Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Esther C's LiveJournal:

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Sunday, November 15th, 2009
9:55 pm	Ouch! news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8360095.stm Current Mood: mischievous (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
12:08 pm	Phew! After nearly 4 weeks of massive stress, disappointment and being thoroughly messed around I'm really pleased to announce that we have a mortgage and will be buying this house! It has been a complete nightmare and I know that really we're only just beginning the process. Although I don't think that it will be easy from now on the first hurdle has been so enormous that we're more prepared for what's to come. Oh and in the course of all this happening I've been back in uni, had a massive swollen knee due to arthritis , have had my knee syringed but not until 2 weeks after it first flared up, went to work through out this and haven't been able to have a life or spend any money (just in case)! Poor Dan has been acting as taxi, holding my hand whilst the doc syringed it and having to manage a week at work on his own as his co-manager was on holiday. Sometimes just you wonder how you get through stuff. It does help that we have each other, the cats and great friends. xxx Current Mood: relieved (13 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, September 17th, 2009
1:15 pm	Things that I've liked lately Just finished Series 1 of Heroes on DVD last night. I absolutely loved it and would highly recommend it to anyone who's not seen it already. I had to fight tooth and nail to persuade Dan to even watch it in the first place due to his adament opinion that it was going to be 'Americanised bollocks'. But we were seriously impressed and can't wait to get Series 2 now. We've also just started watching Warehouse 13 on SciFi. This is a genius series from across the pond about two FBI agents who are assigned to look after the aforementioned warehouse which contains all manner of spooky and supernatural artifacts. It's been marketed as a cross between X-Files and Indiana Jones and I did worry before watching that the leading roles would be Mulder and Scully clones. In fact they are very different: the show is much, much wittier than anticipated and is overall thoroughly enjoyable. Last week when I was off work I finally got around to reading 'The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl'. Having seen the drastically watered down ITV2 version with Billie Piper I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It was a very amusing read although I didn't quite understand the extent of the re-write for television. Granted there is much in the book which is unlikely to ever see the light of day on British TV but there were also some brilliant moments that could have been included. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy reading diaries - Alec Guiness's 'My Name Escapes Me' - is one of my favourite books when I need cheering up. xxx (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
12:25 pm	Rest of Holiday As you can probably imagine, the rest of our holiday was rather subdued after the car drama. Despite poor Dan having stealth whiplash we still managed a very enjoyable stroll round Wollaton Hall in Nottingham and marvelled at the wonderfully old fashioned natural history museum there which has been going since the 1930s. My cousin's wedding on the Saturday was absolutely lovely. She looked beautiful in an ivory dress with lacing at the sides and back and faded pink roses in the folds of the skirt. The weather was exactly how you'd want it - sunny and warm the whole day - which set the tone for the wedding itself. The guests had travelled in from all over the world - my cousin is half Ugandan, half English which accounted for a large African contingent. Her brother has arrived back from China where he is teaching and there were relatives from Denmark and New York also. I don't think I've ever been to a wedding where everyone mixed so well - usually you get small cliques of family or friends but this wasn't the case here. As gifts for all the guests the bride and groom has asked my uncle to bring each person a beautifully woven agaseke peace basket from Rwanda (where he lives now). The baskets are made by the widows from the genocide who create these intricate designs to sell in order to support themselves - truly a lovely gesture. Last week was spent wrangling with insurance companies for the car payouts (boo!) and seeing friends for delicious food (yay!). I think everything finally caught up with us this weekend though: when Dan suggested we go to sleep at 9.30pm last night I was in full agreement. This week is the start of the crazy season in work with the students due back in a couple of weeks and everything to try and prepare before then. And this means that I'll be starting back in my second year soon too. Can't wait to get back to uni but am still dreading how much of my life it wll take up. Roll on Christmas! xxx Current Mood: calm (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, August 20th, 2009
