Percy Jackson Books

As mentioned previously I am away for the holiday period. I came away with my stepmum on the holiday that my dad had booked for the two of them. I was supposed to be joining them for part of the time anyway but ended up with me here for the whole holiday. Normally when I go away for just two weeks my suitcase is nearly all books but luckily for a joint birthday and christmas present my stepmum got me a kindle. I didn’t bring any physical books with me but I have done a lot of reading this holiday. I reread a few old favourites at the start of the holiday, plus a couple of trashy christmas themed romance type  chicklit, and then fr christmas I got some amazon vouchers. So I decided to buy the Percy Jackson books; I’ve been hearing good things about them and they’ve been on my radar for quite a while , so decided to bite the bullet and give them a go. I downloaded (thanks to my nice 3G connection) all 5 books and started reading. Liked them so much that i went in search of more and found that Mr Riordan was doing a follow on/spin-off series and the first two books were already out, so I bought those too……..but I now have the dilemma of a cliffhanger ending and having to wait until October for the third book in the new series. Aaargh!!

The Percy Jackson books are well written, entertaining, fast-paced and completely addictive. They are also quite educational full of historical facts (ok myths and legends but still). If you love stories abot Greek Gods, and ancient stories generally you will love these books. I read all seven in less than seven days and am seriously considering re-reading them immediately. For me that is the key test of a good book, will I re-read it? If the answer is yes, then it had something that caught me, when the answe is yes, immediately then it really impressed me. The Percy Jackson books make you think, I want to read them again now while they’re already fresh in my mind so I can find the parts that I might have missed on first reading, so I can look for clues to the things I know will happen.

Hopefully young readers will read these books and because of the way they are written will find a love of books and of reading. These are not just great stories they are an invite into a world of magic, myth and heroes; a place to escape to when you feel the need.

Well done Mr Riordan…………………….And please could we have the next installment sooner???

Happy New Year

Hi All,

quick post to say happy new year. I’m currently out of the country but will be back soon.

Hope you’re all having a lovely holiday period, and enjoying time with loved ones.

Here’s to 2012.

*Cheers*

P.S. I am doing this as a scheduled post. I’ve never done one before so we’ll see how it goes.

(It didn’t work but I know where I went wrong. Will try again).

RIP Gary Speed

This is a short post to send my deepest condolences to the family of Gary Speed.

I remember him as a member of the Leeds United dream team of my school days. I even remember bumping into him a couple of times when I was going out drinking in Leeds. He seemed to be a genuinely nice guy and I don’t remember ever hearing a bad word about him.

It’s always sad when someone dies so young and if the reported manner of death is correct it is even more tragic; that someone who appears to have everything going for them could feel so hopeless as to take their own life is something that seems to be causing a lot of confusion.
People seem to think that if you are depressed it is there all the time and you can’t possibly seem as if you’re really happy and positive one day and be so low the next. What they don’t realise is that if you suffer from depression you can be fine one minute and 5 minutes later a switch has flicked in your head and everything suddenly feels hopeless. There is no safe place from what’s inside of us.

I hope that all those who suffer from depression can see this as a way to start having conversations about depression. Hopefully by talking about it we can do something to end the stigma of mental illness.

Take care out there, and look out for each other.

Guy Fawkes

Remember remember the 5th November

Gunpowder treason and plot

I know of no reason the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot

Last night I watched one of my favourite films, it seemed to fit in with the date and I’d just bought a new copy on Blu-ray. The film is V for Vendetta. It’s set in the not too distant future (or present depending on your point of view) in England, and the premise is a dystopian thriller. The hero’s plans for what he sees as a corrupt and morrally ambiguous government are inspired by Guy Fawkes. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away but while watching the film (a film I’ve seen many times before) I was struck by the irony of the 5th November.

In the current climate where terrorism is a very real issue and we are constantly facing new rules and regulations meant to keep us safe and protected from terror suspects, isn’t it ironic that every year we set aside a whole day to celebrate a man trying to blow up the seat of government? It is Guy Fawkes night and the very acts of celebration (lighting fires, setting off fireworks, etc) all symbolise what Guy Fawkes was trying to do, we don’t seem to be celebrating his failure or death but the actual thing he was attempting to accomplish.

Every year we remember a freedom fighter who tried to create what he thought would be a better world. He may not have achieved what he set out to do but just maybe the fact that 400 years on his name is still remembered and his efforts are still celebrated means that he did achieve something that could create that better world. His legacy sits as a reminder to governments everywhere that it is the people who place them in power and they are accountable to those same people for the choices they make. There is a line in the film “People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people”. I believe this is something Guy Fawkes would have agreed with. His methods may have been wrong but the ideas behind them were sound.

