Uphill every step of the way...

I give up.
No, actually, I don't. I'll just have to keep trying harder, that's all. What am I talking about? My uphill struggle to educate my fellow Americans about the value and absolute necessity of caring for their environment.
I'm not saying that the UK is perfect, far from it, but Americans are quite frankly HUGE consumers and TERRIBLE at recycling. I can only speak of my own personal experience since I've lived here, but it shocks me on an almost constant basis how little thought most people here give to how many things they use once then throw away. They have little thought to where it all ends up, and at what cost to the environment.
To me it is unthinkable to throw a can, plastic bottle or paper cup into the bin, knowing it will add to the already rapidly filling landfill, when it could just as easily be recycled. Yet this is exactly what most people here do. I've seen people at work use a paper plate for their lunch and throw it away, repeating the process every day. I've seen people at parties using plastic plates and cutlery, then throwing it away when they could have washed and reused it for the next party.
When I first got this job, couriers would regularly deliver 30 or more flyers advertising property for sale. A flyer would be put into each agent's mailbox in the office, the rest would be thrown away. Most of the agents would then glance at the flyer and this too would then be thrown away. So I emailed the source of each flyer and asked them to send them to me by email so that I could forward them on to all our agents, saving them time and money, and saving paper and ink. Nobody objected, everyone agreed this was a brilliant idea, yet nobody else had come up with it before.
I also brought in a box for staff members to put recyclables in. We have a recycling bin at home, and as there are only two of us and it's a huge bin, there is usually room for more. So on a Friday I take home the recycling from work and put it in our recycling bin. Again, not much effort required, but it makes me feel better.
So last week when me and Perfect Husband were doing our shopping in Walmart, I took a break from my usual hobby of snapping pictures of weirdly dressed people and posting them on Facebook, and bought a 12 piece Dinner Set. It cost $12 and consists of 4 each of bowls, small and large plates. I brought it into work this morning, for everyone here to use, in an attempt to wean them off their use once and throw away habit.
One of my colleagues told the boss that I had brought it in to stop people using paper plates; his comment was "oh do we need to buy a dishwasher then?" to which I replied "no, we each just wash what we use."
This was what I believe the younger generation would call a Facepalm moment- I mean, really?? I despair of these bloody stupid, thoughtless people, I really do! Why am I bothering? Because our planet needs me to that's why. And there are millions more like me, and hopefully we will eventually educate everyone else to think more and be more careful.
And, in the words of that wise and eminent sage, Miley Cyrus "We can't stop....and we won't stop....."

I have the remote control!!

So in our house, Perfect Husband is normally in charge of the TV remote control when he is at home. I'm sure this is the case for the majority of households- gadgets are a man-thing, as is impatience.....
Last night we were settling down to watch TV after dinner, showers and chores were done; a bit of down time before bed. Perfect Husband was skipping through the channels as usual, while playing with his new Iphone (who says men can't multi-task?) when he settled on a programme which was about motorhomes and was already halfway through. After a few minutes he gave me the remote with the generous comment that I could choose what I wanted as he wasn't really watching this, and went back to his Iphone.
Now I have a different strategy for selecting something to watch. Quaint though it may be, I simply start at channel one and work my way through, reading the information as I go; this way I don't miss anything and I usually find something I am interested in. This weird and unacceptable behavior on my part was enough to drag his attention away from the Iphone; he "suggested" I check the movie channels. I carried on what I was doing, to which he helpfully told me that if I held the button down it would skip through the channels faster.
I gave him the look of Absolute Power, held the precious remote to my breast and informed him quite regally that I had the remote and therefore I was in charge, and if he had wanted to look for things his way he should have done it when HE had the remote.
I feel like there's a Life Lesson here of sorts: don't try and insist that others do things the way you want them done, if you've passed up the chance to do it yourself. Too many people try and control others; be it trying to force their opinions on them at a meeting or party, trying to control how they dress, what they think. We're all our own people and we need to respect each other, and even though squabbling over what to watch on the TV is a minor and stupid thing, it's the principal involved. Suggestions are fine, as is constructive criticism, but outright bossiness is not.
As it was, I settled on a reality show about a vet and even Perfect Husband enjoyed it in the end, although I did close my eyes when the vet was sawing the head off a dead calf that was stuck inside its unfortunate mother. Luckily the pieces of bloated calf were removed and the poor exhausted mother was saved. This was a happy ending of sorts, but I didn't necessarily want to see such detail straight after my dinner.

