MSB's Xanga

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:23:38 GMT

The view from the bedroom where my computer is There is an old Irish song called " the forty shades of green " which I think is appropriate here !

I am now the proud greatgrand mother of Vincent Leo, my third GGC. so I will bore you with photos taken recently

Don't I look proud ?

Vincent wondering " Who is is this strange person ?"

Still thinking " She is a stranger but I think I like her "

Time for a cuddle

Vincent had hiccups so needed a pat on the back !

Here he is with his mummy Laura. She said it is the first photo of the two of them since he was born three weeks ago. The rest of the family have had their's taken with him but poor Laura has missed out !
I took the first photo earlier today- now the weather has changed dramatically, it is very windy and rainy. I even had to put on the light when I was having my meal and because the hour goes on tomorrow my evening meals will, for the next few months,be eaten with the lights on.
Winter is coming

Monday, October 19, 2009

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:54:29 GMT

I can't believe that we are more than half way through October The weather here has been absolutely gorgeous, warm sunny days, almost summery, so it hasn't seemed like autumn really. Today however there is a marked change in the temperature - it is cold ! Time to get out the gloves and scarves and put away the t-shirts and light jackets. In two weeks time the hour goes back ( or is it forward ??? ) and then it will really feel as if winter is nigh.
I had a serious moment of reminiscing on Friday when I came across the Biography channel and there was Shirley Temple. When I was little I wanted to be her, I wanted the curls, the dresses and the ability to dance- in fact I wanted it all ! Does any one else remember her films ? I saw most of them and thought she was younger than me but have now found out that she is four years older - I wonder why she always seemed so childlike ? Actually after seeing the biopic I realise that she had a very strange life, rarely mixing with other children and always being told to " sparkle " by her mother. I remember having a cardboard Shirley Temple doll that you could "dress up" by fixing clothes over the doll with little tabs. I loved that doll ! My other heroines were Dianna Durbin as she wore pretty dresses and Esther Williams because she could swim so well, an accomplishment I have never achieved. I don't think that these stars would be interesting to the young girls of today do you ?

I might not have had the curls but I had the ribbon
This week I have to go church get the Christmas cards ready as people are asking for them already and as there are going to be postal strikes over the next few weeks panic is setting in about how the overseas post will be affected. Let's hope it will be sorted out well before Christmas ! I have, for a change, actually bought some Christmas presents but I have a problem ! Over the last few years I have sent presents to Xangan friends BUT haven't kept a record of what I sent to whom so I'll have to rack my brain or "think outside the box" and buy more unusual gifts
Dratted computer or stupid operator ? I've spent hours and hours trying to get a photo from my desktop on to my blog but I can't manage to download it. I'm really annoyed with myself but hey ! life is full of little troubles and as long as big ones don't come along I'll survive ( does that remind you of a song ? )
A few " bon mots "
The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority. Ralph. W. Sockman
Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time. Steven Wright
Everyone gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense. Gertrude Stein

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:49:54 GMT

Problems, problems and more problems

On Friday I noticed that the cleaner wasn't picking up any bits even though I had emptied it so I thought that I needed a new one, mine being about six years old. I looked on the internet for prices and picked out the one I wanted. When Dot came for the usual Saturday chat I told her and she asked if my cleaner was a bagless one as she thought they were more of a problem to clean than the bagged machines. Her husband does the hoovering (lucky Dot ! ) and she said he cleaned it every week with a brush. That surprised me as I'd never thought of cleaning a cleaner !!! I decided to try and brush it with a nail brush - my ! how the dust flew every where it was so bad I went outside to finish the job. Result - I don't need a new one and it now cleans with great suction again. Yesterday when putting the washer on I couldn't close the door, I rang for the man whom I bought it from hoping he would tell me I needed a new one ( I don't like the one I have it doesn't match the decor !!!! ) No such luck, he fitted a new door and it works like magic now. So the problems were solved at a cost of £10 for the washing machine and elbow grease for the cleaner and I've saved £100s into the bargain. I think I should go out very soon and spend some money on myself- I deserve it
Autumn is a lovely season BUT I do wish the fallen leaves would fall in some one elses garden, not mine. After gale force winds at the weekend my porch was full, almost knee-deep in leaves and there are more to come yet I filled a large bin bag and now after reading that American towns send people out to get leaves I'm wondering why I have to pick up leaves from trees that don't belong to me. I do appreciate the trees but find them a nuisance at the moment.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:12:44 GMT