People have to stand up and be counted.

Hope everyone enjoyed their 5th November celebrations.

Writing this I was reminded of the number of countries that have days of celebration in remembrance of ruling parties being overthrown or corrected in some way. Maybe there’s hope for humanity afterall.

Take care out there. xx

Birthday

It’s my birthday today and it feels strange not to have talked to my dad; he was always the first on to phone me (usually waking me up) to sing happy birthday. I’m trying hard not to dwell or be too sad; it’s not what he would have wanted and it doesn’t do anyone any good. It just feels strange.
I sat this morning and had a talk to his picture, didn’t get a response but didn’t actually expect one. Why do we do that? I talk to my mum sometimes too. Just tell her what’s going on, how i’m feeling, that sort of thing. When she died I remember my dad telling me that it was ok to talk to her, even if she didn’t answer she was still watching me and listening. I like to think that now he’s with her and they’re both keeping an eye on me. I guess I’d better start behaving myself really.

I’m going out for lunch with some of my family today; stepmum, 2 of my sisters and their families. Should be quite nice, as long as everyone behaves.

Right, I’d better get on and get stuff done. Take care out there.

Howdy

Hi,

it’s been a while since I was here. I’m a couple of stones lighter (not as many as I hoped but it’s going the right direction at least), and there have been some major happenings in my life.

You might remember in my last post I talked about going Geocaching, well I did start going. Mainly on weekends, but sometimes through the week if I had the time off. It’s nice to just get out in the fresh air and walk, and the bonus of finding ‘treasure’ is great.

I also finished another year of uni, and have just (this weekend) started the next year. This year I’m doing my compulsory courses for my degree. Doubling up again but I’m getting to enjoy the pressure plus I get summer off, and this year it’s a level 1 combined with a level 2 so should be fairly light compared to my two level 3s last year.

I hit a bit of a road bump this summer. I had just come off my anti-depressant mediction and was starting to feel as if my life was finally starting to come together; losing weight, exercising, getting through uni, becoming a happier person. And that’s when I hit the bump….

My dad passed away. Although he’d had heart disease for 12 years, he’d been really well lately and his death came as a massive shock to everyone. There was no warning and he wasn’t ill. He just had a sudden massive heart attack, the paramedics said he wouldn’t have known anything about it and he was dead before he even hit the floor, sounds morbid but at least it was quick and he didn’t know anything about it. He would have hated to be an invalid or being hooked up to machines. I still can’t quite believe he’s really gone and it’s been 10 weeks now.

I have always been a daddy’s girl and since my mum died when I was 12 the bond has only gotten stronger, even when my dad got remarried (I was 20 and actually set them up) I was still very close to him. So to say I’m struggling is an understatement. I feel like when my dad died part of me left with him. I can’t focus properly, my memory is shot, and I just feel a bit blah. If it wasn’t for the things I’m doing for my stepmum I might wonder what’s the point…I’m not suicidal but if it wasn’t for the things I’m doing for others I might struggle to get up and dressed every day. I’m sure things will pick up and I’ll get back to some semblance of normalcy but I can’t imagine what that will look like now.

On the plus side, losing my dad has made me realise who my real friends are. It’s also been amazing the number of people who knew my dad and have taken the time when they see me to come up and tell me how much he will be missed and what a nice man he was. It sounds silly but it does help to know how well people thought of him.

Right must get on with some uni work.

Saty safe out there, and give your parents/loved ones a call and tell them you love them. You never know when you won’t get the chance again.

Walking based hobbies

When my physio told me I couldn’t do anything more than walking or swimming (with some resistance work) until I’d lost another 3 st at least, I have to admit I panicked. I can’t afford to go swimming, and walking just doesn’t feel like real exercise, but if I don’t want to completely knack my knee and back I have to do as she says. I am also supposed to be doing Yoga, but am struggling to find a decent class that doesn’t cost the earth.

So I’m trying to increase my walking. I apparently have to do this slowly so my body can get used to the increase in exercise. I’ve started walking to the farthest bus stop on an evening when I finish work, takes me about 15 minutes, which doesn’t seem very much but is more than I was doing before. My next step is to start walking to a farther bus stop on a morning too, I always go to the bus stop at the end of my street but there is a bus stop about 10 mins walk away which would actually give me more choice of buses, so starting tomorrow I will be going to that stop.

