O, if only.

*brushes dust off the furniture*

It's a while since I bothered posting here, or even visiting much. I dunno, I guess I find it difficult and kinda pointless to update everyone on the minutiae of of my life, 'cos I don't really DO a great deal. Mostly my day consists of wake up; drink tea; go pick up pony poo; come home and eat breakfast; go to work; come home; go pick up yet more poo; fail to ride or do anything constructive with ponies; feel bad about it; come home; watch telly; sleep.

One long party; eh?

Anyway. Not a lot to talk about. Pony no 1. is off to boarding school tomorrow, as it's become apparent that the holes in his education are just too big for me to deal with alone. So I'm doing the sensible thing, and getting help. Bank of Mum and Dad to the rescue. Again. Sigh.

Meanwhile, this leaves me with Pony no 2. I got her on loan a couple of months ago from a local horsey charity, with the idea that she would be a suitable companion to pony no. 1. Which so far hasn't happened 'cos I'm too chicken to leave them together as he's so big and bouncy and she's...well...not. She's a sweet old thing, but too small really for me to ride on a regular basis (can sit on her and feet aren't quite on the floor) so is pretty much just a pet. A cute little poo-generating pet. Oh well. At least she has fun with the small grandchildren of missis-next-door, as she's been taking them out for rides on the lead rein. It gives her something to do anyway, which she seems to enjoy, so that's the main thing. So I have the fun role of paying for her care and field rent so that someone else small enough to ride her can enjoy her, and I get to spend my time picking up poo into the bargain. I really made a killing on that deal, eh?

At work I have no idea which direction I'm going in or even which direction I want to take. No-one wants to employ me to do what I actually enjoy doing and am passably good at, so I'm doing administration work at a local college which, although it pays the bills (except for those emergency my-pony-is-broken ones) is dull, dull dull. And so I'm left sat here and wondeing where the hell I should be looking to head my life. Probably further training is required which means guess what....yep, more money. Which I don't have. But I would do if I gave up the ponies. Two choices then. Have a career, or an expensive hobby which, right now, I'm not even really enjoying 'cos the Pony has scared me shitless and the online community I used to enjoy has lost its appreal.

Bugger.

Well I finally got my day off!!! Too difficult to get in to work, so instead I wrapped up warm, and trudged up the hill to the yard, to go and see my pony. Despite having an open stable he's free to use as he pleases, he had obviously spent all night outside, stood under 'his' tree. Crazy. It's amazing how differently they view things though, isn't it? If it was me I'd have been huddled in a shivering heap at the back of the stable but no, there he was with snow along his mane and on his rug, happily munching on hay. He was most grateful when I cleared the ice out of his water trough though - I don't think he'd had a drink in a while, as there were no footprints leading there.

Then I spent a fun half hour rolling snowballs in his field, which he found very interesting, if a bit confusing. He wasn't entirely sure what you DO with a giant snowball!










Heh.

New Start? Here's hoping. Having decided that I really do need to so some sort of actual re-training if I don't want to be stuck in a dead-end job for the rest of my life, all I need to do now is find an appropriate course. Which is easier said than done. Having established that I'm monumentally rubbish at self-driven learning (especially when there's so much wonderful rubbish to be distracted by on the TV), I've decided that a classrom environment and actual, you know, deadlines would encourage me to pull my finger out and sort my work life out before it's too late.

And I'm also hoping that Pony and I can have a good year too. All being well (fingers firmly crossed), I have found a new home for him, where he'd have company and we'd have schooling facilities so that we can start to work on our partnership and try to consolidate things a bit. With a handy nearby Silversand trainer (for the non-horsey types who may happen upon this entry, that's a sort of alternative - and some might say kinder - way of dealing with horses), and somewhere we can actually train I am hoping to make some real progress this year.

So come on 2009....I hope you're going to be a good 'un.

I hope that you're all having a peacful time this Christmas. I'm going to be spending it with my family and, if all goes to plan; we're hoping to include the Pony a bit too. It's his first Christmas with us! He's already been down to the house a few times and generally seems to look forward to his visits as there's lawn to nom and usually an apple or something on offer too.

....aren't they?

