Tales From Sandra`s Scribbles

Let me introduce myself!

2010-03-22T19:23:00.009Z

Hello,

I`m Perry and I`ve lived with Sandra and Jim for the last week. They`ve been looking for another labrador since they lost their beloved Jake in November. They have registered with rescue societies and have visited countless dog`s homes with no luck but then I came along. Sandra has an online friend who in turn has online friends, one of whom is a dog breeder. She made enquiries and found another breeder who wanted to find a 21mth old yellow male lab a good home. That was where I came in. I lived with other dogs and since I was very young I had been in the show ring. I had some success but I was never going to reach the top. I qualified for Crufts but would have got nowhere so I was retired. My owner was a very kind lady who was waiting for the right people to come along to give me a happy home, someone who had experience of my breed and someone who was LOOKING for a companion. When I first arrived here I didn`t know how to `sit` as I had been trained to `stand` for the show ring and had no idea how to play with toys. Now after just one week I sit at the kerb without being asked and retrieve a ball when its thrown for me. I`ve also discovered there is a furry creature called a cat, something I`ve never seen before. Now I give the next door neighbours cat plenty of exercise....

I really like Sandra`s garden and can`t understand why I`m not allowed to walk on the plants. Whatever the reason I get shouted at so I suppose I`d better stay off to keep the peace...sigh. I`ve met a young boy called Roman and I think I have a new friend there. There`s also a little girl called Sophie who is very small and she doesn`t seem all that keen on me...Oh well, I`m sure she`ll come round eventually.

Sandra is very busy these days especially since I arrived. She`s doing longer hours at work and when she gets home she takes me out for a long walk. She wants to get fit and maybe even lose some weight for her holiday to Florida in October. She`s also doing lots of work in the garden. I`ve been inside her greenhouse and theres new plants and bulbs everywhere. yesterday because the weather was nice she weeded some of the garden and this morning Jim widened one of the borders for her. I wanted to help but Jim said he needed to keep it in a straight line.

Anyway people, I hope you like the photos of my good self, I think I`m quite handsome, don`t you? :o)

Bye Bye and Woof

Perry

Time I posted

2010-01-20T19:24:00.011Z

I thought it was time I posted something, I hadn`t realised it had been so long. Much has happened since my last entry, Christmas and New Year have come and gone and now we are heading towards the end of January.

I`ve been recovering from a bout of shingles which I first noticed on Christmas day though at the time I just thought I had an irritating rash as I had my hands full with the celebrations. Not so; I saw a doctor after Christmas and before New Year and he confirmed what Jim already thought. Kerry and Jim both had it years ago so I knew what it looked like. I was prescribed anti-viral tablets that I had to take FIVE times a day...I gave up after two because they made me feel worse than I already felt and all they are supposed to do is send the virus `back to sleep` as the doctor referred to it. I must admit that I felt absolutely exhausted for some time and to make matters worse I had probably the worst cold I`ve had in years at the same time...talk about feeling miserable! I decided once I started to feel better that a course of tablets to boost my immune system would be a good idea and I`m taking one per day and will continue that way right through the Winter or at least until I feel back to par. I`ve not taken any time off work because it wouldn`t have made any difference. I like to keep going because if I sat around at home I would end up feeling even worse than I already did. I must admit to still feeling some pain from the shingles but that will go in time. If it irritates too much I just take a painkiller and apply calamine lotion to the site, it does help.

Anyway, thats enough about me and my ailments. Now for something else a bit more cheerful. We`ve booked our flights and a lovely villa to stay in in for our holiday in Florida in October. We are trying not to talk about the arrangements in front of Roman where we can so as not to over excite him too much. He is really looking forward to it but October is a long way off when you are only 4. He keeps reminding me however, that he will be 5 when we go away. My grandson FIVE, I can hardly believe it. Mind you, Sophie is 9mths now and as different to Roman as chalk and cheese. They LOOK like brother and sister but where Roman is sensitive and thoughtful Sophie is loud and boisterous. When Roman was a baby he was shy of other children but Sophie loves their company and will reach out and grab them if she can, laughing as she does so. Even though she is 9mths she wears clothes for 12-18mths so that gives you an idea of how big she is. Not tubby but well built and tall. If she carries on growing the way she is she`ll be bigger than Roman before too long!

This was taken just after Christmas. I didn`t use a Christmas photo as Sophie had conjuctivitis and her poor little eyes were so swollen and red.

I took this one of Roman a fortnight ago in Black Park. We had a lovely time that afternoon.

We contacted Labrador Lifeline Trust in the new year to see if they had any dogs that needed a home. We were offered a young chocolate bitch but she wasn`t what we were looking for and it wouldn`t have been fair to take her on if we weren`t sure. So we are waiting. It is very hard being without a dog because Jake left a huge hole in our lives. We both miss him very much and another furry friend would help to fill the void. We are prepared to wait for the right one especially as we have the grandchildren to consider. No dog is perfect, especially a rescue but that won`t matter if it feels right. Any dog owner will know what I`m talking about.

Anyway, I`ll say goodbye for now. I`d like to promise that I`ll publish another entry sooner but knowing me I probably won`t. Take care all of you. :o)

Love and Hugs

Sandra xxx

Hello Everyone!

2009-12-16T17:20:00.007Z

Hello everyone,

I know it`s been a while since my last entry but it`s better for me if I don`t post too often now. I find I just don`t have that much to say of interest anymore but I don`t want to stop altogether.

I want to thank all of you who expressed sympathy and support when we lost Jake. It was a real hammer blow losing him so soon after the diagnosis and was all the sadder given his age. I can`t believe that on Christmas Day it will be a whole month since we lost him but I think what with work and the build up to Christmas has been thr distractions I needed to get through the sadness of it all. I still miss him terribly but I can now look forward to the New Year when we will get a new furry companion to share our lives. I have already spoken to the Labrador Lifeline Trust and they told me to call as soon as we`re are ready and they will find us a dog. They found us Jake and I know there will be another labrador in need who we will welcome into the family.

To change the subject, Jeannette kindly nominated me for a Valued Blogger award which I was honoured to accept. Now I have to nominate between three and five people who I value the most out of all of you, well that`s the theory. I actuall value you all but have decided after much thought to go with three people who have been there for me since the start. So here they are.

Jeannette of

http://outsidelookingin-jeannette.blogspot.com/

I know Jeannette nominated me but I must nominate her back. She helped me when I started on AOL blogs when I had no idea what I was doing and have never looked back. Over the years we have become friends, exchanging emails, IM`s and phone calls. We even met in person once when Jim and I spent the day with her and her lovely husband Mike. So I just couldn`t leave Jeannette out of this however I look at it.:o)

Then of course I have to nominate Angie.

http://canyouallhearmeattheback.blogspot.com/

What can I say about Angie? She has a wonderful sense of humour in everything she writes. She comes over as very warm-hearted and is the sort of person I could be friends with if I only lived in Yorkshire! She has disabilities but never seems to let them get in the way of living her life to the full. If you haven`t read her blog, go over and see what I mean.:o)

And last but not least I nominate Ally.

http://wwwlifewithally.blogspot.com/

Ally joined AOL blogs not long after me and I`ve always enjoyed her stories of the area she lives in, her family of course her two Jack Russell terriers who have special personalities of their own. Ally will often email me and ask after myself and my family which is a nice gesture. I always think the little things count for a lot don`t you? yep, Ally deserves this award. :o)

This is the Valued Blogger award for you to collect and place in your sidebars.

All you have to do now is nomate your own three to five Valued Bloggers. :o)

Life has been very hectic here. Work has been fast and furious with customers buying Christmas trees, wreaths, crackers and decorations. It had been fairly quiet but the last week it has really picked up. As for me I finished the majority of my present shopiing some time ago and its all wrapped and put away. The only thing I haven`t done is write out mt Christmas cards in time. I will apologise to all my American friends who usually recieve cards from me. I`ve decided that I`ll send ecards instead because I missed the last post for the USA last week. :o( As for my British friends you`ll all get your cards in the next couple of days if the Royal Mail keep up the good work. Fingers crossed then!

Last evening Jim and I attended Roman`s school Nativity play in which he played a sheep. He is one of the youngest pupils in the school and I think he did really well. Of course Roman was the most talented of them all and if you ask me it takes a lot of skill to be a really convincing sheep...lol! The eldest children in the play were only seven and the youngest, like Roman only four. Considering it was 6pm when it started they did very well seeing as they were all very tired at the end.

Sophie is 8 mths old today and is such a lovely little, well not so little girl.

Enjoying her dinner just like her big brother!

Anyway my friends, I can`t go without wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New year. Bye Bye for now. :o)

Love and Hugs

Sandra xxxx

Sad News

2009-11-27T18:09:00.002Z

Hello Friends,

I`m sorry to have to tell you that we had to have Jake put to sleep on Tuesday evening. He has been getting worse over the last two weeks but not too bad, he certainly wasn`t in pain but had started to eat less and less and was sleeping more and more.On the Tuesday morning he had worsened drastically since the day before. he didn`t even raise his head when I got up in the morning and when he did he didn`t even attampt to move from his bed. I hand fed him some chicken wish he took slowly but gratefully. I knew he was just too weak and I knew it was time. I don`t know how I managed to work that day but somehow I got through the morning without making mistakes but couldn`t wait to get home to my precious boy.When Jim got home we had that difficult conversation, we talked and cried for an hour before the vet called us with Jake`s latest blood test results. They were as bad as its possible to be so it made the decision easier to make. We said goodbye to him at 6.30pm Tuesday 24th November. His head was on my lap the whole time and I`m not even sure he was aware of anything. I stroke his head, kissed him and told him that I loved him and he just slipped away. Our gorgeous boy....we miss him so much it hurts. I know it will get easier, today is better than yesterday, but it will take a while. One day soon another dog will join our household but for the moment it feels as though Jake is still here...maybe he is, who can say...

Run free precious boy, chase those squirrels and jump over fallen trees. Be happy. Thank you so much for being our dog, you enriched our lives. Love you always.

Jake`s Progress

2009-11-07T16:14:00.007Z

I thought it was time that I updated you on Jake`s progress. he`s actually doing really well and doesn`t look ill at all. Last weekend he was a bit under the weather, refusing to eat all his food and bringing all that he did. On the Monday morning I was planning to take him to the vet but all of a sudden he was back to normal with no sign of illness whatsoever. I think in a perverse way if he looked ill and acted ill then I could accept that his time is short. I keep having to convince myself of the words of the lab report, @prognosis guarded to poor" and the chest x-ray that I saw with my own eyes, the tiny white dots in his lungs that look far from sinister but of course are just that.

HOWEVER.....Jake is with us and doing well and if I have anything to do with it he`ll still be here in a years time. While Jim was out with him the other day an elderly lady stopped to stroke Jake. he told me that she just kept saying how beautiful he was and what a lovely dog, Jim didn`t have the heart to tell her he isn`t well. How could anyone?

Everyone here is well, I say that because I haven`t posted for ages about any of them The only downside is that Danny has finally ended his relationship with Salina after 6yrs together. I won`t say anymore about it because it`s a deeply private mnatter between the two of them. At least now a line can be drawn and Dan can get on with his life. I want my son to be happy more than anything else whatever life throws at him.

Roman and Sophie are really doing well. Roman is in full-time school and loving every minute. He`s usually the first to get there and the last to leave. On Wednesday and Thursday last week he was given two "Teacher`s Helper" awards, the second one with a gold star, he was so proud to get them and so are we. :o)

Sophie is almost 7 mths now and is has been sitting unaided for a while now. She is totally fearless and nothing seems to bother her. Roman can be unintentionally a bit rough with her, as older siblings are at times but all she does is laugh in his face. Kerry says she`s much tougher than Roman ever was and that she`ll soon be wearing the trousers...lol! She even grabs hold of him sometimes and he calls to his mum that "Sophie is hurting me" lol!

Sitting in my living room.

Ready for his first day at school.

The garden centre is gearing up for Christmas and our display is all in place. Mind you, Christmas isn`t that far away now. I`ve done quite a bit of my Christmas shopping already because I can`t stand the crowds and I worry that I won`t get everything in time. I love shopping for the grandchildren because its such funny choosing toys that I know they`ll like. I know Sophie is only a baby but she loves her toys, especially those that make loud noises...poor Kerry and Slava...lol! And of course there are the clothes to buy. There has always been more choice of girls clothes so I am going to be in my element. I loved buying for Kerry when she was a baby but now there is even more to choose from, where will I start...? :o)

Jim has bought me a really good pair of secateurs for Christmas. He asked what I wanted and even though he thought it a bit odd that was what I wanted. With the amount of gardening I do I need good tools. I never thought I`d get excited about secateurs, perfume, clothes maybe...lol!

Anyway my friends, I`ll say goodbye for now. take care and have a good weekend.

Love and Hugs

Sandra xxxx

My Gorgeous Boy Jake

2009-10-21T19:11:00.003+01:00

Hello friends,

Many of you will know by now that my gorgeous boy Jake is very poorly. He was diagnosed with cancer last week after he having problems with his front leg. We thought he`d just pulled something or maybe a touch of arthritis, alas it wasn`t to be. Our lovely vet Stella did a needle biopsy on one of his lymph glands as they were swollen and unfortunately it was the worst possible diagnosis.

The cells found were secondaries and even now we are not 100% sure where the primary tumour is. Most likely it is buried deep inside his armpit, out of sight and spreading its poison around his body. He had been doing a lot of things slower of late but then in dog years he is middle-aged and of course it seemed a natural progression.

The limp started just a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday. Come the Monday Jim was at the vets. The only thing that DID worry us was a couple of times while he was sleeping he let out a scream, not a yelp, but a blood-curdling scream of pain. Perhaps we knew it was serious but then you never want to think the worst with a beloved pet.

Jake has been given just 3-6 mths, such a short time left to spend with our boy but my goodness are we going to enjoy every minute of it. he`s on an excellent painkiller which has completely changed his day to day life. He has boundless energy now he is free from pain again and he`s eating really well again. The only thing is I`m making sure he doesn`t overdo things. I won`t let him lie on the grass in case he gets cold, the vet warned me about that. I have to watch out for any changes at all in his health. Last evening he coughed for the first time, just a soft, slight cough but still a sign that the tiny tumours in his lungs maybe growing. I knew they were there because I saw his chest x-ray but I had hoped they wouldn`t trouble him just yet.

After the initial shock and more than a few tears I decided not to get too upset yet, they`ll be time enough for that later. I will stay upbeat for Jake`s sake, if he sees me upset, (which he has done in the past) it`ll will upset him and there`s no need for that. I did get upset this afternoon at the park, watching him running around. How can such a healthy looking dog be so ill? Is the diagnosis wrong? Was it mixed up with some other poor dog? Somehow if he looked ill I could accept it easier, but he doesn`t. His coat is as shiny as ever and his eyes as bright. His labrador exuberance knows no bounds. Oh dear, what will I do without him?

Now I AM crying...........

Thanks especially to Jeannette and Frances, my dear friends. Jeannette for your support when we talked on the phone, you`ve been there and understand completely.
My thanks to Guido for putting an entry on Call for Support, many friends have rallied round because of it.
Thanks also to all of you who have offered up prayers and kind words of support for Jake. You are all so kind, bless you all.

For any who would say, all that for a dog. I say...absolutely!

I will keep you all updated as to Jake`s condition. next time I`ll most likely write about what`s been going on in my life.

Bye Bye for now

I`m Still Here!

2009-08-26T16:40:00.010+01:00

Hello, it`s me!

It`s almost a month since my last entry and I`ve done so much in that time. The only problem being that I can`t remember exactly what, at least in the proper order of events that is...lol! Anyway, I`ll do my best and try to update you before my mind goes completely blank. I apologise now for the randomness (is that a word?) of the entry.

Right, since Roman`s birthday we have been to a theme park, Paultons Park in Hampshire. Perfect for young children and their famillies. None of the rides are really scary and Roman was able to go on most of them. Paultons is set in beautiful countryside, well away from main roads etc. There is a small zoo there, pretty gardens to walk around too. I would thoroughly recommend it to any of you who would like a nice day out with the family. We had a fantastic day there and Roman was in his element.

A few days after the trip to Paultons I had a weeks holiday from work and went to stay with Kerry and the children. Jim was working most of the week and I didn`t want to spend my days doing nothing, I just have to be busy and at Kerry`s there`s always something to do. I left strict instructions on what to do each day in the garden, what to water and when and to watch the tomatoes for signs of blight. As it happened the garden was to be the least of my worries but back to that in a minute. I enjoyed helping around the house, doing the gardening. Poor Slava`s tomatoes had the dreaded blight and we had to throw the whole crop away as it was too far gone to save. I put some new plants in as slugs had had a feast on the marigolds and they had little Summer colour left. We went out every day and I got to know Sophie much better and we came to an understanding. We were friends at last and she did me the honour of smiling for the whole time I was there. Somehow I think we have seen the last of "grumpy Sophie" and "happy Sophie" has replaced her for good! I managed to convince her that I, her Nanna was a nice person who would always be there for her the way I am with my Roman. While we were there Kerry showed me Roman`s school uniform that he will wear to big school in September. I must admit it brought a lump to my throat seeing his brand new grown-up boys clothes. When did my darling little boy become old enough for school and where did the last four years go? I just don`t know, he`s seems so grown up though he still enjoys a cuddle, though not quite as much as he did. Sometimes I say to him teasingly that he is still my baby. He says very forcefully, " No I`m NOT a baby Nanna, I`m a big boy now!" That told me didn`t it...lol!

My big boy playing footie with Daddy and Uncle Dan

Of course I mentioned the garden being the least of my problems, well you`ll love this.

What happened was on the Saturday, the day before I was due to come home I had a phone call from Jim. He had been calling every day but not first thing in the morning. This time he sounded worried.

JIM: I`ve been stung by a bee!

ME: Are you sure it`s a bee and not a wasp?

JIM: Well it`s lying dead on the floor and it`s furry so it must be a bee...oh and I pulled the sting out of my neck.

ME: But you`re ok?

JIM: Yes, but it hurts, where`s the AfterBite?

ME: Top shelf in the wardrobe.

JIM: Thanks, I`ll see to that first then I`ve lots to do this morning, I have to get the suitcases out of the loft for Kerry and Slava. See you tomorrow afternoon.

ME: Ok Love, take care, Bye!

Well Kerry and I went out for the day with the children and I thought no more about the phone call. We spent the day at Beale Park, a small zoo with a few kiddie rides set in lovely surroundings by the river Thames, there are some lovely places near to Kerry. Anyway, after the day out we went for a meal in a nice family restaurant, again set in beautiful countryside...Oh dear, there I go again...lol! By the time we got home it was 7.30 and almost as soon as we got in the door the phone rang...I just knew it was Jim and there was a problem.

Jim: You won`t believe what happened to me.

Me: Do I need to sit down?

Jim: laughs...No but I have to tell you I`ve had a bit of an accident.

Me: WHAT!

Jim: Erm...well, when I went up to get the suitcases, the ladder collapsed on the way down, taking me AND the ladder with it....down the stairs...erm...I`m a bit bruised, well no, make that VERY bruised...and a bit battered...and I`ve sprained my ankle and my neck and shoulders are really sore....

Me: ARE YOU ALRIGHT? I MEAN, HAVE YOU SEEN A DOCTOR???
How on earth did you fall?

Jim: Er...I didn`t tighten the ladder properly and it just gave way.

Anyway, this continued until I was convinced he was alright and he didn`t need me to come home, Kerry would have brought me home right away but he insisted I stay. I made him promise not to do anything even slightly dangerous until I was home again. He promised and said he was going to bed, the safest option in my opinion.

I spent half the night tossing and turning about his accident and what could have happened. He could have been seriously injured or even killed and he was on his own, it didn`t bear thinking about what the consequences could have been. The next day he arrived and I was shocked at the state of his injuries. He was covered in black, red and purple bruises. His ankle wasn`t sprained after all but was really badly bruised. Roman thought his grandad looked wonderful, a real hero. Not everyone`s grandad had bruises like HIS grandad...lol!

Over a fortnight on, the bruises are still there though faded somewhat, they are still sore and Jim hads decided to have a loft ladder fitted....by an expert. There`s no way I will allow him up that ladder again...ever!