A few weeks ago I went into the bathroom with my glasses on- what a shock I had when I saw the state of the floor-to-ceiling tiles. They were dreadful ! How can one person get tiles so dirty ? I am able to clean the lower part of the wall but can't manage to reach the ceiling. This week I've had the tiles cleaned - now it's so bright and shiny in there that I almost need my sunglasses. I have made up my mind that I will keep on top of jobs like that in future so I will never again be ashamed at the state the house was in.
I had a lovely trip to Liverpool with the cousins, lots of chat about our respective families and a very nice lunch in an Italian restaurant. The big Marks and Spencers there is having a major overhaul so I didn't bother shopping and only bought some pot-pourri and a sandwich ( crayfish and rocket - yum )
On Thursday I went to Liverpool again to see the relics of St. Theresa of Lisieux in the cathedral which was packed. We had to "fight" our way out as there were hundreds trying to get in- imagine a packed cathedral and even more people outside waiting to get in. So many attended that it was on every TV news channel on Friday, I think that the huge numbers shocked every one as these days the media seem to imply that people are no longer interested in religion
Autumn colours in Widnes

This is part of the garden that that was cut back in the early spring it's even more lush now than it was !

The last of the marigolds, poppies and a Japanese acer

A myriad of colours
As you know governments are trying to get us to be more economical and help save the world but the following news will surprise you.
Every year Britain exports 5,000 tons of toilet paper to Germany and imports more than 4,000 tons from there !
4.400 tons of ice cream are sent to Italy with 4,200 tons being transported back again
Some 27,000 tons of potatoes go to Egypt and then 22,000 tons comes here.
It's little wonder that our roads are overcrowded and products are so expensive.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:54:58 GMT

The new table and chairs in the diner. Now I have to buy round tablecloths For years I didn't bother about using cloths but now I think it makes a meal seem more special to have the table set properly.

The newly painted walls and cupboards. Marj, see the ever useful ovencloth and mitt that you sent me years ago which still matches the decor.

The oven which was professionally cleaned. I was going to buy a new cooker for approx. £350, now the old one looks like new and cost me £55. That's what I call a bargain !

The flooring which is much lighter than the old one, making the kitchen seems bigger

New cushions with a bit of bling- these days sequins are everywhere

The two rockers have been cleaned as has have the carpets in the lounge, hall and diner. Frank chose these chairs and the one nearest to you was " his " and woebetide anyone who tried to usurp him from his rightful place
It took a long time for me to actually make up my mind to get the work done but now I'm really pleased that I made the effort. On Thursday I'm having the bathroon tiles cleaned, another messy job that I don't like doing so I've got some one in the do it. I am not being lazy- indeed not ! but at my age I might as well make things easy for myself. Don't you agree ?
Tomorrow I'm going to Liverpool to meet with my cousins, have lunch, chat and do some shopping
And now for something completely different
There's a wonderful family called Stein:
There's Gert and there's Ep and there's Ein.
Gert's poems are bumk,
Ep's statues are junk
and no-one can understand Ein.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:35:39 GMT

After talking for months about the need to have some rooms decorated I finally got around to it and must admit that it wasn't as difficult as I had imagined it to be. I suppose the " thinking " is the worse part as you expect all kinds of problems that don't actually happen ! The decorator was here all Monday and most of Tuesday but as he was so neat and tidy there wasn't much for me to do - in fact the hardest part was choosing colours I have the ubiquitous magnolia in the kitchen -diner because since the neighbours had an extension built the room is much darker now. However the kitchen cupboards are PineFrost which is similar to the colour I've used for this page and it looks really clean and fresh. The lounge is Almond White, a slightly lighter shade than before so all my furniture and accessories match. I will get a new camera this week and take photos when the new flooring has been laid in the kitchen and the carpets have been cleaned. I waited to get the flooring until I saw the completed work so that will be the last " job " for me. I now have a round dining table which is smaller than the old one and fits nicely behind the door giving me more room and leaves more of the radiator uncovered which will make a difference during the winter. It has been a busy week as I " found " lots of small jobs that needed doing like cleaning door handles and picture frames, unfortunately I am not very " house-proud " and tend to leave stuff until I can leave it no longer !

