There is a journal being kept by a woman journalist in Sri Lanka. It will be keeping us all up to date as to what is going on. If you haven`t already found it here is the link :
Friday, 31 December 2004
A PLAY ON WORDS
I would like to share with you some items from a regular column that I read from the Daily Mail newspaper.
~~~~~~~~~ ONE-LINE PHILOSOPHERS ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thinking what we say is usually far more important than saying what we think.
Mrs. G.M. Turner
My husband and I were just like Romeo and Juliet : my family hated him, too.
Mrs. Valerie Ashton
Those who never find perfection never spoil it.
Rufus Stone
~~~~~~~~ WORDY WISE ~~~~~~~~~~
SEXAGON ----- what a figure !
J.M. Wood
PILLUSION ----- mistaken belief that pills are a cure-all.
A. Wrightman
PRESSTIGIOUS ----- the Daily Mail.
Barry Sheffield
ENDOWWENT ------ vanishing insurance return.
Norman Marshall
DUNGAREEKS ------ muck spreading overalls.
M.C.W. Ross
ITCH-HIKERS ----- unwanted fleas.
Chas Downes
HAPPY NEW YEAR
I WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR. MAY ANY PROBLEMS BE LITTLE ONES AND MAY HEALTH AND HAPPINESS BE WITH YOU THROUGHOUT 2005.
ALSO MANY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE READ MY JOURNAL AND LEFT COMMENTS, AND FOR WRITING YOUR OWN JOURNALS THAT HAVE ENTERTAINED ME SINCE I DISCOVERED J-LAND.
Thursday, 30 December 2004
WOODLAND WALKS
I simply had to post these photos of our Boxing Day and Monday walks. It was nice and cold Boxing Day and freezing on the Monday. We went to Black Park where we always walked Hannah. It is one of the loveliest places for a peaceful walk in the woods and those two days were no exception. There were even a few hardy anglers that were fishing for pike. Although Jim`s a keen fisherman himself he said that it was too cold for him !
Every where we went there were puppies, I suppose that`s what happens when you find yourselves dogless for the first time in years. It`ll be back to Battersea Dogs Home in the next few weeks as we are suffering withdrawel symptoms !
The woods are beautiful all year round and every season has the place looking very different. There are buds on the trees already and as Spring is my favourite time of year I am looking forward to it as it always heralds new life and growth.
Do let me know what is your favourite season and why .
Wednesday, 29 December 2004
MY CHRISTMAS FAMILIES
This is my Quarry Critter family. I love them all equally. They are all presents from Jim except one. Their names are, from the left : BOO, BIG BUD, LITTLE BUD, BILLY, BARNY, BAM BAM, BRANDY and BETH, BIG BILLY, BERTIE and BLOSSOM. On Christmas morning I found Billy in the breakfast cupboard ! Then I went on to find Little Bud, Billy and Big Billy, Blossom and Bertie in various places all over the house. The last one to be found was under the duvet last thing before I went to bed. I have been collecting them since September and only had Bam Bam and Brandy and Beth. So I needed some of their relatives to keep them company as they get very lonely !
The photos at the top are our Christmas day photos of me, Jim and our children and their spouses. We all had a lovely day and to top it all we are going to be grandparents for the first time in August. Our daughter Kerry is having a baby and we are all very excited ! Kerry and hubby Slava are on the left of the first picture.
Tuesday, 28 December 2004
AFTER CHRISTMAS
`Twas the month after Christmas,
and all through the house...
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I`d nibbled, the eggnog I`d taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store ( less a walk than a lumber).
I`d remember the marvellous meals I`d prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rare,
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I`d never said " No thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband`s old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt.
I said to myself, as only I can
" You can`t spend the winter dressed as a man!"
So...away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip.
Every last bit of food that i like must be banished
`Til all the additional ounces have vanished.
I won`t have a cookie--- not even a lick
I`ll only want to chew on a long celery stick.
I won`t have hot biscuits or corn bread or pie,
I`ll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I`m hungry , I`m lonesome and life is a bore --
But isn`t that what January is for ?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to alland to all a good diet !
unknown.
Friday, 24 December 2004
HAPPY CHRISTMAS !
Eyes tearful, paws worn
A sorrowful sight
So forlorn
Love they said would be the cure
For the suffering
You had endured
So our family grew that day
We brought you home
With us you`d stay
Slowly, gently the bond it grew
Faithful, loyal
Loving, true
Looking back it`s so unclear
How we got by without you here
Trusted companion,
Devoted friend
You give and give
It never ends
They said we were a gift to you
But now we know
Who rescued who.
by J.M. Berry
Merry Christmas one and all,
Mum is climbing up the wall,
Grandad ate too many sprouts,
"You`re anti-social!" Grandma shouts.
