IT`S NEW YEARS EVE ALL DAY TODAY ~ isn`t it???

Hello everyone,

I think I can safely say it`s New Years Eve today without feeling embarrassed later on...lol!  Jim and I are going to Kerry and Slava`s for a drink tonight, but are not seeing in the New Year because Jim is on early shift and has to get up at 4.30am. tomorrow.

I`ve been quite busy today clearing away some of the Christmassy things, such as the drinks, glasses and table covers.  I`ve also taken down the cards and sorted them into piles.  The general ones will go to charity and the family and J-Land friends card are being kept.  On Monday I will take down the tree and all the decorations as I always think they look quite jaded once Christmas is over.  It`s time to move on into the New Year, for me at any rate.

Kerry went to dinner at Danny`s yesterday.  He has been given three months notice to quit his flat as the owner has returned to this country and wants to sell up.  Danny`s not very happy about it but he was only leasing on a monthly basis and and I think the landlord has been very generous giving him three months.  He won`t have trouble finding anywhere but it`s the inconvenience of finding that place and then moving which is always a pain.

The weather today is much improved from yesterday`s torrential rain.  It has been dry and mild, but the temperature has now fallen sharply and I think we may have a frost tonight.  I`m pleased the rain stopped because the ground is water-logged.  The half-barrels that I have plants and bulbs in are overflowing, though I`m sure the water authorities will say we will need more rain if we are to avoid a summer drought!

I woke up this morning with a really bad backache and a painful knee, I know it`s mainly arthritis but I`m sure it was carrying the ironing board to the car yesterday that has set if off.  It was a bit heavy but I didn`t feel anything `go` and thought I`d probably got away with it.  Anyway I`ve been taking my time with the housework and I`m sitting here with a cushion pressed into the small of my back.  I should be over it in a couple of days which won`t be soon enough, I do hate not being able to move about as I like.  As for the knee the damp was responsible for that and it will get better with the drier weather.  I hate getting older today...sigh!

Well, that`s it from me, I`m off to start the evening meal and all that`s left is to wish you, one and all  ......................

 

 

HANGING HEAD IN SHAME!

                                

 

OhOh!  I`m all embarrassed now....I was sure it was Saturday.....Must remember to check calender before making another entry!

 

RAIN, BOARDS AND BONES!

 

 

Hello everyone,

At last we have some real weather, not snow, but horrible freezing, torrential rain...ugh!  This morning I went into town very early and bought my lovely new ironing board.  When I got back to my car I realised that getting it home wasn`t going to be as easy as I had first thought.  The ironing board is big and my car is small and somehow I had to get the thing home.  I eventually managed to get the board perched longways through the car, with one end balanced on the passenger seat.  All was well until I was almost home when the board slipped and almost hit me on the head.  I made it home with one hand holding on to the board....flipping thing, it was really heavy too and when I struggled indoors with it Jake,  who was watching suspiciously, decided it look dangerous and decided to run for cover.  I must admit that I was actually looking forward to my pile of ironing with this state of the art board, .....I know, I need to get out more...lol!

Talking of going out, I decided to take Jake straight out before I changed my mind.  The weather was dreadful and I didn`t fancy going out at all, but like I said yesterday, Jake wouldn`t understand!  Walking was really no fun at all, I`d barely gone 200 yards and I was pretty wet already but I soldiered on, singing various songs to myself that all contained the word `rain` in the titles!  The ones that I sang the most was " I Can`t Stand The Rain" and "It`s Raining Men".  When we reached the back field I was drenched, despite all my weather-proof clothing and watched miserably as Jake charged around without a care in the world.  When it was time to go I called Jake  back but he had found a bone and which was far more fun than going home. When he finally decided it was time to go it was with the bone tightly clenched between his jaws. When we reached home finally Jake wouldn`t give up the bone, so it was straight into the garden for him while I got changed and had a much needed cup of coffee.  I finally finished the ironing, Jake gave up the bone, most likely because he realised that it`s warmer and more comfortable indoors and the bone wasn`t as important as he thought. 

