Spread your wings and fly away

I am your constant companion,
I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am at your command.
Half of the tasks that you do you might just as well
Turn over to me and I will do them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done.
After a few lessons, I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great people
And the regret of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine but I will work with all its precision
Plus the intelligence of a person.
Now you may run me for profit or you may run me for ruin.
It makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me and
I will lay the world at your feet.
Be easy with me and I will destroy you.
I am called Habit!

Author Unknown

Prickles has left us.

Got home yesterday to find the lid of his box was knocked off and he was gone. Should have called him Houdini because I know that lid was on properly and he used to try and escape whenever you tried to clean him! There is a hole in the shed where we had put him to acclimatise and to get him ready for winter.

He was the correct weight for hibernating, so hopefully he has found somewhere to go and make his nest.

I am worried though.

We will keep putting food out in the meantime in the hope that he knows where to come if he can't find somewhere and made his bed in the shed just in case!

The world's first vegetable concert ended in chaos as the contestants made soup of the ingredients.

the mind boggles lol

Forget my earlier posting of a few days ago, because today i have reached panic mode!

Why?

running out of time rapidly and still have a fair amount of stitching to do on this dragon for eldest son and I really, really need to get it into the framers by the end of next week.

BTW the framers have moved, they are no longer based in town so I have to go all the way to Hitchin to get it framed now.

A nightmare

So If I disappear then you know I am buried under fabric, threads and hoops!!

In other news, well there is no other news really, apart from it is dark, I really didn't want to get up this morning, I stink of Tea Tree oil which is covering up another patch of bites and I have nothing to wear.

Well I do, but it means I have to think about it rather than just grab a pair of trousers (looks at ironing pile and wonders if I can get away with not ironing a pair this morning)

Right enough of this dilly dallying, should really be getting ready for work!!

Have a good day

Hugs xx

WHICH WOULD U CHOOSE?

CAKE OR BED?????

A HUSBAND IS AT HOME WATCHING A FOOTBALL GAME

WHEN HIS WIFE INTERRUPTS,

HONEY, COULD YOU FIX THE LIGHT IN THE HALLWAY?

IT'S BEEN FLICKERING FOR WEEKS NOW.

HE LOOKS AT HER AND SAYS ANGRILY;

FIX THE LIGHT, NOW?

DOES IT LOOK LIKE I HAVE A G.E. LOGO PRINTED ON MY FOREHEAD?

I DON'T THINK SO!

THE WIFE ASKS, WELL THEN, COULD YOU FIX THE FRIDGE DOOR?

IT WON'T CLOSE RIGHT.

TO WHICH HE REPLIED, FIX THE FRIDGE DOOR?

DOES IT LOOK LIKE I HAVE ZANUSSI WRITTEN ON MY FOREHEAD?

I DON'T THINK SO.

FINE, SHE SAYS THEN YOU COULD AT LEAST FIX THE STEPS TO THE FRONT DOOR?

THEY'RE ABOUT TO BREAK.

I'M NOT A DAMN CARPENTER AND I DON'T WANT TO FIX STEPS, HE SAYS.

DOES IT LOOK LIKE I HAVE ACE JOINERY SERVICES WRITTEN ON MY FOREHEAD?

I DON'T THINK SO.

I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU.

I'M GOING TO THE BAR!!!

SO HE GOES TO THE BAR AND DRINKS FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. HE STARTS TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT HOW HE TREATED HIS WIFE, AND DECIDES TO GO HOME AND HELP OUT.

AS HE WALKS INTO THE HOUSE HE NOTICES THE STEPS ARE ALREADY FIXED.

AS HE ENTERS THE HOUSE, HE SEES THE HALL LIGHT IS WORKING.

AS HE GOES TO GET A BEER, HE NOTICES THE FRIDGE DOOR IS FIXED.

HONEY, HE ASKS, HOW'D ALL THIS GET FIXED?

SHE SAID, WELL, WHEN YOU LEFT I SAT OUTSIDE AND CRIED. JUST THEN A NICE

YOUNG MAN ASKED ME WHAT WAS WRONG, AND I TOLD HIM. HE OFFERED TO DO ALL THE

REPAIRS, AND ALL I HAD TO DO WAS EITHER GO TO BED WITH HIM OR BAKE A CAKE.

HE SAID, SO WHAT KIND OF CAKE DID YOU BAKE HIM?

SHE REPLIED,

HELLOOOOO....DO YOU SEE DELIA SMITH WRITTEN ON MY FOREHEAD?
I DON'T THINK SO!

In my not so humble opinion, these are a total waste of time.

Don't get me wrong, some children they do benefit. You get some lovely work that fits in with whatever the learning objective was for that week, by some children.

others just copy, paste and print from the internet.

Some produce beautiful work, but you know they have learnt absolutely nothing because their parents did it all for them.

I personally hate Wednesdays because that is when my sons learning log homework is set.

Now he isn't creative at all. He has problems with drawing so that is out, his writing skills are weak, and he lacks concentration. As he may have dyslexia finding information for him to read is hard. So he struggles. So Wednesdays become a battleground for him to get his work done.

Now he has until Monday to complete the work, but he is out on Thursdays and Fridays in activities which I think are more beneficial and I like my weekends to be free of homework so that we can all do things together, afterall they spend enough time in school working why make them do it over the weekend as well?

So back to Wednesdays where it is fraught, trying to help him while cooking dinner and trying ever so hard not to lose my temper, which quite honestly today is very difficult!

But today I found a way round it. He decided that a spidergram was the order of the day for his homework this week so we knocked one up on the computer, filled it out, printed it, cut it out and stuck it in.

Voila homework done.

If only every week was this easy

Now all I have to do is convince him to learn his spellings, and read to me

A fella goes for a job in the Quality Assurance department at Durex. The foreman takes him 'round the plant and shows him all the machinery and offers him the job. "What will the role entail exactly?" Asks the interviewee. "Well", says the foreman, "you have to check 1 in a hundred", and proceeds to remove one of the rubbers from the production line, stretches it, holds it up to the lights, then places it over his penis and calls the secretary over. She proceeds to hitch her skirt up, pull her knickers down and bends over. The foreman gives her a good rogering. After he's finished he removes the prophylactic, stretches it, holds it up to the light again to confirm no holes. "Easy as that", he says. "When do I start?" Asks the fella, unable to believe his luck." Monday, 8:00 sharp." Naturally, our hero hardly sleeps a wink all Sunday night, and is outside the Durex factory waiting to get in at 6:30. Anyway, the production line starts up and the fella faithfully counts as 100 ribbed black mambo's, (lubricated with sensodol for extra comfort). He picks up the 101st, stretches it, holds it up to the light to check for holes then pulls it over his old man and calls the secretary over. Over she comes, grabs hold of his manhood, and proceeds to rigorously masturbate him. Rather startled and confused, the fella just looks at the secretary who says... "Sorry, company policy. You've got to work a week in hand"

You have to take the first letter of your name, and use it to answer the questions.

