Putting on the Style!

Do you think they suit me Nana?  I want to follow in Grandad`s footsteps!

Yep, I have to say that they really suit me!

My present to my Nana.

Oh Happy Day!

Hello Everyone,

Hasn`t it been a lovely day today? It`s one of those days where nothing could have gone wrong even if I`d wanted it to...why?  It`s my birthday and the sun has been shining all day. Work has been really busy and I`ve really enjoyed it too, though I`m not sure I`d feel that way all the time...lol!  I`ve had some lovely cards and presents and my most favourite of all was the little plaque from Roman that says" For a Loving Nana"

"This Guardian Angel has been sent to watch over you each day.

With warmth and loving care this special Angel will help guide you on your way."

I`m going to keep it on my bedside cabinet so I can look at it last thing at night and first thing in the morning. Tomorrow I`ll take a photo of it to show you along with a couple of others that Jim took today.

I hope you like the photos I posted yesterday of our weekend in Kent. We had a great time there and are really thinking about making it our home in a few years time. It has everything we want in a neighbourhood and we have family and friends living there. On the Saturday we visited Canterbury Cathedral and had a good look around. The Cathedral has stood since the 11th century though it took 500 years to reach completion. I felt it to be a deeply spiritual place that had a great warmth about it, unlike some old churches I have visited. A lady volunteer told me and Sue,(Jim`s sister) a great deal about the place such as the desecration of the tombs of long dead Archbishops of Canterbury by the Puritans. They believed that people were worshipping the religious icons instead of our Lord so they cut of the heads of the staues of the Saints and defaced the tombs themselves. We also visted the exact place where Thomas Becket was murdered for his beliefs, the very same place that Pope John Paul II prayed with Robert Runcie, the Archbishop at the time. We also said prayers and lit candles for friends and family who need as much help as they can at this time.

Sunday the weather was gorgeous and we went for a drive to Ramsgate and then for a long coastal walk. Jake absolutely loved the sea and I`m sure he would have stayedwith Sue and Steve given half the chance...lol!   Anyway, I must go now and hopefully read some of your journals before I settle down and watch some TV at 9.  Take care and have a nice evening. :o)

 

Photos from the Weekend Away

See You All Later

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to Thursday edition of my Scribbles. It`s just a short entry to let you know that we`re going to Jim`s sister for the weekend so I`ll be turning off alerts this evening. I managed to book a day off from work so we can leave tomorrow at midday instead of later in the afternoon. At least this way I can sleep a bit longer and take my time in the morning instead of having to rush home and get ready. I don`t know what the weather will be like in Kent but I`m looking forward to the break.

This afternoon I bought an orchid (what else...lol) for my SIL,  a lovely two spiked, white Phalaenopsis that should last for months. I`m sure she`ll like it, but if she doesn`t, well I can always give it a good home...lol! I popped into Tesco on the way home from work to return a couple of things that I bought last week. While I was there I bought myself some hot spicy sausages and a Krispy Kreme doughnut for my lunch. Full of calories and probably very unhealthy, but what do I care? It tasted delicious and that`s what`s important to me when I come home from work starving...lol!

I hurt my back at work this afternoon and I`ve been limping around ever since. It was my own fault for not lifting properly and I`m sure it will get better after a weekend of no housework. I must be more careful in future, usually I take care when lifting....ouch!

Anyway my friends, I must go now. I hope you all have a great weekend and I`ll be back with you by Monday at the latest. :o)

 

 

Ups and Downs On Mother`s Day

Hello Everyone,

Happy Mother`s day to you all. I`ve had an up and down sort of day today with more ups than downs...lol!  This morning I was thrilled to get a lovely phone call from our dear friend Jeannette, she sounds so well considering what`s she`s been through this last week. I just want to let you know that she`s well and I`ve leave it to her to explain everything once she`s able to get back online again.

The above photo shows the cards and presents I got from Kerry and Roman. Kerry bought the two figurines, (she knows I like those particular ones) and Roman bought me the single large orchid (isn`t he a sweetheart?). Kerry also bought a small pack of truffles but I ate them when I was doing the ironing...lol!

Danny bought me this bouquet of orchids because he said he knows I have a passion for them. I didn`t realise he did but it shows he notices these things, not that it`s really possible to overlook all nine of them...lol!