Dad doused the pud with too much Brandy,
The fire extinguisher came in handy.
" It`s horrible," wailed little Ron
" Where have Daddy`s eyebrows gone ?"
Auntie Mabel`s looking grim,
She`s married to our Uncle Jim.
He flirted with the blonde next door,
His black eye looks mighty sore.
Cousin Arthur`s in a tizzy,
His sister Vera`s feeling dizzy,
She blames it on the constant din -
We know she`s overdosed on gin.
Little Wayne`s just learned to walk,
Shame that he`s to young to talk.
He`d tell us he`s just seen the cat
Throw up in Auntie Ruby`s hat.
Charades are off the cards this year
And will be in the future,
Since Grandad did his back in
Miming the Kama Sutra.
Merry Christmas one and all,
Mum is climbing up the wall.
They chorused as they rose to leave:
" We`ll be back on New Year`s Eve !"
by Mrs.K. Castle, Melksham, Wilts.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS
TO YOU ALL !
Thursday, 23 December 2004
QUOTES AND VERSE
Quotes and Put-downs
You had to stand in line to hate him.
------- Hedda Hopper
You have a good and kind soul, it just doesn`t match the rest of you.
------- Norm Papernick
You`re a mouse studying to be a rat.
------- Wilson Mizner
A graceful taunt is worth a thousand insults.
------- Louis Nizer
Every time I look at you I get a fierce desire to be lonesome.
------- Oscar Levant
Everyone has his day and some days last longer than others.
------- Winston Churchill
Fine words ! I wonder where you stole them.
------- Jonathan Swift
Gee, what a terrific party. Later on we`ll get some fluid and embalm each other.
------- Neil Simon
He looks as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel cake.
------- Raymond Chandler
He`s completely unspoiled by failure.
------- Noel Coward
His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.
------- Mae West
THE GIFT OF GOD
There was seen a radiance
Glowing one night
Near the little maiden Mary
In blue and white.
"Lilies are not fairer,
"Roses more red,
Than the Child she seeks to slumber,"
An angel said.
So the shephards ventured
Through the white cold,
And their eyes beheld the Infant,
An hour old.
Long they gazed and wondered,
Awkward in awe,
At the paramount perfection
Within the straw.
" Diamonds are but trifles!
" Rubies no gem!"
Cried the hearts that slaved for pittance
Near Bethlehem.
Tuesday, 21 December 2004
THE WONDER OF CHRISTMAS
This poem is by a poet of whom I asked permission to use his work. He agreed that I could , so I chose his `poem of the moment` THE WONDER OF CHRISTMAS
Fairy lights twinkle, shining bright
Windows lit up, on winters night
It`s here at last, it`s Christmas Eve
I hope in Santa, you believe
Your stocking hung on fireplace,
Such excitement on your face,
Singing loudly as you go to bed,
There to lay your sleepy head.
Dreaming of what, Santa may bring.
From outside, hear sliegh bells ring,
Over rooftops, through starlit skies
You may just see him, through sleepy eyes.
Reindeers pulling Santas sleigh
A wondrous time, it`s Christmas day.
To your home , Santa will call
Bearing gifts, for you and all.
It`s Christmas day, as you awake
So excited, you start to shake
Santa`s been, you cry with joy
Seeing before you, a brand new toy.
by Rob Lewis.
Monday, 20 December 2004
CHRISTMAS IN IRAQ
CHRISTMAS IN IRAQ
In the Christian homes an unusual ceremony is held in the courtyard of home on Christmas Eve. One of the children in the family reads the story of the Nativity from an Arabic Bible. The other members of the family hold lighted candles, and as soon as the story has been read a bonfire is lit in the corner of the courtyard. The fire is made from dried thorns and the future of the house for the coming year depends on the way the fire burns. If the thorns burn to ashes, the family will have good fortune. While the fire is burning a psalm is sung. When the fire is reduced to ashes, everyone jumps over the ashes three times and makes a wish.
On Christmas day a similar bonfire is buit in the church. The men of the congregation chant a hymn. Then there is a procession in which the officials of the church march behind the bishop, who carries an image of the infant Jesus upon a scarlet cushion. The long Christmas service always ends with a blessing of the people. The bishop reaches forth and touches a member of the congregation with his hand, putting his blessing upon him. That person touches the one next to him, and so on until all have recieved "the Touch of Peace."
Sunday, 19 December 2004
WHOS THAT GIRL?
I found this photo in yesterday`s Daily Mail newspaper along with several others. I found it simply charming to see the little girl holding the dogs ear like that. I can imagine the dog thinking " OK, you can hold it but DON`T pull !" and the little girl would be thinking that the dogs ear was all soft and velvety to touch.
