Shanny`s Day

Natural beauty

2012-01-04T22:46:00.000Z

Driving to work this morning - yes, I had to go to another location and not work at home today - I was out of the house by 7.30 a.m. and I am so glad I was - the sight of the morning sky as it became light and the sun came up was wonderful.

I am always fascinated to see, at this time of year, the trees against the skyline. To see the shapes of the bare branches, the way they intertwine with one another all being part of the one plant. To me there is a real beauty about it, and especially so this morning when the sun was coming up, turning the sky behind them to all shades of apricot and orange, before the golden ball of the sun itself appeared. It was awesome.

The forms of the trees today set me thinking of how we are rather like those trees, just one small branch or twig of it yet all dependent on the feeding and nutrients from the trunk - It made me think of God being the root and trunk of the tree and our lives, although interwined with each other and needing each other for support are yet all dependent on the care of God.

Resolutions

2012-01-02T20:43:00.000Z

I`ve been tossing up whether or not to make any New Year resolutions this year - I`ve done it before on here but, as I guess happens with so many of us, I haven`t manage to keep them for many weeks.

So, instead of making a whole list of them, I think this year, I`m just going to make a couple and see if its easier to keep two than a larger quantity.    Perhaps if I can make 2 a year and stick to them through the year I shall in the end achieve all from the list of previous years.

My resolutions therefore for this year are:

1. To be more tidy in my house - ie. to put things away when I`ve finished with them, including filing mail as I open it, instead of piling it up to "deal with later".    (Later does come, but how much nicer the room looks when it`s done straight away!)

2. To post more regularly on my blog, and to resume doing a daily Counting Blessings Daily in which I`ll endeavour to post something for which I thank God that day - it may be something seen, heard, something which has made me smile, a photo I`ve taken or.........   who knows!

It`s Two Thousand and Twelve

2012-01-01T09:56:00.001Z

It`s Two Thousand and Twelve already - where have those years gone since we were celebrating the Millennium?

Happy New Year

to you All

I wish you -

good health, happiness and peace in 2012

A Christmas Letter to Santa

2011-12-11T08:59:00.001Z

I went to a Christmas Tree festival the other day - again a very moving experience seeing all 40 well decorated trees brought a tear to my eye, as it made me realise again just how many charities and good causes were in need of money. And, really forty is just a tip of the iceberg of how many there really are with great needs both in our local community, as well a nationally and internationally.

Some of the trees were decorated with commercially produced and purchased decorations, others with handmade decorations and items relevant to their charity, and others with photos of their aims within stars and other shapes.

As another visitor said, it`s an expensive place to visit! - although the entrance is free, you want to give a donation to all the collecting buckets because they are so worthwhile.

I think my favourite part of it all was this tree and it`s letter to Santa.

(click on the photo to enlarge it to read the letter)

Full Names

2011-12-06T06:51:00.001Z

I wonder if others have noticed what I noticed when working the other day?....

I was addressing a lot of envelopes - no, not my Christmas cards yet - but envelopes as part of my work to post off invoice payments.   Copying from the firms addresses on their invoices I discovered that, whereas we used to abbreviate the county, such Nottinghamshire to Notts., Berkshire to Berks, and Cambs., for Cambridgeshire etc..etc... they all now put the full word, as well as the postcode.   And it set me wondering why.

In these days of text messaging; of shortening of peoples names, some even to just initials (I know somone who just likes to be called CJ instead of the full name); of the short versions we use of so many words in everyday language to what they used to be - all to save time, I suppose, it seems odd that the counties have gone back to the full names, especially as we have the postcodes by which I think the mail is really sorted.

In fact I did an experiment a few years ago and when on a holiday sent myself a postcard with just the house number and postcode on to see what would happen....... and, it arrived as quickly as a fully addressed envelope!    Wonder what would happen if I just did that for all my Christmas cards?! It would save a lot of time!

Birthday Cake

2011-11-27T20:39:00.001Z

Better late, than never!

Having written about missing not having a birthday cake on my birthday, I decided to make a `special` cake for tea today with my Mum. So yesterday out came the mixer, tins, ingredients and I got baking.... and this is the result. Not as professionally or artistically decorated as it could have been but time was short.

The sponge, with a thick layer of chocolate buttercream filling and chocolate on top, was delicious, and thoroughly enjoyed by both my mum and myself! Anyone fancy a piece?!

No Birthday Cake

2011-11-24T22:01:00.001Z

Today is my birthday, and after spending the morning working as normal, I took the afternoon off.

It was a nice sunny autumn afternoon, so I took my Mum out for a ride along the coast to Burnham Overy Staithe and we sat in the car by the water. Very surprisingly for a sunny afternoon there was only one other car on the whole of the car park, so it was very quiet and peaceful. As the sun went down there was a beautiful sunset.

Funny enough the one thing I missed this birthday, was not having a birthday cake - I don`t mean a highly decorated iced one with candles, but not having a home-made birthday cake of any kind. Obviously as a youngster my mother had always made me a cake, and then when she became unable to stand to cook, I always made myself one. Not a fruit cake, as I`m not fond of fruit cake, but usually an orange chocolate chip one, with chocolate on top to decorate it. But, this year I`d not felt inclined to bother to do that. I`m getting older and I didn`t think I`d miss it - but when it came to tea time - I did.
It`s strange isn`t it, how a small thing like that, which has been a part of the pattern of life, can be missed so much.

Ring, ring!

2011-11-23T07:02:00.001Z

I was sound asleep and dreaming, dreaming something about a piano being delivered and they`d then got to the front door and were ringing the door bell.

The sound of that bell was so real.

And I awoke, and could still hear the bell ringing, it sounded like my front door bell.   It couldn`t be. I looked at the bedside clock it was quarter to three in the morning. It was dark.   Then I heard it again, yes it was my door bell.

I was alone in the house, I felt alarmed.   Whatever it is, I`m not going to answer the door I thought. It must be teenagers on the way home playing about.   It went again.    So I stumbled out of bed and went into the other room to look out of the window and down to the front door.    I couldn`t see anyone there, nor anyone in the road.   Did I imagine it?   I looked at my car, yes that was still there ok.    I went back to bed.

A few minutes later my phone rang.    What to do?   Should I answer it or not.   By now I was feeling more alarmed, I could feel my heart thumping, perhaps something was wrong and someone was really trying to get me.   I looked at the number showing on the phone, it was a mobile number, so that didn`t tell me anything.

To answer it or not?   I decided I`d better answer it, so I picked it up and said a very curt `Yes`, not my normal way of answering the phone.   I somehow expected to hear no reply, but a voice said, It`s Xxx...... I`m so sorry to ring you in the middle of the night, but I`ve just driven all the way up to here (the house next to mine) and I`ve been trying for half an hour to get my key to open the door and it won`t, can I bother you for the key you hold.

Putting on my dressing-gown I went downstairs and got the key for him.   So relieved that it wasn`t bad news or anything like that.    Then I went back to bed, but sleep was a long while returning.

All Saints Day

2011-11-01T22:00:00.000Z

Today is All Saints Day and is the day that was also my Dad`s birthday. Tonight our church held its special service for All Saints Day and the coming All Souls Day.

As we entered the church we were all given a stone. During the service we were encouraged to think about that stone as our loved ones who were no longer with us and to think of the journey of our life that they had shared with us. We then brought these stones to the front of the church and built them together into a cairn.

Following the very moving sermon by our minister, we were invited to come and place lighted tea-lights on the cairn in memory and giving thanks for our loved one. The church lights were then dimmed and we sat as long as we each wished before quietly leaving the church.

It was a very special, emotional, meaningful and moving service.

What is Life?

2011-10-05T19:46:00.001+01:00

I was very challenged today, when a friend, who was obviously feeling a bit "down" on having discovered that something he had hoped for most possibly wouldn`t be able to happen for them (and I`m not refering to material things), suddenly said a very serious "What is Life?"

How to answer?
- I thought for a moment and then said "that`s a very deep question". I sat and thought, but I couldn`t find words to really answer it, and I ended up saying "that`s something that very difficult to describe and to put into words".

I felt that I had let him down, by not being able to give a better answer. And that he was probably expecting a better answer from my faith.

I wonder what answer others would have given or what any of you would advise me to say if a similiar situation arises again?

Thank God for a bus

2011-09-27T07:24:00.000+01:00

One of the memorable things about my recent holiday was something that happened on the second morning there.

Living in Norfolk we have few, if any steep hills around where I live, so although I had been to North Yorkshire several years ago, I`d forgotten quite how steep some of those hills were.

When I arrived I safely navigated my way down steep hills to the flat where I was staying. The next morning deciding to go out for the day, I ofcourse had to drive up the hill, so knowing the road I had come down was steep and twisty I decided to try the other one out of the village.   But, that was just as steep and I found myself stalling the car and struggling to get up it.

So, the next morning I was very apprehensive about going out with the car, as which ever way I went I had to go up a steep twisting narrow road. I knew I couldn`t stay in the small village for every day of my holiday, for one thing there was no grocers or butchers and I needed some food! And common sense said to me, you`ll have to go up the hill when you leave on Saturday and the longer you wait the worse you`ll get about it.

I got into the car, praying that I`d get up the hill ok.

As I left the driveway of the flats, a bus was just pulling away from the bus-stop in the road, `Oh, no`, I thought `I`ve got to follow that bus I just hope he doesn`t have to stop at a bus-stop on the hill`.   But, as we began the ascent of the hill, I found myself thinking `Well, if he can get that bus safely up the hill, and he`s much bigger and heavier than me, I must be able to do it`. And I did, very easily!     I found myself then thanking God for sending that bus to guide me up the hill that morning. I think it`s something I shall always remember of God answering prayer.

