Below are the 19 most recent journal entries recorded in Highlanddancer's LiveJournal:

Saturday, September 22nd, 2007
11:19 pm	Life is amusing me at the moment. Hectic as usual, but very amusing *grin* (and you're not going to find out why - for the time being anyway!!) Current Mood: amused (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, September 7th, 2007
8:36 pm	"£*#^$&! Who sends out pay cheques in the post to people who work for you? I can understand it if people are off sick etc. but not when they are sitting there at their desk. As a result of a friend's employer doing this I'm stuck at home doing nothing, instead of doing all the exciting things we had planned instead. Hmph! Hopefully things will improve tomorrow, otherwise I really will be pissed off! Current Mood: infuriated (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, July 9th, 2007
10:41 pm	Arbroath adventures Well, what a weekend. I went up to the Angus Accordion & Fiddle Festival in Arbroath. I was a bit anxious as I went up because most of the people there are friends of Ds, but, well, lets just say there were several people who were happier to see me there without D. Can definitely say that I made the most of being young, free and single again! It was great to catch up with 'old' friends such as GS, GB, SC, MA, IMcP, IH and make some new ones such as DC, GJ, BC & IC. Can't believe that I got to play the clarinet with a backing band of SC, BG, MH/IC & GJ/DC. Need to catch up with some sleep now. Current Mood: tired (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, July 2nd, 2007
12:32 am	Why won't the land stay still? Although I'm back on terra firma again, I feel like I'm still on an old train swaying back and forth. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 13th, 2007
11:51 pm	Parties!!!! I'm happy - I have tickets for the Arbroath Festival - and, more importantly, I've had an official invite to the late night sessions (ie the bit that I really enjoyed last year). Now I just need to work out whether I go for illegal but cheap accommodation (like sleeping on someone's floor or in the car at the Roseley) or whether I go for the more sensible but looking slightly impossible option of trying to book somewhere proper. Given that I'm useless at decisions at the moment, I think the first is more likely to happen. The best bit about the official invite is that it came from one of David's friends, but obviously they are still talking to me too which is good. Also need to find something suitable to wear - I need something which will make me look attractive to the eligible young men, but won't get me noticed by the older married men. Also needs to be something which I can dance in, but won't cause me embarrassment when I end up upside down over someone's shoulder (don't ask!) It's also almost the Marches. I hadn't been looking forward to it because GL is in America and JMcG has been in hiding, but WM is still going and seems to be up for the usual celebrations, so all is not lost. Current Mood: excited (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, April 14th, 2007
12:56 pm	Lots of updates Well it has been a wee while as life has been quite busy. Couple of weeks ago was Spring Fling in Oxford. It seemed strange to go a journey of that distance and not have to do most of the driving (thanks SW!) The weekend itself was good, although the school was quite far away from the Youth Hostel. Then I was only home for a couple of days before Belgium. Belgium was also good although different to what I expected given that DA wasn't there. I was staying with a 16 year old boy and his parents (put there because the boy was the Belgian accordionist and so would have something in common with D!) The festival was busy, but I did enjoy it. We had fantastic weather, Belgian beer is great and there were lots of people to dance with. I even managed to get my photo in the local paper (twice). The journey back was interesting. I was literally thrown on a train in Leuven, so I wasn't sure whether it stopped at the correct station in Brussels, so I ended up getting off a stop early to make sure I didn't end up in Ostend. Got onto the Eurostar which all went fine. Dad decided to come up on the GNER train from London with me (he really doesn't like flying!). We got to Kings Cross and watched two trains leave before we got on ours. Got to near Peterborough and we stopped. Afer waiting for a bit we started going again, but got told that we could only go at 100mph throughout the journey. Stopped again to allow all the other trains to pass us. Got thrown off the train at Newcastle and put on to another train. Got to Edinburgh after the last train to Markinch had left, so GNER paid for a taxi. I was quite glad to have wifi access as I knew about 3 hours before the other passengers what was happeneing. Have been back at work for two days now, but haven't really got back into the swing of things. Hopefully on Monday I will. I now have an entire weekend with no dances or anything else that I have to do at set times. Still have lots to do, but enjoying being able to do things at my own pace for once. Planning to make the most of it as next weekend is Glasgow/Aberdeen, the following probably Newcastle, the next possibly Kyle of Lochalsh and Castle Ceilidh, the next possibly Millport and so the list goes on until the middle of July! Now just need to start telling everyone that D and I are splitting up and sort out all the arrangements. Joy! Current Mood: weird (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007