Then I wondered just when the photo was taken. I would imagine it was around the late 19th century. I also wondered who she may have been and did she marry , have children, and are there possible any of her ancestors alive today ? Who knows, maybe the dog has ancestors around today !
Saturday, 18 December 2004
CHRISTMAS TALES
WACKY CHRISTMAS FACTS
~~~ Winter was a time of celebration to pre-Christian Romans and they decorated fir trees in honour of this seasonal change.
~~~ The use of a Christmas wreath as a decoration for your front door and window symbolises a sign of welcome and long life to all who enter.
~~~ Today Poinsettias are the most popular Christmas plant and are the number one flowering potted plant in the USA.
~~~ Real Christmas trees are an American product, grown in all fifty states, including Alaska and Hawaii.
~~~ Most artificial trees are manufactured in Korea, Taiwan or Hong Kong.
~~~ The biggest selling Christmas single of all time is Bing Crosby`s White Christmas.
~~~ In 1937, the first postage stamp to commerate Christmas was issued in Austria.
~~~ Epiphany, 6th January is the traditional end of the Christmas holiday and is the date on which we take down the tree and decorations. To do so earlier is thought to bring bad luck for the rest of the year. From the middle ages until the mid-nineteeth century, Twelfth Night was more popular than Christmas day, and even today some countries celebrate Epiphany as the most important day of the Christmas season.
~~~ In America in 1822, the postmaster of Washington DC complained that he had to add 16 mailmen at Christmas to deal with cards alone. He wanted the number of cards a person could send limited by law. " I don`t know what we`ll do if this keeps on," he wrote.
WONDER
There is faint music in the night,
And pale wings fanned by silver flight;
A frosty hill with tender glow
Of countless stars that shine on snow.
A shelter from the winter storm,
A straw-lined manger, safe and warm,
And Mary crooning lullabies,
To hush her baby`s sleepy sighs.
Her eyes are rapt upon His Face,
Unheeded here is time and space;
Her heart filled with blinding joy,
For God`s own Son- her little Boy!
by Nancy Buckley.
Friday, 17 December 2004
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Choose your favourite Christmas image
Please vote for image no. 2, Christmas Elf. This is my friend Jeannette`s grandson and he looks really cute in his little santa suit.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk I have a work station ..................
What hair colour do they put on the driver`s licences of bald men ?
Why is it when a door is open it`s ajar, but when a jar is open it`s not adoor ?
Why is lemon juice mostly artificial ingedients but dish washing liquid contains real lemons ?
Isn`t it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice " ?
Why don`t sheep shrink when it rains ?
Why do they put Braille on drive-thru bank machines ?
If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes ?
Thursday, 16 December 2004
TAXING LETTERS
I`m sorry I don`t have time to post the party photos today as I`m behind schedule and have much to do today !
These extracts are purportedly from genuine letters to the Inland Revinue:
`Please send me a claim form as I have had a baby. I had one before, but it got dirty and I burnt it.`
` I recieved your IT form , but had to go into hospital an hour afterwards.`
` I have not been living with my husband for several years and have much pleasure in enclosing his last will and testament.`
From a poultry keeper: `I hereby appeal on the grounds that your estimate is based on chickens counted before they are hatched.`
`Please correct this assessment . I have not worked for the past three months as I have broken my leg. Hoping you will do the same.`
`My husband died on November 3. Is there any post-war credit still due as I understand a person has to be dead before they can claim any benefit ?`
` I have to inform you that my mother-in-law passed away after recieving your form on November 22. Thank you.`
` I cannot pay the full amount at the moment as my husband is in hospital. As soon as I can, I will send on the remains.`
` Re your request for P45 for new employee. You already have it, and he isn`t leaving here but coming, so we haven`t got it.`
` I am a vermin destroyer but have not earned anything for a month. I shall be glad to call on you at anytime`
` I am writing to inform you that I am now married. I realise I should have done so eight months ago, but wasn`t aware that I had to.`
Wednesday, 15 December 2004
DISASTER STRIKES !
EVENING
**** Silence falls on the meadow,
As evening shadows creep.
Crisp cool air comes stealing down,
As the robins go to sleep. ***
*** The stars come out so brightly,
You can count them one by one,
Twinkling down upon the earth,
Until the morning sun. ***
*** Suddenly the moon appears,
Full, and bright and clear.
The orange of the harvest moon,
You know that fall is near. ***
*** Night time creatures awaken,
They stretch and then they yawn.
Out and about they swiftly go,
Until the break of dawn. ***
by Toni Britton THE CALICO GIRLS
DUMB QUESTIONS
Was the pole vault accidently discovered by a clumsy javelin thrower ?
What do chickens think we taste like ?
