Trips

One of the things I hadn't written about was my recent trips. First was to the Lake District with my boy. That was lovely, I am so glad I bought the new car as it makes so much difference. I wouldn't have gone that far before or enjoyed driving around when I got there. We had a great time in an amazing cottage. Everything you could possibly have wanted while we were there was already provided. We just needed to buy food and find places to go. Its a beautiful place and the weather was mainly kind to us. A little drizzle, a little chill, but mostly dry and pleasant. I loved the boys company, going walking and exploring with him, Having his time just to me even when he was hard work. We compromised in the end and he let me have some free time to just relax every evening. It was also pretty nice being away from computers completely. He has got so brave though, we went scrabbling over the rocks at the base of a cliff on one beach at low tide and he loved it. He wouldn't have done that a year ago. He liked it so much we went back the next day and went much further... Even ended up scrambling up the side of a waterfall while we were away. I was so proud of him and it was so lovely to see his pride in doing it too. The warmest day we took a hop-on-hop-off ferry round one of the lakes. Hopped off and went walking at three of the stages. He was very tired that night! It was a great week... at the same time his mum was in switzerland on a walking holiday. So all of us doing things we liked but which we would have been too busy arguing to have done before. All in all a good reminder of why we are apart. Only disappointment was one of my scottish friends was supposed to join us with her Beagle, but work and ill-health from the dog stopped her being able to make it. We were all disappointed we won't get to see each other this year :( Soon after that I had to go to Berlin on a work trip, to a technical conference. Only two nights but it does seem to take up time! Especially the way our work travel system is! I went with a girl in our team, and I was more than a little nervous about spending so much time with her socially (I am not the most social animal). It was fun though. I like her, and she knows all about me so I didn't have to really hide anything. The conference was really good (unexpectedly so) and worth going for. The hotel was lovely. The food amazing and the company pretty good. Being the geek that I am, I was the only one who turned up in jeans and sneakers... but hey, I am a techie.. it was a techie conference... why would I dress up in a suit to hear other techies say techie things??? Had some time to go sightseeing the first evening of the conference. Walked around at a speed march with my friend from work and had fun. She was really good company and I enjoyed the time talking with her, or even the times being quiet. I owe her now though for the amount of times she has teased me at work about things since... It wasn't my kind of place, I am not a city person, but I am really glad I went as it was the sort of thing that always intimidated me - travelling to a strange city where I didn't know anyone or anything.