Quiz night is cancelled due to illnesses, people not able to get there, and people being on holiday.

Oh well lets see if I can persuade hubby to take me out instead!

Quiz night looms and before we can go we have to wait for the garage to phone to tell Nig to come and collect van - hopefully they managed to replace the break pads!

Not much got done int he way of housework afterall, but I have made room in my wardrobe for the mountain of clothes I ironed1 There are quite a few bags of clothes to go to the clothes bank tomorrow.

In other news, hubby has decided that we will go and watch POTC on Saturday, then eldest gets a message from his friend asking him if he will go with him to watch it on Sunday - great thinks I, one less child to pay for

Cruel mum that I am I know, but he is 15 and never goes anywhere so it will be nice if he actually does go out with a friend for a change!

Right better go and smarten myself up

It really is beginning to piss me off big time.

Sure at first people get sympathies, no one wants to suffer the loss of a child, but the media circus that surounds the McCanns is getting vastly out of control.

There was I watching the telly the other day and an advert comes on about Madeleine and her being missing - isn't it enough that it is being discussed daily on the telly/radio in the newspapers and everywhere else? If you had listened to the news yesterday you would have been forgiven for thinking that the only thing going on in this vast world of ours was the fact that the McCanns were meeting the pope, the fact that a butterfly landed on Mrs McCanns's arm, and the photo they gave to the pope of Madeleine (please pass me the sick bucket!)

These people were negligent, there is no other word for their behaviour!

So there I was today looking through my emails and yet again another email poster is in my inbox about Madeleine which I delete rather than pass on because it is getting too much when one of my friends has sent me this:

The Vatican states that the Catholic Church condemns as gravely evil acts, both IVF in and of itself, and stem cell research performed on IVF embryos." – an treatment that the McCanns have gone through TWICE, and Pope Benedict himself stated in June last year “The human being has the right to be generated, not produced, to come to life not in virtue of an artificial process but of a human act in the full sense of the term: the union between a man and a woman".

In July of last year, the Pope even suggested anyone involved in the creation of an embryo ex-vitro which would be frozen or discarded should be excommunicated from the Catholic Church. The Pope cannot possibly ignore this. He has been very vocal on the subject and even sabotaged a referendum in Italy on it and yet here he is meeting them and giving them a blessing.

I am not against anyone having IVF treatment. There are rules that all religions have that I am against or do not agree with. However if you are head of a church and you have these rules then stick by them. All this makes me sick!

Sorry but this just shows how hypocritical the church, religion is, (and I apologise to any Catholics offended by this but really there are so many of you that do not agree with some things in your own religion is you are honest now) and how publicity seeking, self centered, smug and nauseating the McCanns are.

Sorry just needed to rant!

EDIT: The email came from a Deacon in the Catholic Church who is not very happy with all this at the moment!

6.30 hubby brings me up a cup of tea, which I drink then go back to sleep when he goes of to work, taking eldest son with him.

8.30 youngest comes upstairs with my phone which apparently has been bleeping! Read message, replied and then snuggled down again.

9:00 Post arrives, so does youngest who brings it upstairs - catalogues for you mum he says

So I wearily get out of bed and get dressed and read through catalogues before throwing them out while having my breakfast.

Have housework to do today hence me not getting washed yet,(though I did shower before I went to bed) once done will do exercises then get showered for this evening.

Quiz night tonight and under strict instructions to text friend if we get stuck because she is feeling left out as she has to go away today and was at the airport when she text me.

So one member of group missing, not good when we are so useless at the questions anyway

Ironing has finally been finished, will put it all away tomorrow once I have sorted all the wardrobes and cupboards out!

My one in particular, I can;t get anymore t shirts in so really needs a good sort out!

Having watched a film and several crap tv shows, eaten dinner and caught up on here, I am now heading off to bed to curl up and read a chapter or two, or maybe just sleep

See you tomorrow!

Asked if anyone knew of a poem that a friend was asking me about earlier which Redleader kindly supplied and it turned out it wasn't that one.

However after a lot of searching I think I have found it and thought it would be appropriate to post here as well.

SOME PEOPLE
Some people come into our lives
and leave footprints on our hearts
and we are never ever the same.

Some people come into our lives
and quickly go... Some stay for awhile
and embrace our silent dreams.

They help us become aware
of the delicate winds of hope...
and we discover within every human spirit
there are wings yearning to fly.

They help our hearts to see that
the only stairway to the stars
is woven with dreams...
and we find ourselves
unafraid to reach high.

They celebrate the true essence
of who we are...
and have faith in all
that we may become.

Some people awaken us
to new and deeper realizations...
for we gain insight
from the passing whisper of their wisdom

Throughout our lives we are sent
precious souls...
meant to share our journey
however brief or lasting their stay
they remind us why we are here.