This is part of the new statue that has been erected in Liverpool St station, London to commemorate the Kindertransport in 1939. In the first nine months of 1939 more than 10,000 Jewish children were brought to England from Germany as refugees as their parents were either in concentration camps or expected to end up in one. The children were accepted in families for the duration of the war on the understanding that they would be returned home at the end of the war. Unfortunately most of their parents and families had died before then so they were resettled either here or in the USA.
One man Nicholas Winton personally set up an organisation to help children from Czechoslovakia and helped to find homes for 669 children in the UK. The other week the relatives of Nicholas met with the families for the children he had rescued. Another unknown hero !
It has been amazing that only now after 70 years the stories of people like him and the Flying Nightingales are being aired. I wonder how many more forgotten heros there are- maybe as the years pass we will hear about other brave people.

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:17:08 GMT

A long while ago I blogged about " unsung " heroines but this week I heard about another group - the Flying Nightingales who were air ambulance nurses during WW2. Recently they have been awarded with a Lifetime Achievement Award, nearly seventy years, later to honour the important work they did during the war. They went out to field hospitals to bring back the badly wounded, some 100,000 in all. They flew in Dakotas which carried military supplies out to the front so couldn't display a Red Cross so they were frequently attacked by German planes in fact two died on active service. On the plane there were 24 soldiers, 16 on stretchers and 8 " walking " wounded but there was only one nurse to care for them on the long journey home. The nurses were not allowed to use their parachutes as their orders were to stay with the plane to treat any wounded. Only nine of the nurse survived long enough to receive their award from the Duchess of Cornwall

This is 90 year old Eileen Driscoll who served from 1943 to 1946. Eileen is in a nursing home now and was not able to attend the award ceremony
They certainly had an wonderful spirit and still do as one of the ladies after getting her award said " the best thing about the job was that we could wear trousers "
It has been a week of reminiscing in the media this week as it is the 70 anniversary of the declaration of the war. There was a TV programme about evacuees, of which I was one but I was only away for a few months in Blackpool and my mother was with me in charge of a group of nine other children. I can't remember much about it though I can recall all the people, including workers from the factories, who waved our train out of the station. I know we stayed in a "dirty" house and my mother had to really had to fight the authorities to get us moved - nits and all

I hope that nobody is in a hurry

or is this the one for people with too much time to spare ?

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:10:19 GMT

This is a last Bank Holiday for the year and typically the weather is lousy. It is quite cold for the time of the year but as the schools start back on Wednesday I wouldn't be surprised if we don't get an Indian Summer later in the week. We were "promised" a better than usual summer by the weather forecasters but I think I ruined those grandiose promises when I bought the new patio set - which I have hardly used My dear son Paul blames me for buying it and ruining his summer. My family can be cheeky some times ! Despite the fact that tomorrow is a holiday all the shops are open so they will be glad of the bad weather as their sales will increase In fact, at the moment, shopping is great as so many items have been reduced however that is a temptation to buy, buy and buy ! I have stocked up on deodorants, hand- wash and shower gel which are all priced at £1. Even Nescafe coffee is selling at a great price of two jars for £6 instead of £4.45 each. It makes you realise just how much profit the big stores were making before the recession !
Shall we dance ?

It's the Sunday Tea dance and they'll be here today,Aches and pains forgotten, to dance the afternoon away. Foxtrots, quicksteps, waltzes, some are slow but some still nifty.With memories of how it was way back in the 50s.
Norman's in the toilet and he's struggling to pee,He's got trouble with his prostrate and is likely to miss his tea.
Eddie's got a new love that he met in Thornton Heath,She does a lovely tango but she hasn't any teeth.His latest fancy footwork nearly broke his partner's neck,She mistook his outside swivel for a travelling contra check.Ida's had her hair done and she ready for the saunter,She had a vindaloo last night and it's coming back to haunt her.Florries' mini-skirt's revealing when she's spinning in the jive.She really shouldn't wear a thong, approaching eighty-five.They've had their tea and cake and chat and had a little laughAnd gamely rise with creaking knees to face the second half.Norman's made it back in time for rumba number one.His cucaracha very neat but he's left his flies undone.Vera's fallen over in a massive crimplene heap.Bet's got indigestion and Mabel's fast asleep.It's last waltz time and up they get for Humperdink's old tuneAnd then " Goodbye, good luck, take care, God willing see you soon."

