It's a dog's life.

While I remember... In fact it was reading Welshcakes post about Simi that I remembered to post this - pictures of William and Grace after their haircuts. Normally Lhasas have long hair which reaches the ground. This has proved entirely impractical for our dogs, so we tend to keep them quite short. When we first have them done they look quite silly, but also deliciously neat and cute. It turns out that Gracey has very long legs and a very skinny body, whereas William is very stocky and muscley. They might not be to everyone's tastes, but I think they're gorgeous!

(on a related note, I was talking about the God Delusion by Richard Dawkins this week. I got my tongue twisted and called it the Dog Delusion, which would be an entirely different book!)

Nostalgia

It was my Aunt Nancy's 90th birthday this week (on Tuesday, in fact). 90 years seems impossibly old for this very active and bright woman, but I am assured that she has been rocking and rolling for 9 decades now...

Anyway, Dad has organised one of those digital picture frames for her. I'm not really sure what that means, but he asked me to find some photos she might like. I had already found loads of old photos from when mum and I tidied her room a few weeks ago, so that was quite easy. I particularly like the one below, which was taken on my first birthday:












Back row (L-R): Grandpa Groome (Dad's dad), Aunty Nancy, Uncle Harry
Front row (L-R): Grandma Groome (Dad's mum), Dad (check out the socks), Mum, me and Grandma Vera, mum's stepmum (my Australian Grandma)

Whenever I look at photos like these I am always really grateful that my parents took to recording every moment of my life from birth (pretty much). When I am old and grey (and perhaps 90 years old), I hope I still have these photos to remember things by.

Old photos

I have been feeling bored and nostalgic recently. I was looking through some old photos from uni and from when I went to Hungary and I came across this photo of Phil on his graduation day. I think its a lovely one of him, and I'm quite pleased with it from a photographic point of view as well.

I think the girl to his left (right as you look at it) is thinking evil thoughts though...

Tunisia...a month late!

I was uploading photos on to Facebook and I remembered I haven't posted about mine and Phil's holiday in Tunisia. Anyway, it's been almost a month since we went, and there is very little that is more boring than looking at other people's holiday snaps (well looking at all of them anyway), so I thought I would post a few choice ones here and be done with it!

I may be a bit quiet on the posting front for the next few weeks - thesis is due on 13th September, and I start work at More House on 3rd...Though having work to do has never stopped me blogging before...
Phil on the Salt Lake (Chott El Jerid)

Me (L) and Phil (R) on
camels in the Sahara
(my camel was called Alice,
Phil's was called Trevor)

One of the beautiful blue doors in Sidi Bou Said

Some very funky shoes on a
stall in Sidi Bou

Handsome Man

Yesterday I was a dog. Today I'm a dog. Tomorrow I'll probably still be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement.
Charles M Schulz (1922-2000) - Snoopy

Here is a picture I found on my phone of William looking regal. It must have been taken some time ago because he hasn't looked this calm since before the puppies were born...

Week-ending

I've got that Sunday evening feeling. You know, the one after you've had a really nice weekend, and you realise the only thing in front of you now is Monday?

Oh well. I have revision to do this week for a Cognitive Neuroscience Exam (yuck), and reading to do about children who use Augmented and Alternative communication devices (such as Steven Hawking uses). At least the essay reading is interesting. Then I have more training with the Stroke Association on Tuesday, which is a real faff, but will at least get me out of the house and trained for work experience with old people (who've had strokes). Wednesday, lectures, yawn. And rehearsals. Thursday is exciting - I'm going to meet Sophie (Countess of) Wessex to be presented with my Queen's Guide Award. I have to dress up in posh uniform (a button down shirt and everything) and have a chat with "Soph" as to what I got up to in the three years it took me to finish it.

Well now I've told you all my news, what am I going to blog this week??

Phil and I went to the coast today to fly his kite and fiddle with his new camera. It's very posh. Here are some photos....

Flickr

Just in case any of you decide to look at my flickr page, there have been some weirdo problems and some of my photos have been replaced by other people's. I've not gone into every set, so I dont know the extent of the problem, but a lot of other people seem to have had the same problem (including, from the look of it, your page Pete), and most of them are reporting pornographic pictures. So, just in case, I've made all my photos private so no-one except my "flickr buddies" can see them - I don't want anyone to think I have an unhealthy interest in porn!

Also...

I thought you'd enjoy this photo from Hayling Island a couple of weeks ago... I was actually much warmer than Phil, but then I was wearing two coats...

Exciting Day in London

Yes, this weekend I had an "exciting day in London" with Phil and Steve. Steve had come up from Southampton for a mutual friend's birthday, so Phil and I decided we would take him round all the London sights... These included: The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and The Science Museum, including the Space Exhibition and the Flight exhibition, where Steve showed off his geeky side by telling me the names of all the different types of planes, and identifying their engines...
All good fun, though very tiring (for me anyway). This weekend I have exciting fireworks to look forward to... I'm such a small child!

Closeup

Closeup
Originally uploaded by clareybella.

Better photo of Phil flying... The photos of me are rubbish (I mean, I look rubbish, not that the photo is rubbish), so I'm not going to post them!

Phil in action

Phil in action
Originally uploaded by clareybella.

some kite flying pictures from a couple of weekends ago... Butser Hill again, but with the new kite :)
Off to try it in London hopefully this weekend!!

Petworth Park

Hmm I accidentally deleted my profile picture, so I have posted this photo again, so I can have a face!

Petworth Park
Originally uploaded by clareybella.

A cultural excursion

This weekend I went to visit Petworth House and Park. Petworth (West Sussex), houses the National Trusts biggest collection of art, apparently rivalling the London Galleries. I can't really comment on it's art, as Phil and I went walking in the grounds instead, but the house is very Jane Austen-esque, I had quite Mr Darcy moment as we appeared at the house (think Elizabeth Bennett appearing at Netherfield with "6 inches of mud on her skirts").

There are huge old trees all over the place (much like the one I'm sitting on...) which presumably fell during one storm or another. Anyway, it was a great place to wander around for a few hours, and nice to get out of the house! As both Phil and I are National Trust members (we were "got" at the gate of Winkworth Arboretum - also always worth a visit!) I suspect there will be lots more of this sort of trip in the coming months... Well we've got to get our money's worth!

Paris 2006

Paris 2006
Originally uploaded by clareybella.

A happy shot from last week in Paris :-) (Shame that my bag is touching the tower, ruins the effect of the perspective somewhat!)