" (Luke chapter 21)...and here they are.

Looking back in history there have always been wars, earthquakes, famines and diseases. I cannot really see an increase in these things, rather a shift of location, so I will dismiss this "evidence" of a Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

"The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times." (Matthew 16)

Listen people God loves us and is giving us the opportunity to read the, "signs of the times," and repent and be restored to Him before it is too late. The Evil One wants to kill and destroy us God wants to redeem us and have us live with Him forever...BUT it's our choice.

Reading these comments really confuse me... how on earth can you believe in a God you are convinced is responsible for this?

Photos of the day

I haven't done a Photo of the day for ages, so here are some I took the other day!

This was taken at my friend's Susie recently, she had a bunch of flowers in her kitchen and I loved the pink and white stripes here with the green centre.

One of the white roses I have in my front garden. It looks like a dollop of butter, doesn't it?

My clematis has finally decided to have flowers. Only four and they are badly damaged by snails but I'm not complaining! I planted the clematis about three years ago and was ready to give up on it ever having flowers.

I really like this picture! I had some gladioli at home and they were simply beautiful. I love how the pedicles are nestled inside the petals.

I couldn't have said it better...

Last I heard, 12 people had committed suicide over Michael Jackson's death.

Excellent rant. Should I warn you about the language? No. It's in English. It's how I would tell it and it's so so true.

This country has too many idiots in publicly funded positions

Dozens of quangos and taxpayer-funded organisations have ordered a purge of common words and phrases so as not to cause offence.

The National Gallery in London believes that the phrase “gentleman’s agreement” is potentially offensive to women and suggests that staff should replace it with “unwritten agreement” or “an agreement based on trust” instead. The term “right-hand man” is also considered taboo by the gallery, with “second in command” being deemed more suitable.

And these are just a few examples of the nonsense some people have now come up with. It's indeed a black day for language when we have to think very hard what we are allowed to say and what we aren't because someone may misunderstand what we are trying to say. I wonder if the black pudding will be next on the list to disappear.

I may be a woman but I do know that a gentleman's agreement isn't necessarily between two gentlemen (where do you still find them anyway nowadays???). I mean, come on, give us some credit here. But this seems to be the common thread that runs through this country: our government really must think we are idiots and that we cannot think or decide for ourselves. Ok, this may be true for some people but that's no reason to assume everyone is the same, but I guess this is keeping in line with the whole equality, political correctness, health and safety bullshit that's infected Britain some while ago.

I remember years ago Germany went through a similar silly phase... the gender neutrality. A wave of feminism had swept through the country and the (ultimate) result was that millions of Deutschmarks were wasted to create official documents that were gender neutral. I couldn't give a monkey's arse if I came across a document that only stated "he" and not "he/she". I find it sad that some women need this to make them feel like a woman or equal to men.

Walking

I bought myself a pedometer to measure how many steps I do everyday and was surprised just how much I seem to run around in the morning before I go to work! My steps have increased ever since I got the pedometer:

Friday: 1,844
Saturday: 4,058
Sunday: 3,760 (ok, I had a lazy Sunday!)
Monday: 9,498

And to get an even better result out of my running around I bought myself a pair of fit flops! They are incredibly comfortable and have seven added benefits:

1. You get a workout while you walk via the Microwobbleboard technology.
2. Your muscels are stimulated more while you are wearing the fit flops so they challenge hard to reach muscles more.
3. Every step you take in your FitFlop footwear helps tone and trim your legs
4. FitFlop footwear works your bum muscles more.
5. They also work your thighs more.
6. Walking in FitFlop footwear is like walking barefoot, but a little bit better. It reduces joint strain and relief from back pain.
7. FitFlop sandals make it easier to stay in shape. Just throw them on while you’re running errands, walking to work, or working around your house. Most first-time FitFlop wearers report feeling their muscles working more, while ‘fitter’ wearers feedback has been more toward great comfort and cushion. One woman reported feeling like she’d had a ‘bum-blasting’ workout after a half an hour of FitFlop-shoe walking.

My sister thinks they are ugly but I like them! And it's fun comparing how many steps more or less I did with my friend Sandy G. (She's got one too. In fact, she's the one who convinced me to buy a pedometer and the fit flops!!!)

I love getting postcards...

