Photos

I haven't been posting a lot of photos recently, but I am sorting out my camera and making sure that I have lots of memory for the million pictures I plan to take of Marrakech. Here are a few of Budapest, the interior is of the Gresham Palace, I went there yesterday. It really is breathtaking, if you like art nouveau then it is worth a look in. The coffees are about a fiver though...ouch.

The skies are grey

Again, but never mind, because it is Saturday and I am off to the Four Seasons with D for a cappucino that signals the end of my coffee free days. D gave up chocolate for lent and promised me that we would have fancy coffee and cake some-where lovely to celebrate. Gresham palace is supposed to be amazing and so I intend on touristing up good style and taking loads of pictures.

Even though this has been a short week it seems to have gone on forever. Only one more left though and this time next week I will be last minute packing for Marrakech. There is a ton to think about and do before that, but the comfort of time with N and being back in my beloved North Yorkshire are all that I can think about.Obviously, that and the shopping.

Anne is thinking

What is it about life that sneaks up on you? For a few weeks I have been so involved in feeling lost and seperate from every-one that I never imagine for a moment that other people may actually notice how distant I feel. In a phenomena that Kelli and I used to call 'Big Brother Syndrome' I should have learnt by now that even when you think you are acting all cool and collected that in reality, your feelings are written all over your face. How do you learn to have a better poker face? I thought I was good at internalising, but it seems that this is very much not the case.

Should I be worried?

The BBC has published this article, which tells me that people make pre-conceptions about me because of my name. Any-one else on the 'Least Attractive' list?

Pictures of walls

K gave me a little bit of linking love yesterday by sending me the details of this website 'Pictures of Walls'.Knowing that I love Postsecret, the site is on a sort of similar vein. It is a collection of writings and graffiti that appear on the walls of the world. People find these little secrets, or slices of life and send the pictures in to the website. I find it all a bit mesmerising, the pictures are of such ordinary places that it is strange to see such emotions mixed in there. Have a look, any thoughts?

Spring sunshine

The very long and very quiet weekend is over and the sun is very brightly shining through the classroom windows today. I got quite a few things organised this weekend, some of which were things in my brain that have needed an airing for a while now. I feel better, and am happy to be looking forward to my few days away with N, we chatted about it yesterday and it made me excited again to shop until we are fit to burst in Marrakech.

I spent the day yesterday doing lots of work, which was actually really nice. It made me feel productive and helped me to realise exactly what it is that I want to get out of the next few years. It is nice to have something to aim for again, I think that Tatiana helped me to realise that as the last thing that i really desperately wanted was to come and live abroad, which I have been doing for the last five years. Time to aim for a new target.

The taste of coffee

Even though I would not call myself very religious, I always give up something for Lent. I think it is a throwback to my days as a teacher of Religious Studies, which I adored and abandoned for Special Needs teaching as a way to work overseas, as RE would have severely limited my options in getting jobs abroad. This year I gave up coffee and chocolate and have stayed away from the two for the whole of Lent. I have only had one coffee and that was only because I ordered and drank it in a cafe before remembering I had given it up for Lent.

So, today after all those weeks of coffee free living, I fired up the coffee maker that the girls gave me for my birthday and have proceeded to drink nearly a whole pot of the stuff. It hasn't made me hyper, but it has given me a headache, especially seeing as even without giving the stuff up I usually drink mostly tea and only have one cup of coffee a day. I need to walk it off so am off to meet some friends for lunch later.

As with the national holidays tradition in Hungary, the streets around me are very quiet and all will be slient tomorrow too. A few weeks ago when I was getting excited about Marrakech I was all focused on this weekend as I knew that when it got here it would mean just two weeks until my little holiday with N. I even got my case out of the cupboard and have started throwing clothes at it in an attempt to be a bit organised. It doesn't really feel like Easter because I am not eating Roast Lamb with my family while the BBC plays the Wizard of Oz, or other musicals that get trawled out at certain times of year. Not for the first time this year I miss home.