Marie Antionette Awards

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!

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!

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)

Happy News and Photos

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.