Sorry for going quiet. Thank you all for your kind words about my niece. She is growing all the time and becoming interested in the world around her and the people in it. Unfortunately, it turns out she is a little bit like me and doesn't sleep very much. When I was a baby, someone told my mum that this meant I was going to be very smart. My mother, suffering from undiagnosed post-natal depression and sleep deprivation, was not amused and said she would rather I be a little stupid and sleep more!

I went to see Elton John with my dad in June and we had a great time. Elton clearly loves putting on a show, which means you enjoy it even more. He lost his temper with a steward for telling people to stop waving their hands and ranted about it, but then changed his mind and apologised after the next song, saying that she wasn't in charge and he shouldn't have insulted her. He invited her up on stage so he could apologise personally. She arrived on stage and he hugged her and apologised. It's always nice to see someone admit they're wrong, doesn't happen very often.

I have recently discovered a new cinema in Gloucester, the Sherborne (which only opened this year so I didn't feel like I'd been missing out). It is independent, decorated in Art Deco style, with its own small free car park. Afternoon showings are £3.50, late afternoon showings are £4.50, evening showings are £5.50. Tea and coffee are £1. To give you a comparison, going to see a film at the chain cinema here costs just under £10 unless it's the cheap day, and that's with an online discount. This place is so cheap that I am determined to patronise it as much as possible so that it doesn't close down by next year. I have also told all my friends about it, especially those with children.

I have just signed up for the new Gym at the Quays, which is open 24 hours and costs only £12.99 a month. A whole group of girls from my office go there so I think I will be motivated to go because they'll expect to see me there, haha! I used to attend a Legs, Bums & Tums class on Wednesday evenings but that was cancelled as the owner of the venue was messing our instructor around with times and would put up the price for hiring it without even telling her. Unfortunately, the only options left were Monday evening, with the time often too early for me to make it, and Thursday evening, which is in a totally different location. I might try going to the Thursday evening one, anyway.

My Windows laptop has been fixed and I am going to try writing on it.

Much love to all of you who read this. <33

Currently looking for new jobs. I've applied for one in Buckinghamshire, so I'd have to move if I get it. I'm nervous about moving but the job sounds ideal - translation checker and proof-reader, with potential to become a junior translator. I should also apply to translation companies here and see if I can get in, to stop me having to move. Still exercising and trying to lose weight.

Watching: Sailor Moon Crystal and the new Doctor Who (soon).

I managed to scrape the car along a car park wall before my sister's wedding while driving up a ramp, so I've been busy trying to get estimates for that. It's now at a body shop and should hopefully be repaired by the end of next week.

Sister's wedding went well. The weather was beautiful, everyone turned up, and people complimented me on my reading.

Just spent Midsummer's Day in Oxford with vifetoile and her friend. It was just what I needed after the past couple of months. The sun was out, we managed to have lunch at Pierre Victoire, which was delicious but glad we arrived early as it was packed by the time we came down. Then Vifetoile and I had ice cream from George and Davis (I had Greek Yoghurt & Honey plus Lemon Sorbet, she had Dimebar Crunch and something else). We wandered over to the Botanic Gardens (first time I've been there) and she finally found Will and Lyra's bench, along with a touching note from someone who'd made a pilgrimage to sit on that very spot because His Dark Materials was the only book series which had ever made them cry actual tears. Sadly, they'd been too shy to actually say anything to the people around them. We also watched inexperienced people trying to punt down the river, which was incredibly amusing.

"I think I'm doing quite well - oh frigging hell, there's a wall!"
"My arms are sooooo tired..."
"Try turning it around!" "I AM TRYING."

Fantastic spectator sport, could have sat there all day.

Work is currently being a pain in the proverbial backside, making me do training that I don't want to do just because I speak more than one language. I need to dust off my CV and find another job.

The uploading took a back seat as I contracted a nasty cold that has left me fighting mucus and a sore throat. At least it's bonus month. I intend to get two new pairs of jeans. I already bought myself some new perfume for the winter, as I use my Coco for work and the L'Ombre dans L'Eau by Diptyque is really more of a spring/summer smell. I bought the new Miss Dior eau de parfum. It smelled wonderful in the shop but I wish they wouldn't use those paper strips to test the perfume, the scent can be completely different once it starts interacting with your skin, but this smells a little like Coco, so we'll see.

I also visited Over Farm Shop today for the first time (one of those places that you can't visit unless you're driving). It's the closest place I've seen to The Goods Shed since I left Canterbury, with a delicatessen, a tea shop and a butchery attached to the main shop (which sells vegetables, locally brewed cider and beer, eggs and sundries). Parking is free and it's open until 6pm Mon-Sat, 5pm on Sundays. Will definitely be going back there.

Saw Bram Stoker's Dracula with my friends on Thursday, had forgotten just how ridiculous it gets in places (not to mention the soft porn), but time does not dim Anthony Hopkins's performance. Also saw Gentlemen Prefer Blondes yesterday (they show a classic movie at 3pm the first Saturday of every month). It's the first time I've seen it all the way through and the scene with Jane Russell pretending to be Marilyn Monroe makes much more sense now! *lol* I also think she had nearly all the best lines in the film, even if everyone does remember it for Marilyn singing Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend.

Still waiting to see Thor: The Dark World. *sigh*

I've contracted an inner ear virus which means that I've spent yesterday and today at home, the world literally spinning around me if I move too quickly. Fortunately, my mum had booked this week to come up and stay with me, so I haven't been alone in this. Just wanted to let you know why it's taking so long for me to post about Prague.