What is a `free` gift ? Aren`t all gifts free ?
What is shaved ice ? Did it have hair on it before it was shaved ?
Do witches run spell checkers ?
When people lose weight, where does it go ?
When a dog food is new and improved, who tastes it ?
Why are hemorrhoids called "hemorrhoids" instead of "asteroids" ?
Tuesday, 14 December 2004
SCAVENGER HUNT PHOTOS
This is my messy computer desk just after I`d eaten my lunch. I remember that I`d just eaten a lovely juicy bacon and tomato sandwich and was reading Sara`s journal at the time and she had posted a photo of her lovely tidy desk. This prompted me to take a piccie of my not so tidy work place !
This is my tidier desk. I say `tidier` because it`s had a quick clean round for the photos` sake. Instead of polishing it I gave it a quick spruce up with a baby wipe ! But at least it improved it a little. I have to say at the time of posting it is now back to its usual untidy state but without the lunch dishes and coffee cup !
Monday, 13 December 2004
CHRISTMAS POEM
The bells of waiting Advent ring,
The Tortoise stove is lit again
And lamp-oil light across the night
Has caught the streaks of winter rain
In many stained-glass window sheen
From Crimson Lake to Hookers Green.
The holly in the windy hedge
And round the Manor House the yew
Will soon be stripped to deck the ledge,
The altar, font and arch and pew,
So that villagers can say
`The church looks nice` on Christmas Day.
Provincial Public Houses blaze,
Corporation tramcars clang,
On lighted tenements I gaze,
Where paper decorations hang,
And bunting in the red Town Hall
Says `Merry Christmas to you all`.
And London shops on Christmas Eve
Are strung with silver bells and flowers
As hurrying clerks the City leave
To pigeon-haunted classic towers,
And marbled clouds go scudding by
The many steepled London sky.
And girls in slacks remember Dad,
And oafish louts remember Mum,
And sleepless children`s hearts are glad.
And Christmas-morning bells say `Come!`
Even to shining ones who dwell
Safe in the Dorchester Hotel.
And it is true,
This most tremendous tale of all,
Seen in a stained-glass window`s hue,
A Baby in an ox`s stall ?
The Maker of the stars and sea
Become a Child on earth for me?
And is it true ? For if it is,
No loving fingers tying strings
Around those tissued fripperies,
The sweet and silly Christmas things,
Bath salts and inexpensive scent
And hideous tie so kindly meant,
No love that in a family dwells,
No carolling in frosty air,
Nor all the steeple-shaking bells
Can this single Truth compare -
That God was man in Palestine
And lives today in Bread and Wine.
Sunday, 12 December 2004
STRANGE LAWS
STRANGE LAWS
Theatres in Glendale, California can show horror films only on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
You can`t plant a cotton field with an elephant in North Carolina.
In Lehigh, Nebraska it`s against the law to sell donut holes.
Under the law of Mississippi, there`s no such thing as a female peeping tom.
Lawn darts are illegal in Canada.
In Idaho a citizen is forbidden by law to give another citizen a box of candy that weighs more than 50 pounds.
Every citizen of Kentucky is required by law to take a bath at least once a year.
It is against the law to whale hunt in Oaklahoma. (Think about it...)
According to law , no store is allowed to sell a toothbrush on the Sabbath In Providence, Rhode Island. Yet these same stores are allowed to sell toothpaste and mouthwash on Sundays.
In Breton, Alabama, there is a law on the towns books against riding down the street in a motorboat.
SILLY JOKES
Patient: Doctor, doctor. I keep thinking I`m a dog.
Doctor: How long have you felt this way ?
Patient: Ever since I was a puppy.
What do you get if you dial 010 11 238 640397 239865 1207988?
A sore finger.
What do you call a septic cat ?
Puss
What do you call a girl who sets fire to her telephone bill ?
Bernadette
Why are fishmongers so mean ?
Their job makes them selfish.
How does a polar bear hide ?
It covers its nose.
Does anybody want to find out their name in Hawaiian ? I was sent this site and I found out that mine is Kanela. Go to Hawaii and find out what your own name means and let me know what it is.
Wednesday, 8 December 2004
JUST POPPING IN
I`m really looking forward to Saturday because I will get my tree down from the loft and decorate it and make the house look festive , I do so love this time of year but I do wish the weather were colder and frostier. Still, we can`t help the weather though maybe it will get cold in time for Christmas. Also Saturday is the day I feill the freezer up with Christmas fare. Every year I say I will buy less, but do I ? ....Nope !!!
Well I only have two pressies left to buy and I know just what to get, so happy shopping everyone and I am off to earn a crust! Bye for Now.
Saturday, 4 December 2004
KERRY`S TRAVELS CONT`D
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