And so it begins...

It snowed yesterday. Yep, I kid you not. This is life in Alaska, when you are pretty much guaranteed snow before Hallowe'en and it's usually all gone by the end of May. If you're lucky. Why did I move here you ask? The simple answer is because I am stupid, and I made a huge mistake. Much as I don't believe in regrets; they are pretty much a waste of energy and don't really achieve anything, still I will probably always regret this one. But, the trick is to try and make the best of everything, and see it as a doorway to something else, so although I am dreading another Winter here, I cheer myself up with the knowledge that it will be my last in the Frozen North. Next year, Perfect Husband and myself are planning an escape to a much sunnier home, so watch this space to see how it all pans out.
But for now, we are here and must deal with it. So, out came The Big Coat; this will now be my Best Friend and Life Preserver until next May. Travelling by bus means a ten minute walk to my bus stop, then a ten minute wait, in temperatures that can get as low as -24 C; NOT funny at all. Add to that the fact that the City will ensure that the roads are plowed, but the pavement? Not a priority (few people here actually walk anywhere) so in a fresh snowfall you can literally be struggling through over a foot of snow. I can't leave the house any later as the bus will drive straight past the stop if nobody is there waiting, even if the bus is actually early!! So my full Winter attire consists of Big Coat, at least one pair of gloves, legwarmers and snow boots and a reflective armband, as in the depths of Winter it stays dark until about 10am. On especially cold days I wear an extra cardigan under my coat too.
But for now the Big Coat will suffice, and luckily, after yesterday's thoroughly miserable weather, today is bright, clear and sunny, although still cold. The snow, while being a warning of what's to come, didn't settle-yet.
When I got on my bus yesterday I sat opposite a woman holding a small black dog, with huge pointy ears, a Chihuahua maybe? I'm not sure, but so cute I couldn't help but smile at it, the way you would smile at a young child sitting on the bus with its parent. Dogs aren't actually allowed on the bus, unless they are a Service Dog, and I have no idea what service a Chihuahua would provide, apart from being cute. Maybe the woman told the bus driver it was her adopted child or something, or maybe she just pretended it was a handbag.
Anyway, as I have previously mentioned, it was, as we Brits say Bloody Freezing Out, and this poor tiny dog didn't have a coat on (I noticed the owner did) and when it came time to get off the warm and toasty bus the tiny dog planted its feet firmly on the floor and had to be practically dragged off the bus into the cold. So, pet owners, please wrap your pets up warmly when it's cold.....frostbite is no fun for anyone.

Anchors Aweigh!!

So Saturday night was the night of the charity Pirate Pub Crawl in Anchorage. The charity that benefits is the Blood Bank so I'm almost thinking that a Vampire Pub crawl would have been more apt, but it's all for a good cause and besides; Pirates are so damned cool!!
Of course me and Perfect Husband were going to be there! We love being pirates so much we actually had a Pirate Wedding, so there's no way we were gonna miss out!
We arrived at the Town Square just before 7pm, as that was when the group photograph was going to be taken. You could not move for pirates- so many people of all varying ages, (drinking age of course!) and everyone had made so much effort with costumes- we knew we were in for a good evening.
The Treasure Map we were given had the names of all the participating pubs and a place for each one to put their stamp; we were on a mission to get them all. And we were off!! The evening was a blur of drinking shots, taking photos of each other, saying "yarrrggghh" at every opportunity (many sore throats the next morning), admiring people's costumes, more drinking, making donations (Perfect Husband had got a roll of Dollar coins from the bank, as these are gold we thought they made rather good treasure to put in the donation boxes), more drinking, parrot tossing (not real I hasten to add) and a bit of dancing too! In one of the bars, aptly in the Captain Cook Hotel we overheard a couple talking. Nothing unusual in that, except they had BRITISH ACCENTS!! Oh great joy, as I sometimes feel like I'm the only Brit in town, even though I'm probably not. So I insisted we had a group hug to which they obligingly and cheerfully agreed, and we were all friends. Big Up to Mandy and Mick from the Cotswolds, I think we made each other's night!! At last, as we made our merry way down the road in search of a taxi to take us home, we saw a rather plump and jolly pirate heading our way. Clutching a pewter tankard in his hand, he nodded his head in the direction of the bar we had just left and simply said "Be there Rum this way....?" Naturally we replied in unison "Yarrrgghhhhh!!"

