Falling apart

Our gate has completely fallen off its hinges, it must be the continuous pressure of being driven into, ha ha. In fact the whole place is falling apart, this morning I got up all bleary eyed then tried to pull the blind up and the whole thing collapsed on my head. Good job Gerald has all the necessary equipment to perform the repairs. I'm sure this sort of thing never used to happen when we lived in the flat, everything was so easy. You should see the state of the garden as well, it needs a massive clear up operation before the summer. I am of the opinion that we need some assistance to do this as opposed to trying to sort it all out ourselves. It all sounds wonderful in theory, but it takes time and you need all the right tools etc. I'm really looking forward to the summer now, it seems so close especially since we have been having all these sunny, warm days. Needless to say , we were not affected by the earthquake that struck somewhere in England. All the prophets of doom say that the UK will be destroyed by floods and earthquakes. The only time I have ever felt an earth tremor is whilst I was visiting California and the walls literally shook. It was a very strange experience indeed. I liked being in California, I used to love the sunsets as the sky always looked different shades of purple. I went there in the winter, it was still quite warm and every evening I used to go and sit in the hot tub and contemplate! Seems like a long time ago ..

Death of a Pigeon

Another varied day in the country, I had to get up early to take my mum to her job. On the way out the door I noticed a large pigeon had collapsed in the garden, I tried to prod it with a stick but it didn't respond. My Mum insisted that it was dead, she probably didn't want to be late, she must have known how long it would take me to manoeuvre Gerald's tank out the driveway to release my small, nippy vehicle. Anyway, I decided to take her on the scenic route, where I go running sometimes, the road winds through the greenest country fields and it is far more pleasant than going through the town.
When I eventually arrived back home, I noticed with horror that the pigeon was in fact alive, as it had moved, but it was obviously severely injured and distressed when I went near it. I felt ill, so I called Gerald, he yelled at me to go and get a brick, I refused point blank to partake in such activity, but I didn't know what to do to help the pigeon. Fortunately for me nature took it's course as when I went back to look at it a few minutes later , it had been finished off by a cat and there were feathers all over the front garden.
After that episode, it was time to visit my orthodontist, he had to file down several of my teeth to make space for them to move. It was awful, the smell of burning tooth and quite painful at times , I was moaning and squirming, but he persisted, complaining that I was biting his finger. He then proceeded to sing to me, which did manage to distract me slightly. At the end of it he said "Are you all right?" Well no actually, I should have sedation for that sort of thing.
And so the day went on and on. Nyo had a seizure and then chewed my finger to pieces despite the fact that I'd saved her yet again. I was busy the whole afternoon and then went for a run in the early evening, just before sunset, there was quite a bit of traffic on the main road, I was running faster than it was moving!

The Walk

Went on a 7 mile walk yesterday in the surrounding countryside, passing through forests, open farmland and country manors, I think we trekked solidly for about fives hours, only stopping briefly for a cereal bar. We didn't take any other sustenance with us, apart from a bottle of water, how silly.No wonder I ended up with the worst headache ever.
What a fantastic day though, it was a stunning walk with lots of beautiful views, I felt like I was on holiday, we could have been anywhere in England, I still get overcome when I realise that we have it all on our doorstep now. We even saw some deer in the forest, they are very shy and well camouflaged, they don't let you get anywhere near them before they disappear into the trees. Who can blame them when their environment is being destroyed by man? Even though we were in the middle of nowhere there was often the noise in the background from 2 huge motorways that carve up the countryside, no wonder people were so opposed to them being built. They spoil what was once a perfect landscape, where the only sounds were the sounds of the wind in the trees and the birds calling to each other. And really, until I stop using my car, I must accept that I too contribute towards the destruction of the planet.

Thursday

Greetings everyone, I have had a stimulating run this afternoon, as it was cold and raining I didn't want to go at first, then I just forced myself and ended up really enjoying it, so it just goes to show that it's good to be disciplined. we have had a good response from Dreamlab about the collaboration, Walk on Thin Ice, I think you can safely say that they really liked what we did with it. So we are just waitng to do a final mix now and then you can all have a listen, as promised several days ago.
I had to laugh at my Mum, she is so sweet sometimes, she is always making strange concotions to eat. The other day I told her that Indian people use yogurt to cool down their curries, of course I meant the plain yogurt. Yesterday I spotted my Mum having her curry with some strawberry yogurt on the side, I was like are you sure about that, I was quite intrigued at never having thought of such an unusual combination of tastes, she assured me it was quite delicious, think I'll give it a miss thanks. Then I invited her to come for a coffee with us on Sunday, she said that "they" never make it hot enough. I said well how do you know if you've never been there in your life and then the real reason came out- there's something on the telly! I'm still proud of her though she has proved that anything can be accomplished at any age.

