Jugs of Wine

Enjoy these jugs of wine today.
No time to write anything else!

Roller Coaster day

What a roller-coaster of a day yesterday was for us. I`ve not been on a roller-coaster in my life, but I understood yesterday how people can describe feelings and emotions as being on one. Up and down and up and down and up and......

Meeting the Social Services worker yesterday, she was pushing for Mum to come home again after the 2 weeks respite care. I know that I can`t cope with her needs if she was at home, and she is worried about being here particularly at nights. (Infact, having spoken to a church friend, who had been to visit her in the home, before I went to the home, she said that Mum was accepting the fact that she needed care.) I said that she needed to be cared for, and Mum herself agreed, but No, said the S.S.Worker, that`s the last resort, I can`t put her forward to the committee for that until we`ve tried everything else.

So, (to cut a long story short), I had to say to the S.S.Person, that I`m not having Mum home. It was hard. I wept. Tears came I think from a mixture of emotions, because I felt so hard having to say that; I felt inadequate that I couldn`t care for her; that I wanted the best for her..... and that they didn`t seem to be willing to give me the help we both needed.

Then the S.S.Worker said after the fortnight Mum might be moved to a home in a town even further away and Mum got upset at that. And I don`t blame her. Whilst friends might at a pinch drive a 30 minute drive to see her, I can`t imagine them doing a 40-50 minute one just to visit. She`d feel so cut off.

Eventually, S.S.Person suggested another idea, that we look at a place where they each have an individual "flatlet" and look after themselves as much or little as they can and help is always on hand to do the things they can`t. This place being about 5-10 minutes away from home. That was a better suggestion. So in the afternoon I took Mum to see it. She fell in love with it at first sight!, its a good modern purpose built building, with everything on site. Nice size living/kitchen room, bedroom and bathroom. It would mean she could take her own furniture, have her own phone... etc., be as independent as she wanted yet within a caring community.

But, it`s not cut and dried, because although we`ve said Yes it would be ideal and we`d like it, it now has to go to a panel of people to decide on Friday. Talking to the person who showed us around, there are 3 free flatlets - but we don`t know how many are on the waiting list for them.

We just wait in hope.



Tomorrow, I`ll try and give you a more cheerful and bright blog entry!

So far, so good

I got Mum safely to the Care home on Friday and she`s got a nice size bright room on the ground floor, and, surprisingly, she didn`t protest when we went to leave. Even she, when I visited on Sunday afternoon, said it`s nice and level in here. (At home we`ve ridges and slightly different levels from the carpet edging to kitchen tiled floor, bathroom etc). So maybe she`ll come to see that it is for the best.

The "telling point" as to the future will be today. I`ve to meet the Social Services person there this morning when she comes to do an Assessment on Mum.

I feel very blessed to have such a good church family. I`ve had countless inquiries as to how Mum is, and a number of them are either going to write to her, send her a card, give her a ring (she`s got her mobile phone with her), and go and see her. One has even offered to (if she can), go and fetch her and bring her to see a flower festival, and take her back again. As well as all those offers, there have been those who have offered me support, both practical, and someone to talk to.

Result

After serveral more phone calls yesterday, and stressing the urgency of the need, I got a phone call back from the Social Services at tea time to say, they`d found a place for Mum for respite care for a fortnight (to start with).

But.... it`s in a small village about a half-hours drive away. Now, Mum I know wanted somewhere in the town where she lives, which is understandable, but on asking they said they`d tried over 12 different places. I accepted what they offered.
So the difficulty was how to tell her! Evenutally, I think she accepted it.

The difficult bit could now well be when it comes to take her there this afternoon. I`m getting quite knotted up inside already with the thoughts that she might change her mind and not decide to go when it comes down to it. Yet, she (and I) need her to, and after all the work they`ve done to find somewhere, we must take it up.

Ring......

Following on from what happened yesterday, I feel I just can`t take any more. So in a way it was quite a traumatic day, as first we waited for the doctor to come to see my parent, sometime between 12 and 3 I was told when I rang up. So, as I wanted to be there when they came I took time off work.

What time did the doctor arrive 5 to 3. She asked us both lots of questions, asked Mum to show her how she did walk... so up gets Mum, and walks better and quicker (well quicker for her) than she has for weeks!... Was I mad! Anyway on insistence on my part that I felt Mum should go into a home for respite care, she (yes, it was a lady doctor) told me to ring Social services, which I did.

A very nice person answered the phone, asked a lot more questions tried to connect me to the right departments, was unable to, so said they`d ring me back. It got to 5p.m - no phone call, so thinking they would be finishing work about then, I rang again, but was assured that no, someone would definitely ring me.

About 7p.m. the phone call came. More questions. And, the outcome.... they`re going to pass it today to District Assessment and someone is going to ring me!

I await developments.

Did I hear a voice?

It was just gone 5 a.m. and I awoke from a deep sleep thinking am I dreaming or did I hear a voice.

I got out of bed to investigate.... and there`s my mother on the floor in her bedroom, she`d fallen again. Well, I say on the floor she was on her knees on the floor having fell that way and unable to get up. Again I couldn`t lift her. So again I had to make a 999 call. Thankfully the crew arrived in very quick time, and eventually between them they got her up.

It really worries me, having her living with me like that and likely to fall at any time. I feel that the time has come when she ought to be in a home where she can be cared for and have trained people on call. But, can I convince her of that, for her safety and good as well as for mine and my peace of mind?

A Stoney Fish

A fishy work of art!
I saw this while I was on holiday recently, and was captivated to stand and look at it to take in all the details. It was, as you`ll see below, part of a much larger piece of artwork, the whole thing really fascinating. So detailed and intricate.



How I`d love to have something like it in my garden (albeit on a smaller scale)!