Just another normal day...

We started off with a passed out Eskimo on the bus, but fortunately he wasn't making any trouble for anyone except his own brain cells so that was ok. I figured I'd be off the bus and in my office before he came to. Then a small and rather cheerful lady in a very fetching hat with a flower on it got on and immediately greeted me like an old friend, saying she hadn't seen me for ages and wondered if I had moved. I realized that this was the same lady that chatted to me whenever she saw me and tried to make arrangements to go to the State Fair with me last year, so in that respect we are "friends" of a sort....
Today she insisted I take down her phone number because she had bought a shirt especially for me; it's pink and apparently has my flag on and she wants me to call her so she can arrange to get the shirt to me.
I took down the number for fear of offending her, chatted politely and waved when I got off my bus stop a minute later. I don't want to offend anyone, and she is friendly and means no harm.....I'm just not entirely comfortable with all these strangers insisting that they are my best friends.....it's not how we do things in Britain! You kind of have to be nice to everyone here though for your own protection- you never know who is armed and who isn't!! ( I personally don't think it's a very clever idea to sell guns in the supermarket......)
I got to my office and had just taken my seat when a tall lady marched in and quite frankly spoke nonsense for about 5 minutes-something about trying to establish the whereabouts of herself and being placed in a company and not having an address.....lots of long words spoken with the kind of conviction only the unhinged can truly muster..... eventually when she paused for breath I asked her how I could help her (call the guys with the straitjackets?) whereupon she fixed me with a steely glare and said I could NOT help her, she was merely here to talk about my origins.....the boss came out and asked what she wanted and she said she had no address or bank. When he explained that we were not a bank she said "whatever made you think I am a bank? Do I look like a bank? I can assure you that I am not and I bid you Good Day" then she slammed the door hard enough to make the entire wall rattle and was gone! Bizarre.
I kept thinking I had seen her somewhere before...and then it came to me. Of course. I've seen her on my bus once or twice. Once she was listening intently to her music, slapping her thighs and shaking her head to the beat, really getting into it, then I looked at her again and realized: she had no earphones on. The voices in her head must have been singing up a storm that day.
I have no photos of mad ladies, so I will post a lovely photo of my dog instead.

I am an embarrassing parent!!

I have long held a sneaking suspicion and now it has been confirmed: I am an embarrassing parent. The most recent bout of humiliation I put my daughters through is when Fabulous Daughter Number Two was made Head Girl at her school and I posted the picture from the school website on my Facebook page for all to see. My post garnered lots of likes from friends of mine who are parents themselves and are thrilled at my daughter's achievement in the same way that I am thrilled when their offspring do something equally noteworthy. However, friends of my daughter saw and liked this post to her utter horror, resulting in her commenting "WTF mum?" on said post. I had mixed feelings about this comment, I was partly amused that she had written it, her reason being that "I look retarded in that photo!!". (May I just say that I do realize this isn't particularly politically correct, but it is the way that our young people speak, and it is a direct quote and not my own opinion. My own opinion is that neither this child, nor my other one come to think of it has ever looked anything other than perfect and beautiful in any photo ever taken of them since they were in my womb-yes even the scan photos were good ones!! This is because they are both perfect and beautiful young women and the camera never lies.) Anyway, as I said, I was a little amused by her remark and obvious embarrassment, but I was also worried too, and I apologized for any upset I had caused; I was simply bragging to friends, co-workers and family about her achievement. I do this a lot because I love my daughters fiercely and completely, and I have a lot to brag about. They are beautiful, bright, wise and thoughtful young women, and I'm extremely proud of them both, always have been. And yes, there are a few occasions that spring to mind that have been somewhat trying for them both (I had a rather heated debate with a miserable woman running a carousel ride that upset my daughters by shouting at them a few years ago, I kissed them both in public constantly, I hugged their friends, I volunteered at the Youth Club, I turned up at every single school event, I have argued with bus drivers, teachers and anyone who I felt was treating them unreasonably, I have drunk dialled them and shouted sage advice when they are dating, and so on) but they have dealt with it all pretty well over the years, Fabulous Daughter Number One even going so far as to say "This is why I love you. You insult everyone who offends me in the slightest, and make me feel better. Plus the whole giving me life thing."
So, embarrassing parent I may be, but I am proud of it and I'll never change.
And you can put that on Facebook.

