Today I have been mostly

shopping for birthday presents .

A trip to town is so much easier when the migraine is under the control of Sumatriptan . I'm wondering if its on its way out now , this being the one that started after the consumption of egg whites in the Baked Alaska on New Year's Eve . Its been well controlled thanks to the Topamax and high strength ibuprofen for three days after the initial Immigran ( to reduce the brain inflammation which the consultant explained can continue for three days . But when still in evidence this morning I resorted to a five am dose of Immigran again and went back to sleep . Alice Greyhound wasn't keen on the beach yesterday so D took her out for a quick run and I stayed put , where I dreamed I was staying in some kind of outdoor boarding school where I had to trudge through pools of slop( my sisters name for mud , living on a farm as she does ) to get to the lavatories ( which of course had no proper doors on them ) . Fairly standard medication induced dream that one I think .
Woke at nine still with headache but got up and stayed up as over sleeping is as likely to cause as to resolve problems , and finally went shopping at lunchtime .

Shopping is also much easier all round when the New Year's Resolution is still an issue , ie to attempt not to buy any new clothes at all ( note use of the word attempt ) , apart from of course socks and things , see previous post . And by the way I've been meaning to ask this for ages , can anyone explain to me how to do that clever thing where you link to a previous post ? ie at this point I would add a link which would give you a direct route back to my post about the new year s resolution ? Or about socks and things and how I am premitted to buy them . I have tried to achieve this on numerous occasions , with no luck .

So I was able to spend all my time pottering in the gift type depts , perusing things I would like to receive myself that are not clothes , even buying one or two little items . And whilst passing bags , a place I would never usually have the time to stop , so busy would I be trying to get to clothes , I spy a pale green bag that takes my fancy . I move on swiftly , until ten minutes later , joining the queue to pay for socks ( cashmere , since I am not allowed to buy clothes I can have cashmere socks ) I realise said queue is long and snakes back right through bags , taking me right alongside pale green bag . I ignore bag . Queue moves forwards . I am parked up now right opposite bag . Without moving towards it I have a feeling it is an expensive sort of bag . pale green , as said , with a leather tag , silvery studs all down the side . I could go on . I hold back from looking , touching or smelling the bag . I do not pick it up . I barely look at it . But I feel it looking at me .
I pay for the socks and hurry out of the store and back to present buying .
Then food , then I am over on my parking ticket , but that bag is calling out to me .
I have not tried on clothes , thus I have more energy . I have no more money than usual as I rarely find anything I like , so I rarely spend money , but much energy attempting to find the perfect item . And there it was , in Bags , just waiting for me , and I didnt even touch it .
And , its on my route out , back to the car , almost .

The bag is with me now .
I am putting off that delicious moment when the tissue paper is removed , and my things are placed carefully inside , and the pile of excess baggage from the old bag is discarded .
Bliss .

Snow

We don't get much snow here being on the coast but the online widget has some cute snowflakes showing up yesterday morning alongside the temperature guage and the forecast for the east coast indicates severe weather warnings .

We take the car nearer the beach as there is no point dragging a reluctant greyhound all the way there on foot with rain threatening when its just around freezing . She hops out and as we slam the doors shut and the wind hits us full blast off the north sea we stare at each other as best we can through half closed eyes and wonder why we are not still in bed . As we approach the hundred and odd steps down to the beach we see a solitary man struggling back up with a large wet golden retriever. As we pass , he can't even bear to wish us a good morning . Its that bad .

Once on the sand we chase the ball as usual and watch the waves chase us . The tide comes in fast and as you jump on the rocks watching the ferry out at see there's the ever present danger of being caught out , up to your knees in water . We still find it hard to resist and keep back , on the shore where its safe . But this morning the water looks so icy .. it takes us all our reserves to get Alice running after the ball , chasing and sprinting and learning the art of retrieval . Before she came to us she didn't appear to have played with a ball or a toy , though now she loves a variety of things , a white kitten , a green monkey , and occasionally she helps herself to a pound puppy from the pound puppy box which was set up for the cats .

On our return she waits in the porch until her feet are dried then takes up residence on the sofa , occasionally sticking her head under a cusion or the fleece blanket if she thinks there is any indication of a further stepping out .

N and I have appointments at Bravissimo in town and the snow starts in earnest , huge soft flakes though coming down fast and furious ; they cause us few difficulties but later in the day my sister texts to say she has been unable to get home to the farmhouse from shopping and has had to take refuge in the pub .

An e mail arrives from Jeri at Iceberg Creations to say that Alice's fleece coat is finally on its way from Colorado . The delay having been caused by snow at their end and an elderly man having demolished part of their post office . It should arrive here in time for the next blizzard . I can't wait . Neither can Alice though I have a feeling the warmest coat going won't endear her to getting her feet wet and her ears chilled .