From the Universe

Yesterday I watched a small bird, flying very fast, disappear into the canopy of an oak tree. So dense were its leaves that it was impossible to see what happened next, though I can tell you it remained inside.

I wondered how the little bird found its opening through the leaves at such a speed, and then managed to gently align its fragile body on the branch it chose to land upon, all within a fraction of a second. Not to mention the impossible to imagine flying maneuvers required: the banking, the curling, the vertical and horizontal stabilizations, the deceleration and landing.

Memory? Calculation? Not in that tiny brain. Instinct? Maybe, but how does instinct know which way the branches of a tree have grown when no two are the same?

That little bird just knew. It had faith, in spite of not being able to see how things would work out, that if (and only if) it stayed the course the details would be taken care of; that an opening would appear and a twig would be found. In fact, had she slowed down enough to carefully and logically inspect the tree first, the prudent thing to do, she would have lost her lift and fallen to the ground.

Kind of like reaching for your dreams. Neither memory, nor calculating, nor instincts are the deciding factors, but faith coupled with action.

Tallyho,

The Universe

Broken

You can't break it unless it's cracked or flawed.

You can't repair it if it doesn't want to be fixed.

I tried.

By then the train has sped past the station and was out of control.

I don't expect understanding.

Don't expect forgiveness.

I just see the other side of the coin.

The destruction was not a solo mission.

On Hold.....

My beautiful friend Lifesinger reminded me that I had been neglecting my duties of entertaining fellow blogger(s).

I must apologise however it may continue for a bit longer...

This moving house lark is proving tougher than I thought, and juggling other things as well is proving very tricky... someone had switched the jungling balls to clubs of fire when by back was turned!

I'll be back soon I promise, but until then, please hold...

From the Universe

My wish for you, is that you succeed beyond your wildest imagination. That you find love in places that astound you. And that you have friends who call you "just because."

I dream that you go barefoot more than you wear shoes. That you play as hard as you work. And that you laugh more than you cry.

I want you to set the bar high, but not too high. To reach for the stars, but with your toes on the ground. And to never, ever stop dreaming.

But most of all, I wish for your happiness.
And these dreams of mine are what started it all.

Besos,

The Universe

Room 101

Commuting

we need a law that says that you have to live within 10 ks of where you work...

Quirky Tuesday

what the...........

found this pic on UK shopping site... someone may have bought this... someone may be wearing this right now!

Our House - Week 16

we have a fence on one side (thanks to our neighbours)

Everything is plastered, the above pic shows all our internal doors stacked up in the house. The architraves are up too.

You can see more here

Cool Things I found This Week

Having a quiet moment at my desk at work, and noticed how this wood grain looked like a bear.

Ok, so you have to squint and tilt your head, but you get it.... right?

From the Universe

It's not what's happening around you that determines your health, finances, or hotness, but what's happening inside of you - exclusively.

You hottie,

The Universe

p.s: When you bring "it" to me in thought, I'll bring "it" to you as a thing - no matter what, no matter what, no matter what.

Room 101

Grey Marle

If you wear grey marle – you look like a dick… see?

Quirky Tuesday

19 of the most ridiculous complaints made by holidaymakers to their travel agent.

• "The beach was too sandy."
• A guest at a Novotel in Australia complained his soup was too thick and strong. He was inadvertently slurping the gravy at the time.
• "Topless sunbathing on the beach should be banned. The holiday was ruined as my husband spent all day looking at other women."
• "We bought 'Ray-Ban' sunglasses for five euros (£3.50) from a street trader, only to find out they were fake."
• "No-one told us there would be fish in the sea. The children were startled."
• "It took us nine hours to fly home from Jamaica to England it only took the Americans three hours to get home."
• "My fiancé and I booked a twin-bedded room but we were placed in a double-bedded room. We now hold you responsible for the fact that I find myself pregnant. This would not have happened if you had put us in the room that we booked."
• "I compared the size of our one-bedroom apartment to our friends' three-bedroom apartment and ours was significantly smaller."
• "The brochure stated: 'No hairdressers at the accommodation'. we're trainee hairdressers - will we be OK staying here?"
• "We found the sand was not like the sand in the brochure. Your brochure shows the sand as yellow but it was white."
• "We had to queue outside with no air conditioning
• "I was bitten by a mosquito - no-one said they could bite
• "It's lazy of the local shopkeepers to close in the afternoons. I often needed to buy things during 'siesta' time - this should be banned."
• "On my holiday to Goa in India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don't like spicy food at all."
• "We booked an excursion to a water park but no-one told us we had to bring our swimming costumes and towels."

Wise Words from My Chocolate Wrapper

Change is inevitable, except from vending machines

From the Universe

It's so ridiculously, yet painfully simple, that you're going to have a knock-down, hair-pulling, tongue-twisting, feet-stomping, baby-pouting, screaming fit (this happens all the time here), when you see that all you truly ever had to do to get heaven and earth to shake, rattle, and roll, was hold in your mind what you wanted, feel its emotional reality, and behave as if you already had it.

