I've been feeling crabby all weekend about my not-brilliant-but-just-a-pass marks for my course.

So today I dragged three of the fittest of my dogs out in the rain and marched up a hill... really steep, really long, really hard work.

At the top the rain stopped, the sun came out and the view was incredible.. in fact it was breathtaking in every direction. All my cobwebs blew away and I had some interesting ideas for new work. Now the week looks interesting, not scary (although I still have a 'firing squad' tutorial on Thursday )

I wish I'd taken a sketch book or camera though because the whole walk was fascinating and inspirational and I had nothing to capture it with apart from imagination !


I love our natural world

Me too! We've had the most amazing, sunny weather today despite the forecast. It was great just driving through the countryside marvelling at the views, and then walking along the banks of the River Test looking at the brown trout in the river and all the beautiful wild flowers. I can't believe how many more flowers are out now compared with three weeks ago on the first May Bank Holiday!

A piece of vanilla cheesecake. Diet resumes tomorrow! :

Gosh. I've had an odd couple of days with lots going wrong, but it was nice to go for a walk to check the post, and randomly meet several friends for a chat, and nice to be able to have a bit of a whinge at one of them and make us both laugh with stories of my dilemmas.

It was nice to drive back to uni with my dad, chatting about his family history, and then politics. I don't often have in depth conversations with him since uni!

...being on the beach with my daughter

Friday: Fantatstic music lesson
Saturday: Getting the lawns mowed, made the garden look a million times better!
Sunday: Getting the spuds earthed up and putting stuff in gro-bags and general gardening stuff.
Monday: Getting a tonne of OU work done.
Tuesday: It's chucking it down - not only do I have a wet garden, but my water butts were already 2/3rds full when I left for work.

What makes me less happy today is (i) going to work and (ii) I really really really really need to sort out my guttering (front of house, overspilling...just need to tidy out the gunk, then perhaps another water butt can be added...!)

I have now moved desks at work. And I am near a window. Facing that way. So I can see trees and the sky and some grass and it's just lovely!!!
(I've had my back to the window - which was also some distance away - since 2004)

Another crabby morning today (still demoralised by those marks) ...

... so I stomped up a different hill today in the glorious sunshine (with all six dogs in tow) It was pretty windy at the top but still exhilarating! My legs and face are burning now and I could really do with a snooze The dogs are all flat out!

Maybe if I keep this up I'll start to get fit again!

I sat my last EVER highschool exam today. It's a scary thought! But happy too ofcourse.

Eleven exams down, two to go, woo!!

We've hit the monthly sales target 4 days before month end

Oh how lovely. Where I work there are no windows at all. We are in total artificial light.

Playing Telemann on my violin made me happy yesterday. Hard work and far from perfect but a pleasant hour anyway.

ONLY ONE MORE EXAM LEFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A very spur of the moment decision to visit the London branch of the Early Music Shop.

(And I managed to come out without buying anything , although I was tempted by the nice shiny new recorders.)

My teacher complimenting me on my lovely trills.

I've just given a sample lesson to a BBC radio presenter - and it's being broadcast this afternoon - AND the presenter wants to come back for more lessons in their own time.

Details, please! Is that radio 4?

I got a lovely card in the post today from a very lovely forum member and very good friend

The fact that the sun is shining and that I finish work at 3

Also I'm getting some time booked up at Airkix in prep for AFF in a month or so, so pleased with that...

Oh, and the feedback I got in the Theory forum made me happy too

I got a new clarinet book 14 pieces, should keep me going for a while

I'm sooooo happy!!!!!

I woke up with a jolt this morning because OH's alarm hadn't gone off - I gave him a shove and told him he'd be late for work.

Then he announced he'd taken the day off because the weather was going to be beautiful and he wanted to surprise me by taking me and all our dogs for a picnic!

We went to the Invercauld Estate, near Braemar and fairly near the Queen's country estate at Balmoral. We hiked into the hills of the regeneration project of the ancient Caledonian forest and had our picnic beside the water in the shade of the trees.