1. Famous Singer: Suzi Quatro
2. Four Letter Word: shoe
3. Street that you have been down: Shakespeare Avenue, Willesden
4. Colour that expresses your mental state: Silver
5. Gift/Present you would like to recieve: Special weekend away
6. Type of Vehicle: sport car
7. Things In A Souvenir Shop: spades
8. Boy Name: Simon
9. Girl Name:Susan
10. Favourite Movie Title: sixth sense
11. Alchoholic Drink: shandy
12. Occupation: secretary
13. Famous Celebrity: Sharon Stone
14. Magazine: sports illustrated
15. U.K. City: Salisbury
16. U.S. City: San Francisco
17. Fruit: Strawberry
18. Reason For Being Late For Work: sleeping through alarm
19. Something You Throw Away: scraps
20. Something You Shout: stupid idiot!!!!!!

Dark still outside

Don't like it when there are dark mornings

Trying to decide what to wear this morning in doing my head in. I have run out of trousers, they are waiting patiently to be ironed but I can't be bothered.

Shall I wear a skirt or a dress.

.

Will it be too cold for my legs?

Don't like tights

Mind you I could wear my new boots, but will they kill my feet?

hmm decisions decisions.

Mind you my legs are covered in bites I am sure there are fleas at work. I have checked our dogs and no one at home has been bitten so I am blaming work, after all it is bad for you.

I stink of tea tree oil where I have applied it to the bites on my legs.

Panic attack last night, first one for quite some time, woke up choking and scared the life out of my hubby, all good fun.

Feel tired and sore today though, my throat hurts where I was gagging.

Ah well

better go and empty the wardrobe in the quest to find something to wear

Have a good day xx

Simon has lost his rubber!

Golfing for beginners

How to save a life

Female Compassion

Barry returned from a doctor's visit one day and told his wife Carolyn
that the doctor said he only had 24 hours to live.

Wiping away her tears, he asked her to make love with him.

Of course she agreed and they made passionate love.

Six hours later, Barry went to her again, and said, "Honey, now I only
have
18 hours left to live. Maybe we could make love again ?"

Carolyn agreed and again they made love.

Later, Barry was getting into bed when he realised he now had only eight
hours of life left.

He touched Carolyn's shoulder and said, Honey ? Please ? Just one more
time before I die."

She agreed, then afterward she rolled over and fell asleep.

Barry, however, heard the clock ticking in his head, and he tossed and
turned until he was down to only four more hours.

He tapped his wife on the shoulder to wake her up. Honey, I only have
four hours left ! Could we...?"

His wife sat up abruptly, turned to him and said, "Listen Barry, I'm not
being funny ...but I have to get up in the morning and you don't."

Question is though who the hell would want to buy it?

An American tourist goes on a trip to China.

While in China, he is very sexually promiscuous and
does not use a condom all the time. A week after
arriving back home in the States, he wakes one
morning to find his "tool" covered with bright green
and purple freckles. Horrified, he immediately goes to
see a doctor. The doctor, never having seen anything
like it, orders some tests and tells the man to
return in two days. The man returns a couple of days
and the doctor says "I've got bad news for you.
You've contracted Mongolian VD. It's very rare and
almost unheard of here. We know very little about it".
The man looks a little perplexed and says "Well, give
me a shot or something and fix me up doc". The
doctor answers "I'm sorry, there's no known cure.
We're going to have to amputate your "tool". The man
screams in horror "Absolutely not! I want a second
opinion". The doctor replies "Well, it's your choice.
Go ahead if you want but surgery is your only
choice".

The next day, the man seeks out a Chinese doctor,
figuring that he'll know more about the disease. The
Chinese doctor examines his tool and proclaims "Aah
yes, Mongolian VD. Vely lare disease". The guy says to
the doctor "Yeah yeah, I already know that but what
we can do? My American doctor wants to operate and
amputate my tool?" The Chinese doctor shakes his head
and laughs "Stupid Amelican docta, always want to
opelate. They make more money that way. No need to
opelate!" "Oh Thank God!" the man replies. "Yes" says
the Chinese doctor "You no worry! Wait two weeks. Dick
fall off by itself! You save money"

An atheist was walking through the woods.
'What majestic trees'!
'What powerful rivers'!
'What beautiful animals'!
He said to himself.
As he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot grizzly bear charge towards him.

He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder & saw that the bear was closing in on him.

He looked over his shoulder again, & the bear was even closer. He tripped & fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw that the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw & raising his right paw to strike him.

At that instant the Atheist cried out, 'Oh my God!'

Time Stopped.
The bear froze.
The forest was silent.

As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky. 'You deny my existence for all these years, teach others I don't exist and even credit creation to cosmic accident.' 'Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer'?

The atheist looked directly into the light, 'It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps you could make the BEAR a Christian?'

'Very Well,' said the voice.

The light went out. The sounds of the forest resumed. And the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed his head & spoke:

'Lord bless this food, which I am about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen.'

I nicked this from here

1. What time is it? 13.26

2. What's your full name? Faffajane of course!

3. What are you most afraid of? Losing my loved ones

4. What is the most recent movie that you have seen on Bootleg? boot leg? Is that a new channel? (small)3:10 to utah(/small)

5. Place of birth? Central Middlesex hospital

6. Favorite food? Lasagne or stew

7. What's your natural hair color? Boring brown

8. Ever been to Freak Nick? Not as far as I am aware of - hold on will ring round and ask shall I?

9. Ever been skinny dipping? No far too cold

10. Love someone so much it made you cry? Yes

11. Been in a car accident? yes

12. Croutons or bacon bits? Croutons

13. Favorite day of the week? Thursday last day of work for the week

14. Favorite restaurant? Italian

15. Favorite Flower? Fuschia or lily

16. Favorite sport to watch? Don't like watching sport unless it is the mens swimming or diving in the olympics

17. Favorite drink? tea

18. Favorite ice cream? Vanilla with raspberry ripple

19. Warner Brothers/Disney? Not fond of either really Disney at a push I suppose

20. Ever been on a ship? yes it was in dock

21. What color is your bedroom carpet? Pink previous occupants had it all through the house and haven't got round to changing the bedroom carpet yet

22. How many times did you fail your driver's test? none

23. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail? figleaves

24. What do you do when you are bored?? eat

26. Who will respond to this e-mail the quickest? no idea

27. Who will least likely respond? why would anyone want to respond unless they are as bored as I am

28. Who is the person that you are most curious to see their responses? George Clooney (yeah like that will happen!)

29. Favorite TV shows – Law and Order, House

30. Who was the last person you went to dinner with? Blogging friends on Sunday

31. Park or Zoo? Park

32. What are your favorite colors? Black or red depending on mood or how fat I feel

33. How many tattoos do you have? None

34. How many pets do you have? 2 dogs, 3 birds, several fish, kids, hubby - oops

35. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The chicken

36. What do you want to do before you die? Visit Australia or New Zealand

37. Have you ever been to Hawaii ? No

37. Have you been to countries outside the U.S. ? Yes of course I live in one outside the US, what a silly question

So on this fine, drizzly Tuesday morning, I am sitting here wondering what the hell am I going to do today.

