Oh wow, lots of goings on here. Hope all the ill babies better now, the houses of the holiday crowd still standing and generally peaceful (or alive at a push) all around.
Hi again Chipmonkey and PFJ. Glad to hear all is going well.
Oh, and don't listen to that Soph, she talks nonsense. I'm a shy, quiet one.
Glad you had such a lovely visit with your mom and stepdad, Soph. On the bigger house thing - I've convinced myself that I should stop wishing for a bigger place, as I'd probably just accumulate more rubbish, and might one day not find the front door if I had a house with, well, places with names... Positive thinking, you see.
Scorps. I was so worried I'd come back and you'd be with K again. I underestimate you. Big fat (very dusty from my side) hug. Good to hear you're doing so well. Well, I know it doesn't feel like it, but from where I'm sitting, you are indeed.
Peachy. Ignorant people are everywhere. Idiots, and there is no point trying to argue with someone that's too narrow minded and, basically, thick, to understand any kind of reasoning. I'm really glad you're still here. Secretly I quite like this ranting you. Love your current username, I vote for keeping it!
Oh, and Peachy, I thought about you a lot in India - I thought you would love it and the people. I found it a fascinating country. Very full on. Exhausting, beautiful, horrid, exciting, depressing, surviving. All these, all the time. I'm quite exhausted, actually, without any proper reason (we got upgraded both directions - economy is going to be hell on my next flight, think I might stay at home now!) Emotionally I found it very intense. I'd see the extreme poverty and riches for days, without thinking much of it - I partly blame my African roots for that, as you accept these things as part of life, bad as that sounds - and then all of a sudden I'd see something "small" which would really shake me. Corruption evident everywhere, but people seemed to accept it mostly. All in all though, I think it's a testament for the human race's ability to adapt, to survive. And I found myself questioning myself sometimes - it's so easy to get obsessed with "things", to link your happiness to "progression", success, etc - and I think in the process underestimate the importance of acceptance, of contentment. A balancing act I guess, but being a very driven person, I suspect I often get it a bit wrong and feel that I ought to do more, have or be more etc. Which isn't necessarily right. Hmm, I'm babbling. I blame jetlag. (1-0 to Soph )