Catching up

Gosh, where has this week gone to? It`s Friday already and I`ve only found time to write one post this week. And, I`ve not had time to read many blogs either, so will catch up on them next week (hopefully) after an event I`m working for at the weekend is over.

Isn`t it strange how throughout the years, you can go weeks with no special events to work for and plan for, yet when they do come they come within weeks of each other. Bad planning I suppose you might say, but when they`re things that have to be on certain dates there`s no way of getting around it.

Still, at the moment I`m feeling quite calm about it all.

One "strange" coincidence happened this week. I was talking to some friends who were helping me with a job and seeing a name of a lady on some paperwork we were doing asked if she was the wife of a man they knew. On further discussion it turned out that she wasn`t, although she had the same hobby as the other lady.

Later that evening I had a phone call from another lady who was going to take part in the event next month for us, to say she was very sorry but she had been in hospital and been told that she mustn`t do anything. Now, at this stage I could have panicked - but on putting the phone down I recalled the conversation in the afternoon with my friends, so I rang them to ask if they could ask the lady they knew if she would like to take part. And... the result was - Yes, she would like to.

It somehow seemed as if it was "meant to be". Was it a coincidence? or what?!

Home

I`m home again, having had a wonderfully relaxing holiday. Now it`s back to - no, I`m not going to say reality - I`ll say back to routine, to not being my own person. Last week, I was ME. An adult with other adults, doing things at normal speed, going out, walking at normal speed, untied. Now, its back to being a "mother and child" feeling, somehow not a person in my own right (at home anyway, not at work, that`s different again). How I wish I`d moved out years ago and become my own person.

Last week seemed more like reality than this does. I felt more at home there than I do in my own home with my parent being here all the while. I just felt so accepted as I was.

It`s very hard to put into words exactly what I mean, and this might read as a load of senseless words, but I know what I mean!

A Walk in the Park

Enjoying a walk round a large lake in a park today, we came across these beautiful swans with their two cygnets. The (I assume) male one on the left was very protective of his family, and as we went to go down some steps on to the path, he got up and started walking towards us, as if to say you`re not to come any further, I`ve got babies here. And, so, knowing how strong such a bird could be, we retreated and joined the path a bit further on where I managed to turn around to capture this photo after he`d settled down beside his family having seen the "danger" off.

An Evening Stroll

The sun shone all day yesterday, and what more perfect way of ending the day than enjoying an evening stroll along the promenade with a friend. How beautiful the sun beginning to go down over the sea was. The silver path it was creating across the water and the rivulets of water on the sand.

But, what a sad sight too was this beautiful ship that had run aground earlier in the year and was lying on its side stuck in the sand.



It is hard to show how huge it is, and it really does make one stand in awe and wonder at the strengh and power of waves and water.

Today`s the Day

In under an hours time, I should be on my way. The start of my holiday. I think I finally got things sorted so that my mother cannot put any more obstacles in the way. My aunt is kindly coming up to sleep here, so Mum`s not on her own at night.

The only problem getting away this morning, is that it`s a bit of a misty, foggy morning here - so... you can imagine what my parent goings to say about me driving with it like that! The weathermen say it will brighten up, so I`m not over bothered about it.

I had a day full of "nervous energy" yesterday, doing this and that, and all sorts of bits. I couldn`t settle down. I`m a bit that way this morning too. I always hate the day before a holiday because, for some reason, I think I must do this, I must do that, I must get that ready,.....etc....etc..... Yet, a lot of those things could be left until I come back. Why, I wonder is it that I do that, or are others the same? Yet, too I think keeping busy stops me thinking and getting nervous myself about the holiday.

Party Time

I`m not really very much of a party person. No, that`s wrong.. I should say I`m not a party person at all. I don`t enjoy them at all. But the other week I received an invitation to a relatives Golden Wedding Party. Not having many relations, I felt that I really couldn`t say no.

Opening the invitation envelope and unfolding the sheet, I read it, and then read it again to see if I`d read it right. A very unusual venue for an big Celebration like a 50th. Wedding Anniversary I thought.

No, it wasn`t a large hotel,

nor even a small hotel.

Not a big posh restaurant,

not Chinese, Indian, Thai, nor any other kind of weird foreign food that I won`t eat.

So, last Saturday night, off we went, there were about thirty people there, ok, not a large party, but I still felt very much, as always, an odd one out. The place had not made any attempt to put tables together and a lot of us sat (me included) with our backs to each other. All I could face was a wall and an elderly person I didn`t know opposite me. We were a table of six people and of the other at least 4 of them were well over 80, well, nearer 90 than 80! So that made for a really scintillating evening! (I don`t think). As soon as I could decently make a get-away I did.

The food was nice.

Where were we?......

.......in the local fish and chip shop down a side road!

Torn

Sorry to anyone who`s come here for a cheerful bright read, but today I`m not feeling in the mood to do that, infact that`s why I haven`t posted much lately. I`ve just got such a problem on my mind that`s making me feel torn in two that I`m going to have to write about it here.

This time next week, I should be off on a week`s holiday on my own to some friends - a break that I can badly do with. But the great problem is my parent. It`s not just the holiday situation that is the issue, but it has enlarged it.

My parent is becoming increasingly less mobile and less able to do things, even everyday things for living, like lifting a kettle, getting plates etc off even the low shelf in the cupboard etc..etc. She is very unsteady on her feet and losing her confidence in even walking a few steps, indoors as well as out.

I am feeling it too much of a responsibility on my own, and hard as this may sound I`d like to get her into a home to be looked after. But...having tried to mention it to her..... well, you can imagine the reaction, can`t you?! It`s "you don`t want me" *you want to get rid of me" ^you wish I was dead".

I`m just feeling so torn - torn between wanting a life of my own, before I`m old and decrepit to enjoy it and to make some friends and the responsibility of her. It`s getting me down and I feel so alone.

