What An Excellent Day.

Well, today has been a bloody good day to be honest!

Firstly, I went to find out about my job and it looks like I'll be able to find the placement I wanted. The guy I saw was pretty positive about being able to find me a job in childcare even though I don't have any qualifications to do with children. Anyway, they're basically paying the employer to employ me so I should be able to find something, ANYTHING. I am so bored with being at home now, at least blogging is getting me through the day.

Secondly, I'm going travelling! I've been trawling the internet all afternoon looking at places in Europe which I want to go to and I've found some amazing looking places with absolutely beautiful scenery. I'll be going for about eight weeks and I'm setting a budget of around £2000. I think that doing it 'on a shoestring', as it were, will be a benefit rather than a hindrance, enabling me to see a more personal and unique view of the places I'll be in rather than blurring my vision with city tours and posh restaurants. I've never been a very 'touristy' person but I would love to travel and see sights which I would never normally see. If I don't throw myself out into the big wide world now, I may never do it. And, judging by the beauties which this world has to offer, that would be an immense shame.

I'm planning on getting the Eurostar (basically a train which goes under the sea) from London to Paris and then making my way from there. I've done a little plan of where I would like to go and planned it so that I go round in a circle. My first destination is Paris, my second is Brussels in Belgium, followed by Berlin in Germany, then from there I'll go to Krakow in Poland. I will then travel to Prague in the Czech Republic, Bratislava in Slovakia, Salzburg in Austria and finally Rome in Italy. I will then either make my way back to Paris to catch the Eurostar back to London or fly back straight from Italy.

This whole idea has gotten me so excited and I can't stop thinking about visiting the harrowing concentration camp memorials or the absolutely stunning monuments. I'm going on my own but I think that will suit me the best. My ex-boyfriend was always talking about us going travelling together but I don't want anyone to hinder my exploration. If I fall in love with somewhere I want to be able to stay a few extra days, I want to go on a 'Sound of Music' tour in Austria and I don't care how atrocious this idea may seem to some people, I want to do it, and I will. Simple as that. I don't want anyone telling me what to do, this trip is for self-exploration and development of myself. Sure, I'll miss my family and it would be nice to have someone to share these experiences with but I can tell them everything when I get back and I promise that I'll keep you all up to date! There are loads of forums etc. on the internet now to enable travellers to meet up once they reach their destinations so I'll probably do this for a few of the places I'm going.

My biggest worry is remembering everything. There is so much I want to see and experience I don't want to overload myself with information and images. I want to soak up every detail with each of my senses and remember it for the rest of my life. I'll be keeping a diary of course, writing on here (as regularly as possible) and I'll take so many photos you'll all get sick of them but I just want to make the most of this opportunity.

Another reason why this day has been so amazing is that I think my mum and step-dad are finally getting into the Christmas spirit. We put up loads more decorations tonight whilst singing along to the Christmas songs on the radio and it just seemed to...happen. Everyone's moods were uplifted. I think we've had some good news today moneywise so that is a huge weight off their shoulders. I need to get my last few Crimbo presents and then I'll be all done. I may do a spot of wrapping tonight so that it doesn't take me five hours on Christmas Eve.

We went to dad's last night and had a really good time. We had a lush dinner cooked by my step-mum and then cosied down to watch a brilliant film (which I will review later). It was a fun night and I'm looking forward to next week already. We're having a separate Christmas with dad around the 27th I think so that should be good. Me and my brother really enjoyed last year.

And last, but certainly not least...WE HAVE SNOW! Not just a spattering of sleet and frost but real snow. It was like a blizzard earlier, thick glittering flakes pouring down but its eased off now. I love snow, it makes everything look so pretty and photogenic. I just wish I had my new camera so that I could take proper photos.

Don't you think it's strange how silent snow makes everything? I mean, after a heavy snowfall you can go outside, especially at night, and the whole world is silent. The only thing you're able to hear are the small group of people in the pub down the road and a few cars driving past. It never ceases to fascinate me, no matter how many times I stand out at night and listen to nothing but my own breathing. We seem to live in such a noisy, overstimulating world its strange to just stop life and enjoy nothingness.

'Its kind of fun to do the impossible' - Walt Disney

Some Bits About Moi

Well. I suppose I should tell you a bit about myself before I begin ranting, raving and baring the deepest depths of my troubled soul! I'll begin with a highly clichéd description of myself and hopefully some more interesting topics will develop. This is probably a greatly boring post but please bear with me because I don't know where else to begin.

My name is Cathy,I'm nineteen and I live in Clynderwen with my mum, step-dad and sixteen-year-old brother. We have two dogs, two bearded dragons, two chickens and a guinea-pig who is the size of a large cat. My parents are landscape gardeners and own a garden centre. My dad lives in Pembroke with my step-mum and their cat. Dad's a driving instructor and my step-mum works in the garage which her parents own.

I am currently unemployed. Bad, bad times. I was a student last year, studying a Primary Education degree but it wasn't what I expected or wanted so I'm not going back. I think I'll do a childcare course in Pembrokeshire College (urgh, back again) and just see how life goes from there. This blog will undoubtedly be a place for me to air my worries and thoughts about all this in the future so I won't say too much about it now. I really don't care what I do as long as I can work with children.

I love reading and writing. Give me a good book or a pad and pen and I could keep myself occupied for days! One of the reasons I'm starting this blog is to develop my writing skills. To get used to writing regularly and to get ideas for stories and poems.

I also like crafts, cooking (especially baking and cake decorating) and photograpy. I'm saving up for a new camera because my old one is buggered. Too much dropping and alcohol spillage for it to survive! The beauty I've got my eye on is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2  in red. I think I'm in love.

PHWOAR!

I like musicals, the beach (told you this was going to be cliche), my beautiful little car and Barbra Streisand. If I am away from home I talk to my mum at least once a day and I live by some very odd routines which I'm convinced have been passed down from un-named obsessive compulsive relatives. There's nothing in this world which compares to a great cup of tea.

Don't count on understanding me any more after this post, my mind often feels unpenetratable even to myself.

'Its kind of fun to do the impossible' - Walt Disney