This idea of increasing my walking has brought an old hobbie back to mind, Geocaching,  it was something I really enjoyed and got me out in the fresh air, walking. I plan to go out once a week, probably on a Saturday morning. I started this week because I had a few days off work, I went out to Golden Acre Park and must have ended up doing 4 or 5 miles, but it was all on fairly flat pathways, and I really enjoyed it. Was a couple of inches deep in mud wearing my running trainers but I had a big smile on my face the entire time.

Here’s a shot of the wooded nature reserve leading to Paul’s Pond.

So hopefully will be doing more Geocaching, thinking next weekend I might go up to Meanwood Valley.

Light at the end of the tunnel

I have suffered from clinical depression since i was 15 (and i was slim until i was around 22) but it’s only these last 3 years that have made a real difference. The last 6 months i feel like i am finally crawling out of a very dark tunnel. I gained weight with ADs, but am now in a place where i have reduced my dose to the point where in a few months i will be able to stop them completely, this has meant my eating is much better as i finally feel like i am in control of my life at last. I didn’t get to this point alone; i have an amazing GP, and saw 2 excellent psychologists who helped me deal with all my underlying issues, especially around food.

I’m not saying that my life now is perfect, or that i never have days where i eat until i’m stuffed and then continue shovelling the food in, or that i only ever eat good stuff……because those things are just not true. But when i have those days now i am in a place where the next day i can look at them and instead of feeling guilty and beating myself up, i can step back and say “Ok, that wasn’t the best solution but it’s done and i can’t change it but today is a new day and i can start again.”

It took a long time and a lot of work to get where i am, but i finally feel like i can handle life, being slim won’t change how i feel or who i am but maybe it’ll make it easier to show others who i really am.

I’m proof that it is possible. But you have to be prepared for the fact that it will be hard and some days you’ll want to throw the towel in, the really hard part is recognising when that happens, and the next day accepting that it happened and moving on.

Flying visit!

Hey folks,

just a flying visit to apologise for my lack of posts recently. It’s the final month of one of my courses and the work load is currently very heavy. Once it’s done and things settle down I will get back to posting more often.

Thanks for tuning in and being patient. I know how frustrating it is when you read a blog and there are never any new posts.

Back soon. xx

London Calling

We set off from Leeds at 11:20, called in at Sheffield Meadowhall to collect some more passengers and we were back on the motorway by 12:00. It’s now 12:44 and we’ve just passed a sign saying ‘Nottinghamshire – Robin Hood Country’.  It looks pretty tree heavy  up ahead, and I’m pretty sure that it’s Nottingham Forest. There’s also lots of fields of rapeseed, they’re all yellow and happy looking. You get them all over Britain, it’s where most of our vegetable oil comes from in the UK. We had a 15 minute break at Watford Gap services, but other than getting off the bus to stretch my legs I didn’t go far, I couldn’t be bothered putting all my stuff away so I could go to the bathroom, or get a coffee, and I didn’t want to leave my new netbook sitting on the bus by itself. So just got up and stretched for 5 minutes then went and sat back down. I was really lucky with the bus journey, the bus was supposed to be pretty much full but about eight passengers didn’t turn up so I got two seats all to myself, which meant I could spread out and get comfy.

We got to London Victoria coach station about 5 minutes early and I set off through London to find my hotel. I’m staying in the Earls Court area and it’s really nice. The hotel is fairly basic but it’s clean and tidy, and in a lovely quiet little square just a minute’s walk from Earl’s Court Road. So I get the best of both worlds, the bustle of shops, bars, and restaurants on the doorstep and the quiet of a reserved neighbourhood. I’m planning to keep the hotel information on file and will definitely stay here again next time I’m in London. My only complaint (come on, there had to be one) is that the matress is really old; very soft and lumpy, some people might like a soft matress, but I like my matress to be pretty firm, so I’ve got a slight back ache from the bed, but I’d still stay here again. I plan to leave a glowing review on Trip Advisor, because it had had a few negative reviews and I honestly can’t understand why. I’ll add some pictures when I get home, I would add them now but being the numpty I am I forgot to bring my card reader so have no way to get them from my camera to my computer.

Later I’m going to see the matinee performance of The Night of 1000 Voices at The Royal Albert Hall, my stepmum is part of a choir that is involved in it. It should be amazing. I can’t wait.

Right I really must do some uni work before I go out. How sad am I bringing uni work on holiday with me??? But it has to be done, I’ve got lots of assignments due in in the next 4 weeks, so need to get ontop of it all.

Keep tuned.

Toni. xx