Holiday favourites

2011-09-18T17:03:00.006+01:00

Here are a few of my favourite scenes from my holiday

Yes, the sky really was that colour, and shortly a heavy shower fell!

Memories of bygone days

2011-09-14T20:55:00.000+01:00

An old village street.....

An old village store and post office....

....inside the village store......

....what memories it even brought to me of some of the items on the shelves. It made me feel quite old! All the village from the chemist shop with all its wooden drawers and glass fronted cabinets full of pills, potions and equipment, the dairy with its churns and butter pats, to the wash-house with its old mangle and dolly tub was an intersting insight into how different life was years ago. How much harder even the ordinary everyday tasks were.

And, at the bottom of the garden was ....Lila Cottage.....

So named, it was said, as lilac bushes used to be grown all beside it, to try and mask the smell !

No. I don`t remember using one of those!

To see more of this fascinating place click here

Steps and more steps

2011-09-13T22:39:00.000+01:00

One thing that came to me during my holiday was a great admiration for the people of past generations, for how fit and active they must have been, to have lived daily climbing all the hills and steps of this small village.

And, as to the workmen who had built all the cottages and houses in such a hilly location, bringing their materials up and down the hills and the narrow passageways, what muscles they must have had. Or, did they bring the stones, tiles, wood and other materials by sea to build with. Yet, either way they would have needed to either go up or down the steep slopes.

What, I wonder made them decide to build where they did. And to build such tall thin houses. No planning rules and regulations in those days!

It was a lovely, quaintly beautiful place to stay for a holiday and to explore with all it`s nooks and crannies - but would I want to live there all year, especially in the winter, with snow and ice on those hills - no thank you!

I`m Back

2011-09-11T23:09:00.002+01:00

I`m back, and once I got used to driving up and down lots of hills and climbing steps and hills (!) I had a great holiday.

On arrival at the place where I`d booked a flat to stay in for the week, I opened the downstairs outside door, and immediately wondered if I`d done the right thing, it smelt musty and was rather dark. I couldn`t see a light switch (and never did the whole week!), but I climbed up the twisting carpeted stairs to find the door of the flat, opened it very dubiously. On entering I was faced with four closed doors, again it didn`t feel welcoming and my immediate thoughts were, I want to go home. But I opened the doors one at a time, and found the rooms to actually be light, bright and big and airy. I propped all the doors open and immediately it felt better.

I enjoyed the freedom of staying in a flat as opposed to a B&B or hotel, which I`d always done in the past, especially on one morning when it was very windy and rainy, so I just stayed in and relaxed with a book and didn`t fell obliged to go out, in the way I would have done in more formal places. The whole holiday was very relaxing and just what I needed. (except for all the many, many phone calls from my mother!, but more of that another day)

I kept my camera busy all the holiday and have taken lots and lots of photos - will post some in the next few days.

Just One Day to go!

2011-09-01T20:36:00.001+01:00

Just one more day, and I shall be off on holiday.

I eventually plucked up enough courage on Sunday afternoon to tell my Mother - at first I thought she hadn`t taken it too badly, she seemed interested and asked me several questions, but as I left her that evening she began to get tearful.

After getting home, she rang me full of tears and full of "reasons" why she didn`t want me to go - didn`t want me driving all that way on my own, and couldn`t I at least not go so far;   who was going to look after my little pet bird (I`d already arranged for a friend to do that!) etc...etc...

Monday was much about the same with her. On Tuesday I went over to see her, and she seemed more like her normal self. That`s good, I thought, she`s accepted it.

But, come Wednesday morning I had her on the phone early in the morning full in tears again, this time I think a combination of worry about me, and also her carers had told her that a blood test and water test which she`d had taken a week of two ago had got lost so the needed to do it again.   She ofcourse didn`t think that they`d lost them, but that something was wrong with her so they needed another one.     I tried to convince her that it was probably right that they`d mislaid them, but she was full of "I`ll be in hospital when you`re away, and you`ll be a long way away....." etc.
She still sounds weepy today.

I`m not looking forward to having to go and see her tomorrow and especially of the reaction I`ll get when I come away.    I`ve promised her that I`ll ring her every day while I`m away, but have warned her that because it will be mobile phone, she must realise that in some area`s of the country there isn`t a good signal.

So wish me luck!

High Tide

2011-08-29T09:29:00.000+01:00

Yesterday evening, being a nice sunny evening, I took my Mother for a ride to Blakeney, to sit by the water there for a while.

As we approached the quay, I said to her `I think the tide`s going to be in` as I could see as we went down the narrow hill into the village the water in the distance, which last night looked to be have something disticitively different about the view. (Usually the tide nearly always seems to be out whenever we go there). As we reached the car park, it was still quite full of cars, and driving on we could see why - the tide was in, and very high, but we managed to find just one parking space left away from the water`s edge.

I got my camera and got out of the car to take some pictures of the sights before us.

And, along with the vessels normally in the water was......

Obviously parked too near the tideline when the tide was out, and the occupants gone off for a walk. Quite a crowd of people gathered watching it as the tide continued to edge higher
.

Plucking up Courage

2011-08-27T09:05:00.000+01:00

A week today I`ll be heading off for a holiday in North Yorkshire.   The first holiday I`ve had away for three and a half years.

But.... before that, I`ve got to pluck up the courage to tell my Mother that I`m going away.

I didn`t tell her when I booked it months ago, as I know she`d try to put all kinds of obstacles in the way and get wound up and worried.    I know she`ll still do that, but at least for a lot less time, only 7 day instead of weeks and weeks.   She always imagines that something is going to happen to me, like an accident if I`m driving anywhere (not that I`m a careless driver, but it`s all the others on the road she says! yet she loves getting the car and going out with me).
I`m sure it`s more a case that she`s thinking of herself and what she`s do if anything did happen to me, she keeps saying I`m all she`s got.   Which is so possessive and selfish. Where she lives she has carers on hand 24 hours a day so she`s well looked after.

I`ve never found it easy to tell my mother anything, and I`ve been trying to analyse why. It makes me now wonder if I`m actually afraid of her, and always have been in some way. Not that she`ll physically hurt me, although as a child she was the one who would hit me at times if she thought I`d done something wrong, I can never remember my Dad hitting me.

I know envy is wrong, but I do so envy those daughters who have such a good relationship with their mums. I`ve never had that.

So, wish me luck as I pluck up courage today, or tomorrow, or the next day......

First Harvest

2011-08-26T07:04:00.000+01:00

At last I`ve got my first Harvest of the year. As I wrote in an earlier post all I`ve managed to grow this year is a really, really good crop of weeds, but yesterday my patience was rewarded and I got my first vegetables from the garden for this year......

Yes...just 4 runner beans!

but there are others forming on the plant - but I guess they`ll all be ready to eat on the week I go away on holiday - so I`ll miss out again.

Floral sea

2011-08-14T21:36:00.000+01:00

Today was Sea Sunday at our church, and yesterday was my turn to do the flowers for the weekend, so of course out came the crab pot and net from our storage shed.

On starting to unroll the net (an authentic fishing net from years ago), in front of the pulpit, I suddenly looked down at the floor, and there marching across the carpet were a whole army of woodlice!.... they`d obviously got into the net whilst it had been in the shed. So what to do about them before they got loose and invaded all the church, I could just picture them creeping on everyone during the service! The quickest solution was to stamp on them. Anyone looking in the church must have thought I was doing a war dance!

Thankfully, I remembered that the caretaker was on the premises cleaning, so he came through with his hoover and helped me unroll the rest of the net and hoovered them all up. I kept my eye about whilst completing the flower arrangement, and during service this evening, but thankfully didn`t spot, or feel(!) any.

Here is the arrangement, I don`t think you can see any woodlice there!

Hunt the vegetables!

2011-08-09T07:35:00.000+01:00

Earlier this year, full of the feeling of spring I set to work on my vegetable patch and set carrot and beetroot seeds and some onion sets, looking forward to being able to enjoy home grown produce during the summer. A few weeks later, there were tiny green seedlings beginning to appear. Something I always marvel to see. As the weeks went on I realised that the tiny green stems and leaves which were appearing weren`t my vegetables but were weeds. So, a dilemna, do I pull them out and risk loosening any baby vegetable seedlings which may be starting to grow, or do I leave them until I can see what is what. I decided to leave them. After a few weeks still no carrots had appeared, but the beetroot had. So I very carefully, on my hands and knees, picked out all the weeds.

But, after a few days I looked again and the weeds were back twice as big as before, but the beetroot had got no bigger, and still no carrots, and the onion sets weren`t showing much signs of life either apart from about half a dozen of them. I again went to work on the weeds and removed them.

After the third or fourth time of doing this, I got so disheartened that my veg weren`t growing that I gave up - so here is my veg (weed) patch! At least the runner beans which I started off in pots and set out later seem now to be doing and have some flowers on them, so hopefully I`ll at least get a crop of them.

Somewhere in among there, should be a few onions and a few beetroot - anyone want to come and find them?!

The patch is fenced in to keep neighbourhood cats out, because they caused damage last year to my vegetables by scapping and leaving `little messages`, the fencing has kept them out but - how do I keep weeds out??

