For those who have followed my blog over the last 9 months or so, you will know that I have a friend with severe mental health problems.
I nearly gave up on her after 13 years of her being in my life, the last five being very hard going.

Something changed last year. I am not sure whether it was the change in medication of the promised improvement bought on by age. She went to stay with her Mum late last year and came back last week a new woman. It was only four months ago that she couldn't rememeber anything and had was in such a state that she was either completely wretched or was so doped up she couldn't keep her mouth shut. She had put on a lot of weight due to physical injury and medication.

G came round yesterday with her mum, who is staying a few more days. She is like the person I first knew and became friends with. She ahs lost a litle weight and is definitely walking better. She came to collect my daughter from school with me and she could walk at my pace.

Fantastic.

One of the reasons I stayed with her through the years is that she was always looking for ways to get better, change things for the better and now I think she has found it. Fingers crossed she maintains this as she now has an up hill struggle. She has lost everything nearly due to her problems. She used to work, do voluntary work and was very fit. She has lost all of her friends and wa alone a lot of the time. I had backed off a lot as I could do no more and I nearly cracked under the strain og this and many other difficulties last year.

Taking her and her mum to see my 'shop' today

Well with only two weeks to spend in New Zealand we had to decide whether to do a lot of driving or just stick to one island and take it a bit more slowly. We have now decided to stick to North Island, taking in some Lord of the Rings sites and combining that with visiting some of the National parks. NZ must have the highest density of national parks in the world. Nearly the whole country is one.

Yesterday I found some nice campsites where we can park the motorhome we are going to hire. I have a to do list and on it I have now ticked places for hot springs, swimming with dolphins and whale watching. Son No 1 is very happy that I found a place where he can quad bike and sand surfing sounds intriguing. I have located Hobbiton and amd now working my way downwards.

I think a nip into Hamilton to visit friends there (thats you skip and Pam unless you have moved to North Island) and a bit of caving will be next to organise.

Need less to say I am very excited Thank goodness for the internet though. I never plan a holiday like this but want to make the most of the visit. Shame we couldn't go for three weeks or four, but holidya restrictions won't allow.

We plan to go back in a few years time and visit North Island.

To start with I had a good weekend tending the bonfire and having a tipsy night in at the barn. Another 25 to 30 yards of wildlife superhighway built to last. There is nothing like a spot of countryside to make me feel peaceful in myself.

Came home nad had an early night unfortunately disturbed by a gang of youths asking for Son No2. When my husband said he was in bed they became abusive and threatening and in the end we had to cll the police. They were here in minutes but the lads had gone. The police had seen them and knwe where they had gone.
Don't know if they caught up with them. It was pretty scary as I have grown used to peace and quiet. They threatened to smash our window so I am now expecting trouble in the next few days.

I have been very fortunate this last week to be able to sit and watch the garden. My computer is right by a large window onto my back garden. The garden has been very busy as the birds are already collecting nesting material and the squirrels are getting feisty. I have also managed to attract a new regular at the bird feeder. I used to just feed from a plate on the ground but the squrrels used to eat all the nuts so I started putting nuts in a tree feeded which is a tray thing. They love this and can be seen nicking food from it upside down.
Anyway i noticed small birds looking in there and decided to try some seed. Well this has been very sucessful and I now have coal tits.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/c/coaltit/index.asp
Another regular visitor is the sparrow, which is an endagered species, not in my garden it isn't: http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/h/housesparrow/index.asp
And dunnocks, I have several pairs come snack too. I didn't realise these were at risk until I saw this: http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/d/dunnock/index.asp

I Have had a reasonably peaceful week, but not been in the mood for doing anything much. I spent a lot of the week doing small mundane things but got a lot done. Not felt like blogging much but have popped in here and there, being random.
I saw my grandson on Thursday. He is growing nicely and so cute. I haven't seen him for a while as I have been away or poorly.
I worked Wednesday and Thursday nights. I have only another two nights to go and then I am finished. My leaving do is on the 9th March and there looks to be a lot of friends going including ex-colleagues. I think I might have a good send off
I was out with workmates last night at a Tapas bar. Came home smelling of garlic and spices.
Today I am off to the Peak Park where I will be hedgelaying with my conservation group. We are all staying in comfortable barn overnight. C has already gone. I have to do shopping, childcare will work tomorrow.
Here is what it will look like when we have finished: http://www.hedgelayer.freeserve.co.uk/hedlan.htm#Derby_Style

I have been visiting Portsmouth for 8 or 9 years now and only went up the spinaker tower last week. It is basically an observation tower where you can see the surrounding city and sea laid out before you. Here is a nice pic:
http://www.louisberk.com/albums/lbphotos/Architecture/slides/spinaker%20tower%20portsmouth%20harbour%2003.htm

I was standing up here on a rainy windswept afternoon, looking out of a side window, and saw a rainbow reaching down to a boat below. The boat was right in beneath it. This is the second time in my life I have seen the end of a rainbow, unfortunately no gold, but I consider myself blessed all the same.

