Thai meal and Castles on Hills...

I have enjoyed a lovely couple of days (even though I still have a really silly cough which has decided to remain with me for over a month - how annoying!). Friday started with JP giving me a lovely bunch of flowers before we met our friend Alina at a local Thai restaurant. This was a pleasant surprise as there wasn't an occasion of any type to celebrate - he just thought it would be a nice gesture and indeed it was.

The Thai place was nice, however a little pricey - I should have checked the menu before booking it! We couldn't even claim student discount, which would have been useful! After a platter which consisted of 4 items each to start, and cost us £7.50 each!!! our main courses arrived. I decided to be a usual shandy lightweight and choose a creamy coconut curry, whereas JP went straight for the extremely hot 'Jungle curry' (aptly named!) which was just swimming in red hot chillies - it even melted my contact lenses just looking at it ...but JP didn't even break into a sweat!

On Saturday we went exploring as I wanted to find 'Castle Hill' as I heard there were some lovely views from there. When we found it ...the castle was actually a tower but it was worth the climb up there as the views were indeed amazing, you could see all of Huddersfield and beyond....also very good for kite flying as it was somewhat windy - hence the windswept look of my golden tendrils!

There are so many great places to visit here in Hudds and the surrounding area, I am really starting to enjoy my surroundings and feel more at home here....although I think the sunny weather has helped me to see the area in a different way!

BTW I hope that when I publish my blog today, that all of my pictures go where they are supposed to ....it all looks neatly set out at the moment, but you can bet your bottom dollar that as soon as I click that 'publish' button it will all go array - apologies in advance if it does!

So here's an interesting quote I found about the countryside, which is appropriate as it sums up Yorkshire!

"My living in Yorkshire was so far out of the way that it was actually twelve miles away from a lemon" - Revd Sydney Smith

Madness!

I don't know about anybody else but I am getting very distressed about the madness in the world. The shootings in Virginia have only highlighted how bonkers everything has become. I would love to go back 100 years and see what the world was like, did the Daily Herald report on mass shootings by lone gunman? poverty and brutality in third world countries while others enjoy affluence and wealth? Upon reflection, it most probably would which is sad as it means that nothing has changed.
The reason for this deep mode of thought, is that I have had a long chat with JP about life in Congo DR and even though I can not reprint most of the stuff he told me, not only because it's private but to be honest it is too traumatic and disturbing, it has made me appreciate how lucky we are in this country to have such a high standard of living - not just the standard roof over our heads and food on the table type stuff, but the security to sleep in our beds at night without the threat of being dragged out in the middle of the night by the security forces, freedom to speak our minds and live without the threat of civil war..... all sounds like stuff we see on the TV news but just phase out soon after ... but when you speak to people who actually experience such things it puts a lot of 'problems and worries' that you have into perspective!

Anyway, enough deepness .... this week has been a bit of a mis-mash of work and play. Went to the cinema last night with JP to see '300' - it's the one about the Spartans and the Persians. Unfortunately I had a busy day and didn't get a chance to eat much so my head was pounding a bit before I even got to see the film. The next 2 hours were spent with my fingers in my ears due to the loud battle cries of the Spartans and the unnecessary excessive volume of the UCI in Huddersfield! But apart from that the film was OK - the sight of 300 scantly clad Spartans in leather pants and all having chiseled looks and 8-packs help immensely to make up for the predictable massacre at the end...... so I'll give it an 8/10.

Next week I have to prepare a poster in which to present my research so far ...so I feel a Blue Peter moment coming on ..... blu-tack and sticky backed plastic at the ready!

Busy Bee buzz buzz buzz .....

OK so it's been ages since I blogged but I am not going to waste space apologising it's just the way it is!

Two weeks ago I had my first set of visitors in sunny Hudds, namely my niece Tazmin and my sister Jane. This was a trial run for having guests in my flat and it confirmed my suspicions that I live in a shoe box.... or as Taz put it ' it's teeny' I note at this point that she wasn't referring to my ever expanding arse!

Anyway we had a fab 2 days, we went to the Eurika science museum in Halifax, where Taz succeeded in loosing her knitted purse (bad girl) so I have spent the last week knitting her another one! The museum had a practical demonstration of how to make a junior rocket by using an empty film cartridge, some vinegar and an alka selsa (cool!). It also had a set of mirrors which made you look thinner or fatter than you are... no points for guessing which one I loved ... ah memories!

We the went to Tropical World, which had a big greenhouse full of butterflies, spiders, snakes and fish ... quite a combination! The gardens were beautiful (see above pic) but the roses had yet to bloom....so a return trip in the summer has already been planned, this time with my parents and other niece.

On the Wednesday I drove my guests back to sunny Wales and my sister commented on how horrendous the drive is ...so I am def. taking the train from now on ... 5 hours of motorway is not fun! My first trip when home was to Cardiff to meet up Katharine and Georgia (who is still as barking as ever). K is applying for a PhD in Cardiff which looks really exciting and I hope she gets it while G is all loved up with a new man .... ahhh!

Talking of new men ... yes the rumours are true ... I have found a real live one and this time not via the Internet! His name is Jean-Paul and he is a PhD student at Hudds. At first I was afraid I was petrified ....sorry ......at first I was a bit weary of him as he's a bit 'full on' but as he is from Congo (yes I know another African but I actually get to see this one!) there are cultural differences to consider ..... since I have been back we have been out a few times and we are getting on well, so who knows..... that's all I will say on that for now as I don't want to tempt fate!

So back at home ....what happens ... yes I get ill .....catch a chest infection so Easter weekend is spent in doors coughing. During my final week I try to do as much visiting as possible but it is hard to keep a conversation going in between coughing fits :(

My drive home was horrendous.... roadworks on the bridge, accident on the M5, accident on the M6, roadworks and then another accident on the M6 ... together with boiling sun and my air-con breaking down ....and coughing ... not nice!

So back in work, which I am enjoying apart from my nose has turned into a running tap (TMI?), and also JP meets me after work for coffee and a chat which is nice. He gets to practise his English and laugh at my French - tres bien all round really! :)

An apt quote as I tend to stay away from British males:

"British men take you to McDonald's make you pay and ask if anyone is dating your sister"

- Minnie Driver

(Note: Welsh men take you to McDonald's make you pay, drag you to bed and then find out that you are their sister! ... Ewwww! - Dawn Matthews)

Pennines in the mist

I actually left the house yesterday for a drive and a bit of an exploration... managed to find Holmfirth, where they film 'Last of the Summer Wine' but I didn't stop to find 'Nora Batty's cafe' - I kept going and found the Pennines ... wow what a view! It reminded me of the Brecon Beacons but obviously on a larger scale!

It was a bit of a shame that it was slightly misty but I just wanted to capture a bit of the Yorkshire landscape on film! As for the pic of me ...er...yes it was a bit windy! My golden trestles were being tossed around in abundance! and yes I am still surgically attached to my Cardiff Uni sweatshirt! If you want to know who took the photo well it's my new 'friend' Jean-Paul ... further details will be forthcoming asap.

I have decided that I need to explore more areas of Yorkshire, so for at least one day on the weekend (schedule permitting) I will be packing my flask and getting in the Daewoo with a view of exploring new life forms and boldly going where no welsh gal has gone before!

Talking of travelling .. I am back home in Wales next week so I hope to catch up with a few people over Easter. When I get back I am back on full power as I have conferences to prepare for!