11:17 pm	Infamy It doesn't usually happen, but my work has made it on to the internet! Famous at last (well, not really, as it doesn't mention my name!) Have even got recognition for it from the big boss at work - again doesn't usually happen. The work itself isn't that exciting, but for those of you who are curious and have free time you can find it at http://www.fifedirect.org.uk/uploadfiles/publications/c64_m1vvmb.xls. It's a pretty spreadsheet designed to help people work out how much they would be paid under the two different options that they were recently asked to vote on in the Trade Union ballot. Current Mood: geeky (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, March 18th, 2007
4:34 pm	Good News - almost I found a REALLY nice dress for the Assembly next week. It was cheap and it even said it was my size, but when I went to try it on it was way to big. Looks like I'll be going for one of the usual suspects. I've just managed to put glitter all over my laptop! Thinking this might not have been the cleverest thing ever. Need to find some motivation to clean the house up as I have people coming to stay next Saturday, and currently no-where to put them. Clearing the new kitchen from the living room will be a good start, and clearing all the crap that has accumulated in the back bedroom should finish it off. Having seen the houses of two out of the three people who are coming to stay, I won't feel too bad if things aren't perfect - but I would like to feel that the house was slightly less of a health hazard. Please could we have some more snow, so that I don't have to go to work tomorrow? That way I might get myself slightly more organised. (OK, so work is within walking distance so it would take quite a bit to mean that I couldn't get there, but at least if there is no-one else in I can do more of the things that I want to do, rather than what everyone else expects me to do). Starting to ramble now, so I'm going to go. Current Mood: restless (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, February 25th, 2007
12:13 pm	Rollercoasters So, when I finally manage to get off the rollercoaster that I appear to be on, is it going to have stopped at the top or the bottom? Or just derailed somewhere in between? I was never that fond of rollercoasters. Why does everything seem to happen at once? So many questions, so few answers. Oh, well. Current Mood: confused (2 Comments |Comment on this)
12:12 pm	Well this Hogmanay was a bit more adventurous than usual. D was playing at Burntisland Golf Club, but I decided that I didn't particularly want to spend 4 hours with a group of random strangers just so that we could bring in the New Year in the same room. So I had organised to go to the ceilidh in Kirkliston with Mum, Dad & Mo along with the F & G families. Unfortunately, TPTB decided to close the Forth Bridge - I mean COMPLETELY CLOSED! So I had a pretty terrifying journey across to the Kincardine Bridge and back along the other side of the river. Thankfully, by the time I was coming back the bridge had reopened, so the journey home was considerably shorter. Ended up going to the outlaws for a bit, so we didn't get home until after 3am. Had a bit of a long lie this morning then headed over to Edinburgh to watch my cousins and Lorna (Johnny's wife) taking part in the Triathlon. It was quite interesting, although slightly muddy. They were trying to persuade me to do it next year, but I don't think I'm brave/fit/mad enough! Then had dinner at Aunt Anne's before coming home to get things sorted out. Am feeling fairly productive, but don't seem to be able to get things done:- Need to get the new printer sorted and that would allow me to do more. Need to find out whether I'm still teaching NS Inters next term and if so what the programmes are for all the balls, so that I can get organised. Need to look at the application form for the alcohol license for IVFDF to see if I have all the info I need Need to work out what to get D for his birthday on Wednesday Need to contact James about Newcastle Festival to find out how much of a team we have. Need to write lots of band letters Need to sort out D's diary so that I have some idea of what I'm doing (probably need to phone GS, GB & SC once this is done!) Need to do D's accounts, but need to find the password to get onto the website Need to organise things in the house so that I can find them Need to look at kitchens cos I'm fed up having to wash everything I use before and after I use it. That's probably a long enough list for now! Apart from that I have the things I want to do like be able to play JN's piano by the beginning of July (well OK so I can play the piano, but not in the way that most of the guys who will be in Arbroath can, so I need to get better). Also need to work out how to be in two places at once by the first weekend in March (any suggestions welcome!) (Comment on this)
Monday, January 1st, 2007
10:43 pm	Happy New Year Well this Hogmanay was a bit more adventurous than usual. D was playing at Burntisland Golf Club, but I decided that I didn't particularly want to spend 4 hours with a group of random strangers just so that we could bring in the New Year in the same room. So I had organised to go to the ceilidh in Kirkliston with Mum, Dad & Mo along with the F & G families. Unfortunately, TPTB decided to close the Forth Bridge - I mean COMPLETELY CLOSED! So I had a pretty terrifying journey across to the Kincardine Bridge and back along the other side of the river. Thankfully, by the time I was coming back the bridge had reopened, so the journey home was considerably shorter. Ended up going to the outlaws for a bit, so we didn't get home until after 3am. Had a bit of a long lie this morning then headed over to Edinburgh to watch my cousins and Lorna (Johnny's wife) taking part in the Triathlon. It