Monday

6am and wikki leaks seems to be taking over my morning routine. The drop in the Euro vrs the pound takes second place. Devising and enforcing new morning routines takes third. Honorable mention goes to finally dressing correctly for the temperature. Perhaps this why I am still dizzy.

If you want to know how to implement change in your life, sing. Sing in a silly voice, a deep voice a high voice. Sing what you are doing as you do it. In my case, getting Zelda to dress before breakfast and not afterwards. It worked wonders. Add a few la la las and you have a possible hit single on your hands. Do a little dance, shake your booty and  twirl as you do what you are asking others to do and it really makes change fun! Lets put on our pants, la la la, Lets do a dance, lalala, here comes the sleeve shake shake shake, over the head and twirl...

Dropped Zelda off at school, on time. The morning went perfectly. Met my friend afterwards and she came with me to view the last of 5 properties on Geoffrey Avenue that I have seen. It was a house that had been done up very nicely. The only problem with it is that it is just too small. The rooms are titchy. The halls are long and narrow. Upstairs, there isn't enough room to turn around without the fear of falling over the banister. I am sure if I brought in an entire farm yard of animals and then let them out again, the place would feel palatial, but I just don't have it in me.

Lets face it, I am spoiled. I am also unemployed. I am also expecting to much when I have very definite criteria, like we must be able to walk to Zeldas school and my husband must be able to walk to the university. This means we want to have a home in the city center of Durham, and with a large garden. This is very possible. Most of the homes have nice size gardens. Well the homes that I want to buy. They are also homes that cost too much because they are in the center and have large gardens. Now I can have a large home with a large garden, but I will have to be near noise. I do not want noise. This is a definite certainty, thus I will have to go for small garden and smaller home. Perhaps this is my destiny. This is how I will become more frugal and less spoiled. It has to be a good thing.

 Actually, Durham is surrounded by traffic noise because there are so many roads that cut across its beautiful landscape. Some of the most stately homes are on major roads. There are small pockets of quiet development, but they are mostly new builds and are ugly or they are very old areas with beautiful town house style homes, but they have been bought by developers and turned into student housing. Student housing has taken over the city and has ruined the housing market.

Ran errands after the viewing and then went home. Laundry, bills, and ordering groceries on line for Christmas took up my afternoon. 2:30 arrived and it was time to go back into town to get Zelda. It was so warm, all the ice had gone so we walked home. It was nice to be able to walk home again and take in all the beauty of the town. The sky was pink and the moon was out. We flew home on our feet and had a great time.

Upstairs and onto the couch. Zelda and I snuggle and watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. One of my childhood favorites. Then I made Zeldas dinner, gave her a bath and read to her from the new book I reserved from the public library. Another childhood favorite, Pippi Longstocking. She is such a great role model for a young girl. Strong, independent, fearless, confident and quirky. Zelda seemed to like it, and I am enjoying rereading it again.

Time check- 8:27, hubby on his way home from work, Zelda a sleep with the cat and me, feeling perfectly nostalgic and loving every minute of it.