Past Imperfect

2008-08-20T10:36:00.002+01:00

All good things…

Aside

The Darlings have just left and the silence is deafening. On a cheery note (for Shane and Dolly Parton) I’m uplifted by some new music. It was grandson T who introduced me to The New Radicals and now it’s a group called Panic at the Disco; the song: a segueing of ‘ We’re so starving’ and ‘Nine in the Afternoon’ from the album ‘Pretty , Odd’. Awesome!

I have been awarded three gongs – the bottom three on my side bar which my granddaughter has placed there for me. It is very kind of my blogging friends and I think I have been spoilt long enough, so no more awards for yours truly – I shall treasure the ones I have.

The gold cup is from Belleek (sidebar) and in turn I award it to Kim, John G, Eryl, and Randall and Spanish Goth – all good eggs. The ‘Sharing the love’ from SHER-endipity I award to Sablonneuse, Z, the Apprentice, Zinnia and Kenju because they do, and the Super Commenter award from LOM http://anewwayoflife08.wordpress.com. I award to Shane, Hoss, Daphne,Tan Lucy Pez and Doctor Maroon as their comments are usually pungent and make me laugh.

Back to reality and put the coffee on- I’m coming round.

2008-08-17T09:01:00.001+01:00

Sunday Snippet

Aside.

It is unlikely I’ll be able to visit before Wednesday, when the Darlings depart. I know lots of you are in the same boat and will understand. Bliss is: having grandchildren who love to cook – I’m happy being kitchen maid. The elder – he of ‘Nothing but Super Heroes Band’ (presently resting) has just heard he has got what he needs for his preferred university so joy all around.

In spite of lowering weather –ooooh the sun has just popped out – we are finishing off the Coleridge Way today DV - but backwards. The last bit down into Porlock is very steep and our last walk was over very rocky terrain which resulted in my losing big toe nails – so we’ll go backwards uphill. This makes map reading and instructions quite hard to follow but fortunately # 1 son doesn’t take after his Ma in this respect.

Hope all is well with all of you.xoxo

2008-08-14T10:46:00.000+01:00

A beautiful present from my visitors - roses, lilies, carnations aand marguerites - they smell divine

2008-08-14T10:36:00.002+01:00

Lovely Day

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…if you discount the weather that is. They did a 350 mile round trip and miraculously arrived shortly after I did. We had arranged to meet at noon, in a nearby village inn and MTL sweetly dropped me there so I could imbibe. I had booked a table in what they call their restaurant which is four tables, three steps up from the bar. It’s friendly, informal and the food is good and I’m happy to say the visitors approved.

She has blue eyes and a smile that starts deep inside and warms the cockles. She’s old enough to be my daughter and if ever I had been lucky enough to have one she would have filled the bill. He has blue eyes and – like his blog – is laid back, with a wit which makes me laugh. I have become slightly obsessed with shoulders of late – what with the swimming and all; his are great and in fact neither of them would look out of place in Beijing.

We dove straight in with questions, observations and general chat – no holds barred. Incidentally they are old friends and both have partners. She and I drank wine and water – modestly, and he – the driver, drank water and tea. We ate cheesy red pepper omelette. Ratatouille, Tortellini - and I had chips - for the first time for years and was so enamoured I didn’t notice what they had. We all had puds- one lemon brulee, two chocolate puddings one with cream – one with custard.

Conversation was relaxed and easy and we touched on life, death, family, writing, getting published, other bloggers and who we would like still to meet, marriage, drugs, religion but drew the line at politics. She readily agreed to read my 4 page synopsis and I know she will give me an honest opinion which I shall value as she has been a regular reader, is an accomplished writer herself and is responsible for my blogging in the first place.

I wish I could convey how delightful it was – you had to have been there, but MTL took one look at my face and could tell without my uttering a word. I’d be rubbish at poker.

Oooh I nearly forgot; she is Zinnia Cyclamen and he is Shane – both on my side –bar and if you haven’t already, click on and enjoy.

2008-08-13T08:04:00.001+01:00

Busy busy.

Aside

Today I am meeting two blog friends who I know but have never met - very exciting. I won’t say who in case they wish to remain incognito. Meanwhile the house is in chaos as MTL has removed all pictures and china on walls and in cupboards; he is convinced they will be damaged otherwise, when the men come to stuff the walls and lag the loft on Thursday. I have yet to empty the best china cabinets. On Saturday family arrive which I am really looking forward to, and I know they won’t give a hoot at the state of the house - just as well because there is no way I can get it back together in one day and I shan’t even try.