I haven't been around this weekend because I was poorly. I worked Thursday night and was ok until I got up after a lot of sleep disturbance headachey and nauseated. Proceeded to throw up and went back to bed. I rangin sick to work, a rare occasion for me, but necessary.

I have laid in bed for two days thinking, reading , meditating, planning and generally dossing. Feel better now but not 100%. Hubby and MiL looked after me nicely with tea, water and peace and quiet.

Got up this morning to sunshine and birds singing and the headache gone.
I have a plan for the next five years which is huge with all the things I want to do and positive thoughts on doing them, bit by bit:D

As is usual when the school hols come round and I went to visit my family in Portsmouth. This is always a trial but this time it wasn't so bad. I am happy to see members of my family. Don't get me wrong. The only thing is that they constantly complain about each other and this is not so great.

In summary I had an OK time,particularly those with just me and littl'un playing with pebbles along the seas shore.

I am back at work tonight so will take a while to catch up.

I have not been here much the last few days. Been too busy by half.
On Wednesday I went to look at a place where you can hire a unit for as long as you want to sell stuff in. It is in a three story mill building and it mostly sells furniture and antiques. However for £25.00 a week we can sell our stuff in a section 10ft by 8ft with good light, and we had the pick of some prime spot ones.

So we went agreed to give it a go. The divided costs per month would be the same as a small festival for one weekend and we don't have to be there. Fantastic.

I worked Wednesday and last night so now up early to go and set up for sales to start tomorrow. If it doesn't work out we won't have lost out and if it does we can hire a bigger unit. Very excited.

Tonight I am off with my mother in law, J, to our reading group to discuss Brick Lane by Monica Ali.

Probably won't be in much for a week or so now. Tomorrow I help a friend lay the footing sfor her shed and in the afternoon go down to Porstmouth to see my family. Won' be back unti Wednesday.

I am off to the NEC today with J, my friend and business partner. We are looking at new stuff to buy for selling at fests and on ebay.

Had a reasonable weekend seeing as I was working. It seems that I have a months worth of holidays to use up before I leave my job. I thought I had used most of it up and had only a week left. they can buy some back from me so I think I will have two as holiday before I go away and two sold. That will give me a whole month off work, and lots of time before my holiday to prepare.

Off to break the water on the pond now and do a few jobs before my friend turns up.

Sorry for not getting down to blogging properly sooner this last few days. The system was so slow I could do all my housework between reading on blog and the next.

I went to see Miss Potter last night at The Ritz in a small town called Belper. This is a recently opened cinema and is plush as they come, decorated to a high plush standard, with couches and BIG chairs and a bar. The fil was lovely too, helped by a bar of chocolate and a glass of wine.

I went afer my weekly weigh in where I had lost three and a half pounds, so felt able to be a bit naughty.

Today I went to Hoar Cross Hall, a spa place right in the middle of the Staffordshire country side. I have been a few times with my friends H, HM and N. In fact they bought me vouchers last year for my 40th birthday so I could go with them again. Unfortunatly they were unable to go with me so I took my mother in law, a belated Christmas present. We had a fine time of relaxing, bubbling away in hot jacuzzi's and sweating it out in the steam room. We had a fine time just lounging around reading and ate a delicious meal, all in with the price. I even got my hair cut.

Getting a haircut is a major undertaking for me, and I had to have 8 inches off because I had waited so long before I had it done.

Will pop in over the next day or so to catch up with everyone elses blogs.

Keep well folks

We have booked our tickets now, just gotta do a heap of other things before we can fly and 8 weeks to do it all in.

We have booked our tickets now, just gotta do a heap of other things before we can fly and 8 weeks to do it all in.

I just logged on to find that of all my friends Lyndlj's posts are only available to me on my page. Every post from the last 30 days.

I do like her posts, but surely this it too much for even a big fan of her writings such as I. Anyone else got this problem?