Ms Cellania

Happy Birthday Mollie 12 today

2008-05-17T08:00:00.000+01:00

Today is my granddaughter's twelfth birthday. It doesn't seem that long ago that we were anxiously awaiting news of her safe arrival, and here she is speeding towards her teenage years.
Below are a few photos of Mollie taken this year:

Mollie often looks after her friend's pet rat, Rascal, and would like one herself!

Mollie enjoys baking and is a good little cook!

Mollie enjoys sport and is very active. Seen here taking a rest!

Neat and tidy for school!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOLLIE have a lovely day and I hope you enjoy our present to you (you will have to blog about it and maybe post a photo!)

LOTS OF LOVE From Grandma, Grandpa, and Granny Betty xxx

While Mollie is celebrating this afternoon, I will be completing my race for life walk and the weather does not look very promising. When I post tomorrow, I'll let you all know how I get on and, hopefully I will have some photos.

Archives:
2007: Happy Birthday Mollie 11 today

Friday 40 Photo Challenge # 3 Turndown Service

2008-05-16T08:03:00.003+01:00

Robin's challenge this week is sensual~ well I believe there has been a survey which says women would give up sex before chocolate!

So girls this week we could get lucky and get a treat from these ladies because THEY'VE OFFERED TO SHARE SOME OF THEIR TREATS WITH PENSIEVE READERS! How good is that~ so ya'all need to join in!

"It was very nice of you to clean the sheets for me, but I'm married, I'm going to have to turn you down..."

OK I own up I had help so if a sample was coming my way it would have to go to Sam~ darn it!

Archives:
2007: A day for quiet reflection

Baked Butter Beans

2008-05-15T08:00:00.001+01:00

Baked Butter Beans with Onions,Tomatoes and Parsley.

I haven't posted a recipe for a while so I thought I would show you a dish that I made last week. I copied it from a new cookery book that my friend, Tina, bought a couple of weeks back. I scribbled the recipe down, on a scrap of paper, as we had lunch and forgot about taking details of the book.

Recipe:
500g (1lb.2 oz) Dried butter beans (Lima Beans) soak overnight
1 bay leaf
2 small red onions (finely chopped)
2 celery sticks with leaves (chopped)
3 garlic cloves( finely chopped)
650g (1lb 7oz) Ripe Tomatoes (peeled and grated {I chopped mine}) or use tinned tomatoes
4 tblsp chopped parsley
3 tblsp breadcrumbs

Method:
Drain beans put in a saucepan with bay leaf cover with cold water bring to boil. Skim scum that rises. Lower heat and cook for 1.5 hours (until tender adding extra water as necessary){I found most of the skins came off the beans in the soaking and they did not take this long to cook}
Add salt towards end of cooking time.

Pre-heat oven 180 c (350 F/gas 4)

Drain beans keeping 375ml (1.5cups) coking water & put in a large baking dish.

Heat 2 tblsp oil in frying pan. Gently sauté onions until golden and softened-stir so they don't stick. Remove from heat and mix in bowl with celery, garlic, tomatoes, parsley and remaining olive oil. Season with salt & pepper. Add reserve bean water, pour into beans and mix well.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 mins, then remove foil,stir and add extra water if drying out. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and return to oven for another 30 mins.

Beans should be tender on top & still with a little sauce. Serve warm with an extra drizzle of olive oil.

I actually has a small knob of cheese I wanted to use up so grated this on top (if you decide to do this add the cheese towards the end of coking, I overdid mine as you will see from the photo).

Next time I make this I intend to try adding some chopped bacon which I think would work well.

Archives:
2007: Bargain Price + Look what came in the post

Witty Wednesday # 49

2008-05-14T08:00:00.005+01:00

My rocking friend Pamela sent me this one~ it's hilarious :)
My Dear Honey,
You will surely understand that I have certain needs that you, being 54 years old, can no longer satisfy. I am very happy with you and I value you as a good wife. Therefore, after reading this letter, I hope that you will not wrongly interpret the fact that I will be spending the evening with my 18 year old secretary at the Comfort Inn Hotel.
Please don't be upset I shall be home before midnight.'