To learn... to teach... to nurture... to love

Some people come into our lives
to cast a steady light
upon our path and guide our every step
their shining belief in us
helps us to believe in ourselves.

Some people come into our
lives to teach us about love...
The love that rests within ourselves.

Let us reach out to others
and feel the bliss of giving
for love is far richer in action
that it ever is in words.

Some people come into our lives
and they move our souls to sing
and make our spirits dance.

They help us to see that everything on earth
is part of the incredibility of life...
and that it is always there
for us to take of its joy.

Some people come into our lives
and leave footprints on our hearts
and we are never ever the same.

by Flavia Weedn

I am applying for this

Good fun

I was determined that this time I was not going to cry.

Afterall I have an iron in my hand and I am determined to clear that ironing pile that is taking over the conservatory.

So I watched the film and then it happens - tears streaming down face and I am sobbing, can't help it, can't be a brave mum.

Except what made me smile was eldest watching film with me is also in tears, though trying very very hard to hold it all in until he sees me look then he is in the same sobbing state I am.

yes Armageddon just gets to me everytime!

Please can you help me

Does anyone out there know of a poem about meeting someone for a minute, or a short while or a lifetime, and they are here for that time for a purpose?

just been asked for it on another forum and can't seem to find it though it does sound familiar

Sorry it is vague

Thanks in advance.

It's raining again, in fact it hasn't stopped from yesterday and I have a pile of washing to get through and two very bored children.

We could go swimming and get even wetter, but that was met with a frown from both children so given up on that idea. My walks have gone out of the window and controlling a greyhound while holding an umbrella isn't much fun and anyway both dogs hate the rain and getting wet even with their doggy coats on.

So I have sat here for the last hour looking up control pants on the figleaves site to go under my wedding outfit to give me a 'nice silouhette' as recommended by Mr Gok

No luck on that front either as all the ones that I think are suitable are out of stock Damm!!

Ah well back to the drawing board better go and do some ironing

A British coach driver got so fed up with German tourists bagging every sunbed that he set fire to their towels.

Glyn Bowden, 55, was locked up by police in Italy after his early morning raid, reports the Daily Mail.

He was coach driver for a party of 55 British holidaymakers at Viana Marina, near San Remo, on the Italian Riviera.

The first time the group from South Wales complained to him about the German sunbed baggers, he said "Leave it to me" and dumped all of the towels at the end of the pool.

Mr Bowden said: "The following morning the Germans put them down even earlier so I did the same - with them shaking their fists at me from their windows.

"The next morning about 20 towels were there again so I collected them up, put them on a pile on the beach - and lit them.

"All the British tourists were cheering. But just a few minutes afterwards three police officers turned up and arrested me.

"They were going to charge me with criminal damage but the hotel - which owned the towels -intervened on my behalf."

Mr Bowden, from Tonyrefail, near Rhondda, added: "The Germans thought they owned the private beach but I wanted to make sure my tourists got a crack of the whip."

Can understand how he feels though lol

More than a 10,000 people die of diseases every hour.
More than 1000 people die of smoking every minute.
More than 100 people die of accidents every second
More than 10 people die of some cause every microsecond.
More than 1 person dies without even being born to count the time.

Around the world.

I just want to Congratulate you on being Alive

Right off to watch one of the best shows on telly at the moment - How to look good naked - to see if I can get some inspiration for loving my body or some tips on how I should dress lol!

Course it is worth watching the programme just to see what this designer is up to:

Last week he rubbed his head in some womans breast because he thought they looked lovely! He really is a laugh and worth watching

See you later!

One day, in line at the company cafeteria, Joe says to Mike behind him,

"My elbow hurts like hell. I guess I'd better see a doctor."

"Listen, you don't have to spend that kind of money," Mike replies.

"There's a diagnostic computer down at Wal-Mart. Just give it a urine sample and the computer will tell you what's wrong and what to do about it.

It takes ten seconds and costs ten dollars . . . A lot cheaper than a doctor."

So, Joe deposits a urine sample in a small jar and takes it to Wal-Mart.

He deposits ten dollars, and the computer lights up and asks for the urine sample.
He pours the sample into the slot and waits.

Ten seconds later, the
computer ejects a printout:

"You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm
water and avoid heavy activity. It will improve in two weeks. Thank you for
shopping @ Wal-Mart."

That evening, while thinking how amazing this new technology was, Joe began wondering if the computer could be fooled.

He mixed some tap water, a stool sample from his dog, urine samples from his wife and daughter, and a sperm sample for good measure.

Joe hurries back to
Wal-Mart, eager to check the results. He deposits ten dollars, pours in his
concoction, and awaits the results.

