Mid-Month Mutterings (Jan '09)

The end of month round ups I do are, I have decided, getting way too 'big'. You must be exhausted from reading them. So, in months when there are lots of extraneous bits and pieces, I shall gather up some of the said bits and pieces and do a middle of the month 'bitty' post as well as an end of month one. Hope you don't mind.

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I received a tag from Greedy Nan the other day. She has asked me to list 6 random things about myself. I've done this kind of tag at least a couple of times before and yet there are still a zillion more random things I could tell. I am giving you 6 physical facts about me - here we go:

1. My belly button is an 'inny' rather than an 'outy'.
2. That same belly button bears 3 tiny little scars from 3 laparoscopy operations in the past.
3. I have the most horrible knees in the country. No, make that the continent. In fact if there were inter-planetary contests for ugly knees, I might win a medal for Earth.
4. I have pathetically teeny wrists. They are, quite frankly, an embarrassment to a grown woman.
5. I take a Size 4 in shoes (37 in 'Euro speak')
6. I have extraordinarily short little fingers - that's to say my 5th 'baby' finger is very short (although I have fairly small hands anyway). I once knew a guy who professed to be into palmistry. He announced those tiny little fingers told him I was a closet lesbian. Hmmmmm. I do wonder if he was, perhaps, a little pi$$ed off that I had declined his advances. ;-)

There you go then Nan - I hope that was ok? I'm not going to name names for this, but if anyone reading wants to 'have a go' please feel free.

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I need to thank Burby for this lovely 'Blog Friends' award. I think it pretty much does what it says on the can. Thank you Burby - x - I really appreciate it. I think I'm supposed to pass it on to others so will send it on it's way to the following who are lovely friendly people, all quick to extend their friendship via email as well as via our blogs: Katy, Meggie, Sal, Andrea, Julia (MK), WMK, Ali, Maria, Kellie, Blossom, Jodie, Mal Intent, Anne, Twiggy, Kaz, Lucy, Tracy, Joanna, Jill, Trashy, Jackie, Elaine, Lesley, Peri, Suzy, Lily, Suzie, Jane, Gina, Dawn, DC, Gigibird, Julia (PC), Sas, and Emma-Pebble. Do what you will with it ladies - display it if you want to, don't if you don't. x

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Now I want to thank Emma at Bagladee for this 'Your Blog is Fabulous' award - thank you Emma, that's quite a compliment - x. (If you don't know Emma's blog - check it out - such lovely bags! I have bag-maker's envy. Not to mention the envy I feel that her OH is turning their loft into a studio for her as a birthday present!)

There is a bit of a meme thing going on with this award: I have to list 5 things to which I am addicted. Hmmmm, only 5? :-O

Leaving aside specific people, who are indescribably dear to me and therefore whose presence I find addictive:

1. Communication.
   
   Without it I am utterly miserable. It wasn't until well into adulthood that I twigged that I need plenty of communication for me to feel 'whole'. I don't know if that makes me what is termed a 'people person'. I do like my own company, but not for great long stretches at a time. Where my closest friends are concerned, I am in frequent contact and miss them horribly if we don't catch up regularly. I have always been one to 'keep in touch'. I guess the wide term 'communication' also covers 'education' and that's something else to which I'm addicted - learning.
2. The internet.
   
   I have only been a surfer of the World Wide Web for around 9 or 10 years, but I now cannot imagine being without that link to the rest of the world, or the vast reservoirs of knowledge 'out there'. I was always the pain-in-the-butt-person who wanted to know about the 'how?', the 'why?', the 'where?', the 'who?' and the 'when?' I used to find out from books, and I still do to some extent, but I LOVE the interweb (not least because of the many fabulous people I have 'met' through it.)
3. Music.
   
   Not a day passes when I don't listen to it. Sometimes it's a background presence, sometimes I do nothing else but wallow in the sound and let it carry me away somewhere. Lyrics are often better than poetry to me, just because they are coupled with music.
4. Nature.
   
   I think most of us crafty types have an eye for colour, and the colours in nature are about as fabulous as it's possible to get. The Autumn colours of 2008 were so stunning - the children got quite sick of me oohing and aahhhing and saying 'gosh, look at that tree!' But more than the colours; the detail, the patterns and all round 'amazingness' of nature is sometimes quite overwhelming. I love that we get different seasons in the UK - I know I'd be a bit bored if the weather were the same all year round. If I lived near the sea, I'm sure I'd be even more blown away by Nature.
5. Creativity.
   
   What can I tell you? It is almost as essential to me as breathing. Not quite, but almost. I can't imagine a life without 'making' featuring in it somehow or another. There are various ways to be creative, so crafting is not the be-all and end-all, but it's what hits the spot for me. Some people make music, some paint, some write, some work with kids (which is both hard work and creative), some cook ... the list goes on.

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Thinking about addictions leads me to make mention that at the start of this month, Channel 4 aired a programme called 'Surviving Gazza' which focussed on the family of Paul Gascoigne and their attempt at 'helping' him with his problems. As regular readers know, I am a big fan of the beautiful game, and watching Gazza playing football was a wonderful sight. He always seemed a bit of a daft lad, but one with a sublime talent for the sport (especially before the cruciate ligament injury). I won't ever forget the Euro '96 tournament, and that goal he scored in the match against Scotland - brilliant!

I recorded the documentary, but didn't get round to watching it until last week. It made me feel so many things. For a start, was there ever a more glaring example that money doesn't buy happiness? Although in their misery, I guess it helps that the family doesn't have to worry about money. But my goodness ... the next time I indulge in worry over how much of an insecure or inadequate person I am, I shall try to remember that programme. I can't imagine how horrible it must be to be that tortured: why is he like it? How did it happen? Such a sad story; a waste of potential and spirit (no pun intended), and a whole family of heads well and truly messed up. :-(

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Now you see - if I'd tried to stick that lot in the January round up, it would have been even biggerer. My verbal/mental diarrhoea is bad enough, without advertising the fact on the interweb.

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