When the man came home late that night, he found the following letter on the dining room table:

My Dear Husband,
I received your letter and thank you for your honesty about my being 54 years old. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that you are also 54 years old. As you know, I am a math teacher at our local college. I would like to inform you that while you read this, I will be at the Hotel Fiesta with Michael, one of my students, who is also the assistant tennis coach. He is young, virile, and like your secretary, is 18 years old. As a successful businessman who has an excellent knowledge of math, you will understand that we are in the same situation, although with one small
difference - 18 goes into 54 a lot more times than 54 goes into 18. Therefore, I will not be home until sometime tomorrow.
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Las Vegas Churches

THIS MAY COME AS A SURPRISE TO THOSE OF YOU NOT LIVING IN LAS VEGAS, BUT THERE ARE MORE CATHOLIC CHURCHES THAN CASINOS.

NOT SURPRISINGLY, SOME WORSHIPERS AT SUNDAY SERVICES WILL GIVE CASINO CHIPS RATHER THAN CASH WHEN THE BASKET IS PASSED.

SINCE THEY GET CHIPS FROM MANY DIFFERENT CASINOS, THE CHURCHES HAVE DEVISED A METHOD TO COLLECT THE OFFERINGS.

THE CHURCHES SEND ALL THEIR COLLECTED CHIPS TO A NEARBY FRANCISCAN MONASTERY FOR SORTING AND THEN THE CHIPS ARE TAKEN TO THE CASINOS OF ORIGIN AND CASHED IN.
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THIS IS DONE BY THE CHIP MONKS.
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YOU DIDN'T EVEN SEE IT COMING DID YOU? (No LOL I didn't!!!)

GOTCHA!........Yes it did I'm laughing ha ha ha :) I bet you can guess who sent me this corny one!

Archives:
2007: Fun Monday 17~ Will you join me for coffee!!

LiveStrong Day

2008-05-13T09:07:00.008+01:00

Are you supporting the Lance Armstrong Live Strong Campaign.

You may remember this post last month, in which I showed you the Kedgeree I made in support of the event 'A Taste of Yellow' founded in 2007 by Barbara over at Winos and Foodies. The event is to help raise cancer awareness in support of the above campaign and this year 179 bloggers produced a beautiful array of food all with a yellow element.

Barbara has produced a two part round up of all the entries:
part 1
part 2 and it really is worth taking a look.

I am participating in the 'Race for Life' event on Saturday in memory of Sam's friend Sheena and for all those who are still fighting this terrible disease. So wish me luck~ I'm only walking the course!!

PS After some kind enquiries, I have now set up an online sponsorship here.
Thank you
Archives:
2007: Guess the cost?

Fun Monday # 66 Who's a jerk??

2008-05-12T09:40:00.006+01:00

Sauntering Saul is out host this week and this is what she says about our assignment:

I know we all try to be sweet and kind to people the majority of the time. But let's face it....we also know that sometimes we can be a big jerk. It could be that you experience road rage from time to time. Perhaps you empty the coffee pot at work some mornings and don't feel like taking the time to start a new pot for the next person. Or maybe you don't return phone calls on a timely basis when you know someone needs a response from you. Have you ever "accidentally" ruined a favorite shirt of your spouse just because you didn't care for it? Come on - it's confession time! List the small things you do that make you a jerk and elaborate just a bit on each one. Please tell me I'm not the only jerk around here!

I know I must have done some pretty dumb things in my life but I try to forget them which is why I had to enlist the help of those in the family who have a good memory for these types of things.........

Embee didn't come up with anything but then would he dare... he might risk not getting his dinner cooked, his laundry washed and ironed or the loan of my car!!!!!

