10 Halloweens! (by sarah)

Today is the tenth Halloween for me and Al 🙂 We started going out actually on Halloween - I skipped several parties and a workshift to do so and I wasn't even sure if it was supposed to be a date or not!

I remember faffing over which cloths to wear and went with the new things I'd bought with my first wage check of the new academic year - I'd been shopping with Becca 🙂 Lavander tie dye boot cut fitted trousers with a black lacy top with a plunging neck line and erm... trainers.

I'd printed out his email stating the time and space coordinants and the invite for dinner and then showed it to my friends for advice on weather it was a date or not Jihane said it was whilst Greg said it wasn't! And both panicked as they thought Al was a random from the internet as I mentioned the facted we'd been emailing each other. We had infact met the previous spring when Tanya had tried to set Aoife up with him - we had been emailing each other ever since reguardless of an embarrassing attempt of friends to force us together when he had started going out with another girl shortly after the Aoife set up. They were only going out for two weeks but I didn't realise that so we tiptoed around each other electronically for the whole summer!

I got to South Ken Station early and hung around - he didn't show so I walked up the steps to check up by the shops and then headed back down them and through the tunnel. No Al but he was there when I got back to the station. He was relieved that I was late as in his excitement he'd gotten on the circle line and gone the wrong way! We were married several years before we found out each others version - neither of us wanting to seem too keen incase it scared the other off!

We walked aimlessly talking of everything from scifi to social issues and my course work which I had been showing him for the last few weeks at the Union after an incident were I had fainted at Musical Theatre and ended up being brought down to the union and placed with Andy D and his friends to recover a few weeks previously. Somehow I'd ended up chatting to Al.

We ended up in Pizza Express which became like our place. We had dough balls which we shared.

We then walked some more - down to the river but my back was starting to really hurt - I had on my college rucksack and I was cold - I was already having intensive physio at the time and had also been told I had a life expectancy of 30 so I was not even sure I should be trying for a relationship. But again my health actually helped me - I had to sit down. We sat on the river bank. And I was cold and fed up of waiting to see if he would make a move so I flopped against him and snuggled up for warmth. He took this as a sign that he was allowed to make a move FINALLY and so he went to kiss me and I got the giggles. But we did kiss and it was a cheesy forever moment only shattered by the lights on the buildings all winking out as it was 11 o'clock!

Shocked at the time I waited with him on the Kings Road opposite the Blue Bird restaurant until he got on his bus - he wanted to walk me home but I felt this was stupid as he would have to walk away from his bus stop! I had also insisted on paying half the bill.

From that unsureness of each other we became inseperable and much to everyones horror we moved 'too fast' moving in with each other after only a few months - and then engaged after 10 months and married the following summer. With a baby due just after our first year wedding anniversary. But we are happy with each other and the kids - other things have been hard but they have been external to us and the thought of facing the stresses alone is an intollerable one. Now that things are improving we are being careful not to emulate alot of couples mistakes - sometimes it is the stress that binds you together and you grow apart as your both dealing with life.

We have lots of plans for our lives still and he is joining me in NaNoWriMo this year as he confessed to missing his writing time and he is a fair way into the novel/story arch that we made up together starting on that first night - it is a joint effort but I can't do my bit until he has finished his.

To celebrate this moment that has lasted a decade we are coming to London for a long weekend in November. We will visiting what is left of our old haunts (The Black Widow is gone but I'm hoping we can visit another Erri Pub, The Foundary too is gone, we may go and look at The Union but I don't think we will go in or if we do it will just be for a drink). We want to visit a Paul A Young Chocolate Shop as they have become an our place as well even though we've never managed to be in one at the same time yet!

The Natural History Museum is a must though I will probably mope outside doors I'm no longer allowed through. Pizza Express, the places in Ealing and maybe a meet up with friends.

We are mainly coming down to London to London to see Gotye 🙂

We found this artist as our friend Ulrike sent us the youtube video on Facebook - she was the first of a wave - 'Doesn't he look like Alaric?' and yes he does though Al himself says he can only see a vague similarity 🙂

We even made a spoof video - which we now actually have permission from Gotye Head Quarters to have made.

I organised the gig, Al the hotel - we still have no hotel books 🙂

Our lives are not exactly were we envisioned them but on the other hand we are all together in an amazing house that is not rented. Al is loving his job and I appear to have ended up with the career I thought I would have once I retired. And for that I owe a hug debt to Alaric - he helps me with the writing and art, doesn't get annoyed when I forget to cook dinner when I've said I would because I've got distracted by drawing or papier mache or writing. But more than that - he has given me the self confidence to get out there and do the things. this year has seen me win medals and get through to the final stages for poet laureate of Gloucestershire and so much more I can't even begin to list.

He took pity on me and sorted out the tech issues I was having with The Little Book of Spoogy Poetry 🙂 Talking of which today is your last chance to download it free 🙂 You have until midnight just click on the image below.

