'I have a colony of bats behind my ribcage, their claws hooked over my bones as they hang upside down, (and the mention of Jack making a fresh start somewhere outside of London) has them fussing and stretching their eerie paper-thin wings. It makes me queasy.'

This is a paragraph from a book I'm reading, One Day in December by Josie Silver..

It's how I feel feel much of the time, not obviously the bit I've bracketed! But the feeling behind my ribs!

I bought the book on my Chepstow placement, but only started reading it flying back from Birmingham last month.

And now here I am in Neath working and who would have believed it! It is bittersweet and I'm still not sure for the best.

Working somewhere we used to live has, is, confusing somehow. It's like I could go home, to Britton Ferry. And Franco and Pippa would be there. And I know this isn't good.

Staying in the road I used pretty much every single day, the same shops, same mountain range there, the same skies...

A really scary thought passes through my mind that I could actually go to our house and walk in and there would be everything I've lost.

Ready to go

Well, I'm ready for the off, there is almost a sense of desperation the day before I go... It's as if I have to go everywhere that I love here before I leave again... Managed a hot chocolate at La Trocha in Coín, and lunch at Bar Cruz in Alhaurín... The sun has shone, its been about 20º, one beautiful day here in the land of dreams...



Case properly packed now, things were just sort of chucked in, the case looks empty, the case looks like when I get there I am going to say, "where the heck are the rest of my clothes, and what on earth shall I wear for a month!!"  But, so be it!  Less is more forsure!  Like today, we needed something, not seen it for months, but I found it quite easily because we just don't have much of anything anymore... There really was only so many places something lost could be!  Perfect!!

Getting back to today, the day before going is the hardest, its like losing it all again, but tomorrow, when I am on my way, I will feel better, because not only am I looking forward to being where I am going, every day brings home one step nearer again... I am lucky, I am blessed.... See you in Wales!

TTFN
Marian

The Duffryn Arms Neath W Glamorgan

This pub has become 'the local' to me and my buddy Lynne...

They have been very patient with our English voices, loud giggles and ever excited conversations...

We had a wonderful lunch in there this Tuesday, great food, wine, friendly staff, and felt just like any normal celebration...

...most of the time...

A good five hours in all...  No, a great faboulous five hours!

And now, the end is here, we reach the final curtain... My friends... Lol sorry, I keep bursting into song, with incorrect or missed placed lyrics...

And yesterday, last shopping trip to Swansea, with neighbour, I bought something, she bought some things, and had our coffees and tiasted tea cakes in Kadamas, my favirute kitch restaurant in Swansea!

My last day at work today, Franco's yesterday, butterflies dancing in my stomach and the leaving 'n missing struggle goes on... But, its our leaving do in town tomorrow evening, Swansea city watch out lol, clothes prepared, invited sent, get the music ready, and to drink? Something non alcoholic for me please, done my drinking for the year already this week, two big glasses and I was 'enough already!!!'

TTFN
Marian

E&EO on phone!

I am still coughing well, should go to doctors tomorrow for my bp check, see how the weather is first me thinks, slept a bit better... Yesterday evening I suddenly felt about 10% better in one hit, not sure if adrenaline can do that!!! I got up off the sofa and got my foot caught in the computer cable, lap top was off, but I always [did] leave the cable out, under but behind my feet, well, I was getting up, and reaching for a pack of printer paper as I went, so you can guess, I fell, big time, I really fell, completely fell!  I hit the coffee table, with my back, hit the floor with the rest, predominately I hit and hurt my left knee, left hip and left elbow as I hit the fireplace with it! somehow I didn't smash my head on the fire, so you could call it a lucky fall! 

Anyway it was a shock, it hurt like hell and I cried, and Pippa came to lick my face clean, I couldn't get up on my own, so had to be pulled up, can't believe it, what a plonker eh!  So I am not allowed to have the cable under my feet any more and it is now, as I write behind me on the sofa!  A little bruising, but taking its time, and I find my bones must be harder than I have been worrying about, so going skiing later, or should that be bob-sleighing!

We heard about Cardiff last night, all snowed in, and most of the area of Wales where we live, but us?  Not a sign of it!  I got up a few times overnight to check out the window, but the street outside remained calm, snow and frost free!  The second time our local friendly fox was passing by trotting [do they trott!] up our street, with a jaunty look on his face!

Our car amazingly had a sprinkling of snow on its roof when we went out about 9am'ish, but that was it!  In Swansea this morning everyone was speaking about the snow in the surrounding villages, people couldn't get into the city centre.... and then we got back, and half an hour later, look at it!

We went from none, to a road that has turned into a bob-sleigh run! And downhill is where most of the vehicles are ending up!!! Blooming heck 2nd gear!!!! Do I have to spell it out!!! SECOND GEAR!!!!