6:35 pm	Losing a car is not the end of the world or indeed the holiday We're on holiday this week and as such had decided to travel to Leamington Spa (to see my sister), Nottingham (just because I'd never been there) and Peterborough (to see Dan's dad and for my cousin's wedding). Yesterday, all was going swimmingly until about 12 miles outside Nottingham two boy racer idiots decided to slam on the brakes for fun, two cars in front of us. The guy in the car in front braked hard in response. What happened next seemed to take place in slow motion. Dan braked hard but could see that he didn't have the time to miss the car in front. With extraordinary presence of mind he checked the oncoming traffic and saw a gap. He angled the car so that we missed the car in front which we found out later had a small girl in the back seat. Then he shouted to me that we were going to be hit (later on he said that he saw the smoke from the car behind). When the crash came he released the brake so that the impact was not as severe and the car slide sideways across the road. He managed to control the car so that when it mounted the opposite enbankment he missed all the trees. The whole things happened in about 10 seconds. The retards that caused the crash sped off. The guy in front thanked Dan for missing him, his girlfriend and their daughter, gave a statement to the police and offered to drive us anywhere we wanted. The guy who hit us was lovely throughout and texted me later that evening to check we were ok. The policeman gave us a lift to the hotel and spoke to our insurance company at the scene. The insurance company had a hire car delivered to our hotel this morning. The car is almost certainly a write-off but thanks to two boxes of Budweiser which absorbed the impact none of our luggage was damaged. Even the Bud didn't burst although we've got some interesting shaped cans. Dan has got mild whiplash as he was bracing when we were hit and was still moving the wheel immediately after. I genuinely do not have a scratch, ache or pain despite us being hit at 60 mph. Needless to say that my already wonderful boyfriend has near hero status in my eyes now. And even though this has been mildly inconvenient we're still thoroughly enjoying the holiday! xxx   Current Mood: lucky (29 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, June 29th, 2009
7:05 pm	Phew!  I passed my first year! And am very pleased to have got three distinctions and two merits overall. xxx Current Mood: relieved (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
3:45 pm	Bears on tour! Am just coming to the end of a fantastic week off although it feels like I've been away from work for an age. Last Saturday we drove up to Oswestry to help my uncle celebrate his 70th birthday. My uncle David is completely awesome - he's a retired headteacher who now spends his time repairing country stiles, fixing the Welshpool to Llangollen steam railway track and travelling the world. He also plays the euphonium in a silver band so the birthday celebrations included a concert. Not really my cup of tea but it was still good. Catching up with all my cousins was also great - one I hadn't seen for nearly 20 years which made us both feel old. After a night in a very Fawlty Towers-style B & B (door that didn't lock properly, shower that spewed up black goo when you used the sink and a wardrobe with a pronounce forward lean) we stumbled over a classic car show nearby which send Dan into excited-small-child mode. There were some amazing cars there as well as some rather mad owners. I admired a beautifully restored Austin Healey 3000 which belonged to a man who had brought along his fully grown macaw. Apparently it likes the shows. Dan also saw a production car which he'd not heard of - a Clan Clover. Only 26 were ever made due to an inflated original sale price that didn't interest anyone. Next we headed off across North Wales to our campsite in Snowdonia. The journey there was absolutely stunning - miles of winding roads, lush greenery with beautiful cottages and houses nestled in the hillside. The campsite was also very special - three meadows with wild orchids looking over some stunning hills and mountains in the distance. Swallows were nesting near the shower block and entertained us constantly with their impressive aerobatics and song which sounded like squeaky toys. There were also two young lambs and their mothers in a small field, adding to the cute factor. We had chosen to visit Harlech the next day: Dan and I love looking at castles and try to go to at least one a year. Harlech Castle certainly didn't disappoint. Set on an outcrop of rock which once had the sea directly below it is a very imposing structure, so intact that you can climb nearly all the towers and walk the battlements whilst jackdaws circle round. The views are also spectacular taking in coastline, mountains and the striking village behind. Afterwards we trundled down the coast to Barmouth to have fish and chips on the sea front. On the third day, the weather went from sultry and a little damp to blazingly hot so it was perfect for exploring the eccentricity of Port Meirion. Although I have never seen 'The Prisoner' I knew a bit about the place but was still not prepared for the full scale of the village. From a very non-descript turn off you drive through a densley wooded area which gives no clue of what is at the end. Once we left the car it was as though we'd found a portal directly into the Mediterranean. Port Meirion blew my mind - that's the only way I can describe it and I very much recommend a visit if you've never been.  I adored the quirky features, scuptures and architecture and the stunning day really added to the mood.  We'd made the decision that morning not to stay an additional night as originally planned. The reason for this was due to the only drawback of the campsite: an epidemic of midges which descended on us as soon as we arrived. Stupidly we'd forgotten insect repellent but even when we stocked up on citronella candles, fly spray and roll-on repellent they still attacked. I was quite fortunate not to be bitten apart from a band of bites around my waist where my top had ridded up. Dan, however, was not so lucky. To give you some idea I counted 80 bites on his one leg below the knee alone and the poor boy got almost no sleep on the second night due to serious itching. Although we did come home early it was definitely the right decision. We flew back to Cardiff in just under three hours to some totally uninterested cats and a bug-free zone. For the rest of the week we went rockpooling in Llantwit Major, bought a Paradise fish for the tank, lazed around the house and caught up with friends. Suffice to say that we're both very relaxed and a little bit tanned. xxx Current Mood: calm (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, May 18th, 2009