Earliest cooking memories

2011-08-08T20:27:00.001+01:00

I`ve a friend staying for a few days, so I did a batch of baking on Saturday, something I`ve not done for quite a while. But I found myself really enjoying getting into it again. I made some sultana scones, a cherry cake and an apple pie, the apple pie we had for lunch yesterday.

Eating the scones and some of the cake for tea tonight, we got round to discussing our earliest memories of getting involved with baking and cooking. And I found myself remembering when I was very little (and that`s many, many years ago now!) how when my Mum made pastry, she would always give me a little piece of it to roll out with my little rolling pin, then I had a tiny (I think it was a silver thimble) to use to cut out little rounds, and place on a tiny tart tin, then put a minute amount of jam in them and she would bake them. When my Dad used to come home from work I used to give him the little tarts I`d made for his tea. Only as I grew older did I discover that he didn`t really like jam tarts!

I wonder what any readers first memories are of cooking/baking?

Building space

2011-08-02T07:50:00.001+01:00

What a difference a few bricks make. My front garden wall and fence over the past months has been getting worse and worse. Pieces of the fence were beginning to come loose and fall off, depite me trying to knock them back in, the bricks were flaking along the top. So the time had come to do something about it.

Having measured up the wall, I ventured into the unknown (the local builders merchants, feeling very unsure of myself) to buy some bricks and coping stones. A very helpful salesman there helped find what I needed, and the materials were duly delivered.

Last week my special builder, Dave, arrived, and set to work to remove the fence, the old bricks and rebuild me a smart new wall with a pillar at the end to finish it off nicely. What a difference it makes.

As I drove my car into the drive the next day, something seemed strange..... No, I didn`t drive into the wall !..... I seemed to have a much wider entrance. It`s not physically possible to be any bigger because the wall and pillar are in exactly the same place, but it does seem a bigger entrance, so it must somehow be an optical illusion.

I`m really pleased with the new look it gives as one comes along the road to my house too. A job very well done.

Bird watching

2011-07-30T20:46:00.000+01:00

Sitting in the car on a cliff top carpark having a picnic tea the other day, I spotted a flash of colour as a small bird sped past the car window and settled on a branch of the straggly bushes infront of it. I quickly realised that it was a bird I don`t see many of about here, so out came my camera. It was a goldfinch. Such pretty little birds. But, I think quite camera shy, as this one sat facing the sea, so all I could get was sight of the back of him.

But eventually my patience was rewarded and he turned to look at me

It makes me admire and realise the many, many, many hours of patience and time that the cameramen for nature programmes must spend, to get some of the wonderful pictures and films which they do.

Back again

2011-07-29T07:23:00.000+01:00

I guess it`s time I started to keep my blog up again, somehow I got so inundated with jobs both before and after a large Flower Festival that I`ve not had time to post anything - so just to start it off again, here`s a couple of pictures of what kept me so occupied for most of July.

The overall theme was "A World of Colour"

and this is depicting the "The Colour of Stained Glass".

A murder has been committed

2011-06-03T07:05:00.000+01:00

Looking out of my back room window after tea yesterday evening I was very sad and very angry. Why? There on the grass (I can`t call it a lawn there`s more weeds than grass in it!) were a large scattering of grey feathers and at the top of the garden I glimpsed a cat.

I ran out, but the cat (as usual) must have heard me and had dived over the fence. The feathers obviously came from a pigeon, but there was no sign of the body. So whether the pigeon had managed to get away from the cat and these were just a few feathers from the struggle, or whether the cat had taken the bird, I don`t know. But it`s so sad. I think that`s why I don`t really like cats.

Now, sitting here, looking out of the same window, I`ve become aware of some starlings pecking around the grass where the feathers are. I thought they were looking for food, but no, they`re picking up beakfuls of the feathers and flying off with them. Their chicks are going to have nice soft nests!! I wonder if they realise they come from other birds?

Phone update.....As promised, a BT engineer rang me early yesterday afternoon to say he was coming to sort out my telephone fault.... and a quarter of an hour later....he did! and within minutes my phone was working again. So well done BT, but why did it have to take 3 days?!

Ring, ring ????

2011-05-31T21:01:00.000+01:00

I`ve now got another problem!....
My internet connection had been cutting in and out all morning and went off completely. I was waiting for a phone call as I had a friend coming to stay for a few days and they were going to let me know about what time they`d be here. So as I hadn`t heard by dinner time, I picked the phone up to try it and and found no dialling tone.

I tried all the phones in the house incase one hadn`t been replaced correctly, but nothing. Looking at the Phone book for a number to ring BT I followed first their instructions to disconnect every phone from the socket and then replace them one by one starting with the main phone socket. Still nothing.

So I rang the number, got the message saying it was expensive to ring from a mobile - great help that, what else could one do if the landline phone wasn`t working! I hung on and then the automated voice said from a mobile ring a different number and gave the number, so I dutifully rang that. But that then repeated almost the same and gave yet another different number to ring if one was ringing from a mobile. I obediently did it.

Again it was answered by a machine and gave options, I pressed 1, then more options, 1 again, and again, and again, in the end it informed me that they were very busy and I was in a queue. I could either remain in the queue (and I thought it was going to say ring back later) but, to give them their due it said one could give them another number including a mobile number to ring me back on, within an hour. So I did that.

They rang fairly quickly, more questions and then they checked the line and found there is a fault on the network. They will get the engineers to work on it and it should be done by 3 working days!. That means Friday. But, to be helpful they could divert my calls to my mobile if I wished. I said yes please and gave them the relevant number.

I`ve just got my Mum to try it, as I`d had no calls, and.... it didn`t divert to my mobile! My home phone gave a couple of feeble dings and stopped and nothing else happened. So, I made another phone call to them, followed all the same automated steps, and fairly quickly a person rang me back, checked all the info they`d got, tried to set up the Call Divert and found that the type of problem with the line is preventing them being able to set it up! She`s going to try a different way in the morning and ring me then. I wait to see!

But, funny enough after the first phone call to them, the Broadband connection has come back and I`ve had a connection all the rest of the day and evening...

Plucking up courage

2011-05-27T20:24:00.000+01:00

Well, I`ve plucked up the courage, and I`ve done it.

After weeks,

....no, after months

.......well, to be truthful after a couple of years really

I`ve done it!

Well, I`ve done really the easiest part, I`ve still got the most difficult part to come and I`m not looking forward to that.

What on earth am I talking about, you`re probably saying to yourselves.....

Actually probably nothing out of the ordinary to the majority of you, but to me a big thing.....

.... I`ve booked myself a holiday away for September! Oh, not abroad, I`ve no wish to go abroad, but up to Yorkshire.

I`ve not been away for a holiday for the last three years. We used to have a regular annual holiday, until my mother went into where she currently lives - but she is the big problem - she doesn`t like and doesn`t want me going anywhere. Doesn`t even like it when I go to the city just 26 miles away occasionally for work. Yet she`s perfectly well looked after where she is, with people on hand 24/7 to care for her.

So after all this time of agonising with feeling I wanted to go away and have a break, but knowing how she`d react I haven`t done anything about it. Now, I`ve decided enough is enough and I`m going this year. And, I`m going to do something we`ve never done, and that is go Self-catering, which I think will suit me better.

But..... I`ve yet to tell her, but I won`t do that until much nearer the time....and doing that is something I`m dreading.

Amazing perfume

2011-05-08T08:42:00.001+01:00

My favourite flowers are now in flower in the garden - Lilies of the Valley.

I took my scissors and cut a small bunch of them to bring indoors to enjoy. It always amazes me the strength of perfume that comes from one very delicate stem of such beautiful tiny white flowers.

And one this small vase of them, - yes, ever since a child I`ve cut small bunches of them and put in this little green glass vase - fills the whole room with perfume, its quite amazing.
Another of the wonders of God`s world and creation.

Confused viewing

2011-05-05T15:58:00.000+01:00

I wonder if anyone else experienced the same confusion as I did last night?...... I began to think I was going a bit strange and hearing things.

It was about 5.45 p.m. and whilst sitting eating my jacket potato with lashings of butter, I was idly watching the tv for company. It had got to the break in the programme on ITV for adverts when suddenly I thought, those words and jingles seem strange with those pictures. I watched more closely, yes, they were definitely advertising the delights of a certain slimming breakfast cereal, but the picture was showing a cat eating a bowl of cat food and then the tin with the brand name on. (I`d better not advertise here, had I?). I continued to watch and all through the adverts the sound was different to the pictures!

Then it was back the last quarter of the programme I`d been watching, and the peoples mouths weren`t moving in time to the words they were speaking. Was it me, was it my eyesight??

As the programme finished and before the next adverts I heard - at least I thought I heard them say, showing the Anglia news desk, `and next the news from `Calendar`. Did I hear that right, I wondered.

The adverts did exactly the same as before totally different pictures to sound. Quite amusing at times!!

The local news started - on the screen were the words of Anglia News and the presenters in the studio, but the commentary speaking just didn`t belong. The voice was saying, "here I am standing on the docks at Grimsby", but the picture was showing a chap at a sports stadium.

Yes, I was watching Anglia pictures and hearing Yorkshire news. Was it my TV I wondered. So, I rang my mother, a few miles away, she put her tv on and got exactly the same! That was a relief, it wasn`t my set. I then decided to try something else - tried the other channels they were all ok. Then I switched it from the Analogue aerial to my Sky dish for the ITV..... and..... no problem! the sound and picture matched and were Anglia region. - switched back again to the other and the problem still went on.

Very odd.