In addition our long lost handyman (he is so popular) has returned and is doing brilliant work round the outside of the house so the garden is also chaotic. It will all be worthwhile eventually but meanwhile you’ll have to forgive me if I seem distant and preoccupied. I was going to tell the few of you, who are as untechie as I am, a new trick I’ve learned: how to reach page 200 on one’s MS without endless scrolling. It worked this afternoon with my son on the phone but I seem to have lost the knack again. It’s really last night so I’m off to bed. Night night!

Morning:weather wet and windy. Drat!

2008-08-11T18:46:00.000+01:00

Nature Study

Aside

A match made in Heaven? Obelisks and rampant sweet pea. Below is a creature I have just found under the dining room table. Is it a moth or a butterfly? Inadvertantly I left the dining room window open all night; the middle one is too close but nearer to the colour.

2008-08-11T08:08:00.000+01:00

Nicole Cooke- Gold Medallist.

2008-08-11T08:03:00.000+01:00

A Golden girl

Aside

Jean- Luc (sidebar) reminded me how gripping the Olympic Games can be. We love watching rowing – MTL’s brother was an Oxford blue and his father was an athlete who trained with Eric Liddle, so running appeals to us. I was thrilled today when 25 year old Nicole Cooke from the Vale of Glamorgan won our first gold medal, cycling in treacherous rain, which living in

Wales

no doubt prepared her for. Her motto is something like – Pain is temporary – Glory is forever. There speaks a true Olympian

2008-08-10T09:10:00.001+01:00

A Memory

Aside

When I first started modelling – in the mid fifties – my husband took me to meet his cousin Barbara. She had given us some beautiful Bristol blue glass liqueur glasses; alas only one survives. She was a very popular member of the family and I soon realised why. She was vibrant, witty, full of life and wonderful company.

. She had three sons and the middle one – just about to leave school – was there. He was like a gentle shaggy bear – not unlike the young Alan Bates who later acted in many of his plays.

Barbara told me that she and Simon would go to the theatre as often as possible – sitting in the gods, so it was no surprise to me, when he became a successful playwright.

Barbara suggested I might like to go as Simon’s partner to a Ball but I knew my husband wouldn’t approve so had to refuse

Over the years I went to see many of his plays but it was his dairies which really fired my enthusiasm. I am sad that he has written his last one

Simon Gray 1936-2008

R.I.P.

2008-08-10T09:08:00.000+01:00

2008-08-08T07:57:00.002+01:00

O bel isk

Aside

I have a rampant everlasting sweet pea (doesn’t everybody) which is swallowing up one of the beds. Karen thinks I should get an obelisk but two, as one would look silly, and drape the RSP over it. I did think with two statues, a bird bath, a fountain, a stone seat, four frogs and an arbour, so say nothing of chairs and tables, that probably there was enough hard ware for a not very big garden but K says they are a good price at the nursery as long as one avoids the wooden ones at £100. I think I shall manage to do that.

Naomi (side-bar) was worried that I had been dormant for a while. In fact I have had my head down trying to finish yet another edit before printing the whole MS ( I have already done 10,000) and then I can feel at least I have one copy which can’t be lost in any crash. Kim came up with the brilliant idea of storing it on G-mail but I will have to do this in two parts as the whole is too large. Hopefully the family – when they come soon will help me with this. Today – after brekkers I am determined to visit my cyber friends and then get back on the job.

Come to think of it - I’m not absolutely sure what an obelisk is.

2008-08-08T07:32:00.000+01:00

Including the grasses there are three lovley bronzey plants - can you name them?

What aould I do without Japanese anenome?

This is an annual sweet pea whichis growing up my Stellata

This is the rampant everlasting sweet pea in foreground.

2008-08-08T07:24:00.000+01:00

Guess what?

This is new so I know it is a coreopsis - Creme Brulee

This is a Hibiscus with lots of buds so I'm hoping for a good show
i
This is a sweet smelling stock. white flowers seem to smell more

2008-08-06T09:24:00.002+01:00

An Arid August

Aside

When I say arid – I don’t mean the weather – we are sinking in the ooze here.

Have you noticed how blogland seems to be on a sort of stand-by just now? Personally I can’t think of a single interesting topic – not that that stops me as a rule - so excuse me whilst I just burble on a bit.

