That's good to hear, tamsin. Just hang on in there; it won't be long before you're out in the big world of work.


How exciting! Have you started knitting yet?


That's hefty mileage, f#m! Roll on retirement!

Yes I'm retiring at Easter next year, no more weekly (well Tues-Thurs) commutes to Horsforth

Not for the new one. Currently knitting a VERY pink cardigan for the 4 year old who will have a brother or sister in September.

Thanks, Bag, Baz and tamsin!

Cynthia Razle (the best mis-spelling of my name EVER).

Y'know we used to have a joke/game at secondary school, where you took the name of your first pet and added it to your mother's maiden name to get your... goodness, it doesn't seem quite appropriate for a public forum... and certainly not a 'game' teenage girls should really have been considering....

Erm, you ended up with name you would supposedly use if you were starring in a certain type of explicit film.

For some reason, the concept of Cythia Razzle brings this 'game' to mind!

Just tried this, didn't work for me .. sounds like a librarian's name.

What's made me happy today - excellent evening at a friend's place that involved a lot of fun, nice food, fixing computers and random piano music. I got to hear her sons' piano teacher play and while that's made me realise how far I have to go, I'm looking forward to getting there..

I played a Grade 5 flute piece!

Shnurpy Ward????? Are you serious????

Don't think I'd be attracting a lot of customers, some how!

LOL!

It was the misspelling of 'Razzle' that actually got to me the most...and if you want my REAL alter ego then it's my anagram (Racy Lil).

My 1st daffodil is unfurling it's petals Springtime!!!!!!!

I suspect frogspawn soon as the cat is showing an unhealthy level of interest in the garden pond.

My best friend from home has come to stay for the weekend.

I hadn't seen her since August, but it felt as if we'd seen each other every day. I love how everything just fits together.

Now... what to do today?

It's great when you have friends like that isn't it?

Whatever you do I'm sure you'll both have a great time.

Have fun both of you

I just successfully broke into my own room by climbing in through the window... in a bathrobe...

er wow... well done...


as for me - I just found my wrist brace, which I had forgotten about because I don't need it any more!

Alright, perhaps that requires a bit of explanation: in my building, the room doors lock automatically, so you have to take a key whenever you leave, including when you go to shower (bathroom is on the next floor). I'm... er... a bit absentminded, so I forgot to take it with me this morning (and many mornings before this... ) Usually, none of my roommates are awake when this happens, so I have to hang around indefinitely hoping they will get up, but this morning I decided to take matters into my own hands and find an alternate route

Ours did too - my solution was to wear the key around my neck at all times. I looked like an idiot but was never trapped!

That's generally how I work - look like an idiot, but get by

Feels like we've got our Forums back again!

it's been a good week here

as well

My time on the forum this week has increased greatly from recent months (although not sure that is a good thing)

fresh onion bagels from the neighbourhood bakery. and a pot of tea.

I've finally moved and have unpacked too and have time for forum too

Oh, and no work tomorrow, that's another

My 'happy' is a good clari quartet rehearsal

that's great Barry

Didn't quite make me happy just today but all weekend... I've been away at our summer house in the country (near the Polish town of Siedcle) for a family christening. Saturday was spent in front of a log fire reading and Sunday has been spent in the company of my (extended) "adopted" family over here. Has been lovely. Now it's time to catch up with what's been going on in the forum while I've been away.

Coming second in the Eastern Region ACF girls hockey tournament, and getting a medal!

Well done

Well done.

I was looking for a letter that I had 'filed away' (i.e. thrown to one side in a box ). I came across a box that used to have notelets in. Inside I found some pennies, and five pence pieces that I'd forgotten about, and underneath them....two folded twenty pound notes! I have no idea when/why I put them in there, but I'm rather glad to have found them!

Not a great fortune, but as a well known store is fond of saying.."Every little helps!"


