Mooooving

October was a bit of a wash because I decided to move house... I decided that it wouldn't be stressful and that I would double rent for a month and take it at my leisure.... what the hell was I thinking??

So it was stressful... probably not helped by the two weeks of dogminding in the middle which meant that my belongings were stretched over 3 locations, which meant I had even less idea of where anything was than usual. This time though I could drive myself which made it easier... or possibly encouraged me just to be even less organised. I have, as usual, accumulated so much stuff... I think I took about 5 bootloads of books. Anyway its all moved now, but of course I was down to the wire with it anyway. I'd also forgotten about all the teething problems you have in a new place. It has a leak, and the heating doesn't work and there's some problem with my carparking space due to some other leak.... so we need a plumber, which is quite hard to get as the whole city flooded last week

See these photos

Speaking of which I had a slight near-death experience during the floods myself... well near having hand crushed under car anyway. I was making my way home down a flooded road and stumbled on some roadworks that had become dislodged by the water and fell into moving traffic. It was so close that the wheel brushed my shoulder and face... scary... still alive though and able to type with both hands!!

So back to my new home. I went for a 2 bed, again its slightly out of the city, but it is really nice (apart from the heating and leaking). It has a dishwasher, which does encourage my baking and cooking, and two bathrooms (yes two all for me!) but I can only use one at the moment due to the leaking problem. it's overall much larger than my last place but not much more in terms of rent. It has lots of storage which is really what I needed... I will admit that I do not actually need two bathrooms. One thing I wasn't wild about was it being on the ground floor, but actually having lugged all my stuff down two flights of stairs I was actually quite happy not to have to bring it up any stairs when I got to the other side. I also have a patio - I've never rented somewhere with an outside space before.

On saying that I realise that where I live now is not that well protected in case of a zombie attack....

Recent cakes

I've been caking a bit lately and thought you could do with an update of some of the more recent creations. One is a friend's birthday cake, one is my nephew's birthday cake and one is a wedding cake - can you guess which one is which?

Things that full you up

I'm very excited about the wedding of Julio tomorrow... or would be if I wasn't hungover to fuck after the dinner we all went to last night. Lately I've been feeling a bit unsettled about things. My sensitive nature has taken a few hits in the last while and anxiety seems to have crept back into my life - just a little bit, and I found myself wishing, as I do from time to time, that I didn't feel quite so much. Its like I've spent a lifetime trying to come to terms with being sensitive. It was a sea change a few years ago when a counsellor told me that it wasn't bad to be the way I was, in fact the world would be better if more people were like me (until that point I hadn't quite realised how often I reprimanded myself for being sensitive) it just meant that I was going to get hurt more.

So lately I've been coming to wonder if feeling more just means feeling bad things more. Anyway yesterday I had two lovely moments that made my heart glad and in those moments I was happy to feel more. I was watching my friend on the alter practising for her wedding with her husband to be and I found myself thinking about all the shitty guys that she had seen and all the times guys hadn't appreciated her for the gem she is. And it made me just so glad to know that she's happy now with a great guy who loves her, deserves her and will care for her properly.... I nearly cried! (I don't cry at all weddings - just the weddings of people I know really well to people that they really love!! Yes there will be mascara running down my face tomorrow... just avert your eyes!!)

The second one was seeing a photo of the new baby of adoptive parents. I know they must have waited for a long time for their baby and its so heartening to see. They must be so happy... and exhausted! Anyway it was a little sharp reminder about how there are lots of good things out there too and for me to stop being so grumpy!!

Additionally...

I failed my driving test this morning. It was my first one, so I kind of expected to fail, just because of the sheer nerves. Anyway it seems I was going pretty well. I had a few minor faults - you're allowed 8 I think, and then I just read a road marking wrong at a junction I was unfamiliar with, which led to me technically being on the wrong side of the road (I wasn't actually on the wrong side of the road) and so led to an automatic fail. so poo! It was stupid and it was my fault and he absolutely had to fail me for it, but poo all the same.

I also went to see Jane Eyre at the weekend. It's a book I really love, which obviously makes me dubious about adaptations, but you know Michael Fassbender is in it, so like I might as well. And you know its not bad, but some day someone will make this story about ugly people with actual ugly people. They could have at least removed the lines where the quite extraordinarily handsome Mr Fassbender says (to the girl who's not ever even heard of the ugly stick) "you've as little to do with beauty as I have to do with handsomeness". Oh come on! There's lots of ugly people in the world... by the law of averages some of them must be decent actors... jaysus it can't be that bloody hard! Or can we just not have a story about ugly people who fall in love.

I still cried at all the romantic bits!

Update on the Chinese

well not all of them, just the ones that made my dress. So the dress arrived 2 weeks after ordering with a great deal more ease than I had antipated. Overall the verdict was positive. In all except one aspect the dress fit perfectly, much better than my bridesmaid dress of less year even after it was altered by a tailor while I stood wearing it. The quality was far superior too. The only problem was the piece of it that was to go around my shoulders was WAY too small. So small in fact that it was the same size as the bust measurement - it was supposed to encompass bust + arms.

