Thankful

Well obviously I’m not in the USA to celebrate the best holiday of the year yet again. This is my 3rd Thanksgiving in England and I think my last for a while! Cause even if I’m living here this time next year, I think I’ll head back for this week. That was originally my plan this year, but things didn’t work out so I could do so. But I ended up not working today as it is. Off sick with a nasty cold. The weather here in Britain is damn well shitty at the moment. Yesterday, not feeling well and then being outside strimming (that’s weed wacking for US readers) for a couple hours in 40 mph winds, rain and cold probably did little to improve my well being today.  But tra la. I guess it was nice to be off today. But I’m pissed to have missed out on a meal this evening with my previous/future co-workers in Camden. Instead I had cheesy potatoes and a hundred cups of herbal tea of all different varieties. It’s not turkey, but it’s alright. I’ll survive. 

Despite being sick at the moment, I am thankful for so much in life. I’m firstly (and topically) glad my house isn’t flooding. I’m thankful my family is healthy and well. I’m thankful to have a job, food, water and a warm place to sleep every night. I’m thankful to have opportunities to do really amazing things in my life. I’m very thankful for my lovely friends across the globe. I’m thankful to have a stupidly scared but amazing cat. 

I can go on, but I’ll stop there. Don’t read this dribble. Go enjoy this day. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving where ever you may be.

Cycling is my favorite!

I cycled to work today. Ambitious for a Monday, I know. But I need to get my cycling muscles back at least a little bit. They’ve been on holiday far too long. I’m thinking if I can cycle to work 2 times a week I’ll be decently fit.  

It is remarkable though how different my mood is at work all day when I cycle. Happier, more smiley, more laughy. And probably most importantly, more dancey. Also, it’s a nice time to think. 

I can’t recommend it enough. My cycle commute is about 10.5 miles each way with a couple of hills in there. It’s tough going, but the rewards are more than enough to keep me doing it. And for some perverse reason, I like cycle commuting in the winter more than in the summer. A lot less sweat and a lot less other cyclists clogging up the road. 

If I ever find some guy in the future who loves me, I think he’s going to have to be a cyclist as well. It might be a deal breaker if he isn’t. 

Until then, I’ll just keep solo cycling. Enjoying the non-stop action on the streets of London from the comfort of a two wheeled green machine.

I must be off though. It’s Guy Fawkes night and I think Piccadilly is freaked out a bit as she’s sitting by the foot of my chair looking nervous. I must give her some mothering. Ta ta, friends.

Soul Serenade

I know this will sound silly. And you can judge me as much as you’d like because I do believe I deserve it. But I’ve

Who doesn’t love a picture of light filtering through trees?

never really been that into Aretha Franklin. Of course I know her records like any good God fearing American does. But I’ve often passed them over for someone else’s music. Until this morning.

For some reason, I decided that 4:57 AM was the time to get up on a very blustery, rainy Sunday morning in November in London. This is a major concern for me as I’m only just 30. If I’m getting up at this time as a 30 year old, what time will I get up when I’m 70? It frightens me to think about it. But I like that time of morning. Especially when I have nothing planned for the day. It’s quiet and calm and when I feel the most relaxed out of anytime during the week. And in this time I always like to seek out some music to suit my mood. After having a scrounge for classic R&B and Soul music on the old iTunes, I got to some Aretha. I had a listen to some of her tracks from “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You.” And being a bit lost in the love department as of late, I found her record reaching out to me begging to be played all morning. Maybe it’s what I need to solve my love problems. Or maybe it’ll just make my ears happy. At this point, I’ll settle for that. And so far it’s working out. It’s a pretty fantastic album. The song Soul Serenade is my favorite so far.

Besides delving in to the catalog of Aretha Franklin, there’s so much and so little to say about life at the moment. After feeling down and unsure and unhappy with the way things were going for a few months, I’ve taken it on. I’m embracing the uncertainty. Uncertainty with where I’m living, where I’m working and all the people I love (or might be interested in loving). My plan is just to pursue anything and everything that comes my way. Well, nearly. I don’t want to spread myself too thin. But I’m open to the possibilities of life. It feels pretty good and more the way life should be lived. I recently explained to someone that I liked to have a plan. And for a change in my life, I’m living without a plan. It’s so liberating and heady. I think I’ll keep on this path of living for a while.

So  the days are getting ever so short here in London. It comes on so quickly. Even with the clocks going back last weekend, it seems as though the day light is still taking it’s time to arrive in the mornings. My work is slowing down to some extent. I should say morphing into a different kind of work than it has been for the last 6 months. We’ll be busy with leaves and doing all the little projects we never had time for in the summer like moving plants around the site. It should be an alright winter of work. Plus I have my horticulture classes to keep my mind ticking over. I hope to have one portion of my qualifications done in February and hopefully the other two bits done in June. And maybe after that, move on to the next qualification and become a horticultural superhero.

Besides that, just going to the football, sometimes going to the pub (except I’m teetotaling at the moment), reading a lot and sometimes riding my bike. That’s it. Really though, that sounds like a pretty good life. So I will leave on that good, positive note. I will however leave you with a picture of the back of my head. My hair is finally long enough to have a decent pony tail. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a proper pony tail! Have a good week folks and take care.

I’m basically Rapunzel.