Purple Realm

I drift into peaceful sleep.

I awake naturally. No abrasive sounds, no tremors as the front door slams, just the sounds of people passing and birds singing.
I look across to my right. He's sleeping. I don't have to worry about waking him up, because I can leave - our lives are no longer led from the confines of one tiny room.

Padding to the bathroom, I notice just how clean it is. I don't have to wait for it to be vacant, nor wonder what disgusting remnants strangers have left behind, because it is mine.
Passing the humming freezer in the hall, I note that it is not in a very convenient space - but far preferable to when it used to click and whirr just a few inches from where I used to rest my head at night.

The light's streaming through the kitchen window. The sink empty of other's dishes, mine sloppily stacked up, I pour some water into the kettle and start making breakfast.
I open the fridge door and smile. Not only does everything in there belong to me, but my food is exactly where I left it. Untouched, unpoked, unstolen. The vegetable drawer is full, as are the shelves. We no longer need to survive on £7 a week, and I am able to eat many fresh things we could not even dream of affording before.

Breakfast in hand, I go into the living room. I'd never had one before. I place my food on my coffee table and turn on the television. Glancing at the bookcase, I take stock of all the media we possess. I pick out a DVD and place it into the DVD player to watch something while I wake.
I look around at the chairs, the computer, the pretty mugs left from last night's supper, and smile once more. The days of selling our possessions for luxuries like.. Well, cake, are over.

I feel a little more awake, so I return to the kitchen to do the dishes. Nobody disturbs me. Nobody tuts or makes irritated noises, because it's my kitchen.
Duties of the morning fulfilled, I return to the bedroom and wake him. Coffee made, cereal laid out, I tell him his food's waiting on the coffee table by his chair, rather than try to scrape some food together as we eat on the bed. Crumbs go on plates and on the floor now, not all over the bed.
The letterbox rattles - that's fine. No more mad dashes to get my post before it's stolen. It can sit there a while.

I return to the bedroom and open our large wardrobe to select some clothes for the day. I have more than one top for each day of the week now, so it takes a little longer to choose.
Later, I decide what we'll have for lunch and we prepare the food with time and care. The chicken may roast without an eye having to be on it constantly, and when it's cooked we can leave what's left covered over to cool - we don't have to strip the carcass and hide the leftovers before we eat.

Later in the afternoon, I decide to bake. Something else previously impossible, I lovingly create delicious treats by my own hand, a grin on my face.
A little after that, I curl up on the sofa under a warm blanket. Perhaps I play a game, do a puzzle or go online. It's my choice, and it's my place.
I take a long, hot shower in a clean tub. Nobody's waiting impatiently for me to finish, nor do I have to make a mad dash through a strange hall to my room so that people don't see me - the curtains in the lounge room are closed and so I stroll, naked, to find my favourite coconut moisturiser to keep my skin soft.

We curl up together and watch a movie. Nobody knocks on the door of the room, nobody disturbs us at all. We get to watch an entire film without interruption.
A little later, we retire to the bedroom - though not to sleep. Things are far more apt now that we don't share three walls with three other households.
My day done, I relax with a hot chocolate or green tea and read or watch a little more comedy.
I brush my teeth, say goodnight and leave to read a little in bed before I sleep. We don't disturb each other - there is no longer television in the bedroom - so I proceed to say my prayers, and read a little of my current novel while he plays a game in the next room.

I drift into peaceful sleep.

Ok, so we were just sitting here, playing Left 4 Dead, when someone knocked at the door. I decided to answer and was greeted by a scruffy man with an Ipsos Mori clipboard and identity badge.
He introduces himself on behalf of Ipsos Mori and the BBC, and asks if I'd mind taking a survey about listening to the radio.
I tell him I never listen to the radio - that is a truth - and he says that it's okay, it's all part of the research. So I say "okay".
Mik comes to the door and the man fills him in. He asks if our block of flats is student accommodation - I tell him it is strictly no students.
So, he says "I'll leave this with you, and pick it up on Monday then?" proffering a paper booklet - the survey.
"Yes, that's fine," I say, and smile.
He then asks which of us will be filling it in, seeing as they need the age and sex of the person.
Mik and I look at each other, and we audibly come to the decision that it doesn't really matter, we'll figure it out when we fill it in. I go to take the form and he pulls it back.
The man then looks... Well, like his feelings are hurt, raises his hand and says, "No, it's fine. I can see you're not really interested!" has a face like I just shot his dog or something, and walks off!

I've decided that Facebook will be a friends and aquaintances thing for me. I don't put anything too personal there, so if people wanna "know" me that badly, they may do so there .

On that note, I'll be trimming my friend list here again. Nothing personal - I like to have regular contact with my friends here, and trust. If I don't talk to someone, the friendship and trust fade.

I'm pretty much done with the recent type of friends only stuff for a while.

Grum's recovered well from what I hear, she's eating normally and venturing out again.

I'm easily... Irritated at the moment, so if I'm not around much, that's why. I'm busy elsewhere in life also.

I've come to notice something here that's been going on for a while. Whether they know it or not, someone's being unduly nasty and rude to someone else here. I'm running out of patience and understanding.

A few of my friends are absent a lot lately. Mart, Fan and Moe, I miss you.

We're still a bit flued up, but it's getting better.

I won't be running another competition for a little while. Funds are directed elsewhere for now.

I'm still keeping up with the monthly posts, so don't worry about that.

I know a lot of us are busy lately - just know that when you're not around, chances are, you're missed.

The stuff I'm working on is coming more naturally to me now.

We had another grocery delivery today, and I ordered a single sheet instead of a double so we've got a new duvet cover, four new pillowcases, and an old sheet .

We've had a major leak from the flat upstairs, it seems to be fixed for now though! That leak's what wrecked our last clean bedsheet .

I like banana yoghurt

Both Mik and I have been feeling a little under the weather lately, so today I decided to make a little something for both of us to cheer us up.
Yes, my penchant for tiny food is still going strong - and so, I dug out the tiny crockery and put a tiny amount of my favourite hot chocolate into each tiny cup...
(the lighter's there for comparison...)

And topped our tiny hot chocolates with tinier marshmallows