*I can already feel a pull towards the music shop.... *

Finding forgotton money is always nice. I'm terrible for leaving notes stashed away in places - but don't mind. I never miss them, and then get the pleasure of them turning up again!

The prospect of the week to come - Rehearsals tomorrow for a read through of the West Side Story symphonic dances with a CBSO conductor on Tuesday, then going home on Wednesday for a few days, plus lots of friends coming over for dinner on Saturday

Also, seeing that spring is most definitely on its way Is it weird that I'm noticing it more this year when I'm in a city than other years back home in the country?

A day off work

having the other half back from a stag weekend

And after yesterday, I think you deserved that

A day without an epileptic episode!

Pleased to hear this, heslop01. Let's hope this trend continues for a while now.

I will definitely be hoping that indeed!

A ridiculously monsterous pay-rise! Completely unexpected

Accompanied by an OK bonus, actually just calculated it as bang-on-target bonus, have just been used to super-duper ones for the last couple of years so I can't complain really (I mean, let's be fair, more would be nice, more would always be nice, but anything is good, and at least I'm not being redundanted in June as it looked like at one point )

And even better than that, I've just gone downstairs to find my four pet rats all curled up sleeping together.

I got new one last week, and introducing her gradually to the existing three. Two of whom were perfectly fine and didn't react at all. One of whom has been an utter grump about it. No proper violence (rat introductions work on a 'no blood, no foul' rule) but lots of squeaking and general stroppiness. Yesterday afternoon I took grumpy girl out and put her in the spare cage, and put baby in the big cage. So she got to have a big explore with no bullying. Added grumpy girl back later in the evening and there was a lot less squeaking than before - decided to brave them overnight, and all look OK this morning, albeit a bit of detente - grumpy girl sleeping on her own, the other three together. And now I find all four of them together, hurrah

Things finally getting underway on the house, although it's making me cringe seeing builders attacking brickwork with angle grinders and ripping things out...

It'll all be worth it when I have a proper bachelor pad with a grand piano!

I love this post! I want to go and cuddle a rat now I've never done that before!


Oh well, have to make do with my six dogs... *wonders about asking Hubby if we can have a rat....*

Just found out that my friend here is 1)staying longterm (she was only here for a few months) and
2) is a closet grade 7 violinist, albeit a little rusty....and best of all:

She is up for playing some fun stuff together!! Yay, finally a duet partner
And possibly playing viola in a string quartet...

lots of lovely sunshine

watching the cat play with homemade cat toy consisting of loo roll partially taped up with dry catfood in it

I taught myself how to play the scales of C, G and E Major (grade 1). Aswell as F Major from grade 2, and all from using the same scales, appreggios and studies guide.

I can now post from my own laptop! (and the internet is really fast, too!)

My daughter has started walking! I love this stage as they are so sweet when they first start doing tentative steps - not so looking forward to the running off in different directions yet. Luckily her brother is still fairly immobile!

i've had a very productive few day i cleaned out my fish tank (doesnt sound to major but its a beast and takes a whole day to do), i've been having some really good practice on oboe and clari as of late , my old orchestra wants me to go back (left when i moved away and now im back they want me back) aaaaand my major news is that i've got a new job woop woop! so chuffed its untrue!! it give me more time to practice, spend with my family ahhhhh cant wait!!

tortellini, thats fab news about your daughter my nephew has just turned 2 and is running and climbing everywhere!

Tortellini....thats lovely.

KatieS Congratulations on your new job

I am free of the laundry detergent design project! In 10 days my group produced a 'tome' of 200 pages . We had a nightmare getting it all printed today.

Got a couple of days breather and then the next group design course starts Monday. The department had to sneak in the days off: A few years back they kept having students hospitalised with exhaustion/nervous breakdowns/etc. Based on how ill I've been over the last couple of weeks, and how dead I feel at present, I can see why.

Only trouble is, I now need to figure out what to do with my days off. I've been so busy, I'd forgotten we had the rest of this week free - and therefore have nothing planned.