I then had an email conversation with Sam

Her first reaction was "Mother! That's a horrible word that belongs nowhere near you".
PS - you are welcome to quote me on that! (isn't she sweet-she clearly loves her old mum!)

Me~You are very sweet to say that but 'What about when I wouldn't let you take Art A level?'

Her~you weren't being a jerk then - just an idiot

Me~Isn't that the same thing?

Her~actually in retrospect you were very smart because it made me more determined to prove you wrong. But in reality it would really have been useful for me to have an art education - something I will never have!

So Folks was I a 'jerk' for preventing my daughter getting the art education she wanted. In my defense I was not saying no art per se, I suggested Art as an extra at night school~ what I did not know was they would not allow anyone still at school( under 18) to attend night school (personally I think who ever made that rule was the real jerk~ what do you think?)

Beccy did not responded to my email but she phoned me this morning and I asked her what she could recall. At first she couldn't think of anything then suddenly she remembered that I would not let her go to see ET at the age of eleven. Apparently all her friends had seen it and she pretended that she didn't want to see it to save face.
I don't actually remember this but how stupid of me what was I thinking~did I really do that!!~ yes jerk with a capital 'J'.

NOW we do have another 'jerk' in the house I wonder who it was who took my blueberries to work instead of his blackberries!!!!!!

Now I'm off to visit you all.....

Archives:
2007: Chocolate Muffins

Meeting Tigger Lamb Girl......

2008-05-11T16:07:00.009+01:00

Arrow marks the spot where we sat!

When I had a phone call from Tigger Lamb Girl telling me, that she was coming to Bristol to watch her son play in a cricket match, and asking me if she I would like to join her I naturally jumped at the chance. TLG and I have spoken on the phone before so I had a feeling that we would get on fine. TLG offered to make a picnic which was so kind of her (you all notice how quickly I agreed!. My meagre contribution was a couple of small bottles of sparkling wine and some English strawberries).
The cricket match was at Clifton College which only happens to be a few miles from where I live and we met up outside the college. The school has several different sports field in the area and we did have a bit of chase around before we finally found the correct pitch. TLG told me she was lucky with parking and I couldn't believe my eyes when there was a space right outside the gates (this reminds me of daughter, Beccy who also has a parking fairy looking after her)!

We settled down in a shady spot to enjoy a delicious late lunch (around 3pm) and watch the cricket. TLG had thought of everything. She had made a tasty artichoke dip, which I loved (I want to try it on embee and I can't remember the quantities so if you are reading this TLG you could post the recipe~ I'm sure there will be others who might like to try it). There was a lovely homemade quiche and salad, and a wonderful salad dressing. Now I am not at all keen on eating olives, and although there were olives blended into the dressing, I loved the combination of tastes and it was perfect. I don't know why I didn't take any photos of the picnic, that was a bit stupid of me!

Like many people, TLG does not like to have her photo on blogs, so I only took a couple of her taking photos of her son, from a distance. I'm waiting to hear whether she will let me use one of those. She did take a few of me (which I haven't yet vetted!!!) this includes a few that her son took, back at my house with Embee.

I cannot believe how quickly the afternoon passed, I managed to take some video clips of TLG's son playing. He batted well, hitting several fours which helped boost his team's score. The teams were well matched, but yesterday it was the Clifton team who managed to win overall.

I am always a bit nervous and shy when I meet new people, and I'm a different generation so I wondered if we would find enough in common! However, I needn't have worried, TLG is so warm and friendly and we chatted about all sorts of things and had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. I don't think I made too bad an impression because she has invited me to visit.

P.S In case anyone is wondering, TLG's son is a very polite and charming young man, who, in my opinion, will have the girls beating a path to his door in a few years time!

Archives:
2007: Gone Fishing!

Beautiful Bath

2008-05-10T08:45:00.008+01:00

On Thursday I spent a few hours in Bath doing a little shopping. Bath is a beautiful City and as I have written a couple of posts about it in the past, I will not elaborate. Anyone interested can read about these visits.