I can hardly believe that today is New Years Eve.  I don`t know where this year has gone to, so much has happened across the world and to me personally.  The world has seen terrible weather that has resulted in catastrophies, such as hurricane Katrina that devasted New Orleans. We had the terrorist bombs that brought London to a standstill.  Many lives were lost in 2005, I wish in 2006, the world will be a more settled, peaceful place for us all.  That`s it from me today, and all that`s left is to wish you all :

 

 

 

"Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true."

 

NO SHOW SNOW!!!

 

 

Hello everyone,

 

It certainly is cold here today.   We haven`t had the snow that was forecast snow so I thought I`d pretend and post the above graphic instead.  I did the weekly shopping early this morning and I was in and out in a hour, despite bumping into an old friend and chatting for a while.  I dressed up even warmer for dog walking this morning and was even more careful about slipping on the ice.  It reminded me of times gone by, when I was at school.  We used to make ice slides in the playground and then all the kids would queue up to take a turn at sliding across it.  We had great times with them, that is until the school caretaker, Mr Whitcombe (the spoilsport!)  would come along and throw gravel over it, telling us it was dangerous!  At least we had some fun while it lasted, I doubt children these days would be allowed to even try to make a slide. It would be considered far too dangerous for the poor little things...and there would be the lawsuits to consider, something that we never had to be worried about back in the 60`s.

I have been looking to buy a new ironing board.  Mine is too small and is about to collapse.  I looked  in Tesco this morning but the ones they have are the same size as the old one.  I`ll pop into town early in the morning and get one from Wilkinsons, come home, walk Jake and then start on my enormous pile of ironing...sigh!

I had a sneaky peek at both `Crime Houses` today and they are both very quiet.  No:1 house definitely someone living there but they are not members of the original family.  How do I know that?  Well, by my cunning powers of deduction I notice that although the house always looked very clean and tidy from the front, it now looks a mess, with detergent packets and cereal boxes left on the window ledge.   The second house has had the car that was searched taken away, but there is no sign of life there at the moment.  Nothing ecver seems to happen around here, in fact as far as crime goes, this isquite a safe area to live in, but who knows what goes on behind closed doors?  I think the only other talking point locally was somebody had dumped a stolen car in the back field where I walk with Jake...lol!

I`ll say goodbye for now, I hope you all have a good day, and if you DO have snow, please please send some over to me!!!

 

 

WEDNESDAY`S WASHING

 

Hello everyone,

Welcome to Wednesday`s Scribbles.   You would think now that Christmas is behind us that life would have slowed down somewhat, well it hasn`t.  In fact, I`ve found myself with loads of things that need doing NOW as opposed to next week or next month.  I have heaps of washing that I`ve been doing all day, the tumble dryer hasn`t stopped and thought of the amount of ironing I have to do is the stuff of nightmares.

This morning though, it was the usual walk with Jake, which takes place regardless of whatever else is happening, I mean, how do you tell a dog that you`re too busy/it`s too cold to go out today?!!  You don`t so it`s on with the heavy winter coat, the thermal socks, walking boots, scarf and gloves and a woolly hat an optional extra which I declined today.   But I digress,  today`s walk was certainly bracing with a bitter easterly wind  that made my nose look like it belonged to Rudolph.  The ground was frozen solid and where there had been a light dusting of snow that too had frozen over, making walking slightly unnerving to say the least .  At one point Jake saw a cat and lunged forward taking me with him doing a bad impression of Jayne Torville...lol! 

This afternoon I had a long chat on the phone with a very good friend of mine before Kerry decided to visit on her way back from buying Roman a highchair, which he will need very soon.  Kerry and Slava were very lucky when Roman was born because they were given lots of Mothercare vouchers which are paying for the bigger things he needs, the highchair being just one.  They also bought him a baby sleeping bag that I remember Jeannette mentioning to me.  Roman doesn`t know how to stay still at night and he always kicks the covers off.  The sleeping bag is worn over the top of his pyjamas and has the warmth of two blankets.  Now Kerry doesn`t need to worry about him being cold at night.

I`m going to read some journals now, I haven`t been reading as many as I should just lately and I want to catch up.  I hope you all have a lovely day/evening.  Take care my friends.

 

 

 

A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS

Santa`s little helper.