It`s Easter

2011-04-24T22:29:00.000+01:00

Happy Easter

A crab on the beach

2011-04-11T22:07:00.001+01:00

Walking along the promenade in the sunshine yesterday afternoon, I suddenly came across the most enormous crab I`d ever seen on our beach.......

and there facing it, looking ready for action was an equally large lobster....

Yes, the stone artist had been at work again, piling up beach stones to make these wonderful sculptures using just the beach stones artistically gathered and stacked, with nothing else to hold them in place. Just using the uniqueness of each stone`s shape and colour to form these art works.

Isn`t that a bit like how God, can use us? - all individual and different yet all having a place in his world for his purpose

A Cross in the Sky

2011-04-10T09:28:00.001+01:00

Opening my curtains this morning, I looked up at the beautiful blue sky, and there saw a Cross.

It seemed to be saying to me, God is with you, he is all around you.

So I just had to grab up my camera, run out into the garden (yes still in my dressing gown - what any neighbours thought if they saw me I don`t know!) and take some pictures of it to share.

Horror!

2011-04-03T08:46:00.002+01:00

I`ve just got out of the shower, and whilst I was towelling myself dry I noticed a black mark on the pink towel I was using. How did that get there I wondered and what was it.

At first glance it looked like an ink spot. But I`d not had ink or paint in the bathroom, I`d not used marker pens there for anything. What was it? Where had it come from? Looking closer, I discovered that it was a spider! It was nestling among the fluffy fibres of the towel. And I can`t bear spiders! To think that I`d had that towel wrapped all around me and been rubbing myself dry with it, with the spider that near to me...ugghhhhh.

Eeek!... still perhaps it`s dead I thought, but on a closer look from a distance I saw it`s legs move. What to do?.... I tried shaking the towel in the shower away from me to try and dislodge and get rid of it, but no it wouldn`t fall off. I couldn`t touch it.

In the end I dropped the towel into the shower tray and got the hand towel from the rail to finish drying on. The bath towel with spider will have to go in the washing machine as it is, and hopefully that will get rid of the beastie.

What a start to a Sunday morning!

Rock Band

2011-03-29T22:32:00.002+01:00

Walking along the prom here in the sun this afternoon, I came across an unusual art form.

I`ve seen sand art before on the beach before,where characters and scenes are made totally of sand. But I`d not come across Stone Art, until today. (Click on the pictures to see them larger)

There, on our beach is a rock band with audience, all made of beach pebbles. They are not stuck or cemented together, but just cleverly stacked and their natural shapes, markings and colourings giving inspiration to the young man to build these works of art.

The drummer....

...the pianist...

;
Talking with the young man doing these, we discovered that he`s homeless, but has been walking all round the coast of the country doing these works of stone art, starting at Brighton, going up the West Coast of Englad, all round the coast of Scotland and is now coming down the East Coast. He is aiming to raise money from this and from writing a book about it, to help other homeless people. To read more about this chap, click here

It will certainly make me look more carefully at the pebbles when I walk on the beach and realise they are all individual - just like us!

The last farewell

2011-03-22T23:03:00.000Z

Yes, our shop closed for good last Sunday, and the last couple of days the staff have been empyting shelves, loading goods into huge cages, which now stand in the deserted shop awaiting transport to other branches.

I`ve just come back from a little farewell do that our "boss" kindly had for the staff, including a fish & chip supper, gathered together in the middle of the stop. Memories of times and people were laughinghly shared, and then.... it was all over and we left to go our separate ways. Ok, I know that in a town like this we will still come across one another from time to time, but I`m feeling sad at the moment on having walked out of there for the last time, after over forty-one years, and more so in a sense the loss of a “family”, we`ve always been there for each other, through good times and bad.

Rules for Hymn Singing

2011-03-14T07:19:00.000Z

I`ve just discovered something I didn`t know.

No, I`m not saying that I know everything, far, far from it.

But, looking at details of the new hymn book to be produced for the Methodist Church later this year I was just surprised to find that John Wesley had written a set of rules for people for singing hymns.

Rules that particularly caught my eye were: -

3. Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a single degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.

4. Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, then when you sung the songs of Satan.

5. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.

7. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.

The full list of rules can be found and read here

I think it would be good if they printed the list in the hymn book when it`s published. Wonder if they will?

Mystery parcel

2011-03-06T09:14:00.001Z

On entering our Church on Friday morning, I found on the table there a smallish brown parcel box, and on the top of it was written my name.

Full of curiosity I opened it, and inside was a book. I was mystified. I hadn`t ordered any books. Maybe it was meant for our church Christian Bookstall I thought. So I looked again at the top of the outer box, no, it was clearly hand written addressed to me care of the church, I could see that the original postage label had been removed and my details written, so it must be for me.

It wasn`t my birthday, nor any other occasion of link that I could think of. I continued to puzzle over it. Looking at the cover of the book I saw the words "World Book Night 2011". I pondered, who had left this for me or had it been left for me to do something with. I tried to recognise the writing on the box, but couldn`t pin point it to any for certain, and I couldn`t see anything else with it to give me a clue.

Taking the box and book "Half of a Yellow Sun" home with me, I took the book out again and opened it, and the mystery was solved! - there inside the first pages of the book was a note from the kind person who had left it for me.

I`d heard about World Book Day and World Book night, but had never imagained that living here in Norfolk I would be part of it to receive a book (big events and things seldom seem to happen outside of cities). So it really "made my day", and especially as the person who had left it for me, is my blogger friend from Finland.

Thank you Lorna.

How to use bread crusts!!

2011-03-02T08:50:00.002Z

I`m on holiday this week. I`ve not gone away anywhere (lots of problems if I do that), but am having a week off of work at home and having time to do what I want to do.

Finding some spare bread crusts in the bread bin - Yes, I know I sould eat the end crusts of a loaf, but I don`t very often - I decided to take them for a ride with me along the coast to where there are some wildfowl on a stretch of water.

They enjoyed the crusts far more than I would have!!

Then along came these little furry creatures to eat the crumbs left......

.... I guess they are probably rats - but they had such cute sweet faces I just had to take a picture of them!

National Chip Week

2011-02-25T17:04:00.000Z

This is National Chip Week.

I love chips and often cook them, so I thought I`d share some with you today.

And, here`s the piece of haddock I battered and fried with them .......

Delicious!!

Single Difficulties

2011-02-16T07:03:00.000Z

At times it`s difficult being single.

For instance, the other evening on hearing that a colleague was going to be on his own at the weekend, I said to him, "would you like to have Sunday dinner with me as you`re on your own that day".

He declined.

Thinking about it afterwards, I realised how it could have seemed - a single woman asking a married man to lunch when his wife was away!

In no way was it meant like that, it was just an automatic friendly gesture, to help. And, although throroughly enjoying living on my own, it is nice sometimes to share a meal with someone and have someone to cook for.

It made me realise as I thought about things, just how much everything seems to be geared up for couples or families, and how difficult it is for a single person to make friends or socialise.

Closing Down

2011-02-12T08:51:00.000Z

No, although I`ve got out of the habit of writing posts as regularly as I used to, it`s not the Blog which is closing down, its sadder than that.

I`ve got some sad news here, it`s something I`ve know about since before Christmas but had to keep it to myself, but now it`s come out in a way that we didn`t want.

Because of the way things have been going for the store where I`ve worked and we`ve been losing money for a long, long time, J (the owner,) reluctantly decided that he`d have to sell the store here.   He intended telling the staff once things were finalised and he could tell them definitely what was happening, as he was trying to find jobs for some of them in another store. He`d got a buyer in the process of buying it (a totally different multiple store, not grocery), so all was going ok.   Then one day this week the staff found out through someone, we don`t know who, leaving purposely for the staff to find, one of the Estate agents business for sale leaflets on the premises early one morning.    It was the worst way for the news to have got out.

I`m lucky in that it doesn`t affect my job, as I now do the office work for all his stores, but I feel so sorry for the girls as the shop, especially those who have been there many, many years, and I also feel very sorry for J, because he is so caring for his staff and he didn`t want them to find out like this, he wanted to tell them properly once things were certain.

It`s also sad for the town, in that it`s always, as far back as I can remember as a child, been a grocery store in the middle of the town, and having worked for them 41 years it will be sad to see it no longer exist.

So its sadness here today.

Waiting for chips?

2011-02-07T22:22:00.000Z

The sun shone the other afternoon, so, a ride along the coast brought me to this spot. Normally there is a whole row of cars parked and lots of people walking about, but at this time of year, despite it being a nice day, we were the only ones there. I think these seagulls were all sitting wondering where the people were as they areno doubt used to being fed with chips as people stand by the sea wall eating them.

It was just us and the birds, the sea was a beautiful shade of blue, it was quiet and calm and perfect.

Discover Norfolk

2011-01-12T07:21:00.000Z

Well, I think it`s about time I started writing posts for this year!

Firstly, a belated Happy New Year to all.

Do you know Norfolk (UK)? -
I`ve just come across this interesting site, so click here to see it and take a tour round the museum.

It`s Christmas - Celebrate Jesus` birth

2010-12-25T08:13:00.000Z

A Happy & Peaceful Christmas to You

Christmas Trees

2010-12-10T08:39:00.001Z

To me, Christmas wouldn`t be Christmas without putting up a Christmas Tree. Although I`ve not yet put mine up at home, I`ve been surrounded by trees since Wednesday!

And the view when it gets dark is so beautiful.....

It`s very moving too, as each of these 42 trees are all in aid of a different charity, and it makes me so aware of how much need there is for aid, not just internationally or even nationally, but right here in our own community.

