So far in 2012 …

Family

Still trying to move things on with getting Jermaine moved back to Northampton but simply don’t trust the people behind it so it’s probably never going to happen. Our feeling is that this is cost driven and all they can think about is how much they can save money so this ‘has’ to happen and they’ll configure any package to be in Jermaine’s best interest whether it is or not!

Done a visit down to Kent already which was an epic event visiting several people in the one weekend staying all over the place in Kent and Essex.

Kids and Grandchildren all doing OK

Tech Stuff

Did a PC rebuild as it was just plain horrible. Pleased to say that after replacing some memory modules and totally reloading the OS, everything seems to be working OK.

Health

Been having Reiki sessions which are lovely, not been having massage which is a bummer as I really need it.

My eye cyst is getting worse to the point where my vision is seriously affected, am not even sure I should be driving to be honest. Hopefully I will get an appointment at the hospital to sort that out soon. Already made an appointment to get my hearing sorted, these hearing aids are horrible, am sick of not hearing people, it’s knocking my confidence so has to be sorted. On new medication for allergies which makes me feel tired and even more dizzy (yes, that’s apparently possible!) Ha a flu jab too so hardly a shock that right now I feel like crap!

Photography

I already did a blog about this. Loving it and can’t get enough. Not only do I enjoy the taking of pictures but also finishing them off in the edit phase or, ‘touching my subjects up’ as one sitter described it!

Plans

Still in the planning stage of two New York visits but do have the Spain trip all sorted now so that’s exciting

Steve’s Photography

Still looking for volunteers as I can’t yet make enough money to justify coming off benefits and having this as a career, at the moment I am still learning

 

I have decided I really want to take my photography seriously and have been asking for some eager volunteers to help me create a portfolio, on this page are some of the results of that so you can judge for yourself how well I am doing!

Steve’s Photography

Still looking for volunteers as I can’t yet make enough money to justify coming off benefits and having this as a career, at the moment I am still learning

 

I have decided I really want to take my photography seriously and have been asking for some eager volunteers to help me create a portfolio, on this page are some of the results of that so you can judge for yourself how well I am doing!

December update

Yes, it is appears my blog is, at best, managing a monthly update!

So, what since November 14th then?

Well ….

OK, actually ‘Expedition Everest’ in Animal Kingdom, Orlando not the real mountain, way too much like hard work! Yes, yet another visit to the USA and most certainly my last … for 2011 anyway!

 

The villa wasn’t too far away from the September location, only a couple of miles so not too difficult to find even without the satnav. The Cadillac was awesome and only $50 to fill up for a 400 mile range. A powerful 3.6l lump under the hood ensured driving never had to get dull! That and WJRR on the radio as well … what a damn shame we don’t have anything remotely like WJRR here in the UK!

Got to see a real alligator in the wild totally for free, the first time I’d just seen one when out and about and it was a big bugger too, not sure how big exactly as we never got a good enough view to see the whole body at the same time but it had to be way over 7’ and maybe considerably more. On that day our plan was to go rent a boat on one of the waterways guaranteed to see local wildlife. We’d tried earlier on in the vacation to do a boat trip only to find Virgin Holidays had sold us an excursion which no longer existed. Anyway, we tried again the day after Thanksgiving and no where was open for renting boats, they didn’t want to know. So, way too early we headed off for a town called ‘Eustis’ where we had a show booked for the evening and decided to have a wander along the lake side. The first thing we saw were two snakes and then someone pointed out the alligator! We were already seeing more wildlife than we expected to see on the boat trip. I said to Robin, all I need now is to see a turtle and I’d have crossed everything off my list … within minutes, there one was swimming right beside us … anyway, pictures speak louder than words so here are some of that amazing afternoon ….

 

So, anyway, all these animals on one sweet walk! It’s times like this when I remind people, I am not atheist, I am agnostic. If we were to have gotten on any of the boats we tried we may not have seen what we did and got such great pictures and all for free as well, nothing fake about anything here, we really were that stupidly close!

The show, incidentally, was OK but not amazing … it was meant to be a bit of madness and that’s what it was. No real storyline. Probably about as close to a panto as we were likely to see out there! For any more pictures you will need to get your bottom over to Facebook and look on my profile there, in case you are not already a friend there, go to Facebook

 

Whilst there and having lost a little weight recently, I decided to go a little mad and buy new clothes for myself … rather a lot as it happens and I’ve bought some since getting back too which has meant nearly my entire wardrobe being either chucked or given away so now I am just wearing new stuff and it feels quite good … a habit I can’t afford!

For those wondering, which is probably no one … I did finish the September video but YouTube won’t let me upload it because of how long it is. It appears I also can’t watch it via the Xbox at home either so, I put a lot of time and effort into making it, Robin may have seen some of it, I’ve not see it complete at all and it’s unlikely anyone else will see it either which is rather a shame.

Speaking of holidays or ‘writing’ in this case. Zoey & Adam have now completed the booking for June next year to Spain so that’s going to hopefully be awesome, not been there for a long while.

Once again I have another cyst and it hurts like hell, well, more itches now and it doesn’t look very nice either, am totally sick of them to be honest with you dear reader, I really should do something about them, find the cause.

Am broke now just about so shall have to do what I didn’t want to do and repay after Christmas which I can do, it isn’t a problem but I was hoping to have left 2011 in credit, I may still, not too sure yet.

Javis and Sian have had Grace, she’s about a week old now … I don’t really know how to feel about that, totally not sure about anything in that department to be honest. She’s lovely and I am really happy for them but, apart from her being Josh’s 1/2 sister, I have total uncertainty how close I should get with there being no actual relationship there.

Zach and Danny are both doing really well and developing personalities already, love them both loads. Immy & Josh seem to have both grown up loads since they were born which I am sure is just a different perception but it seems strange all the same.

No where near as prepared for Christmas as I planned to be, my bad!

Look, you’re probably bored reading, I am getting weary typing so until January or the next significant even, I bid you all a memory Christmas and a better 2012