Hunt the.........

.... no not Hunt the Thimble, but we`ve been doing something similiar to that old children`s party game this afternoon and evening....

....I`ve been playing "hunt the mobile phone"!

I went to take my phone out of my handbag when I got to work this morning, and it wasn`t there. It must be at home, I thought, not unduly worried. Going home at lunch time, I went to the obvious places where I sometimes put it, but it wasn`t there either.

I couldn`t remember when I last had it. I knew I`d definitely had it on Friday, and think I`d had it Saturday or Sunday evening, but wasn`t sure. So we started to look for it. We searched high and low in the house, even in the most unlikely of places too, including the paper recycling bin outside; the summerhouse and garden shed; the laundy basket.... and so on. Perhaps it fell out in the car, so the car was turned inside out too, but to no avail. I began to think I must have lost it out at one of the Flower Festivals which I went to at the weekend, so rang up people we knew connected with both the churches, and they said they`d have a look round and ask for me. I rang the shop I went to yesterday morning to get a loaf of bread, but no luck there.

I thought, ah!..I know, if I dial the number it will ring and I can locate it from that if its in the house - so I dialled the number..... but..... I`d, as usual, turned the phone off, so that idea didn`t work.

It`s not that I use it a lot, I seldom ring anyone from it but I do like to have one when I`m out and when in the car, so I began looking on the web at prices and ideas for getting a new one as I thought that was what I`d have to do.

Now, a few minutes ago I went into my bedroom, for the umpteenth time..... and.... moving a chair, which I`d moved before, there on the chair sat my mobile phone!

One of the activities I enjoy is visiting flower festivals, and this weekend I found two churches to visit.
So here are some pictures from one of them for you to enjoy too.

'Red sky at night, shepherds delight`..



`Birds of a feather flock together'

Favourite beauty

Having posted a photo of a beautiful flower in our garden last week, I just have to follow that up with a picture of my favourite flower. Also in the garden.

Of all the flowers there are, the Lily of the Valley is my favourite. It`s so dainty, its bells all so perfect and so pettily shaped. It looks so fragile, yet is so strong.


And, it has a wonderful perfume. So amazing for the size of the flowers is the strength of perfume which exudes from it. I put just 6 stems of it in a vase and it has perfumed the room, and it`s not a perfume that quickly fades, it lasts for several days.

Lily of the Valley is top of my favourite flower list. Wonder what tops others lists?

Brill

I`m going to tell you about the brill meal I had today.....

It started by taking some large red potatoes, peeling them, carefully cutting them with a knife into slices and then into strips before plunging them into hot fat, where they sizzled away nicely for several minutes until they came out like this.






Next, I took the lovely fresh whole fish, washed it, dried it and put it to drain. Flour was mixed with water and a little bicarbonate of soda to make a batter. The fish was then immersed in the batter to get thoroughly coated and dropped into the deep fat fryer, and cooked until the fish was succulent and the batter light and crispy.



Result - a plate of beautiful Brill and chips.
A Brill Meal !

Beauty

I just had to take a photo of these flowers in our garden today and share them with you. They looked so beautiful with the sun shining on it. What an intricate work of nature they are.

Red or White?

This jug and the colour of the curtain behind it, got me thinking about the first miracle of Jesus when he turned water into wine.

Whenever that miracle it portrayed in film, or in illustrations, the wine is always shown as red wine. But, I got to thinking - was it red wine, would it have been red wine or white wine? In the Bible story, afer Jesus told the disciples to fill the jars with water and take them to the master of the banquet to taste (John 2: 7-9) the water had been turned into wine.

It seems more logical to me to think that the when they poured the water out for the master of the banquet to taste, that it still looked clear like water, and that the water had actually became white wine. After all, wouldn`t there have been more written about the servants reaction if they`s poured the wine out for the master to taste and it had come out as red, and not as white?

I know that for film/illustrations it`s more dramatic to show red as the contrast - but which would it really have been?

Surprise find

Looking at this shrub in my garden the other day, which is one I use quite a bit for cutting when doing flower arranging, I was alarmed to see it had a lot of black on it. Had the wind caught it, or was it damage from the snow and frost we`d had at Easter, I wondered, or had it got some kind of disease?

Going closer for a better inspection of it. I found that it wasn`t the leaves that were black, as I had at first thought, it was infact tiny flowers! I hadn`t realised that this shrub had flowers. It was a delightful find. Another wonder of nature to me. Isn`t that beautiful.

Fort Knox?

I really felt in the mood to be outside and do some gardening the other day, so got to work on setting my vegetable seeds. Not a lot, but I do like to try and grow some carrots, beetroot, onions and runner beans.

Our gardener had made a raised bed for me, for this year, so having raked the soil and got it as level as I could (I`m not very good at that), I first set 3 rows of onion sets, then the carrot and beetroot seeds. I`ll do the runner beans a bit later on.

Now, we have a number of cats who like to visit our garden, and as much as we chase them off they still keep returning. It`s so annoying when you have just set seeds or done some work in the garden to find them come and use it for their loo, and dig amongst the seeds. So, I had to try and find a solution to it, to at least give the seeds a chance of growing. I hunted round in the shed to see what I could use....

Here`s the result of trying to protect my seeds...... will it work..... I wait to see.

Going quackers!

Meet the new additions to "the family"!


We couldn`t resist giving them a "home" when we saw them at the garden centre yesterday.

A Free Day

I really must catch up on my blog writing. My mother had another fall last Thursday evening coming out from a meeting at our church, again she was very lucky and didn`t badly injure herself, but just bruises and feeling very shaken. And, she wasn`t the only one feeling shaken by the experience, so too was I for several days.