There was a long letter from Sitemeter today- most of which I didn’t understand but there are changes afoot apparently. Recently mine seized up and I realised how much I missed it and enjoy seeing the faraway places visitors come from - even if they don’t utter. I think more people should stick to the maxim- if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Last night my computer didn’t shut down as normal so I zapped it with the zapper. Sure enough this morning it didn’t switch on properly – there was a picture, but nothing to click onto. As usual when all else fails I unplugged and restarted when it VERY sluggishy got going again. This is NOT the time to lose transmission chaps.

Whilst we are being technical (and Boffin is my middle name) I’m getting messages from my anti virus saying ’back up has not completed recently. Please back up or change your back- up schedule.’ They seem to expect me to put a clean disc in every other day or so, whereas I normally back up my story every now and then.

I worked hard yesterday and my dilatory editing moved up a couple of gears. I had to get MTL to calculate how many pages make 10,000 words. I think we made it 29 - to the nearest penny. That reminds me I just found an old wallet in my ‘abroad drawer’ containing 75 euros in notes. Yesterday – on the way to the post, which has moved from a newsagents to the supermarket – I changed it for £54. I did say this was burbling didn’t I?

Finally no-one told me how hard it is to write a synopsis. I had imagined my punchy dozen lines or so would suffice but – just for interest - checked and the general opinion seems to be that it is harder to write than the book. Agreed! For a start you write in the present tense which is quite hard to maintain. Then you have to decide how many pages which can vary from 2-20 and whether to do single or double spacing. Don’t leave out cliff hangers and don’t describe the character’s physical appearance

http://www.essortment.com/all/synopsiswriteb_rqmx.htm I found this very useful as a guideline. At the end of the day I took a rare head ache tablet

2008-08-04T08:20:00.003+01:00

Eileen Atkins - actress and writer.

Now that's what I call a face. That's what I'm talking about! No wonder she was propositioned by Colin Farrell and Eileen , aged 74, turned him down.
Over the weekend I just about got the manuscript fit to print out. I didn't want to do 103,000 words all at once as I'm just getting used to my laser printer so just did the first chapter. However the only way I could stop it drowning me in A 4s was to switch it off. Isn't it always the way - as soon as it's printed you spot an error. This could go on for some time yet.

2008-08-01T09:25:00.002+01:00

Wild things

Aside

Grumpily I have become disenchanted with wild life programmes as the presenters try to humanise the wild animals and make up animal soaps instead of just observing these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat. However I made an exception for ‘Lost Land of the Jaguar’ when I knew it was set in Guyana – the country of one of my favourite bloggers: Guyana Gyal (sidebar)

Great that they started with a map and one saw on the northern coast of South America masses of green rain forest with a tiny strip of orange at the top – Georgetown, where most of the population live. The country is the size of Britain with a population similar to Liverpool.

The purpose of the expedition was to explore the apparently pristine wilderness and prepare a case for the President of Guyana to convince him of the need for conservation before the loggers do their worst.

The team was composed of scientists, climbers and wild life photographers – all experts in their fields and all extremely brave; one woman spent most of the time on a small platform at the top of a tall spindly tree which swayed in the wind enough to give her motion sickness. All discomfort was forgotten when she saw the rare howler monkeys cavorting around her.

The man who was desperate to see giant otters and the elusive jaguar was rewarded and so were we. The film zipped along with each clip more extraordinary that the previous one. The sight of the Kaieteur Falls – five times the height of Niagara- was awesome and when Steve Backshall abseiled down to the foot it took one's breath away. There amongst other things he found hundreds of slipper orchids. The buzz word was ‘unbelievable’.

The insect expert Dr George McGavin looked and sounded just like my BIL and he delved into places no man should have to delve, with bites and scratches galore, but also many valuable specimens to help prove the case. I understood that this particular rain forest cancelled out 40,000million tons of carbon.

There are two more programmes and I feel certain that they will prove that this is the last pristine wilderness but Guyana is a poor country and somehow the money they would gain from the loggers has got to be found.

Wednesday BBC 1 8pm

2008-07-30T07:17:00.001+01:00

Tears before Bedtime

Aside

The other morning I got a letter from the secretary of my old training school; The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital with the minutes of the last meeting which I had not attended. Reading aloud to MTL I suddenly became choked and couldn’t continue with tears streaming down my face. MTL couldn’t understand why on earth I should get emotional about minutes of a meeting I had only once attended since I left in 1951.