I have to cover a maths class later, can you see the panic setting in already? I have thought about my warm up, I know roughly what the teacher wants me to do with her class, but the thought of doing it is filling me with dread.

It will go ok, I know it will, but I still can't help having a little self doubt in my abilities!

I am sad at the loss of a friend. SteveP has left us. I know he has a few problems and I hope that he will get through them successfully. Take care hun.

Dawn is finally appearing outside which reminds me I should get ready for work and do this maths lesson. Easy day today at least I finish at 12 so can't complain too much

Right have a good day folks

Hugs xxxx

I was reading somewhere, though I can't remember for the life of me where, about people who are married but are still virgins. They don't see the need to consumate their marriage with sex,they know they love each other and have other ways of showing it. In fact one couple have a three bedroom house where they have their own room and one for spare in case they have visitor, though the spare room is for now a study area where her husband works from when he is at home. In fact if she wants a cuddle all she has to to is invite him to her bedroom but he has to lay on top of the bed and not under the sheets

Ok we are all different and it is that in the end is makes the world go round.

And on that note I shall go to bed while my other half watches a film on DVD for the remainder of the eveing

Sleep tight

Hope you had a wonderful day hun

Ok thought a lot about this title.

had numerous on my mind, but this one comes closest I think to explaining our mini blog meet yesterday.

Going back to the town that holds so many memories for me was interesting. I got there early to meet CJ at the station, so thought I would have a wander around. My first thought was how busy it was, for a Sunday, certainly busier than in my childhood and even though I have visited occasionally when taking mum shopping, I have never really stopped and looked around me.

Most of the pubs I frequented have now disappeared.

The restaurant that the owner would close down on a regular basis so that his famous singer son could do a grand re-opening for no longer exists (though I have my suspicions as to where it was situated but I may have to defer to hubby's memory and admit I may be wrong).

The cinema where I was taken on my first ever date to see Ghostbusters, yet still I haven't seen the whole film from beginning to end no longer exists.

The Pizza hut where a certain actor (if you can call him that) from a well known soap threw a strop because the waitress told him that he would have to wait 15 mins for a table, was still there, but strangely not very busy at all.

Then the station where I was to meet CJ.
That has changed very little. It has been a few years, almost 23, since I last stood waiting to meet someone of the train. However back then I knew who I was meeting. As I left home, leaving hubby details of where, when and who I was meeting, he had asked me if I knew who I was looking for at the station.
"No" I replied, "I will just know when I see him"
As I stood there, lots of thoughts going through head. Am I late? Have I missed him? Why didn't I check out his blog to see if he had photos of himself still on there? The only thing I was certain of was he has dark hair and his profile pic is of a certain doctor who dressed as a teacher.

However as the crowd of commuters came towards me I spotted him, I knew who he was and as the smiles spread over both of our faces (me trying hard not to burst into a fit of giggles) it was like meeting an old friend.

Greetings over, we headed to the restaurant and as we walked in there was no mistaking the table we would be seated at. The poor waiter looking bemused as I just headed straight over. Meno, Znethru, MJFunky, Marvo and family, and of course TobsTv who shouted "I know you" and gave me a huge hug.

Food was delicious. MKFunky not impressed with the raw meat CJ and Tobs ordered and kept shouting out Raw Meat, and looking quite queasy when CJ speared his squid in his seafood risotto. Tobs taking photos of his food which will no doubt be on his blog later for all to see. Conversation varied, sometimes twisted because CJ bought out the worst in me though think when Tobs was talking about students getting it out under the table and demonstrating with his hands under the table, we both were on the same lines of thinking - trust me when I say he was talking about mobile phones lol

Meno - You are fantastic hun. How you are going to keep going this week I don't know but I haven't laughed so much in ages, and really hope you have a great time in Liverpool later this week, really wish I could be there, but perhaps next year? Thank you for the lovely present, wearing it today with my outfit

CJ - funny, funny man, Smichen you will love him hun and I did give him that hug. Looks nothing like a maths teacher, and dressed in a very tasteful suit and tie, he is gorgeous.

Znethru - Now this man is quiet. He sat there watching us all and only commented when he had to but you could see he was enjoying himself and bemused by all that was happening around him. He makes a lovely cup of coffee Thank you hun for setting this up. You are a lovely person.

Marvo and family - now you build a picture in your mind of who someone is and he is so different to what I expected to see. He is nothing like his profile picture, in fact he is the opposite. Kind, quiet and gentleman. Wish we had more time to chat but next time perhaps? Oh and his wife and daughter are just beautiful!

MKFUnky - a very very funny woman who had me in stitches. For someone who claims to have had only 45 mins to get ready believe me when I say she is beautiful and really didn't need that time to get herself ready at all!

And last but not least Toby - Long haired biker, a true gentleman who walked me back to my car, a lovely man who is very funny and intelligent as well. Thank you.

There are photos but may do a friends only post for them if all involved are happy for me to do so to protect anonymity

Yes yesterday was meeting with friends. Great food, fun, laughter and good company, what more could you want?

No I am not.

The fact that I overslept when I had so much to do this morning in inmaterial.

The fact that I spent more in the supermarket than I intended to doesn't come into it

The fact that it cost more to fill the car up than I anticipated is ridiculous.

Then I missed that important phone call to pick up son from school, so he has been sitting there waiting for me.

And now I have the task of preening myself, and trying to decide what to wear for the mini blog meet.

Oh and meet the delectable CJ at the station - hope he know what I look like because I haven't got a clue I will be looking for a Dr. Who lookalike lol

Ohhhh the countdown begins, this is exciting, 3 hours and counting to meet Memo

An enforced abscence has kept me away from you all.

Hopefully it will all be sorted out now and I will be able to get on here sometime this weekend!

If not have a good one and hopefully I will catch up at some point in the week ahead!

Ohhh and the mini meet tomorrow - can't wait!!!

Brain Type Test - Free Results

Are You Left-Brained or Right-Brained?

Although one side of the brain is generally dominant over the other, we should strive to utilize both halves. A balanced brain makes a balanced person - combining sequential thinking with a holistic approach, or linear thinking with intuition, enables us to fully comprehend issues and solve problems. Left-brainers can dramatically improve their problem solving abilities by learning to "follow their gut," while right-brainers can improve the execution of their creative efforts.

Realizing your dominant half is the first step in becoming balance-brained.
Your percentage score for the left brain is 51%.
Your percentage score for the right brain is 49%.

You are more left-brained than right-brained. Your left brain controls the right side of your body. In addition to being known as left-brained, you are also known as a critical thinker who uses logic and sense to collect information. You are able to retain this information through the use of numbers, words, and symbols. You usually only see parts of the "whole" picture, but this is what guides you step-by-step in a logical manner to your conclusion. Concise words, numerical and written formulas and technological systems are often forms of expression for you. Some occupations usually held by a left-brained person include a lab scientist, banker, judge, lawyer, mathematician, librarian, and skating judge.