We had our lunch in a tiny cafe on the end of Pulteney Bridge overlooking the river. There was a lovely breeze and this is view we had from the open window:
The seagulls (link to my photo blog) were finding plenty to keep themselves occupied in the River Avon.

This last photo is very poor quality as it was taken from the car moving in traffic from the opposite side of the road as we passed the Jane Austen Centre- he's not exactly Mr Darcy but I can dream!!!!........

Archives:
2007: Puppini Sisters + Lucky Me!! + Which Sports car are you??

Karmyn's Baby Shower

2008-05-09T09:00:00.002+01:00

Today I am very excited because I am going to my first ever Baby Shower~ how cool is that!
Swampy didn't need to cast a spell on me to attend Karmyn's Baby Shower Party. I was very quick to make sure my name was on this VIP list!
Now what pressies should I take to this shower.......well you have to have a cake no party is right without a cake! ........and of course champagne so the happy parents can drink a toast.............when I was emptying our loft I came across this ~~antique~~ old relic...... and thought it might be perfect.....
I can hear you all laughing so don't worry Karmyn, this has gone to the rubbish tip (I would just add I have fond memories of that pram I bought it second hand over 15 years ago for my eldest grandson to use)........How about this instead.........

Kid Kustom "The Roddler' I'm told it's the top of the range and I'm happy to have it customised for you..... for example paint jobs, suede or leather upholstered bucket seats and even brake lights are among extras available!!.....
.....see here for another option...........

I know that you are brilliant parents but I just wanted to give you a copy of the

Ten Child Care Commandments

1. Give continuous, consistent, loving care — it's as essential for the mind's health as food is for the body.

2. Give generously of your time and understanding — playing with and reading to your child matters more than a tidy, smooth- running home.

3. Provide new experiences and bathe your child in language from birth onwards — they enrich his growing mind.

4. Encourage him to play in every way both by himself and with other children — exploring, imitating, constructing, pretending and creating.

5. Give more praise for effort than for achievement.

6. Give ever-increasing responsibility — like all skills, it needs to be practised.

7. Remember that every child is unique — so suitable handling for one may not be right for another.

8. Make the way you show disapproval fit your child's temperament, age and understanding.

9. Never threaten that you will stop loving him or give him away; you may reject his behaviour but never suggest that you might reject him.

10. Don't expect gratitude; your child did not ask to be born — the choice was yours.

Acknowledgements: Hutchinson of London
Pringle, Mia K. London: 1975. The Needs of Children

Oh I almost forgot you will need a bottle of this!!

Castor Oil

please see instructions to make sure that you give birth on my predicted date!

Thank you Swampy for hosting this great party x

Archives:
2007: Witty weds 6 11 people on a rope + Meme-My morning face

Cuss-o-Meter

2008-05-08T07:00:00.000+01:00

I saw this over at Beyond My Slab and I had to have a go. I'm not really someone who swears an awful lot~ it must be my Witty Wednesday posts that have prevent me getting a zero rating!

Created by OnePlusYou

Now come on everyone try this out and then spill the beans!!!!

I needed a quick post today as I am going to have a day out in Bath with a friend.

Archives:
2007: Who'd buy a pink TV

Witty Wednesday # 48

2008-05-07T07:19:00.000+01:00

The first two were sent to me by John:

THE BEST HOSPITAL SIGN EVER

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Irish Mating Call

Two Red Indians and an Irishman were walking through the woods.
All of a sudden one of the Red Indians ran up a hill to the mouth of a small cave.

'Wooooo! Wooooo! Wooooo!' he called into the cave and listened closely until he heard an answering, 'Wooooo! Wooooo! Woooooo!
He then tore off his clothes and ran into the cave.

The Irishman was puzzled and asked the remaining Indian what it was all about,.
'Was the other Indian crazy or what?'