I myself had some blood tests last week. I`ve been having these waves of fatigue for the last few months and I`m fed up with them. One minute I feel absolutely fine and the next I feel completely exhausted. The exhaustion passes after about 30 mins but I want to know what`s going on. The doc says I might need some more vitamin B12 injections, oh great, they are really painful. Or maybe vitamin D, common in older people he says...thanks Doc! Or maybe diabetes. On a serious note, I really hope not. Either way, I will know for sure by Friday, I`ll let you know.

Kerry, me and Salina with Sophie...she weighs almost 16lbs now!

Kerry and family are in Russia at the moment and will be home on Monday evening. Kerry has called me a couple of times but has to call from her in-laws home so she can`t say to much. I asked her if she was enjoying herself. Her exact words were, "Oh you know!" In simple terms that means she`s not. Oh dear, I had a feeling she wouldn`t, she`s going to tell me all about it when she comes home. Anyway, after this long, rambling entry I`ll say goodbye before you all fall asleep!

I`ll be visiting as many journals as possible this evening and will comment too. I hope you are all well and having a good day. Bye for now. :o)

Happy Birthday To Roman

2009-07-28T19:20:00.011+01:00

Hello Everyone,

Today is my darling grandson Roman`s fourth birthday and I`m finding it hard to believe. Fours years old already! Mind you, if you could listen to him he sounds like a mini adult at times the things he comes out with.

Last Saturday week was his birthday party which was a great success. The weather stayed fine all afternoon and all his little friends enjoyed themselves. They were all very good which was a bit surprising considering there were eight 4 yr old boys in attendance. I took some great photos of them altogether but for obvious reasons I can`t publish them on here.

I can however show you some of Roman at his party,

The "Roary" birthday cake made by his Auntie Beryl

Attacking me with his inflatable sword...lol!

Looking cute

Today Kerry and I took him to Windsor to feed the ducks. As we walked along the river he told me all about his presents and the new school he will be attending full time in September, and his girlfriend Connie! He is so proud of the new scooter that his mummy and daddy bought him and of course the turbo-charged, super-dooper water pistol that Kerry thought was a good idea. He told me very matter of factly that he intends to shoot daddy with it....I wouldn`t want to be in Slava`s shoes...lol! Jim and I gave him his presents at the party but held one back for today. He`s always wanted a fire engine so that was what he got today, he loves it and it was a joy to see his face when he opened it. He`s just so grown in so many ways but to me he`ll always be my special boy! I know many of you have watched his progress from birth so I hope you will join me in wishing him a very Happy Birthday. :o)

A Saturday Catch up

2009-07-11T17:28:00.003+01:00

It`s been an odd week. I`ve had news that three friends are very unwell with potentially serious conditions. To preserve their privacy I won`t go into details but it`s very worrying. I don`t see any of them on a day to day basis but I wish them all well and hope they all recover quickly.

I haven`t been feeling 100% myself if I`m honest. It`s most likely nothing more than a virus but this morning I awoke with a painful throat. Hopefully it will come to nothing as it usually does. Also I have had a small painless cyst on my bottom lip for a few years. When I first noticed it I had it checked by a doctor just to be on the safe side. I was told to forget it and so I have done until now. Yesterday evening it became very painful and swollen and I look as though I`ve been in a fight! I`ll see how it is on Monday and if it`s still as bad I`ll make an appointment to see the doctor.

Roman has his 4th birthday party on Saturday 18th. It`s not his birthday until the 28th but Kerry has decided to have it early before any of his friends go away on holiday. We are hoping for good weather because there are a lot of people coming and she only has a small house so we need the space in the garden for all the guests. In case of rain we have a gazebo to keep everyone dry.

Today Kerry went shopping for Roman`s school uniform and spent what amounted to a small fortune. Of course she had to buy everything with the school emblem from the official school shop which always makes it more expensive. On top of that there are still the new shoes, socks and plimsolls/sneakers to be bought. I told her that I will buy the coat and Jim will get the shoes at the end of the month. I still find it hard to believe that Roman is old enough for full-time school but he just can`t wait to go. For such a young child he is frighteningly independent and so unlike he was just a year ago. There was a time when he shied away from other children and now he makes friends wherever he goes.

Sophie has had a dreadful cold but is over it and back to her usual self. As Kerry said, " I know she`s feeling better because she`s crying again so that everyone knows she`s there!" Oh yes, that`s my Sophie...quiet and laid back is just not her way...lol! She is beautiful when she smiles though, it`s just that I don`t think smiling is her style at the moment.

I`ve noticed Blogger is very quiet and many of my old friends just don`t post as often as before, and I thought I was the only one. I don`t know if it is the AOL journals effect or just that real life is getting in the way of computer time. I know I`m in no position to talk as I know I don`t post much these days, but its just an observation. I won`t stop posting altogether but it`s a lot different to how it used to be. I don`t know if I`m the only one but at the moment I can`t change the font on my posting as the tool that you change it with has disappeared, so has the colour change too. I just wonder if Blogger know about it and are they doing anything about it?

I`m not busy at work now the planting season has passed but I`m happy to be able to spend some more time in my garden. The runner beans have provided us with enough beans for several meals already. I`ve had ripe blueberries and a couple of tasty tomatoes and I`m hopefully for lots and lots more. Since the heatwave has been replaced with cooler, more overcast weather it seems to be slowing everything down in the garden, even the weeds which I`m happy to say I`m on top of. At the moment we are planning the extension to our patio and the further alteration of the flower beds. I`ll never be happy with my garden as it is and constantly feel the need to change it. I suppose though that a garden is an ongoing thing which really is never finished whatever you do to it. I just hope I can stay healthy so I can work outside for as many years as possible.

Anyway, I`ll finish now as it`s time for my evening meal and despite feeling a bit under the weather my appetite is good as ever. Take care all of you and have a great weekend. :o)

I`m Still Here!

2009-07-03T20:03:00.012+01:00

Me at RHS Wisley

On the beach at Boscombe

Roman having fun on a bouncy castle at his cousin Charlie`s birthday party.

Isn`t she gorgeous?

Hello everyone,

I thought I`d better post an entry as it`s been weeks since my last one. I suppose with one thing and another, ie; real life and probably a bit of laziness thrown in has something to do with it.

Anyway, I`m here now so I`ll quickly let you know how we all are.

I`m fine, very busy at work and in my garden. Housework is taking second place to the garden but I`m still managing to get everything done eventually, at the expense of computer time and even watching TV. Jim is also very well. he`s been doing some fishing, including his much awaited sea fishing trip. To my displeasure he gave all the fish he caught to Danny and Slava...hmm...its not as if they didn`t catch anything either...Oh well, its back to fish fingers I suppose...lol!

Roman and Sophie are really thriving. Roman had his last big school visit today and Kerry was introduced to his new teacher Mrs. Andrews. Kerry was relieved that she seemed very nice and was surprised to find Roman had met her previously. It all sounds very grown-up and Roman can`t wait to go. The only downside for him is that his best friend Toby lives in a different catchment area so will be attending another school. Luckily Toby`s mum and Kerry have become friends so they will still see each other regularly. They are inseparable and think the world of each other.

Sophie is 12 weeks old now and is 14lbs. She hasn`t been the easiest baby, temperament-wise but she seems to be settling down a bit more now. Up until recently she cried whoever picked her up, including ME, her devoted grandmother (that never happened with Roman!) Lately though she seems to be mellowing and hopefully will be as laid back as her big brother. I must admit I have enjoyed buying pretty little dresses for her though she grows so quickly I tend to buy cheaper ones now. She is wearing clothes for a size 6-9 month old baby as 3-6 is just too small now. The way shes growing she`ll be bigger than Roman before she`s a year old...lol!

As you will know if you live in the British Isles, many of us have been sweltering in a heatwave the last fortnight. I love Summer, but Oh my goodness, it`s just that bit too hot for me at the moment. A slight breeze would be nice, just to cool things down a degree or too along with some steady overnight rainfall because I`m fed up with carry watering cans up and down the garden night after night. My arms are so long now I`m starting to resemble an Orangutan!

A few weeks ago I had a weeks holiday, if you can call it that. I think I was busier that week than when I`m getting paid for working. On the Monday I went out shopping on my own, a rare treat. I think the best bit was sitting in Starbucks with a cappuchino and some fruit bread, reading a magazine and just relaxing...perfect. That was the last leisurly day though. On Tuesday we took Roman to Boscombe in Dorset for the day. We`d never been there before but I`d read that it was a lovely place but quieter than it`s neighbour Bournemouth. Well we had a wonderful day there. The car park was just a few yards for the beach, which was sandy and very clean. The whole area was very well kept and with the weather also being excellent we couldn`t have had a better day. Roman loved making sand castles and was a very good boy all day. We had a lovely lunch at a nice restaurant overlooking the beach. In fact it was a perfect day for us all.

On the Wednesday Jim and I did some work in the garden, he`s been painting the fences and putting up some new trellis`s for me. We really did work hard all day and I really pleased with the progress in my garden. We have plans to extend the patio and widen and reshape the flower beds. I know once its finished it will look really good, though it will probably take ages to do, which of course is all the fun of gardening. I must admit that evening we DID have rather sore backs though a good night`s sleep took care of that.

On Thursday we visited the Royal Horticultural Gardens at Wisley in Surrey. It was another lovely day though a bit cooler, just the way it should be when there is a lot of walking involved. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day out but very tiring and hard on the legs. They had some lovely plants that I had my eye on but when I visited their plant centre the best ones that I wanted had all sold out...sigh. H-o-w-e-v-e-r....me being me didn`t let a little thing like that stop me from buying a `few` new plants. Oh no, I spent an hour and a half selecting some new specimens to add to my borders. Poor Jim, who was pushing the trolley for me kept reminding me of how long we`d been there. Yes I know his feet DID probably ache...but so did mine but the plants were more important...lol! ;o)

On the Friday it rained so I decided to use that time doing housework, very boring but necessary. It might have been a week of but I was relived to get back to work for a well earned rest...lol!

Do you know, despite not writing for so long I can`t for the life of me think what else has happened over the last few weeks. Well of course I HAVE been watching tennis at Wimbledon and this afternoon watched our own Andy Murray lose to Andy Roddick. I`m disappointed but he`s very talented and only just 22, he`ll be back next year that`s for certain.

Anyway, my friends, if I`ve got any left that is! I hope you`re all well and do have a lovely weekend. Take care. :o)

Happy Days and Lost Chocolate

2009-05-21T17:28:00.012+01:00

Make a Smilebox postcard

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Hello Everyone,

I thought I`d pop by and say hello seeing as I haven`t posted for what seems like forever...almost three weeks I think.

I`ve been working longer hours as its the busiest time of year in any garden centre and I must say I`m glad of the extra money too. The only problem being is that by the time I get home and have had some much needed lunch I have to catch up on housework and then I`m out in the garden tending to my plants. I think most evenings I have no more than an hour and a half computer time, not much when I think of the time I`ve spent on here in the past. On Monday we went to Kerry`s for the afternoon when I managed to get home at the usual time. I do enjoy being able to see them because with Roman at school and with them living further away I don`t see them as much as I used to. But then I think it`s not that bad, Roman`s Russian grandparents only see him once a year and in future it`s most likely only going to be every other year, air travel for four doesn`t work out cheap.

Speaking of working late I am always ravinous when I finish and the other day I bought a nice tasty chocolate bar, a Bounty to be exact. I ate one piece straight away and put the other piece on the passenger seat of my car so I could munch on it when I was driving along. As I was turning a corner my beloved Bounty slid onto the floor out of reach and I actually cried out "Oh no!" I waited until there was somewhere I could pull over and quickly retrieved it and ate it before I lost it again. Never has a simple bar of chocolate tasted quite as good as it did then...lol!

Last week my nephew Adam turned 18 and we attended his party in the evening. he`s such a lovely lad, though he`s hardly a lad now. he`s 6ft.5" and still growing and he`s broad with it so he looks much older than 18. I`ve always had a soft spot for him as he has the nicest nature and it was nice to spend the evening with him and the rest of his family. Next year its his younger brother Ryan who is 18 and I`m looking forward to the party already...lol!

Kerry had Sophie weighed today and she`s already 11lbs.4ozs, not bad for 5 weeks old. She is doing really well and some of the clothes she is wearing are size 3-6mths! I was looking at some of Kerry`s baby photos the other day and I was amazed at how alike they were at that age, though Kerry was much daintier than her little girl. Kerry thought that Sophie resembled ME when I was a baby though the only likeness I could see was the thick dark hair that we shared. I suppose different people see different things in one another and of course genes are passed down the generations.

The last time I posted I mentioned Roman`s conjunctivitis. His poorly eyes soon got better much to Kerry`s relief. He didn`t like the eye drops and each time they were due he had to be held down making it very difficult for Kerry, especially as she was still very sore from the caesarean. She is totally recovered now and despite a blip when she was feeling a bit depressed she is doing really well now. She decided it would help her recovery by going for walks each day and walking further afield as she felt better. The women she talks to at the school were amazed how well she was after a difficult birth. I think that she takes after me when it comes to illness or incapacity, neither of us are good patients and will do all we can to recover by any means necessary. The one thing I can`t fight completely are the aches and pains of advancing age, of which I have too many at the moment. :o( Mind you, I do curse them and it seems to help at times...lol!

Talking of ailments I have a mysterious problem. About a week ago I woke up one morning and I couldn`t open my right eye. It wasn`t sticky as with conjunctivitus but it just wouldn`t open until I did it manually. Anyway, it`s the same every morning and I know there can`t be anything too serious because I had my eyes tested the other week and they said they are healthy and they couldn`t see any abnormalities. I have noticed in photos for a couple of years that my eyelid droops a little bit this never happened before. The thing is my eye is fine all day and it only happens when I`ve been asleep. I suppose I`ll have to see the doctor if it continues though I`d rather not. I have to have a cholesteral test in a fortnight so I might just ask the nurse and see what she says.

I`m posting this in ordinary text because I have lost the colour and font change facillities on my journal, has this happened to anyone else? I must have a look at my Facebook because I haven`t been there for ages either, I don`t want to lose touch with everyone.

I really want to thank Antonella and Barb for the beautiful gifts and cards theyhave sent for Sophie, it was very kind and I know Kerry really appreciates them. She was really cynical about me having online friends but the response she has had has changed her mind completely. She thinks its lovely that people she has never met have been so kind and thoughtful....and of course she is right!

Tomorrow Jim is going on his annual sea-fishing trip with his mates from work. Danny is going too but Slava couldn`t get the time off of work this time and he`s disappointed to be missing out. Jim spoke to the captain of the boat and the weather forecast is good. Hopefully I will be able to stock my freezer with some tasty fish tomorrow evening. The one thing that is always at the back of my mind is their safety though I know the captain is a very experienced man and knows the waters like the back of his hand. I`m just glad when I get a phone call to say they`ve had a great days fishing, then I can relax at last.

Anyway, my friends, I`ll say goodbye for now. I promise I won`t leave it so long before I post again. Take care all of you and have a great weekend.

Bye Bye for now. :o)

Aaaaaggghhh!

2009-05-16T19:27:00.001+01:00

Many apologies, I was just practising and somehow I didn`t cancel the entry properly, please ignore this silly woman...lol!

Love Sandra xxxx

2009-05-16T17:46:00.002+01:00

Photos and Updates

2009-04-28T19:23:00.010+01:00

5 days old

With my gorgeous grandchildren

Roman practising his reversing skills

In our garden on Sunday, the weather was really hot and sunny.

Later that evening

Looking over daddy`s shoulder, can you see the likeness with Roman?

Roman "repairing" his car tyre with Jim`s spanner. He has conjunctivitus and his poor eyes are all swollen and sore.

No grandad, I am NOT amused!!! Do you like her pretty little pink dress?

Hello everyone,

I`m sorry I`ve been so long posting another entry, I don`t know where the time goes just lately. If I haven`t been working extra hours I`ve been at Kerry`s or she has been here. I think recently I`ve only had about an hour online per evening. Sophie is doing really well as is Kerry now. Kerry is on iron tablets which have certainly given her a boost and you would never guess she`d had a difficult c-section just 13 days ago. Sophie is getting bigger each time I see her and I can`t believe how different she is from Roman at that age. She is very laid back but so alert, she holds her head up really well and is always looking around to see what`s going on, almost as though if she doesn`t she will miss something important. Kerry is feeding her herself anymore and her midwife agreed. Because Sophie is so big she is very hungry and is now on a special formula for big babies. She sleeps really well at night and only wakes for her feeds and sometimes she sleeps through them too. Kerry is really enjoying motherhood second time around and I`m sure its because she is more relaxed having done it all before. Roman has conjunctivitus and has very sore, swollen eyes at the moment. Kerry tried with drops from the pharmacy but after a couple of days she had to take him to see a doctor who prescribed antibiotics. Getting the eye drops in is almost like a military operation. Roman refuses to let anyone put them in so he has to be held down by Slava while Kerry administers them. Its not that he`s scared of them because he laughs and runs away, its just that he refuses point blank even though he knows they are to make him better. It is just one of the things he has taken to doing since Sophie was born. He really loves her and he doesn`t say anything bad about her but his behaviour has changed towards Kerry and Slava. He`s fine with us and he gets lots of cuddles as always. I think its just an uncertain time for him while he gets used to Sophie being a member of the family after being the centre of attention for so long. He`s a happy little boy usually and I`m sure he`ll get there in the end.

On Sunday evening we took charge of Marshall, a German Shepherd who belongs to friends of ours while they go away for a few days holiday. In the past Roman was a little afraid of him being such a large, if soppy dog. This time however he spent ages playing in the garden with our friends two children and Jake and Marshall following them everywhere. It was lovely to see Roman playing with a couple of older children (9 and 6) who he hardly knows and having a great time....he`s really growing up now.

On Saturday Jim and I visited a garden centre that had been recommended to us. I only wanted to look around and see what their plants were like but, oh dear, I came away with a beautiful Japanese Maple (Acer) which cost a fortune, but I don`t begrudge a penny and will be going back for another when I`ve saved up for it. My philosophy is, I don`t smoke, drink or gamble, I pay my bills and take care of my family so I will spend my money on what makes me happy...and that of course is my garden. Jim has put up a archway across the path near the end of the garden and put heavy-duty trellis on either side cutting off the bottom of the garden from the main area. The point being that the bottom of the garden is where the greenhouse is and where I`ll be growing vegetables. I`ve planted the Acer in front of one side of the trellis and the one I`m going to buy next will go on the other side. I have so many ideas for the garden this Summer that I can`t wait for the good weather. I have so many young plants to go out once it is warm enough and I`m hoping for some beautiful flowers from them all. I`ve planted runner beans and three different types of tomatoes this year and I`m hoping they will all thrive and bear fruit.

Anyway dear friends, I`ll say goodbye for now and hopefully will be back to tell you more of what`s been going on of late. take care and I hope you are all well. Oh yes, and I`m trying to catch up on all your journals too! Bye Bye. :o)

Photos of Sophie Louise

2009-04-17T17:41:00.009+01:00

The first photo we took yesterday when she was about 4 hrs old

She was sleeping all the time we were there this afternoon.

Roman sitting and watching his new baby sister.

Thank you so much for all your congratulations and good wishes on the birth of Sophie Louise, our brand new granddaughter. I was thrilled that so many of you have taken so much interest in the new baby, be sure that there will be many updates and photos in the future! Jeannette, I gave your love and congratulations to Kerry and Slava and of course I gave Sophie a big kiss from you...THAT was very easy! Both Kerry and Slava are very grateful to you all for your messages of support.

As you are all aware Kerry was booked into hospital for Friday. I made arrangements to have the day off work but when I arrived home on Wednesday afternoon Jim told me that Kerry had phoned to say her midwife had a cancellation (?) and had changed her appointment for Thursday. I had to change my holiday dates and I decided not to alter my journal entry so that I could surprise you with the birth announcement. It was certainly that.

After an examination the doctors decided that there was no way a natural birth was going to happen so Sophie was born by caesarean section at 11.30 on a rainy Thursday morning, weighing, as you know, 9lbs.15ozs. She`s going to be a champion at Shot Put or perhaps a wrestler laughed Kerry this afternoon, " no one will mess with her," she added...lol!