Details Magazine, New York, 1986. Photography by John Chan

This one came this morning from my sister C. who spent a looooooooooong weekend in Stockholm. It put me in a good mood straight away. Thanks Sis!

England won The Ashes

Yeah! I didn't think it would be over so quickly... one minute I was complaining that they seem to be stuck on five wickets forever and the next minute it was all over! Well done, England.

Cricket

We are having our annual Cabbies vs. Pubbies Cricket match coming up on the Sunday before the bank holiday... and I expect a good outcome this year. It starts at 1pm, usual cricket ground. We'll have home made lemon drizzle cake in the tea break and Psalms will bring beer (selling at cost price).

In case anyone is wondering, this picture was taken a few years ago when Jono's brother asked him to stand in at a cricket match. Please note, the laughing man standing in the door is Jono's brother!

English summer

Yes, we do have a summer here, maybe not as perfect as in other countries (that aren't so up north like the British Isles) but oh, there is nothing better than a nice warm day out on the beach. In this case Cambersands and we picked the perfect day for it. About 27 degrees, a light breeze, not too many people close by... add a good book and good company, in my case my sister Betti, who spent last week with me... it can't get any better, honestly!

Joys of motherhood

I had an email today from my oldest and best friend from Germany... she's expecting again! What a lovely surprise and I bet not just for me ;-)

How funny that I came across this: "It's good for women to suffer the pain of a natural birth, says medical chief Denis Walsh".

He goes on to say:

"In the west it has never been safer to have a baby, yet it appears that women have never been more frightened of the processes. More women should be prepared to withstand pain," he said, explaining that labour pain has a purpose, it is a "useful thing", with a number of benefits, including: Preparing a mother for the responsibility of nurturing a newborn baby."

I might just forward this article to my friend and wait for her reaction, which I expect will be similar to mine (what a complete idiot this man is... and how bloody typical of a MAN to make this statement).

I news-googled Denis Walsh Midwife and I just love the headline: WOMEN TO FORCE HAT-STAND INTO ANUS OF MALE MIDWIFE

Break

Picture courtesy of my sister who took the picture of me on the beach near Vila do Bispo

I am going to take a break from blogging for now... I seem to have too much to do lately, I haven't even had a chance to properly look at my holiday pictures... and by the time I come home from work I feel exhausted.

My hay fever is pretty bad this year, my lupus is giving me grief so I need all the energy I have left to do relaxing things like being in the garden with a good book or just laying in my hammock watching the birds and bumble bees go by.

I admire people who manage to do a full time job, run several blogs, comment on other blogs and be up to date with the blogs they follow AND live a normal life with going out, reading at home, making things, taking care of family etc.etc. How do you do it?

Thank you!

My friend Gilly turned 40 over the weekend and we had such a good time Saturday night and yesterday day that I thought if my 40th will be only half as nice as Gilly's I'd be happy with that!

Away on holiday

With the whole family... parents, sisters, nephews and my other half of course. We did this ten years ago and had such a good time that we said we ought to do it again. We've rented a very nice villa with pool, not far away from lovely beaches and some very nice restaurants and the weather couldn't be better. In fact all was fine until someone from a nearby building site (at least that is what we think!) wandered into our house during the day while we were all around the pool, took one of our house keys and decided to come back the same night at 4am in the morning. He went into the room where the boys sleep but before he could do any harm or steal anything my nephew woke up and called him a thief and he fled, leaving the door key behind in the door. He probably couldn't get it out of the door lock quick enough for which we were really glad.

The following days and nights were simply horrible for us.

The first night we locked all doors, all shutters and put a chair against the door from the inside. We hardly slept at all because we were trying to hear if that man would try braking in this time. My dad thought he heard someone scream, jumped out of bed and hit his head in the dark, leaving him with a bloody forehead. During the day we glanced nervously around when we were outside to see if someone was watching us or was already on our property.

Everytime I hear a noise that is unfamiliar I immediately think there is someone in the house.

I am so angry that one person shows so little respect for other people and their property. Luckily he didn't succeed in ruining our holiday. We are now more cautious but we are still having fun and do all the things we want.

Meine Oma!

And I was so chuffed when I heard that she was feeling better and going back home... sadly it didn't last and my Oma peacefully passed away only two days later. I can't quite believe that I will never see her again. I know we all expected it to happen rather sooner than later but when I got the message that she died it still came as a shock.