Hello everyone,

I hope you`ve all had a great Christmas.  We all had a wonderful time here with Kerry, Slava, Roman and Danny here for Christmas Day and staying over until the next morning.  The day was hectic beyond belief but it was lovely being all together.  Opening our presents was so different this year with Little Man Roman looking at us adults opening his presents and saying things like, "Oooh Roman look at this, isn`t it lovely?"  while he looked on with his cute smiley face, obviously aware that this was something new but wasn`t sure what was going on.  Next year will be different again when he is older and into everything, bless him!

I was so pleased with my presents, I got a pair of shoes, a pair of trousers, 3 CD`s, 2 books, 2 pairs of earrings, a vase, chocolates and a large bottle of my favourite perfume, and I bought Jim a MP3 player, so he can listen to his favourite music while he`s fishing and he was delighted with it I`m pleased to say.  I never really know what to buy him, he usually says not to worry about buying him anything...but can you imagine doing that?....... Men!

I`m nearly there

PS:  The scruffy red and green ball belongs to Jake who thought Roman might like to play with it!

Slava thought it best to take all of Roman`s presents home, a good idea as they took up most of the floor space in the living room.  Goodness knows what Kerry`s small flat looks like now, she said the majority of it was taken up with Roman`s things BEFORE Christmas,  so perhaps they should move in with us and let Roman have the flat to himself...lol!

Kerry, Slava and Roman spent Boxing day afternoon with us and stayed for dinner.  In the morning though we all trouped over to my brother`s house for Christmas drinks.  Roman spent the morning being passed around like a parcel, thoughhe didn`t object in the least.  I think he knew what was required of him in his role of great-nephew!  My two nephews aged 14 and 13 are smashing boys , so very well-mannered, a real credit to their parents, so it was nice to see them again.  We don`t see them that often because they are always doing something, guitar lessons, rowing, martial arts and the school choir, not to mention lots of homework take up so much of their time.  The elder boy has always wanted to be a vet, and is on course with his schoolwork to achieving his goal.  My brother has said he will treat any pets I have for free....lol!  That`s just what I need , a vet in the family. :o)

Me, Kerry and Slava with my bother`s family.  SIL on left with 14 yr old and 13 yr old in the front, and my little brother on the far right.

We spent the afternoon lazing around watching TV, with me thinking how well everything had been.  The Christmas dinner was lovely, I was assured by everyone who cleared their plates.  Nobody got into an argument, another plus, and everyone liked their presents, everything  was the right size and nothing has to be returned to the shop.  This for me has been a very successful Christmas.  My family are all happy, if they are happy then I am happy...what more could I ask for ?

 

Have a lovely day,  Bye Bye for now.

 

IT`S NEARLY TOMORROW!

Hello Everyone,

This is definitely my last entry before Christmas.  I`ve been busy the whole day long, despite hoping to be finished much earlier.  We`ve had so many visitors and the phone hasn`t stopped ringing all day, I didn`t realise that we knew so many people!  One call this evening was from my late Mother`s husband Norman.  They lived in Spain and I had no idea how he has been since her death in May this year.  We had a long chat and he wished us all a Happy Christmas, all the time trying to sound cheerful, but I could tell he wasn`t at all.  He did say his still misses her terribly and that this time last year they were on holiday in Benidorm.  He did tell me that he is staying with friends tomorrow but he wants to be on his own on Boxing Day.  I do feel for him , he is a lovely man and I want him to be happy.  I do know that he would never set foot in this country again, he has lived there for 35 years now and it is his home.  I will keep in touch with him, he has lots of friends but no other family and like I said, Jim and I liked him the moment we met him.  We also went to the crematorium and took some flowers for my Dad.  He always spent his Christmasses with us and even after 21 years I miss him very much at this time of year.

                    

We now have another `Crime House` not far away from us!  I was walking past with Jake and saw the whole thing.  There were two police cars parked outside the house, four officers were searching all four of the brand new cars in the garden  (this sounds familiar? ).  I walked as slowly as possible and I noticed that there were lots of people leaning out of their windows to get a good view, obviously I`m not the only nosey one!  I heard one man say to another that he thought the man who lived there `was dodgy` and he wondered where he got his money from.  Hmmm...I wonder if the two houses are connected, I for one wouldn`t be surprised.  Later, when I was on my way back home, one of the cars drove past with a couple in the back...the plot thickens......supersleuth will keep her ears and eyes peeled!

