(no subject)

Well, this has been an interesting week. I haven't been sleeping terribly well, I'm fighting off a cold (or at least, I think that's what's causing the sniffles and general lack of energy); I did my first motorway driving at the weekend, I had a rather stressful meeting on Tuesday, and someone else has made an offer on the house I want. Thankfully, they haven't sold their house either, but that means we're both now in a race to see who sells first. I am oscillating between nerve-twanging tension and a sort of resigned fatalism. I'm sure it will end up OK - the house will sell in the end, and I'll get somewhere - but I have to admit that the prolonged uncertainty is getting to me.

( Cut for waffle )

Good things this week:

• The climbing rose round the door is blooming its socks off. This is the best I've ever seen it, despite the aphids earlier in the year.


• I made a fabulous pumpkin and chickpea stew, courtesy of pariyal. The balance of veg and spices is fantastic.


• The cats continue to be cute, and wash me and each other, and demand to sit on my lap or my feet, and similar comforting catly things.


• Swallows, swifts and house-martins are all back for the summer and are busily swooping round houses and over the lake.


• I received a complimentary email saying that I'd performed well in a difficult meeting, and it was copied to my manager (See above).


• The library copy of Gwyneth Jones's Bold as Love arrived, and it turned out to be exactly the sort of thing I wanted to read this week (new to me; engaging characters; not too difficult to follow when feeling foggy).


• The great crested grebes are still nesting (come on, I want to see some chicks!) and the heron has been there, standing still and watching for fish, almost every time I've walked round the lake. I'm beginning to think that there's some point about patience being made somewhere...

Further good things

Someone at work has brought in chocolate brownies. Mmmmm....