The weather was glorious, the water was cool and delicious (I went paddling!) and the scenery was fabulous - the dogs had a great time too. Even the sandwiches were brilliant. I'm now sunburnt and tired and going to have a lazy evening

Sounds like you had a lovely day and a very nice surprise lottie

Today I am happy, because I'm going to revise in the garden in the sunshine

Winning £7.00 on Euro Millions

I've just had a REALLY lovely day!!!!!

It's my 11th wedding anniversary and we've had a funfilled, jam-packed day out and the kids have been angels too

I've had a lovely time at the Leeds concert.

Blimey, we'd better call an ambulance if you hit the jackpot

It's nice and sunny outside. I'm going to cycle to church in the morning and 'revise' (a.k.a. read/do nothing) in the garden in the afternoon.

A couple of hours gardening, and managing to give directions to a passing frenchman - he did ask for them, I didn't just pounce on him so that I could practise my french

My sister came to visit, so we went for a boat trip yesterday, and had a lovely morning and picnic basking in the sun at a local castle that I didn't know was there until we started looking for a place to visit!

Just got a whole load of new music:-
Complete sets of Beethoven sonatas, sonatinas and bagatelles,
Greig Wedding Day at Troldhaugen and book of lyric pieces

Now for some practice…

Mole

had my last and final exam this morning!!!!!

i've finished my degree [results won't come out till 19th June] and some celebration is in order!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

So much to be happy about!

Discovered this am that my laptop works fatastically as a hotwater bottle for relieving stomach cramps, and now it's done it's job there is the rest of a nice sunny day to enjoy and no work until next week

You win the award for most inventive misuse of technology

Just got back from lunch, the sun was shining and I was relaxing on a nice lawn taking it easy. Not long until I go home now \o/

Well done! I hope you enjoy the RNCM! I'd love to go there at some point, you'll have to tell us all about it!

Jacob.

We have at last got our new kitten and she is the right one. Last week I felt bad for refusing the offer of a black and white tom kitten. We had lost « Carlo » - a rescued cat just a week earlier – incurable illness – and I didn’t feel up to taking on a kitten –particularly as our resident tom doesn’t like other toms and had been difficult with Carlo. But also I have been waiting for Lucy’s little sister. Lucy was a tortoiseshell kitten given to me by a pupil just over two years ago . She got run over last summer and we were heartbroken. I did know that Lucy’s mother had had a second litter and that was one reason why I didn’t take the little tom. Sure enough, on Saturday the pupil and her mother came to ask if I would like to go and choose one of Lucy’s little sisters.

She came home with us yesterday– just six weeks old and a bundle of fun. She is also tortoiseshell - not the patched kind, like Lucy, but mottled black and ginger with no white at all. I think she is what cat people call a “dark tortie. ”

She hasn’t got a name yet but we are making lists and I am now going off to cuddle her again!

Awww.

I'm gald you're happy with your new kitten.

I'm happyyyyyyyyyyyyyy (that makes a change haha)
2 exams down and 3 to go feel I can focus properly now!!
Plus, phone playing up, well rather the network are just being rubbish so buying out my contract and off to switch network and get a new phone in the morning!!!! wooooooooop

Another step closer to a new recorder!

Looking out on the garden, enjoying the wildlife/plants/sunshine.

The beautiful weather and my new dress ^__^

Study leave!!!!

Don't like it how I seem to force myself to revise a bit and it takes more time that it's meant to though. Only about 8 exams to go!

...being spiteful
(yeh, I know I'm twisted, but they deserved it)

I'm trying to square this with the last line of your sig.

I was hoping no-one would notice

I fell in love with this piece of music, brilliantly played by Martha Argerich:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mFDXNODNyc...feature=related

Jacob.

That piece is so great!
God listens to Bach.
(I have that on personal authority obviously )

You were hoping no-one would notice...???

It's a hot topic of conversation

I'd be surprised if some people weren't having bets on how successful you'll be