Dan rang me later this morning to tell me that his car had been clamped outside the gym where he was fifteen minutes into his workout. Luckily someone saw what happened and told him what had happened. It cost him a small fortune to get it unclamped, £352 to be exact, daylight robbery but there was nothing he could do about it but pay or his car would be towed away and he would be charged £35 a day for storage! The basic charge was £150 and added to that was the presence of the tow vehicle, ready to take the car away, even if it hadn`t actually done so. Then 17.5% VAT was added plus a 2.5% surcharge. They also had a section for an abuse charge which didn`t apply to him, though I`m sure he felt like being VERY abusive!  Anyway I`m sure he won`t let himself be caught like that again, it might all be legal but it was a nice mornings work for the clamper...grrr!

Also I`ve been getting loads of cold callers today offering me everything from double glazing to offering `luxury` holidays for free..hmm! I told Salina if the phone rang once more I`d throw the thing down the toilet...lol!

Bye for Now. :o)

 

 

The National Archives

Hello Everyone,

It`s been a rather different day for me today. This afternoon Jim and I went to Mortlake Crematorium to take some flowers for Mother`s day. It`sonly two months since his Mum died but he coped with it very well, even though another funeral was taking place as we arrived there. After that we went up the road to the National Archives so we could do a bit of research into his family tree. We only had an hour and a half before they closed so we had to be quick. Once we`d registered and been photograhed, we had to lock up our coats and belongings as nothing can be taken into the reading rooms. Even birth certificates have to be copies and pens aren`t allowed either, just pencils. I can fully understand the need for security as they hold every record there is right back to the Domesday Book!  We were looking for the registration of the birth of his maternal grandmother but after an extensive search under the appropriate year we found nothing. It was only after I worked out that it could have been in the last quarter of the year before so Jim has to go through it all again. We are now both expert on reading microfilm, or microfliche as they call it. It made us feel like a couple of spies...lol!  Next time I go I`m going to look through my late dad`s war records to see what I can find.

After we`d finished up there we went to a large shopping centre across the road from Kew Gardens. They have a large Marks&Spencer so we had a good look around. Jim bought a few shirts and I bought three T-shirts for the price of two and a couple of bits for Roman from Next. Then we went for a meal at The Bulls Head in Strand-on-the-Green. Our table was overlooking the river and it was lovely to watch the sun going down over Old Father Thames. We had Angus steak burgers on Focaccia bread with  mascapone cheese and mushroom topping with spicy pickle, rocket and tomato salad and french fries...and the whole meal was delicious. The Bull is one of our favourite places to eat even if it is a bit far from home. I suppose now we`ll be visiting the Archives now we`ll be eating at The Bull more often...yummy!

Anyway, I must fly. I hope you`ve been enjoying your weekend so far and I hope to visit your journals again soon. Take care.

 

Daily Reflections

" As the bee takes the essence of a flower and flies away without destroying it`s beauty and perfume, so let the sage wander in this life"

 

 

 

 

Photo entry ~ A Walk In The Park

As Old As You Feel!

Hello Everyone,

I want to start this entry by asking you all to visit Jeannette`s journal to wish her luck for her cancer surgery tomorrow morning. If you haven`t already, please visit and say a few comforting words, thanks a lot.

I`ve had a very busy week at work and I`m totally worn out. Of course it`s nothing to do with the fact that I`m 55 at the end of this month...lol!  I don`t FEEL 55, well my mind doesn`t and I`m not even sure I look it, but my goodness my body certainly does.  I`ve got pains where I didn`t even know I had places...lol! My back is killing me, as is the arthritis in my hands, not helped of course by my gardening all afternoon after work. I bought some plants and I wanted to get them planted today, though I still have three more to go in AND another two or three to be moved around. I have all these plans but not as much energy as I`d like...sigh.  I did do really well with my discount from work,  enabling me to buy the very best plants with less than I hoped to spend and you know me, I love a good bargain and what`s more I can buy some more plants next week!

I`ve been working outside apart from today and with the gorgeous weather of late it`s been the perfect job, now that the weather is getting quite cool again so I`m glad to be working back indoors from Monday. I know I said I didn`t mind the cold but that`s easy to say when it`s warm and sunny, tomorrow I`m outside again so I soon find out what it`s like when it`s cooler. I do hope the false Spring is soon followed by the real thing, my poor flowers don`t look the same with the sun shining on them.

