it's a canon moment

and here we all are...

kelly eyeing lou with a weird look of "what the hell are you doing"...me being a little annoyed at the fact that kel keeps insisting we can take a better photo, lou showing off how she can actually fit four people into one picture with her go-go gadget arm, and sam (not pissed at all i swear it) poking her head in to get in on the action.


i couldn't survive a whole weekend without some social interaction so i met kel and lou at korova for a couple jars.

and as per usual, the camera came with me. i only treated myself to three pints because i knew if i had any more i wouldn't be paying as much attention as i should to how i was walking.

my ankle is less swollen today, but i'm still hobbling around to keep the weight off of it.

it's strange how people in the streets don't really pay attention to someone who's barely walking. but one benefit of being slightly crippled is that everyone else has to go to the bar and fight through the crowd...so there's one benefit.

i'm sooooo relaxed. time for another cookie.

too relaxed

so here's my little set-up for the weekend. laptop, bose speakers, magazines, newspaper, books and two pillows so i can properly elevate my ankle. the only thing missing from this picture is my pot o' tea and ice pack.

i did stand for a little while whilst baking the cookies, but i had to do *something* today. i was getting too bored. i did get through my last two issues of macleans, surfed the web loads and talked to my dad, who wasn't too upset about his picture being on the blog ;)


and here's me, just chillin' on the couch trying not to wear too much black. i think i look pretty content considering the situation. i'm going to be extremely relaxed after this weekend. catching up on all the things there just doesn't seem time for during the week and not watching any television for the first time in ages.

the cookies...the cookies are reeeeeally good. there's something about pecans in cookies that just makes them that much more scrumptious.

belated parry sound cottage photos

kathy drinking beer in the three person tube...i miss the cottage...and summer













the bunky/bunker and waiting to dock the boat...severance










nothing like a bright blue sky at the cottage











my dad on our last early morning fishing expedition...i did catch one little fish, but couldn't hang on to it long enough in my hands to take a picture.

belated turkey day photies

rich #2, jo and harriet getting ready to chow down on my fab turkey dinner. and that's my TML zamboni in the background. this is one of my favorite pictures of 2005.









from left to right...chris, me, jo, sofian, rich #1, rich #2, sam












the organic free range deboned prestuffed with plum and sausage turkey being carved....tasty. and that's my pot of sweet potatoes.

the job report

i'm going to try to explain this as clearly as possible, but let me know if it doesn't make sense.

acronyms:
national museums liverpool (nml)
heritage lottery funding (hlf)
museum of liverpool (mol)

so nml is currently undergoing this huge period of growth in terms of capital projects, the largest being the new mol, which is slated to be built on the pier head in liverpool. nml was expecting funding from hlf in the tune of 11.5 million pounds, but it was announced this week that we didn't get it. it was a big shock to everyone.

read these for some background:
echo story #1
echo story #2
bbc where i live coverage

this is having an effect on staff because many of the people working on that special project that is mol are seconded from other positions and many posts are being backfilled. the director is not going to let this project fail and angus (one of my colleagues) said earlier in the week the first thing to go will be jobs.

i recently applied for an admin post in my office, which is permanent, because my contract is up at the end of march. but now the post isn't being interviewed for anymore because they are putting loads of posts on hold. this also means that the likelihood of my contract being renewed is about nil.

so i have to get really serious about the job application thing again. jen (my line manager) says she'll do everything in her power to keep me around, but you never know with these things.

it's been a bit stressful and intense around the museum this past week because of all this and the positive energy that used to flow through that place has kind of plummetted...its weird.

at least i've got a couple months to get my act together! anyway, just wanted to give the full story only once cause its too long.

the first of many

its going to be a quiet weekend involving many blog posts cause i'm home with my ankle elevated and a serious lack of television.

i slightly injured myself running last week and me just ignoring it and going about daily life has made it kinda bad to the point where i'm hobbling around like an old lady, it's no good. so i went to the walk-in this morning (which was the best walk-in i've ever been to in my *life*...praise the NHS, i only waited 5 minutes and this is one of only two walk-ins in liverpool!) and was told i'd overdone it, stretched some ligaments and tendons, and should stay off my feet as much as possible.

see where exercise gets ya?

i treated myself to some on-line grocery shopping, which is perhaps the laziest thing i've ever done, but i'm just trying to follow doctor's orders. and i can't tell you how frustrating it is not being able to simply walk around. i have a lot of trouble taking care of myself when it comes to things like this, but i swear i'm trying.

so if you haven't talked to me in a while and you fancy a chat, you have a damn good chance of catching me at home this weekend!