Still, onto more cheerful things. I got a nice text from my boss on Saturday, to say that as today was a Bank Holiday, I didn`t need to go into work if I didn`t want to! So, I`ve had an unexpected day off. And what a beautiful day it`s been.

It`s been really like summer here today, warm and sunny from sunrise to sunset. It made me feel like wanting to get some plants for the garden to give it a splash of colour, so I got mother into the car (as she loves a ride) and off we went to a garden centre. Enjoying the sight of all the fresh green growth on the trees and shrubs as we passed, in a couple of woody areas we spotted carpets of blue.... yes the bluebells were out. Unfortunately there was no handy spot to stop and take a photo of them, so here instead is a pcture of the plants I got to put into pot in the garden.

Now, all I`ve got to do is get some bags of compost to set them in and pot them up. Why didn`t I get the compost at the garden centre you may ask..... well, how do you fit a wheel-chair, two people, trays of plants, bags of plants, bags of other shopping, coats (taken by not needed!) etc.... all into the car along with the size bags of compost would be!?

Spring?

It seems as if spring could be here at last. On Saturday, for the first time this year, it was pleasant to walk about outside without a coat on - what a lovely feeling that is, I always find, the first time I do it each year.

And the wild-life seem to think its spring too, judging by the way we`ve got four Greenfinches darting about our garden, from feeders with sunflower seeds in to feeders with bird seed in. And, what joy it was to spot a rarer Goldfinch flit across the garden and perch on the fence for a short while too.

Driving up a road on a housing estate in the town, I had to stop the car to let a squirrel cross! it darted out from one kerb, then sat in the middle of the road looking at me, so I just had to wait and let it finish crossing the road.

Then, yesterday as I came away from a churchyard, a rabbit decided to do the same thing! jumped out of the hedgerow and got in the road, again making me stop until it got to the other side. Looking at the playing field and grass nearby I saw that there were a lot of them all enjoying munching on the grass in the sunshine.

And the final sighting of wildlife in the sunshine, was as I drove towards my house, (in a built up street), a toad was slowly making its way across the pavement. I had to stop before I could reverse the car into my drive to let it get out of the way........ well, I think it got out of the way!

So, I think spring is definitely here.

Retail therapy

Last Friday, after taking my little car to be looked at, to see about curing the scratch and dent that the poor thing had suffered, I decided as I was near the city, to have a wander round the shops and do a bit of shopping.

I needed some more skirts and tops, now that I don`t have to wear a uniform to work, I felt I should treat myself to a bit of a smarter, new look. So off I went to the clothes shops. The first one had nothing I liked, nor had the second, or the third or the fourth nor the firth .....nor......
Everything of reasonable price, just didn`t look like me, it was all for young slim girls. A lot of the "fashion" for this summer looks like it needs a good iron. Yes, I know its meant to look like that, but I don`t like it, and it certainly wouldn`t suit me. Skirts were either too short or way too long, blouses had necks that were almost indecent, and were all in a creased, crinkle fabric!

Why is it, that I can see other people wearing clothes and think I like that, yet I can`t find anything suitable in the shops??

Am I really so difficult to please with clothes? Or do others find the same.

I did however enjoy my unexpected browse round the shops in the city on my own, something I`d not done for a long time. So, it was good in a way, even though I came home with only a couple of items.

Award

I`ve been given an award.

Thank you Leigh

It`s cheered my week up.

All say Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrh

It`s not been a good week for us. First Mum had a fall, and now I had a slight mishap with my car this morning.....

I was trying to park in a space along the road between two cars (I always like to find an end space, but there wasn`t one). It was big enough to get in, but somehow I couldn`t get the angle right, and on deciding to give up, and find another space, as I was trying to get out onto the road, from being halfway in the space, I just caught the corner of the0 back bumper of the car in front of me. I got out, (ofcourse, no-one about at that time of morning, so I left a note under the windscreen wiper of the car, to say that I was sorry and left my phone number to ring me after 5p.m if they wanted, but no-one has yet.

Looking at my car, once I`d got into a bigger space further down the road, I found I`d got quite a scratch down the passenger side of my car. I was so mad with myself. So, it was off to the garage after work. Anyway, I saw the chap that I always deal with, and he said well it`s only a lump of metal! (why do we get so sentimental over our cars?..... or is it only me that does?) but he was helpful and he said I`d be better to do it through my insurance, so I then went and saw that chap there and he made a phone call and sorted it for me, now I just have to wait for a call in the morning from the garage who are going to deal with it.

I`m still mad with myself.

Picking Mother up

I seldom go out to an evening event, but last night a couple of the "girls" I work with planned a surprise dinner out at a local restaurant to celebrate the 60th. birthday of another work colleague. So I had accepted the invitation and went.

I had a lovely time, and really enjoyed it. The meal was good, and the fifteen of us were all old friends, so we had plenty of laughter and fun. Looking at the clock I saw it had got round to 11.30 p.m., so, said to them, "I`ll have to be going now, as I`ve got to pick mother up, I`ve left her round at her friend`s, and he`ll probably we wanting to get to bed now". Little did I know how true those words of mine would be. So, I said my goodbyes to them all, got in the car and drove the short distance home. (No, I`d had nothing to drink, so I was quite ok to drive!)

I collected Mum from her friends, drove home, got her walking aid out of the car, opened the front door and took my bag and various bits indoors, leaving her to follow. A few seconds later I heard her call my name, going to do the door I couldn`t see her, but I saw her walking aid running down the pavement, then I saw her, she`d fallen over onto the drive and pavement.

Now, she`s too big and heavy for me to pick up, and with her arthritis couldn`t get herself up. It`s now about 10 to midnight, no neighbours have lights on to show they`re still up, no-one was walking up or down the road. What to do?