Snow

2010-12-03T22:23:00.001Z

We`ve got snow!

Ok, I know that most of the country has had it all week.   Even just a mile away there was snow, but our town by the sea had none.

Last night it fell, and I awoke to a pretty white world this morning.   I quite enjoy truding through the snow when its first on the ground, all soft and white, so as I needed so milk off I went to the town, a short walk away. The side streets were fine, it was when I got into the main street where people had been walking more that it became all slushy and slippery on both the pavements and the road.

I safely negotiated crossing the road to get to the supermarket, got my milk, bread, some meat and some skate to cook for my dinner, turned to recross the road...... and......down I went on the slippery slush.   Fortunately I didn`t do any harm to myself other than some bruises.

I still like the look of the snow, but won`t be in a rush to go out again!!

Time passes

2010-11-28T09:08:00.000Z

I see its over a fourteen days since I wrote a post.    I suppose that just goes to show how mundane and uneventful my life is.

My birthday came and went last Wednesday, didn`t do anything special to celebrate it.   Worked in the morning, went to see my mother in the afternoon.   I was going to have tea with her, but it snowed so hard there and covered the roads in about and inch in a short time, so I came back home. And sat by the fire and watched tv in the evening.    No birthday cake.   Infact still no present from mother, as I`ve to take her out shopping to get it and until this weather clears that won`t happen!     I did though have 19 nice birthday cards from different friends, so they`re standing on the mantlepiece and cabinets in the room making the place look nice and bright.    (the cards are standing, not the friends!!)

Other than that, nothing different has occured.   Which, I guess in a way is something to be thankful for.

Feeling sorry for myself

2010-11-15T07:05:00.000Z

On top of everything else, I`ve now gone down with a cold or virus of some sort, and feel like curling up in a corner and being left alone.

I should have been going to Norwich today to learn something else to do with my work - I`m now going to have to contact them and say I can`t go. No way can I drive there sneezing away all the way. My head is fuzzy and my mind won`t concentrate on anything, so to try and learn something connected with accounts would be absolutely useless.

Why did I have to get this, this week?

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

2010-11-12T23:06:00.001Z

That expression came into my mind today with how I`m feeling at the moment and have been feeling these last two weeks. But I think more appropriate to me would be if it said "the flesh is willing but the spirit is weak" !

Since All Saint`s Day (which also would have been my Dad`s birthday), I don`t know what`s happened to me. It`s just over 18 years since my Dad died, yet everything seems to have come back so strongly to me these last two weeks, lots of memories, feelings and the sadness of those weeks. I don`t understand why after all those years I should suddenly feel it so deeply again.

Added to that, I seem to have so many different things to do this week especially, I`ve had two church meetings to attend and related work following them, I`ve had to prepare items for a Christmas sale for tomorrow. As well as my Work work and all the things I normally do in a week, including visits to my mother - all of which take time.

I`ve started jobs, very half-heartedly, put them down, tried to do something else then thought of something else I should have done, so left that and done something else. I`ve just got no enthusiasm or drive to do things, not even tne normal things that I would do. The house looks a tip I`ve got different bits of paper and things in all rooms, from when I`ve started something and put it down. I feel quite down and stressed about things. - and that`s not like me. I`m not sleeping well either so that doesn`t help.

So, although my arms and legs work ok, it`s the spirit to do the things that is lacking. I feel snowed under with everything.

Dramatic sky

2010-11-11T07:49:00.000Z

I love sunsets - and this one last night just made me get my camera out.

Just wished the telephone wires didn`t get in the way!

It`s In !

2010-11-07T08:25:00.001Z

Yes, finally my kitchen window has been sorted out and I`ve a brand new window. A full pane of glass to see out of, without the monstrosity of a big square white fan in the the top quarter of it. The kitchen is so much lighter and brighter now.

All, I have to do now is wait for the bill ! - but the chaps (and they are ones I trust) tell me that the cost of the window will be cheaper than the cost of a new fan in it would have been. That sounds amazing to me.

What`s that noise?

2010-10-30T22:03:00.000+01:00

Coming out of the butchers and going to the Post office this morning, I became aware of a strange sound in the town.

It was a sort of metalic clanking sound.

I walked further along to the greengrocers and the sound became louder. It was like the sound of the clanging of a herd of cows with cowbells on them.

People were standing and looking up the road, trying to identify what the sound was. It appeared to be getting closer. Then we could see a group of people walking down the centre of the road, all dressed in colourful costumes and ringing large bells as they came.

It turned out that there was a Town Crier competition in the centre of the High Street, and town criers from across the country had come to take part in it.

Very colourful they all looked in their outfits on the sunny morning.

Removing the fan

2010-10-28T23:10:00.000+01:00

continued from yesterday.....

The workman- two of them and a young lad, came in carrying a big bag of tools and a new extractor fan to fit in the kitchen window.   Now, I should add that it was early evening when they came, so dark outside.
Looking at the fan they said that they just needed to unscrew the fittings on the current one and then put the new one in, wouldn`t take long.   One strapped a light to his head and went outside to hold the outside part of the old fan.

They got the screws out, but, the fan wouldn`t lift off of the window. We just need to cut the seal all around it then it will be free to lift out I heard them saying. So they did that. The chap outside was trying to pull his side off, and the ones inside were doing the same, but, the fan still wouldn`t budge.   So next they tried dismantling more of it.    I went off into the other room and left them to it. I could hear them knocking and banging away at it.

A while later one of them came through to me, "We`ve a problem, a little mishap - but it`s nothing to worry about" he said. "the glass has cracked around where we`re trying to get the fan out".   We`ve found that whoever put the fan in, didn`t do it right - they`ve completely stuck it to the window with strong sealer, and we can`t get it off.   So, I went throught with him to see.

He showed me the cracks (actually not quite as bad as I expected). "We`ve got to get a new pane of glass for it -then it will be easy to put the new one in.   It won`t be your expense" he said.

"How long will that take", I asked, and was told 3 or 4 days, but we`ll block the fan blades etc all up so that you don`t get any draught in he said.   Then spotting that I`d got an extractor over the cooker, they asked if I really wanted a fan in the window, or just a plain window.    Now, to be honest, I`ve never liked that big monstrosity in the window - so I jumped at the chance of having the window replaced with a plain piece of glass.

So..... now I wait.

Draughty kitchen

2010-10-27T07:17:00.000+01:00

I`ve just realised how long it is since I wrote anything.     I suppose that shows what a plain ordinary life I lead, that I``ve not been inspired and haven`t found anything interesting to write about.

I don`t really know if this is interesting - but - here goes....

My kitchen window has one of those big square extractor fans in it. Through, I suppose the wear and passing of time since it was put in, I noticed that one and then two of the outside flaps which should close the aperture when not being used, had fallen off.   During the summer this didn`t matter so much, but with the cold winds of recently my kitchen was becoming colder than inside my fridge!    So, when the builder was doing the outside of my house several weeks back, I mentioned it to him, and he said he could get one of his electricians to sort it for me.

Weeks went by, I rang and reminded him 3 or 4 weeks ago. He said he hadn`t forgotten and that he`d get the chap to come when he was in the town again.   Fine.   My boss popping in with some work and a cup of tea the one day last week came into the kitchen and immediately said "it`s cold in here! where`s the draught coming from?" I explained what and why.   So he straight away got out his mobile phone and rang the builder (who he knew).   What happened? - the workmen came last night!

What the postman brought

2010-10-07T07:25:00.000+01:00

Opening one of the envelopes in the mail the postman had put through my letter box yesterday I came across this from the insurance company which deals with my car insurance - headed Birthday Offer, (although it`s not my birthday for another 48 days) I thought, Oh, what are they going to give me or treat me to.

"Birthday Offer.
Dear Ms............
We understand how, with time life insurance becomes more expensive and difficult to get. So we`re delighted to offer you an easy opportunity to get more value for money, provided you apply before your 57th. birthday. ....it can provide your loved ones with a guaranteed cash sum on your death from any cause........"

I felt quite depressed by the time I`d finished reading it all - not because they weren`t actually giving me a birthday gift, but (although I know a lot of people do unfortunately die young), I felt that to suggest that I should think about death as something for a birthday offer was unfeeling. At my birthday, I would be thinking of celebrating and remembering happy times, not looking and thinking of what could happen in the future.

Needless to say, I shan`t be accepting their offer!

Why the name?

2010-10-03T09:08:00.001+01:00

I have "strange" thoughts or trains of thoughts and questions at times!

Doing something with different colours yesterday, I got to thinking.....
why is the colour Red called red, or Brown brown, why is Green called green - infact why are any of the colours called the names they are? Why isn`t yellow called blue or blue called purple?? Who decided what colour should be named what it is?

Ok, maybe you`ll say that brown stems from an old Latin, Roman, Egyptian or some other derivative-maybe for the colour of earth - but then who decided that earth should be called earth?.... and so it goes on.......

Why is anything called what it is - who was the very first person to name them???

Harvest time

2010-09-27T07:23:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was Harvest Festival here. It`s one of my favourite days in the church`s year, when we give thanks to God for the bounty of food which he provides for us.

A Perfect Sunday Afternoon

2010-09-13T07:25:00.001+01:00

This may look to be just a picture of sand, but it`s one of my favourite places to walk, and I went there yesterday afternoon. There were lots of families there enjoying it too - some just walking, some playing cricket on the sand, a few digging sandcastles, some sunbathing, others picnicing - all enjoying the open air, warm sun and the space. And - what joy - not the sound of a single person talking on a mobile phone! There are just miles and miles of sand and its very peaceful. It really is a place to feel close to God in creation

I walked for about an hour and then became aware that the sun was disappearing and the blue sky had an ominous black cloud coming up, so I made my way back to the car.