Just thought I'd warn you.

Affectionately,

The Universe

Room 101

AMI's Nasal Technology

... cause sometimes there is nothing wrong with a 2 minute man. You can get it all over and done with so I can get back to watching Private Practice.

btw... The pic came up when I googled Nasal technology for a pic to post. Made me giggle!

Quirky Tuesday

Someone at work bought lollies for my jar...

Think they're meant to be fruit????????

Little Funny

Wanda's dishwasher quit working so she called in a repairman. Since she had to go to work the next day, she told the repairman, 'I'll leave the key under the mat. Fix the dishwasher, leave the bill on the counter, and I'll mail you a check. Oh, by the way don't worry about my dog Spike. He won't bother you.''But, whatever you do, do NOT, under ANY circumstances, talk to my parrot!''I MUST STRESS TO YOU: DO NOT TALK TO MY PARROT!!!'

When the repairman arrived at Wanda's apartment the following day, he discovered the biggest, meanest looking dog he has ever seen. But, just as she had said, the dog just lay there on the carpet watching the repairman go about his work.The parrot, however, drove him nuts the whole time with his incessant yelling, cursing and name calling.

Finally the repairman couldn't contain himself any longer and yelled,'Shut up, you stupid, ugly bird!'To which the parrot replied,'Get him Spike!'

Our House - Week 14

Ciaran's room

Ducts for heating in, and the insulation batts.

My room - en suite to left, robe in middle, exit right.

We're at lock up stage, which I thought meant that the doors were locked, but while taking photos through the windows I fell through the laundry door, which was not locked and obviously not shut properly either!

So my other theory is that lock up means I need a short stay in a mental institution due to all the stress!

You can view more photos here

Swine!

OOps

I treated myself to new shoes at the weekend. Put them on Monday for work… they felt very uncomfortable, so I took them off again. The right one wasn’t too bad, but the left one felt strange.

Thought I’d give them another go this morning.. did the straps extra tight and decided they may just need breaking in.

Got to work, and while talking to my boss happened to glance down and see a dark shadow peeking out of the side of my left shoe… no matching shadow on the right shoe. Then I realized…..

In the shop I had only tried on the right shoe. They had cardboard inserts in to support the front. I had taken the insert out at the shop.

The cardboard insert was still in the left shoe… and I had been wearing them like that, with discomfort, for 3 hours!

From the Universe

There isn't a moment in any day, when someone, somewhere, isn't better off because of something you've done.

And no matter what you do, or don't do, with the rest of your life, you cannot now comprehend the amounts of love, joy, and personal assistance that are already being pressed out to you in gratitude.

Must be nice,

The Universe

I love Bandwagons!

Jumped right onto the latest Bandwagon....

yup... I'm a twitterer now.

.... and you can follow me here

If ya got any other Bandwagons I can jump on ... let me know....

.. otherwise... jump on board!

From the Universe

Ever notice how, when someone dreams of happiness, abundance, health, romance, or friendship, they never have to wonder if it's in their best interest?

But when someone dreams of a specific house, employer, love interest, deadline, dollar amount, or diet fad, they often end up contradicting themselves?

Keep your "end results" general. Everything else is just a how.

To the big picture,

The Universe

Quirky Tuesday

Simple Ways to beat the Economy failure:

• Walk everywhere
• Shareware!
• Get more creative.. make instead of buy!
• Sleep until it goes away

(well I never said they were realistic or practical ways... did I??!)

Manic Monday

Do you enjoy brain teasers or do you find them frustrating?

I love crosswords and Suduko, and brain teasers I can work out. There are some in the Sunday paper I get that annoy the hell out of me... mostly because I haven't a clue how to solve them, and when I sent them to my Dad he could do them right away, but wouldn't tell me how! Grrr!

Do you have any unusual collections?

I do have a "collection" of coloured paper clips... all clipped together in a chain. For some reason if anyone ever sent me documents with coloured paper clips on I would keep them for my chain... I could never bring myself to part with them. (cuckoo!!!)

What do people notice about you within the first hour of meeting you (other than appearance)?

How the hell should I know! I hope it would be my sunny nature.. I always try and crack a few jokes.. I guess that's my way of overcoming my shyness and nervousness. When I tell people I am shy my friends laugh... "no way!"... I guess they don't remember that I was awkward when I first met them!

Our House - Week 9

I love my new bricks!

Cool Things I found This Week

well, the driver wasn't cool... probably should really be "stupid drivers I found this week"

From the Universe

People, when given a chance, smile, skip, and dance.

They create, play, and laugh.

They care, share, and love.

And the ones who don't, haven't yet realized that chances are something you give yourself.