The section was an ordeal for Kerry this time. It took an hour and she felt very unwell afterwards even though she had an epidural and not a full anaesthetic. Apparently her blood pressure had gone up and her iron levels were down which had contributed to her feeling so poorly yesterday. I must admit I was quite worried about her. Sophie was fit, well and thriving but poor Kerry was completely drained.

Today however was a different matter. Kerry looks much, much better today and is out of bed and walking around. She is on a course of iron tablets and her normal healthy colour has returned for which I am much relieved. Sophie slept well last night as big babies often do. I enjoyed dressing her in her pretty pink and white babygro yesterday and I was amazed her strong she is. The doctors have said she has excellent reflexes and her head and neck are very strong for a newborn.

Roman was a bit shy of his new baby sister but he has come around today and I when he thought no one was looking he kept stroking her face really gently. He told me that she feels "all soft and warm" but he doesn`t like hearing her cry or "her smelly nappies"...lol! Hopefully with care he might not be too jealous but its something that we`ll all watch out for. He`s already told me that she can`t play with his toy cars...lol!

How could I forget to mention how Slava is with his little girl. Kerry said he can`t take his eyes of her and even though he adores Roman it seems the `little girl and her Daddy` scenario has already started. Mind you, her grandad is a sucker for little girls too, just ask my Kerry!

Anyway, after a couple of days of driving up and down motorways and not having a moment to ourselves we most probably won`t be going to the hospital tomorrow. If all is well Kerry will be going home tomorrow so it won`t be as far to drive each time. We will visit her at home tomorrow and most likely will have Sunday off to catch up with some sleep ourselves. Its been a busy few days and I think we need some rest and the little family can spend some quality time together.

Anyway, thank you all again, have a great weekend and I`ll most likely be posting with some more photos very soon! Night Night. :o)

The Big Announcement!

2009-04-16T21:24:00.006+01:00

Hello everyone,

Just thought you`d like to know that Sophie Louise arrived this morning at 11.30 by caeasarean section. She weighed in at.........wait for it, 9lbs. 15ozs! and is doing really well. Kerry is very tired and has low iron levels but after some treatment she should feel a lot better. She is an absolute darling and Jim and I have fallen completely in love with her. I tried to post a photo but Blogspot won`t let me. I`ll be back tomorrow with a more detailed posting but for now its` been a long day and I`m tired out. Night Night. :o)

Love and Hugs

Sandra xxxxx

Latest News on Kerry

2009-04-14T20:37:00.003+01:00

Hello everyone,

Just a quick few lines to let you know that Kerry saw the consultant today and she is to be admitted to hospital on Friday for a planned caesarean section. I can`t really go into detail why on here but its unlikely that labour will start naturally so this is the only way to go now. We`ll be collecting Roman on Thursday afternoon and bringing him here to stay with us until whenever Slava thinks best. Please think of Kerry on Friday morning as she is very apprehensive as you can expect and so is her mum and dad! I`ll be sure to let you all know when there is good news. Night Night. :o)

Monday Working Hours

2009-04-13T19:10:00.007+01:00

I hope you have all had a nice Easter, I must say it`s been just like any other day for me though. Jim has had to work all weekend and I`ve worked Good Friday and today. Not that I`m complaining though, it was so busy at work today that either myself or my colleague were able to leave the tills all the time we were there it was that busy. Luckily the weather improved drastically today after a wet and miserable last few days, which of course meant that peoples thoughts turned to their gardens which was good for us. I eventually left work at 3pm instead of my usual 1pm and to say that Im tired is an understatement. One good thing about the change in the weather has meant that the customers were cheerful which helps when you are so busy and despite it being the 13th today it all went without a hitch. On the way home I sipped at a coffee and I munched on a hot cross bun as I was ravenous. The coffee was the best I`d ever tasted despite being made over half and hour previousand the two day old bun tasted delicious...lol!

There is still no sign of Kerry going into labour so we`ll just have to wait and see what her consultant says tomorrow afternoon. Watch this space for the next update.

I took these two photos of one of the Acers in my garden. This one is over ten years old and would be much bigger if I`d let it. At this time of the year when the foliage is fresh and new it always looks beautiful I think.

By the time the Autumn comes around the leaves will be bright red for a while before they finally fall.

Last night, or should I say the early hours of this morning a house party along the road spilled out into the street and the noise was dreadful. There were girls screaming just for the sake of it and young males shouting and swearing. There was no way we were going to tell them to keep the noise down as we would only have got a mouthful of abuse and next door has got a skip in the drive full of old house bricks, somehow I didn`t want one of them thrown through my window. I decided the only way I was going to get any sleep was to decamp to the spare bedroom on the other side of the house. Hopefully it won`t happen again tonight but you just never know....sigh.

I`ve decided not to take anymore antibiotics as they are making me feel really ill, something that didn`t happen before I started taking them. My stomach has been quite upset the last couple of days and it has been badly affecting my acid reflux causing me a great deal of pain that I just don`t need. I only have a couple of days left to take so I should be okay. My throat is fine and my voice is almost back to normal and hopefully so will my stomach by tomorrow.

I`ll say goodbye now and I think I`ve have just a little piece more of chocolate egg before I read so more journals. Take care. :o)

Good Friday Blues

2009-04-10T16:53:00.009+01:00

Hello everyone,

Well the baby still isn`t here and by the look of things she isn`t in any hurry either. She was due on Tuesday and according to Kerry`s midwife is most likely quite happy to stay where she is, warm, fed and comfortable. Of course Kerry is NOT at all comfortable and is thoroughly fed up with her pregnancy and just wants to get it over and done with. The thing is that because of her previous caesarian section she can`t be induced the same as someone who has had a normal delivery. She has been told that if she doesn`t start labour by Tuesday she will see the hospital consultant who will probably recommend another caesarean. I have to say that she is very unhappy about this but I have told her they wouldn`t do this without a very good reason and her health and the baby`s comes first. If they say a section is the way to go then so be it. She wants to experience childbirth the natural way but I reminded her that if she had been born 100 years ago neither she nor Roman would have survived the birth as he was lying acrossways and could never have been born naturally. A terrifying thought but true nonetheless. I must confess that secretly both Jim and I hope that Kerry has the section because even if she does start labour she has been warned she is a high risk and we are both very worried.

We saw Kerry and Roman yesterday and he told us he really missed us and that he hadn`t seen us for ages....actually it was last week but I suppose thats a long time for him. He told me that he "loved me and that I`m his very best friend ever" Mind you last week he said that to Jim too...lol!

Even though its Good Friday I had to work this morning. The weather is wet and a lot cooler than it has been of late, not at all what a garden centre needs on a Bank Holiday. Mind you it hasn`t stopped a lot of people coming out and buying all they need for there gardens. The plants we are selling are especially good this year and many customers having been complimenting us on our stock and the latest layout in the plant area. I always tell them that a great deal of work goes into it to make it as good as it is and its all down to our outdoor staff which numbers no more than more that four on a good day. Most days its just two.

My own gardening efforts are reaping rewards but some of the seeds I planted have failed. We had a sale of plug plants at work and for only 80p I bought lots of them and transferred them into pots when I got home. Now I won`t have to buy any bedding plants and at this rate I`ll have lots left over. At the moment nearly every window ledge in the house, and many shelves have seedlings on them. When its warmer at night they can all go in the greenhouse and I can have my house back again. We have bought some new fence panels, some trellis and a garden arch for the garden as I`m turning the area around the greenhouse into a raised bed for veggies. It won`t be very big but just big enough to grow some nice fresh produce. As it is I`ll be growing my own runner beans this year.

The last fortnight I`ve had a really bad cough and a painful throat. I thought it was just a virus but it just didn`t seem to improve at all and by the 11 day I`d had enough and saw the doctor. He said my throat had become infected from what was most likely a virus to start with. After taking antibiotics for just over forty eight hours I feel so much better and my cough has almost disappeared. My throat doesn`t hurt at all though my voice hasn`t come back properly and is still a little squeaky. I more or less felt alright by day but at night I just couldn`t sleep for coughing so its a relief to sleep easily at last .

Anyway my friends, I hope you all have a very Happy Easter and that the weather is good to you. Take care.

Weekend at Kerry`s

2009-03-30T18:50:00.006+01:00

I had a lovely weekend at Kerry`s. She now has just a week to go now and there is no real sign of anything occuring just yet. She has everything prepared, her case is packed ready for the trip to hospital, all the baby things are all ready too. Now all she can do is sit and wait, and wait....and wait. Actually as you can probably guess she`s completely fed up with doing nothing and she`s always glad to get out to collect Roman from school though despite it being just a short walk there and back it takes her twice as long as it used to. Jim and I are on edge all the time now and every time the phone rings we both jump! Anyway, like I said, it was a lovely weekend. On Saturday we went to a local garden centre (oh joy!) because Slava wanted a few plants for his garden. Faced with so many plants I just had to buy some myself and purchased three azalea, a foxglove, a eryngium and some new gardening gloves. There are so many garden centres near to Kerry and I have only visited one of them so far...so many plants and so little time...lol! Roman loves shopping seeing as how he has been shopping with Kerry and I since he was a tiny baby. I suppose he will one day drive some poor girl crazy with his retail therapy! Yesterday afternoon we all went to a pub/restaurant called the Star Inn. It`s in the Hampshire countryside in a village called Highclere. The view from the windows was lovely as was the whole meal and I would happily go there again sometime. What more could you ask than a beautiful day, eat good reasonably priced food with your family in pretty surroundings?

I have to thank everyone for the birthday cards and good wishes that were sent to me. Despite having to work I had a really nice day and was given some lovely presents. Kerry and Slava, Danny and Salina got their heads together and bought me gift cards for the same shop. Now I can buy what I want, when I want...well done kids! Jim bought me a lovely red handbag and Roman also bought me a handbag he chose himself, I was so touched that he chose it just for me. Kerry took me to one side and told me I was lucky because Roman originally liked a bright yellow one but she managed to persuade him that I don`t really like yellow...bless him!

Today is Slava`s 30th birthday and we all clubbed together to buy him a beautiful Emporium Armani watch. I bought him a plastic watering can as a joke seeing as how when watering his garden on Sunday I had to use Roman`s toy one as he doesn`t own a proper one. I still have lots to do in the garden thanks to Jim. He has finished digging out the new bed and now I have lots of space to plant in. Today I bought some more seeds and some summer bulbs that I must get started tomorrow. Now, along with the plants I bought Saturday and the ones I bought today I also have siome that I ordered online yesterday evening. It`s that time of year when I seem to spend a great deal of my wages on plants and anything garden orientated....but it`s all worth it. I just hope we have a good Summer this year to show it off in all its` (I hope) glory.

Anyway, at the moment I`m calling Kerry everyday to see if she`s ok. As soon as I know anything I`ll be sure to let you know. Bye Bye for now. :o)

March Winds a Blowing!

2009-03-25T18:59:00.012Z

Just a few of my Spring flowers in full bloom. I`m really pleased with them this year and hopefully they will be even better this year. I took a close up of the Magnolia so you can see how pretty each flower actually is, or was. March winds have battered it beyond all recognition now. The Pieris, 3rd pic from top, is the best its ever been though the photo doesn`t do it justice. The flower bed is a bit bare at the moment but all the herbacious plants have come safely through the Winter and will soon be in flower along with any other plant that catches my eye!

Well the false Spring that we all enjoyed has disappeared to be replaced by bitterly cold March winds that are doing their best to batter my garden to bits. As I mentioned above my Magnolia has taken a real beating and I`ve had to cover some of the more delicate plants with bell cloches to prevent them being broken. I know its supposed to be windy in March but I`m bored with bad weather now, I want to get out in my garden and spend my afternoons pottering around. Yesterday Jim started to dig out an extension of the flower bed we started last year. Our lawn is too big and I need more planting space. Once that`s done I`m having a raised bed for planting vegetables, it`ll only be a smallish area but big enough for what I have in mind. I`ve planted all my seeds and am hoping for the best that they all come up. All the tomato seeds that I planted have germinated and there are far two many for me to use, I`ll probably give them away to friends and family. In fact, I have seeds on almost every windowledge in the house. There are some in a heated propergator and some dahlia`s and gladioli in the greenhouse. I must admit that I`ll be glad when they can all go in the greenhouse because at the moment, even with a heater, its still too cold at night.

Kerry has only two more weeks until the baby is due. She had her last appointment with the midwife today and in her fortieth week she`ll see her doctor who will admit her to hospital to be induced, that is of course if nothing happens before then. The midwife said that all is well and the baby is ready now. Now its just a case of waiting. On Friday it`s my birthday and I`m going to spend the weekend at Kerrys. Jims working so he`ll come over on the Sunday when we`ll all go out for lunch. As Kerry doesn`t have a spare bedroom I`ll be taking our fold away bed and will sleep in Roman`s room. He says he`s looking forward to me staying and so am I, I just hope he doesn`t snore too loudly...lol!

The good weather has meant that work has been really, really busy. The majority of the last week I`ve not had a quiet moment and the time has flown by. I know there is supposed to be a economic recession but I`ve yet to see any evidence of it, at least with gardeners. Mind you, perhaps people aren`t going on holidays or buying other expensive luxury items and are spending money on their gardens instead. I always say that as I don`t smoke, drink or gamble I can completely justify what I spend on my garden. Of course there are bills that I pay and grandchildren to buy for ( I say grandchildren because I`ve started buying baby things already though I haven`t bought too much pink just in case the baby turns out to be a boy...lol!

On Mother`s Day both Kerry and Dan gave me bouquets of flowers and lovely cards too. I put all the flowers into a large vase as I wanted to keep them altogether. When I look at them I think of both my children when they were about nine and eleven, the time when they put their pocket money together and bought me a picture which they proudly presented to me on Mother`s Day. It was so sweet of them as they had chosen it specially. The fact that it was probably the last thing I would have bought didn`t matter as the fact that they had got together to buy it, especially for me. I doubt either of them would remember now but even though the picture is long gone, I will never forget their faces when they gave it to me, they looked so happy...and so was I, more than they will ever know.

Anyway my friends, I`ll say goodbye for now and will probably post again when I return from the weekend away. Of course, if there is any news regarding Kerry I promise you will hear about it as soon as I can. Night Night. :o)

Scary Trees and Sculptures - A Weekend in Pictures

2009-03-16T19:21:00.013Z

An ancient pollarded beech tree Looking up

This tree sculpture is simply amazing

and so are these...mind you, the dogs love them too...lol!

Roman pulling his pretend miserable face

Just look at his gorgeous smile...no wonder his girlfriend Connie wants to marry him...lol!

It`s been a lovely weekend. The weather has been marvellous, very sunny and very warm, just how I like Spring to be. As you can imagine I spent every spare minute in the garden weeding and tidying up. Between us we`ve now cleared all the beds of weeds and I can honestly say that the main heavy work is behind us....well apart from the small matter of digging out a new flower bed and making a raised bed for planting veggies! Never mind, the work is what it`s all about. A garden is a living thing that is never finished, theres always something to do and something that needs changing. Now I can think ahead to what plants I need for the Summer though as I`ve planted lots of seeds I shouldn`t need to spend too much.

The photos above were taken by Jim in Burnham Beeches woods. The beech trees there are very old and the have to have their upper branches removed (pollarded) to keep them from falling over under their weight, also it helps to allow light through to the forest floor. He also took the photos of the tree sculptures there. I think they are amazing and whoever the artist was he or she is very talented. The other photos were taken on Saturday night when we went out for a meal to celebrate Slava`s 30th birthday. It`s not actually his birthday until March 30th but Kerry thought it best to bring it forward in case she didn`t feel up to it then. She has only 3 weeks to go now and is feeling very uncomfortable. The midwife has told her that the baby is laying with her back against Kerry`s spine which will cause her extra pain during labour...very helpful to point that out I`m sure! Then the woman tells her that she will very likely have a long labour as she had a C-section first time around. Something tells me that the midwife wouldn`t win any prizes in tact and diplomacy!

Anyway, I`d better keep it short as I have lots to do ie. read journals, answer emails etc. Take care and bye bye for now. :o)

Photos and Cupcakes Galore!

2009-03-09T18:58:00.014Z

It`s been a great weekend for socialising. On Saturday we went to the engagement party of our nephew Rob and his new fiancee Rachel. They are the perfect couple and I wish them all the best for the future, they are lovely people and deserve all the happiness life has to offer.

Kerry, Slava and Roman came with us but Danny couldn`t make it as he moved into his new flat on Saturday and just didn`t have the time. Roman looked very smart in his new shirt and jeans and had a great time on the dancefloor, first with me and our promised first dance and later with Slava and several young women ( 25 and over) who really took a shine to my little darling. How dare they!....lol! One girl told him he looked "Just like a little pop star in his designer shirt". I told him he was a lucky boy to be chatted up by the lovely ladies in their pretty dresses and he told me that "Your dress is pretty too Nana" Oh I did have a lump in my throat!

Posing in my new dress!

Kerry (hiding bump!) Jim and Roman all ready to go

Delicious looking and very tasty cupcakes and the engagement cake made by Rob`s mum, Jim`s sister Beryl.
More cupcakes....yummy!
Jim`s sister Sue with her youngest grandson Charlie aged 8mths.

Having a rest between dances. Roman`s drink of choice was apple juice, perfect for washing down the odd cupcake or two...lol!
Strutting his stuff on the dancefloor!

Flying high with Daddy!

By 11pm Roman started to slow up and eventually he came over to me and climbed on my lap. He said he was very tired and could we go back to my house now. I told Kerry and we decided to take him home. We had driven over in two cars and Jim and Slava stayed until the end of the evening, 2.30am to be precise. It was Jim`s turn to drive so he didn`t have a drink all evening, Slava on the other hand did...lol!

It didn`t take us long to get home and before we were halfway there Roman was snoring in his car seat. When we got home he didn`t wake uop and I had to carry him indoors and up the stairs to bed, not a easy task now he`s so big! Kerry and I got him into his pyjamas and into bed without even a murmur from him and we went downstairs and enjoyed a very welcome cup of tea. All in all it had been a thoroughly enjoyable evening though I`m sure they would be a few hangovers here and there...lol!

On Sunday we all had dinner together before Kerry, Slava and Roman all went home. Just then I realised that the house was silent, the first time for the last two weeks. It was heaven, I had my home back....! And also my fridge was full of cupcakes and with Jim not being allowed to eat them it left just me to do the dirty deed. Jim`s sister Beryl told Jim that she didn`t want them to go to waste and I can assure you, they didn`t....I couldn`t let that happen now could I???

Bye Bye for now. :o)

Me and My Girl

2009-03-02T15:54:00.009Z

Well the weekend went according to plan, at least it did for the most part.

On Saturday morning I had my hairdresserers appointment and in the afternoon we went shopping in Basingstoke which is a town near to where Kerry lives. We had been there before but only with Kerry and Slava and Jim and I wanted to find our own way around to see what was there. Its a good shopping centre, far better than our own which seems to be dying around us. The heart has gone from our town and I think theres nothing that can save it now. Many shops have closed thanks to the financial mess that we are in and for some reason the Council in their wisdom have decided to replace the red brick Piazza area in the High Street with light and dark grey marble slabs. The work is nowhere near completed and already the lighter slabs are filthy and badly stained. In short they are a total waste of our money. Oh well, we rarely go there now unless we have to, there are much nicer towns in the locale where I would prefer to spend my hard earned cash.

But I digress, after we`d been into Basingstoke and Jim and we had bought a couple of things for Roman we drove to Kerry`s where she cooked a tasty Shepards Pie which was very much appreciated. Slava was working so it was just the four of us and we stayed there until about 7. Roman was on top form and kept us all entertained with his antics and funny stories. To hear him you would think he was a much older child instead of 3 1/2. He`s so much like Kerry at the same age that it has to be genetic. She told me that he just never stops talking and I just laughed. What goes around comes around...lol!

The new TV is great though it`s taken a bit of getting used to. The picture is so much bigger than I`m used to but it`s much sharper and a joy to watch especially when there is a wildlife programme on. Jim is enjoying his DVD`s and yesterday evening he watched Independence Day for the 300th time, well not QUITE 300 but it seems like it...lol! He said it was brilliant watching it on the new TV so I doubt I`ll get the chance to watch it myself that often.