I have so many fond memories of her as I spent quite a lot of time with her when I grew up. she had the most comfortable sleeping couch I have ever slept on. And she was always there for us. I shared quite a few things with her that I couldn't talk about with anyone else.

I can't comprehend the amount of things she encountered in her life. Born during the first world war, expelled from her home town in the second world war, having to start a complete new life in a strange town with two very young girls (my mum and my aunt) and she was always always working or doing something. She took care of my two sisters when they grew up as my mum had to work, she cooked for the whole family every day and she was always there when I needed her. She loved working in the garden and she had a passion for fancy bras and funky sunglasses.

I miss her.

Miracle woman

My grandmother has made a remarkable recovery and will be discharged from hospital tomorrow. Wow. She's had family saying their final good byes last week and even the vicar stopped by to give her the last rites.

I bet she's not ready to go yet because it's her 93rd birthday coming up soon!

No mind for blogging

My grandmother is in her last days on this earth and my mind is too occupied with the question if I want to see her before she dies or if I want to keep her in my memory as the last time I saw her, which was last Christmas. I don't know what to do.

Taking the biscuit!

Our members of parliament.... they really do take the biscuit, literally! On expenses of course! Funnily enough, it was Shaun Woodward, the Northern Ireland Secretary, who mentioned biscuits first! He said: “I have just had a cup of tea in the green room getting ready for this programme, and there were biscuits next to the make-up tray,” he told the BBC. “The BBC is funded by the taxpayer. Those biscuits were actually paid for by a taxpayer. I have, in my office, claimed for biscuits for my constituents. So my constituents should not have biscuits, but someone coming on this programme should?”

Actually, dearest Mr. Woodward, the BBC is funded by license payers, not everyone is necessarily a taxpayer.

I find it quite sad that the only excuse our MPs have is that everything they claimed for has been within the rules.

Photos of the day

I took them the other evening with my new old camera. My first ever digital camera was a Canon Powershot A310 with 3.2 mega pixels and despite some photographers at flickr being quite contemptuous about images that were taken with the macro setting (that little "flower button") I took some of my best macros with it. Sadly the camera gave up after being in Fiji too many times (hot, sandy and humid) and I opted for another camera that was designed for macros. I didn't get a single good macro out of that camera. I bought another digital camera the other day, but it's really only good for your holiday snaps. Don't get me wrong, 10 mega pixels for 45 quid (at Aldi)... I'm not complaining but again, macros? Forget it. So via good old eBay I found my old camera again and got it for about 20 pounds. Now my friends are complaining that it takes me more than 15 minutes to walk from my house to the pub (it's about 200 yards) because I stop and take pictures of the beautiful flowers my neighbours have in their gardens. Of course I would rather have a nice DSLR with an extra macro lens but I just don't have six or seven hundred pounds to spare... (any donations are welcome!)

Enjoyment

I must say, I'm enjoying my new food blog. I noticed that I spend a lot more time searching for good recipes and reading other food blogs. I just need to figure out how to take good pictures of my food as at the moment I am crap at that!

In her own write ;-)

You can find my new food blog here!

Local delicious food!

Since we are at the subject food, H. and I went to Greggs in Sevenoaks the other day and spoilt ourselves with delicous food and delicious wine. I took pictures of every course but sadly not all of them turned out to be as good as the dish itself.

H. had Toasted brioche with peppered goats cheese and poached pear (below)

Followed by Parmesan and spinach tart with sweet potato chips and basil pesto (no image).

I had the Pressed terrine of ham knuckle with sweet piccalilli (below)

And my main course was Classic fish and chips with lime tartar sauce

And for dessert we both went for the Eton mess with raspberry foam. Simply delicious.

Little Chef Popham

Little Chef Popham - Originally uploaded by emmajc.

On our way to Devon we stopped at the Little Chef that was overhauled by Heston Blumenthal and wow, I've never seen a Little Chef buzzing with so many customers before!

We were placed at the bar right opposite the open kitchen and we could see our cheeseburgers being made step by step, which was great. The service was excellent (they must have had ten waiters there that day), everything was clean and the menu looked impressive. The food was delicious, everyone at the bar finished their plates, no matter if they ate burgers, breakfast, mussels, ox cheeks or pork belly on salad.

