yoga - it's getting better!

Had a really good time at yoga this afternoon. Maybe because yesterday we started the Friday lunchtime yoga at work again - that probably helped! But anyway, I'm slowly putting poses back in as my yoga practice recovers. today I added in garba pindasana. I did try and put that back in a couple of weeks ago, but I got a really strong pain in my right hip halfway through the 'rocking and rolling' (!), so stopped. Today it was fine.

And yoga at work on Friday was good. It was the first time I'd managed to organise it since I'd been back. Quite a few people had said they'd be doing it, and then they all started to drop out! I was worried it was just going to be me and a new temp! But we ended up with 5 people ... ! We usually put on an (old) video - a Level 1 yoga class run by Louise (something) from Byron Bay. The others follow the video, and I just do my normal practice off to the side! We can't get the room for the next 2-3 weeks - it's exam time at uni and they will be using the room for exams. But after that we should be able to have it for the next few months.

Apart from that, today I did some more on my mosaic piece. I finished the tiles round the edge, and started filling in gaps. Tomorrow I'm going to the movies with Ross - I guess we'll either see Indiana Jones or 21. Well, that's my choice anyway ... We shall see what he thinks :)

Mosaic and stuff

Well, I had lots of fun at the mosaic workshop, though like many things it's not as easy as it looks! This is what I've done to date. Still more mosaic to go on, and then grout. I'll post another pic of the finished item. god knows what I'll do with it when it's finished, but it's something to get started on!!

And the smaller mosaic at the top of the picture - there's a good story attached to that! When I was a kid we lived in Libya (my dad was in the British Army and we were posted there for a year). We lived in Homs, and just down the road (or mediterranean coastline) was a ruined Roman city called Leptis Magna. My sister and I learnt to swim there, in the rockpools. The sea had receded since the city was a functioning port city. Anyway, we used to swim in the rockpools with masks on. And in the bottom, in the sand there were all these bits of tessarae - the bits of mosaic that the Romans had used to make mosaic floors. The mosaics had been broken up by the sea I guess. So my mum still has boxes of these that we collected as children. And she made the little pot-stand (can't remember the actual word for this!) in a craft class a few years ago, using some of those bits of what had once been part of a Roman mosaic!!

What with all the running around, getting tiles, safety goggles, glue, etc. I didn't end up having time to get to yoga on Saturday. I realised I'd forgotten to bring my mat with me anyway, so perhaps I subconsciously knew that would happen?! Anyway, I went yesterday evening, which was good. I haven't been going to the classes during the week for a while now. It's just easier for me to go on the weekend - considering that it's a 45 minutes drive there.

At work I've been trying (with the emphasis on 'trying'!) to learn Joomla. A content management system. There are 2-3 websites coming up that I'll be working on that will need to go into a CMS, and we've sort of decided that Joomla is the way to go. I can get some of it, but the template file that incorporates all the CSS, and actual graphic layout of the site ... it is just doing my head in! Luckily someone told me about a place that sells a sort of 'kit' that includes an hour-long video explaining everything, and a Dreamweaver extension to use. And even more luckily, my work has agreed to buy it! It got very good reviews on the Joomla website, so hopefully it will help me get my head round it all!

Healthwise everything is good, although there is still the tendency to put any little thing that happens under the microscope and think, what is this? is it something I should worry about? ... etc etc! I guess that sort of comes with the territory nowadays!! I am trying to wean myself off reading so much on the web about lymphoma nowadays, not visiting the discussion boards very much or anything. For a while I felt compelled to read everything every day, but I'm trying to be more 'normal' !! I am still on a couple of email lists, and do follow up on things that sound relevant to my situation. But it feels good to pull back somewhat from all that. :)

Why am I so busy?!

Had to make the decision last night not to be part of the choral recording that my choir is doing in a few days time. I just seem to be so busy at the moment and there's heaps of music that I either don't know, or else am very rusty on. I can't see when or how I can do enough rehearsal to be able to do it ... Ah well, there'll be another concert next semester that I'll be singing in.