The Indian replied 'No, It is our custom during mating season when Indian men see cave, they holler 'Wooooo! Wooooo! Wooooo!' into the opening. If they get an answer back, it means there's a beautiful squaw in there waiting for us.

Just then they came upon another cave.
The second Indian ran up to the cave, stopped, and hollered, 'Wooooo! Wooooo! Wooooo!'
Immediately, there was the answer. 'Wooooo! Wooooo! Wooooo!' from deep inside.
He also tore off his clothes and ran into the opening.

The Irishman wandered around in the woods alone for a while, and then spied a third large cave. As he looked in amazement at the size of the huge opening, he was thinking, 'Hoo, man! Look at the size of this cave! It is bigger than those the Indians found. There must be some really big, fine women in this cave!'

He stood in front of the opening and hollered with all his might
'Wooooo! Wooooo! Wooooo!' Like the others, he then heard an answering call, 'WOOOOOOOOO, WOOOOOOOOO WOOOOOOOOO!'
With a gleam in his eye and a smile on his face, he raced into the cave,tearing off his clothes as he ran.
The following day, the headline of the local newspaper read...............
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You'll like this
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NAKED IRISHMAN RUN OVER BY TRAIN!!!

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THIS IS FROM EMBEE:

Once upon a time there lived a king. The king had a beautiful daughter, the PRINCESS.

But there was a problem. Everything the princess touched would melt.

No matter what; metal, wood, stone, anything she touched would melt.

Because of this, men were afraid of her. Nobody would dare marry her.

The king despaired. What could he do to help his daughter?

He consulted his wizards and magicians. One wizard told the king,

'If your daughter touches one thing that does not melt in her hands, she will be cured.'

The king was overjoyed and came up with a plan.

The next day, he held a competition. Any man that could bring his daughter an object that would not melt would marry her and inherit the king's wealth.

THREE YOUNG PRINCES TOOK UP THE CHALLENGE.

The first brought a sword of the finest steel.

But alas, when the princess touched it, it melted.
The prince went away sadly .

The second prince brought diamonds.

He thought diamonds are the hardest substance in the world and would not melt.
But alas, once the princess touched them, they melted.

He too was sent away disappointed.

The third prince approached. He told the princess,
'Put your hand in my pocket and feel what is in there.'

The princess did as she was told, though she turned red .

She felt something hard. She held it in her hand.

And it did not melt!!!

The king was overjoyed. Everybody in the kingdom was overjoyed. !

And the third prince married the princess and they both lived happily ever after.

Question: What was in the prince's pants?

M&M's of course.

They melt in your mouth, not in your hand.
What were you thinking??

Archives:
2007: Fun Monday 16 What I see when I look out the door!!

Why..................

2008-05-06T08:11:00.004+01:00

....do I have to look at this out of my kitchen window!
I'll let you into a secret. I know you will keep this to yourself as I wouldn't want to tell the world that Embee is a plonker (and I don't mean the original meaning of this word!).
Why am I calling my husband an idiot....well he was due to get his car taxed on the 1st of May and he cannot find the necessary paperwork. He has been frantically going through mountains of paper for the past week or so, but so far has had no success. This means his car has no road tax and has to be off road until it's taxed. Hence it is in the yard....and how is embee managing without a car...well he isn't but I am....such is life!

Archives:
2007: Meme Change that Lizard

Fun Monday # 65 Heroes

2008-05-05T08:20:00.004+01:00

Kitten is our inspiring hostess this week and the assignment she has set us is this:

I would like to know "Who is Your Hero" Not from TV, but your real life hero. It can one or it can be many. Just someone you have or do look up to. You can do this any way you would like and if you want or can, share pictures!