Double dare you,

The Universe

Room 101

Plastic Shower Curtains

... cause they stick to your ass while you're rinsing and scare the shit out of you!

Monday Meme

who would be your celebrity boyfriend?

Mine is:

Ben Affleck

You're matched with the successful movie star Ben Affleck. You'd be sharing this handsome, charming gentleman with his wife Jennifer Gardner and daughter Violet Anne Affleck. Who says we can't ALL live happily?

.... hmmmm not sure I wanna share!???

Our House - Week 8

We now have a roof....

... windows....

....guttering and the start of brick walls!

Remember... more here

Things I Learned This Week

• I can't do all day drinking anymore!
• Just I am being straight with someone doesn't mean they are being straight with me.
• I hate airplanes
• You can take round bladed scissors to Newcastle in your hand luggage, but you can't bring them back with you.

Hi!

I've been staring at a blank post for about 20 mins, trying to think of something to say.

Can't think of anything.

So, HI!

Here's a cute pic.

and no.. not my dog.. he's never as cute as this! :)

From the Universe

Until the really "great" stuff comes along, do the not-so-great stuff.
The not-so-great stuff always leads to the great stuff.
Whereas doing nothing pretty much leads to nowhere.

And do it with a passion
- The Universe

Music Meme

Using ONLY SONG TITLES from ONE artist, cleverly answer these questions:
[ADDITIONAL RULE: You cannot use the same artist I did, or duplicate song titles even if they were performed by another artist. Make sure you send a copy to the person who sent you this.]NOTE: Feel free to look on Google (Wikipedia, too) for a complete list of songs.

I chose Meatloaf

1. Are you a male or female:
Modern Girl
2. Describe yourself:
Bat out of Hell
3. How do you feel about yourself?
What you see is what you get
4. Describe your ex boyfriend/girlfriend:
45 Seconds of Ecstacy
5. Describe your current boy/girl situation:
Dead Ringer for Love
6. Describe your current location:
Nowhere Fast
7. Describe where you want to be:
Piece of the Action
8. Your best friend:
Special Girl
9. Your favorite color is:
Mercury Blues
10. You know that:
Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer than They Are
11. What’s the weather like?
Sunshine (Where's Heaven?)
12. If your life was a television show what would it be called?
Everything Louder than Everything Else
13. What is life to you?
Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back
14. What is the best advice you have to give?
It Takes All Kinds of People
15. If you could change your name what would it be?
Jessica White

Our House - Week 6

Most of the Pics can be seen here, but here's a couple of teasers!

From the Universe

When you can look beneath their behavior that hurt you, and you can see the frightened child - it becomes nearly impossible to be angry and carry a grudge.
And you so can.
ILY,
The Universe

Besides, your happiness, abundance, health, and friendships are not dependent on how others behave.

Our House - Week 3

and we have a slab!!!!!!!!!

(btw guys... you can see bigger pics on my facebook page

The Name Game

1.YOUR REAL NAME:
BHB (well... u know)
2.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME:(mother and fathers middle names)
Anne Malcolm
3.NASCAR NAME:(first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)
Ron Arthur
4.STAR WARS NAME:(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
TayTr (or BunBL)
5.DETECTIVE NAME:(favorite color, favorite animal)
Pink Leopard
6.SOAP OPERA NAME:(middle name, town where you were born)
Anne Harrogate
7.SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
Purple The Gin
8.FLY NAME:(first letter of 1st name, first 3 letters of your last name)
T-Tay (or B-Bun)
9.STREET NAME:(fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie/biscuit)
Chocolate Shortbread
10.SKANK NAME: (1st pet's name, street you grew up on)
Candy Whitehouse
11.GANGSTA NAME:(first 3 letters of first name plus 'izzle')
Tra-izzle (or Bluizzle)
12.YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Trixie
13. STRIPPER NAME: (name of your fav perfume/cologne, fav candy)
Happy Mentos (sounds more like an Adam Sandler movie)

From the Universe

Never compromise a dream.
Sure, take a step back, regroup, go bowling, but never compromise a dream.

Ciao,

The Universe

Well... I don't really bowl, but I do love the shoes.

Room 101

Never enough-ers

Never happy with their lot.. always have something to complain about. You know the ones... they get taken for a wonderful day out, and yet complain about the few spots of rain they got.. The would win the lottery and complain about having to pay taxes or having to go all the way across town to pick up the cheque.

These people need to be given special glasses that let's them see the good things in life. We'll call them posi-specs.

Quirky Tuesday

Things to make you happy:

• Warm rainy days
• A cheesy joke
• Dark chocolate dipped strawberries
• A long hug - given with "feeling"
• A handwritten letter from a friend

Our House - Week 2

Staked out.
Our new outdoor tap.

Our new Gas MeterOur view. Look very carefully and you can see Macca's

Our colour scheme. Red bricks with dark grey roof and trim, neutral tile, white bathrooms, neutral kitchen.