Wimbledon fever!

John_03
Originally uploaded by venneriteau
Sorry for the break in posts. No excuses, just redoubled effort from now on.

Are you watching Wimbledon? I'm currently watching the Mahut-Isner game, it's insane! It's currently 63 games all in the final set, they have to continue until one of them is two games clear. I'm cheering for Mahut, partly because I love an underdog (he's unseeded), and partly because he was so adorably incoherent when they suspended play yesterday. Whatever the outcome, I suspect the winner will go out in the next round, as a result of exhaustion. It's almost a shame that one of them has to lose.

Post edit: Isner took the fifth and final set 70 games to 68. Amazing.

Swim, little fish, be free!

Schwimmbad
Originally uploaded by duqueıros (away)

A confession: I'm not very good at swimming. I'm not desperately keen on putting my nose and mouth underwater as a matter of course, which makes the whole staying afloat thing that bit more tiring. Despite these limitations, I do enjoy pootling up and down lanes at the pool.

Imagine my delight, then, to find that my new borough offers three free swimming sessions a week for girls and women, on top of free swimming for all on Friday. All that's needed is a Pay and Play card, which costs around £3 a year. Woo!

(There is a risk that this scheme will be short-lived, as our not-so-fluffy-or-caring-now-we're-actually-in-power government axed the nationwide free swim scheme yesterday. Apparently most people questioned would have paid to go anyway. Rot, I say. This is where I give thanks for living in an area with an entirely Labour council, who will likely hold out against such cuts for as long as humanly possible)

So, today being Friday, I'm off to the pool! Have a good day!

*The title of this post is something my siblings and I would say to creatures we'd netted on rockpooling expeditions, as we tipped them back into their watery homes at the end of the day.

The people I love are the wonders of my world

free 'group' hugs
Originally uploaded by kalandrakas

I am so lucky to have the friends I do.

One of those wonderful people goes by the name 'Lovely Jo'. We met when we were doing our A-Levels, and she has been a constant source of delight since.

Some things you should know about Lovely Jo:
- When she was 16, she cooked a fish pie in the microwave for so long, that when she dropped it on taking it out, it bounced.
- She came down to London for my 21st birthday party, just to help me make brownies. And only told me that she is allergic to nuts after she'd stirred them into the mix, because it was "your cake".
- One afternoon, when she was having a rubbish time, she got the train down from Birmingham, and we walked round and round Leicester Square in the rain, scoring massive amounts of free chocolate from the teams promoting the second Bridget Jones film.

Today I learned that Lovely Jo marries her very own Boy next summer, the first of my secular friends to do so. Lovely Jo, I'm so very very happy for you.

Weekend!

los hilos de la vida...
Originally uploaded by LauDeu

What are your plans for this weekend? So far, I'm planning a cycle ride across Victoria Park to pick up some tasty lamb shoulder from The Ginger Pig (The Boy has a craving for a roast on Sunday), mowing the lawn, and mastering my darn sewing machine. I'm clearly not threading it properly, as the material keeps puckering. Sadly, the manual doesn't have a section on "How to use a sewing machine if you're so clumsy that you were banned from touching one in Textiles class and instead put on applique duty for a term", so I'll have to muddle on through as best I can...

Two exciting eBay purchases today: a Polaroid camera and a Super 8 cine camera, for under £20! Must remember that film for both is hella expensive, but I can't wait to experiment!

Have a wonderful weekend, all!

*Swoon*

"I love my life with you in it"

The Boy last night, right after we decided to make dinner with the contents of the freezer, billing it a "Bird's Eye Special". (Bloody lovely it was too)

Basement golf - 1950s style

Just when I thought I was headed for a day-long grump, I come across this.


Basement golf - 1950s style
Originally uploaded by Ever So

How cool would it be to have a crazy golf course in your cellar? Can you imagine the parties? The childlike glee as you attempt to loop the loop? Never mind that you can't fully stand up in ours, I'm *this* close to going to find a load of MDF and green felt.

Grey day, grey mood

Today has been what nienie calls a "slow cooker day". Difficult to get off the ground, you know? A parcel from eBay was broken (but was just about salvaged by digging out the superglue), the managing agent from my previous property has decided to go AWOL with forms that needed to be dealt with, like, last Friday, and plenty of other niggly things that make me a grumpy wench. I think I need me a bike ride.

Still, it's not all bad, not at all. How can I not laugh when I look up from breakfast to see this?


Shelf cat strikes!
Originally uploaded by Ever So

Best of a bad job

Due to ongoing building work, all the windows in my department at work have been boarded up, leaving us without light or fresh air. I think my manager had it right when he said it's like being on a cruise ship, in the cheapest cabin imaginable. The paint and sealant fumes were getting people down, until we realised the enormous potential for artistic expression...

Here the lovely Rebecca provides the weather report, updated whenever anyone goes outside (earlier this morning it was scattered showers):



Weather report
Originally uploaded by Ever So

You can take our light and our air, but you'll never crush our spirit!

Nesting

Is there anything better than spending an evening making your surroundings yours?

An unexpected evening without The Boy turned into a wonderfully self-indulgent, yet productive, evening. Supper alone in the kitchen (with a glass of beer in the fading sun) gave way to pottering around upstairs. At some point my cleaning playlist was pulled up (the one that starts with credibly upbeat Stevie Wonder, and drops any pretence of cool around the 80 minute mark to combat flagging energy levels) and by 10 I'd unpacked the last of my clothes and cleared the spare room. I'm now basking in that tired, pat-on-the-back feeling that comes from a job well done.

Truth be told, I used to loathe my own company, it's only in the past two years I've come to cherish, and jealously safeguard, my time alone. I use it for housekeeping - things like my paperwork, housework, and work on myself (physical and mental).

Tomorrow, the remaining furniture in the study.

Hello there!

Welcome to Ever So, my little blog about finding happiness in life. I'm just starting up, so will be adding things as I get the hang of it. Bear with me, I'm very happy to have you here!

Sarah x