After a minute or two of indicision I went to the phone in the hall and dialled 999. The helpful operator of the Ambulance who answered asked me quite a few questions, and said she`d send help, but the ambulance could take up to 45minutes to arrive, if it got diverted to a more serious emergency.

So, there I stood out in the cold with my parent laying on the concrete. Eventually after what seemed an age, but was about 15-20 minutes, flashing blue lights appeared and a medic in a car arrived, assessed the problem and decided that he couldn`t lift her on his own either, he rang through to find how long the ambulance crew would be as he needed their assistance. They were still about 20-25 minutes away! Whilst he was doing this our neighbour came up the road, we called to him and he came to see what was the matter, whilst he was coming, a neighbour opposite got into his car to go and collect his disabled son from the same event that I`d been at. I didn`t see him get in the car, but was aware of his car going very, very slowly past looking to try and see what was happening at ours, he drove very slow and hesitantly down the road, then turned at the bottom and came back to see if we needed assistance.

Between the three of them they managed to get Mum up and into the house. She fortunately hadn`t done any damage to herself, apart from bruises, but the medic thoroughly checked her before he left.

What an end to an enjoyable evening, but how thankful we were to have such good neighbours, even at past midnight!

Old?

I was made to feel really old when I opened one item the postman had brought yesterday.


A leaflet address to me, (ok, it was from an organisation I support), but, for Saga holidays! Saga holidays are for old people I thought, I`m nowhere near old enough for that. But, out of curiosity I began reading the small print, not that I have any intention of going on one of their holidays, and I discovered that I am within their age range - and not just at the start of the range! What an alarming thought.

I don`t think of myself as old, although I guess people younger than me think I`m old,
and people older than me think of me as young.

I certainly don`t feel old - or at least I didn`t until I opened that envelope.

Shopping Trip

I took Mum shopping again on Saturday as she wanted a new radio/cd player, and one with a remote control to save her having to get up to put it on and off etc. We went to a biggish store and after looking round were unsure which machine had the necessary functions we needed so we found a young salesman and asked him about what we were looking for.

After reading the boxes, he pointed out a couple on the shelves which he said had remote controls, so we chose one of them. We got it home, unpacked it and set it up, only to discover that the on/off switch on the actual machine is located on the back of it, which isn`t really a very clever idea is it?, and that the remote control only operates the CD player part of the machine and doesn`t work for the radio, nor to turn it off and on, nor to adjust the volume. Not exactly what we wanted for ease of use.

So, that will mean another trip to the shop to change it. Isn`t life difficult? Surely it would be common sense to put an on/off switch on the front or top, and make a remote control that operates the whole machine. Or, is that asking too much?

A Host of Golden Daffodils

The snow was falling heavily here at dinner time today and covering everything with a soft white blanket.

An hour later - it was spring again! The sun was out, the snow all melted, so off we went for a drive in the countryside... and this is what we found.....




....beautiful fields of Daffodils. I just had to stop and get my camera out to capture them.

It`s Going Well

I`ve now been working in my new office, at my new job for just over a week, and am thoroughly enjoying it. The work at present has been similiar to quite a bit of what I am used to doing, as we catch up on a backlog of it from other places. But, then I look forward to learning to do new and different items too.

After years of working in a dark space with no window, I now have daylight! A huge window which the sun streams through, and an outlook onto the world below. It`s amazing the things you see too when no-one knows you`re watching them!

I still can`t believe my luck in getting the job.

The only problem.... if you can call it a problem, is my parent!..... whilst everyone who knows about it is pleased for me and congratulates me, not one such word have I had from her. All she keeps saying is about me working slightly different hours, and will I get all the housework etc., done for her that way. Can`t I have a life of my own??

National Friendship Week

I received this from a friend, and so I thought I`d share it on here with my Blogger friends........


READ THIS VERY SLOWLY....IT'S PROFOUND.

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to 'cut back the calories'. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible !!

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Who wants to be a millionaire' on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain.' And my personal favourite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because we cram so much into our lives, we tend to even schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process The other day , I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy. Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask 'How are you?' Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away. ... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.


It's National Friendship Week.
Show your friends how much you care.
Share this with everyone you consider a FRIEND.
If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.

To those I have sent this to... I cherish our friendship and appreciate all you do.

'Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!'

Bath Time!

Splash! Splash! Splash!



Have I splashed enough water out yet?!




The world looks different without bars!
Think I`ll stay in a bit longer.

It`s Bank Holiday...

It`s a bank holiday (well for some it is, I`ve been working), but I just had to share with you something I saw today, that "said it all"!

It was about 5 p.m., I was going home from work, it has been snowing on and off all day, the sky was grey and more snow was beginning to fall. As I drove through the town, now with only a handful of holidaymakers about, the majority having the sense to either go home or at least get inside somewhere warm, my eye was drawn to the doorway of the betting shop. In the door way trying to shelter I presume from the icy wind stood two people, woolly hats on pulled well down over their eyes, bundled up in anoraks and jackets with collars up high round their necks...and there they stood... holding... and eating icecream cones!

I suppose it was a case of, we`ve come to the seaside so we`ve got to have an icecream!

White Easter

Is it Christmas time?....



...No !... it`s Easter Day. And the first snow we`ve had all winter fell this morning.



It looked so pretty, that I just had to get my camera out and capture the moment. By the afternoon the sun was shining and it had melted, but a few more flakes fell this evening.... so what we`ll wake up to in the morning.....??!

HAPPY EASTER

Good Friday

The weather here today, of very, very strong icy cold wind along with showers of sleet and rain prevented me from doing what I usually do on Good Friday.

After our service at church there is a procession to the town following a large heavy wooden cross, a service in the centre on the town, with music provided by the Salvation Army band, and then the procession follows the cross up onto a hill on the cliffs where the cross is erected. It is a moving experience. But today, with the way the weather was, I chickened out of the walk up onto the cliffs. I just followed it to the town and even standing there for the short service my feet became blocks of ice, it was so cold. The wind was blowing right off the sea, and after the rain of yesterday as well as today, I thought it was too risky to try and go up.
But, I have missed doing so.

