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I can't believe that I've been back home in the UK for a year now, in fact, been in my job a year yesterday.  Then I realise how the time is flying and I'm not really doing the things that I meant to as so many other things are getting in the way - life getting in the way of living and me not being able to get out of my own way I guess.

Quick round up... work is manic, working too many hours and what really sucks is that it is expected of me (and my team) to get the job done and we are too professional to let it fail.  Could be worse I suppose but sometimes, when I've done a 50, 60 or 70 hour week, it doesn't feel like it.  R started a job at the beginning of this month and so far it's going okay.  I do hope that he likes it as there is nothing worse than doing a job you don't like and you spend so much of your life at work (some of us more than others!).

My dad came over for a visit, was nice to see him as it had been almost a year but sometimes I find it all a bit surreal and I wonder where the last few years went.  I have realised that if I keep on looking backwards then I will not appreciate what I have now and I'm likely to end up losing more than just those few years!  However, that's easier said than done sometimes and the only person who can put me in the right frame of mind is myself.  At the moment, I hardly have time to turn around let alone get my head straight!

So, I've decided to get things sorted and put aside things in the past that are dragging me down.  That includes associations with things and people.  I realised a long time ago that certain events in your life shape you, if you let them - that's bad as well as good.  I decided that I wasn't going to let certain negative things define me as a person and I need to stick to that.  I need to stop giving people ammunition or maybe just the time of day!

Just as clearing out the negatives, I also have to work on some of the positives that are just lurking or being ignored.  One of those is the journal from the USA trip last year which I really want to get on here and post some pics but I just don't seem to make the time.  So, I'm going to start doing that and dating it in the real time for anyone who still remembers that we went and wants to see what we thought.  Maybe it will also bring it home to me a bit more - along with having the photos printed - as so much happened, so quickly after the trip that sometimes I find it hard to believe that we actually went!  As we are hoping to do another big trip next year, it would be good to have this one clear in my head before that!

Stitching: makes me realise how long it's been since I was on here - my SIL had her baby (a girl) and both my friend and my cousin had theirs last Friday - a boy for the friend and a girl for the cousin.  So, that's another couple of birth samplers to stitch.  I have almost finished the last birth sampler which I've changed slightly to be for both of my cousin's sons (a different cousin) as it is so long since the birth of the second one, that it seemed silly.

Books: not been doing much reading, been working too long and too tired so mainly just stuff online and the odd magazine here and there.

Movies: should be going more often really as we have monthly passes to the cinema now and so we're wasting the money!  Once again, work has been the problem so the movies, the gym and outside life in general has been suffering.  Been watching this and that on TV but not that many films as we have sorted out Freesat and I'm afraid that I've been having a bit of a CSI overdose (all of them) as I finally have access to Channel 5 LOL.

Music: bought some singles every now and then and keep meaning to get around to buying some albums I want but I need to have the time to think about stuff.  Anyway, I generally seem to be playing singles mixes on my iPod these days...

Well, that's about it... I'm sure I'll remember other stuff but so much is in the past now as I don't do this often enough.  I am going to sort out the USA trip journal though - trust me...