Yesterday I went to Windsor with Kerry and Roman and I had a bit of a spending spree, well not exactly a spree but I did buy a new top from Next. Next week Jim and I are visiting his sister in Kent for the weekend and I wanted something new , not that I need an excuse to buy something but it helps ...lol! I bought Roman a kiddie`s broom from the Early Learning Centre because he likes to help out in the garden. Usually he uses my hand brush but now he has his very own, yesterday he tried to sweep the carpet in the living room...lol!

Anyway, I`m going to have a cup of tea and try to wake myself up. Enjoy the rest of your Thursday and take care.

Daily Reflections

" Just as a flower which seems beautiful and has colour but no perfume, so are the fruitless words of the man who speaks them but does them not."

 

 

Happy Days

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to a bright, sunny day here in Berkshire, England. I`ve really enjoyed today too even though it`s a Monday. I`ve been working outside today because one of my colleagues has just returned to work on light duties after an accident and is doing my usual job. How I enjoyed working outside in the warmth of the sun, dead heading and tidying up trays of flowers, it`s very satisfying seeing the improvement to their appearance. I think I wouldn`t even mind being outside when it`s freezing cold either, the times just flies by and I can listen to the birds singing or just be alone with my thoughs, it`s very calming.

Going for a walk this afternoon

I left work at 1.30 and went to the dentist. Apparently there is nothing wrong with any of my teeth but the gum has slightly receded over one of them and that is what is causing the pain. What the dentist is going to do is to bond some white filling over it to stop the sensitivity so I`ll have that done next Tuesday. I must say I`m relieved that it wasn`t anything serious because I`m like everyone else in that I don`t like dentists but even more I hate the cost of them...lol! Afterwards it was across the road to the doctors for my blood test, which took all of 10 mins as I got a very efficient nurse who told me I have lovely veins,...hmmm..I`ve not had a compliment like that before...lol!  Now I have to make a doctor`s appointment for the results sometime next week.

Where`s that Jake gone Grandad?

This afternoon I found someone? had switched the freezer off at the mains and a lot of the food had defrosted.  Luckily the better cuts of meat where near the bottom and they were still frozen solid, as it is though I have to go to Tesco and restock it tomorrow. I just hope the culprit (most likely me!) is more careful next time.

"How far did you say I walked, Grandad?"  "Nearly a mile I`d say Sweetheart"

Today is Jake`s 4th birthday, even if he doesn`t exactly know it. We`ve bought him a really nice bed as he did need one. It needs a was but when it`s clean again I`ll take photo to show you, it`s very smart and from what I can tell, very comfortable. Put it this way, if I were a dog, I`d sleep in it...lol!

Anyway, I must fly, Slava has just arrived to take Roman home so I`d better get him ready to go home, Roman that is!  Have a lovely evening and I hope to get to your journals very soon.

Is that the last photo Nanna?

 

Daily Reflections

" Look upon the man who tells thee of thy faults as if he told thee of hidden treasure, the wise man who shows thee the dangers of life. Follow that man: he who follows him will see good and not evil."

 

 

In Two Minds

Hello Everyone,

Today I have very mixed feelings about what to write. As most of you know my dear friend Jeannette has been diagnosed with breast cancer and I`m really sad for her. I know though that she`ll beat this cursed disease but I feel angry that it has happened. If you haven`t done so already, please go over to her journal and give her your support, it will be very much appreciated...thank you. Then I heard that our dear friend Sugar has also been diagnosed with cancer but a different form from Jeannette, my goodness why has this happened to two of the nicest women here in J-Land? Whatever the reason God is in their respective corners and will come out fighting for them both. I`ve also copied the two graphics that were made for Sugar and Jeannette and added them to my sidebar with links to both of their journals, they would both very much appreciate it if you would do the same to support these lovely ladies who mean so much to us all.

I`ve had a rather nice but busy week. I`ve still not had my blood test for thyroid malfunction but I have an appointment for Monday afternoon, but before that I have a dental appointment for a tooth that is bothering me.  At least I can get both things out of the way in one day as the two surgeries are almost next door to each other.