Okay, I'm gonna rant now. I don't usually do this, but I'm feeling somewhat cheesed off.

There's a little horse forum I frequent, and recently it seems to be heading the same way as every other forum I've encountered. i.e.... People start off all polite and respectful but, sure 'nuff, after a few months or a year or so, it starts to disintegrate into the usual 'my opinion is worth more than your opinion' garbage. What is it about the internet that brings out this streak in people? Is it an internet thing, or is that just how people are? I'm not exactly a people person at the best of times so that kind of thing really does get to me and makes me want to just say sod it, I'm outta here.

Why on earth is it so DIFFICULT for people to be kind, and respectful of one another? Why should that be so hard? Is is really such a big thing to ask of us as a supposedly highly-developed species, that we THINK about how we behave towards others, rather than just letting our animal egos take over and dictate our behaviour?

http://www.ernestcline.com/dmd/ - Yup.

Gah. To quote Len on Strictly Come Dancing, it gets on my wick.

/rant

Hello :D

Long time no speak. Many apologies and abject grovellings at my general communicative craposity. I have noooo excuses except my own rubbishness, I'm afraid. :(

Do any of you remember what we used to put in the 'bra of the day' threads? Only, I was thinking about resurrecting it on the horsey forum I'm a member of, as a sort of 'getting to know you' type thing. And I need some help as I just can't remember what all the categories were. *hangs head in shame*

Sooo...suggestions please? Pretty please?

Also may I just add a little *squeeeeeee* about the X-Files trailers now up on the official site? *squeeeeeeeeee!!!!* Since everone else I know rolls their eyes at the mention of how great the new movie looks, I KNOW you lot will understand how bouncing-up-and-down-with-impatience I am for the 1st August to arrive.

Is there going to be a London meet-up for the premiere? Do we have any details for that yet? I've not been reading too much over at Haven, 'cos I don't want to get spoilered. I'd really love to be in London for the first night if our heroes are going to be there though....

*fingers crossed that I get a reply and not just dust bunnies blowing across this post*

Incidentally, would anyone be interested if I resurrected the SODE forum? I like the threads of conversation you get on a forum as opposed to livejournal.

Many subjects in one post. Hoping for many answers.

Thankies. *hopeful face*

Oops, I haven't checked in here for aaaages. *brushes cobwebs off everything* Yikes.

Haven't really got much to say really! I passed my driving test back in March; am still in the same job but keenly looking for something more challenging before my brain turns into cheese and melts out of my ears; and I've started horse riding again, which rocks. A lot. Wheeeee....

*waves to anyone reading*

Yes, I can! *dances rather a lot*
With apologies to the excellent www.icanhascheezburger.com for plagarising their title. A bit.

Ahem. Yes, where was I?

As of this morning, I have a Job!!!! Ok, so it's only in a crappy little print shop, doing their artwork - but it's a start! It's relevant to my career, it's easy to get to (so I can continue living at home for the time being), and it'll stop my brain from slowly turning to cheese as a result of sitting around all day wondering what to do. So although it's not exactly the high-flying Important Graphic Design position that I thought I was aiming for, it's a step in that general direction. Beats giving up all hope of a career and applying to Tescos, anyhoo.

Plus, I am soooo loving being back in the UK. I've been catching up on all the Dr Who I've missed over the last few years. David Tennant's a bit gorgeous, isn't he? *dribble*

Well, I've now had two whole driving lessons. Wheeeeee! The first one was extremely scary; the instructor was rather fierce, didn't like me asking questions, and insisted that I drive fast. Within 10 minutes of starting off, I was doing 70kph on the dual carriageway bypass! Eep. I know I have driven before, but even so, sheesh. It was pretty frightening, and did not do very much for my confidence.

But today, I was with a different instructor, and it was much, much better. We were slowly tootling round the narrow back streets of the city and he was kinder, calmer and happy for me to ask about what I was doing - albeit in my somewhat illiterate French (he doesn't speak any English!). Strangely, the language difference is not a problem and in fact helps in some ways. I have always had a problem with remembering 'Left' and 'Right' in English - it takes me a while to decide which is which. But oddly, I don't seem to have the same difficulty with 'Gauche' and 'Droite' in French - for some reason I know which one means which way. Very odd, but it makes life sooo much easier when your instructor doesn't have to keep shouting "No, not THAT left! Your OTHER left! THAT way! It's called RIGHT!" and so on. I wonder if there's some smart scientific explanation for that?