You will not be disappointed eating there and I just wish that all Little Chefs were like the one in Popham.

Weekend trip

I spent the last weekend in Devon visiting friends of mine and had a great time. Of course, I couldn't resist taking a picture of Stonehenge on the way there, too bad you can't really go around the great stones anymore; since 1977 the only time they allow access is at the Summer and Winter Solstice. There is a long story behind why access has been cut off, mainly to do with the Stonehenge free festival that used to be held there and the increasing number of visitors.

The landscape in Devon is simply beautiful... rolling hills, small hedges and brick walls between the fields... pigs, cows and sheep everywhere and wonderful coastal towns and beaches.

The weekend only reaffirmed my desire to live somewhere close to the sea.

Absence....

... makes the heart grow fonder. I have been absent from my blog for a couple of months and I think I'm back in blogging mood. I've been ill and although I had many things on my mind, none of them were worth blogging about. At least not worth for me. But I'm on the mend and my head is full of things that I want to share. So... watch this space!

I have aids

... on my mind. I came across a German advertising campaign that uses famous German faces to remind people that Aids is still very much around.

Here's some more background information taken from their website:

AIDS must not be forgotten. Not blocking out but acting is the motto! If someone from your family or a friend happens to be diagnosed with Aids only then do we recognize the seriousness of the situation. But by then it's too late! Therefore Regenbogen e.V. (a registered charity) fights actively against AIDS - before it's too late and the virus is already in the body. With the support of prominent people Regenbogen e.V. shows that it can happen to each of us. Everyday.

AIDS in Germany (and so many other Western countries) is hardly perceived as a threat, it is ignored by many and underestimated. Thus, for example, the trend towards unprotected sexual intercourse continues despite numerous campaigns, so Regenbogen e.V. says: "Do not forget Aids". AIDS mustn't go back to what it once was 26 years ago! An alleged gay disease that deserves no attention because it's only an illness / disease of a minority, and because most of us like to feel part of the majority we should not even care!

A number of celebrities have signed up to have their picture taken with the headline "I have aids" and in small print "on my mind". I think it's an excellent idea because the shock of reading that maybe your favourite actor has aids definitely gets your attention.

Danger online!

Remember my post about Carol Midgley who was writing an article about the dangers online and whether you make your blog more interesting to attract more readers? Well, it was published in The Times yesterday and I find it a very interesting read. Not just because she mentioned me but because she mentioned a few things I never thought of and it makes me look at blogging completely different now. (I'm not necessarily saying that I will change my way of blogging though!)

I am a moderator

Gretchen Rubins asked if you are a moderator or an abstainer and I am clearly a moderator.

As Gretchen Rubin puts it:

You’re a moderator if you…
-- find that occasional indulgence heightens your pleasure – and strengthens your resolve
-- get panicky at the thought of “never” getting or doing something

You’re an abstainer if you…
-- have trouble stopping something once you’ve started
-- aren’t tempted by things that you’ve decided are off-limits

The more I think about it the more I am convinced I am 95% a moderator. There are certain things that I can totally do without once I've decided that they aren't for me but there are a few things I do come back to even though I know I shouldn't. So in the end it all boils down to temptation and if you can withstand.

Ok, some things are really easy to withstand for me, strangely enough addictive things... for example I have no problem with not eating chocolate for a while if I set my mind to it, probably because I only discovered the joys of chocolate quite late in life. I never used to like chocolate but then I came across Green & Blacks and sigh... there went my waistline.

Same with cigarettes... I can go days without them and I am not tempted at all as long as I know I can have one whenever I feel like one. Which means, if I have cigarettes in the house I don't feel the need to smoke but if I haven't I go crazy and need to have one right away.

So what are you? A moderator or an abstainer? Or a modstainer?

The Uncommon Reader

This was a Christmas present and I read it on the flight back from Germany... I couldn't stop it and I disturbed several people by laughing out loud.

The Uncommon Reader is of course the Queen, who is chasing after her corgies one day only to find a library van in the Buckingham Palace grounds. Of course, One cannot just leave without taking a book with her! The Queen starts reading and everything changes, not just her life but also that of people around her, staff, visitors, husband... everyone is affected. This is a very very funny book which I can highly recommend.