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:44:14 GMT

Update ! England have won the Ashes after beating Australia at cricket WOW !

Thank you to every one who sent me birthday wishes. I appreciated them very much. I had a lovely day with a few laughs along the way My friend Mary gave me her usual " funny " card and a date and walnut cake ( a fav ! ) which is baked at the nearby farm shop. Dot brought me a card and some tomatoes on the vine grown in their green house. I got beautiful earrings and a fridge magnet from Australia. The earrings are Australian opals ( Australia is famous from opals ) I will take a photo when I buy a new camera. Damian ordered a Chinese takeaway for us, another of my favourites especially as I didn't need to do any washing-up after The beautiful bouquet of flowers is from Paul and family via Marks And Spencers. On Tuesday I'm being taken out for a meal with the female side of the family - that's Julie and her " gang " and GD Stephanie ( from Wales ) who is up here doing some work placement. Julie was very circumspect when writing about my birthday and showed a photo of me when I was about 15 but I'll let you into a secret- I am now in my " Sunset Strip " year. Shush !

I'm glad that my blog on the NHS was helpful to some of you. It isn't prefect but it does have a lot to recommend it.
Paul told me last week that a local greetings card shop is already selling Christmas cards, I was horrified ! BUT now on the 23rd of August I have TWO dates marked off for Christmas days out, one on the 7th and the other on the 11th. Will we be buying Easter eggs soon ? My mother used to tell me " Don't wish your life away " when I was being impatient but nowadays that's what happens.
After months of dithering about decorating the time has now come and the decorator will be here on Monday the 7th of September. Over the next two weeks I am ( yes! I REALLY am ) going to clean out and wash the cupboards in the kitchen, get the oven cleaned - by a firm - get new flooring put down and order a new dining table and chairs for the kitchen-diner. Hopefully before the lounge is painted Damian will tidy up all the wires that are behind the TV - don't they seem to multiply ? Then I'm going to sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labour ( well, the decorator's )

Friday, August 14, 2009

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:47:15 GMT

Don't always believe what you read

I have been amazed to read the stories that are filling some of the American press about the National Health Service here in the UK. I know that a lot us us Brits complain about the NHS but we are known to be a nation of moaners However I can assure any reader that ALL emergencies are treated for free what ever the age of the person who is ill or the severity of any injury. Those who are working pay in a certain percentage of their income ( at source ) directly to the NHS, this means that people have access to treatment even though they may not earn anything or enough to pay tax- a good part of socialism or better still Christianity ! I certainly wouldn't want to live in a country without such a valuable service too all who are ill. Take just one year in my life - in July I had a Caesarian operation, Paul ( the baby I had ) had a hernia operation in the November and five months later Frank had a hernia op. too. We had contemplated emigrating to Canada but realised that if this had happened whilst we were there we would have been deeply in debt for many years so we opted to stay here. Frank had various operations as did the children, Julie had her tonsils removed, Adrian had his broken nose repaired and Damian had his wisdom teeth removed to name just a few of the times we were grateful for the NHS. Prescriptions are relative cheap ( or free in some cases such as children who also get free dental and optical treatment ) These days there are even direct phone help and drop-in centres for minor ailments. Not all things about the NHS are good, there is a kind of postcode ( zipcode ) lottery for some treatments such as IVF or the latest cancer related drugs but on the whole most Brits wouldn't change the system we have now. So don't believe what you are told ! Senator Kennedy would certainly have been treated - despite his age and Professor Steven Hawkings has publicly stated that he is alive now because of the National Health Service. ( note that the reporter quoted didn't even realised that Hawkings was English !!!! ) My pregnant GD has had wonderful treatment with scans and midwife care and of course she will have a (relatively ! ) painfree labour with help from the professionals. I could say a lot more about the benefits of a health service that provides cover for the least well -off in our society but if any of you wish to know more I will be glad to help you overcome the prejudice that seems to be endemic to some in America. America should take the best practices from the NHS and improve on the worst aspects of it
I've just had a phone call from Paul ( son who lives in Barry South Wales ) saying that he objects to having to pay £5 for a postcard from France He didn't I'm so relieved that I now know who I sent the unstamped card to ! I would have hated it if it had been to a Xangan friend

" The doctor said he would have me on my feet within two weeks "
" And did he ? "
" Yes, I had to sell the car to pay his bill ! "