This is a blog post, if you couldn't tell!

The last week or so has meandered by quite peacefully. I've been painting, playing music, going to singing lessons generally pottering.

As I write, I am procrastinating several things, the Marie Antoinette translation being one of them (don't hurt me), gardening being the other. Quite frankly, I think I might do the gardening first except I'm pretty sure there's a tribe of angry bitey ants living in my flower bed and I'm not sure if I have any proper shoes... anyway, that's my problem!

There was also the surreal incident of a few days back which some of you might have seen mentioned on facebook. Some gentlemen came by our house looking to build another house over land that belongs to us. After a bit of a heated discussion with my parents, it looks like they now want to buy our house and knock it down. Unlikely to come to anything, I know, but seriously that would be the answer to all our renovation issues!

I know this isn't a proper post, and it has no photos (boo!), but I'll be back properly soon ;-)

In the meanwhile, if anyone fancies recommending any songs/tunes for me to learn on 'cello, bass guitar, or tin whistle (high or low) please do so... I'm running low on ideas!

I don't know how to title this so let's call it "Aimee"

Curry and naan and a happy Aimee.

Last weekend, well a couple of days ago, I got to stay with my annoying childhood best friend and might-as-well-be-a-sister Aimee, having not seen her since Christmas (and then only for two minutes as I dropped off her gift).

As always, we had a wonderful time. An unsuccessful search for clothes for my university interview turned into a pretty successful spice shopping time. Seriously, we found the most beautiful delicatessen  which sold all sorts of foods from around the world, as well as local things, and would practically be my home if I lived anywhere nearby! Actually, in finding the above link for the blog I have found out that they have an online shop... bye bye bank account.

Rosé in tumblers - that is class!

Naturally, a lot of the time was spent cooking and eating. I think that both of us enjoy using our meet ups as a chance to try and make/eat new things. This time was no different with the first night being a beautiful pork bolognese that Aimee has made previously and then reheated. Saturday was Havanah throwing random things together to make a mild curry that Aimee could enjoy. Sunday was an attempt at a variation of Kaiserschmarrn for brunch, which was all done by hand and by the end of the whisking we were both knackered. The roast we had later was a bit more traditional but by the end of the weekend we could both safely say we had made at least one new dish!

This should give you some idea about
the amount of tea drunk!

The rest of the time was spent chatting and messing around. Our favourite online game (mature as it may be...or not!) was pretty much constantly on because we realised that it gave us something to do while actually interacting. It also was something we could do at three a.m. when the flat upstairs decided an out of tune sing-along was in order! I also gave Aimee a quick hour long 'lesson' on tin whistle, inspired by my last visit where she said she wasn't musical! Not only did she pick up a tonne of stuff quicker than expected but she nearly refused to give me my instrument back! Meanie!!

Aimee being musical.

So basically, I had a wonderful weekend. It's been the coming back home that's been hard and I am feeling a bit down again. Dad moved back in on Sunday which is a good thing but very strange and tense. Something that I won't go into because it's a little complex has happened with regard to the university and I now think they have tiered the applicants with me being in the lower tier. This means I'm going to interview knowing thinking that I have a lower chance than others. It's not the end of the world because they may offer me a place still and if they don't it's their loss!

However, yesterday I worked out that the main thing that is bringing me down is that I am completely fed up with my health. It's been nearly seven years since my stupid illness thing started and I am still without diagnosis. Not only that but it's got progressively worse so that now I am ill more than I am well and am severely limited by things. I can't go out without worrying that something is going to happen and those worries are justified because it's only one in five times that I won't have a problem. I think the health thing is what's really affecting me because it's possible to battle the world and the bad things in life (and if I'm honest I get more than my fair share of bad luck) but when I can't trust my body to work for me... it's not a good thing. I went to the doctors today and was told that I can't even get a non emergency doctor's appointment until the 27th, and am abroad then for my interview, so I guess this is just going to have to classify as an emergency and I'm going to try and get an appointment on Friday. 

Seriously, when I get my health back on track this world ain't gonna know what hit it ;-)

And life keeps on moving on

So it's apparently 2014 now. Who'd have thought it! Nothing's really changed which is no surprise after all true change is a steady process as opposed to a split moment. 

This morning, however, I did get something a bit new for the new year and that would be this beautiful little whistle to replace the one that my dad has nicked off of me (and not paid for, I may hasten to add!) It feels really strange to be playing high whistle again after two months of just low whistle. Just working out the right breath pressure and finger spacings again is a challenge. We're getting on quite well so far though.

New addition to the Havanah home orchestra.

Other than that it's continuing to attempt to improve my life! I'm working especially hard on the Dutch at the moment because, for some reason, the wind has got into my sails. I'm determined to have at least some conversational fluency by the end of my gap year and I'm immensely lucky in that I have a couple of friends who I know would be more than willing to help me with that should I throw myself at them!

Of course, the whole Amsterdam university application continues to hang over my head. I've heard absolutely nothing from them so far, which isn't the end of the world, but want to get myself ready for an interview. Although I am not confident that I will even get an interview I do want to be sure that if I do I have prepared myself the best I can so better to start early, right? I'll be going out for an open day in a couple of weeks too. Flying to Amsterdam and back in one day seems pretty daunting but I have to remind myself that it can't be as bad as the time I went to Glasgow and back to Devon by coach in one day (well in reality it ended up as 48 hours of being awake and traveling).

Whatever happens this year, I've got one thing arranged!

It's also about the time that I'm getting really ready to go off and travel. I am hoping to work my way from Budapest via Austria, Germany,  to Castlefest in the Netherlands. This had been my plan for a little while but I've been putting off arranging it because I'm not so sure that I want to do it alone. It's not that I mind being alone but I would rather have some kind of companion for this kind of trip. I'm going to start doing some arranging, however, and then see if anyone cares to join me.