sometimes...

..all i want to do is lazily lounge and enjoy lolling about in the park.

if you are able to, enjoy it for me. 

the weather last week was park weather, but this week, it started to get mild wintery again.
i am not complaining. this feeling of cool mild wind is something i actually love (as long as it doesn't get to freezing temperatures!). plus, my job allows me to enjoy being outdoors and indoors whenever i like, so, in a weather like this,its an added bonus.

this photo was taken last spring-summer (2013) when we enjoyed the Holkham Hall parkland. (note to self: blog about the hall,and the photos)

it was a lovely day and i learned a lot that day regarding some royal lineage living in Norfolk. but thats another blog altogether.

see you on the next entry.

selfie

this photo was taken on my birthday last year.
nothing special except it was a celebration spent with my most favourite companion.

we stayed at a great hotel and what was even nicer was that we were give an upgrade (juniour suite!).
what was running through my head at that time was "let me take a photo of me, from this beautiful enormous bathroom".
this blog entry has no sense. i just wanted to break the blog drought.


**

the weekend that past was just perfect. we watched the Gabrielle concert (free invites!), and enjoyed it with our friends.

**
today, i received such sad news and disturbing news.
and on top of that, everything just went wrong with my day.

**

oh well, tomorrow is another day to conquer.
i hope i am armed enough to brave it.


**

i bless your evening/day, you, who drop by my small spot in space.

love,

R
x

blessings

i started to open this blog, a minute just before i was heading for bed.

the angel took the words out of me, and i am left with nothing to say.

so let me greet you with these flowers instead.

i hope your coming days/weeks are as exciting, if not, much more wonderful and exhilirating than mine.

***

on Friday, the 24th, is my sister Ana's birthday. i miss celebrating her birthday with her. one day, someday.

on Saturday, i am photographing a wedding for a couple who decided to tie the knot after x number of years of being together and having had children together.

on Sunday, I am meeting my mama at the airport...and the rest of the weeks/months will just be catching up with her and hopefully be able to pamper her more.

***

have a lovely night/morning/day to you. 

xxx

caged..but in a happy way

(photo: a caged dancer in Taste of London Festival)

the weather is playing funny beans at the moment.

on wednesday, it gave us a taster of what spring is like, and although winter is so beautiful to the eyes, its a pain when you have to get up early in the morning to go to work and go visit patient's houses as a job.

(side note: although i go out and about for my job, and yes, it is a pain to be out in the cold, but because we live in the beautiful part of Norfolk, i get to visit the most beautiful cottages. houses and even manors that have amazing old ancient fireplaces. makes you pinch yourself if indeed you are in sleep and dreaming like a part of english books).

last night, just as adrian and i thought of having a picnic (and call friends) for a little picnic at the Sandringham grounds, the news dropped a bomber and forwarned us with snow showers. we thought, maybe it may not happen.

this morning, i woke up to frost in the garden again. it wasn't sad, but it's just the beautiful european weather telling us to wait for spring to finally stay and announce its arrival in full force.

for now, im cooped up in the house, in my dressing gown still. but happy that there is an unlimited supply of filtered ground coffee, cream tea and hot choco with mallows (my choice!) to run to when i have the chills.

for now, i'll enjoy this excuse to be indoors. read books that have been loaned to me from last week, catch up on emails, skype bestfriends..better yet, read blogs--and blog! 

keep warm, loves.

Sunday Morning, awaiting... snow?

It's the second Sunday of the month, and news are circulating about impending big snow in the country.

When i do not doubt the veracity of the weather news, i am also thanking the heavens that we are experiencing a mild ( and even sunny!) weekend. I am sure the rest of the country is having snow at the moment while I am having a nice warm weekend (well, warm in winter standards).

Adrian and i tend not to plan anything for snowy or really cold weather because of the traffic and possible disruptions on the road. Hence, this weekend was supposed to be an indoor weekend. To top it all, it's supposedly a rest from a really emotional weekend we had just last week after his son had an accident (he is far from being critical now, thank you, God).

Quarter of Saturday was spent in my pyjamas and i was eventually persuaded by Adrian to go to the shops to buy food. The night was spent snuggling to watch and catch up on our box sets. (and watching DVDs from friends and family who gave us them as christmas presents).