dinner with chris at the quarter

chris avoiding the camera...













chris finally letting me take a photie













insisting i can take a better one...

this weekend made me want more weekends

i had such fun this past weekend.

i took my boys out for dinner on friday (chris and dipak) before making trips to my two favorite bars: 3345 and korova. it was really good fun and i didn't feel *too* rough the next day. on saturday (the official six month anniversary!) i went to moreton for lunch and went past uncle bill's old house, which is still empty. took a drive down to meols promenade for a walk and then headed home to make two (yes...two!) guinness chocolate cakes for a birthday and a thank you present.

sam, dipak and i went to jo's for a little bit of a birthday party before meeting up with dave and sofian. we met up with the birthday gang at the alma de cuba in town, which is a pretty swanky converted church bar. yes, you can drink on the alter.

stayed out too late and woke up at 1 pm and was back in the pub by 3 pm to watch liverpool fc vs. manchester united.

i promise i do not drink that excessively every weekend and that only contributed to the fun...it was more the company.

crazy, but true

six months ago today i got on a plane and moved to liverpool.

it seems absolutely insane when you just say it how it is and *dear god* what the hell was i thinking? davoud asked me the other day what the highlights have been, but it's really hard to narrow down. i guess part of it is that this has become day to day life and not just some wacky adventure. i'm not on vacation any more. i get up every morning and go to work, come home every night make dinner, chat to sam, maybe watch television, maybe go for a pint and then go to bed.

i think that's the highlight. the fact that i've been able to succeed in making a *real* life for myself here and i don't feel like i'm running away like i used to. that comes through making commitments and owning up to the dreaded *r* word (responsibility), through meeting and connecting with people that i've grown to care about so much, through knowing my way around, to be fair, and through finally realising that mobile phones are useful.

anyway, i'm happy, healthy, and i'm surrounded by people who love me here and on the other side of the pond too. pretty damn lucky and blessed, and i wouldn't dream of asking for anything more.

as grandma always said: count your blessings.

a lack of updates

apologies for the lack of updates last week, but i just didn't have any news! it was a quiet one. i went to see match point on wednesday night with chris, now there's a movie you should go see. it was interesting to hear the reviews from my brit cohorts in comparison with my own, but i'll try not to spoil it for ya. there is one scene that just doesn't make sense, but that's woody allen for you.

finally went out on friday night in town. it felt like it had been ages because the last time i'd been out for a drink in town was before christmas. a little sleeping in was required on saturday morning, but eventually sam, dipak and i went to tabac for some lunch and spent a few hours playing backgammon and generally complaining about the service in that joint. it's weird how you can still love a place so much when the service is crap.

the highlight of the weekend was hockey. i discovered that there's hockey on channel 5 at 1:40 am every wednesday night so i got dipak to tape it for me this week. i actually got to watch the habs vs avalanche game. how happy was i! totally amazing...it's a toronto game this week so i'll be breaking out the HNIC puck, maple leaf socks and stuffed zamboni.

sunday was a quiet one, just hung around the house and watched these old film reels of uncle len's that val had transferred to video. it was strange watching footage of my mum, aunt, grandma and grandad getting on the boat to emigrate to canada. my mum and aunt were so gorgeous...are *still* gorgeous. just wish i had my mum's cheek bones...

top of england

i don't know what's happening to me with this new year, but i'm getting too active for my own good.

val challenged sofian, harriet and i to a slightly ambitious hike on saturday to the top of sca fell pike in the lake district, a whole 978 metres. we got geared up quite early in the morning (val was kind enough to lend me some hiking shoes) and we set off with a packed lunch. it was quite an easy climb actually as most of the way was constructed kind of like stepping stones. there were a few dodgy moments when we had to cross a little waterfall (i had memories of falling into meshaw falls at the french river some years back), but the really challenge started to come as we got high enough that snow started to appear and we found ourselves in the clouds! but we made it up, ate a sandwich in the freezing cold and then slide back down. it was a five hour hike but we definitely felt like we'd *done* something with our weekend.

we went to one of the local pubs that night for dinner and then carried on to the next one where we made the mistake/good move of sitting in front of the fire. very toasty and warm, but also made us extremely sleepy. it was a great weekend and as always nice to spend time with val, sofian and harriet.








on our way up















sofian makin' sure he speaks no evil






















further up














at the top...you'd think we'd done something exceptional the way this looks. it was a completely different world up there...like something out of narnia.

the track listing

'cause everyone has been asking for it. here's the track listing for "wearing snowshoes in the rain" for those of you who got me before my budget for postage on my christmas cards ran out :(