Yesterday morning Kerry and Roman came over and we went shopping in Uxbridge. I could see that she looked really tired and I asked her if it was wise going out at all. She said she was fine but after an hour she began to flag so we went and had some lunch. She told me that she`s been getting pains, a sort of cramp she says. Oh dear, I`m thinking, not while we`re out. As Kerry had a caesarian section last time she didn`t experience labour pains at all but I think she may be going to know all about them sooner than she thinks. Kerry wanted to buy quite a few things so we took our time and found what she wanted before heading home again. It was fairly crowded with shoppers and more than once she was pushed by people who either couldn`t care that she was pregnant or they just didn`t notice, either way it made me cross and more than a little worried to see my girl looking so vulnerable. When we got home I made us all a steak dinner followed by a tub of maple and pecan ice cream, which, I`m embarrassed to admit we ate the lot...except Roman who didn`t like it very much...never mind, all the more for me and Kerry....lol!

I`ve quite enjoyed my day off today. I didn`t get up until after 8 this morning, had breakfast, cleaned the kitchen and washed the floor. That was all the housework I was doing today. I went out later and bought nyself a new dress for the engagement party we are going to next weekend. It`s a soft grey sheath style dress, very simple and understated. I have red jewellery to set it off teamed with black patent spiked heels. Hopefully I will look ok come Saturday night. When I got home I did several loads of washing and got it all dry on the line, thus saving money on the dryer and it smells lovely too. I thought about a bit of gardening but it is very cold and I decided to give it a miss, there isn`t really much to do apart from weeding which can wait and sowing seeds which I will start on next week. All that left me with is the computer so here I am! Bye Bye for now. :o)

What to do on Monday

2009-02-27T18:33:00.007Z

Oh dear, what am I going to do? I have a guilty secret and have to tell someone before I burst. Right, here goes....I like going to work...no, I LOVE going to work...there, I`ve said it. Today we were told officially that our hours have been cut to save jobs and on Monday I have the day off and will do my normal hours for the rest of the week. The thing is I just don`t know what I`m going to do with myself. I`ll go stir crazy staying at home all day and all I can think of is to do some gardening, weather permitting. Mind you, there`s not much for me to do at the moment, just a bit of tidying up. I`ve already potted up the dahlias and cannas to get them started and I can`t plant any seeds for another fortnight. There`s not a lot of weeds to pull up and I can`t think of anything that needs doing for a while. I suppose I`ll have to catch up with some general housework AND a pile of ironing that won`t get done all weekend. It`s just that I`ll miss being at work, having a laugh and keeping busy. Note to self : Get a life!

The Spring like weather has brought out the customers in droves, a bit of sun and all thoughts turn to the garden and a bit of colour is what many of us need after a cold Winter. I mean, it`s not really Spring yet and even so March is a very unpredictable month so I don`t think we`ve seen the last of Winter just yet. I was born on the 27th and my Dad was always reminding me that the night I was born there was a blizzard and he had to cycle through it to the nearest phonebox dressed in his pyjamas and dressing gown. You`d think it was my fault the weather was like that...lol! As they say, March roars in like a lion and goes out like a lamb....lets hope so.

I went into town with Jim this afternoon to pay a few bills. While I was there I decided to have my rather grubby car cleaned. Well what a transformation, I could hardly believe my eyes. My car had practically changed colour and on the journey home it seemed to drive better now it had taken off its filthy overcoat! The only thing is, the cream upholstery isn`t cream anymore so perhaps I can spend some time cleaning it on Monday. It should take most of the day considering just how dirty it looks...sigh. I know, I DID say I needed something to keep me busy.

Tomorrow morning I have a hairdressers appointment then Jim and I are going to Basingstoke shopping and then we`ll pop into Kerry`s for a cup of tea before returning home again. On Sunday Kerry and Roman are coming here for dinner and then we are going out for the afternoon. It`ll just be the three of us because Slava is working, Jim is going to an annual fishing show that he attends every year....yawn. See what I mean about keeping busy? If I stop I`d probably fall asleep...lol!

The new TV arrived this morning and it`s lovely. It`s like a small cinema screen, at least it is to us. Jim confessed that he wanted it because he loves watching DVD`s and he may as well watch them in style. As I said before, he paid so I`m not arguing. At the moment he`s still sorting out the various things it does. Short of making coffee and vaccuuming the carpets there`s not much it doesn`t do...lol!

Anyway my friends, I hope you all have a lovely weekend.Take care. :o)

Hoping For a Happy Spring

2009-02-23T18:35:00.008Z

My goodness! I didn`t realise I hadn`t posted since Friday 13th, doesn`t time fly!

Work has been busy now that Spring is approaching and gardening enthusiasts are buying their seeds for their flowers and vegetables. The milder weather is certainly good for business and as I said before, it keeps me busy which is always nice. I`ve even done a bit of gardening myself, tidying up and planting some potted crocuses and hardy cyclamen and snowdrops. I`ve put them around the trees and with luck they should spread out and in a few years time I`ll have a carpet of colour to brighten up the late Winter drabness. Many of the bulbs I planted in my hanging baskets and tubs are in flower and if I may say so, look really pretty. In the next couple of weeks I`ll be planting the seeds for my Summer flowers and vegetables and starting off the dahlias. It`s all very ambitious but hopefully I`ll get good results and will save a lot of money in the meantime.

Kerry is much better after her fainting episode last week though it still worries me that she still has another week to go until her maternity leave begins. She is very uncomfortable this time, much more so than when she was expecting Roman and she has definitely put on more weight. I wonder if she`ll follow in my footsteps and have a big second baby. I can`t see how she can get much bigger but she still has six more weeks to go yet! I`ve started to feel a little excited about the baby now. I hadn`t felt as excited as I was when Kerry was expecting Roman but maybe it was because he was the first grandchild. Anyway I found myself looking at little pink clothes in the children department in Next which is a very good sign. I had vowed not to buy anything pink until the baby is born but just a few things won`t hurt.....will they?

We had Roman to stay over the weekend and he was a really good. I did have a few doubts because he has been giving Kerry a hard time of late but once the ground rules were established ie; Nana`s in charge not Roman...lol!, it went really smoothly. On the Saturday we took him on a train journey into Reading for the day. We didn`t tell him about the train until we reached the station and he was thrilled when we told him about the train. He absolutely loves trains though he was a little disappointed because it wasn`t a steam engine like Thomas Tank Engine! He didn`t ask after his Mum and Dad all day and he kept us and other shoppers amused with his cheeky grin and funny comments for the whole day. While we were out I bought Roman some Disney sunglasses as he says he doesn`t like the sun getting in his eyes and some new Mickey Mouse pants just because he liked them. Roman bought some tiny pink shoes for his little sister which I`ll put by until Kerry brings her home from hospital. Including Roman in the whole process is very important and we don`t want him to feel left out. He actually asked Kerry the other day " Will you send me away to Nana`s when the baby is born?" Kerry reassured him that he will be the big brother to the baby and Mummy and Daddy love him and want him at home with them. I`ve made sure I keep talking to him about Mummy and Daddy and how much they love him, bless him. Anyway, I digress, by the time we got home again he was really tired and when bedtime came at 7pm he didn`t complain at all. In fact he fell asleep while I was reading to him and didn`t wake up until 6am. Even then he climbed into our bed and went straight back to sleep until after 8. Kerry couldn`t belive it when we told her and asked us what our secret was. Just a bit of Nana magic I suppose....lol! I did decide however that having children is strictly for the young. It was lovely to have our little darling for the weekend and I look forward to the next time but it`s lovely to be able to give him back again! Being a grandparent you get the best of both worlds. You get to enjoy them all day and you can give them back to Mum and Dad who can deal with the less than happy times. I throughly recommend it. :o)

We have ordered a new TV and is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Jim has wanted one for a long time but I resisted because there was nothing wrong the one we had. But, it has started going wrong and that gave Jim the excuse he needed to buy the one he`s set his heart on...Honestly, I`m starting to wonder if he sabotaged it himself! Anyway, this new one is an all singing, all dancing state-of-the-art 40" flat screen HD thingy. Well he`s paying for it so I`m not bothered because as I said, it doesn`t matter what rubbish is on TV at least we can watch it in style...lol!

Anyway, dear friends, I`m going to try to catch up with some journals, I`m miles behind and need to see what`s been going on. take care and I`ll try to post again soon. :o)

A Bit of A Worry

2009-02-13T19:54:00.004Z

Oh dear, I had a bit of an upset today. Kerry collapsed at work and was sent home. I didn`t find out until this afternoon when I rang HER..wasn`t she even going to tell me? I know she didn`t want to worry me but I wasn`t at all happy when she said she hadn`t even seen her doctor. "It`s okay Mum, it was just that I felt a bit hot." I told her to make a doctors appointment at once and she did, bless her. When she got back she told me that the Doctor has signed her off work with an accompanying letter to say that she`s suffering from exhaustion and needs several days rest. Good...she does far too much and has too little rest. I know its not easy with having a long drive to work and back, getting up at 4am and dealing with three and a half year old Roman and his boundless energy. I`ll be glad when she finishes work and starts her maternity leave at the end of this month. I digress, the doctor said her blood pressure is normal, in fact everything is normal much to my relief...and hers and Slava`s too.

She told me that she felt ok driving to work but when she boarded the staff bus she started to feel hot and her head was swimming. She managed to shake it off but whilst walking to the office at work she felt `funny` again and everything went black. Apparently she fell backwards against another employee so she didn`t hurt herself. When she came round she saw all these concerned faces looking down at her. Her manager wanted to call the paramedics but she wouldn`t hear of it. After she`d rested for a while she was sent home with instructions to rest and not to come back until she felt better. She should have gone straight to the doctor...silly girl. Anyway, she`s alright and that`s the main thing.

Mind you, I just thought. I`d ordered my 34 yr old daughter to see a doctor ...and she obeyed without so much as a whimper. I wish it had been that easy when she was a teenager...lol! Night, Night. :o)

Rain and Rubbish

2009-02-12T16:50:00.007Z

Its been over a week since my last entry but I didn`t want to do a posting when I had little to talk about. I decided that after so long I should have something I can say. Right, I`ll begin.

As you know if you live anywhere in the British Isles the weather has been dreadful one way or another. While some of you will have had lots of snow many of us had 24 hrs of rain, I know Jeannette mentioned it in her journal the other day. Getting to work has been a problem lately because if I haven`t been avoiding deep puddles and in some places floods then I have been practically skating on the frozen roads. Yesterday it took me an hour for a journey that usually takes no more than fifteen minutes. The roads were so slippery that there were accidents everywhere and I had to keep turning round to try another route to work.

I`ve had no more silly accidents of my own since my last couple of escapades (fingers crossed!) though at work we have really been going through it the last couple of days. Yesterday a big electrical fault occured and without going into detail we have lighting but no other power at all. Luckily we have one plug socket that works where we can boil a kettle, I don`t know what we would do with a cup of tea or coffee. The tills aren`t working so we are trading manually, a bit of a nuisance but I`m coping. Hopefully it will be repaired by tomorrow. I spent much of the late morning

loading rubbish into the newly delivered skips. We have been waiting for them for over w eek so you can imagine the build up of rubbish. I smelt less than fragrant when I`d finished work and when I got home it was straight into the shower and my work uniform in the washing machine. I really don`t mind doing work like that because physical work has never bothered me and I don`t mind getting my hands dirty. Mind you, seeing as I was wearing gloves my hands weren`t at all dirty, it was just the rest of me...lol!

This Sunday I`m working all day Sunday as we are having a stock take and its all hands on deck so to speak, anyway the extra money will come in handy. As it is my hours have been cut by four hours starting on March 1st but just until the busy season which is in the Spring, hopefully that will be very soon. I`m not bothered about losing the hours either, I`m just grateful to still have a job. So many people are losing theirs as businesses collapse everywhere so I have no intention of complaining about a bit less money a month.

Kerry is doing really well and is getting things ready for the arrival of her new baby. I can`t believe its only a matter of weeks before she is due. Roman is doing well at nursery school and is looking forward to being a big brother. Actually Jim and I are probably even more excited than he is!

Yesterday Jim and I went shopping in the afternoon. I decided it was time to use a giftcard that I was given for Christmas. I originally thought I`d keep it until I needed something but then I thought I`d buy something because I WANTED it, it`s a gift, why not? I bought a nice pair of jeans in sort of dark coffee colour, it might not sound very nice but its a gorgeous colour and I also bought a red v-neck jumper. I don`t usually wear red but I saw this one and fell in love with it and had to have it. I also bought some curtains for my dining room. I bought some a few weeks ago and they just weren`t right. I couldn`t take them back because the shop has now closed down so I`ll have to save them for another time or find someone who wants them. They`re really nice and it would gbe a shame if they don`t get used. The new ones are just right and they were really, really cheap. After all the months of looking and I end up paying a fraction of the price I thought I`d have to pay. If I hadn`t already bought the other pair I`d have been even happier. Maybe I`ll put the other pair up for sale, I could advertise in the local shop and newspaper free ads.

Next weekend Roman will be staying here for the weekend to give his long-suffering Mum and Dad a bit of a break before the baby is born. They don`t get out much so it would be nice for them to be able to go out for an evening together and to be able to have a lie-in in the morning. It`ll be their last chance for some time to come. We are going to take Roman out for the day on the Saturday. Jim has suggested we go to Reading for the day but instead of going by car we`ll take the train, Roman adores trains so he`ll be thrilled when he finds out.

Oh dear, I`ve just seen the weather forecast, apparently we are to expect more snow, not a lot but then they say it will freeze overnight. Oh dear, another slippery journey to work again AND its Friday 13th...am I superstitious? You bet I am! Bye for now. :o)

Snow, Snow and Still More Snow

2009-02-02T16:12:00.009Z

Early morning and the cars are crawling along at snail pace

This afternoon, the back garden covered with a white woolly blanket

You couldn`t even see the road outside my house this morning

The snow began falling more heavily just after I came home from work.

What a day! Snow fell heavily overnight and I awoke to a blanket of the fluffy white stuff making the world look very bright and very beautiful. Being a lover of snow and Winter I was a little apprehensive of the drive to work. I knew the roads would be treacherous and being the South of England I`ve had little experience driving in snowy conditions. I used a long handed broom to clear the snow from my car and clear the driveway, finishing the job by throwing dishwasher salt everywhere. I actually didn`t have any problems driving apart from a couple of corners where I felt like a contestant from Dancing On Ice. Apart from that and not being able to go any faster than 10 mph the journey was fine as everyone on the road seemed to be behaving themselves for a change. The roads were much clearer on the way home and those drivers who usually behave badly did, especially the one who followed me nearly all the way home. When I stopped at a blind junction he tooted me for not pulling straight out into the main road. If he had been where I was he would have seen the car coming toward us but instead decided to tell me to hurry up...I didn`t , I just took my time and drove even slower once around the corner. The look on his face was a picture...lol!

The other day I mentioned the Green Woodpecker in my neighbours garden. Well since then I`ve seen two more and after me saying that I`ve not seen one around these parts before...unless of course its the same one following me around!

I called Kerry this afternoon and after a brief chat I hear a voice say "Is that Nana? Let me talk to Nana!" No prizes for guessing who that was! Roman told me that he was going outside with Mummy to throw snowballs and build a snowman. He told me that said snowman was going to wear a hat and scarf, have a carrot for a nose. He then told me that he will make sure Mummy doesn`t fall over in the snow and hurt herself, bless him. Sometimes he says the sweetest things.

Oh yes, the spots he had are another type of excema. Kerry has been using several creams and using a potion in the bath and now she says his skin is almost back to normal now. She just has to make sure he has lashings of the cream on every day especially in the Winter when it can at its worst. I remember when Daniel was little his excema was much worse in Winter but once the sun started to shine it cleared up quite quickly again.

It had stopped snowing for a while but the sky is looking very angry and I don`t think it`ll be long before we have another lot fall on us. Hopefully it won`t be too bad and that the local authorities will grit the roads unlike last night. Also I hope Jim might be home from work earlier than usual because most of the flights from Heathrow are cancelled and he`s just sitting around waiting until its time to come home again. He must be really bored.

Anyway, must go. There are journals to read and an evening meal to prepare. Take care, stay safe and keep warm. :o)

Orchids, Woodpeckers and Cold, Cold Weather

2009-01-31T16:14:00.007Z

There`s been no more crash, bang but a bit more thud and ouch since my last entry! The new oven glass will be here in a few days and with luck I`ll manage to slide it into the door in one piece. I sincerely hope so because I can`t afford any more disasters this year...lol! The thud and ouch refer to Thursday when I decided it was time to water the orchids...all eleven of them. Most of them are kept on the bedroom window sills until they come into flower. Then I bring them back downstairs and keep them in the living room. It just happens at the moment that none of them are in flower so all of them are upstairs....and there lies the problem. I thought,in my wisdom, that it would be a good idea to carry them all downstairs on a tray saving me the trouble of several journeys up and down the stairs. It was a VERY bad idea. !) there were far too many of them and 2) when orchids are dry they are very, light and therefore top heavy. Can you see where this is going? Anyway... as I was walking downstairs one of them started to wobble on the tray, I tried to balance it but it had knocked over another, and another resulting in a domino effect. I could only stand and watch as one by one they tumbled down the stairs spilling their compost. My stair carpet resembled a woodland floor and so after checking that the orchids weren`t broken I set about clearing up the mess. They were more than fine, in fact there wasn`t even a broken leaf between them and when I`d finished cleaning about half and hour later I set about repotting them all. The finished result was they looked better than before they were thrown down the stairs but I can assure you that I won`t be doing THAT again soon. Next time I`ll bring them downstairs in carrier bags....why didn`t I think of that before!

Oh yes, and the ouch bit was when I was demonstrating to Danny how the oven glass broke. I placed my hand on the hob where I laid the glass last week but it was still hot from where Jim had recently used it...and yes I did say OUCH! But I have to say that I haven`t really been in the wars all week. The orchid incident is just one of those things that happen to me. I have to say I`m safest when driving (work that out!) sitting down or sleeping...lol! and no I don`t sleep when I`m driving...lol!

Changing the subject, its getting much colder again after the last few mild weeks. They are forecasting snow on Monday and Tuesday with a bitterly cold easterly wind blowing in from Siberia. Well I don`t know where its blowing from but I`ve not long come in from walking Jake and it was seriously cold. I`m quite a fast walker and I usually get warm while out walking but not today, even though I was dressed in my warmest clothes I was glad to get in the warm again. I think Jake was too as he dashed in as soon as I opened the door.

This morning I saw a large Green Woodpecker feeding in next doors back garden. I`ve never seen one this far away from woodland before. I took lots of photos and spent ages watching it through binoculars. I just hope the people in the house opposite don`t think I was watching them. They always get dressed in front of windows without ever closing the curtains first. Its not a case of me looking but you can`t exactly not see them. Obviously they aren`t particularly modest but if you were getting dressed in front of a window and saw someone looking through binoculars from the house opposite, what would you think? lol!

Not the best photo but it gives you an idea. His red is bright red and its a pity it doesn`t show up better here. I couldn`t believe he was ground feeding for so long, easily 20 minutes. Mind you he kept looking up to have a good look at his surroundings. Yesterday at work I saw a Red Kite with part of his wing missing. It didn`t stop him flying and he seemed oblivious to it. I wondered what might have caused such an injury to such a large bird of prey.

The other day Kerry told me that after telling Roman off for some misdemeanor he told her that he wanted to "Live with Nana"! She told him that she would help him pack his suitcase which helped change his mind, bless him. I had visions turning up on my doorstep with his little suitcase in hand...hehehe!

Anyway my friends, Ill say goodbye for now. Have a lovely evening and keep warm. :o)

Crash, Bang and Ouch!

2009-01-26T15:11:00.007Z

It`s been a beautiful day here today with lots of sunshine, it made a really nice change after the wet weekend. Thanks for your kind comments about my mood swings/depressions. I`m on already on HRT so my hormones are more or less under control. They are most probably linked with the dreaded menopause though I do wonder what age I have to be before they subside.