Your left brain/right brain percentage was calculated by combining the individual scores of each half's sub-categories. They are as follows:

Left Brain

* Linear
* Sequential
* Symbolic
* Logical
* Verbal
* Reality-based

Right Brain

* Holistic
* Random
* Concrete
* Intuitive
* Nonverbal
* Fantasy-oriented

Each of these 12 categories has its own distinctive influence in shaping how you think, learn, and perceive the world around you. A detailed evaluation of your brain type has been prepared and is waiting for you. Order the full report now for this information and an insight on why you are who you are!

http://www.testcafe.com/lbrb/lbrb.html

Old but goodies....
It's time again for the annual 'Stella Awards'!
For those unfamiliar with these awards, they are named after 81-year-old
Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued
the McDonald's in New Mexico where she purchased the coffee. You
remember, she took the lid off the coffee and put it between her knees
while she was driving. Who would ever think one could get burned doing
that, right?

Here are the Stella's for the past year:

7TH PLACE:
Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her
peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running
inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandably surprised
by the verdict, considering the running toddler was her own son.

6TH PLACE:
Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles, California won $74,000 plus medical
expenses when his neighbour ran over his hand with a Honda Accord.
Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the
car when he was trying to steal his neighbour's hubcaps.

5TH PLACE:
Terrence Dickson, of Bristol, Pennsylvania, who was leaving a house he
had just burgled by way of the garage. Unfortunately for Dickson, the
automatic garage door opener malfunctioned and he could not get the
garage door to open. Worse, he couldn't re-enter the house because the
door connecting the garage to the house locked when Dickson pulled it
shut Forced to sit for eight, count 'em, EIGHT, days on a case of Pepsi
and a large bag of dry dog food, he sued the homeowner's insurance
company claiming undue mental Anguish. Amazingly the jury said the
insurance company must pay Dickson $500,000 for his anguish.
We should all have this kind of anguish.

4TH PLACE:
Jerry Williams, of Little Rock , Arkansas , garnered 4th Place in the
Stella's when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical expenses after being
bitten on the butt by his next door neighbour's beagle - even though the
beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. Williams did not get
as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle might have
been provoked at the time of the butt bite because Williams had climbed
over the fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog with a pellet gun.

3RD PLACE:
Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania because a jury ordered a
Philadelphia restaurant to pay her $113,500 after she slipped on a
spilled soft drink and broke her tailbone. The reason the soft drink was
on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds
earlier during an argument. What ever happened to people being
responsible for their own actions?

2ND PLACE:
Kara Walton, of Claymont, Delaware sued the owner of a night club in a
nearby city because she fell from the bathroom window to the floor,
knocking out her two front teeth. Even though Ms. Walton was trying to
sneak through the ladies room window to avoid paying the $3.50 cover
charge, the jury said the night club had to pay her $12,000....oh, yeah,
plus dental expenses.

1ST PLACE: This year's runaway First Place Stella Award winner was Mrs.
Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who purchased a new 32-foot
Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, from an OU football game,
having driven on to the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph
and calmly left the driver's seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to
make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the
freeway, crashed and overturned. Also not surprisingly , Mrs Grazinski
sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner's manual that she couldn't
actually leave the driver's seat while the cruise control was set The
Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you sitting down, $1,750,000 PLUS a new
motor home. Winnebago actually changed their manuals as a result of this
suit, just in case Mrs. Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a
motor home .

I don't think it has stopped raining.

it started raining hard about 6 yesterday evening. As we sat and watched the telly, in this case Mission Impossible III, we could here it pounding hard on the roof of the conservatory.

This morning, the first sound I heard upon waking, was the rain, pounding hard on the roof of the conservatory.

The garden is looking very, very wet

Only working half a day today and one of my easiest days as well which is nice. Doesn't stop me from counting the days till pay day though!

I have a lamb stew bubbling away in the slow cooker for tea tonight. Only problem is I will have to feed the kids, dash out of the door to go to a meeting, then come back and feed myself and Nig if he hasn't worked out how to do it himself. Sometimes if you are not here to tell him that dinner is ready I am sure he would just eat junk!

right not much more I can bore you with so better go and get ready for work!

have a good day everyone!

hasn't gone well so far due to two children who can't see past their elbows and haven't worked out yet that uniforms are washed on a Friday to dry over the weekend so no good shouting at me if you can't find them.

Yes WWIII broke out again because their uniforms were in their bedroom but neither or them saw them so of course it is my fault!!

This morning I have decided to make a Butternut squash soup, and a vegetable soup for my lunches this week. Really I should have done them yesterday but wasn't that organised in the end. Still I don't have to be in work until 11 today so that helps a little.

Today I will have the remainder of the stew I had yesterday, plenty left over despite everyone (apart from me of course) having seconds

So here are some recipes here
and here

It arrived here with a vengence.

It came down hard

It settled on the car, plants and grass

didn't settle on roads or pavement as they are very wet from the heavy rain we had earlier.

Only hope it hasn't caught the council gritters unawares, there is always an idiot that tries to overtake you on the main road where it is slippery.

Just thought I would share!

MISSING!

Has anyone seen this man?

Answers to the name of Usksider (aka Rusty Usky).

Last seen blogging at 11.25am on Friday 16th November.

At an unearthly time on a Sunday morning, my eldest son bounds into the room with a cup of tea for me and hubby and tells us that he wishes to attend the 8am training session at the pool because he has arranged to meet someone there.

After a lot of cursing and discussion hubby kindly volunteers to take son while I wipe the sleep from my weary eyes and wish it wasn't so early in the morning.

So I have put together the ingredients for a big stew which is now simmering away in a slow cooker, ready to be devoured at 6 this evening.

Yummy.

Not much else planned for today yet I can feel it will be a long one!

Update The someone he arranged to meet, didn't turn up!!! Can you tell how impressed hubby is?

Sitting here alone.

The kids are playing upstairs.

hubby is in the bath

i have the room, and computer to myself and I can watch monk in peace.

Heaven

Monk makes me laugh.

It is freezing cold in the conservatory, so we either have

1) A dead hedgehog
2) A hedgehog that is hibernating now he is at the required weight.

We are hoping that it is the latter, his food wasn't touched yesterday and he has gradually been eating very little throughout the week and my panic phonecall to the nice hedgehog woman assures me it is all quite natural and he was probably getting ready for hibernation.

So we are moving him to the shed later, or the garage, where he will be safe and undisturbed until he awakes once the weather begins to warm up. Then he will be released, into a specially made pen out in the garden where the dogs can't get to him and where he will get access to the woods and begin to wander.

Feel so pleased we have got this far with him especially when we lost the other one.

Town was busy this morning, everyone getting ready for Christmas I suspect and still I haven't got anything apart from ordering eldests Christmas present online. Just had to transfer money over to cover some bills and paid them, Nig working late next week to make up some money as we are a bit short at the moment. It always happens at the wrong time of year.

Ah well, we will get through we always do.

Now I am going to be brave and head out to do some food shopping. Oh joy of joys the one thing I hate doing!