I thought long and hard about this one and then realised that the true heroes and the people I admire are those who are so brave and fight adversity each and every day of their lives:

all the folk who are fighting (or who have fought) cancer, having to go through horrendous treatment and still managing to remain cheerful (this includes some of my blogbuds~ I will not mention by name).
all the children who from an early age care for parents who are sick or have a disability and cannot look after themselves. I watched a TV programme about some of these wonderful children who do a marvellous job but miss out on their childhood~each and everyone is a hero in my eyes.

These are just two groups of people that I really admire and who are true heroes to me.
I am looking forward to meeting all your heroes!

Archives:
2007: How not to treat your mother

'Message in a Bottle' and an Award

2008-05-04T08:07:00.003+01:00

Rose tagged me for this message in a bottle and I have been sitting on it for a week so sorry Rose for being so tardy.

Here are the rules: You are about to send a virtual Message In a Bottle across the Blog Ocean. Leave a message in the sand or on the bottle. Write anything you wish. Be a pirate or a poet. Serious or silly. Anonymous or not.
What message would you like to send out to the universe?

My message is simple:

This little meme was the brain child of a blogger called Mimi and if you use this link you will be able to get a blank picture for your message, see the rules and add your link to her list.
I tag the following people (however, please do not feel obliged to do it)
Daffy
Jackie
Angela
Eve
Jettie

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Alison gave me this lovely award for helping to make her day isn't that sweet of her. Thank you Alison that will be, proudly, displayed in my gallery. In turn I will pass it on to the five great bloggers that I have tagged above.

Archives:
2007: Sunset

Quiz

2008-05-03T09:56:00.000+01:00

Can you judge someone by looking at them?

BY LOOKING AT A PICTURE OF A PERSON, YOU HAVE TO DECIDE IF HE IS A COMPUTER GEEK OR A SERIAL KILLER. GO WITH YOUR GUT FEELING AND CLICK ON YOUR CHOICE.

THERE ARE 10 PHOTOS. YOUR SCORE WILL BE GIVEN AT THE END.

You really must try this little quiz that my friend Carol sent by email.

It is very quick to do. I was not bad at guessing and my score was 9 out of 10. I won't spoil it by giving the comment!

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I just happened to notice that this is my 600th post

Have a good weekend everyone :)

Archives:
2007: Why does it always happen to me+ Frannie's blog community project swap

On a mission!

2008-05-02T08:55:00.006+01:00

Last weekend we had to get some of the old insulation out of the loft, as the final preparation before the new insulation was fitted. We didn't want to carry all the mess down through the house for obvious reasons. It had already taken considerable effort to remove everything that was stored up there, including taking up the boarding. So Embee decided this was the way to do it!
I stood at the bottom and untied the sacks!
It worked well and in no time we had a couple of car loads that have now gone to the rubbish tip!

The new insulation was laid on Wednesday and hopefully this will help prevent heating loss come next winter.

This little project has actually motivated me and I am now in the mood for clearing out. So, yesterday I got rid of the all the remaining books, files of paper and training material from when I worked. I have three huge bags of paper for recycling and a few more things for the tip. Now what can I start on next!!

Archives:
2007: Witty Wednesday 5 Blonde Joke

Pensieve's 40 or less Photo Challenge # 1

2008-05-01T07:46:00.008+01:00

I have very nervously decided to join in Robin's Friday Photo Challenge!
Robin wants us to be Inspired by what we see and how we interpret her picture, and write:

* - A 40-or-less-word caption
* - A 40-or-less-word title
* - A 40-or-less-word post
* - A 40-or-less-word poem
* - 40 or less syllables of either!

Short...sweet...and hopefully a lot of fun!

Now this is the photo and my caption is below:

A child opens her heart and soul to the world
Embracing everything with a thirst for knowledge and the innocence of youth
If only life remained this simple and joyful she would be for ever carefree.

So if you are looking for inspiration for a post how about giving this a go, you will find all the details here!

Archives:
2007: Local Market Day

Witty Wednesday # 47

2008-04-30T09:22:00.010+01:00

Never underestimate the power of makeup
(apologies to my American friends but you can blame Embee for these pictures!)