This weekend started really well with me cleaning out kitchen cupboards before moving on to giving the oven a long overdue clean. I soaked the glass door and the shelves in the cleaner that I use and when they were practically spotless and washed and dried them and prepared to put them back. Then it happened....the glass door exploded showering me and the rest of the kitchen in shattered glass fragments. Well you must have been able to hear my scream a mile away and I just couldn`t stop shaking. I just stood there as I watched the door continue cracking apart as if it had a life of its own. Then it hit me that now I couldn`t use the oven without the inner door and it would be expensive to buy another, that is if I could track one down. Just what I need....more expense. Anyway after clearing up the mess I went online and after looking at several sites I found the right door for my model. The cost? £105...almost $200! I call that very expensive indeed. I just wish I knew what caused it to shatter like that, its the same thing that happens when a windscreen breaks so there must have been a flaw in it somewhere. If I had dropped it at least I would be certain what the cause was. And then, it couldn`t have been more than 20 mins later I was minding my own business when I walked right into the corner of the open dishwasher door...I now have a dark blue bruise the size of an egg on my leg....and it really hurts!

Thankfully after all that drama the rest of the day passed relatively peacefully. I managed to produce and good meal without the need of an oven. I must admit that fried chicken made a tasty alternative to roast though I`m sure it was not the healthiest of options. Yesterday Kerry, Slava and Roman were here for dinner and I had bought a nice shoulder of lamb for our dinner. Of course I had no way of cooking it apart from microwaving which I decided not to do. I made a huge shepherds pie instead and everyone told me that it was really tasty. They always thank me for dinner but my humble shepherds pie delivered the most compliments. Perhaps I should make it every time they come for dinner, it would be a lot cheaper...lol! I gave Kerry to take home for their dinner this evening....she told me that she`d think of me when she ate it....sigh!

I`ve had a sore throat all weekend so I think a cold is brewing. I suppose I`ll just have to wait and see what happens. I don`t mind a cold, not even a bad one but I`m really hoping it won`t be flu, I`ve done so well the last few years and I don`t want to be ill now.

Remember I told you that I had a secret but couldn`t say anything? Well, I can tell you a little bit of it, just a very little bit. Danny and Salina have found a flat and will be renting it from the second week in March....sorry can`t say anymore for the time being but when I can you will be the first to know.

Roman`s spots are back and much worse than when he came back from Russia. Kerry is taking him back to the doctor and is going to ask to see a skin specialist. He has a history of excema and even though the spots don`t seem to be related to it his skin is very dry and scaly. If the doctor doesn`t know what it is Roman needs be seen by someone who does.

This morning I had a routine hospital appointment and can you believe I left work at 9.50 and was back again by 10.25. In fact I was in the hospital for less than 20 mins because I didn`t get charged when leaving the car park. You are allowed 20 mins short stay parking. My boss couldn`t believe it when I got back to work so soon.

Anyway, I`m going to make myself a nice cup of coffee now. I hope you all have a lovely day and take care. Bye Bye. :o)

Pain and Analysis

2009-01-23T18:15:00.006Z

Ouch....I fell down stairs a little while ago and now I`m starting to ache a bit. I was carry a bundle of washing and had almost reached the bottom stair when I tripped over a sleeping Jake. Well you should have heard the rumpus. I screamed out my best Anglo Saxon as I dived headlong and only saved myself by grabbling hold of the bookcase in the hall. Jake yelped and ran away as all the washing hit the floor. I wasn`t hurt at the time and I worried that I`d hurt Jake but it turned out he was more frightened of his crazy owner attacking him and throwing washing all over him...lol! Now my left ankle is a bit sore, my right thumb feels as though its come out of its socket and my shoulders feel as though they`ve been twisted, well they were actually but you know what I mean. It had been such a good day till then too. The weather had been appalling, windy with heavy rain all day but I was in a really good mood despite getting soaked several times at work.

Which brings me to a subject I`ve wanted to write about but kept deciding that I wouldn`t, until now. My good mood follows a week where I`ve been feeling really down. From time to time I feel really happy about life, elated almost without any particular reason. Then without exception I feel terribly depressed for a few days. I feel everyone dislikes me and are talking about me and I`m so tearful, its ridiculous. At least now I know that its not serious but have come to accept it for what it is. I`ve not really looked at it too deeply because I know I`ll feel better soon. I don`t know what causes it though I wonder if perhaps its a form of manic depression. Whatever it is its a part of me and just a cross that I have to bear...sigh.

I saw Kerry on Wednesday and we went shopping together which is something we do very little of these days. Her pregnancy is in its 30th week and all is well with her and the baby. Roman was in a lovely mood and whilst we were walking along the street inWindsor when he turned to me and said, "Nanna, I love you," So I said " Well I love you too darling," I was so happy I thought my heart would burst, bless him.

Bye Bye for now and have a lovely weekend. :o)

A Bit Of A Letdown

2009-01-15T19:09:00.006Z

Oh dear, I got home from work today to find a letter waiting for me. It was from the owner of the little cottage in Dorset where we stay every first week in September. We won`t be able to stay there anymore because she has moved in and is working locally...sigh. She has however given us the option of staying at `Whitehaven` (see above). It is owned by a lovely lady who used to look after the cottage but after her husband died she moved to a smaller place in the nearby village. How family still stay there when they visit but I`m not sure whether I`d like to stay myself. It`s a large house and is more isolated than the cottages, and they are quiet enough as it is. I`ll have to ask Jim what he thinks when he gets home from work. I`m going to miss out little bolt-hole in the country, it was like a home from home as it would have been our tenth visit this year.

We originally stayed there because we wanted to take Hannah with us. She loved it there and throughly enjoyed bounding through the fields, sometimes coming across a rabbit that she could chase and never catch. Each year she enjoyed as much as the first until her final stay when she was terminally ill and only had a couple of weeks left. Despite her illness she still paddled along the edge of the sea wagging her tail and looking at us for assurance. It was a bittersweet time because we knew she would never come away with us again but still she seemed happy to be there, and that made our stay happy too.

Then of course Jake came with us, doing the same things as Hannah but in his own leisurely way. he`s far more laid back and his attitude to life is, `Oh yeh, I liked that....right, can I have a sleep now?` Hannah`s was " That was TERRIFIC! Can we do that again, well can we????"

Anyway, we are going to go back there somehow or another so if we don`t stay at Whitehaven we are going to have to find something else...soon.

I`ll say goodnight now and I`ll let you know what we decide.

Spots and Cheese

2009-01-13T16:12:00.015Z

It seems that Winter has taken a back seat for the moment and the temperature has risen since my last post. I must admit that it is nice to have a rest from the cold despite my love of the freezing, frosty days.

Well the news is that the central heating was fixed and for two days it was running better than ever. Then it reverted back to how it was before the the engineer repaired it. It is still better than it was but the boiler needs several things done to it which is going to cost a LOT of money, more than we had hoped but less than the cost of a new boiler. Now we are waiting for the repair to be done but it`s not a matter of urgency, we have heat and thats all that matters right now.

Kerry, Slava and Roman have returned from Russia safe and sound. They brought us presents and Roman brought home spots....lots of them. In fact he was very proud of them and wanted me to see them as soon as they arrived at our house. Kerry was worried that it might have been measles but the doctor here had no idea and could only guess that it was an allergy or perhaps viral. Whatever it was it didn`t give him a fever and he was as cheerful as usual though a bit itchy. He was given piriton to relieve the itchiness and all thats left now is very dry skin. Kerry and Slava captured some good footage of Roman sledding downhill in the snow. After a few runs with Daddy he wanted to do it all by himself. Even though the hill was quite steep and he is so little he didn`t fall off and had several more goes before they eventually went home, it was -17 which is too cold to stay out too long. Kerry said he didn`t once say he was cold though his little ski suit must have had something to do with that. I`m going to try to get the video footage on to You-Tube and see if I can upload it onto here.

Poor Jake has been very unwell the last few days. He ate some turkey fat mixed with seed on Saturday that I put out for the birds and by the end of the day he was very, very sick. On Sunday morning he was still unwell but I wasn`t at all surprised. I starved him until Monday morning when I gave him just a small amount of food and each further meal I give him a little more each time. He`s much better now and had a long run this morning in the woods. In future I`ll make sure any bird food is right out of his way, mind you I didn`t think he could reach the turkey fat....daft dog!

There`s a lot happening here but as I`m sworn to secrecy I can`t tell anyone about it just yet. I made a solemn promise and I`m won`t break it though when the time is right I`ll tell you all about it. Watch this space!

When I arrived at work today there had been an attempted break-in. After a search there didn`t seem to be anything stolen but they got into the staff room and my locker had been opened. Thankfully I don`t leave anything of value in there and now the lock is all but broken I won`t be doing so again. Hopefully now they know theres nothing worth taking they won`t be back.

I should have spent the afternoon shortening some new curtains to hang in the dining room but I feel really tired today and will leave them till Saturday when I have all day. I think January is a very sleepy month now that the Christmas and New Year festivities are over. Now that is in the past I can look forward to the birth of Kerry`s baby in April, the time will go quickly now, perhaps not for Kerry but for me it will.

I want to thank Antonella for the two awards, see below:

I think its lovely that someone likes me and my journal enough to give me an award, thanks so much Antonella.

I must do some nominations of my own in the next posting.

I`ve realised at this advanced age that New Year resolutions are only made to be broken so I haven`t bothered this year. The closest I`ve come to making one is to give up chocolate and I`m still working on that. Also to eat less cheese but its more likely that the chocolate will be the first to go. I love cheese in very shape or form and it will be the very last food I ever give up. In case you`re about to tell me that too much of it is bad for me, I know though I try not to think about it...lol!

Anyway, on that savoury moment I will take my leave of you. Take care. :o)

Winter Days

2009-01-05T16:21:00.006Z

Hi,

I have a confession to make...I like...no, love Winter! I like the chill morning and the hard white frosts and fresher air. I don`t even mind the shorter days when we have what I call a REAL Winter.

This is why:

I like watching the birds at the feeders eating seed and drinking fresh water.

I like to see my garden plants resting and preparing themselves for the new growth that will begin in Spring. The buds are already on the magnolia tree as are the daffodils pushing there way up through the frozen soil

I like wearing Winter clothing and wrapping up warm when I go out. I have my many pairs of boots, scarves, hats and gloves. I can`t wear them in warm weather now can I?...lol!

I always feel better in myself when we have a proper cold Winter and not a miserable wet and mild one, like the last couple of years when I never thought the rain would ever stop.

I like walking on the hard ground when out with Jake, who might I add, seems to prefer cold weather too. Well labradors did originate in Canada where it`s not unknown to be a bit on the chilly side!

And I like the sunsets, like tonight for instance when you can usually tell if tomorrow will have a frost or not. I think we will by the look of things.

So there you have it, I`m a Winter girl. Mind you, I love all the seasons for different reasons. Am I the only one who actually likes the cold weather I wonder?

This evening we have a heating engineer coming to look at our central heating boiler. It has been behaving badly the last couple of days and I want it looked before it gives up the ghost. Much as I like cold weather I don`t want the house to be cold and I definitely can`t go without hot water. What happens is the boiler doesn`t start properly so I have to do it manually. It doesn`t switch off either so I have to do that manually too or it overheats. I don`t think its the thermostat but more likely something mechanical. Hopefully by this evening I`ll know what needs doing.

I think I`m getting a cold. At least I have a sore throat and painful sinuses but I`ve been having these symptoms on and off since Christmas. If I`m going to have a cold or whatever I just want to get it over and done with. I hate colds, viruses etc. The last BAD cold I had was November 2007 and I remember feeling dreadful and getting sympathetic looks and remarks from customers at work. The favourite comment was "Do you have a cold?" ........ Me " Er..no, I always look like this!" I didn`t really...lol!

Jim is organising another sea-fishing trip for May. Apparently the owner of the boat they usually go out on has bought a newer model which takes more people. All the usual suspects are going along and many others want to join them. I just hope there will be enough room for them all.

We were given another Christmas present from friends of ours today, guess what? Another box of chocolates...oh well, they can go in the cupboard with the others and will be eaten in due course. They also gave us a lovely wooden photo frame. It has room for one photo about 6" by 4" and three little ones. I`ll have to take a really good one of Roman or wait until the baby is born..or perhaps I`ll put photos of them both in there.

Right I`m going to make our evening meal now as the heating engineer may come at any time. Have a nice evening and take good care. :o)

Russian Snow and Car Trouble

2009-01-03T16:36:00.012Z

Hi,

Well it`s 2009 now and Christmas seems long gone. Most of us are back to work after the holidays and life is back to normal. The only thing that hasn`t changed here is the weather which is still very cold, quite unusual after the last two mild and wet years. I must say I prefer the cold frosty days to constant rain. It`s easy to put on another jumper and turn up the heat if necessary but the rain just makes me feel miserable AND my arthritis flares up too.

Kerry called to say that they all had a great New Years Eve playing in the snow until 4am with Roman who throughly enjoyed himself. He had been asleep in bed but woke up at 11.30 and wouldn`t go back to sleep so she decided that as it was New Year that it would be a good idea to go outside as is Russian tradition. Apparently everyone was outside in the snow, children included. Even though it was -7c nobody seemed bothered. What a wonderful way to celebrate. Dan on the other hand took Salina to the London Eye to see the fireworks. They got there early and all along the embankment people were sitting drinking champagne just waiting for midnight. As it was bitterly cold they went to a restaurant for something to eat before coming back to try to get a good viewing position. The whole area was packed with people by now and eventually they found a little back alley where they could see but wouldn`t get crushed by the throng. The only problem being was that quite a few other people had the same idea. The fireworks were brilliant though and they really enjoyed themselves. the problems started when it was all over. Dan said there were fights breaking out and people were shoting and swearing at each other as they all tried to leave at once. In the end it took them nearly three hours to leave the capital and they eventually got home at 6am and they didn`t even get a celebratory drink. Something tells me that they won`t go there next year.

Oh yes, I was asked a couple of times why I was given two pairs of boots for Christmas. Well, the thing is that I had boots for Christmas last year, I have many, many pairs as I really don`t like closed in shoes and am far happier in boots. I think they feel more comfortable and look better too. But I digress. Last years boots were just what I was looking for and I was delighted when Jim bought them for me, but when I unwrapped them I found that the decorative leather button was missing from one of them. Jim said as the shop we had bought them from was not local he would buy me another pair if I found some I liked. I told him not to worry as I liked my new ones, with or without the button and forgot all about it. This year however when I asked for boots again for my present I found a really nice pair...AGAIN...but this time they were in a sale. Jim said he was going to buy me another pair to make up for last year and after protesting, perhaps not hard enough, he bought me yet another pair! Now I have nine pairs and I wear all of them....though not at the same time. One thing though, I won`t have boots for Christmas next year, or the next or the year after next...lol!

I`ve had car trouble this week, in fact I thought it was going to blow up at one point. It all started on Christmas Eve when after I started it in the morning it felt very shaky as the engine ticked over so I vowed to get something done after the holidays. However on my first day back to work (Monday) I had terrible trouble starting it and once it did all this black smoke come out of the exhaust and the smell of burning was very strong. Also while driving to work it seemed as though there was very little power in my once speedy little Clio and the engine light was showing yello on the dashboard. Our mechanic Steve had a look in the afternoon and immediately knew what was wrong. Something called a needle coil needed replacing as it was causing the engine to only fire on three of them and I had almost no power. He got the part and fixed it right away which only cost me a fraction of what a garage would charge, I was so relieved as I feared something far more serious.

Anyway I must run and cook some dinner. We have lamb chops and I`m getting really hungry. Bye Bye for now and have a great weekend. :o)

Happy New Year!

2008-12-30T19:55:00.008Z

It`s really quiet today so I thought I`d post a late entry. It`s been bitterly cold here as I know it`s been for most of Britain AND its forecast to get even colder. After the last two mild and wet winters I don`t think we expected this but I`m sure we`ll survive...lol!

Talking of cold weather, Kerry and family flew to Russia early this morning to spend New Year with Slava`s family. They flew to Zurich first and then on to St.Petersburg and arrived there late this morning. Kerry rang Jim and he told me he could hear Roman playing happily in the background and making himself very much at home with his grandparents. It`s snowing heavily there and its very cold, much colder than here but that`s only to be expected as St.Petersburg is in the northerly part of the country, not that far from the Arctic Circle really, it doesn`t get more northerly than that!

Did all of you have a good Christmas? From reading journals I see that most of you did and ours was very much the same. It was a lovely family day but very, very tiring though it was worth it once I climbed into bed that evening and fell into a well-deserved sleep...lol! Roman had so many presents you couldn`t move for them all, he loved the bike we bought, I mean Santa bought him and he told Kerry yesterday that he was very lucky to have so many presents and couldn`t believe it when I told him that Christmas comes round every year...lol! I have tried to explain why we celebrate Christmas but he was a bit confused and asked if the baby Jesus had presents on his birthday. I`ll tell him again next year. Jim bought me TWO pairs of nice leather boots. There is a good reason why there are two pairs but it would take too long to explain it here. he also bought me two book, both autobiographies. One was Julie Walters and the other Sheila Hancock and I`m looking forward to reading them both. He also bought me

the new CD by Jonathan Ansell the young classical singer, he knew I wanted it and Kerry bought me the latest one by Bette Midler, one of my favourite female singers. Danny and Salina bought me a gorgeous designer watch. It`s really lovely but I know it cost a lot of money and I`m worried that I might lose it or damage it, I can be really clumsy at times.

It`s such a shame Christmas is over but we all have a new year to look forward to. Kerry`s baby is due in April and I have a feeling it`s going to be a big one. She is only six months but she is much bigger than she was with Roman, in fact she looks a good seven months and counting so it`ll be interesting to see what she weighs. All the babies on my side of the family are fairly large and in my mother`s and grandmother`s case and in mine, the second baby has always been about two pounds heavier at birth than the first. My uncle weighed almost 2lbs heavier than my mother. I weighed 8lbs 1oz, my brother was 9lbs. 13ozs. Kerry weighed 7lbs. 8 1/4ozs and Danny was 9lbs. 8ozs.....watch this space to see if Kerry follows the family tradition...lol!

New Years Eve is going to be a quiet affair here. We are not going out and on New Years Day we are having a nice meal with only Danny eating with us. I don`t mind either, as much as I love to see all the family it`s lovely to have a nice quiet house with just Jim and I doing our own thing and tripping over holdalls and toys etc. There was a time I thought I`d never come to terms with being an `empty nester` but I thrive on it now. The baby birds have long flown the nest and are living their own happy and fulfilling lives. Oh yes, life is good and I for one am happy.

Right then, all I have to do is to wish a very Happy, Prosperous and Healthy New Year to each and every one of you and thanks for reading my journal, I really appreciate it. Night Night. :o)

Christmas Day photos

2008-12-28T14:36:00.010Z

Santa`s been!

Erm, no Slava, you are NOT Santa...lol!

Roman in his new Sporticus outfit

It looks like Roman`s Scalextric is keeping both Dan and Slava engrossed Trying out his new bicycle

Practising in the back garden

The table laid for Christmas lunch

Jake looking for leftover turkey

The meal went well as you can see!