The computer prints the
following:

1. Your tap water is too hard. Get a water softener. (Aisle 9)
2. Your dog has ringworm. Bathe him with anti-fungal shampoo. (Aisle 7)
3. Your daughter has a cocaine habit. Get her into rehab.
4 Your wife
is pregnant. Twins. They aren't yours. Get a lawyer.
5 If you don't stop playing with yourself, your elbow will never get better!

Thank you for shopping @

Wal-Mart

This is for all the germ conscious folks that worry about using cold water to clean.

Frank went to visit his 90 year old grandfather in a very secluded, rural area of Georgia .

After spending a great evening chatting the night away, Frank's grandfather prepared breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast. However, Frank noticed a film like substance on his plate, and questioned his grandfather asking, "Are these plates clean?"

His grandfather replied, "They're as clean as cold water can get them. Just you go ahead and finish your meal, Sonny!"

For lunch the old man made hamburgers. Again, Frank was concerned about the plates as his appeared to have tiny specks around the edge that looked like dried egg and asked, "Are you sure these plates are clean?"

Without looking up the old man said, "I told you before, Sonny, those dishes are as clean as cold water can get them. Now don't you fret, I don't want to hear another word about it!"

Later that afternoon, Frank was on his way to a nearby town and as he was leaving, his grandfather's dog started to growl, and wouldn't let him pass. Frank yelled and said, "Grandfather, your dog won't let me get to my car".

Without diverting his attention from the football game he was watching on TV, the old man shouted...

"COLDWATER, GO LAY DOWN!!!!"

We have had it all today weather wise, apart from snow though i expect that to appear at some point.

One minute brilliant sunshine that you have to take of the layers that you put on this morning to keep out the cold.

Then high winds and a chill with a - factor that makes you want to put all your layers back on again.

Then thunder and no rain.

Thunder with rain

Rain with sun
Rain with wind
sun
sun
sun
wind and rain again

And now hailstones to top it of nicely!

Sun has just emerged again though I don't think I will bother trying to get the washing on the line again

Decided this morning that I had to get back on the diet and stop faffing about with it all. This meant that as there was nothing, and I mean nothing in the cupboards that i had to go shopping. so after a quick brekkie of scramble eggs on toast I headed off to St. Albans to the nearest Morrisons store to stock up.

Full trolley , in fact overflowing a bit and it all came to just under £68 not bad for a weeks grocery shop.

Stocked up on lots of different types of fruit to snack on and sort of planned meals for this week but still have to see what the rest of the week brings as yet.

Youngest child came with me bless him. Since the day he started to talk he hasn't stopped - he has an opinion on everything and if he told me one more time that POTC was now in the cinemas I swear I would have killed him1 I know it is on, but at the moment I don't want to sit in a packed cinema to watch it hence the reason why we are waiting until next week! But no he then goes on to tell me all about the main characters and what they do like I have never seen the film - er didn't we watch the first movie yesterday? And no doubt when hubby comes home we will be watching the 2nd one tonight!

On and on he went like a broken down record. I have managed to get him to go to his friends house now so that I have a little peace and quiet. Eldest has just put the shopping away for me and made me a lovely cup of tea bless him. He is now waiting to go on the computer - always an alterior oops ulterior motive isn't there!

Bye for now

Came into my email earlier and I must admit to having a little chuckle!

I walked into a Blimpie's with a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for a sandwich.
I handed it to the girl and she looked over at a little chalkboard that said,
"Buy one-get one free". "They are already buy-one-get-one-free", she said,
"so I guess they're both free." She handed me my free sandwiches and I
walked out the door.

=====================
--

Little Lucy went out into the garden and saw her cat Piddles
lying on the ground with its eyes shut and its legs in the air.
She fetched her Dad to look at Piddles, and on seeing the cat he
said, as gently as he could,

"I'm afraid Piddles is dead, Lucy."

"So why are his legs sticking up in the air like that, Daddy?"
asked Lucy as she fought back the tears.

At a loss for something to say the father replied, "Piddles'
legs are pointing straight up in the air so that it will be
easier for Jesus to float down from heaven above and grab a leg
and lift Piddles up to heaven."

Little Lucy seemed to take her Piddles' death quite well.
However, two days later when her father came home from work,
Lucy had tears in her eyes and said: "Mommy almost died this
morning."

Fearing something terrible had happened the father shook the
girl and shouted, "How do you mean Lucy? Tell Daddy!"

"Well", mumbled Lucy, "soon after you left for work this morning
I saw mommy lying on the floor with her legs in the air and she
was shouting, "Oh Jesus!!! I'm coming, I'm coming!!!" and if it
hadn't been for the milkman She'd have fu***ng gone!!!

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, 'Hi handsome. My name is Rose.

I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?'