I wish you were able to read German!

My sister recommended a book to me, it's called "Gut gegen Nordwind" (good against the north wind) and the entire book is an email conversation between two people who have never met.

Emmi Rothner wanted to cancel a magazine subscription and due to a typo her email landed in Leo Leike's inbox and soon the two are exchanging emails, initially timid but with time they even start flirting with each other. The big question is of course, should they meet? Would they like each other in real life as much as they do in the virtual life?

This book is only available in German language and it would take someone really good to translate it into English because there are a lot of word plays but I am sure it's not an impossible task. I do hope it will happen one day because this book is so nice I want all my friends to read it.

This is everything that's wrong with this country:

Film crews ordered an altar cross to be covered at a church for a Coronation Street wedding, fearing it may offend soap viewers.

I am sick and tired of this politically correct bullshit.

Happy New Year!

I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy new year! May all your wishes come true, may you be blessed with many wonderful, happy, hilarious moments in 2009 and let's hope for a more peaceful year worldwide than last year (although Israel might just put a damper on this!).

Therapy!

I have spent the last two days supporting the failing German economy by spending my Christmas money ... on clothes. And shoes. Sheer bliss. I usually hate clothes shopping but with my sister Betti everything is different! And best news... I actually dropped a jeans size! How on earth I managed to do this with all the eating and drinking over the holidays I have no idea.

Retail therapy does work when it comes to certain illnesses... I totally forgot about my lupus in the last two days ;-)

Unwanted gifts

I'm sure there's always one present you didn't want for Christmas... mine this year was a fresh outbreak of Lupus. I'm not sure what the trigger was, usually it's stress. I don't recall being particularly stressed but who knows. I woke up on Christmas Day to find myself looking like someone who had fallen into an ants nest. Occupied by big angry ants. Not only are my arms and hands covered in tiny little itchy bumps but also the inside of my ears, behind my ears, on my eye lids, on my eye brows and for the first time I have the telltale signs of a butterfly rash on my face. Just what I needed, eh? And I actually allowed myself to feel sorry for myself and cried. And then I got angry. Had I not been at my parents house I would have probably thrown something against the mirror. Or on the floor. Like an empty jam jar... I used to keep them at home in the cupboard just for that reason. To throw one on the floor to release my anger and then calm down while cleaning up the broken pieces. I guess it has to wait until I'm back home.

A healthy pain free 2009 was my only wish for next year. Who knows, it might still happen. After all, we only have end of December and there are still a few days left in this old year!

Have a good one, everybody. Hope your last days of 2008 are filled with happy things and nothing to worry about for next year!

Mink knickers

A wonderful article by Jeremy Clarkson. I totally agree with him.

"God help us all!"

Pope Benedict was accused of stoking homophobia today after a speech in which he declared that saving humanity from homosexuality was just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.

Reading this makes me sick. I'm actually ashamed that the Pope is a fellow human and obviously doesn't know that people are born gay. But then, it took them a very long time to accept the world is round and not flat and it took them even longer to apologise for this ... I guess we will have to wait a few more centuries for the church to come around! The hypocrisy is what gets me. The Catholic Church is happy to cover up scandals (their words) that involve gay priests, or pedophile priests and even have kindergartens for their priest's offspring. And I'm still calling the Pope and the whole Catholic Church mass murderers for not promoting to use condoms. They rather see people die of HIV than educate them. And there are people out there who believe in this church??? It's beyond me.

Highlights and lowlights

Sugar coated? - Originally uploaded by Miss_M.

I can't believe this year is almost over! It went by so quickly, it's unbelievable. I had a few highlights this year... celebrating my 10 year anniversary with John was definitely the biggest ... my holiday in Fiji was certainly a highlight ... and having my nephew with me in the summer was another one. I've had many glorious moments this year... some totally unexpected which made them even more special, some I had been looking forward to for ages and they didn't disappoint.

Lowlights? Plenty. Mostly health related.

So for next year I'm wishing for good health and happiness. I would love to be painfree for a complete year (apart from the odd headache maybe).

I wish everyone a wonderful Christmas time and a fabulous, fantastic, sunny, exciting, hilarious 2009!

Blogging will be light...