A Christmas Ghost Story

2008-12-21T15:11:00.002Z

A Ghost Story for Christmas

Bryony rushed from the house. She was running late, as usual. Tonight was Christmas Eve and she had arranged to meet her friends for Christmas Mass. The weather was appalling with thick freezing fog which reduced visibility to about ten metres.
Shivering in the bitter cold, Bryony opened her car door and gratefully climbed inside thankful to be out of the cold. Placing her keys in the ignition she was dismayed to find her car battery was completely dead. There was no point in calling out the rescue services as most places had closed for the holiday, but what should she do?
After a few minutes of planning, Bryony decided that her only option was to cut through thenearby wood, this would cut down her journey by a considerable time and would probably enable her to make Midnight Mass by the skin of her teeth.
Although not the bravest of people, Bryony set off into the woods, her teeth chattering in the cold.
Bryony had only walked a few hundred yards when she realised that in the thick fog, she had no idea whatsoever, which direction she was going in and was hopelessly lost. Nevertheless she stumbled on getting colder and colder and more disorientated as the time went on. When she realised that she had passed the same oak tree for the fifth time she sank down shivering on a nearby log and started to cry. She was very frightened and it occurred to her that she could actually freeze to death in the bitter cold.
Suddenly, a few yards ahead, Bryony could just make out a dim flickering light. She rose to her feet and started towards it. The light stayed tantalisingly too far ahead for her to see it’s source but she stumbled ahead anyway and hoped that she was not getting even deeper into the woods.
Suddenly, Bryony could make out the image of a small girl, in a pale blue dress. The girl had a small terrier type dog with her and both seemed oblivious to the cold, not only that but there appeared to be a phosphorescent glow surrounding both the little girl and the small dog. Bryony called to her but she ignored her and carried on skipping just ahead of Bryony but too far away for her to make out her features.
Just as Bryony was giving up hope of ever finding her way out of the woods and back to civilisation she caught the sound of distant traffic and saw the faint flicker of headlights through the trees. Calling to the little girl to wait so that she could thank her, she was surprised to find that both the girl and the dog had vanished.
Stumbling out of the trees she realised that she was actually in sight of the Church. Rushing inside she realised that she’d missed the service. Her friends clustered around her very concerned at both her dishevelled condition and her agitation. She wanted to immediately form a search party for the unsuitably dressed little girl and the small mongrel dog which never left her heels.
The vicar attracted by the fuss, wandered over to discover what the fuss was about. On hearing Bryony’s tale he sat them all down on the nearest pew and started to relate the strangest of stories.
It began two hundred years before when, on Christmas Eve, a small child, the daughter of the local landlord, wandered off into the woods, with her dog,in search of Father Christmas. It was a freezing cold night with very similar weather conditions as this particular night.
After an all night search by the villagers, the child was found, curled up under a snow laden oak tree frozen to death. Her trusty mongrel dog was huddled up close to her in an attempt to keep her warm. It was reputed that the dog refused to leave the spot where the child had died and several days later, it too, died.
The vicar’s tale continued as he told them of lost travellers and people such as Bryony who had taken a short cut and found themselves lost and who had told of being led to safety by a small girl in a pale blue dress, a small mongrel dog and a faint shimmering light which surrounded them both.
The vicar went on to say that although he was a man of God and therefore should be at the least sceptical of such stories, he found himself believing these strange stories as there were too many such tales over the years for them to be unfounded.
The following day, Christmas day, found Bryony and her friends entering the woods, to lay a small Christmas wreath at the base of the oak tree in thanks to the small girl and her dog that had led a very cold and frightened Bryony to safety on Christmas Eve.

Taken

From Wales Online.

Farewell Auntie

2008-12-18T17:13:00.010Z

Well I`ve not long been home after attending my Auntie Win`s funeral and I feel a bit sad but not for the most obvious reasons. When my brother, nephew and I arrived at the crematorium I saw my cousin we were all feeling very apprehensive about meeting family that we hadn`t seen for a long time, we`d needn`t have worried because we got a warm welcome. There weren`t many people there and that made me feel sad. I know that Auntie Win was 94 and many of her friends are no longer with us but I thought that her younger friends would have been there. And some more family members. There was just her son Rod, daughter-in-law Jenny , two grandsons, me, my brother Cliff and nephew Adam. None of my other cousins were there and I`m so glad that I was, so was Cliff. Auntie Win was a formidable woman to the end and I`m so glad she was exactly the same right up to the end. I`m also sad that we won`t see the like of her again in this world but I`m sure she has her place in heaven and is making her presence felt as we we speak. After the service we all chatted for a while and then said our goodbyes. It was strange because we all knew it was unlikely that we`ll meet again, our lives are so different. It`s a shame because we all get on well but thats just how it is, we`ve never been a close family which is a little sad.

I`ve been really busy at work with lots of customers buying Christmas trees and decorations. In fact I wouldn`t be surprised if we sell right of Christmas lights in the next few days. I`ve been wearing my father Christmas earrings and flashing lights reindeer badge which most of the customers appreciate. This morning I served a really nice man who told me he was 82, I couldn`t believe it because he didn`t look a day over 65. Before he left he shook my hand and then kissed it....Oh I WAS flattered! There are some lovely people out there.

Danny has gone home after his bout of flu and is back at work. It was nice to act as nursemaid for a while but it`s nice to have the house back for just the two of us. I just hope I don`t catch it or I will not be happy I can tell you, being ill isn`t an option with Christmas on the doorstep, I have far too much to do....lol!

Yesterday some Heuchera plants arrived that I ordered months ago. They should have arrived back in November but they forgot to send them. Then they sent them and the courier lost them! For the third time I emailled the company and they miraculously they arrived the next day. The last thing I can do now is plant them outside as they are far too small to survive a heavy frost. What I`ve done is plant them in pots and put them in the greenhouse to overwinter.

I have a bad headache caused I think by the stress of the day, hopefully it will subside before I have to resort to medication. I prefer not to take anything but I have a feeling I won`t get away with it this time. I can`t remember a time when I haven`t had a headache after a funeral.

Jim is still waiting to find out what hours he will be working on Christmas Day. They usually put the schedules on the notice board but this year they seem to be taking there time. It would be nice for Jim to know so as I can plan the day around him, I don`t want him to miss out. Hopefully he won`t have to work a full shift and he won`t be gone too long. Luckily he will be home on Boxing Day for the whole day and he already knows that he`s not working next Christmas. I`ll say goodbye for now and go and take something for my headache, see, I`ve given in already...lol! Take care. :o)

Weekend Catch Up

2008-12-14T16:23:00.010Z

It`s a damp and miserable day and I really don`t like it. Last week it was bitterly cold but frosty and brighter, give me that any day instead of this.

Yesterday Jim and I went to the garden centre Christmas dinner. We had a nice time but the food could have been a little better and the portions a bit bigger. Never mind we had a good night out and that was the most important thing.

At the moment I`m acting as nursemaid to my son and heir Danny who has a bad case of man-flu. I don`t want him to go back to his flat as the heating isn`t very good and I don`t want him to get really ill. To be fair he does have a very bad cough and a fever and its not like him not to eat but as we all know men are pretty helpless when viruses strike...lol! Oh dear, I shouldn`t laugh, I`ll probably get it next. :o( We had a bit of a falling out the other evening and I`m pleased to say it`s resolved for now but I think it`s going to happen again before long as the issue isn`t going to go away....sigh

I`ve been getting lots of Christmas cards from my JLand friends and many of them from overseas so thank you all. As I said before I`ve wrapped everything and am as ready for Christmas as I can be, not bad with still two weeks to go. Knowing me I`ve forgotten something really important...lol! The only present I have still to buy is Danny`s. I can`t buy clothes like I`ve said before or they will go back to the shop after Christmas and I have no idea what else I can get him. If I ask him he said he doesn`t know what he wants ( so helpful!) and I know he wants something to open so I can`t give him money....Oh dear, I need some inspiration.

I`ve just had a call from my brother about our Aunties funeral. He`s attending the service with me and bringing my nephew too. I must admit I`m glad to have some moral support because I haven`t seen my cousin for over 35 yrs and another of my cousins since I was 13, though I`m certain I won`t have any trouble recognising them. Tomorrow I will organise the flowers.

Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment for a filling and I`m really not looking forward to it. I would happily cancel but the nagging pain at the back of my mouth prevents me. The dentist says it just a small hole but they always say that, he probably just trying to make me feel better! Best get it over and done with before Christmas so I can eat what I like without fear of pain. Anyway my friends, I hope you`ve all had a lovely weekend. take care and I be visiting your journals soon. :o)

Catching up and some Sad News

2008-12-10T16:29:00.014Z

Oh dear, I`ve left it almost a week without posting an entry again. So much has happened over the last week that I wanted to tell you about and now my mind has gone blank, it must be my age...lol!

On Saturday Jim and I went to Reading shopping for the last few presents and to just generally have a look around the shops. Luckily for me I have a husband who enjoys shopping as much as I do, even though it wasn`t always the case. I think I gradually worked on him until he realised the delights of retail therapy. Now I doubt he can remember the time when he would stand sulkily outside shops looking at his watch...lol! But I digress. We decided to catch a train instead of the stress of trying to find a parking space. We didn`t have to wait long for the train either going or coming home, it made such a difference to the day. It was a cold, frosty morning and the sun was shining which boded well for the day ahead. As it turned out we had a really enjoyable day and even though there were a lot of people out there was no sign of frayed tempers anywhere. We had lunch in a restaurant called Tootsies, they make the very best burgers of many different varieties and of course we had the most delicious meal. We shopped until we almost dropped and headed for home about 4pm, tired but happy.

I decorated the tree yesterday after much fussing around. The tree was really wide and would never have fitted in the corner if hadn`t of lopped of a lot of branches at the back and sides. I really hoped I`d not overdone it because it would have looked ridiculous if it showed. Luckily for me I`d lopped it in the right place and it fits nicely. The photo doesn`t really do it justice but I like it and so does my biggest critic, Roman and thats what matters the most.

Over the last week I`ve written and posted all my Christmas cards, wrapped ALL the presents, shopped for non-perishable foodstuffs, ie. chocolates, biscuits and cakes, pickles, sauces tec. I even cleared out a complte cupboard to put it in though I still didn`t have enough room for it all. I feel quite smug at how organised I am this year. I always have good intentions to finish early but last year I left so much to the last minute that I was worried I wouldn`t finish in time. I still have to buy for Daniel but then he is always very difficult to buy for. Anything I buy will have to have gift receipts because I`m sure they will have to go back to whichever store I buy from...sigh.

I`ve just come off the telephone and it was my cousin to tell me that my Auntie Win died on Monday morning, its very sad but she was 94 and had suffered renal failure. I hadn`t been in touch with her for a few years because I fell out of favour with her, no particular reason but that was how she was. Auntie was my late Dad`s eldest sister and the last of five siblings. She was made of very stern stuff and I remember as a child being more than a little scared of her. She could be really kind at times even though she could be difficult. She was really good to me after my mother left home and helped me through some very difficult times. She told me once that 1914 was a very good year and I have to say she was right. It was the end of an era and she will be missed by many.

On that sad note I`ll end this post. I will update again in a few days. Bye Bye for now and take care.

Photos and Moods

2008-12-01T19:22:00.015Z

My new outfit

Hello,

I hope you all had a great weekend. I must admit that even though the birthday party was really good I just wasn`t feeling in the right frame of mind for a good night out and I feel I let everyone down. I just couldn`t be as sociable as I would like to have been have been and spent most of the time sitting with Kerry instead of chatting with family and friends. My nephew whose birthday it was had pulled out all the stops and had chosen a really nice venue. The food was good and so was the music...it was just me. I DID enjoy myself, just not enough...sigh. My mood carried through to Sunday though I did try to be nice to everyone...well no, I WAS nice to everyone...again, I just didn`t feel right. My little family

Right, on a happier note my Christmas plans are working out well, I even bought the tree this afternoon though its staying in the back garden for the next fortnight. I decided to buy it early so I had my pick of the best ones that the garden centre had to offer. As you know they come in all shapes and sizes and the less than perfect ones will be the last ones sold. Mine is just perfect though I will have to trim some of the branches so it will fit nicely into the corner of the room. The presents that I ordered online have all arrived though I wish the same could be said for the plants I ordered and were supposed to be here in November....sigh.

Thumbs up from my gorgeous boy

Tomorrow afternoon I will be either writing out cards or wrapping presents, I haven`t decided yet. I don`t like either task so I can`t say it will be a pleasure. Writing cards isn`t easy because of arthritis and it makes my handwriting look like that of the average six year old. I have no excuse for wrapping pressies, I`m just rubbish at it...lol!

The mum-to-be eating for two. She`ll probably kill me for posting this but I`ll take the risk...lol!

Kerry is doing really well. She`s putting on weight and looking really radiant. The baby is kicking well and Roman is fascinated that he can feel his baby sister move in Mummy`s tummy. He`s very excited about Christmas and keeps saying that he`s going to buy lots of chocolate for everyone, himself included....lol! Yesterday Jim and I took him to Krispy Kreme donuts for a treat. Jim usually takes him there when they stay with us but I don`t usually go myself. Roman loves to watch the donuts on the conveyor belt as they go past. He just stands there with his mouth open in wonder, bless him. He had his favourite iced donut with hundreds and thousands on top. Although it didn`t take him long to devour it the evidence of it remained on his chin for much longer...lol!

My BIL is much better now although it will be a while until he is completely well again. It was nice to see him at the party even though he wasn`t allowed to have a drink he was eating well again, always a good sign in my opinion. Anyway, I`ll say goodbye now. Hopefully I`ll catch up with your entries over the next couple of days. Take care. :o)

Road Rage and Other Things

2008-11-28T19:46:00.010Z

Hello everyone,

I didn`t intend to leave it so long to post an entry but with one thing and another I either didn`t have the time or the inclination. We had a really nice weekend in Kent though our BIL Steve was really ill and we`ve never seen him like that before, it was a real worry though he`s a bit better than he was. Hopefully he`ll be well enough to attend the birthday party we are all going to this weekend, he`s been looking forward to it for ages and I know he`ll be so disappointed if he can`t make it. The weather was horrendous, freezing cold and very windy. If you look at the above photo you can see the sea is really churned up. It was taken on the Sunday and wasn`t as bad as Saturday when the waves were crashing over the sea wall. Jim had hoped to have a few hours fishing but all thoughts of that were put aside when he saw the huge waves. We did have a some snow but it soon turned to icy rain. When we went out I was wearing a thick woollen hat, scarf and thick gloves and I was still cold. We were shopping with Sue in Ramsgate and when we`d had enough we went into a nice little cafe and had a hot chocolate each and a mince pie. It was the nicest and most welcome hot chocolate that I`ve tasted for a long time.

On the drive home we had to go through London to take Sue and Steve`s 17yr old grandson home. As is usual for London the traffic was really bad. At one point Jim cut in front of another driver though we were moving very slowly and he acknowledged the other driver and apologised for his mistake. Thinking no more of it we turned right at the next junction when the other driver drove in front of us and then cut across and back the other way nearly driving us off the road. When we reached a set of lights the driver jumped from his car and came running over, I was terrified he was going to hit Jim as he looked so angry. Luckily Jim stayed really calm despite the man shouting and swearing at him. What that man did to us was much worse than what Jim did to him. I would think we weren`t the first person he did it too and we won`t be the last. I am so, so relieved that man didn`t do anything to hurt Jim. For all we know he may have had a knife, it was so frightening that I could hear my heart pumping and I was shaking all over all the way home. Poor Jim was blaming himself too and even though he wouldn`t admit it he was more shaken up than he let on.

Anyway, after the long weekend it was back to work on the Tuesday. It`s been a very quiet week but as we are about to go into December I would think this weekend will be much busier. All the Christmas trees are in and I`ve taken quite a few enquiries about the them. I`ve got my eye on one tree in particular and if it`s not been sold over the weekend I`ll put it to one side on Monday.

Today Jim and I went into town to pay some bills and to buy the last few remaining presents. I still didn`t manage to get all in wanted but there`s still time. Next Saturday Jim and I are catching a train into Reading and will hopefully, HOPEFULLY.....make it the last big shopping trip of the year.

Next week I really must write out my cards, wrap the pressies and put them all away. If I don`t hurry up it`ll all be done at the last minute and I don`t want that to happen. I absolutely hate rushing, it`s not good for my well-being...or anyone else who is around me at the time...lol!

Jim`s finished off the kitchen before our weekend away and today he painted the loo, all of it in just a few hours. I came home from work to find it transformed...anyone need a painter and decorator? He`ll travel anywhere and work for free, all you have to do is provide meals. I haven`t told him yet of course, that might be a bit tricky...lol!

Anyone watching I`m a Celebrity etc. ? I`m really into it this year even though I wasn`t going to watch it. Now I`m completely hooked by it...I think I need to get a life...lol!

Take care and have a great weekend. :o)

Marie Antionette Awards

2008-11-19T15:20:00.008Z

Hi Everyone,

The lovely Jeannette has awarded me one of these awards (see my sidebar). They are for real people with real journals. I found it quite hard to choose my seven but seeing as a choice had to be made, here we go.

http://lunarossa-livingabroad.blogspot.com/

Antonella is fairly new to journalling but I find her journal interesting and refreshing.

http://karasrambles.blogspot.com/

Kara lives in Arizona and is a young Mum of two young children. Shes always sounds so cheerful and I look forward to her entries.

http://missiesupsidedownworld.blogspot.com/

Missie tells all about her family in her journal. I`m always interested in what she has to say.

http://canyouallhearmeattheback.blogspot.com/

What can I say about the lovely Angie`s journal. Despite health problems she never complains and laces her entries with her own brand of humour. She never fails to make me laugh. On top of that, and I hope she won`t mind me saying, she`s a great cook and cake decorator and her dessert`s and cakes look delicious.

http://wwwlifewithally.blogspot.com/

Now you all know Ally, she is another one who has a great sense of humour. What can I say, I just love her journal as does all her visitor and friends.

http://lindasworld-lindasworld.blogspot.com/

Linda lives in Washington and her journal is often about her road trips across America. You can learn so much from her journal and she takes great photos of her travels. If you haven`t already, please go and visit.

http://joansnewmusings.blogspot.com/

Joan often posts beautiful scenic photos of the mountains and lochs of Scotland where she lives. She talks about her day to day life and from her main journal there are links to her birdwatching and book journals. I enjoy reading her entries very much.

Here are the rules:

1. Please put the logo on your journal - Real People - Real Blogs.

2. Place a link from the person, from whom you received the award.

3. Nominate at least 7 if you can.

4. Put the links of those on your journal.

5. Leave a message on their journal to let them know.

6. Put the award on your sidebar/journal.

Changing the subject. The other week I gave my desk a good clear up. When I emptied out the caddy that holds all my pens, pencils etc. I had a good laugh at the strange things that had accumulated over time. I thought I`d tell you what I found.

a newspaper cutting

2 business cards...sorry make that 3

a receipt for a window blind

3 marker pens that no longer work

1 gold and 1 silver gel pens

1 pencil that hasn`t been used

a stapler

a box of staples

a reel of sellotape

a harmonica.....honest!

a glue stick

an eraser

a compass cum whistle cum magnifying glass cum mirror

2 Tippex`s`, 1 usable the other not

a small handbell

a small length of wire

a pair of tweezers

half a pair of glasses....yes, I said half!!!

14 pens that all write

And last but not least...a fly swatter!

Do you have something unusual on your computer desk? :o))

Anyway, I`m not talking about me today apart from saying son and girlfriend visited yesterday evening and I DO NOT want to talk about it. I`ll just pack the experience away in a small compartment in my mind and will take it out again later...lol! Bye Bye and take care. :o)

Onwards and Upwards!

2008-11-17T16:13:00.016Z

Hello again, Welcome to a miserable Monday. It`s nice to be writing about something as mundane as the weather after last week when I was a bit preoccupied. Now I feel as though a weight has been lifted and I can continue as normal, mind you, normal isn`t really a good word to describe me, just ask my family...lol!

Kerry and Roman were here for the weekend as Slava was working away on Sunday. He stayed overnight Saturday but left here at 5am to travel to Birmingham. On Saturday afternoon we went Christmas shopping, that is, Me, Jim, Kerry, Slava and Roman went shopping. At least now I have almost all the presents for Christmas, all I have to do is wrap them. I have about a million cards to write and send and I don`t want to be like last year and leave them to the last minute. I think tomorrow afternoon would be a good time to do it, followed by much wrapping of gifts.

Many thanks to KATH`S daughter J for making this snowstorm globe with Roman hiding inside. As he is so fascinated with snow globes Kath suggested he might like to see himself inside one!

I came home from work to face a huge pile of ironing. I didn`t have time to do it yesterday as I had Roman to look after plus I had an awful headache that lasted all day long. It took me two hours and I was glad to see the back of it all. The only problem being the washing basket is almost full again so when I do the laundry tomorrow it be more of the same..sigh.

On the bright side, Jim and I are going to his sister`s in Birchington, Kent for a long weekend. We leave Friday morning and won`t be home until Monday afternoon. We`re really looking forward to seeing her and her hubby as we always have a great time with them. I know the weather`s not great but the break will do us good.

