Count Your Blessings

Two of my family are having a stressful time and last weekend was a very difficult few days for them. I found myself trying to cheer them up over the phone and trying to make them more positive. For every negative thought have two positive ones was my advice.

Later I thought do I take my own advice and on reflection I think I do. I don't want to dwell on it but a while back after 24 years my husband left and whilst I was devastated I have refused ever to think of it as a failure it is more than half of my life (just) and to simply push it aside would be wrong and many of my life experiences would simply not have happened and most important of all I would not have our daughter, my best friend.

A simple example is the picture I opened my door to on Saturday morning. Many years ago my husband planted lots of bulbs in the hedgerow opposite our house and each spring is marked by their appearance. Last year when I didn't want to see them I felt like pulling them all up but this year I smiled to myself and saw them as the birth of spring, a beautiful blanket of colour. Yes I am blessed.

An outsiders view of a new President

A very good friend is working in Ethiopia at the moment and he emailed this today. With his permission I want to share it with everyone:

For something completely different, yesterday was Inauguration Day for Barack Obama in Washington and someone here decided there should be an Inauguration Ball in Addis Ababa. There was an Italian connection, too, so the event was dubbed "Obama Mia". Go figure. Almost 300 folks gathered at the Italian Cultural Center for the inauguration ceremonies on CNN followed by dinner and dancing. A very enthusiastic crowd made it a lot of fun. One of the organizers even wrote a song that was sung by the entire audience led by a very talented quartet (kind of like Abba, get it?):

Obama Mia (to the tune of Mama Mia) by Hanna Gibson
-----------------------------------------------------
Verse 1
We've been cheated by Bush since we don't know when
So we made up our minds it must come to an end
Look at us then, did we ever learn?
We don't know how, but we voted him in again,
must have been fools back then
>From Dire Dawa all the way to Yokahama
We cheered you on Mr Barack Obama
Oh oh

Chorus
Obama Mia here we stand with you
My my how can we resist you?
Obama Mia does it really show?
My my just how much we love you

Those were the bad old days
This is the time for change
Barack can you make our dreams come true?

Obama Mia does it really show?
My my just how much we love you

Verse 2
We have lots of high hopes for a man like you
Where to make a start though we haven't a clue
Palestine and Guantanamo
World's a mess, I guess you see that now
There is hope within our souls
For Peace, Wall Street, and all those other noble goals
What a relief, to sing Hail to the new Chief

Oh oh
Repeat Chorus

A Natural Cathedral

My daughter was home for Christmas and then my sister and her husband came over to visit. The weather was great for N Ireland and so we wanted to get out and about, a friend from Church recommended a drive out to Bregagh road, she calls it an Natural cathedral but it is known locally as the Dark Hedge.

I have found more photos photos on google, it is such a peaceful and beautiful place, somewhere i will take all my visitors from now on.

Happy Birthday

As I get older I am not happy, I want to stay young, so when a great friend announced she was turning 50, I was not impressed. 'I am too young to have a friend who is 50' was my first comment.

But then another friend said 'Just remember...every time a friend has a birthday, that is one more year they have been part of your life!' and I like that.

So I am currently in Germany at her party weekend and had a great time, my daughter and her children are great friends, it is so nice the friendship has gone on a generation.

Happy Birthday R xxx

Stupid Women Drivers...

Embarrassed, stupid, pathetic, ridiculous just a few of the emotions I felt this evening, why, because I am a stupid woman driver.

Every week I fly wherever I need to be and pick up a hire (rental) car and drive off, not normally a problem but today was different. Yesterday I drove from Swindon to Bracknell, just about 70 miles in the dark but no issues, this morning I drove to the office and locked the car up OK, then when I got back in this evening the courtesy lights went on inside and nothing I could do would turn them off. I tried everything, checked every door, window, sun roof, everything was OK. I did consider just driving but then I could not have parked the car up this evening without the battery going flat overnight, so I had to ask for help.

But first I thought I would try the manual, no help. SO I rang the breakdown people who said they would be an hour, I just wanted to be in my hotel asleep. So whilst I waited I got the company security guards to have a look and they flashed their torches all around but no luck.

Luckily the AA man arrived quite quickly and even more quickly 'fixed' the lights. Apparently if you touch the headlight dial in the centre, even accidentally the courtesy lights stay on, stupid Vauxhall / Opel car / General Motors, but if you tap it again they go off.

So how stupid did I feel?, especialy when you have to sign a form saying what the issue was. No doubt something on the form is the breakdown man equivalent of PEBCAS (Problem Exists Between Chair and Screen)!!!

Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

I mentioned that I hired a bicycle in San Francisco and cycled the Golden Gate Bridge. This was my first time in the saddle for 13 years, and then in Croatia I also hired a bicycle.

Fired up with these wonderful outings I came home and purchased my own bicycle. I ordered it from halfords which is a story in its own and only took 4 visits before i actually collected it. Where I live there is a 3 mile triangle which I thought would be a good daily exercise however I do live on a bit of a hill. Now how good this is going to be I am not sure, first I am not here everyday with all my travel and then what does happen here everyday is the rain. But I was determined to have a go.

I ordered the bicycle before Croatia but didn't finally collect it till the day before I went to Denmark, so today was the first time I cycled for the second consecutive day but my 5th outing in total. All i can say is with the extra padding on my backside it should not ache as much as it does. In fact I also had a flu vaccination today and my arm hurts but not as bad as my backside.

Currently there are 2 small inclines I have yet to manage one at about halfway by the creamery and the second the last 100 yards, but I will get there eventually.

Party for a Good Cause

On Friday evening I was privileged to attend a fundraising Gala Ball at the Europa Hotel in Belfast. The Phantom Ball was themed on Gaston Leroux’s classic French novel ‘Le Fantôme de l´Opéra’.

I was invited by a great friend Joanne Stuart who is a Trustee of the Integrated Education Fund. The Integrated Education Fund (IEF) is a financial foundation for the development and growth of integrated education in Northern Ireland which I believe is a very important element in the ongoing peace and growth of Northern Ireland, which I have called home for the last 13 years.

Joanne who is also Chairman of the IOD Northern Ireland, had selected a table of 10 wonderful ladies several of whom I had not met before. I had a fantastic evening and have hopefully made new friends.

The evening I believe was a great success and I hope we are one step forward towards a integrated education system that does not need a fund to make it happen.

Thank you Joanne