I'm too busy with work and life at the moment. I shall have more time to blog once I'm on my Christmas break.

Sad news

Bettie Page, one of the most famous pin-up models of the 1950s has died. I've always liked her style. She was what I call a sexy woman. And not because she was half naked most of the time but because she was vivacious and curvaceous and had tons of charm. She was 85 when she died.

What next?

Cigarettes are to be banned from open display in shops and supermarkets in a fresh attempt to cut the number of smokers, the government will announce today.

Because there are actually people out there who see a pack of cigarettes on display and think, mhm, I think I will become a smoker. Those packets look all nice and colourful and shiny... let's be a smoker.

So what will the government cook up next? A law that tells us what we are allowed to have for breakfast? Will cakes come with a health warning now? And while we are at it, let's ban all dangerous sports, like rugby and tennis and of course bike riding. Uh, and it gets even better, let's ban kids riding a bike because they might fall off and hurt themselves. What about sex? Now you can end up being deaf for two months just after kissing sex must come with some regulations, like at what time and how often and lights on or off (hey, reduce your carbon footprint during sex and turn off the lights!) .... grrrr. I am just so appalled by our government and the fact that they seem to think they have to nanny us. If they were so concerned about our health they would ban all tobacco imports. But I guess the revenue from the tobacco sales is too good to miss out on, eh?

I'm all fur it!

A A Gill is - as so often - right:

"How fur went from being practical and chic, stylish and sensible for 100,000 years, and then all of a sudden became the cagoule of shame in the past decade, is one of the oddest about-faces in all civilisation."

You can find the whole article here. I've always said I'd rather wear a fur coat than any other coat for which some 9-year-old Filipino kids worked their fingers bloody for 12 cents an hour.

Speaking about A A Gill, I wonder if he has changed his mind about the Germans. I was quite disappointed to read this. For someone who is otherwise so brilliant, he was extremely shortsighted when he wrote his article.

A wonderful post

Nancy Rommelmann on how everyone assumed she was Jewish. (Thanks Jackie!)

Living with Lupus

I was doing a blog search for lupus and the sheer amount of blogs with the subject lupus made me question if I take my condition serious enough. I hardly talk about it because there is not much I can do about it. I have lupus. End of story. I don't really like to whinge (and let me tell you, I could whinge about so many things because lupus does effect my life in so many ways) because let's be honest, there is really nothing worse than someone going on and on about how ill they are. Or that this hurts. Or that they now have to take this and this medication bla bla bla...

But really, should I at least think about my condition more? Should I start taking it really really serious and let it ruin my life? I know I could live a much healthier life ... but do I really want to look back in 20 years time and think, wohooo, I've beaten the odds, I've lived 34 years longer than they thought I would live... but actually the last 20 years were totally boring because I stopped having fun in order to live a healthy life.

I blogged three times about my lupus. Three times in two years blogging. And the funny thing is that I even said

[sic] if I don't talk about it then it will eat me up. And I've been quiet about it for too long I think.

I am going through a rough phase with my lupus at the moment and it is starting to piss me off. I am in constant pain. I have troubles falling asleep because my bones hurt so much that I can't lie in the same position for very long. I had to adjust my sex life because I'm too tired to do anything after ten o'clock at night. I've put on weight which sucks even more (I am a woman after all!). I go through phases where I feel totally inadequate and all I want to do is lock myself in at home.

I'm sure there is a solution for this. Which probably includes things like "drinking lots of water" and "doing regular exercise" and "cutting back on alcohol (and/or other drugs)" and "enjoying the little things in life like the sky or the birds" ... Yes. The sky is blue and the birds are on their winter break somewhere in Africa!

I know I can do all those things but would they necessarily make me feel any better? In a way, I do drink lots of water (I go swimming in the morning and believe me, I do swallow my fair share of chloride and urine infested water), I go swimming which counts as exercise and I don't go to the pub during the week anymore (which means drinking less alcohol). I'm not feeling necessarily any better though.

Maybe the solution to this is not whinge about it. Not take it too serious. So basically I'm where I started. Not talking and not really thinking about it.

Oops!

Picture courtesy of phd.comics.com

Had to think of my friend Sandy when I saw this comic... that was her the other morning! (Only because I moaned that nobody else will take the milk upstairs!)