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, 'Of course you may!' and she gave me a giant squeeze.

'Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?' I asked.

She jokingly replied, 'I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids...'

'No seriously,' I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

'I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!' she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk njava-script. I was always mesmerized listening to this 'time machine' as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went.

She loved to dress up and she revelled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up. At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, 'I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.' As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, 'We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humour every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don' t even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.'

She concluded her speech by courageously singing 'The Rose.'

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.

At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be

When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it!

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.

We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give.
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Thought this was quite amusing!

Well today we should be at a Garden fair at Wrest Park, buying some plants and things for the garden, but decided against it as it has been bucketing down all night and still is!

So I stayed in bed instead and listened to the rain bouncing on the window and the wind howling through the trees. I have managed to emerge from my comfy warm bed and come downstairs because Nigel is cooking egg on toast and how could I refuse that!

So no plans for today now except to wallow in self pity and put on a DVD or two while I attempt to do the ironing - then again perhaps I will just veg out on the sofa and watch the DVDs

It hasn't stopped raining here all day.

The Gazebo is sagging and either hubby or eldest son go out occasionally to clear the water off the top of it to stop it from collapsing!

It isn't cold though.

Hubby is currently watching some programme on Channel five where they are diving to look at a pirate ship that sank eons ago, while the kids are in hiding upstairs as he isn't in the best of moods (no idea why).

Dogs are still refusing to go outside though I may kick them out in a mo, honestly you would think they were afraid of drowning - it isn't that bad though if it goes on I will get the tools out in a minute to build that ark!

Today I have been busy.

I managed to tear myself away from the computer long enough to have a quick bath while hubby and kids were out, then laid on the sofa (as back was in spasms again!) and read a book from cover to cover. Definately a chick on Chris Manby - Ready or Not. Quite enjoyable and took me away from reality for a while - well a day really!

Catching up with posts now and a few e mails.

here

The bridge only needs to be designed to withstand the weight of the water!
Why? A ship always displaces an amount of water that weighs the same as the ship,
regardless of how heavily a ship may be loaded.

So there a feat of engineering which, as Usksider has said, would have been called a viaduct had it been built by the Romans or Brits!

Normal guy was closer but no prizes hun sorry

Even after you see it, it is still hard to believe !
Water Bridge in Germany . What a feat!
Six years, 500 million euros, 918 meters long.......now this is engineering!
This is a channel-bridge over the River Elbe and joins the former East and West Germany ,
as part of the unification project. It is located in the city of Magdeburg, near Berlin.
The photo was taken on the day of inauguration.
To those who appreciate engineering projects, here's a puzzle for you armchair engineers and physicists.

What's the definition of the bravest man in the world??

The man who comes home drunk, covered in lipstick and smelling of
perfume,

Then slaps his wife on the backside and says: "You're next,fatty."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Man walks into the bedroom with a sheep under his arm while his
wife
is lying in bed reading.

Man says: "This is the pig I have sex with when you've got a
headache."

Wife replies: "I think you'll find that is a sheep."

Man replies: "I think you'll find I was talking to the sheep"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A man walks into his bedroom and sees his wife packing a suitcase.

He asks, "What are you doing?"

She answers, "I'm moving to London. I heard prostitutes there get
paid
£400 for doing what I do for you for free."

Later that night, on her way out, the wife walks into the bedroom
and
sees her husband packing his suitcase.

When she asks him where he's going, he replies, "I'm coming too I
want
to see how you live on £800 a year".

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A woman was shopping at her local supermarket where she selected:
2
litres of low fat milk, a carton of eggs, 2 litres of orange
juice, a head of
lettuce, half a dozen tomatoes, a 500g jar of coffee, a 250g pack
of
bacon

As she was unloading her items on the conveyor belt to check out,
a
drunk standing behind her watched as she placed the items in front
of the
cashier.

While the cashier was ringing up her purchases, the drunk calmly
stated,"You must be single."

The woman was a bit startled by this proclamation, but she was
intrigued by the derelict's intuition, since she was indeed
single. She looked at
her six items on the belt and saw nothing particularly unusual
about her
selections that could have tipped off the Drunk to her marital
status.
Curiosity getting the better of her, she said, "Well, you know
what,
you're absolutely correct. But how on earth did you know that?"

The drunk replied, "Cos you're ugly."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ed was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was
really upset. She told him "Tomorrow morning I expect to find a
gift in the
driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT HAD BETTER BE
THERE."

The next morning Ed got up early and left for work. When his wife
woke
up, she looked out of the window and sure enough there was a small
box
gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway.

Confused, she put on her robe, ran out on to the driveway and
picked up
the box.

She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.

Funeral services for Ed have been scheduled for Friday

This arrived in my email folder this morning and is quite interesting