Misty morning

Have just been driving down the country roads and it is all misty today, rolling in off the fields like a white blanket. The mist always gives me a feeling of stepping back in time, I almost expect to see ghostly figures on horseback emerging from the swirling whiteness. Of course where we live is the area where Dick Turpin used to roam around on his business, there is even a cave in the forest where he is supposed to have frequented. It is all very magical and mysterious.
When I was running yesterday, I saw Gerald go past in his car, I was waving like anything and he did see me in the end. His car really suits him, it seemed quite normal to see him whizzing off towards town.
It was so cold yesterday, it was one of those days where I just couldn't get warm all day, even last night when Gerald lit the fire and the orange flames were glowing brightly across the room, I still sat there and shivered. The only time I got warm was when the fire had been going for ages and it was nearly time to go to bed.
My sister called yesterday, I only spoke to her briefly, of course she can do no wrong in my Mum's eyes, it is only me who is the big bad tempered nasty old wolf!

Lazy sunday

Hi everyone, hope you are enjoying your weekend. I had a long sleep today, in fact if it hadn't been so sunny this morning, I would probably have stayed in bed longer, but the promise of going outside, even though it's rather chilly, prompted me to get up.
All is well in the Cling household, Gerald had his car checked over by a mechanic and he has done ok, the car will go for a while yet, so he was relieved that his instincts had been right about it. Even I am enjoying his car because it means I don't have to walk to the station anymore when I take the train into London, it's great to be lazy now and again. We are just getting ready to go out for lunch, it is kind of like a belated Valentine's lunch. There are lots of lovely places to go and eat, not far from here, a good excuse to go for a drive and find a quaint place in the middle of the forest. Then perhaps we will go for a walk afterwards.
Watched a good film last night, it had quite a disturbing theme, but it was the kind of film that was totally unpredictable, therefore I reamined interested and managed to actually stay awake for the whole thing, it's got to be one of the few complete films that I've seen in a while. I don't know what it is about tv that sends me off to sleep all the time. My Mum is the opposite, she can happily watch tv all day and all night. I think Nyo was getting on her nerves yesterday, My mum was complaining to Gerald that she felt like buying a bottle of scotch to drown out the constant shrieking, I think Nyo shrieks because she is a happy little bird, ha ha, not to mention exceedingly spoilt.

Happy Valentine's

All is quiet in the house, I am alone again , apart from Nyo of course, who won't let me sleep beyond a certain time and always starts shrieking, like my own personal alarm clock. If my Mum does not get back soon then I have to go and give her some assistance, last week she was unable to get out of the house that she cleans, the door got stuck and she had to spend ages bellowing at the top of her voice, eventually someone came to her assistance and she came home all traumatised.
Yesterday was so gorgeous, I went running and it was so pleasantly warm out, as I turned around to come back home, I had the sun on my back, I love that feeling. I was actiually roaming around in the garden after that, wearing only a t-shirt, I don't think I will try that today as it is decidedly nippy.
Happy Valentine's day. Gerald is still my Valentine. Isn't it ridiculous how commercialised it has all become, it used to be for lovers, now there are Valentine cards for your Mum, Dad, Granny, Aunt, Sister, Dog, you name it, all a bit perverse really, and any old excuse to make a buck. Anyway, we are going to out this afternoon, but will do something special on the weekend as well. At least we are living in the perfect place for romantic walks though the forest.
Gerald says his life is surreal now with a car, I'm still so happy for him, he deserves all good things, we both do , we need to always remember this, it will bring us closer to our dream.

What's that terrible noise?

Had an unexpected twist at the end of a lovely day yesterday. I spent most of the afternoon recording some vocals and I had some really good ideas. I was pleased because Gerald rang me to tell me he would be home early, an hour earlier than if he's been on public transport, obviously it meant I would see more of him. I went to open the gates and round about the time he was due to come home, I heard a strange and terrible banging noise, almost like someone knocking on the window. A few seconds later, the same noise occured again. I quickly ran to my Mum's room, to ask her if she'd heard anything, but she said no. I was quite scared as I thought it might be a burglar again, smashing something up. I reluctantly went to the wimdow to peer through and I saw the lights from Gerald's car. I was just about to ask him if he'd seen anything untoward in the garden, but before I could say anything he told me that he had driven into the trees that border the driveway, it is like a hegde of conifers and also the driveway is at an awkward angle, it's not easy to get into. He thought he had only taken a bit off the bumper, but on closer inpection with dim torches that had barely any batteries in them, we discovered that a huge chunk of the bumper had been ripped off. We scrambled around in the hedge, pulling out bits of bumper, but there was still a huge piece missing. I think someone went into him earlier and just drove off. Anyway, needless to say he was devastated, he is fond of his car already and has done his best to look after it. I know exactly how he feels, the very first day I had my brand new car, I drove it back from the showroom and when I parked outside the flat, I sraped the hubcaps really badly on the kerb. A week later I drove in to a gate and put a huge dent on the front door, it is the worst feeling, to know you've done so much damage yourself. So this morning, we had to do some emergency taping of the bumper and now it loks like it has a giant plaster on!

