reasons to be cheerful, 1-2-3 (four and five)

I was just thinking. My bank balance has seen better days, my car is long overdue a service, both my cameras need major repair work, I'm starting a new school with a whole new set of challenges, I'm under pressure with video editing work piling up around me... but it's all good.

Why?

Well several reasons:

1) I'm actually looking forward to the whole new school thing. It's a lot closer to where I live so I get an extra 10 mins in the morning.

And you know what they say, 'a change is as good as a rest.' They are clearly stupid; but there is an element of truth in that. As the school year goes on I notice distinct mood and behavioural changes. Usually in September I get up early in the morning and am one of the first to arrive at work. I am full of the joys of my profession and sprinkling idealism as I skip through the corridors. By May I am usually struggling to get out of bed in the morning and spend my days inventing new levels of cynicism. This morning I awoke and was ready to go at some ungodly hour. It's like I've moved back six months. Unfortunately it's my pupils perfecting the art of cynical thinking now.

2) Ireland won the grand slam - yes I am still living off that one.

3) The weather has been bizarrely clement, at times summery even. It's amazing how a change in the weather affects people. I know the weather we are having is happying people up because they're filling their facebook status (what's the plural of status? stati? states? status? statuses?) with messages of love and joy. And what could be a more scientific socialogical survey than a glance at facebook status?

Anyway, the sun is shining, the breeze is refreshing and I for one am much happier.

4) It's spring. And spring for my family means lambing time. My father has a flock of sheep and he usually spends his februarys (februaries?) and marchs (marches?) playing midwife to them. I help out when needed but luckily this year that only meant one call at 3am to come and help a ewe going through a difficult birth. I remember one year, during the foot and mouth outbreak when he was working nights in Belfast, that I was up most nights. But usually I am only the reserve help and I get to enjoy the postives rather than get my hands dirty.

So this time of the year means the fields are full of lambs. And there is nothing in the natural world more amusing than those little wooly comedians.

5) Mysterious laundry. I love a good mystery. Last week we had a power cut. They've been doing work on the power lines so it's been a regular occurence. From 9am to 5pm we were without power and I couldn't do any video work. So I jumped in my car and headed into town to pass time.

When we returned our washing line was filled with still wet laundry. We don't know who put it there, who owns it, why they put it there... It can't have been washed in our laundry room because the washer had no power... there seems no logical rationale. I love it. And I thought I'd tell you all about it now because eventually there will be some uninteresting explanation. Until then I'll enjoy letting my imagination run wild.