I`ve been doing some gardening this week and have pruned all of the shrubs and roses in the garden. It was hard work but the results show that it was worth it. I`ve cut the jasmine back really hard and I`m sure it will look better than ever this year. The roses, especially the Laura Ford are looking really good and I have high hopes for them as well. I wanted to plant my Valentine`s day rose but it can wait for another day, there`s a lot of weeding to be done first :o( The magnolia tree is blossoming and it looks lovely when the birds are twittering about with their suitors, the tree is fast becoming a lovers meeting place as well as a feeding area, though I do wish my solitary little chaffinch would bring along a lady friend, he must feel quite lonely with all the other birds and their girlfriends all around him...lol!

Today Jim started stripping the wallpaper from the living room walls with the help of Danny while Salina read the paper and I vaccuumed the bedrooms, not for me all that decorating stuff.  I used to do it before I met Jim and even though I CAN do a pretty good job of it I really don`t want to anymore, leave it to the men is what I say and let me choose the wallpaper and the curtains...lol!  Salina told me of her stay in Bangladesh and her relief to get back home again, she said it was nice to see her grandmother again but it was far too hot for her and her family and a bit of a culture shock. She also told me of the extreme poverty of many of the people there. They are either very rich or very poor, there is no middle ground for any of them and it was very sad to see. Her family are the lucky ones who are educated and well off but for many people education is to expensive and they have to work the land from a very early age. What she told me really opened my eyes to some of the things that happen in this world...sigh.

Well my friends I`ll say goodbye now, I hope you all have a very enjoyable weekend and I leave you with todays reflection.

"The perfume of the flowers goes not against the wind, nor even the perfume of sandlewood, of rosebay, or of jasmine; but the perfume of virtue travels against the wind and reaches unto the ends of the world."

 

 

Station Jim

Hello Everyone,

Today Jim travelled into London to visit a local records office in his search for any family history. He decided to travel by train and while he waited on platform 5 he took a photo of Station Jim, a very famous dog who is preserved for posterity in a glass case. I hope you like the following story of his short life.

 

                                         STATION JIM

Next time you visit Slough Station, spare a minute or two to go to Platform 5 and see 'Station Jim'. He stands proudly in a glass case, with his collecting box strapped across his shoulders. Jim was brought to Slough Station as a three month old puppy in 1894 and soon began working as a Canine Collector for the Great Western Railway Widows and Orphans Fund. He knew many tricks and was taught to bark whenever a coin was put into his collecting box.   Poor health meant that he worked for a relatively short time, but nevertheless he managed to collect the sum of £40 (equivalent to over £2,500 today)! He died suddenly, in his harness, in November 1896. He was so popular that the local community raised money for his body to be stuffed and placed on display in a glass case. A collecting box was placed alongside his case to ensure that Jim's good work would continue.       Daily Reflections "The wind doesn`t lend itself to being grasped by the hand or being touched. But nevertheless there is such a thing as the wind. Just so there is nirvana but one cannot point to nirvana, either by its colour or shape."

All Washed Out

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to a wet and miserable Sunday evening. The rain has been falling all day and Dan has just returned from walking Jake and is completely saturated despite wearing a so-called waterproof coat. Poor Jake was so wet that it took three towels to dry him and he`s still too damp to leave the kitchen for the comfort of the living room carpet. I feel sorry for my work colleagues whose turn it is to work this weekend, it`s no fun working outdoors in torrential rain...so they tell me!

                                            

                                     

I did a bit of bird-watching from the kitchen window and the usual visitors were all there this morning. The two beautiful goldfinches who share a seed feeder, the solitary chaffinch who hops along the path looking for seed that has fallen from the feeders, the gang of thuggish starlings who beat up any other bird that interupts their feeding frenzy and the skittish blue and great tits that rush in and grab some seed and then fly away. I could sit and watch them all day but alas there is always something that has to be done. This morning it was the ironing and what a job it was too. Like last week there were only a couple of things that were mine, the rest was all Dan`s and Jim`s...methinks it is about time they pitched in and did a bit themselves...but until such time as a blue moon appears in the sky I shall carry on regardless...lol!