Factory – Martha Wainwright
I Hear You Calling – I Am Kloot
River – Joni Mitchell
Intro – Max Brennan
Recycled Air – Postal Service
Neighbourhood #3 (Kettles) – Arcade Fire
Lack of Colour – Death Cab for Cutie
Amy – Damien Rice
Pitter Patter Goes My Little Heart – Broken Social Scene
Calendar Girl – Stars
All My Friends – Broken Social Scene
Lua – Bright Eyes
Blue Skies – Metric
Gold in Them Hills – Ron Sexsmith
Did You See the Moon Tonight – A Girl Called Eddy
In a Graveyard – Rufus WainwrightTransatlanticism – Death Cab for Cutie

off to the lakes with harriet and sofian this weekend to visit val. hopefully the two runs sam and i have done this week around sefton park will have put me in enough shape to keep up with sofian and val on our hike.

finally

you'll all be pleased that there are now *photos* on the blog. three cheers for me 'cause i didn't think my limited tech abilities would allow me to do it.

i'll try to do this more regularily now that i know what i'm doing and have a digital camera.

more yorkshire pics

'cause who doesn't like a picture of lauren looking drunk?













chin modelling my wellies










dipak pouring the first of the champagne (pronounced cam-pag-knee), although it wasn't even new year's eve...













nick sporting grandma's tea cozy, the blinking glass we lifted from 3345, and my pink slippers











me and kelly. aren't we cute?








lou, sam, kelly and chin...and the snow. god bless it.

yorkshire pics

sam looking glam in my sunnies on the drive up to yorkshire











lou looking quite...well, pleased with the fire behind her













ones serious game of backgammon with nick








one of our many walks










john and chin cooking in the kitchen

more christmas pics

found out i was really no good at jenga









had to buy this wine....douglas green! it wasn't bad either!











chris, kelly, dipak and sam







me opening my favourite present on christmas morning: garbage bags ;)

some christmas pics

the goodness that was carrot cake...









our christmas walk in wavertree park










kelly making sure everyone is protecting their nip









kelly's drawing












sam attempting to get rid of hiccups











and there's our tree

it's always better on holiday, so much better on holiday

...that's why we only work when we need the money.

Yes, it’s true, Christmas was a little strange this year, but I think that was to be expected. I still had a wonderful time off though. Sam and I took December 23rd off to get all of our grocery shopping done amongst what seemed like all of Liverpool in one Tesco. I don’t know how one I supposed to take any less that 3 hours shopping for food so close to Christmas!

Christmas eve I hung around the house reading the newspaper until Sam and I went to the Anglican cathedral for the 3:00 pm carols service. It was good, but as usual I got the giggles in church as you do on Christmas eve for some reason. The building is really impressive though and I’m glad I finally went in. We picked Kelly up afterwards and headed to Penny Lane wine bar for a few pints before traipsing home to play with my digital camera and watch television.

Christmas morning we woke up and had breakfast before cracking open the presents. I let Kelly and Sam open some of my stocking stuffers because even though I was so far away, I still ended up with more gifts! We’d barely got ourselves cleaned up before Dipak arrived and the drinking and food preparation began. We went for a lovely walk through the park while the cake was. Val and Chris stopped by for a drink, which was good as it was nice to see some family! Then we finally ate dinner and settled down for It’s a Wonderful Life, my favourite. I don’t think that Sam and Kel appreciated it quite as much as Dipak and I did, but I’ll forgive them for that.

I only really had one moment of weakness after I got off the phone with the Goderich crew, so I think that’s pretty good!

A couple days later we set off for the Yorkshire Dales for our little holiday in the country. After some confusion as to where we were, Chin stopping at the wrong station, and the boys being stuck in traffic for hours we finally all (Sam, Kel, Lou, Dipak, Davoud, Nick, Chin and John for one night) arrived and started what was a wonderful week of snow, food, drink and an open fire. I proved to be the most skilled with the newspaper rolling (after many years of practice) and seemed able to get the logs going.

We went for loads of walks, visited the best pub in the world…ever…the Green Dragon, drank lots, ate lots (but quite healthily actually) and I introduced everyone to the wonders of backgammon and now they are all hooked.

I already miss waking up in the countryside, seeing the rolling hills, snow, the sunrise, sunset, stars (oh my goodness, the stars!), the breakfast bar, playing loads of backgammon and jenga, the open fire, sitting around a big table for dinner, the house never being empty, getting no phone reception, wearing my wellies and fitting right in…I could go on.

All in all a happy new year, and today, well, today being the first day back at work just plain sucks.

But hey, it does help us appreciate the holidaze a little bit more, don’t it?