1. What is one food (or meal) you used to hate but now love?
Errrr difficult one this because the ones I hated then I hate now which weren't many because I love food!!! Suppose I can eat Toad in the hole now that I wouldn't do when I was younger but wouldn't say I love it lol

2. If you had to give up one of your favourite foods (or meals) for good, what would it be, and why?
Lasagne. Probably because the cheese would give me high cholesterol, not that I eat it that often anyway

3. Which food seems like it should be healthy and isn't, and do you eat it? Why?
Vegetable soup however if you add cream to it, it isn't very healthy and yes I do eat it because I love it

4. If you were an item of food, personified, what would you be and why?
Icecream because i am naughty but nice

5. You've seen tomatoes and pies used for this purpose... now think of a more inventive item of food one could throw at someone. What is it and why would throwing it at someone be hilarious?
Lasgne with lots of Mozarrella on top, because it would make such a sticky mess

Well it made me laugh lol

Sven-Goran Eriksson is on 'Who wants to be a Millionaire' and has reached the £1 million question.

Chris Tarrant says,

"Right Sven, this is for £1 million, and remember, you still have two lifelines left, so please take your time.

"Here's your question: What type of animal lives in a Set?

"Is it. a, a badger b, a ferret c, a mole or d, a cuckoo?"

Sven ponders for a while and says, "No, I'm sorry Chris, I'm not too sure. I'll have to go 50-50."

"Right, Sven, let's take away two wrong answers and see what you're left with.

'Badger' and 'Cuckoo' are the two remaining answers."

Sven has a long think, then scratches his head and says,

"No, Chris, I'm still not sure, I'm going to have to phone a friend."

So who are you going to call, Sven?" says Chris.

"Hmmm, I think I'll call David Beckham."

So Tarrant phones David Beckham.

"David, this is Chris Tarrant from 'Who wants to be a Millionaire'.

I've got Sven-Goran Eriksson here, and with your help he could win £1 million. The next voice you hear will be Sven's."

"Hello David" says Sven. "It's the boss here. What type of animal lives in a set? Is it a badger or a cuckoo?"

"It's a badger, boss." says Becks without hesitation.

"You sure, son?" says Sven.

"Definitely, boss. One hundred percent. It's a badger.

Definitely."

"Right, Chris," says Sven, "I'll go with David. The answer's a badger.

"Final answer, Sven?"

"Final answer, Chris."

"That's the correct answer. You've won £1 million!"

Cue wild celebrations.

Next morning at training, Sven calls Beckham across.

"Son, that was brilliant last night. I thought I might be taking a gamble giving you a call, but you played a blinder!

But how the heck did you know that a badger lives in a set?"

"Oh I didn't, boss..." replies Beckham, ..........

( SCROLL DOWN YOU'LL LIKE THIS)

"... But everybody knows a cuckoo lives in a clock!"

What is a Yankee?
The same as a quickie, but a guy can do it alone.

What is the difference between a Harley and a Hoover?
The position of the dirt bag.

Why is divorce so expensive?
Because it's worth it.

What do you call a smart blonde?
A golden retriever.

What do lawyers use for birth control?
Their personalities.

What's the difference between a girlfriend and wife?
20 kgs.

What's the difference between a boyfriend and husband?
45 minutes.

What's the fastest way to a man's heart?
Through his chest with a sharp knife.

Why do men want to marry virgins?
They can't stand criticism.

Why is it so hard for women to find men that are sensitive, caring, and good-looking?
Because those men already have boyfriends.

What's the difference between a new husband and a new dog?
After a year, the dog is still excited to see you.

What makes men chase women they have no intention of marrying?
The same urge that makes dogs chase cars they have no intention of driving.

A brunette, a blonde, and a redhead are all in year 9.
Who has the biggest boobs?
The blonde, because she's 18.

What's the difference between a porcupine and a police car?
A porcupine has the pricks on the outside.

What did the blonde say when she found out she was pregnant?
"Are you sure it's mine?"

Why do men find it difficult to make eye contact?
Breasts don't have eyes.

What would you call it when an Italian has one arm shorter than the other?
A speech impediment.

What's the difference between an Australian zoo and an English zoo?
An Australian zoo has a description of the animal on the front of the cage along with... "a recipe.."

How do you get a sweet little 80-year-old lady to say the F... word?
Get another sweet little 80-year-old lady to yell *BINGO*!

What's the difference between a northern USA fairytale and a southern USA fairytale?
A Northern fairytale begins "Once upon a time..."
A southern fairytale begins "Y'all ain't gonna believe this shiit..."

This is one creative student to be able to put an answer like this together at the END of an exam. The following is supposedly an actual question given on a University chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well. Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following: First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there are more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added. This gives two possibilities: 1.. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose. 2.. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over. So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Elizabeth during my Freshman year that, "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you, and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct...leaving only Heaven thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Elizabeth kept shouting "Oh my God." THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A"

This is a must see PP presentation of a developing baby. Shows just how far technology has come

It's cold.

My feet are never cold, yet this morning they were wrapped in the duvet and didn't want to walk my body to the bathroom at all.

Now sitting here in my woolly socks, not a good sight trust me.

Definitely a trouser day.

Just caught up on yesterdays postings as I was unable to get on the computer yesterday. Two postings caught my attention and made me smile/think. AJ did one post about the elderly that included the words

respect respect is earned not simply given.

something I wholeheartedly agree with. Yet the elderly seem to think that they have the God given right for us to respect them yet treat youngsters as though they are the scum of the earth. Ok I am generalising here, not all the elderly, which I will be one one day, expect this, but I have seen a few that think they own the world.

For example, out shopping one day, a young lad, in a hood as well shock horror!!! was in front of me and an elderly woman. As he went throught he door, he checked behind him and then held the door open for the woman and myself. As she wnet through she tutted and walked away, I said thank you to him and because I was in one of them moods where everyone was getting on my nerves said to the woman in the loudest voice possible "Did you leave your manners at home? It wouldn't have hurt you to say thank you to this young man!"

She turned to me, looked me up and down like I was something she had just stepped in, looked at him with a sneer and said "He could have been anyone, he might have mugged me look at how he is dressed"

I was mortified. He said to me "Don't worry I get this all the time" not the point surely. There did follow a spat of words which ended up with the woman concerned walking off to find a manager to try and eject the two people who obviously stood up to her and not showing her any respect, believe me I would have liked to shove the door in her face.

Manners cost nothing, if you want respect then show it to others as well. we are all too fond of generalising, making an assumption based on how a person is dressed or looks like, but there is no excuse for acknowledging the fact that they have done something nice for you.

Young people do this as well I know, but then again if an example is set by others what do they learn from?

My other post of interest concerns boots on Adamantixx blog.

I have a lovely pair of boots to wear with skirts in winter. They have a nice kitten heal on them which make them ideal for wearing to work as I can't really spend all day in high heals. With long skirts I can get away with wearing socks in my boots, by thighs protected from the cold by the skirt, though when it is cold like today it can be difficult.

Why

I don't wear tights, I hate them.

