a whole lotta love

well i just had to take the time to say thank you to all those who make me feel so loved. it has made a huge difference to my life over the past year especially. so thank you to all you who have shown me a special smile, given a thoughtful gift or some quality time, who have checked up on me so often.
special mention to andy for his big hugs, to steve for ideal present buying, to dad for the beaming smile he often gives in my direction, to rae for her poems, to mandi for all the cake, to mum for her worry over me and her amazingly good cooking, to becs for all the chats, to tim for sharing stories.

packing nightmares

help!! why have i got so much stuff to take?! and the aboves probably not all of it either. any suggestions on what not to take and what are the necessary essentials most appreciated from all your seasoned travellers out there.
now happily settled in the lovely parents home in st albans, where it looks set to be a quiet life in the week, with mad weekends visiting people till i go.
sadly it hasn't all been idyllic, in fact i have been worrying about a lot for a while now - about missing people, about getting ill when no-one else is around and there are no home comforts, about leaving my 94 year old granny behind, about missing christmas with my wonderful mum, about not having enough money... clearly far too much time for thinking. so i'm hoping i start to sleep better and get lots more excited very soon. i am waiting for some calm before the real adventure starts.