Wet and Wild Weekend...

No, not quite that sordid, but it was a sordid wet and windy weekend! The heavens opened and the rain sluiced down. Friday’s weather was terrible, as it did not seem to let up until the late afternoon as Pepe and I made a beeline for Ikea…

Yes! Ikea! Pepe and I have a love for all things Ikea! We can not help ourselves, so on a Friday night we bounded over to that ‘superstore’ and went wild!

Well. Maybe not wild, but we really had fun shopping. :) We bought two ‘Daves’ and no, we did not buy two men called Dave, but these fantastic laptop tables in white:

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/00120818
Yes! They’re great! :) I put them together on Saturday all by myself proving that I do have an opposable thumb and am not afraid to use it. ;)

However, once we had paid for the furniture and tried to go outside – it was raining cats and dogs. I pelted across the car park to my little blue bug, drove it up to the loading bay, we loaded up Malutkie (my little car) with our haul of goodies, and got wet.

As we drove back to the flat I found that I never want to drive on the A406 in the rain at night time ever again. It was horrendous. I could barely see the road markings, because there was so much water on the road and there were some really idiotic drivers out there that night adding to the horror.

Anyhoo, we made it back safe and sound. Hurrah!

Arthur was away enjoying lovely warm sunny weather this weekend. Lucky man. T-shirt and shorts, he says. Me, shivering in my thick jumper and thick woolly socks.

Anyhoo! I was meant to sort out quite a few important things this weekend. No success there I’m afraid! Do you find that if there is a really cumbersome, tiresome, irritating piece of work, you’ll do anything else to avoid it? So, the flat looks pristine, the laundry was done and the Ikea furniture and other bits and bobs sorted out, crappy films were watched…but not the essential piece of work. Oops!
At least, I am not alone in this. There are other procrastinators out there! Unite, I say!
Hmmm, maybe tomorrow… ;)

And here we go again!

Hello there! I've returned! A year and 9 months later than expected... Oops. Where have I been? What have I been up to? Does anyone care? Never mind, I will just try get you all up to speed whether you like it or not.

2007 was a very hard year. I went through hell to put it mildly. My work was crucifying me and when I would return to the flat in South London in the evenings hell was awaiting me - therefore, I had no rest wherever I was.

Until...

I met my wonderful man, Arthur in December 2006 (who I mentioned had entered stage left in February 2007). I have never ever been so lucky. He came into my life just as everything was about to crush me, and saved me. Yes, he did, hallelujah! ;) Seriously, though. Without his love and support I could not have made it through. We are still happy together and it will be 19 months this September. :)

Arthur helped Pepe and me to find another place to live when we had to leave that 'previous abode' in South London, because we refused to be walked all over by someone who decided that it was their way or the highway - so, because we did not comply, we were told to leave. After we did so much for them, we were treated almost like vermin. Even now, when I think of that person, I am filled with such bitterness. It's getting better now, but I don't know what I would say to them, if I ever saw them again.

Well, luckily for us, we avoided the highway and he (with help from his property savvy mum) found for us a lovely little flat somewhere in a lovely, leafy part of North London. I still can not believe that we escaped from that poisonous person. Someone up there must like me a little bit...
The day Pepe and I were moving out together, the movers (two really big and burly men) parked outside the flat and I found that the division between North and South London is alive and well. Our neighbour came out of his flat looking surprised and said to me, 'Oh! I didn't know you were moving!' Where are you going to?'

I smiled rather tiredly and answered, 'North London.'

He said rather quickly with a grin, 'You traitor!'

Wha...??????!!!!

I stared at him, and asked, 'Why am I a traitor?'

'Because, you're moving across the river.'

Hmmm. Right. Now this animosity between North and South is a funny one. It's the stereotypical view that in the North they're more wealthy, snobby, lovely housing whereas in the South there's a higher crime rate, arty types, and the areas look a bit downtrodden - I mean, I'm sorry but all these words describe the whole of London! For some reason there is this rivalry. There was even a Nike run between the North and South! C'mon, London, give it a rest!