Leaving the car park a short time later, it began to rain, so we drove to another village where we could sit by the water. Whilst sitting there, although it was still lightly raining the sun came out, and I found another delight.....

..... to my right was a beautiful rainbow - so I just had to get out of the car and take some photo`s of it. It was a perfect arc, I could see both ends, but unfortunately it was too big to get the full arc on a photo. This is the best I could do.

Bird Watching

2010-09-11T09:30:00.001+01:00

Sitting on a seat looking out at the sea the other afternoon (not yesterday, it was raining), I saw a starling come and land on the ground very near to the seat. I didn`t take a lot of notice at first, but then became curious when suddenly I heard the whirr of wings of a flock of other starlings coming to join him, just a couple of feet away from my feet.

I sat very quietly and watched them, and discovered that on the concrete edge and coming up from the weeds just below the edge were hundreds of ants - they`d found an ants nest. I quickly looked down at where my feet were!, but thankfully no ants had come that far.

As I watched, they were quickly devouring the ants, then I saw one lift its wing and peck under it. Watching them closer others did the same, and it appeared that they were picking up ants and putting them in their wings. I wondered why?. Although somewhere in my mind I seem to recall a tv nature programme about this, but I can`t remember the reason the starlings do it. They seemed totally unaware of me sitting there, they were so engrossed in the feast they had found.

A Strange phone call

2010-09-08T07:36:00.001+01:00

My telephone rang yesterday evening, just as I`d finished watching a television programme.   I looked at the number on the display and saw that it was my mother.   I answered it as normal, and heard her say "Is that you (and my name)?" I said "Yes"
"it doesn`t sound like you" she said and then she kept repeating my name ... I kept saying "Yes it is me"
"what the matter?"   - "nothing" I replied
"who have you got there"   - "no-one, I`m on my own" I answered
"you`ve got someone there who shouldn`t be there" - "there`s no-one here only me" - I again said
"You`re not answering me"
"Why won`t you answer me?" - "I am answering you" - I said

All the time, I was answering her, but she kept on and on repeating these questions over and over and she was getting more and more agitated and not stopping to listen or wait for a reply, I got to shouting the answers but still she didn`t seem to be hearing me or taking it in.

Then I heard her saying,
"what shall I do, I`m going to get someone to come round and see you, you`ve got someone there who shouldn`t be there"
"I`ll get the police to come round"
"I`m not going to bed until I know you`re alright"
And I just couldn`t get through to her that nothing was wrong, everything was normal.

I began to think that she was having some kind of fit or turn.
I wondered what to do.   I daren`t put the phone down, because if she heard it cut off I sensed that she`d be even more alarmed.

Then I thought, the only thing I can try is to try changing the phone I`m using and pick up another of the handsets in the house.   So, I tried that, and it worked! she heard me on that.   Thank goodness.

So we then experimented and I got her to ring it again and I answered on the first phone I`d been using and she heard me perfectly. So, what had been wrong, I`ve no idea.

2010-08-31T22:03:00.001+01:00

Following a very windy and wet Bank Holiday weekend, the sun came out today and it was so beautiful that it enticed me to leave my work (I had done my allocated hours), and leave the housework and go out. So, I jumped into the car, drove a couple of miles along the coast and then went for a walk along the cliff top.

It was beautiful. The sky was blue and so was the sea. I tried to capture all the wonderful colours and shade of blue in the sea, with my camera, but it doesn`t really do it justice.

Twitching curtains?

2010-08-19T07:10:00.000+01:00

What will the neighbours think?

I`ve just realised, I`ve had, and got different men coming to my house every day this week! I`m not talking about the outside workmen, because they`ve all gone. These have all come to the front door and I`ve let them in.

First, on Monday, it was my boss - because now I`m working from home he comes up for various things.

Then on Tuesday, first a visit from my boss at 7 a.m.! and then an Accountant about 9 a.m. who stayed the day.

Wednesday saw another man on the door step - this time the washing machine repair man, because my machine refused to work

Today, I`ve got the gas fire servicing man coming mid morning

Tomorrow I`ve a friend who should be coming

As to Saturday - that remains unknown at present

And on Sunday, I`m entertaining a visiting Minister to lunch.

What will the neighbours think of all these men coming and going from my house???!

Catching Up

2010-08-15T08:55:00.000+01:00

I`ve been so busy over the past days since my last post, that I haven`t had time to write anything.

So, an update - The scaffolding came down off my house one day last week, so I now have what looks in one sense to be living in a new house!   - well from the sides and back views, the front we have kept the same bricks as before, and just had pointed up where necessary, so I`m glad about that.    I don`t think I`d like to change the traditional look of the front.

I`ve now been working from home for a fortnight and it`s lovely!    I looked out of the window the other morning at the time I should have been setting out for my office and it was pouring with rain. What a pleasure it was to just be able to go upstairs to my office here and not have to get umbrella and rainccoat out and venture out into it. All I need to do is to get things sorted out as to the best layout for working in the room, but that will come with working there and finding out as I go, what works best where.

Today is Sea Sunday at our church, and it was my week to do the flower arrangement, so yesterday I spent several hours doing that.    Here is the result of my main arrangement.

Facelift

2010-08-04T19:32:00.000+01:00

My house is undergoing a facelift at present. It was built around 1900, as far as I know. (I`m thinking of trying to find the actual history of it) It was, so I`m told the first one to be built in this road, and is the only one which was a detached house the ones which followed it were all semi-detached.

Being built over 100 years ago, of a softer type of brick and a sandyier mortar I suppose its no wonder that the bricks have been eroded away with the winds, the salt air and the weather. As for the mortar between the bricks, it had got so that you could run your finger along it and it would just crumble out. Infact at times, sitting indoors at night you would occasionally hear pieces falling down in the cavity wall.

So, although preserving the bricks on the front with pointing up, as the weather hasn`t attacked them so badly, the gable ends and sides have now had a coat of cement (or whatever you call what they put on them), and then it`s going to be painted with a weatherproof paint - so a new look!

Yes, expensive, but worth it.

A New Start

2010-08-03T07:06:00.000+01:00

I started a new phrase of my working life yesterday.

I`ve worked in the same business and building for just over forty years. During that time, I have ofcourse seen lots of changes, both to the actual physical structure of the building, its frontage, door, inside layout etc have been changed numerous times. When I started there, the first and second floor of it were a `house` and the manager lived there, coming down stairs straight into the store. Later the stairs were closed up and made to enter from the main street to access the upper floors. Then, for years and years the upper rooms were left empty.

After many years of being disused, and with a change of ownership of the business the rooms became the head office, and I moved up there to work.

Now, the rooms have been converted back into living accommodation and made into two flats. That meant the office I work in needed to be re-located.

An office was made for me in the warehouse - disused warehouse (I should add) of another of the company`s stores. I went over to look at it a few weeks ago, and as soon as I walked up the stairs to it I experienced a very strange feeling - I just totally felt very uncomfortable there, it felt somehow very spooky. I just knew that I just couldn`t work there. My boss, who was with me, took one look at me as said "you don`t like it, do you?" and I had to admit I didn`t. He was very good about it, and didn`t say - well this it you`ll have to get used to it, he instead said we`ll have to see what else we can find or do.

So, yesterday began the new session of my working life - as I am now working from home, and just using that "spooky office" for a base for mail, storing paperwork etc.... Last week we moved all the office items which I needed to here, and yesterday I started actually working here. And it was a good day!

Flower Festival

2010-07-17T08:34:00.003+01:00

Here is the Flower Festival which I was involved with last week.

Just click on the photo below and it will take you to the site will all the photos on. - you can either then watch it as a Slide show, or individual ones, and at full screen. Enjoy!

And, if you click on this one below, and do the the same you`ll see General Views

Flower Festival

2010-07-12T07:09:00.000+01:00

A view of the Flower Festival I was involved with last week.

Flowers all around!

2010-07-09T07:26:00.000+01:00

I`m in the middle of a Flower Festival this week. Surrounded by beauty and perfume.

But, although that sounds delightful - which it certainly is - it hasn`t been without its hitches, snags and problems. More so this year than others for some reason, maybe its the hot weather affecting everyone.

Anyway - here`s a picture of the delivery of the flowers on Tuesday evening.

Yes, the whole lorry full, was for the church!

Chair problem

2010-06-18T07:05:00.000+01:00

My chair wee`d on the carpet.

Yes, I do mean the chair and not myself nor anyone sitting in it.

I was sitting on my office chair in my office/workroom here at home yesterday evening and decided to just alter the height of the seat and the angle of the back slightly.   I pressed and moved the relevant levers under the bottom of the chair when all at once I heard the sound of liquid running.   I jumped up, wondering what on earth it was and where it was coming from as it seemed to be coming from the chair.   It was, out of the bottom at the back liquid was running onto the floor.    I ran downstairs and grabbed a cloth to put on the floor so that it didn`t sink into the carpet. By the time I got back with the cloth it had stopped running out, so I set to work to mop up and clean the carpet - it was a very acidy, oily sort of smell to the fluid.