                                 

As I type this I am drinking a large glass on Baileys and ice.  Our night out was called off as one of our friends has `flu, so I told Jim to go out with Danny and Slava so I can get the pressies sorted out and put the final touches to the living room.  I`ve put bowls of fruit and nuts out, glasses and bottles of alcoholic beverages  (lot`s of them!...lol!).  and I must say I`m pleased with the result.  I`ve prepared the sprouts, carrots and potatoes and there`s nothing left to do until tomorrow.  Ah yes, tomorrow.  With that I`ll wish you all a very Happy Christmas and I hope you like all the presents that Santa brings you!  Goodnight. :o)

 

A YULETIDE WISH

 

Hello everyone,

We`re nearly there now, just one more day to go and I`m really in a Christmassy mood.  The mince pies have been made and are sitting there waiting for Jim to come home, try one and give his seal of approval.   The turkey is waiting to be taken from the freezer and dropped into a bucket of cold water to defrost.  I have heaps of carrots, parsnips, sprout and potatoes all ready to be peeled.  There`s the stuffing to be prepared and several garnishes to be made from scratch.  I love the whole preparation of this gargantuan meal and with a bit of luck it will turn out as well as I hope.

                                                

Today has been hectic as Jim and I went back into town really early to beat the rush.  It wasn`t too bad despite there being a lot of shoppers on the streets, for the most part everyone seemed full of festive goodwill and wishing other people a Happy Christmas, singing carols.  It`s so nice to see people behaving that way, if only the goodwill were to continue all year.  When we got home we had a quick lunch before Jim had to rush off to work and I went with Kerry to take Roman to the doctor.  His excema has spread quite a bit but it doesn`t seem to bother him at all.  He saw a new young doctor who Kerry said was very nice and called Roman `little fella`   He has a bacterial infection on his skin also but that should clear up in no time with the antibiotic cream he`s been given.  The doctor also thought he was older than he actually is because of his size, he is much bigger than the average 5 mth old baby and he`s very forward for his age.   These days when Kerry  is holding him he makes her look tiny, it still amazes me how fast babies grow.  I`m sure it was never like that when mine were small...lol!   Later Kerry wanted to go to Matalan to buy a couple of things.  I`ve been looking for a teapot and they usually have several to chose from, today they didn`t even have one.  Well, a new teapot is something I can manage without, I can use an old one that has a crack in the lid, it still does the job. When we got back home I walked Jake quickly and went home for a well earned cup of coffee and a mince pie.  Kerry said she liked them and proclaimed them suitable for her  Dad to eat, I think she sees herself as his official foodtaster, either that or she likes my cooking...lol!  I don`t know if I`ll be doing an entry tomorrow, so firstly I want to thank all of you who sent me cards, they mean a great deal to me.  Secondly,  I  wish you all, my J-Land friends, a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.  Bye Bye for now.

 

FEELIN` GOOD

 

Hello everyone,

Welcome to a `feeling much better` day!  I woke up this morning and felt really good, despite it being only 6.45am.  Now I could go shopping with Kerry and Danny....lovely, I thought!   First of all it was early morning shopping in Tescos, it won`t be that busy will it?   WRONG!  It was heaving with shoppers, all with the same idea.  Jim came with me to push the trolley and I had to fight my way to the shelves, forcing other shoppers` trolleys out of the way when a simple `excuse me` didn`t work.  It took us a good couple of hours to get around and we were glad to get home again.  That`s the lot now for Christmas, apart from a loaf of bread and some milk, we have the local shop for that so no worries there.  When I got home I gave Kerry a call and she picked me up about 15 minutes later.

                                         

We collected Danny from outside the dentist`s surgery where he had just had 2 fillings and had his wallet considerably lightened.  He seemed in a very cheerful mood so I forgot my anxieties about any squabble between him and Kerry....well I did for all of five minutes when it started.  I made all the right noises and said things like,`now, now children` and jokey things like that.  Danny, bless him , always having to have the last word continued so I changed my voice to the one I used when he was a child.  It worked and silence reigned once more.  We were lucky enough to find somewhere to park straight away, very unusual in Uxbridge at this time of the year.  Then Danny announced his plans for the day, do some Christmas shopping for his girlfriend`s presents and afterwards give him a lift back to work.  Now it was clear why he so badly wanted Kerry`s company today.  She knew, and he knew.  He knew that she knew etc...lol!  You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife at that point and I was stuck in the middle of it all.  I came up with the idea that Danny went his own way and that we`d meet him in BB`s for lunch.  Luckily he agreed and I  Kerry and I headed off to find some shops windows to look in.  She certainly wasn`t pleased at Danny for `using` her, but as I told her, he has always been that way and at least we know where we are with him, which made her smile.  We had a quick lunch and then had to hurry back to take Danny to work before heading home again.