                                

I have decided that I`m going to buy another orchid and let it sit here on my computer table so Jim can`t say a word about it. Tesco sell them now at a good price and they give good reductions to plants that are about to flower again soon. I have to go there in the week anyway so I`m sure an orchid will somehow find it`s way into my shopping basket...lol! It`s Jake`s 4th birthday on 12th March and I`m going to buy him a smart new bed from Pets at Home, his last one was badly chewed by Marshal when he last stayed here. When he stays again the new bed will be put away for the week and Jake can have the old one for a while.

                                   

Oh yes, I nearly forgot. Salina is back home several hours ago after her very long journey. Dan has talked to her several times already and will probably see her tomorrow or Tuesday as he always collects her and takes her to work in the mornings. It`ll be nice to see her and hear about her trip, though there won`t be any photos I`m afraid, it wasn`t that kind of holiday. I must go now as I want to play some Bookworm and then watch Lewis on TV at 9pm.  I hope you all have a lovely evening, take care and goodbye for now. :o)

 

 

 

General Saturday Stuff

Hello Everyone,

I hope you`re all having a nice restful weekend. It`s been a nice day here but a bit on the chilly side. This morning I was up earlier than usual for a Saturday as I had a hair appointment at 10.30 and I wanted to get some housework done beforehand, I don`t seem to have the time to do as much as I used to before I worked in the mornings. It was nice to have my hair done and have a chat with my hairdresser, not my usual stylist because mine is away at the moment. Today C did my hair and she is trained in Indian Head Massage too so it was a bit of a treat when she washed it, it made me relax so much I nearly fell  alseep...lol!

This week at work has been a bit different as we`ve had new tills installed and they are much better than the old ones and easier to use. They are Windows so I know exactly what I`m doing and even better, I now feel I`m on an even playing field with everyone else there because it was all new to them too...very satisfying from my point of view I can tell you. I even had to show one or two people how do do this and that which was even better. I was given another orchid in the week...yes, I know but it wasn`t for me, I had it ear-marked for a friend of mine.....but as I was walking to my car with it the leaves fell off and when I got home I looked at the roots and saw they had started to rot so I had to throw it away. Never mind, they`ll be others and I can content myself with the ceramic pot that came with it and in which now contains one of the eight other orchids that live alongside us...lol!

Yesterday I was going to go to the hospital to have my blood test until a work colleague warned me that Friday is the worst day to go because it`s their busiest day. Instead I went to Kerry`s for lunch and then we went into Windsor for coffee and cakes. It was a beautiful morning and early afternoon but when it was time to come home from Windsor, down came the rain in bucket loads and soaked us all.  As we hurried back to the car park I looked up and saw the Royal Standard flying from the tower at Windsor Castle. The Queen was home for the weekend and it made me wonder if she was looking out at her wet subjects scurrying for shelter from the rain...hmm, I wonder?

Jim has made more headway with his family tree with the discovery of family members that he didn`t even know he had. There are quite a few things he wouldn`t want me to mention here and I quite agree with him, as it is he`s trying not to say too much to family members until he has something set in concrete. We keep getting phone calls from one or the other of his many cousins and we`ve been picking their brains with sometimes startling results. When there is something I CAN tell you I will but at the moment I can only tell you if we`re doing well or not, sorry to be so vague.

Jim is at work on late shift, Dan has gone to a leaving do in a posh London club and here am I having a lovely peaceful evening with no distractions. I`m feeling really well at the moment, my cold/virus has almost gone although it wasn`t reallly that bad and it didn`t keep me home from work. It must be the healthy environment I work in because Jim has had several bad colds and a bout of flu this year with no effect on me whatsoever. I think however that Dan and Kerry are getting colds now, guess who`ll be blamed for that...lol! Dan`s girlfriend Salina is coming home a week early from her trip overseas. She has flown part of the way already and has a five hour wait for her connecting flight home tonight, she`ll be exhausted when she finally arrives at Heathrow Airport after a fifteen hour journey. I know though that Dan can`t wait to see her back home safe and sound.

I haven`t read as many journals as I`d like this week but have been trying to catch up today. I have read quite a lot but haven`t been able to comment on them all as I`d be here until midnight. Hopefully by tomorrow I`ll be up to speed with them all. Anyway my friends I`ll say goodbye for now, take care and enjoy the rest of the day. :o)