I am now really looking forward to my next lesson. :)

It's been ages since I last visited livejournal. Bad Nic.

I've had a lot going on recently though. My beloved cat Sisko, has died. He had been very ill for a long time and we finally had it confirmed as a massive lung tumour. Just days before he was due to go into surgery, we took him on yet another trip to the vets so they could drain some of the fluid surrounding his lungs and ease his breathing. Poor Sisko was in quite a state, and was obviously upset at the trip. My poor baby died very suddenly, in the car on the way home from the vets - his little heart just gave out. It's almost two weeks ago now. He was only 6 years old. It was devastating and horrible and awful, and the apartment felt horribly empty without him.



R.I.P, my beloved Sisko.

******

We decided to take all his remaining food and toys and things up to the local animal shelter, as we thought it best that some cats in need could benefit from it. Ad of course although we weren't going to, we had to go and look at their cats. One in particular stood out a very friendly little chap. We said we'd wait a while, to give ourselves time to grieve for sisko but the apartment felt so empty and lonely that just over a week later, we caved and adopted this little guy. I felt quite guilty about getting another little cat so soon after losing Sisko, who was so very special to me; but the emptness in the apartment was just unbearable. We've called the new little guy Museli because of the flakes of ginger on his face - he looks like he's been dipped in breakfast cerial! He is very different to Sisko in looks and character - he's not a replacement, as no-one could ever be that, but another little furry companion to love in his own right. And he's such a little softie, it's been very easy to fall in love with him.

So here's Museli (Mewsli!):



So all in all, an extremely sad, and then subsequently fairly happy few weeks. And I'm still looking forward to that first driving lesson.

I PASSED!!!

I've been learning to drive over here in France, and before they'll let you in a car, you have to pass the theory test - 40 multiple-choice questions, of which you have to get 35 correct in order to pass. Meh, no pressure....

So, I had to get up at horrible o'clock this morning in order to get to the driving school for 7.30am, so they could drive those of us taking the theory exam up to the test centre. At 8.45 there we were, 40-or-so terrified peeplies (from several different driving schools around Nice), sat in rows in front of a slide projector, with a clever little handset thingamajig each which would record our answers and tell the computer if we passed or not. After the exam, we had to go and wait outside for the results. The other students from my school were taking the piss out of me, as apparently I was rather green....
But, when the results came out.....I only had 1 fault!!!!!!!! I was stunned, as I had been getting 4 and 5 faults in the test exams, so I figured that I'd only scrape through. The reason I'm so very, very chuffed is that my French is still not actually that good. Before I moved here 3 1/2 years ago, the last time I had studied or really attempted to use French was for my school GCSE, which of course I promptly forgot most of, as soon as I'd finished it. So to pass this test felt like a huge achievement, bearing in mind I can still only understand about 60% of what's said to me in a conversation. I am getting better, but I just don't get to talk to enough people, and it's hard to learn unless you do that. Therefore passing this a massive weight off my mind! I know I can learn the actual driving part; I was having lessons back in the UK and doing fairly well, but I really wasn't sure I could manage this. I certainly wouldn't have been able to a year ago.

Unfortunately, the driving school closes over the summer, so I'm not gonna be able to play squish-the-tourist in Nice, but I have booked my first lesson for the 27th August. Woooooooooohoooooo! I'm soo excited! One step closer to being able to drive my little Ka, and get meself up to the mountains, to go horseriding.

....Harry Potter post!!!!!


However, all I have to say is...


*ahem*


10 hours (and a bit) to go!!!!! Wooooooo!


