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 |  Empty or full, shiny or a little in need of washing and sometimes just cracked! |
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I heard about these blogs and wondered why people would want to air their dirty laundry online. But I feel safe on this site so maybe it's worth a try. We'll see. This blog is complete. Please find my new blog from the link below...
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| First a big thank you to sultry for making my snowglobe. I chose the photograph of my sister and I because it's one of the few I have of us in St Louis. My sister has some memories of her childhood there but for me, there are only photographs to make me wonder what life would have been like for us on the other side of the pond. One of the tasks my sis and I spend time on when she visits is sorting and making new albums of old family photographs. It's a very emotional occupation; trying to figure out who is related to who, laughing at old memories, feeling sad about all the relatives no longer with us and rather uncomfortable about how swiftly time has passed since the photos were taken. Here are a couple of my favourites. My family returning to England on the first Queen Elizabeth liner and my sister and I as children on holiday in Folkestone, England. I love the old photos Nada   has recently posted in her blog and agree with her and PlannerDan there's something very special about black and white photographs. I didn't have any studio photographs taken when younger but here's one I had taken a couple of years ago. I'm pleased black and white has come back into fashion.Now shall I have that one on the back of my first novel or a more recent colour one? Something I don't have to worry about right now as the novel does not yet exist. lol So that's filled a great big blog space without actually saying a deal (nothing new there then} but Nada said she liked pictures!     |
| I'm feeling a bit down today for various reasons, some logical, some not, so I thought the following rather appropriate. Not my words again but for anyone who loves the English language it might be interesting. 'There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other and that is the word UP. It's easy to understand UP meaning towards the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report? We call UP our friends. We brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and guys fix UP old cars. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special. And this UP is confusing. A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem pretty mixed UP about UP. To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost a quarter of the the page and adds UP to around thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP When it doesn't rain for awhile things dry UP One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP so...time to shut UP. Oh, one more thing: what is the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night? U...P  Okay, okay I'm going. UP the stairs to Bedfordshire. I should never stay UP until this time. I think I might have trouble getting UP in the morning. Nighty Night and may you feel UPlifted and happy. |
Happy Birthday to You. Happy Birthday to You. Happy Birthday Dear Blog Happy Birthday to you. On this day last year I made my first blog entry. I remember it well. A cold Friday morning when I was in quite good spirits because my sister was coming over for a visit. I started it on a whim; not for one minute thinking I'd keep it up or anyone would read it. Of course, it contains references to smoking, drinking, bog cleaning and all the other deep meaningful subjects I generally cover.  Today, my spirits are not so high as sis has just gone home after a pleasant stay. And as the date falls on a Saturday, there will be no mention of bog cleaning. (Thank God for small mercies) But I have to say although this year of blogging has not seen many serious changes in my daily life or habits I could never have foreseen what lay ahead in my year as a blogger. In all honesty, I think it has been the most positive highlight of the year. I haven't made an entry every day but this will be my 286th, which isn't bad out of 365. I have had 24 FIVE star ratings, 6373 views, an awardicon and sigs designed by zwisis YES, I am PROUD. Proud of my own achievements, proud of the praise I've received, the support and comments and mostly proud of the friends I've made along the way. I try to vary my topics and my approach to them, but I make no apologies for repeating every so often how much this blogging business has come to mean to me and what an important and pleasurable activity it has become to share the lives and thoughts of my valued readers. I find it hard to believe how my obsession with lists of FIVE has affected others. (My first list of 5 appears in entry 4 of my blog so I obviously was doing it way before I mentioned it) How amazing it is that within this year we have seen the birth of B.A.N.G. and The Blogville News. What great fun it was to see my love of ducks create a full blown war! lol I have a whole new list of friends on MSN who I WUB chatting to and feel I know almost as well as the friends I share my days with. Oh yes, this is one thing I can say has been a very worthwhile habit to add to my addictions and proof of the old saying, 'From little acorns mighty oaks do grow.' Thank you, my precious friends and readers for making my first year of blogging such a wonderful and gratifying experience. I hope and pray we will all be around for a second birthday. But for now, grab a piece of Cybercake, a glass of Cyberwine and give yourselves great big Cyberhugs from me. Cheers, (clinking of cyberglasses) Here's to the start of another year of enjoyable blogging and God bless you all. |
