Adventures in Bali: Gili Trawangan

The three tiny islands which form the Gili's are actually off the coast of Lombok, not Bali. There are horses and bicycles instead of cars, there is lots of sand, there are turtles in their waters, and cocktails are served in coconuts. This all made for a very promising start for our seven night stay on Gili Trawangan, the larger and 'wilder' of the three islands. Actually, not very wild at all.

We watched the sun rise...

And set...

 We ate fish (some good, some not so good...!) 

We scuba dived and snorkelled...

We read books, lazed in hammocks, watched the stars, scoffed amazing pizza at Il Pirata, got sunburned, drank Bintangs and mojitos, cycled around the island, stretched and meditated at Gili Yoga, ate too much ice cream, showered with spiders, watched a movie on the beach (Wolf of Wall Street!), got food poisoning, bought cheap souvenirs, ate sweet treats at the food market. Basically, we got very used to island life.

I loved Gili T. It was a lot calmer than I'd expected. This was probably, in part, because it was Ramadan and also because our accommodation was further up from the main 'strip'. We'd decided to stay on one island and get day boats across to the others. We didn't end up getting to either of them. Gili T's a little island paradise. Just don't eat at an empty restaurant where the 'really fresh' fish may have sat out for a lot longer than it should have (ah, hindsight). Oh, and cats definitely rule this island. Yay for well fed cats!

From Gili T, only the most frightening boat ride of my life stood between us and Nusa Lembongan.

Sorry. I'm Busy with Kittens!

A few things are keeping me busy at the moment. Work, in particular, is a very hectic. Now until Christmas is my busy teaching semester and we have a much larger first year cohort this year, which means more emails and generally more evening hours spent hunched over a laptop! I'm also trying to squeeze in some research in between and feeling guilty for not managing to get everything completed to plan. It's not all bad though. This photo was taken today while walking across campus and in November, I'll be taking photos while walking around New Orleans where I'm due to attend a research conference. I can hear the jazz beats calling out to me! 

The second thing(s) keeping me busy are these two little 'uns. Meet Lottie and Bruce (Wayne - just look at his little caped crusader mask!). Please excuse the poor quality phone picture! Two months was a very long time in a catless house and M was very keen for us to welcome a new cat into our home. These two 5 month old kittens arrived with us on Friday and most evenings are spent laughing at cat related antics, receiving lap cuddles (Bruce), or trying to coaxing Lottie out from under 'her' table. They're lovely, and I've quickly got used to having them around. It was a funny feeling - a mix of sadness and guilt, at first, having new kittens in the house. Jacques really was my little love and I spent so much of 2013 routing for Jacques' nervous system to recover. It's that tricky question of 'how soon is too soon?', but then I don't think that anyone is able to answer that but you. 

New roomies: Lottie and Bruce

Aside from that, I've been on a furniture restoration workshop at Liverpool's Baltic Creative, had a Wicked date with my mum in Manchester, attending my friend's beautiful wedding, saw a fantastic production of Crime and Punishment at Liverpool's Everyman Playhouse, started to whittle down holiday photographs, went to see the film Prisoners (brilliant) at Fact, tried on my bridesmaid dress and made hen do plans, went on a few sunny and some rather windy walks, enjoyed quite a lot of cake and drank quite a few hot chocolates to warm up colder Autumn nights. So, as you can see, it's been a fun but busy month or so since I returned home. Lets see what comes next...!

Heartbroken

Tomorrow we will put our beautiful little mister to sleep. We adore Jacques. He's the third person in our marriage and he even got a surprise mention in our wedding day service in the rector's talk! We have been caring for Jacques for over five months since he was hurt in a road traffic accident and suffered a sacral fracture. For most of that time he has truly been a content cat, ready to chase a fish-on-a-stick in a second, sitting on my lap purring in encouragement during his daily doses of strokes, and playing happily outside. We've been less happy but patient and hopeful for his recovery, manually emptying his bladder several times a day, making games out of administering medication, quizzing one another about how many wees/poos/puddles we've found, and finding cat litter everywhere! We've both learned a lot about ourselves and each other through caring for him. Things have become more challenging over the last few weeks. Jacques seems more withdrawn and has had a few more serious internal issues that, alongside other factors, have brought us to this decision. We were anxious about leaving him when we're away and I think, in some ways, there will be a relief for us when he is at peace. Darn the car that hit this little fellow. Oh how I will miss his beautiful face and his deep, reassuring purr. Tomorrow's going to be a horrid day. Bah! Sleep easy, tiger.

Once Upon an Easter Weekend

Things I've loved about this Easter weekend:

Family

Making bread
Homemade tomato soup
Chocolate and pear pots
Sefton Park walk with a visit to the Palm House
Lap-cat
A (failed) hot cross bun loaf
Summer holiday research
Singing along to Annie
Bunting
Hallelujahs
Tulips
Mini eggs and other chocolatey goodness
A lamb roast
Chick costumes and charades
Finding Nemo
Harry Potter Cluedo
Family walk on Crosby Beach
99 ice creams with sauce and sherbet

Jacques



Jacques when we first rescued him.

Our little mister, Jacques, was involved in an accident on Saturday and he's been with the local vet for the last few days. He has broken his tail near the spine, his nerves have suffered damage and they cannot be more definite about his prognosis at the moment. I am heartbroken. The house feels empty and all the little patterns that we fall into around him have had to be paused. This weekend has not been a happy one but I hope that better news is on its way and that we can bring our little rascal home, healthy.

  

Jacques-In-A-Box

Please keep your fingers crossed for his recovery.



A Merry Little Christmas 2012

Christmas tree packed away and first 'proper' day back at work; I think it's finally time I acknowledged Christmas is over for another year! I've had a great Christmas, full of family and friends, good food, cocktails, and DIY festive treats. It's always sad when the last bauble is wrapped in its tissue, hidden until the following December, but we've got lots to look forward to in 2013 and I'm armed with a full January to beat any pre-Christmas blues!

The Little (Big) Pieces

I would describe myself as a positive person. Having said that, when I do have a rough day or a rubbish week, I don't always do a good job at remembering how lucky I am. Mostly I want to use this space to remind myself of the things that I see or do week to week, month to month, that really make me smile/ laugh/ crytearsofjoyintoatissue etc. However, these little things are made a whole lot better because of the big 'pieces of happy' I have around me and I sometimes need a reminder of this, too.

August 2011

This was photograph taken by a friend on our wedding day. 374 days later, I can still remember the big fat smile that wouldn't, and didn't need to, leave my face all day. So, little (big) piece of happy number 1: My husband.
 

The lovable mouse killer

Our cat. Another of my little (big) pieces of happy. Having never had a cat until this little mister, I've been surprised at how much I love this bundle of (ever malting) fluff/ catcher of innocent little mice. He provides hours of entertainment in our household! I also have amazing family and friends who show me lots of love. We've been through an awful lot together and they are most definitely in my little (big) pieces of happy list. So, there you are. An introduction to the people that maintain the happy behind the scenes.