*ping*


See you next week.  Like pretty much everyone else, I'm not coming back 'till I've read it. ;)

For anyone who doesn't know, The Dark is Rising is a series of fantasy books, written in the 1960s and '70s by a brilliant author called Susan Cooper.  They  are hands-down my favourite books of all time - if you think JK Rowling and Philip Pullman are good, think again.  Susan Cooper's amazing fantasy series knocks spots off 'em both, every time (though I do like JKR and PP's books too). I never fail to get a chill when reading the Dark is Rising sequence, so imagine my excitement when I read on Glenatron's LJ that they're making a film out of the second book (it's a series of 5), called The Dark is Rising!  I guess it's a good choice as a first film, as the first book in the sequence was not actually written to be the first of a series, but rather as a standalone. It was only later, when she wrote The Dark is Rising, that Susan Cooper worked the events of Over Sea, Under Stone, into the plot, resulting in the creation of one of the best fantasy series EVER written. Ever. Ever. Okay, well, apart from LOTR. *grin* Not only are the stories amazing, but her writing is beautiful, conjuring gorgeous and powerful images of the people and places she's writing about.

I have just watched the film trailer, on the website - http://www.seekthesigns.com/main_US.html - and I have to say I have extremely mixed feelings about the film. It certainly looks impressive; and with modern special effects technology, the imagery can certainly be beautifully portrayed; however it appears that it's only very loosely based on the books; for a start they've brought it into the modern era, and Will is American, not English; and he's obsessed with a girl (at 11 years old??)...but I'll keep an open mind. After all, the Lord of the Rings films differ wildly from the books, but are nevertheless amazing in their own right.

For anyone who's interested in finding out what it's about before the film hits, the 5 books (in reading order)
Over Sea, Under Stone
The Dark Is Rising
Greenwitch
The Grey King
Silver on the Tree

The author is Susan Cooper. Check 'em out.

When the dark comes rising, six shall turn it back;
Three from the Circle, three from the track;
Wood, Bronze, Iron; Water, Fire, Stone;
Five will return, and one go alone.

I'm copying and pasting this from a forum I'm a member of; but I think it's such an important message that I wanted to give it as wide a broadcast as I possibly could!

http://www.liveearthpledge.org/

They're pretty straightforward for the most part but maybe, just maybe, if enough people commit to these it will at least send a message to the politicians of the world.

xx

The excellent news? 

I have a car! Or a Ka, even.  And she's a lovely blue - my absolute favourite colour!!! *bounces slightly*  I've already been out there obsessively washing and polishing her, and bought her all the necessary accessories - warning triangle, flourescent jacked, first aid kit, magnetic red 'A' symbol that new drivers have to have on their cars here (like the green 'L' in the UK). I didn't realise what a fuss buying a car here is though - apart from the obligatory reams and reams of paperwork....you have to get new numberplates!!!! How daft is that?

The not-so excellent news? 

I'm still struggling with the driving theory.  I'm better than I was, but I keep making such stupid little mistakes, and of course they all add up.  It doesn't help that I still just don't understand the French in some of the questions, and so put totally the wrong answers. It's really beginning to pee me off - I'm sure that if I was doing this in English, I'd be good enough to take the test by now.  Aaargh, stupid, stupid brain.  *pounds head* Why oh WHY did I have to say "yes, sure, I'll do it in French" instead of saying "no, my French sucks, let me do the English version." Stupid, stupid, stupid. AAaaaargh.

So, since I can't have actual driving lessons until I pass the theory, and since I can't drive my own car until I've passed the test (Flippin' French law).....I have a very pretty car that I'm not allowed to drive, just sitting there!

Anyone wanna give me a new brain that knows French? *cries*

Not much to say at the moment really; I'm still pootling through the driving theory stuff. I think it's going to take me a bit longer than I had originally hoped - I'm learning a lot of French though! We've started looking at cars for me as well; I'm trying to persuade my OH that buying me a car before I can actually drive it really is a good idea, honest.  'Cos I'll at least be able to practice some of the more tricky manoeuv..maneo..(how on earth do you spell that???) some of the more tricky things like 3-point turns and parking, off road.

I do like my new recorder music. There are some great tunes in there!  If I ever work out how to record (arf arf) myself, I'll upload an mp3 to torture folks with. Mwahaha.

Gulp. Well, I've finally gorn and done it. Signed up to get a driving licence!