Then, I wondered what to do, I daren`t sit on the chair again incase it made any more come out; I daren`t move it for the same reason.   Standing there looking at the chair, I decided that the best thing to do would be to give it a nappy - so downstairs I ran again, and got a plastic carrier bag, which I`ve now sellotaped to hang below the parts at the bottom where I think the fluid came from.    I think my next move is to somehow find a way to get rid of the chair, as I daren`t use it again.

Any ideas, how?   As a woman on my own I can`t carry it down the stairs, it`s too awkward a shape and weight for me to do that safely. And then, how to dispose of it?

Business trip

2010-06-16T07:24:00.000+01:00

I had to visit two of our stores yesterday, one in Norwich, so I set off quite early so as not to be late through being held up in traffic. What happened? I got there thirty minutes early. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful morning. So having parked at the back of the store and rather than fluster the store manager by being so early, I had the opportunity for a short walk down by the river. As usual my camera was in my handbag, I seldom go anywhere without it, so it gave me the opportunity to take these pictures of a spot I think is very beautiful.

And, a view along the river

Stained glass flowers

2010-05-29T13:49:00.000+01:00

For the first time, I was asked to take part in a Flower Festival at a village church. I was nervous about doing it somewhere else, but as the Organiser always does one for the Festival I help organise, I decided to accept. This is the arrangement I did for the subject "A day in the life of..... a Stained glass worker".

The Festival is at Upper Sheringham parish church this weekend.

A wonderful world

2010-05-21T22:22:00.000+01:00

I`ve been enjoying the beauty of a part of our coastline this afternoon. The sun drew me out, to leave all the housework and jobs I should be doing indoors, and to take a drive along the coast and have a walk.

Although I passed a few people also enjoying the lovely afternoon, it was really peaceful and quiet and just what I needed after the worries of last week.

The air was filled with the sounds of birds calling and singing. In the stream to my right as I stood looking around me, I spotted a coot with two tiny new chicks, beyond that in the meadow a pair of geese walked along with young goslings in a line behind one parent bird with the other parent bird at the back of them.

And this, just a fraction of the panoramic scene, just has to be so beautiful. Our land really does have wonderful places to walk and experience.

At a Loss

2010-05-12T07:04:00.001+01:00

I was at a loss for what to say yesterday.   Not that I`m a talkative person at anytime, and I think that goes back to my upbringing as a child - but I digress, that`s another subject altogether which maybe I`ll write about another day

What happened was my boss brought a young man into the office with him and after introducing him the young man went off to do some work in another part of the building.   J, my boss, then told me that the young man`s daughter, aged just 8 months old, had died a few days ago and naturally the lad was very, very distressed.

After a while J suddenly said to me "You believe in God, don`t you?", to which I replied "Yes", (It was the first time that anyone had ever openly asked me that) and I knew somehow that he was thinking about that baby and the lad, and asking `why`.   I just didn`t know what to say.   All I could come out with, is "there is a lot that happens that we just don`t understand, but I believe there is a purpose behind all that happens even though we can`t see it, and may never understand it"

I felt very inadequate, and don`t know if that was really a good enough answer to give.

I feel very challenged by his question. - not in the sense of challenging God, but in how deep my faith is.   I feel I should have given a better answer than just those few words.

Owww!

2010-05-08T07:59:00.000+01:00

It wasn`t my day yesterday!

The morning started nice and bright although breezy, so I hung my washing out on the line. It was getting nice and dry by lunch time, but needed just a little longer. I needed to go somewhere, so off I went in the car. By the time I came back a couple of hours later it had been raining, and my washing was now wetter than when I put it out!

Now, I`m in pain. I went through to the kitchen to make myself a supper drink yesterday evening, and turning to do something in the living room on my way, somehow my slipper seemed to grip to the carpet as I turned back and..... down I went, hitting my side on the corner of a dining chair, and my hip on the floor. Thankfully I was on the carpet and not the tiled kitchen floor. But now I`m in pain whenever I move. I guess it`s just bruises and maybe strained a muscle there, but ouch! I`ve got to stop and think now before I stretch to pick something up or reach out to the right and try and find a different way to move to do whatever it is I`m trying to do to lesssen it hurting. How frustrating.

A Day Out

2010-05-06T08:47:00.000+01:00

The sun shone, I was on holiday from work, so into the car I jumped yesterday morning and set off along the coast road, enjoying the beauty of all the new spring life around me. The wonderful green of the trees, the pink blossom on the almond and cherry trees, the sight of lambs in a field. What could be more beautiful.

Stopping in a town to get myself some fish & chips for dinner, I then drove along the cliff top found a good spot to park overlooking the sea and enjoy the fish & chips. Sitting there in the car eating them, I became aware that two ducks had waddled over and stood there watching me. I decided to see if they liked chips!, so threw two small ones out of the window, which they soon devoured. They stood waiting for more! (which they duly got) but I discovered that they don`t like fish skin - I threw a little battered covered bit of skin out to them, they looked at it and ignored it. - not so the sea-gulls, they quickly came for it.

Having finished my picnic lunch I went for a walk along the cliff top.

This is the beautiful scene that I was looking at as I walked along. The picture doesn`t really do it justice - it was such a huge open, calm, peaceful, expanse of sea and seashore.

Bluebells

2010-05-04T13:56:00.001+01:00

Enjoy !

A Blue Carpet

2010-05-02T23:32:00.001+01:00

I saw a beautiful blue carpet yesterday......

Isn`t it lovely.....

...............bluebells as far as the eye could see in all directions

Nature is so wonderful.

Growing

2010-04-26T07:12:00.000+01:00

I`ve just realised it`s a while since I wrote a post.

It was a lovely week of weather here last week, well, until Sunday when it turned dull and showery. Still the showers have done my garden good. I spent most of Saturday out there, as I`d been to the garden centre on Friday afternoon and got some plants to put into tubs and pots, so spent quite a while doing that, then set all my runner bean seeds in pots to start off.

At the moment my summer house is full of little plant pots, some geraniums and now all the pots of runner beans. So, everytime I want to sit in there I have to move them all out! Maybe one day I`ll think about getting a green-house, but at the moment it doesn`t really seem worth it, not just to use for a few weeks of the year as a nursery for baby plants.

2010-04-17T21:51:00.000+01:00

The sun shone, the gardener had prepared the beds for me, so out I went with my packets and seeds, and set my vegetable seeds for the year.

Then, to keep all the neighbourhood cats off, as they seem to love my garden, and I wish they didn`t because of all the little "things" they keep leaving behind, I covered all the beds with mesh netting.

Now I look forward to the seeds growing into carrots, beetroot, parsnips and onions. The runner beans will go in later.

Looking up from my work, I spotted this blackbird, obviously collecting food, which set me wondering if he had nest of chicks alreay.

If anyone has any suggestions how to keep cats away, I`d be sooooooooooooo grateful!

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T07:26:00.000+01:00

Hope you all have a Happy Easter

Lift High the Cross

2010-04-03T08:28:00.000+01:00

A view of Good Friday

Lift High the Cross...... the love of Christ proclaim

New House!

2010-03-23T07:11:00.001Z

I`ve got a new house!......

No, I`ve not moved, I`ve just had my hall, staircase and landing redecorated and a bit of dismantling done.

Our staircase when I was a child had bannisters, and I have memories of sitting on the stairs, with all my dolls and teddy on different stairs, when my mother was hoovering in the hall, and pretending we were in a train looking out of the gaps in the bannisters as the windows, the sound of the hoover being the engine
.
Anyway - during the 1960`s my mother decided she was tired of keep having to dust all the fiddly fancy bannister posts and rails and we had a handiman come and box the whole thing in with sheets of hardboard and then it was painted. Looked very solid, and I didn`t like it.

So, now having the house to myself, I decided it was time those awful sheets of hardboard came off. And what a difference it`s made to the the house. It`s given it a whole new feel and made it seem so much bigger, brighter and lighter as one comes in the front door.

What`s in an empty office?

2010-03-16T20:01:00.000Z

Well, it was back to work yesterday after my weeks holiday.   Work wasn`t bad, but at one point in the morning I got a real fright!

Running out of staples I went upstairs to the office at the back of the building, which had been vacated some time ago and left empty, as I knew there were unneeded stationery items there.   I easily found what I wanted and returned down to my own office and continued working.

Later in the morning, needing to find an old personnel file, I again went up to the next floor, but this time to the unused office at the front of the building. On opening the door something large whirred around me, making me jump. (this office too had been unused for months and just occasionally I had need to enter it). Once I got over being startled, I looked around and there was a pigeon.

I quickly shut the door so that it didn`t get loose in the whole of the building, thankful that I like birds and am not afraid of them flying round in the way that many people are.  How had it got there? Looking across at the window, which had roller blinds pulled right down to the window sill and quite tight against the window, I spotted that one of the sash windows was open about 12 inches from the top. Obviously that was how the bird had got in, but yet, the blinds were close to the window, so quite how he (or she) had managed it I`m not sure.

It was obvious from the state of the "little messages!" that the bird had been leaving all over the chairs, desk, filing cabinet, floor etc., that it had been in the for quite some time.   Poor little thing!

By now the bird had quietened down and was sitting perched on the edge of the filing cabinet watching me, I went over to the window and pulled up the blind of the opened window.   After a minute or so the bird flew and perched on the top of the open window beside me then with a flap of its wings sped off out into the world again.   I wonder what tales he/she will tell the other pigeons of its adventure.

I`m just so glad that I had reason to go up into that room.   I`ll now make sure I check up there more often - just incase it decides to come back.

In the Bird House

2010-03-11T07:44:00.000Z

What do you expect to find in a bird house?