12:47 pm	Mystery solved! The owner of the items which ended up in the garden has come forward. It turned out to be the friend of one of the teenagers who lives next door. They'd been outside having a fag and for some strange reason thrown the things over the fence (?) Cue highly apologetic parents and much amusement on my part. Phew! It was a good weekend in all. Had a wonderfully girly shopping trip and catch up with shellbun  on Saturday morning and spend the afternoon trying to find suitable aquarium plants for the new tank. The old tank has been on its way out for a while now: the nitrates and the pH have been all over the place, despite our best efforts to resolve them and frankly it's a miracle that the inhabitants have survived this long. So I went a bit crazy last weekend and bought a lovely 200 litre Fluval tank. It wasn't my intention to get one quite so big but dumbass here didn't believe danbastardly that the smaller one was the correct size and insisted on getting the larger one. Plants in situ, Sunday was spend transfering the livestock across. danbastardly had instigated Operation Get Behing the Neon on Saturday night and the little guys seemed fine so we transferred George the lobster across the next day, followed by all the other fish. We had made the rather sad decision to give the snails back to the fish shop - they are wonderful but highly destructive creatures and we couldn't cope with any more baby snail invasions. The guy in the shop was delighted with them and they looked happy enough in their new tank but I will miss Brian in particular. Happily all the fish survived the transition and it is truly wonderful to see them with so much space and much better lighting than before. George, in particular, looks incredibly blue and very happy - flailing round the tank in his usual manner. I'll get some pictures up here soon too. xxx Current Mood: pleased (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, May 15th, 2009
11:52 am	Curious and Curiouser This morning I went downstairs, opened the living room curtains and was confronted by the following items in the back garden: A pair of new-ish looking brown leather K-Swiss trainers A small Pac-a-Mac, with the shop label still attached What I thought was a sheet of tin foil on drapped over one of the flower pots which on closer inspection turned out to be some kind of burnt plastic. The trainers were slightly underneath the garden table on the patio and the Pac-a-Mac was at the bottom of the garden by the fence. If you are facing the garden from the house there is one house to the left then the road with thick trees hanging over into that garden. To the right are three more houses. And at the bottom of the garden there is another house whose side-entrance goes across the back of our garden but trees seperate this area as well. Given the positioning of these items I would say that it would be nearly impossible to have accurately thrown them in from the street or even from one of the other gardens - I looked out the bedroom window to see if I could see anything random in anyone else's garden. And whilst I won't put it past the cats to have brought in the plastic (the kitten is an avid collector of litter and worms at the moment) or even the mac, the shoes would have been too heavy. So it looks as though someone has actually been in our garden during the night. When I get home tonight I'm going to try to find the owners of the trainer and mac by knocking on doors but if no-one claims them - or can explain what the hell they ended up there -  I think I will perhaps give the police a ring. Amusing though this was this morning, the more I'm thinking about it, the more freaked out I'm getting . . . xxx Current Mood: confused (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 14th, 2009
1:04 pm	Update Thank you so much to everyone who left comments following my last post. I emailed my year tutor today with a detailed description of the problem and feel much better about it. Will keep you all posted on the outcome. In the meantime it's back to reality and work which has not actually stressed me out thus far. Which is nice :) Looking forward to A's Alice in Wonderland party this weekend and will also be contacting some woefully neglected friends for a catch-up or to arrange some madness over the summer. xxx (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
1:04 pm	Ho hum I really should be writing my essay but instead I'm stalling for five minutes to actually post for once. It is the Easter holidays so I feel that I have the right to skive a bit. I've really enjoyed the course so far but the deadlines are quite crazy: a portfolio and two essays have to be handed in on 13th May which coincides with a three hour exam. None of which would have been so bad if I hadn't already handed in two other essays in March. But I think that I'm finally getting the balance right and have stopped being the hermit that I was last semester. I'd also forgotten just how much I genuinely love studying - for me the process of learning is something that is core to the person I am and I think that I'd lost touch with this part of me a while ago. Feeling it all flooding back has been one of the best experiences for me this year. xxx (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, March 13th, 2009