                                          

I will be making the mince pies tomorrow, I was going to do it Wednesday but I didn`t feel up to it and I don`t think it would have been sensible with all those germs.  Also, tomorrow night I will get the turkey from the freezer and start the slow defrost.  I just hope I can find room in the fridge for it! I`m going to eat now, I have a nice piece of cheese and tomato quiche waiting for me, so I`ll say goodbye and hope you all have a lovely day/evening. 

 

 

Superstitions about Dreams and Meanings of Dreams

WHEN you had the dream:   Dreams at night are a devil's delight
Dreams in the morning, heed the angels' warning. WHAT the dream was about: ACORN Dreaming of acorns predicts pleasant things & that much gain is to be expected.  

For a woman to dream of eating acorns denotes that she will rise to a position of ease & pleasure.

To dream of shaking acorns from a tree means that you will rapidly attain your wishes in business or love.

AIRPORT

In a dream the sight of a busy airport represents the desire for freedom and/or travel.

If the airport is empty and deserted your own travel plans will be changed or delayed.

ALMONDS

If you see almonds in your dream you'll have a temporary sorrow.

If you ate and enjoyed them, you'll be lucky, but if they tasted bitter, you should delay any contemplated changes for as long as possible.

ANGELS A favorable dream forecasting success, protection, happiness, and rewarding friendships. BABY

To see a baby in your dream signifies innocence, warmth and new beginnings. A love affair may be blooming for you in your near future. You will also make new and fun friends.

If a woman dreams she is nursing a baby, she will be deceived by the one she trusts the most

BALLOON

Seeing balloons in your dream indicates a dashing of hope on any and all fronts, business or love, as well as a general falling off of all kinds of businesses you may be involved in.

If you are ascending in a balloon this is an omen of especially frustrating conditions in your life.

BEAR To dream of killing a bear foretells liberation from entanglements. BED

To dream of a clean, white bed denotes the end of worries.

If a woman dreams of making a bed, there will soon be a new lover in her life.

 

 

TURKEYS AND CHOCOLATE!

 

 

Hello everyone,

I  was going to give today a miss as far as an entry was concerned.  I feel so lethargic and everything is an effort.  Flipping cold,  I`ll be glad when it`s gone just so I can breathe again.  Tomorrow morning early, Jim and I are going to brave Tesco`s shopping aisles for the last time so we can get all our potatoes and veggies, cheeses, salad stuffs etc.  That will be it then, no more shopping except for bread and milk.  The freezers are both full and we won`t starve so I will have a much reduced shopping bill this week.....hooray!  Later in the morning I`m supposed to be going out with Kerry and Danny to Uxbridge to have lunch together, but it will depend how I feel.  Unless I feel much better I will have to back out and let them go on their own, which may be a good idea anyway because of a potential argument between them that I don` want to be caught up in.  It was bad enough when they argued as children but as adults it`s best to run for cover before the storm breaks...lol!

                                              

This afternoon I walked past the `Crime House` as usual with Jake.  There was no-one there but I did notice that the house`s extension roofing felt away where it meets the wall.  By the looks of it they are in for a serious leak when it rains and whoever was responsible for it`s construction  obviously isn`t the greatest builder in the world!  I wonder what else can happen to them now?  I doubt they`ll ever see there beautiful shiny new cars again, maybe they aren`t even out on bail.  If they are you can guarantee that their passports have been confiscated.

