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Thanks to my brother ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) idragosani putting his updates to LJ on Facebook, it reminded me that I've got an account as well! So it's been quite a while - maybe even over a year! Lots can happen in a year and this year particularly. Back in April, I finally got an invitation to an ordination retreat to enter the Western Buddhist Order after 11 years in the ordination process. Later, in May my elation was tempered by the fact my father became seriously ill with pancreatitis. During this whole time, my husband and I were attempting to purchase a property in St Augustine and it took 7 months to complete, compounded by the fact our bank granting us an international mortgage was based in Hong Kong, the broker in Orlando and the realtor in St Augustine and us in Scotland. I flew twice to the US - at the end of May to be there with Dad through his ordeal and to support Mom through it. I still don't like to think on this time too much as the images of his being in intensive care are still too upsetting. We lost Dad 1st July and a few days later, I flew back, having put my son on a plane to Upstate NY to visit his father. When I landed in Sanford this time, I was greeted by my mother and two brothers who I'd not seen since 1997. When did we get older and greyer? But it was great spending time with them again and being together at that time was so important, especially as Dad did not want any sort of funeral. During that time, the purchase of the house finally completed. My mother spent a lot of time and effort getting that place ready for us to rent out as a holiday rental for the rest of the summer. It went on the market in September, in time for hurricane season and then the subsequent stock market crash and economic downturn in October. Early October, Mom came over to stay for 5 weeks, 2 of which I was away to get ordained. Within a couple of weeks of being home (and a few days AFTER she left), I broke my wedding ring finger quite badly (in pieces, said the orthopaedic surgeon) and ended the rest of the year in a cast up to my elbow. With the New Year, we have a new addition to our household - Ian's 2nd cousin Lorna has come to live with us, escaping the mundanity of Birmingham, England. Current Location: Living Room, Upper Coll
Current Mood:  okay
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Went to get ONE filling done at the dentist today, and she did THREE instead. Not happy. Her manner was abrupt and she didn't put in topical anaesthetic in the injection sites. No, she just went in with a big needle, straight away, very quick, no warning. Ugh. My face is just now waking up and my jaw hurts where the injection was put in. She gave me the choice of either fillings or wisdom tooth extraction... well, duh! I'll take the lesser of two evils just now, thanks. The weather has turned, cool, windy and now spitting with something attempting to be rain. It's supposed to be good tomorrow though, which means the house won't be like a morgue. And as Dad has just piped in "...and less crowded with people going outside!" I've got wisdom teeth to come out next week, oh joy of joys... Tags: argh, dentist, fillings, tooth
Current Mood:  grumpy
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Just in from a break - cleaned out the large white box (used to be a container for a lorry) which is now a chicken shed. It was raining solid for two days and that box leaks... ergo chicken poo and water, yuck. Nina helped me. She's a wwoofer, over from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. She's away to her next farm tomorrow, having been here two weeks. It's good her last couple of days are sunny ones - we'll get a lot of work done that way! While she's been here, she's learned about chickens and ducks, horse management, helped clear and plant up a polytunnel and helped Ian makes doors for said polytunnel. WWOOF - World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms is a movement whereby volunteers from anywhere in the world come on an organic farm, smallholding or market garden and help out in exchange for room and board. You get a wide variety of folks wanting to come help - from young people on a 'gap year' before they do University, to couples just wanting to be in the country. You get a wide variety of skills too... sometimes the main skill just being enthusiasm and a helping hand! It's such a great way for those who are trying the lead the 'good life' to get help as sometimes with just the two of us, it can be disheartening and a grind. We're set to have a full summer of wwoofers joining us, so this means we'll be set for the winter! And Thanks Nina for all your help and companionship! Current Mood:  chipper
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I'm sitting here, as usual. Weather's been not bad today, but it's on the turn just now... a sea mist has come in and I can't see across Broad Bay to the Eye Peninsula (or Point as it's known here). It's been nice having over a week of dry weather. This weekend, I go down to Cambridge to meet up with Padmasuri, who will be my Private Preceptor when I get ordained. I'm hoping to get ordained this year into the Western Buddhist Order, but it all depends on if enough other order members feel I'm ready and support me joining the Order as well as my Private Preceptor (grasshopper, you are ready when you can snatch the pebble from my hand...). I'm going at this time as Padmasuri will be leaving for Spain in two weeks' time to go on a 3-month women's ordination retreat in the Pyrenees (the first for the Order - men have had their retreat centre in Spain for a long time). Before she goes, she will need go to a meeting of the Public Preceptors to convince them (a quorum with a consensus). I won't go on one of these longer retreats as I've still got Kieran at home, plus the animals on the croft and Ian being away a lot of the time. Padmasuri was thinking that if I do get invited this year, we are looking at the end of July. She gets back beginning of July. She had said she wanted to spend some time with me, preferably in a retreat setting, but that she didn't have any appropriate retreats until late into the Autumn. So how to get past this problem? Come down to Cambridge for a few days and meet up with her so she can judge for herself if I'm ready(and not just with words via telephone calls and emails, but face to face) . I'll meet up with other Dharmacharinis (women order members) as well so they can do their little write ups too. It may seem it's a weekend jolly to some, but ordination is a very big thing to me - has been for 10 years now so I feel this time with Padmasuri is crunch time... It's a bit tricky timing-wise as Ian's away, but Robynne is willing to stay here this weekend to look after her brother and the animals. On the good news front - Ian's divorce from his estranged wife finally came through. It's been an uphill and expensive battle for nearly 5 years now to get closure on this. Unfortunately, Ian's in Singapore, so we couldn't celebrate this together. But... having said that, he sounds so happy on the phone - not just with what he's saying, but in his voice. "A weight lifted and the sun is out and life is just grand sort of thing. Aaaaaaahhhhh!!" New beginnings and the rest of our lives to look forward to properly now without a Damocles sword hanging over our heads waiting to drop on us. To me, it's symbolic we've got this happening in the Spring for the new beginnings. We've vowed to bring the best out in each other from now on - which is how we all should be towards each other, not just loved ones! But I'll stop there because I could go off on a tangent.... Current Location: Upper Coll
Current Mood: cheerful
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