12:00 pm	Silver lining time methinks Have just come back from a slightly bizarre visit to the amazing one-armed doctor at the hospital and it's made me think that maybe the glass of the half full/half empty theory is perhaps egg-timer shaped. I've known for some time that I've got serious problems with my lower back. The pain varies from a daily, sort of itchy ache to completely horrendous about once a month. I'm also positive for a hereditory gene called HLA-B27 which is found in people who have ankylosing spondylitis - the disease that crippled my grandfather and still affects my uncle. AS, as it's generally called, can affect the back, neck and hips by causing severe joint inflammation and eventually complete fusion of the spine. When I was diagnosed at 14 with juvenile chronic arthritis (similar to rheumatoid arthritis) the doctors were unsure whether or not I would develop full AS. They don't generally like to x-ray the lower back of female patients regularly and so the last one I'd had done was about 5 years ago. At the time the doctor I was seeing didn't think there was anything there. Three months ago my current doctor sent me for another x-ray as I was in a lot more pain. I got the results today and they confirmed that I have active AS in my lower back and that my left sacroilliac joint (the hinge that connects your back to your hip) has already fused. However this news didn't upset me as much as I thought it would. Probably in part because I was expecting it but also because of a number of other factors. Almost all the severe pain I get is on my right-hand side and my left is generally much better. The doctor explained that this is because once the joint has fused there is no inflammation there anymore and therefore no more pain. He also went on to say that the disease is not nearly so aggressive in women than in men - suffice to say, for those of you who have read Motley Crue's 'The Dirt' I'm not going to end up like Mick Mars. Although it can't be cured, it can be slowed down and I still have really good range of movement in my back (probably due to much booty-wiggling in my 20s!). Even if the rest of my back does fuse, as long as I can keep good posture it won't necessarily stop me from leading a normal life. I'm still kind of getting my head round the whole 'my left side is worse but doesn't actually cause me pain' thing. Hence the egg-timer shaped glass theory - I can see the positive and negative depending on your perspective. I really hope that this post does not sound like a 'pity me' one - that is certainly not my intention. Sometimes it's just nice to be able to write about this sort of thing as it is a big part of my life but not necessarily an all bad one. After all, how many other people have an amazing one-armed doctor? Hope you're all good xxx PS I'm pretty sure that the aforementioned doctor never drummer for a certain 80s British rock band but he's just so nice I can't ask him . . . (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
12:27 pm	Book Recommendation For total escapism I highly recommend 'Twilight' by Stephanie Meyer. And trust me: it's not for nothing that there is a 'Twlight has given me unrealistic expectations in men' group on Facebook. I'm tempted not to see the film version as I don't think it could possible compete . . . As it has been about three million years since I last updated here is my news in brief: Got a distinction for my first essay on my MSc course - very pleased as I sweated blood over it Had an awesome birthday involving much spoiling by the parentals and loveliness in general Took Sam the kitten to the vets only to find out that he is, in fact, a she . . .which won't been so bad but we'd taken her to a different vet twice before who'd failed to notice George the lobster also looks to be of the female variety as he/she has been carrying what look like eggs under his/her tail for the last week or so Dan has got a promotion at work: he will be assisting the foreman in the garage - very please for him as he's worked really hard Apologies to those of you I've not seen in a while: working full-time, studying part-time and still trying to have a life is far more complicated than I imagined. Normal service will resume by the end of May when I'll be finished for the summer,  Take care y'all xxx Current Mood: busy (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008
10:44 am	That was the year that was . . . Firstly I'd like to start by saying that I know several people who have not had the greatest of years. What follows next is in no way intended to make them or anyone else feel bad etc. If any of this comes across as smug feel free to tell me so and slap me with the wet fish of your choice. But this year has been the first for me that I've had a lot to celebrate in a very long time and I do want to share it with you. Especially as my 2007 was pretty horrific from start to finish. So here is what I am grateful for in the last 12 months:   Having some truly fabulous pets: George the lobster has been a source of constant amusement and fascination. Sam the kitten has just been so much fun and has ensured that I always have something to cuddle (whether he likes it or not!). And my darling Lucy has remained the sweetest, kindest, most adaptable cat despite going through a house move, venturing outside for the first time and the kitten invasion. Moving house: we've