Because the dress fit so well everywhere else I can only assume there was some miscommunication about what measurements they needed for this piece. The asked me for a measurement across my shoulders and my arms, which I gave them. On saying this I'm pretty sure I can have the dress altered fairly easily to be wearable althought without the shoulder piece that I really loved about it. Anyway I got in contact with them to say that this was wrong and that it might just be communication and in future they might be more specific about what they actually wanted. I also said the dress was lovely and the fit was perfect in all other ways. We had a few emails back where they asked me to clarify by sending photos to show what I meant. I did so. And now they are refunding me 20% of the cost of the dress to cover my alterations. I didn't ask for this - they just offered! This means the dress will cost me less than 100 euro, including delivery. And I have to say its a gorgeous dress which is made really well.

I suspect I may order from them in the future!

Is blogging over?

So like I said I'm procrastinating this afternoon, and I did something I haven't done in a long while which is click the next blog button. In the past this has usually resulted in many sham blogs selling me something, blogs in unfamiliar languages and characters and a smattering of somewhat interesting personal blogs... this time... well there seem to be a lot of jesus people blogging about their mission to my arse, or something...and not a lot else (apart from the people who put poetry on their blog... many of you know my feelings on poetry!!). Have I really been on trend when I was lazy with my blogging?

To be honest my curiousity was piqued last week when I checked the email associated with this blog for the first time in a few months and actually found some queries specifically relating to me and the content of this and other blogs... now there weren't that many, but there were some. This blog has been here for several years (7 actually!! how did that happen!) and for most of that it has quite successfully managed to hide itself inside the plethora of blogging out there. When blogging took off it hid apologetically at the back. Have all the loud/ brash/ outspoken/ intelligent/interesting/witty people left the room? Is this excuse for some rambling in the corner of the interweb suddenly more obvious? I was hoping to be able to continue to hide in the shadows and surreptitiously eat the nibbles... what if everyone leaves and suddenly the hosts of the party and looking at me angrily for eating their food? Is it time to make a quick exit through the toilet window?

that awkward procrastination

I've loads of work to do, particularly after being absent yesterday afternoon (more about that some other time.... possibly), so obviously I'm procrastinating... a thing blogging is particularly suitable for... and I'm sure I'm about to lose another hour of my life to Awkward Family Photos... go on click the link... you won't be able to look away

The Chinese - a great bunch of lads

So I have a few events coming up in September - starts with my graduation and end's with J's wedding. I got an outfit for graduation although I'm currently not sure whether my family can organise themselves and decide whether they are all going to join me for a group photo or not. Who knows what will happen on that front, but I've long given up on trying to organise these people!

I also shopped for an outfit for the wedding, which is set to be a very glam affair. General disappointment led me to buy an outfit I didn't really like, because I was worried I'd have nothing to wear. It's fine but it doesn't rock my world, so I sort of kept looking. Some online research let me to find Dressespro. This is a chinese company which makes dresses to measure on request. The prices are very reasonable and they say they can make a dress up in 20 days. I really liked this one, so I decided to take a chance. My mother thinks I'm crazy, but I figured it was worth a shot. If it doesn't arrive on time or doesnt fit or generally looks hideous I can always wear the first outfit I bought. The thing is that it has made me think about the dresses you buy in the bridal stores - this is basically what happens - but they tell you it takes 6 months and charge you 3 times the price.

Reviews of the site are mixed. Some people are really happy, and others not happy at all. But I've learned from being a reviewer that some people are never happy and it is hard to know what expectations are like. Having been through the expensive process of buying from a bridal shop last year ( as a bridesmaid - so I wasn't footing the bill) I have to say that even though measurements were taken, and I got the thing altered by a tailor the dress still didn't fit me right. So my expectations are low... but I'm still hopeful. I'll report back

I'm still alive

So after telling Hoozle last week "I think I might be done with blogging" of course I've come back to blogging... (Look I'm the kind of person who can have the same sandwich for lunch every day for 6 months, but I couldn't tell you what I'll have tomorrow for lunch)

Anywho hello! Mother of jaysus I haven't done this in an age. I'm still alive... I went to Turkey on holidays which was brilliant. I've gotten back into this boozing lark, and have been finding my social life again. I've been reading lots of books again. Bookclub has taken me in some interesting turns. I went to see the traveling Frida Kahlo/ Diego Rivera exhibition last week which got me thinking about how we may miss our own luminescence... or something.

Oh I got an iphone, which I love love love.... It was from my parents for finishing the PhD. I did my penance with the really shit phone before than deleted all my numbers several times.

I have become unbelieveably shit with keeping up with people since finishing the thesis... which is totally the opposite of what I thought. I still feel like I'm convalescing, and hope to improve this... eventually. I heartily apologise to all those people who I've hardly talked to!

Work is sometimes interesting and curious, and sometimes boring and tedious. My colleagues are generally lovely though and that makes up for all the tedious bits and then some.

And I really should go to bed now because I've been hungover all day!