Shapeshifting

The WINNER!

In the much anticipated England vs Australia Pub Challenge, the home team steals the prize when the Aussie team fails conclusively to handle that last pint of bitter.

"And THEN she said..."

No one is quite as hilarious to these two as, er, these two. This was about 20 minutes after their first (re) meeting. They chose to wear these hats (both Evie's) and haven't taken them off for long.

Munchkins

Snap

There are no words for today really. Not yet anyway. But it was fun, really fun. It's impossible to get a good photo of both th girls at once because they never stop moving and laughing the lovely, earthy cackle of a laugh that they share. At first the differences seemed strong but after about 30 minutes they just began to merge. Around 7pm we put them in the bath and for a minute I felt genuine panic because I could not tell, despite repeated searching of faces, which child was my daughter.

Here's a not-very-good picture. I have two weeks in which to perfect the shot!

 

Bonus shot

"We were ON A BREAK!"

I did it again. Took the night 'off' and then at about 1 AM, woke up thinking,"S**T...I'm NEVER going to get this all done before they arrive at 8 AM. TOMORROW." And I'm not. So I'll do what I can.

Obviously I'm not going to be blogging for a while unless I find myself awake in the middle of the night with some unbearably cute photos to share. And at this point I don't even know if our carefully orchestrated internet crossover at the new place (we may not have packed much or moved much but we've got the broadband lined up goddammit) will work.

How will you manage without me? Yeah. Pretty darn easily :)

No doubt I'll be unable to resist Twitter on my phone. See you on the other side.

Or...tomorrow night. Never let it be said I'm not self-aware.

In flight

Do you do this? Have some Very Important Things to be thinking about but instead find yourself obsessing about something utterly trivial?

For example, as you will be well aware (and I promise, the 'oh I'm so tired/busy/lucky because I'm moving' posts are mostly over), we're moving and we have Twinny coming to stay. In two sleeps.

Both houses are in extreme chaos, neither is really habitable and we've reached the stage where we can do no more. We just need to wait until the end of the month and leap; while carrying various kitchen appliances, soft furnishings, beds and stuff.

And yet my mind seems fixated on one thing. The thing that - if I were to have time to put together an inspiration board, or indeed know where the heck anything is so that I could make one - would be absolutely central to how I want the cottage to look when we're settled in.

So this morning I decided to hit etsy and find some pictures. Etsy....is down. Maintenance work. But...but...

I went to Folksy. I went to DaWanda. And in despair I went to Google images. and there I found something that wasn't quite perfect - it needs a smattering of red and turquoise - but still managed to ease my mind. Now maybe I can concentrate on real life. At least until I find the perfect shade of dove grey for the garden shed/studio.

ADDED: Etsy is back - I found this beauty at hangingorigami.

This Girl Is Fortunate

 

What Barack Obama carries for luck

(c) Brooks Kraft / Corbis for TIME

Dropping in quickly for TGIF (and I could probably do three or four of them today).

I am trusting that whatever happens with Charlie's employment (currently filed under T for Threatened  and M for Mad Despotic CEO) we will  find and flourish on the other side of an opening door. I really believe we will.

I am grateful for my eternal good luck. Seriously.

I am inspired by a young boy who has sent our organisation a heart-warming, eloquent and yes, inspiring piece of sponsored writing that has raised hundreds of pounds. He has selective mutism and has never done anything like this before.  Also by the messages that the people here sent to each other on the first anniversary of a friend and co-worker's suicide as we remembered the shining light that she was before depression took her away. We miss you Lisa.

Some days I  love my job. See: gratitude above.

Chilled.

Oh god I have so much to do today. I need to just sit, blog and let my brain take a moment before I fire it up for some organisation. Organisation not being my strong point. Or even my weak point. It just doesn't figure in my world. Can you hear the panic?! Must order DNA tests, must switch council tax/electric/water bills, must choose furniture to move tomorrow, must cut knee high grass at both houses, must grasp fact that Twinny will be here a week today. I feel faint.

So let's talk dreadlocks.

 

(c) sara janssen

Always loved them. Started thinking about them again last week inspired by Sara and  Denise. I even found a loctitian nearby who could dread my hair and crochet in some dread extensions so that they were long enough. I was thinking shoulder length, not too fat, very red, some loose hair just to girlie them up a bit. Beads. Love beads.

I don't think it's going to happen. Well it's not. Normally I wouldn't dream of discussing anything to do with my hair with Charlie and he wouldn't dream of expecting me to, but dreads are fairly radical and Charlie... isn't so much. Internally yes, externally no.

I mentioned it. He wasn't keen.
He mentioned it. I didn't put up much of an argument.
He "really, really" doesn't like them.
I think I've presented him with enough change for a while and he's coping magnificently for someone who "really, really" doesn't like change.
I can't do it.

So instead I'll keep on growing it, keep it good'n'red - red hair makes me feel as if I have superpowers - and play with scruffing it up in other ways. That'll do.

These thoughts have fitted in nicely with my current attempts to go with what is. I've been the kind of person who gets very attached to a vision, an idea, a dream being just as I have it in my head and now I'm trying to see more possibility. See that it's good to have dreams and visions to aim for but also to appreciate a detour. The place you end up will be perfect if you believe it is and let go of your attachment to an absolute.

It's working for me, I'm very happy. Very happy. Yesterday at the office a co-worker said to me,"Jo, you're looking really chilled at the moment."

And I am. Scrub that first paragraph.

Patient

In the middle of all the chaos are two little faces who have seen it all before, but not for a long time. The coming and going, the boxes, the packing, the strange scents coming back with us when we come home...it's unsettling for them. I tell them every day that soon, soon they'll be living back in a place they'll love but I'm not sure they're getting it.

Two weeks, my sweeties. Just two weeks.

New pictures on the cottage pages