was quite interesting, although slightly muddy. They were trying to persuade me to do it next year, but I don't think I'm brave/fit/mad enough! Then had dinner at Aunt Anne's before coming home to get things sorted out. Am feeling fairly productive, but don't seem to be able to get things done:- Need to get the new printer sorted and that would allow me to do more. Need to find out whether I'm still teaching NS Inters next term and if so what the programmes are for all the balls, so that I can get organised. Need to look at the application form for the alcohol license for IVFDF to see if I have all the info I need Need to work out what to get D for his birthday on Wednesday Need to contact James about Newcastle Festival to find out how much of a team we have. Need to write lots of band letters Need to sort out D's diary so that I have some idea of what I'm doing (probably need to phone GS, GB & SC once this is done!) Need to do D's accounts, but need to find the password to get onto the website Need to organise things in the house so that I can find them Need to look at kitchens cos I'm fed up having to wash everything I use before and after I use it. That's probably a long enough list for now! Apart from that I have the things I want to do like be able to play JN's piano by the beginning of July (well OK so I can play the piano, but not in the way that most of the guys who will be in Arbroath can, so I need to get better). Also need to work out how to be in two places at once by the first weekend in March (any suggestions welcome!) (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, December 17th, 2006
5:38 pm	Am I mad? Well it's been an interesting weekend. Works Christmas party on Friday night, where I discovered that I can drink more than TG (no surprise!) and that he dances like Chandler from Friends. Also remembered why drinking vodka, red wine and Guiness is not good - but not til Saturday morning. Got to bed about 2. D started talking to me whenever he came in, but obviously not enough for me to look at the clock. 10am Saturday get a phonecall from MH. MA not well and he is having to take her to hospital. Means he can't drive D and JN to Birmingham. Have the bright (?!) idea that I could drive them. Run around in a panic getting everything ready that you need for a dance and a night away. E-mail and phone the band to say will not be at the concert (there's a silver lining to every cloud!) 11am should be leaving about now, but MH still hasn't sent us the programme or any information about where we are going, despite the fact that I've had 3 phone calls from him. 11.05 Information arrives. Printer won't work so have to write out salient points. Look out D's music and plant a bomb under him to get him moving. 11.40 eventually leave, but need to stop for fuel. Once start driving realise the water bottle is empty so I can't see out the front window, so have to stop again for more water. 1.30 Meet up with JN at Abington and head South. Find school, then go and get fuel/shopping/drink. Dance goes well and everyone is very thankful that we have been able to fill in for MA. Get a nice meal with a HUGE piece of yummy Strawberry Pavlova. Very welcome as breakfast and lunch didn't really happen. Head back to house (luckily following BB otherwise we would have been completely lost). Drink share of vodka and have an interesting talk with JN. He was trying to persuade me to go to the dance at Musselburgh festival, however, I don't think the IVFDF committee will be too chuffed if I buggered off on the Saturday night!!! Get up at 8am, breakfast and head up the road. More interesting talk with JN as D fast asleep as usual. JN helped with the driving thankfully, although I've still driven over 500 miles myself. Now going to have a Chinese, a hot bath and an early night! Zzzzzzzzz Hope MA feels better soon as she is really not right just now. Current Mood: sleepy (Comment on this)
Monday, November 13th, 2006
10:30 pm	Well today has been an interesting day. D had problems with his tyres last night, so I said he could take my car to work. So I set off walking to work. It only took just over half an hour, but proved how very unfit I am. Spent most of the day clearing out our office in preparation for our move. We were all getting so fed up of it by lunch time that TG offfered to take us for a drink. Everyone else seemed to wimp out though, so it ended up being just him and me. Then we discovered that the pub was closed for renovations, so we ended up in the dive they call the bowling alley. Still, we had a drink and an interesting wee chat. It's a bit of a shame that I'll be moving teams by the end of the week. D had put the front of his car up on blocks of wood while he was sorting out his wheel. He went away tonight and forgot to take the keys out of his car. Luckily some kind soul noticed them and brought them over. However, when I went out to lock the car up I managed to trip over the blocks of wood and go flying into the middle of the road (which is fairly solid). So I now have skint knees and hands (which sting like mad!). At least I managed to pick myself up before the car that was coming along the road ran me over. Lynsey says it's my own fault for drinking at lunchtime, but I'm not convinced that the two are connected. Had to take D round to do his class and then went to my tap lesson. We had 6 people, which was decidedly better than the two of us who turned up last week. The teacher isn't exactly dynamic, but it is fairly interesting. Should be getting the bathroom tiled later in the week, so hopefully by the weekend we will actually have a bathroom with something other than a bath in it (a toilet, sink, tiles and floor covering would be useful, to say nothing of a light!) Got to go to St Andrews tomorrow, so had better get myself sorted out. Current Mood: sore (Comment on this)