We left the UK 3 years ago, before I had a chance to finish my driving lessons; consequently I still don't have a driving licence (though I can actually drive a bit - so long as it's forwards). But yesterday I finally took the plunge, and signed up to take the test here in France. I can't have actual lessons yet, as you have to pass the theory test here before they even think of letting you loose in a vehicle, but you do have to pay for it all up front - the theory test, 20 hours of lessons, and the practical. So having handed over my cheque, and filled in the vast quantities of paperwork...it's too late to back out now. I'm taking the theory and the practical in French too, just to add an extra dimension of stress - you can take the theory in your native language, but they only do the test once a month, and don't run it at all in the summer...so I decided it was better to go for the French version; especially since it'll help me to learn all the terminology properly for the practical as well.

Oh shi.....

On another note (har har) my new recorder music books arrived today. I have a book of medieval music, and a book of celtic music.  So I can learn something other than LOTR songs and christmas carols now. Woohoo!  Ilready had a go at a few of them and they sound great. :)

I just taught myself how to play Pippin's song from LOTR Return of the King, on my soprano (descant) recorder. Hehehe.  Or maybe I should get out of the house more, 'cos knowing LOTR songs by heart could be seen as a bit sad, really. :-/

....Then again, the soprano recorder is a fun little instrument to be able to play, 'cos I can take it places; which was always a problem with the piano. Hard to get one of those in a suitcase. I know an alto recorder is more usual for adults, but my li'l fingers are too flippin' short to reach the holes on those ones. Sob. So, kiddies instrument it is.  At least the wooden one has a pretty nice sound when I get it right. :-)

Well, I finally got round to making and uploading some icons. Go me.  Anyone out here who'd like to use any of them, please ASK ME FIRST, as they're all made from photographs taken by me, and edited in my time.  So I'd very much like my name to stay on them. :)

Wow. Gosh, the responsibility: my very first ever LJ entry.  Do I say something really random (knickers, knickers, knickers)? Do I try to seem all smart-and-sophisticated? Nah, probably wouldn't pull that one off without everyone laughing at me. Or at least laughing at myself, since I s'pect no-one's actually reading this. *grin*

Sooo...just in case anyone other than me *waves to self* is actually reading this, I'll tell you a story (which I will admit to shamelessly copying and pasting from the horsey forum I originally wrote it for).  I've tried to describe some of my feelings about being here in France, and how finding somewhere to ride affected me and my perception of this place. It started out as a kind of 'stream of consciousness' type bit of writing, which I then went back and shaped to try to make it into less of a ramble and more of a narrative. It's true in the sense that the emotions I'm trying to describe are mine, and how I felt, but it's kind of an amalgam of several different riding experiences here, so not strictly autobiographical in that sense. The feelings I've tried to capture, the scenery and the journey to the mountains are real though. Because of the way I wrote it, it's probably a bit clichéd, and I admit I may be guilty of some purple-ish hued prose in places, but that's partly due to the way it was written, and partly due to the fact that I haven't attempted any writing of this type for at least 15 years.

Don't laugh at me too much.




I drag myself out of bed early and wander through the apartment to look out over the sea and check the weather, for today is going to be a big day: I have finally found somewhere to go horseriding. I have missed this more than I could have imagined; the past months have seen a depression settling over me as the overwhelming feeling of being trapped and suffocated in this strange new country blinds me to its beauty.

Although not yet truly light, a red glow in the east suggests that sunrise will not be long. The sea is grey, reflecting the iron colour of the sky as I shuffle into the kitchen to make tea; the ever-present, ever-hungry cat winding himself around my legs in his morning show of cupboard-love. I stand bleary-eyed, waiting for a stubborn kettle to boil, and watch the sky gradually lighten to a spectacular kalidescope of orange hues, the scudding clouds silhoutted black against it. It looks like it's going to be a nice day.

Later, still half-awake, I sit in the car passenger seat and watch as we descend into the ugly concrete of the city suburbs, with its perpetually-delayed tramworks, graffiti and tumbledown high-rise slums. I begin to feel happier as this mess gradually gives way to a winding canyon road; we pass a heap of ancient, rusting cars and then hold our breath as we pass the limestone quarry, a thin coat of dust thrown across the windscreen by an early-morning breeze. The road continues to wind upwards, narrowing as it does; on our left a steep cliff overhung by dark pines and tangled evergreen oak and olive trees; and to the right a deep boulder strewn gorge scoured by some long-gone force of water; where now only a trickling stream remains. As we continue to climb we pass through villages, smoke hanging in the valleys not yet reached by the early morning sunlight. Finally rounding a corner, the sun hits us at last, and to our left a vast flat plain opens out. Bumping across the rutted uneven road, we park up and wait for everyone to get themselves ready to fetch the ponies. I'm the only English rider here as I shyly introduce myself and wonder if this is really a good idea.