So days like today definitely is trouser weather, though if I were to go out in the evening then the stockings would have to come out to wear with that dress hanging in my wardrobe that goes nicely with my new boots.

My feet are still cold.

In fact think I may just have to go and sit in a warm bath to warm through.

On that note I bid you adieu, wish you a good day and hope that all goes well.

Don't get too cold now will you lol

Another day at work awaits.

It is so quiet at the moment. There is no child jumping around the room making whishing and whooshing noises, waving his arms in the air. the floor isn't covered in bits and pieces dropped and forgotten by him and the table can still be seen.

His room feels cold. He isn't in it. Feels really strange not having him here and will be even stranger going to work without his chattering in the car. Hope he is having a good time though, outside it is very very cold and quite icy in places

Right better find my way to the shower and get ready for work!

Have a good day

After finding out that I have been using a TENS machine at work to get me through the day, the teacher I work with made me go and phone the doctor to get an appointment.

I have one for 4.40 on Monday the earliest I could get.

Afterall there is only so many painkillers you can take and although the pain in the neck and shoulders is not so bad at the beginning of the weke by the end I just want to cry.

It isn't normal that something as simple as ironing a few tops for work should leave me in so much pain. It isn't normal that going about normal daily activities is so painful afterwards.

More than anything else is the state of my mind, the fact that I am slipping into a state of depression, the bubbly me seems to have fled the nest and I feel stressed out.

I have no right to be, people go through far worse than I ever have or will hopefully, so to be like this, the fact that I burst into tears just because someone says hello or the fact that I can watch something on telly and want to cry.

i am so annoyed with myself over this, over all of it, it is pathetic.

Tried to keep up with private posts, my apologies ifI haven't answered to other replies yet, will try to catch up when I am not so bloody stupid.

My youngest son is preparing for a two night stay at Dell Farm, a 36 bed residential centre catering for primary and secondary pupils. The Centre is located on the Dunstable Downs next to Whipsnade Wild Animal Park. The children benefit from being in a farm environment and having delicious home cooked meals. The trip ties in with what they are studying in Geography at the moment - water cycle, seed dispersal, as well as giving them independence through being away from home.

I know he will be well looked after, as I know the staff that are going with him and the other children as well as knowing that this trip had been done many times before anyway, but you can't help but worry a little and I admit, as I watch him jump around the room in his little world, that he will be missed, even if it is only for two nights, then again it will be quiet

I woke up early again this morning, not able to get back to sleep I lay there listening to the house sounds and hubby snoring. Wide awake I was until that alarm went off and then I found that I wanted to go to sleep again. Dragging myself out of bed was incredibly difficult, but with a reviving cup of tea inside me, I feel better now. Just waiting for eldest to emerge from the bathroom so I can shower then get ready for what the day has ahead of me. It has been quiet hectic the last couple of days and it is amazing how many people actually phone in sick now where once they would have carried on regardless, definitely a sign of dissatisfaction.

Dawn is beginning to spread now, light appears in the sky. Better go and get ready for work and sort the last of the packing out for my son.

Have a good day x

Looking at sixth forms.

Went to the main one in town, a sixth form college which on first impression is filled with idiots.

Why did I come to this conclusion?

Directed to a carpark.

yellow jacketed man speaks into his radio, hears crackling then 5 spaces so directs me to where these supposed 5 spaces are so that I can park the car.

However the morons who parked their cars there, did so that they took up two spaces on either side, hence being unable to park my own car without inducing injury to oneself trying to get out of a gap in the door of 1/2 an inch.

So go round car park again, being directed by yellow jacketed guy until I eventually come to a woman who is in a smaller car than mine trying to get into the space I was originally shown to.

She struggled and eventually gave up.

"Park, Park" says the yellow jacketed one.

Woman driver tries to tell him she can't get her car into the space, he still shouting at her to park at which point I wind down my window and tell him that it is no good trying to get people to park in spaces that are far to small because of the idiots who are unable to park their cars in a straight line!

Please note at this point I am very very calm.

So he gets on his radio, there is some crackling heard and eventually he directs us all to another car park, smaller than the original one, this time manned by a woman in a yellow jacket.

At this point I have to say, put a yellow jacket on and you become the biggest moron that anyone has seen.

Why?

She tells me to park in a space but leaves it to the last minute to do so, so I cannot drive into it. Not a problem because I prefer reversing anyway.

However there is a car, as there always is when you try and reverse into a space trying to get into my boot. So I calmly wait for him to back up a bit and I start to reverse back, then forward to avoid hitting any parked cars and straighten mine. So what does moron number 2 do? Stands right in front of the car so I cannot move forward and tells me to move back, which I can't do otherwise I will hit the parked car. So I politely tell her to move out of the way, she eventually gets the message but not without me being firm, and I move forward only to see her allowing several people to walk behind the car.

How bloody stupid is that? She knows I am going to reverse!!!

By this time being calm has fled the nest. I start to reverse, she is still behind me waving her arms. i straighten the car out and am pleased that I am going in straight, she still waving her arms and shouting "back a bit, back a bit" by which time I lose it and tell her to get out of the way, ever so politely, because now she is just distracting me.

She eventually moves I park up and then have to walk to find where the entrance is.

As if that wasn't bad enough, going home was hysterical.

"do you have any deicer?" says some woman standing at her car as I reach mine. "my car has iced up"

"No sorry" I reply, "I don't use it, had a bad experience with it once so won't use it"

"Oh ok" she says and starts to head off back to the building which we are parked quite a fair distance away from, leaving the car door open and the keys in the ignition!

And my son is thinking of studying there? God help us all!!

Put the answers to the following questions into google images & pick a picture from the first page.

1. How old will you be on your next birthday?

2. A place you'd like to travel to?

3. Your favourite place?

4. Your favourite object?

5. Your favourite food?

6. Your favourite animal?

7. Your favourite colour?

8. The town in which you were born?

9. The town in which you live?

10. The name of a past pet?

11. The name of a past love?

12. Your nickname? (at school)

13. Your first name?

14. Your middle name?

15. Your last name?

16. A bad habit of yours?

17. Your first job?

18. Your grandmothers name?

and

19. The main subject(s) you studied?

20. What do you think about the person you stole/got the meme off?

It was so hard getting out of bed this morning. I was wide awake early, yet when the alarm went off it reminded me that yes it is the start of another week of work.

I went to bed early yesterday. Pain in neck and shoulder giving me a headache. Feel as though I take two steps forward and three back at the moment. I have to realise I cannot do as much as I normally do and to be honest it is getting me down. But then again it could be because it is November and I do not face the start of winter well, I hate the cold.

There is ice on the cars outside this morning, but there is a lovely looking sky out there - which has reminded me I have no batteries for my camera otherwise I would post a picture or two of it.

Of to look at the sixth form college this evening with eldest, to see whether he will want to go there or not.Then there is the decision of which one he has seen that he wants to apply for. He is so laid back about it all, wish I could be so calm as I know where I want him to go but the decision has to be his really.