A few words in the Bible reading caught my attention today, and set me wondering... I`ve heard the passage many times, and not thought twice about this bit of it, but today on both times of hearing it, it gave me a question.

It was the verses about the soldiers at the cross who "divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice" (Luke 23: 34 Good News Bible). It made me wonder - why did they want Jesus`s clothes? If Jesus had been a rich king with extravagant clothing it would have made sense, but I always assume that Jesus wasn`t lavishly dressed (maybe I`m wrong in that?) - so why would they want them?

Finger Trouble

I guess some of you may have noticed a few things missing on my blog today, and a few different ones. It wasn`t done intentionally!

Whilst going to add a link to another blog that I`ve started reading recently, I don`t know what I did, but my site disappeared completely. All I was left with was the things from the right side bar scattered all across the screen.

I tried going out of my blog without saving anything, then opening it again... but with the same result. Panic stations!! It made me realise how much a lot of what I`d written about my life mattered to me. That I wanted to keep the record of it.

As a last resort, I thought, I`ll have to start another one, so I went into the Template tab and selected the one I`d used before, thinking I`d have to start writing from scratch again. But, wonder of wonders, once I`d clicked on the template, saved and opened it - there were all my posts. But, the links and items I`d had in the side bar had disappeared. Not so important, but some I want to try and find again. So keep watching the bar and they may reappear!

Got it!

I can now reveal what it was I wrote here about.

I`m starting a new job.

After almost forty years of working in the same job and building - albeit that it has had a few changes during that time, both in the actual structure of the building and in the type of work I was doing. I`ve ventured to make a change.

With the new owners of where I work and their growth in number of retail outlets I heard that they were going to be starting a head office. So, finding out that it was going to be located in offices above where I currently work, I asked one of them if there was any chance of a job there..... and, to cut a long story short..... he came back, having talked it over with the other partner and said Yes.

So, the middle of next week, I become the first employee of their Head Office. I`m really looking forward to it, as I thoroughly enjoy office work and am happy working on my own. I`m chuffed too, to think that they rate my work highly enough to promote me to the job.

Holiday over

I`ve come to the end of my weeks holiday. It`s gone too quickly and looking at the list of things I wrote this time last week that I wanted to do on my holiday, there`s several which I didn`t get completed - one in particular being turning out all the kitchen cupboards. I didn`t even make a start on them!


Although the weather wasn`t brilliant, I went out each day somewhere. One day several hours were spent looking through books of old church records at the local Records office. They made interesting reading and I even unexpectedly came across my Dads name two or three times in them, which I was pleased to see.

Some other days I went to various places and wandered round towns and shops. Did a bit of craft work, and got to know my new lap-top, although it`s still refusing to let me get into my emails on IE although I can access them on Firefox. I can`t puzzle out why.

Now, its back to work tomorrow. Still, I have enjoyed my week of not doing much. Roll on the next holiday!!

Spending Spree!

Being on holiday, and the weather not being good (wind and rain on Monday) I decided to treat myself to a new lap-top as my current one wouldn`t do all that I needed. So off I went to a large computer store on the edge of the "big city" - well - Norwich, but as a child it was always the big city and I suppose that title sticks!. Anyway, I digress....

Having had a good look round at all the different ones available and with the help of a helpful assistant, I made my choice, and bought it. I`ve got it all set up fine, connected to the Internet too after a few attempts - but I`ve come up with one problem - trying to load the installation discs of my current printers, neither of them are compatable with the new windows Vista, they both work with Windows XP! So, have I got to treat myself to a new printer too?

NO Work!

Yippee..... No work for a week, I`ve a weeks holiday.

Well, a weeks holiday from my paid employment, I guess I shall be busy working at home on various things.
I`ve a birthday cake to make for my mum`s 89th. birthday
I`ve yet to buy her a present - and I haven`t a clue what to get. What do you get someone of that age? She`s still got a wardrobe full of clothes even after we turned a lot out for a jumble sale the other week.
I`ve correspondence to do
I`ve turning out of kitchen cupboards to do
I`ve a trip to the Records office to do some research with a church member
I`ve.....
I`ve.....

!!

The List worked!

I had a lot to do today, so last night I wrote myself a list of all I had to do. As I thought of each item, down it went on the list.

The list grew bigger and bigger.

I`ll never get it all done I thought as I kept thinging of things that I had to do, where shall I start? But I added them to the list.

But......

....today, I started at the top of the list,
first job done,
second job done,
another items crossed off
...and another.... and another..

.... and although my list had 19 items on it (all to do after a mornings work, and before going out to a meeting in the evening too - some of the items being for that meeting) .....

I got them all done - and with time to spare to wash my hair!

It certainly paid to make that list. Everything got done, nothing got forgotten, I had all I needed for the meeting.

Now, I just hope that I`ve got everything prepared that I need for tomorrow! - well, they`re all crossed off the list, so they must be.





(Thanks fellow bloggers for your good wishes - I feel better today too)

A second flowering

I`ve not been very well over the weekend, I don`t know if it was a reaction to the tablets that made me sick, or whether it was what was causing the pain that did it, so hence I couldn`t think of anything to write, but I`ve enjoyed watching the second stem on my Amaryllis come into bloom. Its got 3 huge flowers on, so I thought I`d share a view of it with you all today. What a wonderful bulb it was to give a total of 7 beautiful flowers, all at least 6 inches across. (Sorry, if you don`t work in proper measurements, its about 15cm.)