So. We moved in late April. The most stressful thing about it was the packing of 2 years of my little life into boxes. It was quite therapeutic. It felt good to throw away a certain person through the medium of 'downsizing.' I hadn't done that in a long time, since my family upped sticks and left Africa where we had 117 boxes to move across continents!

Arthur had invited me to join him for a visit to Nashville, Tennesse for a week's holiday, and I jumped at the chance. :) It was a fantastic time and it was my first visit to the States. :) Arthur and I have experienced so many wonderful things together and this is because of his curiousity to see and enjoy so many interesting events. :) I can say that I have enjoyed London like never before, because of you, Arthur! XXXX!

Peps and I settled quickly in the North, and I then decided to go through the next phase of my life - changing jobs. Oh my word... I had a big surprise awaiting me - you have to prepare for job hunting as though you are preparing for an exam - and I HATE exams! Anyhoo, my 1st job interview was a good one, as it gave me a really good kick up the derrière. I had not prepared as well as I should have done and this showed, which embarrassed me. I managed to get a job, and I made the switch at the beginning of October - it's nearly been a year! My word. Time does fly.

I work outside of London now , but the job is not 'me.' A job should never define who you are, but it should somehow be in tune with you... At the moment, I don't feel as though this is right, but! I am not in the most stressful place. It is fustrating, but at least I am not going home feeling as though I went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson and then got run over by a massive truck.

During 2007 I was pathetic in keeping in contact with friends. I think that I may have lost some along the way, and for that I am truly sorry. Things got the better of me.
I found myself being busy, stressed, inundated, unhappy, very happy, fustrated, angry, bitter, and becoming tired of trying to be there for anyone, even myself. There are times when I just want to leave the ring, and say 'Time out!' I just want some time to think without being immediately worried about something that I have not completed, something that I have overlooked, that I have upset someone by forgetting to call, by forgetting to write, by simply forgetting.
I am rather human, and there are those who have been too used to me being super quick, super efficient, super there for them all the time that when I fail in this respect - it's as though I am the worst of the worst.
Christ almighty. I am ONLY human. I am VERY tired. I need a super long holiday to completely recharge my batteries and rethink my little life's direction - no can do. I am on call, 24/7.

Ruth, I admire you so much, because you had the balls (only figurative ones!) to be brave and go and do what you wanted. You've been experiecing life and met so many interesting people. I wish I was even a little bit as brave. Kudos to you!

2008. Hmm.

Not sure about this year. We are into September now. Mum has not been well in late 2007 and in 2008. I am very worried about her. I missed two weddings in August, because I needed to go and see her. I feel so guilty living and working in London, whilst she lives alone in North Wales. Dark, wet and dreary North Wales. Where the locals still call us the 'Incomers'...even after we've been there for almost over 13 years... No further comment here; that statement just says it all.

Mum has currently popped over to Poland for treatment she knows she can trust and also that she can get! As in now, and not waiting 2 years or something ridiculous like that. I drove to and from Wales at the end of August during the weekend - 13 hours of driving, though not continuous, it absolutely drained me.
I will be attending a wedding on the 13th September in Warsaw, and I am looking forward to it, but also not. I've put on a bit of porkiness and my Polish is not up to scratch. Oops. Oh well. At least, I shall provide the Aunties something to cluck over and disapprove. You can't say that I don't give...
Arthur will be coming with me, so I will be interested to see his reaction to the Poles and their partying! ;) Haha! Should be fun - lots of wokda will be flowing and good food abounding. ;)

I know it sounds as though I have been negative and moaning throughout this post - you'd be right! However, it has been hard, emotionally. I would like to thank my close friend Pepe, Arthur and his amazing mum for being there for me. My mum has been patient, kind and understanding when it has been much needed. I will hopefully be much better at keeping in contact and will try to tackle life and be a better person.

Ciao for now, and I promise not to leave it until next year. :)