Right enough rambling on, just to keep y9ou informed of the news today, Madeleine McCann, Heather Mills, oh and someone called Chelsy who has split with Prince Harry are apparently mentioned in the papers (groan!). Has nothing of real interest happened in the world at all over the weekend!

Have a good day

Hugs

xxxx

Found this on a site that I frequent and thought it appropriate to post here on this day of Remembrance.

ITS CHRISTMAS DAY ALL IS SECURE

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
HE LIVED ALL ALONE
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE
I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE
AND TO SEE JUST WHO IN THIS HOME DID LIVE

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE
NO TINSEL NO PRESENTS NOT EVEN A TREE
NO STOCKING BY THE MANTLE JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES OF FAR DISTANT LANDS
WITH MEDALS AND BADGES AWARDS OF ALL KINDS
A SOBER THOUGHT CAME THROUGH MY MIND

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT IT WAS DARK AND DREARY
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY
THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING SILENT ALONE
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER
NOT HOW I PICTURED A LONE BRITISH SOLDIER
WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO THE FLOOR FOR A BED

I REALISED THE FAMILIES THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT
SOON ROUND THE WORLD THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY

THEY ALL ENJOY FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE
I COULDN'T HELP WONDER HOW MANY ALONE
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME

THE VERY THOUGH BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND STARTED TO CRY
THE SOLDIER AWAKENED AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE
'SANTA DON'T CRY THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE
I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM I DON'T ASK FOR MORE
MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY. MY CORPS'

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT I CONTINUED TO WEEP

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SAT AND SHIVERED FROM THE COLD NIGHTS CHILL
I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE ON THAT COLD DARK NIGHT
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOUR SO WILLING TO FIGHT

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE
WHISPERED 'CARRY ON SANTA ITS CHRISTMAS DAY ALL IS SECURE'
ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT
'MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT'

THIS POEM WAS WRITTEN BY A PEACE KEEPING SOLDIER STATIONED OVERSEAS
THE FOLLOWING IS HIS REQUEST I THINK IT IS REASONABLE.

PLEASE WOULD YOU DO ME THE KIND FAVOUR OF SENDING THIS TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN

CHRISTMAS WILL BE COMING SOON AND SOME CREDIT IS DUE TO OUR BRITISH SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN FOR OUR BEING ABLE TO CELEBRATE THESE FESTIVITIES.
LETS TRY IN THIS SMALL WAY TO PAY A TINY BIT BACK OF WHAT WE OWE!

Following on from Sub's post here this arrived in my inbox, so thought I would share as a follow up

Remembrance Sunday has always been a strong tradition of going to church, coming home to watch the parade at the cenotaph, and joining in with the two minute Silence as I was growing up. Although I instil a sense of the importance of remembering the people who died for us in the first and second world war into my children I have to admit that the 'tradition' of my youth has somewhat fallen by the wayside. I do however, have the telly on in the background to listen/watch the parade on this day.

My maternal Grandfather was in the Navy during the second world war, based at Gibraltar for the best part of it. I can still remember the tattoo he had on his arm that he had done while he was in the navy. He never ever talked about the war, so I never did find out if he saw any 'action', it was frowned upon to speak of what happened though I do know he lost a few friends.

My paternal Grandfather I never knew. He died during WWII, coming home on leave he collapsed and died. He was in the Welsh Guards and I know he is buried in his hometown of Pontypridd somewhere, though one day I will find out and visit his grave. His son, my father, was three years old when this happened, so grew up without his father's influence, though he did have a lot of input from his own grandfather and uncle.

And yet what have we learnt from all this? I fear nothing. man just cannot live together without fighting. Wars continue, countries are fought over and many, many lives are lost as a result. World peace would be lovely unfortunately it will never happen as too many want to destroy what little we do have to enjoy.

My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to the many who have lost loved ones through Afghanistan, Iraq etc, to the ones who's loved ones are still fighting, to those that children that will grow up without family.

I will wear my poppy in remembrance on this reflective day.

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

We Shall Keep the Faith

by Moina Michael, November 1918

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.

It has been a busy day and at last I can sit down and rest.

Trip into town first thing to do the usual Saturday Morning routine. Then off to the shops, first to get youngest son hair cut, then to buy him some wellington boots for his school trip later this week. Then the weekly shop which always takes an age and meant that more money is spent. Sit down for a quick cup of tea then head back out to take eldest to his club swim gala. This was just a club event, swimming against each other to get personal bests. For Simon that meant three races: 100m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 200m crawl all of which he came first in all with personal best times as well, so he is well chuffed. So pleased for him as he isn't very competitive, but he is now looking forward to doing club galas against other clubs so at least this has given him the confidence to do that.

It was great watching the other children swim though. One child, 9 years old, was fascinating to watch, her technique was brilliant in the water, the type of crawl where there is no splash at all, and she won all her heats as well. She was like a fish, and son tells me this evening that she used to try and beat Simon regularly when they used to do the diving class together.

Now having a delicious cup of tea and trying to think of something to eat, though really I am not in the mood for cooking may decide on a takeaway instead!

Hope everyone has had a good Saturday!

Clickety click to enlarge

Who cares if this is true or not, the fact is it can give hope and is heartwarming. Don’t start reading this one until you have got more than 3 or 4 minutes to just “scan” over it. It deserves some time for reflection. Not sure who wrote this, but it’s very true.

I envy Kevin. My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At least that’s what I heard him say one night.

He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen. “Where are you, God?” he said. “Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed.

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin’s unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realised for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.

He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labour. Apart from his size (he is 6 foot 2 inches), there are few ways in which he is an adult.

He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that aeroplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realises he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?

Up before dawn each day, off to work at the workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favourite macaroni and cheese for dinner, and later to bed.

The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child.

He does not seem dissatisfied.

He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7.05, eager for a day of simple work.

He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day’s laundry chores.

And Saturdays – oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That’s the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside.

“That one going to Chi-car-go!” Kevin shouts as he clasps his hands.

His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.

And so goes his world of daily rituals ad weekend field trips.

He doesn’t know what it means to be discontent.

His life is simple.

He will never know the entanglements of wealth or power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.

His hands are diligent. Kevin is never as happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it.

He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax.

He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure.

He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologise instead of argue.

Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God.

Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God – to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an “educated” person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion.

In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith.

It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.

It is then I realise that perhaps he is not the one with a handicap – I am. My obligations, my fears, my pride, my circumstances – they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God’s care.

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.

And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I’ll realise that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.

Kevin won’t be surprised at all!

1. What is something you collect? Beatrix Potter figurines ( though hubbie says it is books )

2. If you could make one ice cream flavor, what would the ingredients be and what would be the name? Vanilla with Raspberry sauce on it ( oh they already have that don't they lol)
Sorry not much else

3. What can't you go a day without?
Tea

4. What position do you sleep in?
Curled up on my right hand side in the recovery position

5. What is your typical morning routine before work?
Get up and make my bleary eyed way to the bathroom to have a shower. Dress and curse my hair. make a strong cup of tea to wake up then start shouting at the kids to get them out of the house on time

WHAT CAUSES ARTHRITIS?