Bet you wondered where I was!

Hi everyone, bet you wondered what had happened to me , not writing for a few days. Well, I found my gloves, they were in the bank after all. We had a busy few days because Gerald bought a car and I had to help him go over there to check it out and all that biz! I'm so happy for him because he really needed a car and he is going to feel so free and not be so tired from walking everywhere. It's actually a very nice old banger, it's great to be driven around for a change, I must admit. I love driving, but I drive so much, it's actually lovely to be a passenger!
I'm just about to go out in the garden to sit in the sunshine and have a cup of coffee, it has been so gorgeously sunny over the last few days, makes you want to be outside all of the time.
I learned something horrifying yesterday, which really upset me and I daren't tell my mum or she will be heartbroken. When she left Zimbabwe, she left her rabbit in the care of one of her freinds, the same friend that took our doggie and then gave him to someone else, anyway , my Mum loved this rabbit and had looked after it for many years, it was beautiful, big and plump. I kept asking my Mum's friend what she had done with the rabbit and then she told me yesterday that it had ended up as Xmas lunch for her staff, I mean really how could she do that to my Mum's pet, I thought it was really cruel and heartless. I will never be avle to tell my Mum the truth, I had to tell her that the rabbit had been put down. Isn't that awful?

Anyone seen my gloves?

I don't seem to be having any luck with gloves this winter, I keep losing them. The first pair Gerald had given to me and they just disappeared, I think I left them in the supermarket trolley. Then my Mum bought me a pair yesterday to replace them, she was feeling bad about the jacket, so I wore them out when I went to the hairdressers. On the way, I had to stop at the bank and I removed them, must have left them there as they certainly didn't arrive at the hairderesser's with me. So today I have to run up to the bank and see if someone handed them in, I hope so, otherwise I will have to try and conceal the fact that I have lost them, until I can get to a shop to replace them yet again!
I enjoyed going shopping yesterday, now that I don't have access to so many shops anymore, it's quite a novelty , makes me realise what a small place we actually live in. Anyway, I didn't get anything for myself, I helped my Mum find loads of things that she needed and then we went for a coffee and she was happy to be out and about. See I'm not so horrible after all !

My poor jacket

Can't concentrate because my Mum has just burnt my brand new jacket and it is ruined, I've told her a million times not to have the iron so hot, but there you go, she knows best, what the bloody hell do I know? Smile and take a deep breath. Supposed to be going out shopping today, I better take a valium and a straightjacket.
Had a busy day yesterday, I finally finished clearing out my yoga room and it is doubling up as my office, I am looking out on another part of the garden now, trying to think of all calm thoughts, like where am I going to get another jacket from?!
Anyway, time is moving on and I suppose I should get ready. At least we will have a lovely drive through the forest. I am having my hair done this afternoon, so hopefully there won't be any more disasters! Hope you all have a fantastic day!

Are you ready?

Are you guys ready for a new Cling tune? Good news is on the way, it won't be long now! Today we received our delivery of soundproofing tiles, so once those are up, Gerald will be able to do some final mixing and then we can put it online for your listening pleasure. Another bit of good news is that there is another track on the way, the new collaboration with Dreamlab will be ready soon as well.
On a more ordinary note, I went all the way to smelly old Whitechapel for an appointment. I waited for 50 minutes then was told that there had been a mistake and that there was no-one to see me. I should have listened to my instincts and not gone at all, I didn't want to go in the first place , but I didn't want to waste people's time. I managed to remain surprisingly calm considering I had come from such a long way. at least the train journey was pleasant and I found a recipe for pancakes in the paper.

New windows today!!

No sleep, had to get up early because our windows are finally being done and even if they weren't in our room I would be unable to sleep because of the racket of glass and wood being ripped out the wall. At least it will be a bit warmer inside with double glazing. Gerald got so fed up with going to sleep in a cold bedroom that he purchased an electric blanket and last night it was lovely to get into bed, it was like floating off on a giant hot water bottle. It's really, really cold today, typical, the house won't heat up either, I hope that they hurry up and finish, I want the bedroom back and some warmth!
All fixed up now with my teeth, this time next year they will be perfectly straight, I hope so anyway. It's quite fascinating how dentistry has advanced, whoever would have thought that one day sets of plastic aligners would actually be able to move teeth.
Too much disruption now to write, they're staring on the dining room and Nyo is shrieking like anything.
Have a fantastic weekend!!