Hitting a wall...

I've hit a wall today... I woke up.. I got out of bed to see off a house guest.. I changed the bedding in preparation of another house guest arriving tonight... I did some cleaning and...

I.HIT.A.WALL...

I am now sitting on the couch feeling just rather blah about life... It's a beautiful sun shiney day outside my window and I just can't muster up any energy or enthusiasm about it...

I think I need a holiday... After a super busy July and a busy start of August... I think I am tired and run down and getting far too caught up in things that really don't matter..

I think I need some time alone... Even though I like to think I present a pretty authentic self... it still sometimes feels like an effort to be surrounded by people.. to be engaging... to be social... things which I just can't be bothered with right now...

I either need to go away and think far too much about things and process it all or just go away and not think about things and start with a clean slate... I feel like I'm stuck in this limbo at the moment where I can't do one or the other and it's just the same empty thoughts that have taken up residency in my brain... cluttering my mind with I don't even know what...

It's one of those days where I feel like I might burst into tears for no apparent reason other than 'just because'...

Maybe I just need to umplug... switch off and lose myself in a good book... I don't remember the last time I read a book....

*sigh*

Greetings from sunny Morocco!!

@ Albakech House, Marrakech, Morocco

Think I would blog a lot more if these were my 'working conditions' everyday!! Or maybe not?? As I would just want to laze around in the sun and accomplish a lot of nothing at all....

It has been a hectic few weeks.. we have finally moved out of our crappy little flat with super awful landlords/letting agency and into our own place!

I am officially a home owner! Waheyy!! Bit of a scary process, buying a house/flat/apartment/dwelling..!! But the estate agent was brilliant and The Mister is related to a solicitor, so it all went rather easily and somewhat according to plan!

Apart from the bit where The Mister had booked flights for the weekend that we were supposed to move house!! Yeah... that part... not so much with the good... But alas, we got everything moved from one place to the other with the help of a couple of fabulous friends.. I stayed up until 3am scrubbing the fridge and cabinets in the kitchen so we could get at least some stuff unpacked.. we had 3 hours sleep before the alarm went off and we had to be up to get to the train station..

My plans to nap on the train were largely thwarted by the sun rising right into my face.. then the mad hustle bustle of peeps squeezing onto the train to (I can only assume) go and get their Xmas shopping done. Why people don't just do their shopping online..! (tho that's another post altogether!)

The flight from Manchester to Marrakesh was fairly uneventful.. we were picked up at the airport and brought to the riad. We chilled out in the room for a while then went out for a late dinner.

The next day we caught a bus out to Essaouira, on the coast and spent 4 nights at the Riad-Al-Medina which was owned by Jimi Hendrix. We had a great time exploring the little port town and even managed a 2 hour kitesurfing lesson, which was more kiting than surfing! We didn't even get near the water!! It's hard work learning to fly those kites tho, I'll tell ya!

I really loved Essaouira, it's so much more laid back and relaxed than the madness which is Marrakech.. I actually managed to get some shopping done which I failed at miserably last time while we were in Marrakech as I just got sick and tired of all the touts and people yelling at you, trying to "help" you or "guide: you etc etc. Ugh!

We've really only used Marrakech as a transfer point this trip as it was mainly to go out to Essaouira, but one place I had wanted to go last time but never made it was the Majorelle Gardens also known as the Yves Saint Laurent Gardens.. Well, we finally managed to get ourselves there yesterday and it was well worth the effort.

The gardens are gorgeous and filled with all sorts of plants from around the world. I believe Yves Saint Laurent actually has his ashes scattered there.. Within the grounds is also a Berber Museum as well as a cafe, boutique and mini gallery of some of YSL's collage cards which he used to send to his friends & clients.

We missed breakfast this morning as The Mister's alarm didn't go off and have resigned ourselves to enjoying the Moroccan sun for the last few hours before we're back off to the airport and to the land of cold & grey.

We probably could have squeezed in a quick trip to the Medina but we are out of cash and I'd rather just chillax than face the frantic souk.