| After I'd been out last night and been very careful with the wine consumption, I thought I'd just check out my e-mails and the latest blogs and get to bed. Well, you know what thought did don't you? (Is that just an English expression?) When I signed into MSN, my Australian friend was online. It was Wednesday morning there and normally she's at work, so I hadn't expected her to be about. Turned out she'd taken the day off for a funeral later, so she asked if I'd like a game of Scrabble. Okay then, just the one. Pour another glass of wine, light another ciggy. Well, half way through the game I noticed Tor was online and I didn't want him to think I was an Ignoranus so I thought I'd just say Hi or ask him if he was in the Vampire room or something. Turns out he was talking to Winda and asked if I'd like to join them. Confusion set in when I realised Winda wasn't on my list, so poor Tor sorted out the DUHbrain and then an old schoolfriend signed in too. So I'm trying to play this game, talk to my Aussie friend and schoolfriend, catch up with the WDC chatters and I think Sultry signed in about then too and I haven't got enough fwinkers or brain power to cope. Pour another glass of wine and light another ciggy. Then just as I was finishing my game, my Mexican friend signed in and persuaded me to play another game and the rest is history as they say. I have no will power. lol As I also have a nosey hubby who wants to know who I'm chatting to and who I'm playing all the time. That just added to the chaos. HOW the lords of darkness and light coped in chatrooms with hundreds of people is beyond me. I think I'd need ten arms and six pair of eyes as well as a brain transplant. SO, too much wine, too many cigarettes and not enough sleep, as is my habit. My good intentions didn't last too long did they?  But I'm back on the wagon tonight and as my sis will be staying over on Friday I'd better try to be good tomorrow too. Gawd, why is everything I enjoy so bad for me? Which reminds me; it's time to phone my sis. Off to get my bottle of water. Yummy. |
| I'll never be a health fanatic but since the start of this year I've felt so tired and lethargic I decided I must make more effort. I have so many bad habits it would be unrealistic to tackle everything at once, so small steps will have to do for the moment. Yesterday not one drop of alcohol passed my lips.  Now that might not sound much to most people, but for someone who's a bit of a tippler it's quite a big deal. It wasn't as bad as I anticipated, I didn't get the shakes or hit anyone and now I've proved I can go without, I'll do it more often. So, it was bottled water all day which was fine, but it did feel a bit frumpish sitting there with hubby sipping our Horlicks last thing like Darby and Joan. Didn't sleep too badly considering.I've also bought one of those pedometer things, just out of curiosity, not for serious intentions. According to my new device I have managed the ten thousand recommended steps today. I'm not sure how accurate it is and I did notice it went up four steps when I dropped it, but it keeps small minds amused. I reckon most of those steps have been taken going upstairs to the bog to get rid of all that bottled water. I do feel less tired though already. Out with friends tonight so a little vino is in order, but my resolve to try harder is still in tact. Who knows? In a few months time I could become sylphlike and sensible. Nah, I dont think so either. |
| Recently I've become very aware of how many times a day I bend down. I have a few twinges in the back at times, but nothing serious and I don't suffer from vertigo, so I don't know why I've suddenly taken a dislike to bending down. Maybe just idleness or old age beckoning, but some days it seems the minute I get out of bed I seem to be constantly bending for one reason or another. So yesterday I made a conscious decision not to bend down unless absolutely necessary and to try and remember to bend from the knees, not the waist. Well, I was doing okay until I left the house to go and meet my mother. I was in a bit of a hurry but halfway down the path something on the ground caught my eye. I've always tended to walk with eyes cast down. As a child I was constantly bumping into lamposts as a result. My mother used to nag me about it all the time until the day I tried walking with my head up and trod in a pile of dog poop. Anyway I digress. Were my eyes deceiving me? Was it really what I thought it was lying on the path to my door? I forgot my resolution and bent down to look. I tell you no lies. The photo below shows what I discovered.  You can see how small it is in contrast to my son's hand. Well, I was in a bit of a rush, so I grabbed the little duck and put it in my pocket. But I started wondering if my reputation for taking in refugee ducks was spreading. Had it found its own way there or had some duck parents abandoned their unwanted duckling on my doorstep? The mystery puzzled me all day. Later when I had a little more time, little duck and I had a chat and decided the name 'Diddy' was most suitable. Diddy informed me he's part of a farm set belonging to my twin stepgrandsons. Apparently, when they visited on Friday one of the twins dropped the whole box on the path on the way to the car. It seems when they retrieved all their farm buildings and animals poor Diddy was overlooked. So mystery solved, but it still amused me to think of all the animals they could have left behind, it just had to be a duck didn't it? Made me smile on an otherwise very frustrating day. The problem is, Diddy and I have grown rather attached now and are loathe to be parted. Do you think the two tough guys below would notice if I didn't return him or could be persuaded to allow me to keep him? Great toolbench too, don't you think Nada? One theory about the avoiding bending might be that I'm already going round the bend. Oh well, I always wanted to travel.  |
| Funny word isn't it? PLUG PLUG PLUG PLUG PLUG. Keep on saying it and it sounds almost as ridiculous as blog. I often wonder who decided what things should be called and why they chose that particular combination of letters. I imagine someone standing there with a piece of rubber, then deciding it would fit in the hole in their sink and announcing,' I name thee plug.' But then plug has an awful lot of meanings. I looked them up this morning. See? I take my research seriously sometimes. So the word plug can mean...  A disc which covers a hole.A device with pins which go into the holes in an electricity socket and allow the current to pass through. Whoever invented that is a genius; without it I'd be sitting here in the dark with no knowledge of blogs or computers because they wouldn't exist. And my dinner wouldn't be cooking either. But I digress. A piece of tobacco which you chew. To shoot. A piece of publicity.And it's that last one I come in here to do today. First of all PLEASE take the time to read:- David McClain has worked hard at producing this little gem of a Newsletter and it deserves to be read by as many members as possible.Now a personal request. I know you're all busy and I know how hard it is to keep up with the growing number of blogs, but I really think Rasputin  deserves many more readers than he's getting. I make no claims about discovering this fabulous writer, sultry recommended him in her blog a while ago. I checked him out and have been hooked ever since. So if you WUB Scarlett (or even if you don't) pretty please with a cherry on the top will you get over there and read this man's words? You won't regret it I promise.