Queen of the Ice!!

I currently live in Alaska, and for those of you who have never been here, Alaska is pretty damn chilly. There are hundreds of glaciers here, and one of them is called the Matanuska Glacier. It is a pleasant 2 hour drive from our house, and for a small fee you can drive almost right up to it, park in the car park, follow the route marked by thoughtfully placed orange cones, and actually walk (scramble/ slip/ slither) right on it!! Of course you have to sign a waiver first stating that if you fall to your death down one of the many cracks and fissures you won't blame anyone but yourself (actually I have no idea what it says, I didn't bother reading it, like almost everyone else who signs it I would imagine) then off you go!
I had been to this glacier a couple of years ago during my first year here and my ill-fated marriage to Eskimo Husband. He is a great one for staying at home and being grumpy and never going out or doing anything (precisely why that particular marriage didn't last) and on occasion I would get brave and insist we went out and did something. Seeing as I had given up everything in the UK to move here and be with him I didn't think this was too unreasonable. So Eskimo Husband and I had driven to the glacier, whereupon finding out it would cost the princely sum of $20 each to experience the glacier close up, Eskimo Husband exploded with anger and grumpiness and would have turned around and driven straight home again (despite the fact that he spent $10 per day on cigarettes and I'm willing to bet that a walk on a glacier is better value and far better for one's health) if I hadn't been fortunate enough to have had enough money of my own to pay for us both. I was elated to be out and about, experiencing something that you can only experience in certain parts of the world, while he sulked and tried to hurry me along.
So this year I went back to the glacier with Perfect Husband, who has lived here for 44 years but never visited it, and our two dogs. Of course they would not be accompanying us onto the actual glacier, despite them both owning lovely warm coats and shoes, but they rather enjoyed the ride and the fact that they got to have a wander around the car park, and when they were given a biscuit each before we left them in the car they practically exploded with joy.
Off we went, stepping carefully on the planks laid down over the grey glacial silt; sticky, muddy residue of all the rocks that the glacier has spent many years pulverizing. Then onto the glacier itself, coldness radiating from it, huge jagged ice peaks in a beautiful blue/white colour, grey and black stripes of crushed stones running through it, small waterfalls, cracks, and terrifying looking holes that went down and down. We scrambled, photographed, picked up stones to take home and explored for over two hours before the cold got the better of us. A certain amount of fear too, as at one point we could hear the gurgle of fast running water and then realized that it was actually right below our feet! Time for a sharp exit, as the saying goes...
Of course Perfect Husband could not resist saying "Two Husbands, One Glacier" in a deep voice like he was doing a movie trailer....but that's why I love him, because he is an idiot (in a good way!!).
So I have added two photos on here of our experience, hope you like them. If you get the chance, get out and do stuff whenever you can, life is short and to be lived fully.

It's called a Fishing Rod!!