Today, i sit here in the comfort of our tiny living room, second lot of washing done (i love the whirring sound of the washing machine, don't you?), while i sip my coffee. I wait 'til Adrian wakes up from his beauty sleep for me to start our brunch.

The rest of the afternoon has to wait and see. I'll let the weather decide for me.

from the condensation on the windows, you can tell how cold it is outside. 

while it's warm inside the house.

excuse the "sinampays" on the radiators (behind the couch). 

we resort to hanging our clothes on warm radiators as we cant hang them outside

love where you are at

i do. i do.

i know i've only been here a year exactly a  week ago, but deep down my heart, this place had me from the word 'go'.

you know, i always have been taught that where you live, and who you live with affect our capacity to gravitate towards good things. when you live around negativity, and bad atmosphere, it will not only bring your mental wellbeing down, but it will also kick away the good energy meant for you.

i always thought i had it good where i was before. i loved our house (i still do, i miss my kitchen truth be told :-0) but this entire historical county has grabbed my heart hook, line and sinker.

i know Adrian and i will not be here permanently (because we own a house on the London border), but we plan on staying until all my family have visited *knock on wood* (that is the plan), and of course, until i have finished my rotational assignment.

i also think that i have matured as a person, and with the maturity afforded me, with it came the openness to receive blessings (people,love, affection,relation--- non-monetary) that head my way. the place, with all its visual trimmings, the charm and the people that come with it, the experiences attached to it, it just gets better. 

i could not ask for more. 

(except better health for my love ones, i must add) 

**

how about you, where you are now, and can you say it has given you the "oomph" to accept life's offerings?

are you willing to (physically) move/ relocate to get a healthier and refreshed outlook about your life?

or do you actually believe that a place has anything to do with one's capacity to receive good energy?

thoughts?

short story

on monday afternoon, after work,as i was just coming out of the changing room to change from our uniform to civies, my colleague asked me why i wasn't in shorts, (everyone seemed to know what the weather is like in the morning that they seem to know when to don shorts in the afternoon or not if its raining).

she, even in her 6 months pregnancy glory has the most beautiful skinny legs and our other colleague who had nice legs herself were asking whether it wasn't warm enough for me for shorts (because i come from a hot country?). i said, "no,i just didn't think of wearing shorts because we plan to go to the town centre after work."

she said "so?".

ok, i felt it was a bit too revealing to walk from the hospital building in my shorts to the car and where i could be seen by my other colleagues, but i lied "i didn't shave my legs". and that seemed to have shut her up (because all of them shave their legs/ a national pre-requisite in summer for all short-wearing female this side of civilization).

in truth, i do not shave my legs. i do not have/get hair in my legs at all. (logical, since i do not have much hair on my head, it would have been too unfair of God to have given me hairy legs,wouldn't it?) i pluck an odd hair every now and again on the lateral side of my calf muscle, but a very fine feathery one, the most. i just dont get hairs on my legs at all. (this is a positive,right?LOL). and i suppose,most filipina women dont, unless they have a mestisa blood (i know,coz some of my cousins do).

truth number 2--- i have no shorts to wear. i do not say this in "woe me, pity party-mode", because the reason is,all my shorts are quite loose at the moment and the last thing i want to do is keep buying clothes i have no intention of keeping. (wais si lumen!). i was planning on a shopping spree when i get to my goal (i am getting there, i promise you,i will!).

case en pointe, this photo. i wore my old shorts one warm weekend to a walk in the town.

these were mid thigh high shorts last year, now, its more "puruntong" .

in this photo, this was rolled in the waist to hold it tight and i have to not suck my stomach in (in fact i had to do the opposite), just so the short stays in place (haha)..

i regret going to town with it,because it kept falling off my hips. it was a great feeling: a reminder of some changes my body has undergone, but also, an accident waiting to happen, that you dont wish to occur having your trousers/shorts on your ankles in broad daylight in the middle of the town. (ahh,these things you only think of once you're out of the house).


but then again, maybe, its high time i should start buying shorts as summer seem to have shown its face (at last!). i am not talking about those micro 'pek-pek' shorts that i see on young beautiful skinny things,no!. i am just talking about those things that are non-denim, (or maybe denim),lightweight material, cut above the knee, or mid-thigh (enough to show some definition and separation between my quadriceps,and enough to leave dignity for a woman of my age,harhar). Shorts that can be seen that: a) i am orientated to the season.. b)i did shave my legs!