Good thing I wore my decent boots; the scramble up the mountain is a shock to my becoming-accustomed-to-a-sedentary-life legs! After fighting our way through nearly a kilometer of thorny scrub and uneven rocks, we finally come across the ponies, dozing nose to tail in a little contented herd. They are mostly Mérens mountain ponies, little hairy bay-black animals, gentle and kind. There are about 15 of them here, some standing beneath the little scrappy trees, others soaking up the sun and swishing their tails at the early-morning flies. I marvel at being able to do this; wandering freely amongst the group, letting them whiffle my hands to see if humans have become edible overnight; listening to the little 'horse' noises as that I love: the chomp of jaws working stray bits of food, breathy sweet-hay-scented sighs as they wake up for the day. I've never had such freedom amongst a herd of horses before and it almost brings me to tears. Folding my arms, and leaning over the back of one of the smaller ones, I rest my chin on my wrists as I strain to understand the French instructions as to who's taking which pony today. As I listen, I idly scratch the pony's rump, causing her head to nod and ears to droop even further.

Halters distributed, I make my way over to JoJo, a sweet-tempered little gelding; one of the smaller ones of the bunch though more solidly built than some. He looks at me as I tie the halter on, trying not to get his long, waving mane caught up in it. Then we're up bareback for the trek back to where the grooming kits and wait, back on the plain. JoJo plods along, ears waving as I try not to slide around too much on his slippery back on this steep terrain, occasionally laying myself flat along his neck to avoid the low-hanging tree branches and taking the opportunity for a cuddle as I do. He seems to like this, as I get another whiffly sigh as he watches me with his ears. I decide I like JoJo.

An hour later, horses groomed and saddled, humans fuelled with coffee and biscuits - or tea and biscuits in my case; a humerous English peculiarity to my fellow French riders - we're off. The walk across the plain is followed by yet another winding road, which becomes a track; which in turn becomes a steep path through the woodland. We are climbing steeply now, the horses beginning to breathe more heavily as they navigate huge boulders in leaps and bounds; us ducking low to avoid the spiky pine and olive branches. We pause to give the horses a breather as the woods finally give way to scrub and open ground once more; we're above the treeline with the Alps spread out before us. The mountains seem massive to me, brought up in England's flat East Anglia, but I know that these are only the small ones. Inland they continue to rise until you reach the glacier-locked heights of Mont Blanc, many kilometers from here and in another country. When I think how far these mountains stretch; and then beyond them the land reaching across further than I can imagine; I realise just how small an island I really come from. Before I have a chance to become too overwhelmed by thoughts of geography, we're off again; a brisk canter along a grassy ridge, the wind whipping tears from my eyes as my heart sings with the love of speed on horseback. JoJo feels it too I think as he tries to race the pony next to him, hairy legs hammering as he attempts to pass the sleeker-built animal: who is having none of it and accelerates out of reach. Never mind JoJo...we'll do it next time.

Finally at the top, we gratefully dismount and stretch our aching legs, as to my amazement the horses are left to wander loose amongst the herby scrub in search of edible stuff. There's thyme and rosemary, lavender and other herbs growing wild up here amongst the thorn bushes; they release a mouth-watering blend of kitchen smells as the ponies trample across them, munching as they go. The view from here is even more breathtaking than before; bigger snow-capped mountains are visible in the distance, and below us we see the city, cut off suddenly at the coast by the sea stretching to the horizon, The airport is a shimmer in the distance as the sun reflects off an airplane turning to make its descent across the now sparkling silver blue water. It is a sight which again threatens to reduce me to tears as I finally begin to realise just how lucky I am, that life has led me to such an incredible, beautiful, magical place. Perhaps living here won't be too bad after all, I think, as I share my cereal bar with an inquisitive JoJo.