On Friday Perfect Husband wanted to play X Box in the evening as a lot of his friends live on the East Coast and so they are online then, so I decided to take the bus downtown after work for a little retail therapy.... a good excuse being that Fabulous Daughter Number two has just been made Head Girl at her school, and so I wanted to buy her a little gift. Not that an excuse is needed to go shopping anyway.......
I thought I'd better check I had got on the right bus, as it's not my usual going home one. I asked the bus driver if he went to the bus station downtown, and on hearing me speak he said "Wait; do you have an accent?" Curious question this, as don't we ALL have an accent? Some are just different to others, that's all. Anyway, I explained that I was British, to which he exclaimed "Cool" and I must say I am inclined to agree with him......
It also seemed to be the opinion of a lot of the shop assistants, who mostly seemed to be very pretty, well dressed, exceedingly camp young Asian men with spikey hair who were enamoured with my accent. This seems to be a common theme here, if I am shopping without Perfect Husband I am always mistaken for a tourist and am complemented on my accent; doesn't get me a discount though, sadly!!
After I had bought a few goodies and wandered around I decided it was time to go home and enjoy the glass of wine that was calling my name so loudly I heard it echoing around the shopping mall.
This meant one thing: the Bus Station On My Own.
The Bus Station is a somewhat scary place at the best of times; there are often several dodgy characters round there, but it was still daylight and plenty of people around so I felt ok. The presence of Mr and Mrs American Tourist reassured me too. You can always spot these people a mile off because they look rather out of place and are always dressed in identical tourist garb; matching jackets/fleeces and sensible walking shoes, often with an umbrella and a map tucked under the arm, and a bag of mementoes printed with the name of one of the many tourist souvenir shops here ( Do read the labels though if you venture into one; you may otherwise very well be taking home a "Genuine Alaskan" item that is in fact made in China....).
An Eskimo man walked by with a rucksack with a fishing rod poking out of the top and a checked shirt and jeans on, a cheerful smile on his face. He explained to anyone who would listen that he had caught two big fish and they were in his backpack (not sure he will ever get the smell out, so I made a mental note not to ask to borrow said backpack) Mr American Tourist asked him in a most knowledgeable way if the thing sticking out of the pack was a ------ (can't remember the word he used but it seemed to be a Native word for a hunting/fishing type of tool) whereupon the Eskimo asked him to repeat himself because he hadn't heard properly. Mr American Tourist tried a different tack and asked what the thing sticking out of the pack was called, to which the Eskimo replied "Oh this? This is called a Fishing Rod!!" and there you have it.....try and be all patronizing to the locals and you will be put in your place!!
I have to admit I stifled a small grin at that one.......
When it was time for my stop I pressed the button which the driver firmly ignored and coasted straight past my stop. Another passenger wanted to get off too, so he finally realized his mistake and stopped, about 200 yards past the stop. My fellow passenger was a tiny wrinkled old lady, so I helped her off the bus, and across the road. She offered to share her umbrella and we walked down the road a while, chatting companionably. She is called Nida and is from the Philippines. Both she and I are a long way from home and have no other family here, our respective children being thousands of miles away. I mentioned that it was hard wasn't it, being so far away from home with nobody else here to speak to, and she replied "Not anymore, now I have you to talk to."
How sweet this was I thought, a small connection made, a friend discovered, a smile shared.
And for today's photo I am choosing this one: Me and Bindi out on a walk and discovering some moose poo. I think the smile on Bindi's face says it all.

Be nice to worms!!

I rather like this planet-it's my home. As the saying goes "there is no plan(et) B" so would you please all join me in trying to take care of it?
For example; yesterday I was walking to the bus stop in the pouring rain. I was bored so I decided to count the worms that I saw on the way. Worms are common back home but here in Alaska there don't seem to be as many so spotting them in the rain is a bit of a novelty (yes, I REALLY need to get out more!!). Anyway, I counted a total of 16 little worms, all going on about their business. I also spotted a used condom.
I wondered if the worms might also spot the condom and wonder if it was a fallen comrade, perhaps gather round and have some sort of memorial Service. Or maybe they would all try and squeeze into it, using it to shelter from the rain. I imagined all sorts of worm and condom related scenarios as I walked past, but the fact of the matter is this; that condom does NOT belong on the ground, the worms do. As we all know, worms play a huge part in aerating and mixing the soil, keeping it fertile. It has to be said now that everywhere you look, there is rubbish of some sort. Discarded waste, fast food containers, plastic bottles, deflated balloons, broken bits of things that were once useful, and of course, discarded condoms. Why do people do this? We are doing so much damage and it will soon be to the point of no return, if it isn't already.
These abandoned items are a real danger to our fellow creatures; how many stories and photos have you seen of animals and birds with bits of plastic caught around their legs, beaks, necks?
This is a cruel death for any creature, and it can so easily be avoided.
So please think carefully about how you dispose of things you no longer need or use, if not for your own sake, do it for the sake of those tiny, friendly, helpful worms.

Love is the Only Way...