And if you don't leave him a nice comment I might just have to plug you as in meaning number four. |
| During my teaching career I came to love art lessons more than any other. Not that I'm particularly artistic but I love creating things and found children most receptive in lessons that did not involve reading ability, intelligence or competition. Kids love anything that involves paint, chalk, glue, glitter and mess! And they're easily fooled. My reputation for being a brilliant artist stemmed from the fact that I could produce something better than their eight-year-old efforts - just. lol It was also a good way of teaching other subjects. One of my favourite lessons was asking the children to paint literal pictures of idioms. You know; things like... It's raining cats and dogs. Keep your eye on the ball. He laughed his head off. You're pulling my leg. Give me a hand.The children would produce some wonderful pictures and I loved mounting them and putting them on display. Something that convinced me I should have chosen window dressing not teaching. But I digress. Today I've been shopping. I love going with friends but sometimes enjoy being alone and able to just observe things around me with no distractions. Signs and notices make my brain create the most weird visuals. You know, things like... Disabled Toilet. Fire Exit - Staff Only. (Well thank you very much) This door is alarmed. (Why? Did someone upset it?) Don't let worry kill you - let the church help. Turkey £5. Chicken £4. Children. £2 (Hey, I love kids but I could never eat a whole one.)At times like this I wish I really was a great artist. I'd love to be able to sketch the visuals these sort of signs create. P.S. The pony in my stomach returned tonight and I think it brought a friend along too. If I keep a record of it in here maybe I'll see a pattern and discover what causes it. |
| I've had some extensive and specialised dental treatment today. OUCH OUCH OUCH - That's my bank balance screaming. I don't feel comfortable talking after all the oral activity (get your mind out the gutter) so I won't rabbit too much. I was very amused by Mavis Moog 's entry today regarding her 'ear worms.' I'm glad I'm not the only one whose brain latches onto songs and won't stop mentally singing them. It's bad enough under normal circumstances, but when it's a song you positively hate, it's enough to drive you round the bend - if you aren't already round it that is. So that got me thinking. (yes, it happens sometimes) Many writers love music; it goes with the territory and we all have different tastes. I would never survive without music - I play it all day when I'm in and my tastes are very extensive. The only music I can't stand is opera and (c)rap. But there are some songs I just hate though I can't really explain why. I don't know what constitutes a great piece of music. Sometimes it's the lyrics but as there are some classical and instrumental pieces I adore, it can't always be the case. Anyway, here are five songs I hate with a vengeance... 1. Jambalaya 2. Do you love me? (Now that I can dance) 3. Stand by your man. 4. Seventy Six Trombones. 5. Achy Breaky Heart. There are others but they were the ones that come to mind. I wonder what songs members despise? My love of music has inspired the only idea I have for a novel. Whether I'll ever write it is another story. I started the first chapter a few months ago. I wrote half a page. lol BUT, I like that half a page and feel it's the correct starting point. I don't have the plot planned out and don't feel a desperate need to get on with it. It will build in time, just as a good concerto does. I hope. My story is rather autobiographical and maybe hasn't enough substance to capture readers. But ultimately I'm not sure that matters so much. The thing that convinces me this is the theme for me is the fact that I have a song dedicated to little old me. It's not famous and has probably only been heard by about ten people in the world. But that's what makes it special. To listen to the beautiful words of a song written with you in mind is something not many people ever experience. And it sort of rounds my story off nicely. I'll let you know when I've written it and you can all pull it apart. lol Didn't do badly for someone who can't talk much did I? |
| Scroll up. Scroll up. Notice anything? After 280 entries I finally got myself a Scarlett Ribbon. Okay, maybe it's pink but I like that song a lot. So, a great big thank you and rib-squashing hugs to zwisis for the awardicon and allowing me to join the ranks of the beribboned bloggers. It's made my day. And just to prove what a worthwhile blog I own, I offer you these few pieces of practical advice forwarded to me today. A mouse trap placed on top of your alarm clock will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep. Don't waste money buying expensive binoculars. Simply stand next to the object you wish to view. At supermarket checkouts a Toblerone box makes a handy 'Next Customer Please' sign for dyslexic shoppers. Avoid parking tickets by leaving your windscreen wipers on 'fast wipe' whenever you leave your car parked illegally. Before attempting to remove stubborn stains from a garment, always circle the stain in permanent pen so that when you remove the garment from the washing machine you can easily locate the stain and check it has gone. |
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