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So how about this one from my friend Carol:

Kidnap

A driver is stuck in a traffic jam going into Central London. Nothing is moving north or south. Suddenly a man knocks on his window.

The driver rolls down his window and asks, 'What happened, what's the hold up?'

The man replies 'Terrorists have kidnapped Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and Alistair Darling. They are asking for a £10 million ransom. Otherwise they are going to douse them with petrol and set them on fire. We are going from car to car, taking up a collection.'

The driver asks, 'On average, how much is everyone giving?'

The man replies 'About a gallon.'

[For those who may not know the names (English past and present Prime Ministers and Chancellor) we are having a tough time here in the UK with prices on essentials rising above the rate of inflation and tax changes have made pensioners like myself worse off].

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Do you think Embee is trying to tell me something sending this!!!!

Do you eat chocolate

Have a good day and don't eat too much chocolate!!!

Archives:
2007: Fun Mon 15 Every picture tells a story

Karisma's 'My Life is a Mess Challenge'!

2008-04-29T10:31:00.004+01:00

Last week Karisma created a little poetry competition see the rules here. She has extended it for another week as she only had one (very good) entry. I told her I was useless at poetry and to prove it I will enter, just to show willing, and make it very clear why I do not join in with poetry challenges! I will not be in the least offended to get 'crappy' remarks and if I get no comments I will still get the message!!

Here goes:

Whatever happened to leisurely days
I have to get going and mend my slovenly ways

I spend far too much time blogging
When what I should be doing is slogging

As the garden needs weeding
And the plants need feeding

I can write my name in dust
But really I'm not fussed

If the meals are often late
By the time they reach the plate

Oh whatever should I do
To start off anew

And end my addiction
For this computer affliction!

LOL well I did warn you~ maybe I should get my daughter Sam to rewrite it for me; she is so good at this sort of thing! How about suggesting a Title!!!!!

Archives:
2007: Tortoises are expensive

Fun Monday # 64 A walk in the woods

2008-04-28T08:27:00.011+01:00

Angela @ the Lurchers has chosen a really good topic for this time of the year, she says:

All I want you to do is take me on your favourite walk. In words or pictures. Or both of course! Tell me why it's your favourite and point out things of interest on the way.

So go get your walking boots on!

After all the winter weather and being stuck indoors it is lovely to be able to see everything begin to come to life with the warmth and sunshine (not that we have had too much sun yet this year!)
I have posted about some of my favourite walks before so I'm going to show you a beautiful place that my mother loves to visit at this time of year. It is a little place called Damery (near Tortworth and Woodford in Gloucestershire) and we went there on Friday. Now some of you may think this is morbid but my mother wanted to show me where she wants her ashes to be scattered when the time comes. She could not have picked a prettier place and you will see why from the photos.

There is a country lane along the side of woods that are just a carpet of Bluebells, A stream runs along the bottom and there is an abundance of wild garlic (the aroma really hits you!). It is very quiet and so peaceful, very little traffic and only a few houses. There is an area where memorial trees can be planted. Below are a few of the photos I took and I think you will understand why my mother loves this place in the spring.

I am looking forward to joining you all on your walks, what a good way of getting virtually fit!!!

Archives:
2007: Hoorah for Skype

Monday Motivation Meme and Awards

2008-04-27T09:08:00.002+01:00

Misslionheart realises that I need something to motivate me for the week ahead! She has worked out that I spend more time on the computer than I should and she is trying to wean me off with this Monday Motivation Meme! Now I cannot do this on Monday because I always participate in Fun Monday so I'm doing it a day early~ how's this for motivation!!