The garden, is so pretty!!! Pippa loves it, she has been out about a dozen times since it started!!

The neighbourly fox was walking up the street as we drove in, and about an hour ago, a walker on the path suddenly froze as 'he' came out of a neighbours driveway, and over the path and made a run for it up the road!!  Shock! I am getting used to see his friendly face!

Okay now don't go crazy on me... there has been a gap of about an hour, Franco took Pippa out, harness, lead, the lot, well all bar wellington boots, on her!  They came back after a few minutes, the snow was okay, so I joined them and went for a wonderful walk, not slippery on the paths, watching cars, which on the otherhand, were all over the place, like a bunch of drunks after a good night out, and then left abandoned!  I seriously can't get over how much Pippa loves the snow, running through it, raising her nose and sniffing and barking into it!  She got out of breath and was panting through sheer joy of it!

Can't believe how much snow fell in such a short time, goes to show when I last saw it, I suppose it was three years ago really, when I was here, and saw snow nearly every day for over two months!!!  It's stopped now, but the sky still shows a promise of gifts yet to come...

Snow
Now
O'ribble
Weather

TTFN
Marian

 

I am obsessed with finding one of these, Blythe Dolls!  How cute she is!  To put with my 50yr Birthday Barbie doll!  Yes this is me talking, or the small girl inside maybe!!!

I came across these Blythe Dolls completely randomly.... and now, the search is on!

Went to Resolven, to the Rheola market, its a car boot sale now on a Wednesday, and today was the first one, so a bit quite, but still enough to have a good look around, the meat market was there and 4 or 5 eateries!

In the afternoon I went for a walk with a friend to Aberavon beach, we parked at one end, walked along the promenade [posh], then walked all the way back to the other end of the beach on the beach side, was such a beautiful day today after the last couple of grey days...

I am going to try to walk, if not every day, then every other day, wearing my trainers and stepping out!  I saw a cardiologist today, and he says the meds I am on, I will have to take for the rest of my life, hopefully he meant, another 50 years eh! lol... he doubled the strength of one med, and took me off another one that is real strong, and had been given to me in Malaga hospital, but were not meant for long term... So back to the two again now!
Also I should be having another halter heart monitor test sometime soon.  Now I know what to do with it, I'm afraid I was unaware of the instructions last time!

Okay amigos, need a poem, and I know just the one!

I once had a sweet little doll dears,
The prettiest doll in the world,
Her cheeks were so red and so white dears,
And her hair was so charmingly curled.
But I lost my poor little doll dears
As I played on the heath one day.
I searched for over a week dears,
But I never could find where she lay.

Oh, I found my poor little doll dears
As I played in the woods one day.
Folks say she is terribly changed dears
For her paint is all washed away.
With her arms trodden off by the cows dears,
And her hair not the least bit curled,
Yet for old sakes sake she is still dears -
The prettiest doll in the world.
The Lost Doll by Charles Kingsley

TTFN
Marian
 

Last night Franco and I went out on his works Christmas Party... Went to Swansea Frankie and Benny's first, I had a wonderful goats cheese and red onion pizza, seemed massive at 10", but was think crust and went down in four slices!  And an amazing desert, sticky toffee pancakes! Phuh, what a full thing I was, as I rolled myself down Wind Street, or did I wind myself some wind street!  How DO you pronounce it? Wind, like something blowing, wind, as in 'wind in the fishing line'!!!  Either way, it was windy, and wet, and after Frankie's we met up with everyone in Varsity, as above!  Most of the buildings down this long street used to be banks, so the clubs, bars and restaurants are in the most amazing old buildings, this one we were all in had a huge domed ceiling, most people seemed to be using student cards, handy!  And alcoholic jellos seemed to be the order of the night, although, oddly, I thought, most of the guys didn't have a clue as to how to actually get the jello out of the glass, so that was funny to watch!  Back in Virginia Beach with my cousin Tim, that's where I first had these things!  So long ago now! 199? Anyhows, I drove back, sin alcohol, in the rain, and the puddles and the glare of bright lights.... Nightmare!  Got in, then had to get all the bin mans stuff down onto the street!

Back in Swansea again this morning, in the shopping centre, the electronic pull down screen thingy, was banging, like the electric was both trying to close and open at the same time, opening, then closing, didn't want to hang around under that for long!

The shops were heaving, people where throwing £50 pound notes around like they had just been printed off!!! And the sales were already on on the spring collections!!!!

Back in Neath later and it was just the same, busy busy busy, buy buy buy... lets hope those people can afford it and not left out on the streets come January!  And so much food, what do they do with it all, you can only eat so much, surely???

Play the music, sings our songs,
Dance with me, around the room;

Across the grass and round the pond,
Dance with me under the light of the full, full moon...
M Bonelli

TTFN
Marian