I was watching the birds on the feeders this morning and was amazed to see a large green woodpecker feeding there. I`ve not seen one in the garden before but I hope he comes back again. Have I told you about our tame robin that we feed at work? Well anyway, we feed this youngster and his brother separately or its claws and feathers at dawn. Just lately the food has attracted dunnocks and chaffinches too. This morning I looked outside and I saw a little jenny wren feeing there. We have an ancient wisteria that grows along a wall of the old cottage in the grounds of the garden centre. Wrens nest there every year and the one I saw must be one of the young born this year. Our `home grown` birds are so tame that they come within touching distance and woe betide if you don`t feed then as soon as you get to work. The larger robin hops up and down chirping until his food is there. Once or twice he has flown right at me so I get the hint...lol!

I`m way behind with journals but I hope to catch up this evening. I`ll say goodbye for now and hope you all have a good week. Take care. :o)

I`m Clear ~ Thank you All!

2008-11-14T16:28:00.008Z

I`m so happy and relived that I can`t begin to tell you how much. I was sure there was something sinister there and almost didn`t believe him when the doctor gave me the all clear.

Thanks to you all for your heartfelt prayers, goodwishes and caring concern, for all the personal emails that I recieved, again I thank you from the bottom of my heart...oh dear, I hope this doesn`t sound like an Oscar speech...lol! Sorry but you know I joke about everything. This time however it was deadly serious and I have you all to thank for helping put me at ease. Apparently the `mass` that the doctor was concerned about was in my right breast, (anyone who is a bit sqeamish or male can look away now). My tissue is very lumpy and knotted instead of fatty like the majority of women. The knotty tissue when compressed looked like the `mass` and looked slightly different from the mammogram that I had done in 2006. Erring on the side of caution, the doctor wanted to do further tests, just in case. This time I had some photos taken at a different angle and also un ultra-sound. This time it showed up nothing untoward apart from a 2mm cyst which by all accounts, most women have anyway. I am being put back on the 3 yearly programme of mammograms now for which I am most grateful.

This afternoon I called Jeannette and told her the good news. In the conversation I told her that I feel my life has been changed. Even though I`m not ill I feel as though I`ve started to view life differently. Even Jim told me that I have been more cheerful than usual the last couple of days. I thought about this and asked him if I can return to being miserable again? " No you can`t!" says he...lol! Seriously though, I DO feel calmer. I won`t forget this scare and if it helps me become a better human being in the future, then all the better.

After the clinic Jim and I went Christmas shopping. I was so pleased that I managed to find the right sizes in the things I was looking for. Usually if I find something I want to buy for a present you can bet your life they either don`t have the size I want of if they do, they don`t have the right colour. Today I managed to buy all the things I was looking for AND at good prices too. The high streets are full of shops with sales on. The credit crunch has made it a buyers market and all the shops need customers badly. Seeing as it`s halfway through November the shops are pretty quiet, even for an average Friday.

Before I go I just want to thank The Parapet, Windsor, the clinic I attended today. They are a wonderful unit and the staff there are amazing. If you go in the door anxious or destressed they take care of you and make you feel you are the most important patient there. I felt very relaxed and comfortable and I felt in very capable hands. My conclusion was that if I ever need them again, I couldn`t be in more capable hands. Thank you so much.

Anyway, I just wanted to use this entry to let you know all is well, to thank you all again for your support. Now I must get back to reading journals so I`ll say goodbye for now. Take care and have a lovely weekend. :o)

2008-11-14T16:09:00.002Z

Happy News and Photos

2008-11-13T16:40:00.007Z

AAAAHHHHHHH! Please imagine me screaming with fury because that`s what I`ve just been doing! I took 2 hrs, TWO HOURS typing out what I thought was a good entry. Then I pressed SAVE NOW, then PUBLISH POST, only to get a message saying that someone else was trying to use the same function !!! What?????...and to try again later, PLEASE BACK SPACE...and then I lost the lot. Did I swear? You bet! Did I thump the desk in anger...OUCH! yes I did!

I wanted the thank everyone for their kind words of comfort, their prayers, and how good they are making me feel, which is what I did and am doing now. Thank you all so much, they are really helping me and I will keep them close to my heart for tomorrows appointment. Thanks too to Guido for mentioning me in Call For Support, that was very kind, thank you again.

I had a phone call from Kerry just a while back to tell me that after her second scan today she was told she is expecting a little girl! A LITTLE GIRL...she is healthy and everything is as it should be for 20 weeks. Roman is not so sure as he wanted a boy so he could share his toys with. Oh well, I`m sure he`ll get used to the idea....lol!

My happy Little Man on Sunday

With mummy Kerry just before they went home

I took this about 7.15 this morning. I though the cloud formation looked stunning with red sun shining through, the photo doesn`t do it justice though.

Anyway dear friends, I`ll say goodbye for now. I`ve been typing away for so long that my fingers are a little sore...lol! Take care and thanks again for everything. :o)

Positives and Negatives

2008-11-11T16:51:00.006Z

I hope you`ve all been having a nice day. I have to say today was much nicer than yesterday when we had torrential rain all day long. It was so bad that myself and a colleague were sent home early as we had nothing to do except watch the rain flood the garden centre, inside and out! I went to Tesco to buy Roman`s Christmas presents though it took me ages to get there. The roads were dreadful with deep puddles everywhere. I should have gone straight home but I wanted to get the shopping over with and I knew I was going to be busy every other day this week. I managed to buy some lovely toys for him and some clothes. Now all I have to do is wrap them all...that`s my least favourite part of Christmas, I`m rubbish at present wrapping...sigh.

This afternoon when I left work I drove straight into town and bought a few more presents. I was really tired and I did what I had to do them came home again. Mind you, after stopping for petrol and negotiating the school traffic I didn`t get home until 3.45 by which time I was starving hungry and really needed a cup of coffee. So I had lunch at 4pm when it was starting to get dark. Now it`s just after 5pm and it`s time to prepare my evening meal....hmm, I think I`ll wait a while...lol!

Tomorrow I`m going with Kerry, who by the way seems to be recovering from her tooth abcess, to a garage that has a diagnostic machine. She has a recurring problem with her car and nobody is sure whats causing the problem. Hopefully it will show up tomorrow and then she can get something done about it.

Remember the snow globe I bought Roman? Well it broke after he dropped it off the step. There were floods of tears and I told him that I`d by him another. I searched everywhere for one but eventually found one in the same shop that I`d bought the first one...should have gone there first!

When I got home today I emptied the washing machine, filled up the bird feeders (the greedy goldfinches are back in force and eating like they`ve never been fed before...lol!) Reloaded the machine, loaded the tumble dryer, made me a toasted sandwich and the longed-for coffee...I`m so glad to be sitting down now as my poor feet are throbbing.

Right, I had a letter from the hospital yesterday with the results of my recent routine mammogram. They want to see me again for more tests. That does sound ominous and even after reading the letter several times I`m still more than a little worried. Apparently after the tests I will been seen by a specialist who`ll talk me through the findings. So, this is how I`m coping with the fear that something could be wrong. I`m thinking the worst because I daren`t think otherwise. I don`t want to get my hopes up and then have them dashed. So if I`m one of the lucky ones I can be overjoyed when the time comes. At the moment I will think the worst. Jeannette rang me and we had a long chat yesterday. As she`s been through it herself she gave me good advice and reassurance and I felt so much better afterwards. So THANK YOU Jeannette dear friend, thank you very much. It`s so nice to have an understanding ear just a phone call away, it makes things seem that bit easier. So my appointment is Friday morning at 9.40 and I will be there for 2 hours, please think of me then.

Anyway, must away, I feel another coffee coming on...lol! Bye Bye for now and take care. :o)

Friday Lines and Too Many Sweet Dreams!

2008-11-07T20:08:00.009Z

I thought I`d better do a posting before the weekend. It`s unlikely that I`ll have time to get online Saturday or Sunday because Kerry and Roman are coming to stay for the weekend. Slava is working away for the weekend so I`ll be looking after Roman while Kerry works on Sunday morning.

I do feel sorry for her at the moment. She was at the emergency dentist this morning because she has been in agony with toothache. It seems that she has an abcess and has been given penicillin in the hope that will see it off. If not she will have to have her gum opened to see what can be done. On top of all that she has badly impacted wisdom teeth and may need more hospital treatment in the future. She`s already had some back teeth removed to allow room for her wisdom teeth to move a little but there`s not much hope of them ever growing through. I just hope against hope that the abcess and the wisdom teeth are not connected. Being nearly 5 mths pregnant and having to have delicate mouth surgery is the last thing she needs right now. I must say that I`m really worried though I didn`t tell her that of course. I just hope it will all be ok and the meds will clear it up.

We went shopping together this afternoon and Roman was on top form again and kept telling me what he wants for Christmas. Apparently he wants a massive box of chocolates that he can "eat up" on Christmas morning....and a snow globe. I decided as he`d been such a good boy today he could have his snow globe today. He was absolutely thrilled when I gave it to him and he said "Thank you Nana, I love the snow globe you bought me, thank you, it was very nice of you". He is so appreciative and speaks in such a grown up way that sometimes its hard to believe that he`s not yet 3 and a half. When they went home this evening I stood by the car waving goodbye. Then I made funny faces of Roman and he was giggling like mad as Kerry drove off. It leaves a warm feeling inside when I think of him laughing so heartily as they drove away.

Well, two days after Bonfire Night the surrounding area is alive with the noise of fireworks. Jake is lying with his head under the coffee table...again so that he feels safe from the battle that is raging around him. I know he`s fine as long as he doesn`t have to leave the sittingroom while its going on. It must be a real assault on his ears seeing as how a dogs hearing is more sensitive than ours. There are a lot of dogs and cats locally and I sincerely hope they are all indoors out of harms way.

Kerry and I have a real dilemma for December 13th. Jim and I are going out for a meal with my colleagues from work. Kerry and Slava also are booked to go to Slava`s company dinner and dance. Then it turns out that Danny has his company dinner that night too. The dilemma lies in the fact that Kerry doesn`t have a babysitter for that night now that we are going out too. Not knowing about Danny`s plans we asked him but on checking he told us about HIS meal. I offered to cancel and look after Roman but Kerry said no, they would find a solution. They did. Eventually after much thought it was decided that Kerry will stay home with Roman and Slava will go to the dinner. The week before will be Kerry`s cousin`s 30th birthday party. So the plan is for her to go there with Jim and myself while Slava stays home with Roman. At least that way they both get a night out though sadly not together.

Back to our shopping trip, both Kerry and myself managed to buy several Christmas presents each though I have decided to go back to town on my own on Monday because I can take my time looking around for gifts without having to consider Kerry and Roman. It must be really boring for him having to follow us around town all afternoon, bless him.

Anyway, I`ll say goodnight now. Take care and have a lovely weekend. :o)

PS: If you wonder why there are so many sweet dreams graphics on here, so do I. I only downloaded one and then I got all those ....weird. Now of course, I can`t get rid of them!

Tuesday Twitterings

2008-11-04T15:36:00.005Z

The weekend went by really quickly and here we are, Tuesday already. It`s election Day in America and it seems like there is a much bigger turn out this time than the last one. I turned the TV this afternoon when I got home and watched SKY news to see how it`s all going, I will continue to watch the race for the White house with interest.

Even though today is much milder than of late I`ve been feeling cold all day. I`ve been home since 1.30pm and I still can`t get warm, it must be the damp conditions rather than the temperature.

On Sunday morning after doing the ironing I took Jake for what was meant to be a quick walk. We were going to Kerry`s for dinner in the afternoon and and after Jim got home from work we would leave as soon as he was ready. Anyway, we walked to the field where we often go when we go outt locally. Jake seemed full of energy and I knew that a short run was out of the question. So after he`d run around the field about a million times...lol!...I decided a short walk along the country lanes would be a good idea. However, it was a dry day so I thought we`d just walk a little further, and further........and further and before I knew it we`d been out for and hour and a half. We headed back and reached home just before the rain came down. I felt great after the mini marathon and so it Jake. He wanted to go out into the garden but I gave him a biscuit and told him to rest his weary bones. He did just that and was asleep in minutes, snoring noisely...lol!

Later that afternoon we arrived at Kerry`s. Roman was on top form and happier than I`d seen him for a long time. He recently got over a bad bout of tonsilitis that left him whiny and miserable for a while but now my Little Man is himself again with his cheeky smile and boundless energy. He`s so funny because he keeps talking to his yet unborn brother or sister, starting each sentence with "hello baby, are you there?" lol! We had a lovely roast chicken dinner followed by an apple and blackcurrant crumble cake with icecream...very tasty indeed. Kerry is doing well and she`ll be having her next scan in about 2 weeks. She will then be told what sex the baby is if she wants to know. At the moment she says she would rather wait until the birth but I know my daughter and she WILL want to find out on the day of the scan, I guarantee it. I must admit I`m curious though I really don`t mind either way, a healthy baby grandchild is all that I want.

Today at work our manager decided that it`s time to play Christmas music in the shop. I was hoping that he`d wait until December so I`ll just have to put up with it...sigh. Mind you, I wouldn`t be surprised if I end up singing the songs in my sleep before the week is out...lol! We are seeling a lot of Christmas decorations now though, I suppose people see things they like and buy a few each week. I`ve got all the cards, wrapping paper, labels etc. that I need. All I have to do now is buy the rest of the presents to go with them. I think I`ll have finished my Christmas shopping very soon, I hate crowds so I need to get them out of the way before the month is out.

Because of the colder weather I`ve been putting extra bird feeders out. The goldfinches have come back in force and are eating as if they`ve never been fed before. I have a feeling that this winter is going to be colder than last year which will mean more birds plus more food. I invested in a bumper sized box that will hopefully keep me going for some months ahead, staff discount is very useful. I just hope the feathered creatures are grateful....lol!

Anyway my friends, I`m off to read some journals now. I hope you all have a nice evening, take care and Bye Bye for now. :o)

Ice, Flowers and Football

2008-10-29T16:58:00.011Z

Brrr....it`s a cold, cold day, colder than Alaska according to the weathermen. Last night it snowed, almost unheard of in October, at least in this part of England. When I ventured out at 8.15 this morning for work I thought I could just jump in the car and drive away....how wrong can a person be. I thought because we had snow I wouldn`t need to scrape the ice off my windscreen so imagine my surprise when I found the car was completely iced up. It wasn`t frost, just hard, unforgiving ice. The door locks were frozen stiff and there was no way the window I could open the windows. I asked Jim to give me a hand and before long I was on my way but for the whole drive I could hear ice cracking on various parts of the car, it sounded as though the car was falling apart...lol! The roads were dreadful though with some places very icy indeed in the country lanes. As I turned into the garden centre I felt my back wheels slide away even though I was only in first gear.

It was really cold at work too though I was dressed for it. I had my trusty thermal vest, my work shirt, fleece jacket and super padded bodywarmer. I even found my fingerless gloves in my locker and wore them for most of the morning. It never fails to suprise me that even when it`s so cold we can get really busy at times. Yesterday was very busy though today was less so we still had a lot of sales. At the moment we have a huge sale with many plants either half price, 75 percent off or even for just £1. The reductions are excellent when you consider what the plants cost originally and all the plants will be as good as new by next year. I bought an Achillea for £1 that cost £5.99 full price. A great buy in my opinion.

This evening Jim and Danny have gone to see Arsenal play Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium in North London. Danny is a lifelong Arsenal supporter as is my brother and my late Dad was too. Jim just enjoys a really good game of football and to go to the new stadium to see a live match is something he hasn`t done for many years. Dan managed to get the tickets through a client of his at work. he is lucky as the tickets he gets are very good seats and he has been to see some very good sporting events for next to nothing. Jim has dressed up really warm including a hat and gloves but Dan only wore a football shirt and a big coat. Something tells me that he is going to be really cold later on. Oh well, I did warn him but do boys ever listen to their mothers..? lol! PS: Arsenal should win!

Last night it was the Hindu festival of Light, Diwali and fireworks were going off until late at night. I don`t want to be a killjoy as I know it`s a special occasion but poor Jake was absolutely terrified and spent the evening curled up by my feet in the sitting room with his head under the coffee table. He was so scared that when we went to bed we let him stay where he was instead of sleeping in his own bed as usual. I know they`ll be more fireworks tonight and perhaps for the next week. I just hope they won`t be quite as noisy as last night.

Anyway, I`ll say goodbye for now. I just heard fireworks in the distance and I want to let Jake out before they get too bad. Take care. :o)

A Wet Wintry Sunday

2008-10-26T15:58:00.000Z

Hello,

It`s really wet and horrible today. After my saying how nice it was yesterday I suppose it makes sense that it would rain just afterwards. The only problem is wet weather sets off my arthritis and last night my wrist was so painful I took tablets before going to bed or I knew I wouldn`t get any sleep. At the moment I`m wearing a support though I absolutely hate it. It feels so uncomfortable but I`m not taking any chances. Also my back went yesterday evening as I bent down to put something in the cupboard....sigh. I think I`m falling apart at the moment and will have to start taking Jake`s pills, they seem to work for him though I might end up with a black, wet, shiny nose...lol!

Talking of Jake, Jim took him for a long walk in the woods this morning despite the rain and he came back soaking wet but so happy. Why is it that dogs love their walks despite the weather? It can be freezing cold, boiling hot and still they want to go out. At least that is the case with our Jake. he certainly doesn`t take our feelings into account when it comes to the great outdoors...lol! He has slept all morning and by the look of him now he`s ready to go again ...hmm, well sorry Jake but you will have to wait until tomorrow. This dog owner is allergic to rain and doesn`t want to go outside the door today!

At the moment I`m unable to add any graphics to my entry. No idea why of course but it just won`t open for me. Never mind, it can`t be helped but I`ll keep trying just in case then I can delete these few sentences. It`s so quiet at the moment, the second day of `me` time. Jim is at work but should be home by 8.30 with luck. He does stay on for overtime if it`s offered but I`m not sure he`ll want to in this weather as ghe works outside. Sometimes in Winter while refuelling he keeps dry by sheltering under the wing of a plane and gets warm from the heat of the jet engines. His own bit of outdoor central heating, along with many layers of clothing just to be on the safe side.

There`s not much else to say but thanks for reading my blog. I hope you all have a nice Sunday. Bye Bye and take care. :o)

Love Sandra

xxxxx

Thoughts and Observations

2008-10-25T13:37:00.005+01:00

I think I`m starting to really like Blogger after the initial hiccups. As well as keeping most of my old readers and friends, I have aquired several new ones too. It`s great to have a community seeing as how AOL had treated us so shabbily. I suppose what are a few worthless journals to a big organization like them, they just didn`t make any money for them. Never mind, we have all moved on and left them to their own devices, it might not be perfect but we can all make it as good as possible and we can forget all about them.

Kerry called yesterday to ask my advice about a recipe. After I told her what I would do I asked her about her accident of the other day. She told me that she`d not given it a though all day and knowing her as I do, I believed her. Kerry has always been able to move on to the next thing in life and not be dragged down by her past. I admire her for that as I`ve not be so lucky I`m afraid. I`m really thankful she is absolutely fine because I kept going over the incident in my mind and I know had I been in her situation I`d have been terrified. I also know I wouldn`t have been able to forget that easily. I kept asking her if all is well with the baby and she just laughed and said "of course!" It is a relief because it so easily could have been so much more serious.

The weather has been cold but sunny the last couple of days, enabling me to dry the washing outside. I`m on an economy drive and am trying to save electricity where I can, in this case I`m trying not to use the tumble dryer as it uses shed loads of electric and that means a very high bill. I have been trying to vacuum less ie. once a week but Jake has been moulting furiously and unless I want a black hairy carpet in the sitting room it`ll have to be done at least every other day. I did try to save by washing clothes on 30deg. instead of 40 but the rubber seal went black and started to smell so I soon gave that up.

Jim is decorating the kitchen at the moment and decided this morning that he would paint the ceiling before going to work. he`s done a good job but oh! the mess. He did tidy up generally but I`m going to have to give it a serious clean once I`ve done this entry, a job I`ve never been that fond of to say the least...sigh.