                                              

Did I mention Jim`s new exterior hard drive?  Well,  it doesn`t work at all, a friend had it tested and found it to be faulty so Jim has asked for a full refund.  He has seen a better one in PC World cheaper, very unusual for them I must say, so he is going to buy that one, saving money is always a plus.  The company sent  DHL to collect it this afternoon and hopefully it will be sorted out soon.  They are a good company so there shouldn`t be any problems.  The sooner he gets his drive he can then use his new photo imagining program.  It take up an enormous amount of space so he wants to keep it separate from the main hard drive.  He can also use it for his music downloads that he wants for his new mp3 player that he`s getting for Christmas.  I had another weird dream last night.  I had to kill my own turkey for Christmas dinner and I really didn`t want to do it.  I was told that if I cut it`s leg off it will die instantly...I did and it didn`t...UGH, it was horrible, I was screaming, the turkey was screaming.... this cold has a lot to answer for!  Oh yes, and the turkey hadn`t any feathers either.....or beak...UGH UGH  !!!  The thing is, it was a frozen one, but still alive...lol!   That`s it from me today, I`m going to spend some time reading journals and then maybe I`ll have a rest from the computer.  I`m shattered despite a good nights sleep (apart from the dream!).  I hope you all have a lovely day and take care.

 

 

 

 

Trivia about chocolate

 

A 1.5 oz. milk chocolate bar has only 220 calories.
A 1.75 oz. serving of potato chips has 230 calories.

A recent study indicates when men crave food, they tend to crave fat and salt. When women crave food, they tend to desire chocolate.

American chocolate manufacturers use about 1.5 billion pounds of milk -- only surpassed by the cheese and ice cream industries.

Americans consumed over 3.1 billion pounds of chocolate in 2001, which is almost half of the total world's production.

Aztec emperor Montezuma drank 50 golden goblets of hot chocolate every day. It was thick, dyed red and flavored with chili peppers.

Bittersweet chocolate is what is usually called for in baking. It contains more chocolate liquor (at least 35%) and less sugar than sweet chocolate. Semisweet chocolate contains 15% - 35% chocolate liquor.

Chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA), a natural substance that is reputed to stimulate the same reaction in the body as falling in love.

Chocolate syrup was used for blood in the famous 45 second shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's movie, Psycho, which actually took 7 days to shoot.

Chocolate Timeline:
1824: John Cadbury, an English Quaker, begins roasting and grinding chocolate beans to sell in his tea and coffee shop. In 1842 Cadbury's Chocolate Company in England creates the first chocolate bar.
1875: A Swiss chocolate maker, Daniel Peter, mixes Henri Nestle's con- densed milk with chocolate and the two men found a company to manufacture the first milk chocolate.
1894: Milton Hershey adds a line of chocolate to his caramel manufacturing business. Soon he invents the Hershey Bar by experimenting with milk chocolate. Hershey's Cocoa appears next.
1896: Leonard Hershfield invents the Tootsie Roll, named after his daughter.
1897: Brownies are first mentioned in print, listed for sale in the Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogue.
About 1900: A machine called the enrober is invented to replace the task of hand-dipping chocolate.
1930: Franklin Mars invents the Snickers Bar.
1939: Nestle introduces semisweet chocolate morsels.
1940: The Mars company invents M&M's for soldiers going to World War II.

Cocoa butter is the natural fat of the cocoa bean.It has a delicate chocolate aroma, but is very bitter tasting. It is used to give body, smoothness, and flavor to eating chocolate.

Cole Porter got a kick from fudge. He had nine pounds of it shipped to him each month from his hometown.

Columbus brought cacao (chocolate) beans back to Spain on his fourth voyage in 1502.

German chocolate cake did not originate in Germany. In 1852, Sam German developed a sweet baking bar for Baker's Chocolate Co. The product was named in honor of him -- Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate.

Hawaii is the only US state that grows cacao beans to produce chocolate.

In 1900, Queen Victoria sent her New Year's greetings to the British troops stationed in South Africa during the Boer War in the form of a specially molded chocolate bar.

In Hershey, Pennsylvania, the streetlights along "Chocolate Avenue" are in the shape of Hershey Kisses.

In the United States, approximately seven billion pounds of chocolate and candy are manufactured each year.

One plain milk chocolate candy bar has more protein than a banana.

Per capita, the Irish eat more chocolate than Americans, Swedes, Danes, French, and Italians.

Pet parrots can eat virtually any common "people-food" except for chocolate and avocados. Both of these are highly toxic to the parrot and can be fatal.