So today is of course September 11th. I didn't live in America back then, nor am I an American. But I am a Human Being, with thoughts and feelings, and I like many others experienced that day in 2001 with many overwhelming emotions; fear, sadness, horror, helplessness.....and many others besides. I was married to Husband Number One back then, and our two daughters were just 7 and 5 years old. I had a part time job in a shop which was owned by an American lady who had married a British man. As the UK is a few hours ahead of the US, we were all in the shop when news started breaking. Bel, the owner was terrified for her friends, family and home country while her husband got his mini tv and was trying to watch the news on it in the shop and keep us all updated. I myself was a little confused; I had heard of the World Trade Centre but didn't actually know what it was. I didn't realize it was two huge towers teeming with people. And let us not forget the other victims of the attacks; the people killed or injured in the other hijackings that day, the emergency services, the passengers on the airplanes. I remember Husband Number One coming home from work ashen faced and watching Sky News for hours. I begged him to turn the tv off; it wasn't that I didn't want to know the details; I just was very aware that there were two young children in the house who I wanted to protect from all the horrific images on the screen. I remember trying to distract them by playing with them in the other room-no tv in there. Of course they had some questions so I gently explained that some bad men had crashed a plane into a building to hurt and frighten people, I didn't know how else to explain what they were seeing. Of course, the whole world seemed to be on high alert immediately after, and when a military helicopter flew over our village later on that day my eldest daughter (who, coincidentally was due on September 11th, but put in a rather early appearance on August 15th) was afraid and thought it was more bad men coming to crash planes in our little village. How my heart hurt for her then, that her childhood innocence had been punctured with fear by the world's events.
I remember how the next day driving to work the mood of the whole world seemed numb; the radio DJs were subdued and respectful. Stopping at the traffic lights I couldn't help but cry at the horror and desperate sadness of it all; how helpless we all were, watching the terrible events unfold second by second, thanks to our modern technology and 24 hour news broadcasts. The world seems to get smaller every day with each new advancement in travel and communication, and we can see things as they happen in huge detail. I glanced across into the opposite lane of traffic, embarrassed by my extremely un-British show of public emotion, and was stunned to see the other driver crying too. This is what it takes to bring us all to the same level of emotion and understanding-over the next days and weeks many people pulled together and helped each other.
So today I wanted to acknowledge this terrible event, although I appreciate there are many, many tragedies each day throughout the world, and they are all of equal importance. I took this photo yesterday, of a beautiful rainbow as I got to work. Today however, I have edited it slightly, as I took a closer look and realized what the sign said in the picture. I call this picture "There is only One Way; Love" I hope you like it.......

Somewhere over the rainbow.......

So it's raining. Again. Autumn seems to be monsoon season in Anchorage; it rains almost nonstop, although I think I still prefer that to the snow and plummeting temperatures that will soon follow. So my umbrella is my constant companion on my way to and from work; keeps me dry and could be a possible moose deterrent too if I'm unlucky enough to run in to any again. This morning I got off the bus and was doing my usual, trying to juggle bag, iphone, office key and umbrella, when I had to wait for the traffic signal to cross the street. Then I saw it. At first just the promise, when it's raining hard and the sky takes on that weird brightness. Then a subtle hint of a rainbow. Then, oh joy, the whole rainbow revealed itself, colours so bright it made me stare and smile. I stared and stared, taking in each bright, beautiful colour, thankful that the traffic light always takes so long to change. This particular rainbow ended at my place of work too, so perhaps today I might get a payrise. Or perhaps not. Of course my photo doesn't do the rainbow justice at all, but you get the idea.
So next time you see one, make sure you stop and stare, and smile.

Kitchen Nightmares!!

Hooray- the seemingly never ending saga of the kitchen is at an end!! What joy!! It all began 5 years ago when Perfect Husband remarked to his mother that he might paint his kitchen cabinets as he didn't like the dark wood. A short while later he went on holiday and his mother came to stay to look after Whiney Dog. He came back from his holiday to find the cabinet doors had been removed and painted, but not replaced, nor had the cabinets themselves been painted. And so the kitchen stayed that way for 5 years; the painted doors languishing in the cupboard under the stairs while the cabinets remained unpainted and doorless........ then Perfect Husband met ME!! Some might call me a bully; I prefer to think of myself as someone who Gets Things Done. So we painted the cabinets, or rather Perfect Husband splashed paint randomly and at warp speed with a roller whilst I followed behind, trying to undo the chaos he had just caused- why is it that men in general seem to hate painting and have no patience for it? Anyway, cabinets done, masking tape removed, doors replaced, handles purchased and in place- it looks fab! Oh and I am spending today looking like Cruella Deville as I only noticed at 10:30pm last night that I had paint in my hair, and Perfect Husband didn't notice at all because he is colour blind and just thought it was grey hair! So I am wearing my Bambi skirt today to add to the general Disney Theme......

Gettin' Ripped!!