18 Months and How the Monster Hath Grown (by sarah)

Mary is now 18 months old, she walks though still resorts to crawling when she is tired, she points at animals and says ca' which means cat, she asks for milk both verbally and with baby sign, she climbs on things, pulls plug socket protectors out of the sockets and tries to shove her plastic cutlery in if I take my eyes off her. She can undo straps (in highchairs and prams and car seats), she hits the cats and then hugs them, she throws proper on the floor tantrums, she giggles at the slightest bit of fun and runs up and cuddles you, she does shy eyes at people, she gives me a cheeky grin and then runs away from me, if she is tasting something and I say no she will shove it her mouth and run off before I can take it off of her. She can open doors! She likes to help with the dishwasher and laundary which can be intersting. She says wee wee wee wee to mean she needs her nappy changed but avoids telling me before hand incase I make her sit on the potty. If she uses the potty she likes to put the cover on it and then go so that it is nicer to sit on :/

She throws a wobbly every morning when Jean and Daddy go out so we have taken to going to the park first thing followed by a walk to Mac Donalds for Coffee and fruit bag.

She BITES! Jean didn't and was quiet passive in contrast so this a bit of a suprise - we thought we woould have to stop Jean duffing her up but it is fact more the other way around. She idolises Jean and likes to follow her around everywhere. Jean follows me and the baby follows her - this means mummy can not go to the loo in peace mainly.

She loves music and sings and dances - the biggest suprise being that she lalalalas the Harry Potter theme tune! She will always stop struggling and crying with two songs - one is Gotye Someone that I Used to Know and the other is Cradle of Filths Nanthetamine.

She has a mouth full of teeth though is still cutting the big doubles at the back, she still can't handle moo milk and appears to be a bit iffy with wheat and has exma and pretty much always has the sniffles and a cough but is good natured with it (when not throwing tantrums).

She loves swings and being thrown and twirlled and things - Jean hated all that sort of thing so this is a funner part.

She has her own baby dolly called Baaabeee which she hugs and carries around and that Jean puts nappies on.

She brings me stones and twigs and will always find an escape route out of any enclosed park area as soon as you let her loose! Including gaps in railings that you haven't even seen. She will the wait to see if you've noticed the escape - grin and runa away from you really really FAST!

She responds best to Lojban phrases as she realises these are aimed at her and not Jean as a result anyone who hangs around with us ends up using Lojban phrases.

She loves books but will hit laptops if you are not showing her what you are doing on them.

She will bring you shoes and socks and say shoooo and tap her feet indicating that you should put them on her, she loves playing peek a boo. If she wants to go out she will bring you your shoes too and then her coat and then the push chair. She ill move furniture about with a percistant dragging and pushing to be able to climb up to get things off the sides or open doors.

She is a loving and cheekily fun little Monster she is not half a rogue but a rogue and a half all by her self - I've told Jean this means I have about five rogueies in the house - she just smiles and agrees and then says 'ahhh look at Mary doing x,y and z' - I get a sweet but after the first ten minutes slightly grating commentary on everything the baby is doing.

Mary tries to emmulate the martial arts she has seen practiced which is a little unfortunate and painful as she can brake a hand lock if you are not expecting it!

We love our little monster and am so glad to have her. Jean says it feels like we have always had her but that she is suprising.

Stroud Water Festival 40 yrs Party (by sarah)

Last weekend we went to the Stroud On Water Festival for me to read my poetry - it was on our wanting to do list anyway so I was very happy to be asked and in some ways wish we had been able to spend the whole weekend there but obviously I had originally been booked for another festival which had to be canceled due to flooding. (Today we are off to another wet looking festival!).

It was a lovely festival with victorians wondering in to listen to poetry.

I got fed coffee, eton mess and other goodies whilst listening to the other poetry - Alaric and girls missed my performances which was a shame.

After the poetry we wondered about and bought plants and things and looked mainly at bees!

It was the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the restoration of the canals - so here are some photos of work on the canals 🙂

They had a steam roller!

But for me I think the highlight of the day was that as Alaric and the girls left a tent I heard '....good to see the Gotye impersonator has bought his children along...' I missed the rest of the conversation so am not sure it was Alaric that was ment but I think it must have been 🙂 On top of that random people he meets are now saying the same to him :/

Notye (by sarah)

SO I've had this idea of making Alaric pose as Gotye for photos but then this week I've had my younger cousins staying and the result is that we made a video of it!

It is a spoof of this Gotye song with elements of this cover by Walk Off The Earth. It is made with the laptop which had limitations but I think it's pretty good as a first film/music vid 🙂

Parallel Worlds Collide (by sarah)

Sometimes I do find myself wondering what would have happened if Alaric hadn't given up the syntherziser and focused on just programming or had taken it back up instead of metal work - as it is he is talking about maybe getting one for the music room when we have more money/one comes up on Freecycle.

Well a few days ago a friend posted a link on my face book saying doesn't this guy look alot like Al. And I got a glimpse of that other world - well if Alaric was Australian and had stolen Phil Collins voice but still liked all the types of music he does and had me make the videos (in this parallel world I'd have done my back-up career and ended up as an animator/special effects bod).

The guy is called Goyte and it is very surreal for me to watch this - its a spot the difference puzzel! Watch this video

As it is I feel very tempted to make a parody of a bits of this guys songs including my little Wiggly Pets sitting in tripods holding passport photos of Alaric out in front of them. What this video to see what I'm talking about.