Friday, October 20th, 2006
6:12 pm	Just when I thought things were reasonably settled I discover I'm to move teams at work on 6th November. Not a problem, except that most of the department knew about it before I did. Probably as well my boss was off today and I have the weekend to cool down before speaking to him about it! I have a free night! So I've got a bottle of WKD Blue and plan to do very little. I'm going to try not to fall out with D (will be hard as he seems determined to annoy me). Got lots of things to do tomorrow, so hopefully will have a good nights sleep and feel ready for action. Current Mood: but improving (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 11th, 2006
11:10 pm	Why did I say I would take Inters class? Well, OK I didn't actually say I would, but hey that's a minor technicality. But then why did I have the bright idea of using it for my Teacher's cert? Hence, I now have someone coming to watch me tomorrow when I'm already nervous enough about it being my first real SCD teaching. It was even my idea that it was JH that is my mentor - I know it will be worth it in the end, but I wish tomorrow night was over. Better go and look out the instructions for all the wonderful things I have planned ;o) It wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't having the week from hell at work with tomorrow looking like being worse than what I've experienced so far. Can I fit an extra day in between now and then? I might feel ready to go into it then. Have eaten too much food (again) having been out for lunch and dinner. Both were very nice (too nice), so I guess the plan of actually getting into most of my clothes will have to go on the back burner again. Need sleep now Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Current Mood: anxious (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 27th, 2006
1:00 pm	OK, so what I thought was a cold has turned into a chest infection. I had a rough night last night, so have finally taken the day off work to try and recover. I need to recover and fast - I have to teach beginners Highland tomorrow, then I have the Ceilidh Ball on Friday and my gran's 85th Birthday party on Saturday. I really don't want to miss any of them, but I don't want to be passing on germs to elderly people either (OK so that's unlikely to be a problem at NS). At least it has given me time to do more on my creative streak. Landing up with doing the ball decorations has been fun. I know have LRB50 cut out in LARGE sheets of gold card. I have almost finished the place names for the top table. I have got lots of treble clefs made out of jewellry wire in the vague hope that they will hold down the helium balloons. Hopefully, I'll have an equally productive afternoon and everything will be fine. I might even get some sleep tonight! I hope so, because I should really be at work tomorrow. The doctor did say I should feel better in a couple of days, so that should be tomorrow ;o)! Current Mood: but coughing (Comment on this)
Saturday, September 16th, 2006
3:44 pm	It's not fair!! Why do I have to be ill now? I've already missed the first week of DD and NS Fresher's Ceilidh and I still don't feel right. At least my cold has gone passed the runny nose stage, so it's a bit easier to cope with. Having the kitchen flood from two different places hasn't been fun. At least I've got them sorted out now - just need to clear up the chaos it caused. I'm enjoying having a choice where I go for a few weeks. (D's only got private jobs that I can't go to). However, I am missing the contact with the band. Think I'll go dancing in Pitlochry tonight. PM is going with new gf so that will be fun. I think getting asked on Wednesday to do a dance on Saturday is a bit of a record for me!! Can't work out if having something to eat will make me feel better or not. Need to have something to eat before I go dancing. Could do with a bit injection of energy and enthusiasm. Been told that I'm moving teams at work as well. Just when I thought I'd got settled :o( However, J and N seem nice so it shouldn't be too bad. Not entirely sure what I'll be doing, given that most of my job seems to be going to the call centre - sorry, service centre - but I guess I'll find out in due course. Current Mood: but optomsitic (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, August 25th, 2006
11:35 pm	Can we please stop the world? I would like off for a bit - and this is during the 'quiet' Summer time! What will I be like when everything is back up and running in a few weeks time? At least I've survived the first week of the teachers being back. I feel sorry for JC as she gets most of the phone calls because everyone knows her name - the rest of us haven't been around long enough to be known that well. Off to Blackpool tomorrow (well Staining anyway). It's usually a good night, so I'm looking forward to it. Still have to make up D's programme, but that shouldn't take too long. Should be doing lots of productive things tomorrow as well, but not sure that I can be bothered. Some sleep would probably help, so I'll sign off for now. Current Mood: sleepy (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 8th, 2006
11:05 pm	Hello Well, I've finally ventured into this Brave New World. Not entirely sure what to write now that I've done it though :o( Got a big presentation to do at work tomorrow, so need to go and SLEEP!!! (Oh and also work out the asnwers to the test that I'm giving the folk to do!) Night, night everyone Current Mood: sleepy (2 Comments |Comment on this)