Why am I so busy? Well, one of the reasons is I've been asked to update a website that I did years ago. It's one for an organisation I'm involved in ... shan't put the URL here as I'm not proud of the site anymore. For one thing it's laid out in tables (shock, horror!) instead of purely CSS. Anyway, it's taking a lot longer to fix up than I thought it would and there's pressure to do it asap. And this is of course all being done in the evenings, after I've been at work all day, then gone to the gym on the way home. Apart from that - I guess I've just been taking on a bit more than I had been and, particularly if I don't go to bed early enough (ie. by 10pm) I end up getting tired ... and grumpy with myself!

Anyway, I just needed to clear the decks a bit! This weekend (Sunday) I'm going to a mosaic-making get-together with some friends which should be great! I've always wanted to do some mosaic, and so I'm going to have fun! I'm either going to do a plant saucer/platter, or a large square pot rest. I'm restraining myself from launching into big complex projects before I've done anything! It's been hard, but ... :)

At yoga class last weekend it was wonderful to meet up with a woman who'd gone to live overseas last year, and had somehow heard about me getting ill and sent me some sweet emails at the time. She is back on holiday and I had no idea - so it was lovely to see her walking in! We had a nice little chat. She told me she followed my blog so she knows what I'm up to - hi there Daniele if you're reading this!

Handel concert

The (Handel) Judas Maccabaeus concert was on Saturday night at St Johns, the Anglican Cathedral in Brisbane. It went pretty well I think. The cathedral was nearly full and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. We had a great supper afterwards in the courtyard - and as well as Teresa coming, I was amazed to see Dion there too. I hadn't even asked him if he wanted to come, but at my party the choir people were telling everyone about it, and he decided to come! In fact he told me it was a choice between a friend's birthday party or the Handel concert, but Handel would always win that contest!! I shall have to put him on my list of people to invite to choir concerts. Turns out he sings in the Queensland Choir, so he's definitely into choral music.

I went to yoga class one evening during the week as I knew I wouldn't be able to go on the weekend - Iain was there, it was so nice to see him again. Just a few little directions/comments and it makes such a difference.

Flowers, books and yoga

I got into work on Thursday after spending the morning in a workshop on another campus, to find these flowers on my desk! I couldn't believe it - honestly I'm not the sort of person who gets flowers delivered, particularly at work! And OK, yes they're from my aunt and uncle in the UK, not some romantic interest (what's that?!) but I was quite overwhelmed, and somewhat embarrassed too! I share an office with 2 young guys, and - well, I don't like too much attention on me !! But they're gorgeous, and look great at home as you can see!

So, it's been a long weekend here - May Day etc. I've had a great time. On Saturday I went to Avid Books (wonderful bookshop in Brisbane) and 'spent' a book token someone had given me for my birthday. Such a great present! I got a really great Donna Hay recipe book (I've been wanting to get some new ones for ages), and also an impulse buy of Rupert Everett's autobiography! A long time ago I worked in theatre wardrobe at the Royal Shakespeare Company in London, and Rupert worked with us as a (very naughty!) dresser for a while in those days! Before his ignominious departure as described in the book. Without asking anyone (and he'd never have been allowed to) he 'borrowed' the lead actor's costume to go to a party and somehow the costume got left there! You can imagine the horror when it was discovered missing before the next performance!!!

Anyway, after that I rushed off to half an hour of choir practice, before carrying on to yoga class. Very busy there, with only one teacher this time. But just practicing in that sort of atmosphere really seems to lift my practice.

Then yesterday I went out with a friend to see this film 'Miss Pettigrew takes a Day'. Set in London just before the start of WW2. Very light but amusing! I think my mother would like it - she was living and working in London at that time. Met my Dad towards the end of the war ... :)

Today I've just been gardening and doing stuff around the house ... generally having a nice lazy day!