Yes, I'm still here
Hello. It's been a while.
First, I went here:
(this is the Canadian Rockies btw)
Where it was this:
(this is me and my Dad enjoying -25C in the sunshine)
The flights over and back were fine. As you may recall from an earlier post we had to stay overnight in Frankfurt on the way over (due to airline changes), but while it made the journey longer, a good night's sleep in an airport hotel meant we arrived on the other end coping very well with jet lag (my parents live -7 GMT). Lufthansa thankfully are civilised enough to give every passenger their own audio/visual set, so between the two journeys I watched Wall-e, (fantastic) Mamma Mia!, (silly, but feel-good) the third Mummy film (I lost interest halfway through) and some assorted wildlife documentaries (educational). I did have a lovely time on my break. I didn't do very much actually. I did some shopping, hung out with my parents, went out snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, read some books, and just chilled out. I really needed to just crash, and crash I did.
I was a bit down when I got back. Part of me just really didn't want to be here. I think it was a combination of post-holiday comedown, return to NO SUN and DAMPNESS (as while it's bloody cold in Canada in the winter, it's sunny and far drier than it is here), and the imminent return to work. This mood has kept me (mostly) offline for a bit. I've been watching videos, telly and reading.
In an attempt to improve my mood, I’ve made an effort to be more rigorous about doing yoga since the New Year. This is helping. Things have improved a bit now, thankfully. I’ve also tried to make an effort to see some friends, rather than wallow in my own melancholy, and this too has helped.
I tried to enrol in a dressmaking class at the local college last week. Basically, after a year of Postgraduate Diploma work, I really wanted to do something a bit different. Sadly, for me, it's full. I'll need to have a look around and see if there's anything else I can do. Perhaps I can teach myself something, or maybe do some knitting or cross-stitch, which I’ve not done for a while. I may look into enrolling again in the Autumn, perhaps do City and Guilds or something.
Project Second Budgie has commenced as well. While she was SO happy to be home (she went to a friend’s for the two-and-a-bit weeks we were in Canada) and gave me lots of birdie affection, I’m now convinced she needs more than just us. I’ve found an accredited breeder not too far away, so I plan to make some enquiries in the next day or two. I’ll have to get a bigger cage, and will need to be prepared to keep the birds separate for a month or two. This is to ensure New Budgie is not ill in any way and to give me time to tame it. Then comes the fun of introductions - it’s a bit like cats in that it might be easy or it might not. The birds will need to negotiate their own pecking order (harhar).
At lunchtime today, I went into town to run a few errands. I’ve not really been in town properly since I’ve been back, and whoa - you can see the effects of the Credit Crunch. Lots of retail stores are closed already, and many are having serious Fire Sales. I popped into one of the Pound Shops to pick up some AA batteries, and The Special’s Ghost Town was playing over the PA system. I’m sure this was probably part of some mix tape, but the combination of amusement and poignancy was almost too much.
I've also learned today that I've been in the same Little Chef as Heston Blumenthal!
First, I went here:
(this is the Canadian Rockies btw)
Where it was this:
(this is me and my Dad enjoying -25C in the sunshine)
The flights over and back were fine. As you may recall from an earlier post we had to stay overnight in Frankfurt on the way over (due to airline changes), but while it made the journey longer, a good night's sleep in an airport hotel meant we arrived on the other end coping very well with jet lag (my parents live -7 GMT). Lufthansa thankfully are civilised enough to give every passenger their own audio/visual set, so between the two journeys I watched Wall-e, (fantastic) Mamma Mia!, (silly, but feel-good) the third Mummy film (I lost interest halfway through) and some assorted wildlife documentaries (educational). I did have a lovely time on my break. I didn't do very much actually. I did some shopping, hung out with my parents, went out snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, read some books, and just chilled out. I really needed to just crash, and crash I did.
I was a bit down when I got back. Part of me just really didn't want to be here. I think it was a combination of post-holiday comedown, return to NO SUN and DAMPNESS (as while it's bloody cold in Canada in the winter, it's sunny and far drier than it is here), and the imminent return to work. This mood has kept me (mostly) offline for a bit. I've been watching videos, telly and reading.
In an attempt to improve my mood, I’ve made an effort to be more rigorous about doing yoga since the New Year. This is helping. Things have improved a bit now, thankfully. I’ve also tried to make an effort to see some friends, rather than wallow in my own melancholy, and this too has helped.
I tried to enrol in a dressmaking class at the local college last week. Basically, after a year of Postgraduate Diploma work, I really wanted to do something a bit different. Sadly, for me, it's full. I'll need to have a look around and see if there's anything else I can do. Perhaps I can teach myself something, or maybe do some knitting or cross-stitch, which I’ve not done for a while. I may look into enrolling again in the Autumn, perhaps do City and Guilds or something.
Project Second Budgie has commenced as well. While she was SO happy to be home (she went to a friend’s for the two-and-a-bit weeks we were in Canada) and gave me lots of birdie affection, I’m now convinced she needs more than just us. I’ve found an accredited breeder not too far away, so I plan to make some enquiries in the next day or two. I’ll have to get a bigger cage, and will need to be prepared to keep the birds separate for a month or two. This is to ensure New Budgie is not ill in any way and to give me time to tame it. Then comes the fun of introductions - it’s a bit like cats in that it might be easy or it might not. The birds will need to negotiate their own pecking order (harhar).
At lunchtime today, I went into town to run a few errands. I’ve not really been in town properly since I’ve been back, and whoa - you can see the effects of the Credit Crunch. Lots of retail stores are closed already, and many are having serious Fire Sales. I popped into one of the Pound Shops to pick up some AA batteries, and The Special’s Ghost Town was playing over the PA system. I’m sure this was probably part of some mix tape, but the combination of amusement and poignancy was almost too much.
I've also learned today that I've been in the same Little Chef as Heston Blumenthal!