Ha ha ha, those that know me will know that the title is somewhat of a joke....... I make it a rule only to run if there is a sale on in the shoe shop!! BUT, I have just turned 45 and am in need of a little toning if I'm honest. I'm not overweight, I don't smoke or do drugs so things aren't too bad but there's always a little room for improvement right? So I took the plunge and bought a fitness dvd. Not one of those rock hard fitness nazis that shout at you from your tv, making you feel terrified, intimidated and paranoid (you realize that they can't actually escape from your tv and beat you over the head with their wrist weights for being so unfit and uncoordinated, but you remained terrified all the same) oh no, none of that for me. My choice of torture is a dance dvd, which promises to make getting fit fun, not to mention giving you sexy, sculpted curves- and all for the princely sum of $12.99- how could I refuse? The instructor looks like she would give Jenny From The Block a good run for her money, what with her street dance outfit, tattoos and hoop earrings, but she smiled a lot and had a very tiny and well toned torso, so I figured she must know what she's doing. I moved the coffee table out of the way, clearing myself a little fitness space and pressed "play" (Perfect Husband was away working so I didn't have to worry about making a fool of myself in front of anyone other than the dogs). The first part is a breakdown (not nervous, that will come later I'm sure) of the ten dance steps used in the fitness routines. As I began, frowning with concentration and realizing that Maybe I Can Actually Do This, the two dogs who had been mightily confused by me moving the coffee table, crept closer and observed. Whiney Dog immediately threw herself onto the rug and rolled onto her back with her legs in the air, twitching and making weird groaning noises (I affectionately term this noise the "Let me sing you song of my people" noise). This meant one of two things; either she was having a fit of the dramatics in an attempt to get a biscuit out of me, or she was actually trying to join in....?! Small Rescue Dog just sat near my feet looking up at my windmilling arms with her head on one side, considering the situation. When it became apparent to her that she had not picked a wise spot to make her observations she retreated to the settee and watched me from there.
After I had mastered the dance moves (I use the word "mastered" in the loosest possible sense) it was on to the Main Event. There was a warm up, which I enjoyed immensely, I can do this, I thought, I didn't even need to be told what a grapevine was- I have skills! Then the three fitness routines brought me crashing back to reality, and the realization of how superbly uncoordinated I am...... it's not that I'm completely useless; I have excellent rhythm, have done dance and fitness classes before and can usually pick up a routine fairly quickly, but the whole legs and arms things was a perfect reminder of how stewed up my brain is these days! To an observer it probably looked pretty amusing, and whilst I might not get many points for style and technical ability, I'm pretty sure I deserve some for sheer enthusiasm! Then there was the cool down (not really necessary in Alaska in September) and then it was over. Success! I had completed the workout, hadn't killed myself or the dogs, and even had enough energy left to move the coffee table back. So to celebrate I had two slices of cold pizza and a glass of wine for my dinner, then I went off to shower like a champ.......
I will not subject you to a photo either of me sweating, eating pizza, or showering, but instead I will treat you to this photo of Small Rescue Dog having a bath in the kitchen sink....enjoy.

Belugas Ahoy!!

Last Friday Perfect Husband came to pick me up from work as usual. I saw that he had brought my coat, this could only mean one thing; we were going on an Adventure.
Sure enough, we drove out of town along Cook Inlet, which is always a lovely drive, mountains on one side and the water on the other, and more mountains across the water.
The object of the adventure was Beluga Whales!
Perfect Husband drives this route twice each week for his job, and he had seen belugas during the week. They come in with the tide and as the water is a murky grey (glacial silt) their bright white bodies are really easy to spot when they come to the surface.
We soon saw some, and got out of the car for a better look. There were at least five and they were following the outgoing tide, back to sea. We decided on a good Plan of Action, which was this: watch for disturbances in the water, then sure enough a plump white beluga whale would appear, sometimes just a curve of the back, sometimes the whole thing; smiling face, plump body, then a flick of the tail. Then they would appear further down, staying close to the land, which was really most obliging of them all, because it meant we got a good few sightings of them. When they got too far away we would jump back into the car and drive further down the road and wait for them to catch up with us. We played Beluga Tag for a good half an hour, and it was a most joyful experience all round. I took many photos in the hope of getting a decent one, and this was the best I could do. Not brilliant, but you get the idea; three happy belugas playing tag.......