The hospital was founded in 1829 and in the next year it will be closed and a new building is to be built in the city which will amalgamate the two children’s hospital in the area. This I knew about and had accepted and was sad that dear old ‘Pen’ (the hospital is in Pendlebury) would be no. more. The sentence which caused my tears was ‘today she was pleased to announce that the new children’s hospital is to be called ’The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.’

Why should the continuation of the name mean so much? For one thing many of us spent our most formative years there and experienced the joys and sadness one gets from nursing very sick children. And we took great pride in its reputation built up over the years. When I spoke to the secretary later she told me that most of the room had dissolved in tears.

Have you ever got emotional about an inanimate object?

2008-07-30T07:11:00.000+01:00

Dear old Pen! One of the windows up in the eaves is the room Vanessa andI shared and kept a secret fire going for three days until Home sister discovered it. She was a brick - gave us a rollicking but didn't report us to Matron. Bless you Sister Walters.

2008-07-30T07:04:00.000+01:00

We did this everyChristmas Eve - walking round all the wards, singing carols to the children -no off duty over Christmas but they were the happiest Christmases I remember.

It looked the same in the forties- not a speck of dust. We put screens round the bed if we were treating the child

The year after I left so some faces and Sister Tutor are familiar.

From the left Sisters Walters, Sharp and Moon - I worked with them all and have happy memories of them.

2008-07-28T08:47:00.000+01:00

A Summer Sunday in July

Aside

It was a perfect summer day so we drove over to Crowcombe for lunch at the Carew Arms.
All quiet up the road

All quiet down the road - we should have parked under the tree .

Cool and inviting - a varied menu and roasts on Sunday

2008-07-28T08:35:00.000+01:00

A peaceful vista and a seat under the tree which we were grateful for in the heat of the day

Very quiet at 12.15

One of the many bars and some have Hogarthian characters drinking but you'll have to take my word for it.

2008-07-28T08:24:00.000+01:00

There was music from Alexis

We found a nice shady spot for coffee and people watching

The lady in the green t shirt is why I don't wear hipsters.

The smoker's terrace before the rush

2008-07-27T23:11:00.000+01:00

A little help from my friends

Aside

Thanks to Z, Spanish Goth , Kim (all on my side bar) and # 1 son I have learned some jolly useful stuff today and – incidentally solved my problem.

Thanks chaps.

2008-07-27T07:54:00.001+01:00

A Solution for Sunday?

Aside

Here is my problem: I want to change 183 pages from single spacing to double spacing. I know how to do it a page at a time, but it’s a lovely day and I’d like to get out in the sunshine. Is there a way I can change the whole document at one fell swoop? It would be lovely if I could. Over to my egg- head, techie friend

2008-07-24T15:35:00.003+01:00

Girl’s Day out

Aside

Overheard at lunch.

Elderly Lady: Did you not fancy a second husband Doris?

Doris: (Snort) I didn’t fancy the first!

We had been promised a glorious day but it was overcast to start with. Serving coffee in the car to the four of us can be a nightmare with wind and rain but the sun came out and from then on it was summer all the way. After we had finished gazing at the sea and shooting the breeze we set off to Williton and then West Quantoxhead. We were early so crossed the busy road and walked passed two horses (one blinkered- why?) and entered St Ethelred’s beautiful Church, when I realised I had forgotten my camera.

Margaret, who is a fairy tale grandmother, went round making notes to organise a quiz for her Chinese grandchildren who she plans to take round the church when they visit from Scotland. As we walked slowly back to the Windmill Inn where we were to have lunch I mused aloud how we had been going on jaunts now since 1986 and how they had changed over the years;. the drives getting less adventurous and the walks shorter. What would we do when we felt driving was beyond us? Jackie – the eldest – in her eighties said firmly,

‘We’ll go to each other’s homes and order in Wiltshire foods. They’re very good.’

Margaret said,

‘We’ll go down to the town for a meal and have a taxi back.’

As both Joy and Jackie have birthdays in August we decided to fix two more dates whilst we were still mobile.

Over lunch we found we all suffered from a surplus of piles of books allover the house. I found a box tucked away on one of the balconies and Margaret found a great pile in the airing cupboard. Apparently her husband had bought them from the dump and they were damp. Men!

Just one driving blip: I was parked on a steep slope so left it in first gear and then
did a double kangaroo when we left. How we laughed.

Back at home we enjoyed relaxing in the garden and had tea with my best china and the raspberry cream sponge cake that my French DIL always takes back to France. As the sun worked round to the bay trees MTL appears with some sparkling Cava and none of us wanted to hurt his feelings so we quaffed.

A votre sante!