Ten percent of U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of iron is found in one ounce of baking chocolate or cocoa. Chocolate also contains Vitamins A1, B1, B2, C, D and E as well as calcium, potassium, sodium and iron.

The American Heart Association recommends that daily cholesterol intake not exceed 300 mg. A chocolate bar is actually low in cholesterol. A 1.65 oz. bar contains only 12 mg! A one oz piece of cheddar cheese contains 30 mg of cholesterol - more than double the amount found in a chocolate bar.

The botanical name of the chocolate plant is Theobramba cacao, which means "Food of the Gods."

The daughter of confectioner Leo Hirschfield is commemorated in the name of the sweet he invented: Although his daughter's real name was Clara, she went by the nickname Tootsie, and in her honor, her doting father named his chewy chocolate logs Tootsie Roll.

The theobromine in chocolate that stimulates the cardiac and nervous systems is too much for dogs, especially smaller pups. A chocolate bar is poisonous to dogs and can even be lethal.

 

THE LURGY HITS HOME!

 

Hello everyone,

Did I say yesterday I`m glad that I have a cold?  I must have been mad because today I feel awful, talk about not speaking too soon!  I feel as though my legs don`t belong to me and walking Jake this afternoon was a real effort, still, it`s better to get it over with.  I just hope the cough won`t get any worse.  I`ll just keep dosing myself up and drinking plenty of fluids, carrying on with the Echinacea, cod liver oil and multi-vitamins for the cold-ravaged over fifties...lol!

                                    

It`s cold amd miserable outside, though the day started with a heavy frost.  It`s really overcast and damp now and it chills me through and through.  I don`t mind the cold at all, it`s the damp I hate...so does my arthritis for that matter...Oh never mind me, I just feel sorry for myself today, I shall stop complaining immediately!

                              

This morning I decided to sit down and watch a DVD.  Jim is always buying them for me but I never seem to get around to watching them.  I decided to watch `Fluke`, a lovely little film that I first saw on video several years ago.  It`s a tale of a man who dies in a car crash in what looks like suspicious circumstances.  When he dies his spirit passes to a new born puppy and it tells the story of the puppies search for his `old life` family to warn them of danger.  It is a really lovely story but a bit of a tear-jerker and a bit different than most of the `dog travels a million miles back to adoring family` type film.  Definitely worth a watch if you love dogs and small boys. 

                 

Tomorrow I should have a leisurely day, I`m as prepared for Christmas as I`ll ever be except for some baking...yummm  fresh baked mince pies coming up, I can smell them already, well I can`t really smell anything at the moment but hopefully I will be able to by tomorrow.  I had a strange dream last night involving some of my J-Land friends.  We all went on holiday to this horrible place beside the sea, then when we decided to leave we couldn`t as the gates were locked and the place was deserted ....it was horrible, we were all shouting but nobody was there, then I woke up.  Whatever made me dream that, I wonder?  I`m off to read some journals now as my emails are mounting up.  I hope you all have a lovely day, bye for now and take care.

 

 

TRIVIA ABOUT CATS:

95% of cat owners admit they talk to their cats.

A cat can be either right-pawed or left-pawed.

A cat can jump as much as seven times its height.

A cat cannot see directly under its nose. This is why the cat cannot seem to find tidbits on the floor.

A cat has 230 bones in its body. A human only has 206 bones.

A cat has four rows of whiskers.

A cat in a hurry can sprint at about thirty-one miles per hour.

A cat sees about six times better than a human at night because of the tapetum lucidum , a layer of extra reflecting cells which absorb light.

A cat uses its whiskers to determine if a space is too small to squeeze through. The whiskers act as feelers or antennae, helping the animal to judge the precise width of any passage.

A cat will almost never meow at another cat. Cats use this sound for humans.

A cat will clean itself with paw and tongue after a dangerous experience or when it has fought with another cat. This is believed to be an attempt by the animal to soothe its nerves by doing something natural and instinctive.

A cat will never break a sweat because it has no sweat glands.

A cat will spend nearly 30% of its life grooming itself.

A cat's arching back is part of a complex body language system, usually associated with feeling threatened. The arch is able to get so high because the cat's spine contains nearly 60 vertebrae which fit loosely together. Humans have only 34 vertebrae.

A cat's brain is more similar to a human's brain than that of a dog.

