A Mouse In France

I wonder why you feel compelled to push yourself s...

2009-11-08T10:44:57.340+01:00

I wonder why you feel compelled to push yourself so hard? Do you understand what drives you?
John

Oh, if I ever get to Oxford, I'd love to visit thi...

2009-11-08T04:37:51.895+01:00

Oh, if I ever get to Oxford, I'd love to visit this museum! Do go and treat yourself, you deserve it!

look to chinese astrology- the Rat is wise You are...

2009-11-07T22:04:03.648+01:00

look to chinese astrology- the Rat is wise
You are wise in not draining yourself away. ((hug))

Are there only the two extremes of mouse and rat? ...

2009-11-07T20:57:57.279+01:00

Are there only the two extremes of mouse and rat? Why does a mouse not have a moral duty to her own self preservation?

Hooray! Finally you've seen sense and realised tha...

2009-11-07T20:25:56.840+01:00

Hooray! Finally you've seen sense and realised that the most important person in your life is you. Don't worry about becomeing selfish because you're far too kind and generous to turn into a rat. Just focus on your needs and your happiness for a change and let the rest go. N.

"They can only do to you what you allow to be done...

2009-11-07T18:14:24.946+01:00

"They can only do to you what you allow to be done" is a thought I took to my own heart a while ago. Either embrace and enjoy or stop and change. Hope this helps.
The other day I said to someone that I had resolved to volunteer for nothing more this year. She pointed out that the end of the year is only weeks away. Well darn. Nevermind. We have to start setting parameters somewhere.

Some guy just tried to send me a large fraudulent ...

2009-11-06T13:44:30.798+01:00

Some guy just tried to send me a large fraudulent payment for an Ebay purchase. It was so stupid and obvious. Most of these people can't seem to write English which alerts you immediately. But it will take about two weeks before I can re list the item.
It is nasty.
My word verification today is hophope. Neat, eh?

oh little Mouse! I know everything that happened a...

2009-11-06T07:35:01.349+01:00

oh little Mouse! I know everything that happened at the beast. I know all that you went through and I know that it was not your fault. IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT. You were too smart and too clever for your less competent manager. You were too popular with your American colleagues (remember you were the darling of the maintenance and development teams), with your customers who praised you constantly, and with those of your colleagues who were not self-obsessed, lazy bitches. IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT that management made mistakes. IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT that you were bullied. IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT that you worked yourself into a break down. IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT. IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT. IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT.
PS It was not your fault
With love from one who knows

Hi Val. No, 'fraid not, the Ragazza is at uni and ...

2009-11-05T21:07:26.422+01:00

Hi Val. No, 'fraid not, the Ragazza is at uni and the Ragazzo starts work on Saturday. His first job (part-time) and I am so proud of him, he's come a long way in the last year. Nope, I shall remain at home taking care of my responsibilities but I may indulge in a small treat, perhaps a visit to the library and a latte at Costas. I really know how to live it up, don't I?

Hey.....shame, but can't you ask one of the kids t...

2009-11-05T20:27:07.307+01:00

Hey.....shame, but can't you ask one of the kids to paw sit for a night?

Alas and alack Val, there would be no room at the ...

2009-11-05T08:19:09.069+01:00

Alas and alack Val, there would be no room at the inn for 24 furry paws, lovely as it sounds I am floating in an Ark

Your post took me back to damp evenings swirled wi...

2009-11-05T00:26:05.941+01:00

Your post took me back to damp evenings swirled with wood smoke, sparklers hissing; leaving light trails in the dark and cooking limp sausages over the bonfire without them falling off the stick. "Please to Remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot!" Wave a sparkler at the night for me please.

C'mon...get out and enjoy yourself...go and enjoy ...

2009-11-04T20:02:13.457+01:00

C'mon...get out and enjoy yourself...go and enjoy a bonfire party in the rain with a friend....
Or take the time off to get a train or drive to Somerset on Friday afternoon...to Bridgwater, and enjoy the most amazing carnival experience ever(google Bridgwater Carnival for a peek)Book a nice b&b and stay over, going home on Saturday after a leisurely breakfast! If you want a new lovely experience just do it!!!!

Dear Mouse, Thank you for another touching post. ...

2009-11-03T20:00:29.023+01:00

Dear Mouse,

Thank you for another touching post. I’m so glad your fur ball is well.

I can relate to it all… From the all night vigil with a sick dog when I kept my hand on him until morning to make sure he was still breathing, to the anxiety of waiting out the possible effects (financial and otherwise) of the terrible hounds scavenging for a chicken carcass in the trash bin, to the anxiety of not having anyone to call for help, to the fight to protect your child from the meanness in the world (which I’m going through now as my own son has gotten himself in some trouble at school).