I always promise photos and posts of my trips away and I've yet to actually get any of them up.. I've started quite a few posts about my trip to Turkey but somehow just not found the time to finish them and get them in any coherent order. Hopefully once the new flat is unpacked and I feel more settled, I'll get into a routine and a headspace which is conducive to writing rather than ranting....

We shall see! We have no internet at home until the engineer comes on the 17th, so maybe without the distraction of facebook and its games, I'll be more productive as well.... HA! I can only hope....

I hope this post finds you all well... until next time..

From the Touch Rugby World Cup to the Kings of Leon...

So, it should be fairly apparent that I'm the biggest nana in town.. Monday - Friday I get up, I work, I go home, I cook dinner (most nights), eat dinner, potter around fb with the tv on, shower, then bed... Thursday nights I go to yoga if I am feeling inspired, tho recently late night shopping and the high street sales have proved much more seductive than yoga! Saturdays & Sundays, unless the weather is really good, or we have a reason to go out (ie. we need groceries), I'm more than happy to potter around home in my pj's and not leave the apartment..

I think I got my major partying days under my belt in my late teens/early 20's and now I'm just jaded.. and potentially also spoilt because due to various jobs I was very well looked after when I was out and about in Auckland.. and to be honest.. last trip I was home.. I was still very well looked after when I went out.. yes that means I mostly only go places where I know someone on staff.. but for the most part, they are places I would probably go regardless.. I digress..

So, in recent years I've chosen to lead a much more sedentary lifestyle and that's been totally fine with me.. when you've spent as many years behind the bar serving the belligerently inebriated, it's a good reminder as to why it's probably not so great being "that" person too often in your life... don't get me wrong.. I've done my fair share of dancing on tables and what have you.. gah.. I digress again..

What I'm trying to say is.. as with most things in my life.. when it rains it pours... and I'll go for weeks without anything on the social radar, then all of a sudden everything will happen all at the same time... last week was one of those weeks..

Wednesday - I caught up with Sarah, whom I went to high school with for a few years and pretty much haven't seen since.. so a little over a decade.. (don't do the maths!) as she was in town with her partner who plays on the Welsh Touch Rugby team, the Touch Rugby World Cup was on in Edinburgh this past week.. So Wednesday night she picked me up from work and we went to watch Wales vs. Austria (14-5 respectively), then I went back to their apartment and had dinner with them and some of the other boys they were sharing the apartment with..  tho it wasn't a heavy drinking night, it was a late night...

Thursday - I needed to return some stuff to a store and ended up going shopping as instructed by mother..

Friday - I had intentions to try and catch up with Sarah again but was just wiped when I got home and I think I was in bed before midnight... (nana!)

Saturday - Formula 1 qualifying, then food before heading out to an album launch.. then it was Shaun's leaving do, as well as Scotty's b'day (which I had to miss).. and as with any evening out involving Shaun.... there were many many jager bombs involved.. I pulled a houdini at 1am and skipped going to the "clubs"...

Sunday - nursing a sore head while I watched the Formula 1 race.. there wasn't much time to feel sorry for myself before having to get ready to head to the Kings of Leon concert... (whilst missing catching up with friends Steph & Phil who are over from Canada - will have to catch up with them when I'm over in the Summer..)

Which all = Monday - a very tired Caz at work who is very slowly losing the will to live... luckily, the bossman sounds like he had an even harder weekend and so I'm at least in good company..

I will hopefully get around to sharing some photos of these various events.. but considering I still haven't posted about my holiday to Ireland last month.. I probably wouldn't hold my breath... *sigh* but you never know!!

Just got a text from another friend from NZ "Montreal".. he's in town and wants to meet up tonight...

Tomorrow is our work "Summer Party" - ahem.. we are somehow signed up to take part in Jog Scotland and are running/walking 5km.. before going to dinner at some burger joint and a few drinks... - WHO has ever had a staff party that involved running 5km!?!?!?! WHAT!?!?! True story of my life...