Sweet Nothings

Had the first snow of the year today - hurrah!

When we used to live in Crookes I used to love the fact that I'd get on the bus in the city centre where it would be sleeting/lightly snowing but not sticking to the ground, but that as we got to Broomhill it's would be trying very hard to stick to the ground and that as we got into Crookes it would be settling or have already settled on the ground.

Well yesterday it snowed and the garden at our new house was covered in snow. Not covered deep enough to do much with it but properly snow covered. And when we took a friend back to crookes at about eleven there was no snow on the ground. Result! I like our new(ish) house!

Posted by susieb at 8:42 am | Permalink | Comments

I take it back, fancy dress was fun! Had a good time at the murder mystery party.

Jess also partied well today - there was dancing, smiling and of course the obligatory birthday tears! The party girl graciously accepted all gifts and attention lavished upon her. After all, what can a girl do?!

The highlight of the party for me, however, was being labelled as a 'bad influence' by her father after encouraging Jess to read a mail order catalogue. So this blog is now brought to you by the official bad influence, as endorsed by Mr Armstrong!

Chocolate digestives, mail order catalogues, whatever next?!

Posted by susieb at 10:54 pm | Permalink | Comments

Had a fantastic time at Chris' parents. Even the major rebuilding works on the beach couldn't keep us away from Lyme Regis. As ever, the visit (to Chris' parents, not to Lyme Regis, although equally true)was over far too soon.

I love going to Chris' parents and I particularly like day trips to Lyme Regis. Chris and I went there for a week's holiday a few months before we got engaged and so it's always got a holiday feel to it. I find things very calming there. The routines aren't routines that I've grown up with so they're different and relaxing. And more and more it's become a place that I escape to. It's the place where Chris and I rediscover our marriage away from bills and housework and deadlines and 'to do' lists. It's so far away from work and stress. I like. Although work tried to encroach into this safe haven and for one sleepness night it managed it, but I managed to run fast enough that it couldn't keep up.

Got fun stuff on at the weekend. Tonight I will be England's most famous romantic novelist. And tomorrow I will be one of many people queueing for a hug from the newly one year old Jessica Ruth Armstrong.

Before you all sign me up for a lifetime's membership of the nearest looney bin (and this is by no means a convincing argument that you shouldn't do so anyway) tonight is a fancy dress murder mystery party.

Somewhere along the lines though, between 19 and 25 I stopped liking fancy dress. It's partly such a faff for one night, particularly since it's basically black tie and I am inundated by things that I have to dress up smartly for at this time of the year. Deep down, however, I suspect that I really just don't like being told what to wear!

Anyway, the murder mystery itself will be fun, company will be good and always love sharing celebrations with others. Would rather dress up and go than not. And that's saying something becuase I am not normally good at doing things on a Friday.

So thinking about it, it's really a weekend of celebrations!

Feeling very much like I'm in a nothing time though. Like there's things to do to organise for Christmas, but it's not yet Christmassy. And there have been all these reports about snow, but it's not actually snowing it's just cold. And I feel like I'm waiting for something to happen rather than actually living something. I feel like we have all these dreams but they're still to far to actually reach out and grasp.

I'm sure being 25 should be more exciting. Katie agrees.

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Went to London this weekend. Lots of fun. Went to Harrods (and gave Chris a minor heart attack by calling him up from my mobile and telling him I was in the fine jewellry section of Harrods!). On Saturday we saw Buckingham Palace (smaller than I expected), Big Ben (again, smaller than I expected), houses of parliament (smaller than I expected) leicester square (yup - you guessed it, smaller than I expected!) and the Japanese embassy.

Still a good day with lots of time spent in parks too.

Sunday we mostly went to the Natural History Museum and looked at dinosaurs. Very happy. Bit of covent garden too but dinosaurs were the highlight!

Really good weekend and great to see Esther. Due to the ridiculous situation of two single tickets being far far cheaper than a return I actually went down first class on Friday night (and only paid half the amount in total that the return would have cost even though that included a first class ticket at rush hour on Friday night!!).

Can now highly recommend first class tickets on Midland Mainline you get proper china tea cups and wine glasses, unlimited tea or coffee, snacks etc and wine (unfortunately slghtly more limited in amount than the tea!). Still very impressive for the princley sum of sixteen pounds.

Had Monday off for the journey back and so able to spend an afternoon with the lovely Liz. A good weekend all in all!

And off to Chris' parents on Friday for a long weekend so I'm a bit of a part timer right now. (And loving it I might add!)

Posted by susieb at 4:30 pm | Permalink | Comments