On a lighter note

A friend passed these pupils answers to test questions on to me the other day, and I thought some of them were worth sharing on here, to give us all a smile for the weekend:

Q - How can you delay milk turning sour
A - Keep it in the cow

Q - Give the meaning of the term 'caesarean section'
A - the caesarean section is a district in Rome

Q - What does the word 'benign' man?
A - Benign is what you will be after you be eight.

Q - What is a turbine?
A - Something an Arab wears on his head

Q - What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A - He says goodbye to boyhood and looks forward to his adultery

Q - What is the fibula
A - A small lie

Q - Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink
A - Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeitst.

A visit to the doctor

Well the pain got so bad yesterday afternoon, that I had to resort to ringing the surgery to see if I could see a doctor about it. I was getting worried and imagining all sorts of things. The receptionist was very helpful, said the doctor would ring me back shortly and then askk me to go to the surgery if he needed to see me about it. That was at 3.15 p.m. By 5 o`clock I`d still not had a phone call, so wondering if they`d forgotten about me I rang again. But, the same receptionist apologised and said no, he`d been called out and was now working down the list.

Shortly after that he did ring, and I had to go to see him.

His diagnosis is that I`ve pulled a muscle which is rubbing on a bone and a nerve hence the pain. He`s given me some stronger pain killers, so hopefully they `ll work. And said to keep it exercised! To not bend, but to do everything by bobbing my knees down; to put the washing up bowl on the draining board to wash up and not bend over the sink, et....etc....

So if anyone sees me moving pecularily to do jobs, ...........I`ve not gone mad!

After effects?

Having said in yesterdays post that I felt ok, I found that to be untrue.
I felt totally out of sorts and under the weather all day. The worst thing being a strong pain . I can`t really pinpoint the exact spot it`s coming from, but my back, my right hip, my leg, all hurt and ache and at times it`s aross the bottom of my tummy too making me feel rather queasy on occasion.

Was it caused by the earthquake I wonder? shaking my body in an abnormal way, and the way I tried to hold myself still. Maybe using a muscle/s that I don`t normally use much? Or is it just coincidence, and something is wrong? It`s still there this morning in my hip area.

Shakey, shakey, shake, shake!

All was normal when I went to bed last night and fell asleep. I woke at about 12.55 being shaken. I couldn`t make out what was waking me, there was no-one in the room shaking me to wake me, then I realised that it wasn`t just me shaking, the bed seemed to be shaking and so did everything around me. What had I eaten for supper, that could be making me feel like this I wondered?

I stretched out my arms and gripped the edges of the matress either side of me, to try and steady and hold myself still in the darkness (I didn`t put a light on, as that would have woken me up more). What was happening, it couldn`t be an earth tremor because we don`t get them in this country I thought. What was wrong with me? I`d never felt anything like this before. Gradually as I gripped the edges of the bed it subsided and, so I cuddled down again under the duvet and went off to sleep.

Waking to the sound of my radio alarm this morning, I remembered the event of the night and thought that I must have been dreaming. I felt ok, and everything in the room looked as normal. Then the news came on the radio "England & Wales suffered an earthquake last night 5.2 on the Richter scale, the centre of if being in Lincolnshire" So now I know that it wasn`t something wrong with me, I didn`t imagine it.

I wonder what all the birds in the trees in the wild, and animals in the earth made of it? It must have been terrifying for them.

Spring is in the Air

Looking out of my kitchen window whilst washing up this lunch time, I spotted a sight which cheered me up today.












Opposite the window there is a hydrangea bush which had been cut down last autumn because it had got too woody and unruly.
Looking at the bare wood stems, I suddenly spotted a tiny green leaf.







On going out to look closer, I discoverd that a lot of the branches were sprouting green buds and one had even got a few tiny leaves on.
What a marvel nature is.
It really cheered my spirits today.

It`s Flowering!

The buds have now burst open on the Amaryllis, which I posted a picture of as just showing signs of opening the other day.... and here it is.



As you can see there are already two flowers open and two more buds to open on the same stalk, and there`s also another flower stem appearing. It`s getting so tall that I`ve had to stake it and tie it to keep it from going over.

Whilst looking for the words to a hymn this evening, I came across this - and thought I`d share it with you.



Having been to Scarborough and enjoyed many holidays there, the scenes brought back memories as I watched it.

A Sunday Walk

I awoke this morning to a thick white frost which made everything look beautiful as the sun shone and it glistened from the grass, shrubs and trees around. Although a lot colder than last Sunday, I decided to go for a walk this afternoon, but not on the cliff top.

Getting ito the car, I went to a National Trust park near where I live, parked the car and set out for a walk. Patches of snopdrops lined the path at the start of the walk, looking so delicate and fragile and beautiful. (They`re one of my favourite flowers).

I hadn`t gone far along the path, when someone called out "hello" to me. Looking to see who it was I discovered a friend that I used to work with and her family - husband and children on bikes, dog on lead, and her pushing an empty pushchair whilst her daughter had the youngest toddling along on a pair of reigns. Stopping to speak to them, we then began to walk along together, and after being assured that I was welcome to join them on their walk, we had a lovely long walk through the park. Probably going further than I would have gone on my own.

It was so lovely to have some company for a change, and not have to go for a walk on my own. Yet, having said that, I do also very much enjoy having a walk on my own like last week. But this chance meeting just somehow "made" the afternoon today.

Little Boxes

I`ve noticed recently while shopping that more and more people are going back to the days of bringing their own shopping bags with them, and declining the plastic carrier bags. What a good sign this is of people doing their bit for the environment and global warming.

But the question I want to ask, is why, oh why do all the manufacturers still persist in delivering their goods to shops shrink wrapped in plastic/polythene and not in cardboard boxes in the way they used to. Surely they too should be thinking of reducing the amout of plastic and polythene they use which all has to be disposed of by the retailers.

