By Slanted Light

Too many pictures today... On the way back from Somerset I stopped at Painswick Roccoco Gardens in Gloucestershire... ...and found myself briefly back at NeuSchwanstein! *g*

( More pics... and more... )

Okay, I am determined to hit Post on this today - I've been faffing with it for ages and getting nowhere, and I want to post to lj again! I will grant you that Job 2 and holidays abroad, on top of the 10+ hour working days made it a little tricky to find time that I didn't want to spend just collapsing somewhere, but really, this is getting silly.

So. *g* Random stuff first! Probably backwards...
- I remembered to go out last night in case the skies were clear enough to see the Perseids this year, and mostly they weren't (moon, herring clouds...), but there was also briefly a patch with just a few stars, and I saw five gorgeously bright, momentarily sparkling-trailed shooting stars!
- I have recently bought books and joined the "Library Xtra" scheme, where you get to use the library when it's closed, so I have a joyfulness of books to read in the next few days weeks. *g* I'm currently almost finished K.J. Charles' latest, Spectred Isle.
- It's the school holidays, which means I have to work with two girls both wanting attention at the same time, and without a break during A's nap
- It's the school holidays, and so my job involves finding nice places to hang out with two wee girls instead of staring at a computer for ten hours a day. *g*
- I have buggered up two weeks of the school holidays by needing a course of B12 injections. I imagined when they first mentioned them that it was one every few months - no, apparently three times a week for two weeks, then one every month. But maybe I'll get my energy properly back! (and my brain, such as it ever was...)
- Actually took some writing along to the SF/F/H writing group this month, which was quite well reviewed. I was told to get on and finish it. Maybe I really will, with the prospect of monthly feedback... *g*
- Job 2 seems to be properly finished [...and as I typed that I realised it wasn't, and that I'd forgotten to start the preparation for Job 2.2, so I went and did it, and now it's much later again. But I will post tonight!]
- Blimey, there must be much else that I can barely even remember, and it's been ages since I took photos for photo's sake, but I did take some when I went to Germany... *g*

I've not sorted them all yet, but let's see if I can manage to post my holiday as it happened, but a few weeks later. So - and you'll have heard about much of this elsewhere, but hey-ho! - let's start with the weekend I left bonny old England... *g*
( It was a Friday... )

I am very near the end of two-job madness, not least because from today I am on holiday from Job 1 - hurrah! And I am currently sitting at Birmingham airport with a latte and lemon tart (actually I've just eaten the lemon tart, but pretend it's here looking picturesque...) :)

I was so organised this time, nicely packed the night before, partly packed a couple of days before that. Things booked and printed, and even the express lane booked for the airport and everything. I leave within my allocated time slot - okay, at the tippy end of it, but still, not late. I drive... Motorway...

Motorway closed between junctions... Oh no! Where is that? Where am I? Why didn't I buy the posh version of my Sat nav that told me things like that? More importantly where am I??? Back to trying to read a map and drive at the same time...

And of course my Sat nav just wants me to go back to the motorway, and the diversion isn't brilliantly signposted and it's full of giant trucks getting in the way of seeing the coloured-in triangles anyway... So I go the wrong way once, but catch it and turn around, and go-go-go...

And I get here. The barrier won't recognise my number plate this time, and no one's answering the button, but the other barrier has just worked, so I try that one. Nope. Drive back to the first one, and wonder if the cctv is recording the crazy lady... There's a ticket spat out... Is it mine? No idea, but there's no one else there, so I take it and hope I won't be charged twice...

And I eventually find a spot, and hurrah, luck, the bus is just arriving! So off to departures, with most of my time-for-emergencies used up.

And thank gods I booked the express lane (I am always doing that!), because there's massive queues, even at silly o'clock. I actually do whizz-express through - at least until I beep and have to do the nekkid-view scanner, then have my sandals swabbed, and then my bag has to be triple-checked (just when I thought I'd been so careful!)

Okay, through! Rush, rush, rush...

Flight delayed by an hour.

So ack, but on the other hand, breathe and post... :) And look forward to another week in Germany. Yeay!

How're you doing? It's been ages...