TV: Tsunami the Aftermath

I watched Tsunami the Aftermath on TV last night. I didnt want to but felt compelled to. It was a dramatized version of the events which took place almost two years ago. The programme wasn't desperately good but it reminded me of the vivid TV images of the dead lined up and awaiting identification, the reports of parents who simply couldnt hold on to their children lost to the wave, of thousands of photos of happy smiling people missing injured or dead, the scenes of devastation and of home videos of the tsunami as it surged in wiping out tiny figures on the beach.
How lucky I am to be able to confine such images to the recesses of my mind, only to be recalled from time to time. How lucky I am not to have to live with such loss on a day to day basis. How lucky I am not to have been celebrating christmas on a beach two years ago. How lucky I am to have my husband and children safe, to be buying christmas presents for my babies and to be looking forward to seeing their faces on Christmas morning. My heart goes out to everyone who lost a loved one to the tsunami but particularly to those parents who lost their children and who now face the two year anniversary of that devastating day. I look at my girls this morning and I count my blessings a bit more, but I also wonder how to protect them from such an awful event happening again.

The time draws near the birth of Christ:
The moon is hid; the night is still;
The Christmas bells from hill to hill
Answer each other in the mist.

Four voices of four hamlets round,
From far and near, on mead and moor,
Swell out and fail, as if a door
Were shut between me and the sound:

Each voice four changes on the wind,
That now dilate, and now decrease,
Peace and goodwill, goodwill and peace,
Peace and goodwill, to all mankind.

This year I slept and woke with pain,
I almost wish'd no more to wake,
And that my hold on life would break
Before I heard those bells again:

But they my troubled spirit rule,
For they controll'd me when a boy;
They bring me sorrow touch'd with joy,
The merry merry bells of Yule.

(from In Memoriam, XXIX)

Scarlet & Phoebe: New Beds

Well last night was Phoebe & Scarlet's first night out of cots. During the day, Tim and I made up the beds and there was great excitement as they both jumped in and out all day and pulled the covers over their heads. Come bed time it wasn't too bad and despite a few tears from Phoebe they nodded off pretty well much as usual. During the night however, Tim got up to find Phoebe fast asleep on the floor with her bottom up in the air. He put her back to bed but the tears started and she was in bed with us from 3am - bouncing up and down and wanting to play. She finally nodded off at about 5am and we were both sooo grateful to Scarlet who laid in until 8:30am this morning giving Tim and I some much needed extra zzzzzzzz's. I took a sneaky couple of pics of the girls asleep in their beds to show you (Scarlet left / Phoebe right):

Lucinda Williams - C'mon

Here's a video clip of Lucinda Williams in concert. She's sooo cool!!!!

Rant: Tesco Carrier Bags

It's real commendable of Tesco to offer club card points to people who recylce their carrier bags. A great move which shows genuine concern for the environment - except, my online shop just turned up in 25 bags. 25 bags !!! In one bag there was a single tin of mushy peas.
After two weeks of this, I feel totally overwhelmed by carrier bags.

Thoughts on turning 40

I was laying in bed last night thinking about turning 40 next year and it occurred to me that Im kind of looking forward to being all grown up. If the average age a woman lives to is around 81, then I am very nearly almost half-way there. Here are a few reasons why I am looking forward to being 40:

• First and foremost, Im not dead. I have lost three friends prematurely in the last handful of years. Two of them would love to have made it to 40, Im pretty sure. So Im gonna celebrate on their behalf. Im lucky to be turning 40 so Im not gonna mizz over it.
• My 40 years have been happy and I am content to be the person I am at 40. I figured last night that if I was unfulfilled, then turning 40 might be a more difficult proposition. If Tim and I were still trying for children for instance, then it would probably be more difficult for me to enjoy turning 40. If I wasnt basically content, then I might be wondering at 40 if I was ever gonna be.
• It's just another year. In fact, its just another day, or another minute or nano-second. Why would I wanna fuss about that? Who invented time anyway? If years consisted of 730 days instead of 365 then I would only be 20 years old next year and my life expectency would only be 40 years. It's just a load of numbers and I dont really do them.
• Im not afraid of dying I just dont want to die young if I can avoid it. I want to live as many years as possible so Im gonna celebrate each year I do live. Besides, so many people have died before me and I firmly believe in an afterlife although what form it takes, I guess I will have to wait and find out.
• Tim is already 45 so Im always gonna be his younger wife. Ha ha ha.
• Melissa (big sis) is older than me :o)
• My cats will be lucky to make it to 18 years old.
• 40 is the new 30.
  
• I've got no choice.

Ramblings I know but hey, it's my blog.