***

Addendum:


Some photos of me two years ago (August 2010)..in India and Dubai.

cute!..the elephant,too! ;-) PS. the elephant is the one lying on its side. the one washing it has no relation to elephant whatsoever.

in Dubai airport in 2010 waiting for our flight back to the UK. i could still wear the top until this day (fabulously loose as it was intended,haha), but last year, i couldn't fit into those linen trousers. now, those same ones (linen trousers) are just too lose for my sense of security (haha).. i chucked those trousers to a sealed box in a garage in london at the moment as it might be more beneficial to someone from my relatives who do not mind Marks&Spencer linen trouser hand-me-downs.


**

I enjoy looking at old photos of me before.. it reminds me to keep going.

how about you? what are you trying to get motivated with?x

divine grace

"Happiness is not a goal..it is a by-product of a life well-lived.. "~~Eleonor Roosevelt

Today, silliness with Adrian... visiting the Lavender Farm in Heacham, Norfolk (20 minutes away from our house).

the country farm shop

We love our local farm shop. We get most of our meat from there and some of our veggies and fruits.

Apart from a very nice selection in their butcher's counter, they have an organic bakeshop if we wanted some cakes or unusual fresh bread.

From our house, there is a short cut to the farm shop. and across the farm shop is the gym where Adrian and i go to. We just love the proximity of everything (although we always drive to get there so far as we normally visit the farm shop to go somewhere else,too).

We were supposed to go meet oour lovely friends back in essex, but Adrian had to cover someone else's conference study day today, so we had to be at home for him to be available for his students. I thought, i might as well cook him his fave pork chop meal tonight. Just perfect for me right after going to the gym.

Thus, the need to drop by our farm shop, which is always a happiness to visit.

Remind me to take u there.

cheated by summer

If you have been watching BBC news, you would know that the UK is in its wettest summer in history. In Wales alone in the month of June, it rained 24 days out of 30.

Norfolk has been spared of flooding (so far!), but some parts of England arent so lucky. One summer camp site in Wales had to have 150 people rescued from a flash flood, homes damaged and properties irrevocably lost. Same in the northern part of England. Flooding and even the worst kind of lightning has in fact resulted in a fire emergency.

Last year,when we moved to Norfolk in the late summer-start of autumn, it was boiling hot at that time and that we thought why summer spread out til mid October. December last year was mild,too.

Although Norfolk has been raining the past few weeks, i thank the heavens that we do not get to catastrophic levels (simbako!) and really after a heavy downpour,it manages to bring a few hours of bright sun until late evening. It's a heavy downpour for the entire day then after work time, i come out of the hospital with heavy anorak and jackets from the morning's downpour, i wait for my ride feeling stupid wearing rain clothing in the evening sun.

Overall, the summer that was to be (in my mind's eye) and to discover Norfolk for its possibilities have not materialised yet. But, I am grateful however that we are safe, alive and out of harm's way. With all the blessings that God has poured on us recently, a little storm can not dampen my spirits. Besides, im sure,sooner or later, this rainy malarchy will soon ride over then suddenly we get a full spate of the sun. Who knows. Not even the weatherman knows.


**

Some photos of Brancaster, Norfolk last November 2011.

and of course, a photo of my sunshine, whatever the weather :-p

**

How is the weather your end,folks?

do i have to?

its now 20 past 7 pm. i just sat down from chopping and marinating my beef for the beef with broccoli dinner, were having tonight.

filled the washing machine with my whites for work and cleared up the kitchen after all the chopping and mixing.

sat down and realised the time. it's gym time.

i wish i could sit around longer. i wish i dont have to go to the gym.

but then i realised i wanted to eat the lovely meal waiting for me tonight.

i want to continue enjoy eating the food i love.

so yes, grudgingly, i will walk up the stairs to change in my gym clothes, get out to the windy chilly night and drive off to the gym in the dark.

but i know, after an hour and a half, i'd feel much much better,and much happier for having given up 1 hour and half of my 'facebook time' to equalize the food i am jus about to enjoy tonight.


**

do u get moments like these too? like me, i argue and weigh with my own self why i don't want to, but why i had to go to the gym.

everytime i argue this is not about the weight, but this is about living healthier, then i actually listen to my reason more.

**

i am glad my 'good' self seems to be winning the past few months.

sige na! gym nata!