Saturday 20 December 2003

Minor achievements - better than nothing eh

Well I got everything on my To Do List done - even if the drivers licence renewal was at the very last possible minute (was to expire on Sunday ie tomorrow night, I renewed it Friday  afternoon - I thought I'd be queuing for hours and hours, knowing what the vehicle licensing centres are like especially at this time of year but I was in and out in about 45 minutes - result!).  I got all my bits and pieces done, made it to all my appointments, and got my hair cut!  Yes, AGAIN.  And, no surprises, its even shorter; what is surprising is that I lovelovelove it.  My truly fabulous and talented hairdresser cut it into a shorter more layered choppy bob, it follows the way my hair waves and kinks naturally so I don't have to even blow dry it to make it look like I just came out of a salon, but I can put in "product" and do all sorts of things to make it look even funkier. Me with funky hair, imagine!  So me = pleased.  Tuxedo got his hair cut too - again, even shorter than usual, and it suits him admirably (okay, he looks very handsome and sexy, and its kinda spiky and punky, yum).  So, everybody's happy.

Everybody's happy - even the cat.  Tuxedo and I dropped into a great pet shop on Tuesday in between buying shoes and getting haircuts, and bought Abi a new bed for her joint first birthday (16 December) and Christmas present.  Its a big soft washable tartan bed with a huge soft floppy cushion, and she loves it; I thought she'd take a while to get used to it, maybe not immediately accept it over her old bed (a wicker basket with cushions and rug) but once we'd put in her old soft toys, including her much loved fluffy bunny, she settled right down, enjoying the softness and much roomier quarters.  We gave her Jessie's old collar too, which is a black safety collar with glow-in-the-dark pawprints on it.  We also bought Gus - our black border collie - a chew-bone for his Christmas.  Yes we are sad. 

Abi in her old basket with her fluffy bunny (snuggled under her arm - squirrel at back) - too cute, neh?

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

I had my last physical therapy session on Monday - and I've graduated!  I'm really pleased of course, that my physiotherapist is so pleased with my progress and says she can't do any more for me because I'm progressing so well on my own ... but I'm still very sad, and will miss our sessions.  She was such a help, more than any other physio has been, and certainly more help in practical matters than a dozen specialists.  Still, its good to know, and I must focus on the good part, that I've progress and achieved some pretty significant goals.  From now on its up to me to continue my programme and stay strong.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

One of the especially nice things to happen this week was that I got back in contact with my friend Holly, who I haven't seen since before I left for Belfast.  We lost touch when I was overseas, as she moved and I moved and we lost addresses, and when I got back to Perth I tried and tried to find her, directory assistance was no damn help and I was certain I'd lost her forever ... wah!  Then, on Thursday, a Christmas card arrived in the post for my parents - from my Holly, and asking after me.  Thankfully she'd put her address on the back of the envelope so I was able to track her down and soon we were having one of those happy girly screaming phone calls, you know the ones full of "Oh my Gods I can't believe it!".  We had a great long chat, caught up on the last couple of years in brief - she's had another baby girl in the meantime, which is fantastic news - and will be getting together in the new year.  She has yet to meet Tuxedo; I can't wait to introduce them.  See, Holly was the one who was convinced, despite my pessimism, that I'd find someone one day.  I always thought that soulmate stuff was crap, but hey look at me now ...  So that was a wonderful, great thing to happen.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

My big nice surprise for the week was receiving the Soundtrack for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in the mail, from Amazon.co.uk.  And what a superb, incredible, superlatives-fail me, total tour de force it is.  If Howard Shore doesn't get an Oscar for this then there is truly no justice in the world.   He has taken the themes developed in the previous films and expanded them even further, the music is even more moving, more evocative, more beautifully orchestrated and interwoven than the other soundtracks, and I thought they were pretty much the epitome of all soundtracks, and better than a lot of "straight" orchestral music.  Shore is one of the best contemporary composers around, and in the LOTR trilogy, and the last act in particular, he's produced something very very special.  U[ there with Mozart and Verdi, so far as I'm concerned.

The final song - which had damn well better win the Best Song Oscar - is called Into the West and is written/sung by the fabulous Annie Lennox.  She has a fabulous voice, and the song is so moving and beautiful it reduced me to choking tears the first few times I listened.  The entire soundtrack has been on rotation since I got it, and this song in particular is getting lots of air time, and is being sung in the bedroom, shower, kitchen ... I adore it.  Kudos.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