Countdown

Chris and I are now in full countdown mode......only 15 days to go till we hurtle through the air in a big metal tube heading towards the UK. We've been shopping for Birthday and Christmas presents....that sounds very organised doesn't it.....until I tell you that the Christmas ones are the ones we didn't get to give last year!!! I've ordered some new clothes to be made in the vague hope that it will stop me freezing my butt off!!! (I was cold in June last year so Scotland in September.......I think I will find it lovely for about three seconds and then I will spend the rest of the fortnight complaining). I have been handbag shopping - If you ever come out here and want to buy a handbag...JJ is the woman you want to help you choose it!!! That woman knows her handbags!!!. I've had my hair cut and coloured....Oh, I didn't tell you about my orange hair disaster did I.....well it's no longer orange and it's now a lot shorter. (Short version of the story - four lots of hair dye, screaming orange hair, very bad dry hair, wait a month, dark colour to cover orange (a bit too dark actually but I'm hoping it will fade) and cut to stop looking like I have a bale of hay on my head!!). I'm desperate to show you the gifts we've bought (they are rather fab) but that will have to wait till they have actually been given....would kind of spoil the surprise otherwise!!

Our itinerary is starting to shape up - we're going to be all over the bloody place!! It looks like we will be in Scotland from the 25th to the 29th, overnight in Swindon on the 29th, overnight in London on the 30th and the 1st, overnight in Manchester on the 2nd before then going back to Scotland to collapse and recover for a week!! It's not easy trying to fit everyone in when your only back once a year!!

Other good things

I have been awarded this rather fab 'Perfect blend of friendship' award by the lovely JJ who, as you all know, is a wonderful, talented lady who is great fun to have around (not to mention going handbag shopping with). As part of the rules I need to pass it on to five other blog friends....this is the bit I always find difficult....I want to give it to give it to everyone on my blog roll but if I can only give it to five then I choose (This was made slightly easier by the fact that I have eliminated those who have already received it) DJ, Jen at Spiral Skies, Debs at The Lehners in France, Sue at Me and Others and last but definately not least Caroline at In Search of Adam - Please go and check them out if you've not already!!

And that leads me nicely to -

The new widget that I have added to the side of my blog entitled 'Black Boxes'. Black Boxes is the latest novel by the lovely Caroline Smailes who wrote the wonderful and haunting novel 'In Search of Adam' and the wonderful 'Disraeli Avenue'. The novel deals with choices and how those choices influence the direction of your life (I've not read it yet as it's literally just being launched but I KNOW it will be fantastic). Anyway, click on the 'decide' button, make your choices, add your own query and your blog address and then you will be taken to the blog of someone who made similar choices to you. I can't wait to see where my answers lead me........