More photos from friends, family.....  visit from the other week,  above a great shot I took of a huge amount of water pouring forth from this little tree!!

Or maybe not..... below! Taken with HD does it look a better photo?  Not really sure!

Below is the underside of the plane that flew above our heads when we were in the Brecon Beacons, strange how all you see it heat!  Any ideas why!!!
 

And finally below back at Craig-y-nos.... the following week when Franco and I went already evey thing much greener! We walked the same path as previously to begin, then where we had turned back last week, we courageously [!] carried on along it...  coming eventually to a narrow road, then it was down there, turn right and right again and finally, were walking back along the main road that took us back into the main entrance of the park!!!  Was the long way, and I seriously thought at one time I wouldn't make it!

We passed by the castle at Craig-y-nos, its haunted it says, peering into a downstairs bedroom by road side, I could quite believe it!  You can stay on the haunted floor, or otherwise and visit the haunted area, dinner and breakfast thrown in for an appropriate fee of course!

While we were on the Brecon Beacons, at the visitor centre, and after picnicking, walking up to the skyline, before finding it was no quite the skyline!  I got a call inviting me for a job interview!  I had an interview a couple of weeks previously, and although being able to fulfil everything on the request they also needed a Welsh speaker and that is something I couldn't do!

So two days after the call I went for the interview, intensive and well over an hour, asked to be seated out back in reception and on being called back was told "the job is yours!"  Brilliant!  Although having been working self-employed since September, it will be good to be out and working, my new job title is Support Worker... On Tuesday I attended a manual handling course, and tomorrow is epilepsy...  I will begin by shadowing, to observe only before I begin.  I am really looking forward to being part of a team who make such a difference to peoples lives, its nothing like anything I have done before, but very excited to make this huge change!

Yesterday I opened my dolls box suitcase, not looked inside since last opening back in Spain, strangely all my much loved, much used dolls and baby cuddly toys looked very sad... more sad than before even! There was even a couple of things I thought I had lost in the move!  But some of the dolls have changed, maybe opening in our little house in Spain it was darker, or without the lights on or persiana fully open I don't know, but the dolls eyes have discolored badly, turned white, like they have all suddenly got glaucoma! Some of the white I managed to just wipe away, but some wouldn't come off at all, they look bedraggled, lost and lonely... I actually wanted to find some small dolls clothes, for Blythe, I did find some, a jump suit on my Tressy! A pair of red leggings and brown shorts on Patch and a random blue sixties dress!  These dried on a radiator... not on.... by the way!  I refilled my toy box, gently placing doll upon doll, cuddly toy upon cuddly toy, the oldest from my first birthday.... some of them are empty now, their innards dissipated!  This would be the third use of this word!!! LOL Must admit hadn't realised 'dissipated' was used like this?  And so much for editing I hear you say....!  I am thinking though, that having used this word, a lot, that no one else knows its true worth either?

So, back to dolls clothes!!! Looking very small and out of proportion here! LOL!!!

This morning I woke with a bit of a headache, was so tired yesterday, that I had too much sleep last night!  So before it could get a hold I decided to make some cookies, have had a tab open here for about three or four weeks!  So I made the wine cookies at last!  I think next time [aha I hear you!], no, they are more than edible, but the mix needed to be less sticky, so I can roll them and shape them, this was more like a mud mix!!  Still they smelt wonderful cooking, wonderful to taste, so there we are then!

Also today, tax return completed! Perfec[t]!

TTFN amigos
Marian

A bizarre photo today, for my Blog which more than likely may well be the last in this year 2012, not as many postings as previous years, sorry for that, strange writings from what may sometimes sound like a strange person, who now puts a picture up of herself at 14yrs old and now speak in the third person!!

Yup, that is me, aged 14 years underneath mom and 'step' dads horse-chestnut tree, sometimes wish I was only 14 again, but with the me inside now, you know the old "if I knew then, what I know now" type of thing, still we can never go back, the present only pushes us forward...

Its been some year, a change of country, again, my third, so far, although my 'foot' could still be said to be in Spain, still having the house there, my little town house, asleep there on its own, but its not only my 'foot' in Spain, my heart too... I lost my heart to that country back in the 1980's, and now its firmly fixed there and neither will, or can, ever leave... its being held in captivity!

Now here to Wales, its still hard sometimes, especially the not knowing anyone, in Ahlaurín it took only a matter of a month for me to become friends with so many people, and then working in the newsagents brought the rest of the expats to me! After arriving from the states mom and I lived near Berkhamsted, so of course, even now I can walk around there and know many many people, from school, from jobs, just from living in the area... Even in Hemel Hempstead I can usually see someone I know, because of its close proximity to jobs, homes I've in etc.  Then Aylesbury too of course, again through living and through work...

Although I can walk into town from here, I cannot walk back, up hill all the way, and I would have to time arrival at a bus stop with arrival of a bus to not have a headache the following day!  Even so, walking around on my own really isn't great fun, I know lots of people do, I've seen them, heads down, going from A to B, but not really pausing to actually take a look around...  I do have a couple of good friends here, one I already knew, and a new friend!  I suppose I just feel a stranger in a strange place!  Which would be the same I hasten to add, in any 'new' town in the world of course!

A job would do the trick, getting to know lots of new people in one place, you always make friends at work, there is always someone who wants to go for coffee, someone who you have a connection with somehow, it will just have to be a very special job right now, or one that's very giving!  I will have a cardiologist appointment in January, hopefully [she says] living with the heart probs is do'able, its the cysts on my spine that cause the pain thing which is what's more difficult!  So I need a job preferable where I can move about lots, but not standing or walking far!!!  I've been applying for loads of jobs, and I'm not saying they're being ageist, but I suppose it could be coming into it unintentionally!

I've always been very, very lucky with work in the past, so fingers crossed eh!

All the Christmas cards we received this year was amazing, especially after last year when I had to cancel cards! I've stretched lines of cord from one wall to opposite one,  and they are all full, from end to end, and card to card, apart from some which have made they're way onto the mantel piece its so nice not having them all over the ornaments etc, where I can't touch from a month or so!

The pop up Christmas tree is cool too, and will be very easy to just lift and  flatten down afterwards, not sure if it will make it to 12th night, probably not, we'll see...

We went to Franco's mom for Christmas dinner, there were ten of us for dinner!  The turkey was enormous, and we had about ten different types of vegetables, or more!!! We had one plate of food, then we all started again, with second platefuls... phew, I couldn't even rest my arms on my stomach without feeling extreme pain, over eating I think that's called!  Cleared up, washed up, put everything away, watch a bit of television and five hours later we were back to Pippa! I think I fell asleep then!

Yesterday we had a huge leg of lamb, for dinner, but had turkey for lunch!  Today, the last of the turkey, and I won't be eating again today, what with the tonnes of chocolates, Turkish delight pieces covered in the most lovely dusting of icing sugar, and still not eaten the Christmas pudding!  Probably tomorrow, with the remains of the lamb!  Well, of course, not actually with the lamb but afterwards!!!! Silly me!!!

Tomorrow is a full moon.... So I will have a quick spin around that tomorrow night!  I can't promise presents for everyone though!

Allure of a Full Moon


Shinning Silver while the sun sleeps.
The moon begins her silent creep.
A glowing disk that entice the tide.
Dancing with the sea as waves collide.
She comes to me most every night.
Bringing with her dreams of flight .
But must depart with the coming day.
She Walks in Beauty and can not stay.
Fear not We'll meet once more.
As the sun goes down She'll be at my door.


Brett http://www.fullmoon.info/en/fullmoon-poems/brett.html


TTFN amigos
Marian