..... birds.....

Well......

......look again at this one which I saw the other day

More Snowdrops

2010-03-09T08:11:00.000Z

I took so many photos of the snowdrops on my walk that I thought I`d share a few more with you all. To me they are such a beautiful flower and one of my favourites. I marvel at the way something so small and fragile looking can struggle through the earth at this time of year and withstand the cold, frost and all that the climate gives it at this time of year.

Looking closely at the snowdrops, there were many different kinds too- like this one with the lovely green petals and shading, which one couldn`t see unless you gently lifted its head - or as in this case, put the camera underneath it!

This to me was a good sign of new life among the old, with the fallen and decaying tree trunk and the fresh new snowdrops. So encouraging, so hopeful.

A Walk in Springtime

2010-03-07T20:13:00.001Z

Come, enjoy the walk that I enjoyed on Friday afternoon.....

No, that`s not snow on the ground, its a carpet of snowdrops

Amongst the snowdrops were some yellow aconites

Everywhere I looked there were the dainty white snowdrops, hundreds of thousands of beautiful blooms

The sun was out and it was a really beautiful peaceful afternoon

Being Watched

2010-02-26T07:17:00.000Z

Sitting at my office desk yesterday, alone in the office, I got the feeling that I was being watched.   Now, I hasten to add, my office is on the first floor of a buiding, up 17 steps. There were no workmen working on the building, and we do not have a window cleaner.

I looked across to the big bay window, and at first couldn`t see what was making me feel that someone was watching me. Then, looking down to the bottom of the left hand side of the bay window, I spotted it.   There, standing with it`s head up tall right against the window peering in from the window ledge was - a pigeon, looking right at me.

I sat and looked at it, wondering what it was thinking as it stood there looking in.    Did it want to come in? Did it wonder what I was doing?   Did it wonder what all the things in the room were, so different to its ouside world?   Was it hungry, or looking for somewhere to nest?   What could it actually see, I wondered?

After quite a few minutes of looking at each other, it flew off, and I went back to my work.

I wonder if it will come to visit me again?!

A sign of spring

2010-02-21T08:53:00.000Z

A friend brought me this lovely bunch of tulips yesterday. Aren`t they a beautiful colour.

I carefully pierced through the stems, just under the flower, with a pin before putting them in the vase as I`m told that helps them to keep up straight and not flop over. Will see what happens. It`s working so far.

Black & Blue

2010-02-19T20:11:00.000Z

I`ve just realised, its a week since I wrote a post here. I`ve been back to work this week. I feel better, but you should see the bruises I`ve got on my leg and tummy from where they did the angiogram, which was through the way they have to press so hard for ten minutes after it. I`m black, blue, purple and all colours - and its painful to move certain ways - but still, never mind the result was good and I know the bruises will disappear in time.

Other than that, I`ve not much to write about, its been a fairy ordinary week.

Day off tomorrow, so maybe I`ll think of something more interesting to say!

Message in the Flowers

2010-02-12T08:44:00.000Z

I received a nice bunch of daffodils from a friend, when I came home from hospital on Tuesday.

They were tall and straight and in tight bud. I put them in a vase with water and stood them where I could see them the most, in the warmth of the room where I was. Gradually over the last two days they have opened and are now in full bloom. It`s a real joy to watch how they develop and grow. Really beautiful.

That set me thinking - how we are like those daffodils. With warmth and love, care and concern we too grow. And, best of all is God`s love for us.

Heartfelt Thanks

2010-02-10T11:16:00.000Z

Well, I`m back home and it`s all over.

And, it`s good news - there`s no problems with my arteries or my heart. They told me the result about 10 minutes after the test when they`d looked at all the x-rays. I am so relieved

The test wasn`t very pleasant, yet not as bad as I feared. And it all seems to be healing up well where they did it. My friend was able to stay in the nice little single bed ward where they put me both before they did it and as soon as they returned me there from the recovery room. The test took about 30 minutes then after going back from the recovery room I had to lay flat for two and a half hours, then then gradually sat me up during another hour and a half, after which I was allowed to get up and walk around a bit. and we could then ring my other friend to come and collect me. All in all we spent about 8 hours at the hospital!

I am so thankful to the kindess of all the nurses and other hospital staff, (I can`t remember the titles of all their jobs) but they were all so caring and helpful. And, I`m especially grateful to my friend who stayed with me througout it all.

Test Day.

2010-02-09T08:14:00.000Z

I`m not looking forward to today.   I`m scared.   I know I`m a coward.

Today I have to go to the hospital to have an angiogram, which is apparently a tube inserted into my groin to then put dye into my heart to see what it happening with the veins and the heart.

I`m scared and frightened on a number of things, - what are they going to discover?     What is the test going to be/feel like?   and, worst of all - what happens if where they insert it starts bleeding again when I get home?   in some ways that`s my greatest fear.

I am fortunate though, in that I have some good friends - one is taking me to the hospital and staying there, and will stay the night with me when I come home, as I have to have someone with me.    Another good friend is coming to collect me after it`s all over and I can come home.   I`ve just had another friend ring me up to give me good wishes and moral support.

I just wish at this moment that it was tomorrow and that it was all over.

Caught in the Headlights

2010-02-04T19:20:00.000Z

Feeling a bit better and brighter today, I went over to see my Mum this afternoon and have tea with her.

Driving back a short time ago in the dark, along the main road my headlights caught on something in the field to my left as I approached a bend. And what a lovely sight that was. Something I`d never seen before in all the times that I had driven along that short distance between my Mum`s and my home.

What did I see? A beautiful pair of deer. They were standing quite still and close to the edge of the field against the roadside. It really made my day.

I found myself wondering what they were thinking about as they stood there seemingly watching the constant stream of car headlights passing by!

Moaning Minnie!

2010-02-03T07:00:00.000Z

I`m still here, but I can`t think of anything to blog about. You don`t want to keep reading about my health problem I`m sure. But, at the moment I`m just feeling frightened and alone, and worrying about what is happening to me/my body. I`ve woken up this morning not feeling "right" but yet not exactly feeling ill, nor can I really describe how I feel - its just a feeling of not being right.

Quandry, shall I go to work and hope it wears off, or should I stay at home incase it develops into something. Maybe its just a reaction to all the tablets I`m now having to take, maybe its the worry of next weeks hospital test, maybe its....... Oh, I don`t know!

Relevant Thought for the Day

2010-01-27T12:22:00.001Z

I receive a daily email Bible verse and Thought for the Day from Living Light, and part of today`s was so apt it said:

“Even sickness - that appears to have absolutely no use - has little gems and hidden jewels that are revealed, often through other people. Paul had many people to help him get away, and although we can’t escape from illness we can allow people to help us and be alongside our suffering. Illness is not glamorous and we have to learn to agree with Paul, that we will boast of the things that show our weakness - not an easy thing to do!”

To read the whole piece click here.

I have been and am so thankful to everyone who are helping me at this time.

Key thoughts

2010-01-26T22:06:00.000Z

Waking up in the middle of the night, and unable to get back to sleep my mind started wandering!
And I didn`t like where it went.

I found myself thinking what would I do, if I were taken ill in the night and the emergency people needed to get in. My front door was locked, the key taken out of the lock as always, the back door was locked too. Ok, no problem if I was able to go downstairs, but what if I wasn`t. How would they get to me.

It made me think, should I somehow keep a key outside somewhere, in the way that people used to leave their keys under the doormats when they went out, or under a stone. But, Imagine doing that today!. Should I put one in the shed - yet in the dark it would be hard to find, and in these days of security would that be safe to have one there in the daytime.

I wonder if anyone else, especially anyone on their own, has pondered this and if they`ve come up with a solution.

Inspiring hymns

2010-01-24T18:33:00.000Z

Turning on the television this tea time to watch the BBC Songs of Praise, having not been to church today, I found it a very inspiring one, with many several hymns that seemed to speak to me, and my current situation and worries.

Helpful advice recalled

2010-01-23T08:41:00.000Z

I remembered a bit of advice yesterday, given to me by a friend many years ago, when I was worried and afraid to tell my mother something, which I knew she`s have to know in the end - and that was that - I`d only make myself feel worse by keeping worrying about how to tell her knowing I would have to in the end. So do it and get it over with.

So, when she rang me yesterday morning and said "are you alright", I did tell her a "watered down" account of what had transpired this week, and what I `might` have.

And, yes, I do feel much better for having done so and at least got that worry off my mind.

Tests

2010-01-22T09:58:00.000Z

I got to the hospital in good time yesterday, and we found the department quite easily, once we`d managed to find a space on the car park.

Having reported in at the correct desk, it wasn`t long before I was called in to have an ECG, then back to the waitng room.

After a fairly long wait, thankfully I had my friend there to sit and chat to, or at least for her to do most of the chatting thus keeping my mind off of worrying somewhat, I was called through again for lots of questions and other tests.    Back to the waiting room.

My name was then called again, to go and have a heart scan, that duly done - back to the waiting room.

Finally we were called in to get the results of all the tests, and that revealed that they think it is Angina, but I need to have a further test, on another day.   And depending on the result of that, I may need another test or something at Papworth - that really has alarmed me.

I`ve now got 5 different tablets to take each day - but, as I said to them, I don`t mind how many tablets I have to take, so long as it sorts things out.

I am just so grateful to my friend for being with me and coming with me at such short notice.   and also for the kindess and help of all the medical staff, whose manner and attitude gave one confidence in them.

My big worry now, is what or how to tell my Mum.