Take care. I keep you in my prayers. I especially pray that your health is improving. Like you, I am spiritual more than religious but especially as I get older I find comfort in faith, in believing in something out there. So I pray a lot these days.

Warmest wishes,
M.

Hi Not everyone is as lucky in the UK either, it c...

2009-11-03T12:18:44.658+01:00

Hi Not everyone is as lucky in the UK either, it can be a lottery, depending on where you live. And whether or not you or whoever could have the drugs to keep you alive through the NHS.

One thing I do agree with you about, is the letters that are sent out, and then if you don't attend a gentle little reminder..very good indeed.

Even I in my weakened state doled out candies to t...

2009-11-02T16:17:45.290+01:00

Even I in my weakened state doled out candies to the kids - wearing a gorilla mask with hairy black hands, black shirt, trousers and shoes. The kids have come to expect this, and I couldn't disappoint them! I'd love to see you in your witches hat - I'm sure you would be like the good witch of the North!!!

And, a belated Happy Birthday to Tashi

Would like to see that skirt. Nice images.

2009-11-01T14:04:29.357+01:00

Would like to see that skirt.
Nice images.

So should I...but I baked bread instead-so that wa...

2009-11-01T12:55:48.608+01:00

So should I...but I baked bread instead-so that was my fire!

Indeed. I should have celebrated. I should have do...

2009-11-01T10:50:08.755+01:00

Indeed. I should have celebrated. I should have donned my flimsy green net and silk skirt, the one adorned with leaves and pearls.I should have lit a small bonfire in the garden and surrounded it with candles in jam jars and little nightlights in coloured glass bowls. I should have sat under the stars and watched the flames dancing. I should have remembered family and friends departed, shed a few tears, smiled at the memories. I should have... Words that I once vowed to banish from my vocabulary, words that slipped away while I was in Brittany but now have returned to haunt me.
I should have...

Samhain, celebration of fire and cleansing. The Ce...

2009-11-01T10:06:30.974+01:00

Samhain, celebration of fire and cleansing.
The Celtic New Year.

Happy New Year, Happy New Beginnings

I'm glad your dog is O.K. Tibetans are great dogs,...

2009-10-31T18:18:39.904+01:00

I'm glad your dog is O.K. Tibetans are great dogs, not terrier-like at all. I remember how disquieting it was at times to call home from afar and hear "Oh, your mum can't come to the phone. She's in hospital having surgery." or " Dad broke his leg last week, falling down the back steps at grandad's house. He lay outside all night with an open compound fracture."
You know your children best and I'm not sure how old they are but remember that the best intentions can be misinterpreted. Children are proud to rise to the occasion. It strengthens them too. Good wishes for your health and peace of mind. I hope I didn't overstep any boundaries? xx

Well done you for baking! My gran, my mother and m...

2009-10-31T12:34:02.632+01:00

Well done you for baking! My gran, my mother and my aunt....all my near female forebears... got this type of cancer! Its not the killer it was and many survive....but its people who bake cakes and raise the cash that are the reason this is true!
I know you have health issues, ones we can only guess at but I was struck by what anonymous said, and your reply....and I am pretty sure you can return to France AND be treated under the NHS as you are not a permenant resident in France for health purposes for quite a while....a person I know who lives in France was offered treatment in either place!
I think it only needs you to have some sort of address still in the UK and this could even be a friend or relatives....or a rented house!
I know you know the system very well but its changing all the time and there is a way you can follow your dream whilst looking after your health....
AND surely taking control, living the dream and filling your life with positivity and hope, with a future to follow MUST be good for your health and well being?
Life is too short to keep saying one day.....

Ty Gobaith (with an ^ over the y) is Hope House in...

2009-10-31T00:22:38.174+01:00

Ty Gobaith (with an ^ over the y)
is Hope House in Welsh- will be similar in Breton :smile:

The world would be a darker place without Life's V...

2009-10-30T22:22:23.546+01:00

The world would be a darker place without Life's Volunteers. "Do what you can, where you are, with what you have" is one of my favourite quotes. I think of it as creating our own momentum for good, and yes it can be a joyous pain in the...

What would I do? I would return to France and spe...

2009-10-30T20:47:42.979+01:00

What would I do?

I would return to France and spend a few months making my house the most beautiful, gorgeous, place...

There would be a luxury suite in the attic space, with a very zen bedroom and an ensuite bathroom.

I'd turn the two large front bedrooms into guests rooms and the little gite into a peaceful, private retreat...

I'd sill it with books and sofas and quiet corners...

And then I would open it up to guests, the stressed-out, the heartbroken, the sick in mind and body, those who need somewhere to run to. As I did three years ago.

I would cook delicious dinners, bake cakes, host relaxing breaks, en famille. A kind of home from home for everyone

And for the adventurous I would take them on trips to explore Brittany

It would be HOPE
The house of postive energy

That is what I would do