The journey home...

I was listening to a Nerina Pallot song on the way home last night and, for the first time, noticed that it contains the lyrics 'depression is only desire deprived' - which struck me as being a very flippant view of life.

But, it did start me off on a interesting train of thought. I can absolutely see why a very strong desire for something, left unfulfilled, could make someone feel depressed. In few days, if my Grandad was still with us, it would have been my Grandparents 65th Wedding Anniversary - and I'm sure that there is nothing in the world that my Nan will want more than to be able to spend the day celebrating with him - a very real reason why desire denied could cause depression.

But the implication in the song seems to be that depression is a result of not being able to have what you want - so is the secret of happiness being able to get what you want? And how many of us would really be able to pin-point what it is that we want so badly...

In the last two years I have had an abundance of fantastic experiences. If I am being honest, very probably as many as most people hope to experience in a lifetime - and I consider myself to be far more fortunate than I deserve. I have visited three continents, relaxed on fantastic beaches, enjoyed the hustle & bustle of capital cities, stomped across deserts, been on a gondola, stayed in 14th century hotels, had lunch with Mickey Mouse, swam with stingrays and dolphins, hurtled from 13 stories high towards the floor at high speed - so many memories that I couldn't possibly fit them all in a blog.

I have a loving family, a beautiful charming daughter and husband who is as good a dad as he is partner - no-one could ask for more. So does this make me immune to depression? I certainly have no 'desires deprived' - if only life was that simple. Or maybe I am just completely ungrateful?

Or maybe Nerina Pallot is just talking total crap...

I've been waiting for over twenty years...

...and now it's finally happenend. The Police are performing live again in the UK for the first time since 1983, and I have been fortunate enough to get tickets. They sold out pretty much the instant that they went on sale so I am understandably thrilled to bits!!! Now all I have to do is wait for October...

The Rising Sun

I've got a headache that just will not go away. I think that it's beacuse I haven't been sleeping very well for a while - and no matter how many short naps you manage to take, it's not the same as a good night's sleep.

I have to say though that this winter hasn't been too bad for me at all. There have been dark times, but mostly I have managed to keep the overwhelming exhaustion and feelings of despondancy at bay. I think that one of the things I have to thank for that is my little miracle light that simulates dawn - I haven't had to wake up suddenly in the dark via a rudely beeping alarm.

It's only a small thing, but it seems to have really made a difference for me, and now I have the knowledge that spring really is just around the corner...

The Happy Couple...

I can't believe that it's almost a month since my last blog - sorry! But in my defence, it's been a really busy few weeks with one thing and another. My niece got married at the end of January, and it's probably fair to say that I was somewhat more involved than is usually expected of an Aunt.

My daughter was a most beautiful bridesmaid (much to her disdain - but as the only other girl in the family she graciously agreed to play the part) and my assortment of nephews dutifully played their parts as pageboy, ring-bearer and ushers.

We are a very close bunch - and it's not a rare occasion for the immediate family to get together. But for the first time in a few years, we had all four generations together for the afternoon - my daughter, me, my Mum and my Nan - who is 90 in a couple of weeks. It must be lovely for her to be able to see her 'ever expanding brood' celebrating together, and in the not too distant future, the next generation will arrive - my niece is expecting her first child at the end of May. It's a bit scary really, it was only five minutes ago that I was babysitting the bride - and I'm way to young to be a great Aunt...

A sample of Christmas - Disney Style!

I always take hundreds of photo's wherever we go - I think that it does you good to look back at them and 'ooh' &' aah'...

I must admit that I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself for getting this slideshow working!

Wet weather, the dog and S.A.D...

Getting out of bed can be a real chore some mornings. My head tells my legs to move but they take no notice at all - a bit like talking to my dog really... He's been loving this wet weather, for some reason his favourite pastime at the moment is rolling his face in the mud. Not sure how he manages to keep the rest of him clean, but his body tends to remain relatively close to it's usual colour.

I read on the Mind website yesterday that the only guaranteed cure for 'Seasonal Adjustment Disorder' is to live within 30º of the equator. So, I had a quick look on a map of the world, and this seems to involve moving to somewhere like Hawaii, Florida, the Canary Islands...sounds like a jolly good idea to me! I'm sure that my husband won't take much convincing - but I'm not sure how my teenager (or the dog) would feel about it...

The Christmas 'break'?

Happy New Year! I hope that you had a fabulous Christmas and that 2007 brings you and yours every happiness. Now that the festivities are finished and it's time to return to work I might just get time to start blogging properly!

Not that I haven't enjoyed it all, but I'm totally shattered now (and skint) but it's all my own fault. It seemed like such a good idea at the time to book the family in for a long weekend at Disneyland Paris the week before Christmas. We had a wondeful few days surrounded by the total unreality of Disney magic - just what you need to get away from the pre-xmas stresses. Lots of good food, fun rides and snow! Our hotel was a fabulous replica of the New York skyline, and we had a room overlooking the 'times square ice rink'. The only down point was when we ended up stranded at Charles de Gaulle airport (the flight home was one of those that was cancelled because of all the propblems with Fog). And then for some reason, it seemed like another good idea to squeeze in a few days in the lakes between Christmas and New Year - more fabulous food - more inches to the waistline.

It was chaos trying to fit it all in, but I now have another batch of wonderful memories - you can't ask for a better gift than that...