escaped the Bay and found a great little house in an area we love. In fact we've fallen for Thornhill so much that we're now saving for a deposit to buy up here in a year or two. Finally being a bridesmaid: I've wanted to for so long and in the mists of time even wrote to Jim'll Fix It to see if he could arrange it! Going back to uni: this has laid so many ghosts to rest and despite being more tired than I thought possible I've really enjoyed it. Having some amazing experiences at work: this year I have been taken to Edinburgh, attended the Welsh Woman of the Year awards, had my uni course paid for, won vouchers for a top restaurant and received some really great encouragement for all sorts of people. Not bad for a job I was supposed to stay one year in (it's been two and counting now!) Really feel like I'm coming to terms with my arthritis. It has not been as aggressive as last year - no knee syringing since September 2007 - but has spread further. There is no doubt in my mind and very little in my doctor's that I have problems with my back which may not get better. But despite this I am more determined than ever that I will not let it stop me. Finally accepting that I will always have some form of depression: this year, despite all the good times, I've also had some really bad lows. Trying to change my attitude to it has helped more than I thought it would and I can honestly say that it is almost unheard of for me to get this far into the festive season without having a big crash. danbastardly getting through the year without being hospitalised. No third testicles, broken wrists or suspected brain tumours. My friends - simply the best I could possible ask for. And finally my Dan: 12 months ago we had split up, now we are stronger and more in love than we've ever been. It's not been easy and we'll always struggle to fully understand each other. But I know that I will never find a better bear. I wish you all good health, love and peace for 2009  Est xxx (11 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, November 8th, 2008
11:23 am	For my friends Have just come back from a three day work conference in Edinburgh which was great but exhausting. I've completely fallen in love with the city and would happily move there tomorrow if it were a little closer to the mighty 'diff (sad I know). Reading all your posts over the last few days I've been struck by how many of you are having a bad time of it lately. Be it uncertainty over where your life is heading, technology around you breaking, losing a loved pet, battling against the nastiness of others or being ill it really seems to me that some of you deserve a break. I just wanted to say big hugs and love to you all and I hope things get better soon, xxx (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, October 5th, 2008
10:16 am	Wedding was wonderful - still on a high from it. Shell looked like a fairytale princess and I didn't rip my bridesmaid dress! So wonderful to see two of my favourite people have such an amazing day. xxx (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, August 30th, 2008
3:48 pm	Free to a good home! I've got a chest of drawers surplus to requirements: free to a good home provided you can collect it from ours by Thursday. Let me know if you're interested - it's from Ikea, it's in pretty good nick - a couple of slightly bowed drawers and it could do with an extra nail in the back but that's about it. EDIT: drawers have now been claimed! (Comment on this)
Friday, July 25th, 2008
3:47 pm	Lumberjacks Dan is trying to get me in to 'Ax Men' [sic] on the History Channel, a show following the trials of three logging crews in Oregon. It's ok but much more his cup of tea than mine. However I have gained a fair amount of amusement from the loggers themselves who all seem to sound like Forrest Gump and have insanely ridiculous names. Personal favourites include:  *   Dwyne and Dustin Dethlefs - father/son team *   Mervyn Lardy - who is rather chubby *   Leland Bontrager - who is very grumpy xxx Current Mood: amused (Comment on this)
Monday, July 21st, 2008
3:23 pm	This is Sam, the newest member of our houshold Current Mood: happy (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, July 7th, 2008
11:21 am	Gardening Update Well  after my epic battle with the garden a month ago I am delighted to say that I have a lovely new lawn which has done really well apart from the odd bald spot. I do feel an enormous sense of pride that I've actually managed to create something and the fact I had to work hard for it only makes it more satisfying. My pots are doing well too: the herbs are just hanging on despite the copius amounts of rain and the flowers have gone crazy. Once I have sorted out my new phone I will bore you all with photos. I actually acquired a new phone on Saturday: it's a Sony Ericsson C902 with a rather lovely 5 megapixel camera. As our camera is on it's last legs I thought I might as well get one that I'm much more likely to carry round with me. Against my better judgement I braved Phones 4 U and was pleasently surprised at their efficiency until I tried to ring someone for the first time last night and realised they've given me a Pay-As-You-Go SIM card - grrrr! I'm doing quite well on the new front as I've also got a new car. It's an X Reg Fiat Seicento with the tiniest engine in the world but it's only done 20,000 miles on the clock and drives like a new car. Perfect for saving me money on tax, insurance and petrol! I have my wonderful Dan to thank for that - he found it for me and managed to get the dealer to knock the price down to £1000. So am feeling very yay about my new toys! xxx (8 Comments |Comment on this)