On Tuesday we are going shopping for paint for the walls and I have no real idea what colour I want. It has to be a very light colour so it will most likely be something similar to the present one. I might be lucky though and see just the thing but I have my doubts. Then I have to choose curtains for the diner which extends from the kitchen. Do I know what I want? Not on your life!

After the cleaning the rest of the day belongs to me and me alone. Jim`s at work, the kids are, well kerry is out shopping with her family and Danny....Danny could be anywhere, I don`t hear from him as much as I did before Sal came back on the scene. I`m not complaining though, I really enjoy a bit of `me` time. All I can hear at the moment is the whirr of the washing machine and the hum of the freezer and thats all....ah bliss!

Ok my friends, I`d better get on with the cleaning. Take care all of you nad have a great weekend. Oh and don`t forget that the clocks go back an hour tonight here in Britain. Yuck, shorter days and dark evenings for the rest of the Winter....sigh.

A Very Special Day

2008-10-23T16:36:00.013+01:00

I just have to tell you all about yesterday. Jim and I went to visit a special friend and her husband. You all know her of course..........Jeannette, my friend and very well known in JLand with her journal Jeannette`s Jottings.

It was a beautiful morning yesterday and there was frost on the ground. I knew the day was going to go well from the start, I just had a really good feeling about it. We travelled down to Essex with no problems, the sun shone all the way and the traffic was flowing with no hold ups. The leaves on the trees were brown and gold so all around everything was beautiful. Essex is a lovely county and it was so nice that we had the day to ourselves. We spent a few hours with friends and then we went to Southend and walked along the seafront. It was truly a lovely day in all aspects.

Jeannette and her husband Mike were as nice as I`d thought they were and we were soon chatting away like old friends, despite the fact that we`d never met, just talked on the phone and through IM. It certainly does prove that you can know a person really well over the Internet despite what some people think.

We had a nice lunch and then Jim went out with Mike to walk the two dogs Jesse and Jack. And what gorgeous dogs they are too, especially Jesse who has the most expressive eyes and the cutest pair of ears that I`ve ever seen. He really stole my heart! I could have dog-napped him but I don`t think Jake would have been too pleased when we got home....lol!

I really think Jesse liked me too!

Jesse
Jack

After leaving Jeannette and Mike who we will definitely visit again some time soon, we drove into Southend so we could walk along the seafront for a few hours. It was cool and blustery but when the sun shone it felt really warm. However I was well wrapped up in my new coat!

Neither of us had been to Southend since our early twenties so we had no idea what it would be like. The old Kursaal fairground is long gone but even though the Summer is over we could see how many activities there are for the whole family at the height of the season. We walked and walked, stopped for the odd photo or two and had the obligatory portion of freshly cooked chips that everyone has to have at the seaside...and delicious they were too. By 4.30pm we were really tired and started back home. It had been a wonderful day and we had filled every moment with memorable moments.

What`s left of the Kursaal

Southend is on the Estuary of the River Thames so it is very muddy there. However, it looks so beautiful with the sun shining on the water. I just had to share this photograph.

This afternoon I had a call from Kerry to tell me what happened to her yesterday. She left for work as usual at 4.30am and while she was driving along one of the country roads near her home she had to swerve the car to miss a large deer and parked her car into a road side ditch. Realising that she was unhurt but knowing that she couldn`t move the car she tried to ring for help, only to find there was no signal for her mobile. Because she was nowhere near a house and there were no street lights she settled down in the car for over two hours until it began to get light. Then she walked almost a mile until she found a cottage and knocked on the door. An elderly couple opened the door and brought her inside and gave her a hot cup of tea while she called for Greenflag to come and get her car out of the ditch. Luckily the the man from Greenflag waved the charge of the rescue because Kerry had had such a bad morning ( he should have charged her )80 pounds because it was classified as ` bogged down` or some such nonsense. Anyway, it all turned out alright, Kerry is safe and well and her car wasn`t damaged. AND the deer wasn`t killed as it very nearly was. I am very relieved that she is safe though, my stomach turns just thinking about it.

Anyway my friends, I`ll say goodbye for now. I just wanted to let you know my news of yesterday and to thank Mike and Jeannette once again for being great hosts and for being as nice as I always thought they were.

Parcels, Rain and Rome

2008-10-20T15:20:00.013+01:00

Oh dear, what a dreary day its turned out to be. It`s been overcast all morning and as I sit here slumped over my keyboard I can see rain drops on the windows.....welcome to winter! Its been what I call a `flat` day, the sort of day when nothing of note happens...except of course the arrival of the parcel containing my new coat....hurrah! It does fit and is now hanging up in my bedroom. I also ordered some maternity jeans for Kerry. We are the same size clothes so I tried them on...(they were a bit big around the waist...lol!) They fit me so they should fit her, I just hope she likes them.

I have some photos of Danny when he was in Rome, he certainly did some sight-seeing but I have little idea of the places in the photos apart from the Coliseum which is recognizable to just about everyone.

My little boy! :o)

I didn`t realise the Coliseum was so big.

The Coliseum from the outside

A beautiful ceiling somewhere in Rome

Dan had a wonderful time there and even visited the Vatican City. He said it was amazing. Beautiful and very peaceful. He isn`t at all religious but he said it had a certain `feel` to the whole place. He visited the famous Trevi fountain but the two photos he took where very blurry...typical man! Apart from the Coliseum he must have visited just about every tourist attraction in Rome but as he hasn`t told me which ones they were and as I can`t read Latin I`ll have to save them for another day. You can see however that the weather was beautiful and very, very hot...AND for good measure while he was there it poured with rain for the whole five days....how dare he come home with a suntan...lol!

Kerry had an appointment with her midwife this afternoon. Everything is as it should be apart from her due date. By all accounts she was originally told March 31st but has now been told April 7th. Never mind, the baby will be born when he/she is ready despite any `official` date. The latest names for a boy are George Alexander. They are the only boys names that Kerry and Slava are both agreed on. As far as girls names are concerned, Kerry now says Louisa and Slava is staying very quiet on the matter. Oh well, they have four and a half months to decide, change their minds, then make them up again a dozen times over...lol!

Roman is being rather difficult just lately. He won`t go to bed, when he does he gets up in the night and won`t go back again. He`s become very cheeky to Kerry if he doesn`t get his own way. Kerry spoke to her midwife about him and she thinks it might be because of the baby. Apparently it`s quite common for a young child to act this way when Mummy is pregnant. I just hope he settles down as Kerry is so tired at the moment and is suffering from sciatica. She certainly appreciates the time she has to herself when he is at nursery.

Friday Odds and Ends

2008-10-17T15:51:00.004+01:00

Brrr...I`m really cold today, something to do with the weather I think...lol! This morning there was a real frost and I was lucky not to have to scape my windscreen as several of my work colleagues had to.

I`ve been busy getting Christmas stuff on display at work. Of course I`m only a humble assistant and don`t have to do all the hard work but there`s still been plenty to do. It really looks nice and festive and even though it`s only October people have started buying already.

I`ve been going from town to town trying to locate the coat I want in my size with no luck. Wednesday evening I decided to buy it online to save myself the trouble (and petrol) of continous shopping. I`ve just had an email saying it`s been despatched and with luck it should arrive tomorrow or Monday. This afternoon I bought a super-dooper pack of wildbird food that will hopefully last for several months as long as the goldfinches don`t get too greedy this year. They are already back in the garden after several months away, they obviously haven`t forgotten where they are fed so well. Then I went into the pet shop franchise in the garden centre and bought some sunflower hearts so now I`m well stocked up for the Winter months ahead.

Kerry is doing well although she is finding this pregnancy to be far less comfortable than the last. She`s been getting a lot of pain for which she saw a doctor. There is nothing wrong with the baby, in fact he/she has a very strong heartbeat, it`s just ligament pain plus a little sciatica. The doctor told her that ligament pain is always worse with the second baby...I remember it well! Roman seemed very happy about the baby at first but now says he doesn`t want a baby brother or sister but would rather have a dog instead.....lol!

I haven`t been doing as much gardening lately. Mind you there isn`t much left for me to do now. I`m waiting for the dahlias do blacken before I dig up the tubers to store over winter. I`ve planted daffodil bulbs all over the garden and I don`t have any room for more. I still have half a sack left and I`m not sure what to do with them all, most likely I`ll give them away to friends.

I keep meaning to start my Christmas shopping and get it out of the way. My intentions are good but I just don`t seem to get around to it. Perhaps next week I`ll go into town armed with a present list and have a look at cards and wrapping paper...and if it`s cold I`ll be wearing my new coat!

It will be interesting to see how the `credit crunch` will affect shoppers this year. I think there will still be crowds in the shops but people will spend much less, I know I will very careful what I spend this year because who knows how bad things will get. The good news is that petrol prices have fallen drastically because oil has halved in price since July. Funny that petrol isn`t half the price though....hmm.

Must go now though, I`m doing the washing and the fast spin has just finished, only another two loads to do now, oh and one more tomorrow. Thank goodness for washing machines, I can`t imagine having to do all that by hand! Bye for now and have a lovely weekend. :o)

A Nice Weekend

2008-10-13T19:05:00.005+01:00

Hello,

It`s Monday again, the weekends just fly by don`t they. I`ve had an interesting weekend. I was feeling really down on Saturday, very tense and feeling so terribly tired even after a very good night`s sleep. Danny came round in the morning and I wasn`t at all good company. I told me not to worry and didn`t stay long though I could tell he was concerned. By the afternoon I had an awful headache and I was feeling very lightheaded. I knew that swollen gland in my neck meant bad news. It`s only a small viral thing and I`m feeling a bit better though not 100%. After Dan went home me and Jim went into the nearby town of Uxbridge to do a bit of shopping, or at least I did try to find that elusive winter coat I`ve been looking for. I have at last found one but not in my size. I tried on a 12 but it was too big I need a 10. Just to see if it fitted I tried on an 8, I was delighted to say that it did but I was worried that if I put on any weight or wore thicker clothes it might not fit as well as I`d like. So a 10 is what I need so I`ll keep checking the shop to see if they`ve had a delivery.

While we were there we bumped into Danny`s ex. girlfriend Salina...sorry, I must correct that.... she`s now his present girlfriend. They`ve just got back together though it`s supposed to be secret...don`t ask! I can`t say she was thrilled to see us though she did smile. The atmosphere was very tense and I would love to have been a fly on the wall when she told Dan about her encounter. Only time will tell.

On Sunday we went to see my brother and we had a wonderful time there. The highlight of the afternoon was exchanging last year`s Christmas presents (we haven`t seen each other since the Christmas before) It was so funny. Cliff and I have a similar sense of humour, dry and a little black...lol! I`d bought him a really nice scarf and since the weather is getting cold again it came at the right time. He put it on and kept in on the whole time we were there. My present from them was a holdall full of really nice toiletries, ie. shower gel, handcream etc. It is really good stuff and one of my favourite brands. Well done little bruv! I also rought home a pile of presents for Kerry, Danny, Slava and Roman too. Christmas has come early, or late for them too...lol! The rest of the afternoon flew by as we chatted and before we knew it we`d been there for 4 hours. I now I can talk a lot but not for that long!

At work we`ve have had a collection so we can buy flowers for our colleague`s wife`s funeral and sent a sympathy card to his home. I just hope and pray that he and his family have the strength to get through this dreadful time.

Jim went fishing today but only caught two tiny little fish. I can`t see the attraction of standing around a lake for hours and end up with nothing, I`d be bored rigid. I suppose you have to be a fisherman to see the attraction but I`m afraid it passes me by....yawn!

I`ve just added a new guestbook to my blog so if you`d like to sign it (pretty please!) it`s on the left hand side. For now though I`ll say goodbye. It`s about time I read a few more journals. Take care. :o)

Happy, Sad, Deep and Meaningful

2008-10-10T16:49:00.008+01:00

Hello,

It`s been an unhappy few days. One of my work colleagues lost his wife on Wednesday and we are all feeling very sad for him. It was very sudden and they had been married for 48 yrs. He`s a very nice man and I feel for him and his family, they will be going through a terrible time.

The sun has been shining this week and I`ve been making the best of it in the garden. In my opinion gardening is very theraputic because I can be quiet and vent my feelings out there with only myself for company. I don`t even notice the time and I feel so much better afterwards, at least spritually, not always physically as my poor arthritic hands will tell you. No matter, my hands are important, peace of mind is. Sorry but I`m a bit deep and meaningful today with one thing or another, the `another` I need not mention here.

Danny is happy with his girlfriend and because of that so am I. Kerry is feeling well especially now as she can feel the baby move, another reason for me to be happy. Roman is doing well and is very happy at his nursery and I`m happy about that too. And in two weeks I`m having a day of work to go and visit a friend. I`m really looking forward to that and yes, I`m very happy!

Yesterday I was really worried about Jake, he was quiet all day and in the evening he didn`t come into the sitting room and lie down next to me. Instead he stayed in his own bed all evening, something that he just never does. This morning however he was his usual self so I can only presume he just didn`t want to leave his comfy bed, lazy so-and-so!

I do wish we had an alerts system on these new blogs, I mean I`ve quite got used to the format now but I have no way of letting my readers know if I have posted or not. Sending a mass email is the only way I can think of but maybe some poeple don`t want this. I think I`ll try that and if it works fine. If anyone doesn`t want me to do it I won`t, simple as that.

Tomorrow morning I have a hair appointment to get my roots done and a cut and blow dry. I think it will cheer me up a bit. Despite being happy for my family and friends I still feel low-ish. It might be because I have swollen glands in my neck, am I getting a cold or am I not? I wish it would either come to something or go away, I`m bored with it now!

This Sunday I`m going to visit my bother and sister-in-law. To my shame I haven`t seen them for almost two years despite only living about five miles apart. I suppose because we all lead such busy lives we never seem to find the time, perhaps we should have tried harder, two years is far too long. My brother Cliff is eight years younger than me and is my only sibling. Also we are very similar personality-wise which doesn`t make for a happy some of the time. However, I`m looking forward to seeing him and that`s all that matters. I just hope it`s a good visit.

That`s it for now though. I hope you all have a lovely weekend wherever you are. Take my friends. :o)

A Dreary Day

2008-10-07T16:30:00.006+01:00

Hello everyone,

I`m very lucky to be here today, at least I think so! Thsi morning before I started work I made the coffee for everyone as I always do. Our staffroom is upstairs in the old cottage that is part of the centre and has an old rickety staircase. Anyway I came down stairs holding two cups of coffee when I tripped on the top step. Luckily I stopped myself without spilling a drop but for one moment my heart skipped a beat. IF I had fallen I doubt I would have got up again, at least not in one piece. I was really lucky indeed.

Later I had one problem customer after another. One complained about the condition of a wheelbarrow ( it was fine) another queried her bill even though I explained it to her several times. She then told me she was right and I must have done something wrong. I asked anothe rmember of staff to check it with me to make the customer feel better. It turned out the customer hadn`t read the prices correctly but did she apologise? That`ll be the day!

Several times I was the only member of staff in the shop because the manager had two lorries of goods to unload. I passed the time by thinking evil thoughts about the nasty customers though I did have some of my `regulars` to chat too, most of which are the nicest of people and one of the reasons I enjoy my job.

I had planned to do some gardening when I got home but because of the rain I polished and vacuumed the bedrooms instead. Now the sun has come out and it feels really warm, why couldn`t it have done that ealier, the bedrooms could wait until tomorrow...sigh. I have to get started in the garden again because I have more planting to do and some seeds to sow. I`ve written a shopping list of what I need but I`m being careful what I spend and I am learning how to be as thrifty as possible. I`ve learnt how to make paper flowerpots out of newspaper and of course I`ve no need to buy compost because I have my own ready made in the garden. In fact it looks just right for shovelling onto the garden to protect the plants from Winter frosts. It does smell a bit so I`m seriously thing about putting a peg on the end of my nose when I do it...lol! Also sowing plants from seed will make save money too and it`ll be nice to be able to say the garden is all my own work.

I had a call from Danny this afternoon and he says he`ll be round this evening after work. I wonder if he`ll have anything to say about his new girlfriend? Perhaps I`ll dig a little bit and see what I uncover...lol!

I still have a lot of things I want to do on this blog, like adding music and changing the background. I have the websites I need but I still have to work out how to do it. I`m sure I can do it but I find the format of Blogspot a bit time consuming and I just want to spend a couple of days just reading journals. I can start doing more to my own blog another day.

I`ll say goodbye for now. I`d better go and make something for the evening meal. I think Scampi would be nice....hmmm...tasty! Bye Bye for now and take care. :o)

Getting There

2008-10-05T17:26:00.009+01:00

Well I`m here again though I`m still not completely used to the format of Blogspot. It seems to be taking me forever to add links to all the new journals and then I couldn`t work out how to add graphics to my ABOUT Me section. Thankfully Jeannette came to my rescue as she has so many times in the past and I now seem to have a vague idea how to do things....lol!

The weather has been wet and miserable all day though less cold than the last few days. Friday was absolutely freezing and felt more like the end of November than the start of October. I`m not a `cold` person but it really got to me and I just couldn`t get warm despite the central heating.

Kerry, Slava and Roman are here for the weekend and yesterday evening we babysat while Kerry and Slava went out for a meal and a well-earned break. Much as I love my Little Man he is going through a demanding phase and his mum and dad needed some time off. He certainly did keep us entertained though as he always comes out with some little gem. Yesterday we were talking about his growing up and going to work just like daddy. I told him that he could be a policeman, a fireman or even a bank manager. He looked quite serious for a moment and then said, " or a super hero!" Well, we just burst out laughing at his little joke though I think Roman was very serious about his career options...lol!

I haven`t seen Danny for over a week. I know he is seeing someone but he`s keeping very tightlipped about it. Hmmm...a mother`s instinct tells me that there is more to this than meets the eye. Watch this space and I`ll keep you informed of developments.........

A little while ago I was in the kitchen and I decided to have a quick look at the garden, I couldn`t believe my eyes when I saw a balloon lying in the bushes. How did it get there? I suppose the wind blew it there and it decided to stay. I just hope Jake doesn`t bite it because he`ll get a shock if he does.

I am disappointed that I was unable to link my tribute to Hannah to this blog. I did it right but for some reason I kept getting a `fault` message. Oh well, I might redo it as my memories of her haven`t faded and I`m sure I could do her justice all over again

I`ll say goodbye now because the family are going home and I want to say goodbye. I hope to get over to your blogs some time this evening. Bye Bye for now and take care. :o)

All Jumping Ship

2008-10-01T19:24:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone,

I`m so happy that I`m not alone here in BlogWorld. It`s great that so many of you are either here already or on your way over. Better to leave JLand before it leaves us! I`m starting to get used to this format, I won`t say I like it yet but I am trying to. Of course there is no going back and if I want a journal I will have to stay so stay I will.

It`s been a real cold day today with a biting wind that has been bringing the leaves down from the trees. At work colleagues have been clearing the leaves but no sooner have they done it than another gust of wind brings even more of them down. It`s not as though they can be left until later either because the garden centre has to be kept clear for customers so it`s an ongoing task for the outside staff.

Jim bought Roman`s Christmas present today and we`ve hidden it away in the loft until a couple of weeks before. I know it`s early but we want to get presents out of the way so we don`t have to rush around at the last minute. It bizarre isn`t it, talking about Christmas on the first day of October...lol!

Yesterday we heard that our nephew Robert ( Jim`s youngest sister`s son)has asked his long time girlfriend Rachel to marry him and she accepted. They are such a lovely couple and so much in love and deserve all the happiness life has to offer. I am thrilled for them both.

Anyway my friends, I shall say goodnight and hope that you all have a lovely evening. Take care. :o)

Starting Anew

2008-09-30T20:35:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone,

I`ll introduce myself. My name is Sandra and I`m soon to be a refugee from the AOL community of JLand. For reasons best known to them AOL have decided that it`s not in their best interest to have journals as part of the service. Many of my JLand friends are devasted and quite rightly so too. I just hope that other `refugees` will join me over here in this new Blog World. I hope that I like it hear and that maybe I`ll even have some readers in time, who knows, I`ll just have to see what happens.

For the time being I`ll say goodbye. :o)