Hey lovely lady - I meant to write on here sooner, but didn't really know what to say to make you feel better

Just going to add to what everyone else has said and put and enthusiastic "hear hear!" for all the advice. It sound like you need lots of cuddles and hot chocolate!

If you want to PM me and have a good old rant, feel free (dr. dani is on the line people :P ) and I'm not that far from you so if you ever want to meet up somewhere and have a bottle of wine (or 2, or 3...) just let me know.

In the meantime, sending cyberhugs

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Performer and All-Round Princess
www.myspace.com/missdanicalifornia

Hi Fleur, just checked out my bookcrossing shelf - I've currently got on offer:

The Flamboya Tree - Clara Olink Kelly
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (but hasn't everyone)
The Shipping News - Annie Proulx
Francesca's Party - Patricia Scanlan
Wild Swan - Jung Chan
The Shape of Snakes - Minette Walters
The Drowning Man - Michael Robotham
Hunting Unicorns - Bella Pollen
Brick Lane - Monica Ali
The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

if you want any of those then PM an address I can post them to (do you have a PO Box ) - surely one of these has to better than calculus?

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Life's too short to not live life large - do it! Doooooo iiittttt!
Tempest Devyne's myspace

Wow, what a response! My computer decided to switch itself off last night so I've only just seen all of this!

Thanks ever so much to everyone for everything you've said and all of the advice you've given. But I'd like to address three in particular:

December - great ideas! I'll dig out my watercolours and acrylics, and if I can't find them then my word processing program is always accessible! I used to write and paint loads, I have no idea why I've stopped ... But as for the inviting friends round, I have consciously been avoiding that. The painkillers I've been on have made me properly tetchy, plus not-quite-there, so I've been snapping at people in a very incoherent way. Apparently it's quite amusing, but I haven't been finding it funny! But I'm off those now, so maybe I can reconsider ...

Broomy - as usual the voice of reason. You're so absolutely right. And it's one of the reason's I'm so annoyed, to be honest. Things could be so much worse than they have been, and knowing that makes me quite angry at myself for being so down. I think I was allowed some time, but too much is self-indulgent. So I may well look into taking your advice too.

Tempest - first of all, loving the charades, they deserve a thread all of their own ^_^ Thanks for the offer of the books, but I will politely decline for two reasons: 1) My huse looks like a bomb site and I wouldn't trust myself not to lose anything you sent 2) I've just discovered the complete Chronicles of Narnia on the shelf which I haven't read for years ... ^__^

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Terry Pratchett to Fleur - "Oh, are you the cleavage lady?"
Visit me - www.badflower.co.uk

I'm glad I've given you some ideas. I hope they help.

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Snowflakes and Sparkles xox
December's Myspace

Fleur,

Last year I had a bit of a crash where many years of a diminishing sense of self-esteem came to a head and I sat on my own in my house with the curtains closed for the best part of the year staring at the walls, feeling worthless, ignoring the phone and getting into dreadful debt by not working. For Christmas Mum bought me one of Paul McKenna's books and I really can recommend either Instant Confidence or Change Your Life in Seven Days. Both books are pretty similar and contain an audio CD to boost the techniques that you learn in the books (basic neuro-linguistic programming for any of you who are into this sort of thing). You have to commit some time and effort to them but they really helped me to break out of a destructive thought pattern.

I also went on a short course in confidence building from the Pacific Institute called Steps and it reinforced much of the stuff that I'd been reading about in Paul McKenna's books. I have made some major life-changing decisions and feel much better about myself now although it is an ongoing process, some days are better than others and like I said it takes effort. You may find that this is just a phase and hopefully this will just blow over in a few days or weeks but if you're still feeling low in a month's time then give one of the books a bash.

Good luck cherub.
x

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Don't dream it - be it!

I have quite a lot of stretch marks but they do fade, I use palmers cocco butter on them and they have faded dramatically. I also think that you get used to them and then one day you look at them and realise that they have faded quite alot.

Try not to worry too much about stuff, I get myself really down when I worry that I've put on weight and stuff. But try not to worry too much.

xx

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www.myspace.com/misstrixierose