HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Hey everyone! I know I haven't been around LJ much lately, sorry about that. I've missed you all! Some of you I've kept up to date with Facebook, but for everyone else I'll do a recap of what's been going on.

( Cut for health-related ramblings etc )

Nice pins, John!



I wish I was going to see La Cage aux Folles!

As most of my flist already know, the AEGON Championships at Queen's Club, London, were held over the weekend. We had tickets for the semi-finals and the finals, and although Nadal had sadly pulled out due to a knee injury, I was still looking forward to seeing tennis live and in the flesh.

( More London shenanigans )

Hey everyone! Home safe, tennis was amazing, weather was glorious and I'm way past the point of exhaustion. =) Will blog more soon when my corpse has been reanimated.

All packed and ready to go to Queen's, everybody say a collective prayer for good weather.

See you all when I get back!

Rafa's withdrawn from Queen's.

FML.

23 today, just a shame he's celebrating it at home and not in France as usual.

So, Rafa's out of the French open, the first time he's ever lost there. It's a little shocking, and upsetting, especially as Rafa never really seemed to feel comfortable out there today and certainly wasn't playing anywhere near his best. I kinda felt from the start that today was going to be his last day, unfortunately. It's horrible enough for him to be gone, but I just hate the fact that he was took out by Soderling. I'm sorry, but I hate that guy. I don't normally have actual hate for players, either I just don't bother to follow them or I root for the opposing player, or even if I'm not particularly keen on their personality I can still appreciate them as a good player. But I just don't have that ability with Soderling, I can't find anything redeeming about him at all. I think the only player I dislike more than him is Tipsarevic, and at least Murray has already taken care of him (OK, he retired, but still) so I don't have to look at him any more.

But Soderling is through. Urgh.

Come on and win this thing, Roger. Rafa's already said he wants you to. At least then this year's Roland Garros won't have been a total bust.





"It's not a tragedy, I had to lose one day. I must accept my defeats with the same level of calm that I accept my victories."

Rafael Nadal

I found clothes! I have jeans and two vest tops, one baby pink and one dusky pink in a more strappy style. Phew, tbh. Thank goodness for Monsoon. Discovered through small talk that the woman serving me also has a love of tennis in general and Rafa in particular. =) Had a brief squee about him with her while paying, lol.

There's nothing like a failed clothes shopping trip to remind you of everything you hate about yourself.

And why is everything out there so.... frilly?

Mutual hair brushing/confetti removal!








(thanks worldwouldend)

Look! Rafa runs the entire length of the stage to stand beside Roger, not to mention the giggly cheque-size comparison (I'm not even going there with symbolism), Roger calling Rafa over for photos and funny-as-hell: Roger's reaction to the bomb glitter being fired. I thought he was going to mess himself.

My tickets for the tennis at Queen's club arrived today! Yay baby!

Yesterday me and my sister Alison went to Vortex in Belfast, which was a Whoniverse convention to raise money for the Northern Ireland children's hospice. Gareth David Lloyd (Ianto in Torchwood) was going and that was enough for me, but Chipo Chung (Chantho/ Fortune teller in Dr Who) and Paul Marc Davis (who has appeared in all three Whoniverse shows but is best known as The Trickster in SarahJane adventures and the Chieftain of the futurekind in the Who episode 'Utopia) were also appearing. There were also props from the show and live characters walking about

( Click for more including loads of photos )

I was sitting watching CSI last night, so it was sometime after 9pm, I was almost ready for bed except I hadn't changed into my pyjamas yet, and I was thinking about what to have for supper. Richard reminded me that there was some honeydew melon in the fridge if I wanted that. "Oooh, that'll do," I thought. I love melon, I don't eat it an awful lot but I do enjoy it, I last had it at Christmas when we went out for a meal. So I eat the melon, scoopy scoop, om nom nom etc. After five minutes I noticed my palms were a little bit itchy. I didn't think much of it. Then they got really itchy. Then the rest of my body started to itch, but not a normal itch, like I was covered from head to toe in scritchy little critters. I got up, stripped naked and checked myself for a rash, but there was nothing. "Odd." I thought. Then I started getting dressed again, and as I was doing so I said to Richard that my eyes felt funny. He got me back to the mirror and we saw that my eyes had started to swell, the inner corner of the left eye swelled quite badly, and the right eye was swelled almost shut. This was literally within 2 minutes of them started to feel odd. "Hospital!" he declared. So we sped to the hospital, on the way my throat started to feel strange and my face was burning hot and a fiery red. I can tell you, it was not an attractive look. We got to the hospital within 15 minutes.... then sat for an hour to see the triage nurse. Luckily I knew my tongue wasn't swelling and my airways felt OK so I was happy enough to sit. After seeing the triage nurse (who took my blood pressure, 149/89! I got it done at the GP's three weeks ago and it was 118/70) I sat for ANOTHER hour before even getting into a cubicle. Finally a doctor came to see me, she was a gorgeous little thing too, and she sounded me out, took all my details and told me I'd definitely had an allergic reaction but luckily it hadn't developed into anaphylaxis. She gave me some anti-histamines, a suggestion to avoid melons from now on, and sent me on my way. It was 1am before I got home, but already the swelling was going down and the itching was subsiding.

I just don't understand how I'm suddenly allergic to something I've eaten for most of my life and only had less than 5 months ago?

I finally got a few photos uploaded from my birthday shenanigans on Saturday night, and also one of the cakes from the joint party on Sunday. My sister juicy28 apparently has one of me stuffing my 16oz steak into my mouth, but alas she hasn't sent it to me so it's not making an appearance here (as if!) but you do get to see the giant hot fudge sundae I polished off (I'd already eaten the flake... lol)

( Photos be here! )

It was great fun. I got mostly money, to go towards my trip to Queens club, but I also got Rafa Nadal's biography, chocolates, tix for a Dr Who convention, a toy dog from my niece and a drawing she did of me, and a mug and some gorgeous coconut body wash from my nephew.

It's been pretty damn good!

So, I'm thirty. How the hell did that happen?

Seriously though, I'm not feeling like anything has changed, thirty doesn't feel massively different than twenty-nine did. I'm not sure why so many people freak out over it!

I'm not doing much today, but we're going out on Saturday night for a meal, and then on Sunday I'm going to my Mum and Dad's house, they're throwing a joint party for me and my Aunt who's turning 70 next Wednesday. It will be really nice to get all the family together. =)

I just want to say a huge thanks to everyone for the lovely birthday wishes, and a special thanks to bflyw for the gorgeous picture and to artistic_sillie for that amazing card, it arrived (perfectly timed) this morning. I really love it, and Jensen's expression makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it! You've captured them both so well. Thank you!

*hearts you all*

Former Angel star Andy Hallett has died of heart failure at the age of 33.

According to E! News, the actor passed away at Cedars Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles on Sunday night, following a five-year battle with heart disease.

Hallett was best known for his role as the friendly, green demon Lorne ("The Host") in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer spinoff.

...but I think I might ship Smith/Wesson.

Like a fine wine, you just get better with age



Happy 31st, babe!