The rules of the game are simple enough…just list 5 things you wish to achieve during the week ahead and hopefully get motivated!

move all the remaining ~~junk~~ boxes from the house to storage area
clean house (after new roof insulation has been fitted on Weds) I think this will take me at least a week! you should see the mess just emptying the loft~ I hate to think what it will be like after the fitters have been here.
sort and put away winter clothes and bring out summer clothes~ am I being a bit premature~ probably!!
ring a couple of people that I have been meaning to get in touch with since the new year~ I know I'm very bad!
the final thing is to get the ironing done I have been adding to the basket for quite a while, telling myself it wasn't worth getting the ironing board out for a few items. This has now grown to an overflowing basket~oh and I really hate ironing! Done 29/4

Well that's my five all a bit mundane really~ which is exactly why I needed this motivational shove and I have misslionheart to thank for this!!

I know I should be passing it on but I'm not that motivated so lets say if anyone would like to motivate themselves you are tagged by moi!!

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Jackie at Mother's Pride has given this award to everyone. It's very cute don't you think! So thank you Jackie It has gone on display in my linked gallery. I consider all my visitors to be great blogging friends so I give this to everyone who drops by this post! Where would I be without good friends like you.

Alison gave me this lovely award and if you have not been following her adoption stories you should go over and read about her two journeys through this process. I guarantee you will be hooked! I love you all so I also give this to everyone especially my daughters Sam and Beccy.

Kila thank you very much for giving me 'The Good Chat Award'. I was originally given this Jackie I wondered if they are trying to tell me I talk too much~ no seriously guys I love it that blog friends like to visit me and chat I really look forward hearing everyone's news :)

Archives:
2007: Help me up

A quickie!!

2008-04-26T08:35:00.004+01:00

Anyone who has been reading my twitterings will know that all our upstairs electrics were knocked out yesterday by someone who shall remain nameless! That someone was very quick to go up into the loft this morning and fix the problem (which thank goodness only turned out to be a loose screw in a connection).

You may recall yesterday that I was taking my mother out for the day, we managed to exchange a pair of trousers (pants) for a pink cardigan so she is happy. I took her to see the Bluebell Woods and then we went on to have lunch with my brother, his wife and her mother was also there. We had a lovely lunch but I ate far too much~ well it would have been fine if I had not indulged in all three of the puddings!! How can anyone resist blackberry and apple crumble, treacle pudding and fresh pineapple with custard and cream! Tell me I am a glutton and I will agree but I didn't eat anything for the rest of the day and I don't really feel hungry today.
Over lunch we started talking about relatives and my mother regaled us with some bits of family history that we knew nothing about which was very entertaining. You want to know ~ well lets just say there were several illegitimate children in the family~ and for one there is a connection to the picture below!!

I just had to stop and take a photo of this field of oilseed rape which was very colourful! We are now off to get the tortoises weighed and checked.

Archives:
2007: Lemon Curd is Mellow Yellow

What kind of music are you??

2008-04-25T08:58:00.005+01:00

I needed a quick post today because I am taking my mother out. I may have mentioned last week that I took her clothes shopping~ well this week some of it has to be returned! Also we have been invited to lunch with my brother and his wife and on the way there we are hoping to go and see if the Bluebells are out yet. So when I saw this over at Karisma's yesterday, I decided to borrow the idea and give it a go; I think I might have done this before and got a different result!! If you try it, let me know what kind of music you are!!

You Are Classical Music

You are a somewhat serious person who enjoys studying subjects deeply.

Art of all kinds interests you, and a good piece of art can really effect you emotionally.

You are inspired by human achievement, and you appreciate work that takes years to accomplish.

For you, the finer things in life are not about snobbery - they're about quality.

What Kind of Music Are You?

Is this me I wonder!!!!!!!

Archives:
2007: Witty Wednesday-What's the problem Eve

Project Looking Through # 5......the looking glass!

2008-04-24T11:57:00.002+01:00

For my last photo in this project I decided to be like Alice and go through the looking glass!

Mark@Regular Life is hosting PLT

PLT #1
PLT #2
PLT #3
PLT# 4

Archives:
2007: Witty Weds 4..What's the problem Eve