Let`s start a "Bring back the cardboard box" campaign!!

Busting with Life

I love watching things grow. I find it miraculous how a tiny seed, a corm, or a seemingly lifeless bulb, when planted in the soil, watered and cared for, will come to life. Nothing we can do can actually make it grow. We can help it and tend it, but it has to do it itself, and it does.

I`m sure I don`t need to tell you what this is. It`s been growing up in leaps and bounds since I planted it two or three weeks ago, and now I can just see the first signs of the flowers beginning to burst out and appear.

At this stage it`s difficult to tell what colour they will be, so I wait for nature to unfold its secret a bit further.

A Taste of Spring

I received a gift of these beautiful tulips yesterday, so just had to share them with you all. As you can probably see through the clutter behind them, I have them standing on the desk beside me as its cooler than the lounge.... and, I spend more time here anyway!



I`ve carefully pricked through the stem of each one with a pin just below the flower to try and keep them standing upright.

Aren`t they beautiful.

Good News

I had some exciting news today, about something I was hoping for. But, I`m sworn to secrecy at the moment, so I`m not even going to tell you all what it was. All will be revealed in a few weeks times. But it`s something I`m very pleased and happy about.

It`s something I requested, but didn`t know if I`d be lucky enough to get or not.

After my disappointment a few weeks ago, this has come as good news.
God does work in mysteriousways.

Scenic Walk

Another beautiful sunny really warm day, so, being that it was too nice to stay indoors this afternoon I decided it was time I had some exercise, so shoes and jacket on and off I went for a walk, taking ofcourse my camera with me.

I climbed to the top of the hill on the cliff, (yes, I found I was out of practice and was short of breath when I got to the top, still, it was the first time this year!) I must get in the habit of doing it more often.

Sitting on a seat there, taking in the beauty of the view all around me - the sea to one side and the town to the other, I got out my camera and took this small video of what I saw.

Hope you`ll all enjoy it, and get a flavour of where I live.



Sorry, the quality of that video on here, isn`t as good as it was on my computer, so I`ll also give you a photo I took.

Reflections

Drawn out by the sunshine this afternoon, the household chores were left behind and off we went in the car for a ride along the coast. It really was a delightful day.
Stopping at a favourits spot of ours (yes, just Mum and I, so that was a treat too!), there wasn`t a ripple or movement on the water in the creek, and the only sound the sound of a few seagulls. It was so peaceful.



Fortunately I had taken my camera with me so I was able to capture these beautiful reflections of the boats in the water.

Can you spot the seagull, in this one on the left?

I found myself wondering is it really February, it feels more like April.

Why Pancakes?

Having just cooked and eaten the traditional pancakes today - Shrove Tuesday - pancakes being something I very much enjoy eating with sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice over them, I got to thinking.

Yes, I know its a dangerous thing for me to do, but I did!

I started wondering, why pancakes? I don`t mean in the historical why pancakes, I know it came from the practice of using up all butter, eggs, etc., before the start of Lent tomorrow. ..... but, why pancakes? .....

......the same mixture would make yorkshire puddings.... so why is it not Yorkshire Pudding Day?! And, I guess the ingredients would make other dishes too, so who first made and decided that it should be pancakes?!

Mind you, I`m glad they did, because I enjoy them.

Telephone enquiries

To give you all a smile today, I`ll post something that was sent to me by a friend.....

Operator: 'Computer assistance; may I help you?'
Caller: 'Yes, well, I'm having trouble with WordPerfect.'
Operator: 'What sort of trouble??'
Caller: 'Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away.'
Operator: 'Went away?'
Caller: 'They disappeared.'
Operator: 'Hmm So what does your screen look like now?'
Caller: 'Nothing.'
Operator: 'Nothing??'
Caller: 'It's blank; it won't accept anything when type.'
Operator: 'Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out??'
Caller: 'How do I tell?'
Operator: 'Can you see the C: prompt on the screen?'
Caller: 'What's a sea prompt?'

Operator: 'Never mind, can you move your cursor around the screen?'
Caller: 'There isn't any cursor: I told you, it won't accept anything I type.'
Operator: 'Does your monitor have a power indicator?'
Caller: 'What's a monitor?'
Operator: 'It's the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does it have a little light that tells you when it's on?'
Caller: 'I don't know.'
Operator: 'Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where the power cord goes into it. Can you see that??'
Caller: 'Yes, I think so.'
Operator:’ Great. Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it's plugged into the wall.
Caller: 'Yes, it is.'
Operator: 'When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one?'
Caller: 'No.'

Operator: 'Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find the other cable.'
Caller: 'Okay, here it is.'
Operator: 'Follow it for me, and tell me if it's plugged securely into the back of your computer.'
Caller: 'I can't reach.'
Operator: 'Uh huh. Well, can you see if it is??'
Caller: 'No.'
Operator: 'Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over?'
Caller: 'Oh, it's not because I don't have the right angle it's because it's dark.'
Operator: 'Dark?'
Caller: ‘Yes the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming in from the window.’
Operator: 'Well, turn on the office light then.'
Caller: 'I can't.'
Operator: 'No? Why not??'
Caller: 'Because there's a power failure.'
Operator: 'A power...A power failure? Aha, Okay, we've got it licked now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff your computer came in?'
Caller: 'Well, yes, I keep them in the closet.'
Operator: 'Good. Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from.'
Caller: ‘Really? Is it that bad?'
Operator: 'Yes, I'm afraid it is.'
Caller: 'Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them?'
Operator: 'Tell them you're too b***** stupid to own a computer!

This is said to be a true story, from a computer firm`s help desk.... the employee was sacked!

Makes you think, doesn`t it what patience these people need in such jobs.

Remembering

Sixteen years ago today, my dear Dad died.
I`ve put this flower arrangement in our church, in memory of him.
He was a very special person.