(My sister finally gave me the photos of Paris from my 30th birthday last year... in a photo album. So I guess I'll just have to finish the Paris travelogue without them. :/)

I'm sorry that it's been over a month since I posted in this thing. July was actually a busy month. I got my new car (well, second hand, it used to be my mum's) and spent a week getting used to it and driving around. I had the whole week off so I was able to do this without worrying about work. Unfortunately I managed to rear-end someone on the second day of driving it. Fortunately, it was only a small bump and the man I hit was a gentleman. I drove my friend R to see Stonehenge (so she could say she'd seen it) and then we went to Avebury, a first for both of us. Avebury is a lovely little village and the stones are amazing. Because we went during the heatwave, they provided shade and they were cool to the touch and it felt like leaning against them was okay, it felt like they were old friends. (Well, they are old!)

I drove all the way to Canterbury, which was nerve-wracking because it involved at least three M roads (major motorways) but we made it there in one piece, even if we were almost two hours later than planned due to horrible traffic. The owner of the B&B was gobsmacked that I'd managed to get a reservation at The Sportsman, huffing that he'd never managed to book a table for himself or for any of his guests.

"Are you someone special? Is she someone special?" he demanded.

Maybe I am? :)

I drove R to The Sportsman with an unplanned but pretty detour to Whitstable on the way (Seasalter is not well sign-posted). I gorged myself on bread and rock oysters (not at the same time) so I didn't have enough room for my main, which I still regret, because it was roast chicken with lemon truffle sauce and potatoes and it was utterly delicious. I did have enough room for my dessert though (jasmine tea junket) because priorities. I showed R around Canterbury, around the cathedral, and we saw The World's End, which is hilarious and highly recommended. (We also saw Pacific Rim and if you have not seen that, get thee to a cinema.)

I miss Canterbury so much. I had a pain in my chest on my last morning that refused to go away. Only the anxiety of driving all the way back on my own was able to vanquish it. I miss Canterbury and I want to go back there, not just for a visit but forever.

I went to see Iron Man 3 on Saturday May 4th with my friend R, who is studying in London for her PhD. I took her to Ed's Easy Diner because she was missing root beer and she complimented the chilli con carne. Unfortunately, we missed the Thor 2 trailer because of severe delays on the Central Line. The ushers kept telling us we hadn't missed the film, but that wasn't why we were rushing! At least we saw the Man of Steel trailer. I enjoyed the movie a lot (I always like it when Tony is stripped of his trappings and shows just how smart and resourceful he is). I was pleased with the increased focus on Rhodey, wish there had been more Pepper, loved every scene that Ben Kingsley was in, and was disappointed that Maya and Pepper did not team up to be snarky badasses on the run. Ending credits scene was perfect, well done, Marvel.

Sunday May 5th and Bank Holiday Monday were spent with my sister at her flat in Bristol. The weather was beautiful and we had a barbecue on the hill outside her house on Sunday afternoon. I was able to meet her cat properly for the first time and we finally watched Rise of the Guardians together. (This also turned out to be the last time as they had to put the cat to sleep at the beginning of June. ;_; ). On Monday morning, we went to Rocotillos for only the second time since I've been living in Gloucester (six years) and I had a butterscotch milkshake with the Breakfast Club meal (bacon, fried egg, sausage and toast all for £3.95).

Tuesday, I went to the Guildhall with Lorna and saw Cloud Atlas. Some of the storylines were interesting, some were not, and the digital make up they used to make the Caucasian actors look Asian was discomforting and smacked of latent racism to me. I would recommend it for rental.

Wednesday, I went to see Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty with Mum and Helen at the Bristol Hippodrome. It was funny and beautiful and tragic, but we had to leave before the end because I had to catch the last train back to Gloucester. I can't wait to pass my test so I can drive myself about.

Part Two coming soon!

1. Went to my friends' dad's memorial service. The world and his wife turned up, which was great for their dad, but not so great if you wanted to talk to the family. I managed to say hi to both the girls but we didn't hang around for long. We stayed for the toast to their dad with the local beer and we had some hog roast and then we left. I finally showed my parents Rango and they really enjoyed it!


2. Had my first mock driving test on Thursday. One major and six minors. If you get even one major, you automatically fail, but I expected that and thought I did pretty well otherwise. My parallel parking was perfect and I didn't ask my instructor for guidance once. I also learned how to emergency stop. However, two hours of my instructor complaining about her life and her marriage took its toll and I was on the point of tears by the time I got home. It didn't help that she was running nearly two hours late, so the mock started at 7pm instead of 5pm.


3. It was my dad's birthday on Friday. I bought him the new Jools Holland CD by myself. We went out for a meal on Saturday at Da Vinci because he knows the owner-chef and we always get a discount on the total bill. I had scallops, cannelloni verde and panna cotta. Mum, Helen and I paid the final bill, which was £160 even with the discount!


4. The Prague holiday is officially going ahead! Dad has booked the hotel and the flight. We are going on my birthday weekend, and we will be staying here. I am so excited, I've always wanted to go to Prague. I promise to take lots of photos, and this time I won't be relying on my sister to send them to me.


5. Really happy that Doctor Who is back on television. I love Eleven and Clara's dynamic and can't wait to find out more about Clara.

Hope everybody is okay. :)

Passed my driving theory test yesterday! What a relief. Now all I have to do is pass the practical and I'm free and don't have to listen to my driving instructor. Also went to London to see Wreck-It Ralph (which FINALLY opened here last month) and really enjoyed it. Have to say that all the "duty" jokes will fly over the head of anyone who isn't American, though. I'm glad I went with my friend from California, who was able to explain the pun to me!