A cat's ear pivots 180 degrees.

A cat's hearing rates as one of the top in the animal kingdom. Cats can hear sounds as high-pitched as 65 kHz; a human's hearing stops at just 20 kHz.

A cat's heart beats at 110 to 140 beats per minute, twice as fast as a human heart.

A cat's jaws cannot move sideways.

A cat's normal body temperature is 101.5 degrees F (38.6 C).

 

ONE EARLY PRESSIE

 

Hello everyone,

I have a cold, not a sniffle or a snuffle but a full-blown sneezing, coughing, watery eyed cold, and let me tell you that I`m glad too!  Sounds daft I know, but I`d rather have it now than at the weekend when I need to be fit as a fiddle and completely germ free.  Hopefully, I`ll be over it, just as Jim is recovering from it, so is Kerry, Roman is coughing and sneezing but seems well in himself and should be over it soon.

                                                            

 

I had an early start today, me and Kerry went to visit a friend and deliver Christmas presents for her children, we stayed chatting for a couple of hours before fighting our way home through heavy traffic, it took twenty minutes to drive the two miles home.  I think perhaps some people have been in hiding and have just realised that Christmas is next week.  Now they decide that they`d better go and spend some money......talk about last minute shopping, the High Street was heaving and not where I would like to be at the moment.

 

Jim has bought me an early pressie.  Lately I`ve been having trouble starting my car, it always starts but it sometimes takes a while.  Our mechanic has looked at it and he thought it was the choke sticking, so I just carried on driving, confident it would always start if I were out somewhere.  Yesterday Jim wanted to use my car to go to Tesco and it wouldn`t start at all this time.  Jim decided to drive his own car and off he went.  When we came home he called out to me that he had brought me a present...Oooh lovely, I`m thinking...chocolates, flowers...no.  " Here you are," says he, holding up a car battery, "for you, this should do it."   Actually, I couldn`t have had a better present because that was the problem all along, a dying battery.  When we thought about it we realised that the car is seven years old and it had never had a new battery.  So there it was, problem solved.  Who says romance is dead...?....lol!

                    

Still nothing much to tell about the "crime house".  There does appear to be someone living there and yesterday I saw a child open the door to a little girl who was probably asking her to come out and play, but she quickly shut the door after I heard someone call out to her.  They are definetely lying low, presumably because they don`t want to be the talk of the neighbourhood, bit late for that I think!  I`m running a bit late today so I`ll say goodbye for now, here`s hoping you`ve all had a lovely day.

 

 

Wrapping Presents with Dogs

1. Gather presents, boxes, paper, etc. in middle of living room floor.

2. Get tape back from puppy.

3. Remove scissors from older dog's mouth.

4. Open box.

5. Take puppy out of box.

6. Remove tape from older dog's mouth.

7. Take scissors away from puppy.

8. Put present in box.

9. Remove present from puppy's mouth.

10. Put back in box after removing puppy from box.

11. Take scissors from older dog and sit on them.

12. Remove puppy from box and put on lid.

13. Take tape away from older dog.

14. Unroll paper.

15. Take puppy OFF box.

16. Cut paper being careful not to cut puppy's foot or nose that is getting in the way as he "helps."

17. Let puppy tear remaining paper.

18. Take puppy off box.

19. Wrap paper around box.

20. Remove puppy from box & take wrapping paper from its mouth.

21. Tell older dog to fetch the tape so he will stop stealing it.

22. Take scissors away from puppy.

23. Take tape older dog is holding.

24. Quickly tape one spot before taking scissors from older dog & sitting on them again.

25. Fend off puppy trying to steal tape & tape another spot.

26. Take bow from older dog.

27. Go get roll ofwrapping paper puppy ran off with.

28. Take scissors from older dog who took them when you got up.

29. Give pen to older dog to hold so he stops licking your face.

30. Remove puppy from present & hurriedly slap tape on to hold the paper on.

31. Take now soggy bow from puppy & tape on since the sticky stuff no longer sticks.

32. Take pen from older dog, address tag & affix while puppy tries to eat pen.

33. Grab present before puppy opens it & put it away.

34. Clean up mess puppy & older dog made playing tug-of-war with remnants of wrapping paper.

35. Put away rest of wrapping supplies & tell dogs what good helpers they are.