A drunk man who smelled like beer, sat down on a subway next to a priest. The man's tie was stained, his face was plastered with red lipstick, and a half empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat pocket.

He opened his newspaper and began reading. After a few minutes the man turned to the priest and asked, "Say Father, what causes arthritis?" The priest replies, "My Son, it's caused by loose living, being with wicked women, too much alcohol, contempt for your fellow man, sleeping around with prostitutes and lack of a bath." The drunk muttered in response, "Well, I'll be damned," Then he returned to his paper.

The priest, thinking about what he had said, nudged the man and apologized. "I'm very sorry. I didn't mean
to come on so strong. How long have you had arthritis?"

The drunk answered, "I don't have it, Father.

I was just reading here that the Pope does."

Following a post by steve_P

I remembered seeing this on PostSecrets earlier this week and thought it was appropriate.

The following comment was posted on there:

Once I was driving up Pacific Coast Highway on my way to work on a movie set at a mansion on the beach in Malibu. It was a nice day and there was a clunker of a car driving next to me with all the windows open. It was a 'poor' Mexican family. They were all smiling and singing. The father looked kind. The kids looked happy. I saw them and hoped that someday I would be have a rich life like that

Now that is what it should all be about. Not the money oriented society we have become but the fact we can be happy, we can stay clean and we can buy clothes cheaply. Ok they may not last for long, but there is no reason for children to be in shoddy, tatty clothes and unwashed, I see too many of them in school and it breaks my heart.

After 20 years of research and case studies involving 1,500,000 women and 10 men - well you don't need many blokes - test one, test all - the Department of Health, Welfare and Science has determined the following:

Men and Women

Men Are Just Happier People -- What do you expect from such simple
creatures? Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack.

You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
You can wear NO shirt to a water park. Car mechanics tell you the truth.

The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another petrol station toilet because this one is just too icky. You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more pay.

Wrinkles add character.

Wedding dress £2000. Tux rental-£100.

People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.

The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet. One mood all the time. Phone
conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks.

A five-day holiday requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars.

You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.

Your underwear is £4.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original colour. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.

You only have to shave your face and neck.

You can play with toys all your life. One wallet and one pair of shoes one colour for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.

You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a moustache..

You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25
minutes.

No wonder men are happier.

Send this to the women who can handle it and to the men who will enjoy
reading it.

NICKNAMES

If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other
Laura, Kate and Sarah.

If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each
other as Fat Boy, Godzilla and Four-eyes.

EATING OUT

When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in £20, even though it's only for £32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.

When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

MONEY

A man will pay £2 for a £1 item he needs.
A woman will pay £1 for a £2 item that she doesn't need but it's on
sale

BATHROOMS

A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel from M&S.

The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337. A
man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.

ARGUMENTS

A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

CATS

Women love cats.
Men say they love cats, but when women aren't looking, men kick cats.

FUTURE

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

SUCCESS

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

MARRIAGE

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, but she does.

DRESSING UP

A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the bins,answer the phone, read a book, and get the post.

A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

NATURAL

Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

OFFSPRING

Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about
dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favourite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.

A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Any married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in two
people remembering the same thing.

Smiling Aj's way though if anyone can help it will be grateful

Trying to get rid of the blue at the top of my blog, just underneath where it is red before the postings start.

Fiddled with the CSS thingy, but can't quite seem to get it right.

Any ideas?

Css thingy currently says the following:

/*---------------------------content--------------------------------*/
#content {
width:780px;
margin:0px auto;
}

/*-------------------------middle-----------------------------------*/
#outer-middle {
margin-left:180px;
margin-right:180px;
}

/*-------------------------left/right-------------------------------*/
#outer-left,#outer-right {
width:180px;
padding:0px;
margin:0px
}

#left,#right {
padding:0px;
margin:0px
}

/*----------------------------header-----------------------------*/
#header {
background: url(http://data1.blog.de/blog/design/img/679/2679.jpg) repeat-x bottom left;
background-color:#FF003C;
padding-bottom:240px;
padding-top:120px;
margin:0px auto;
}

#header-text {
margin-left:240px;
margin-right:240px;
}

.description {
color:#0D0104
}

#header-image {
margin:0px;
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/*-------------------------wrap-------------------------------------*/
#wrap{
width:100%;
margin: 0px auto;
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#topnavbar {
margin-bottom:0px;
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/*--------------------------module----------------------------------*/

.module {
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background-color:#FEF6F9;
padding-bottom:1px;
border:1px #F2E3E8 solid;
}

Beginning to think it can't be done and I will have to live with it lol

many thanks

First thought this morning upon wakening to the radio was how cold it felt. I really didn't want to get out of bed at all, and from the shadows on the wall in my room, the trees and leaves were being blown around in the wind. Then came the news of flooding, sea defences being breached and the this image comes into my head as a result.

Came downstairs, tripping over various items that had been left lying around, filled the kettle and checked on Prickles the hedgehog. He hasn't eaten his dinner left for him last night, so looks like he may have gone into hibernation, either that or he has died, but don't want to disturb him. Will move him into the shed now I think, just in case and start getting the heater on in the conservatory, because it is really cold in there!

Just watched the postman being blown down the road - bless him!

Anyway the sun shines yet there is a strong wind. my thoughts go out to anyone affected by the winds, hope you are all ok and no damage has been done.

Another thought popped into my head. Last night as I was driving to pick eldest up from swimming, I passed several cars that didn't have lights on. It was dark outside, yet they had no lights, quite dangerous really because if I didn't see you until I passed what chance has someone who is crossing a road got?

Just been to see my youngest child's school assembly, all about remembrance day, which was lovely, he read his piece well which made me feel proud

Right enough rambling, I need a cuppa so that I can warm up and prepare myself for my torture session later - aka getting hair cut!

have a good day

In the interest of good health!! Thought these exercises may help us all!! This really works!

I know that we, the more 'grown-up adult' types, are all concerned with keeping in shape. I came across these simple exercises recently and thought I should share them with you. The article suggested doing it three times a week.

1. Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side. With a 2kg potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.

2. Each day, you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 5kg potato sacks. Then 25kg potato sacks and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 50kg potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute (I'm at this level).

3. After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks.

A man walks into a drug store with his 8-year old son.

They happen to walk by the condom display, and the boy asks, "What are these, Dad?

To which the man matter-of-factly replies, "Those are called condoms, son. Men use them to have safe sex."

"Oh I see," replied the boy pensively. "Yes, I've heard of that in health class at school." He looks over the display and picks up a package of 3 and asks, "Why are there 3 in this package?"

The dad replies, "Those are for high school boys , ONE for Friday, ONE for Saturday, and ONE for Sunday."

"Cool" says the boy. He notices a 6 pack and asks, "Then who are these for?"

"Those are for college men," the dad answers, TWO for Friday, TWO for Saturday, and TWO for Sunday."

"WOW!" exclaimed the boy, "then who uses THESE?" he asks, picking up a 12 pack.

With a sigh and a tear in his eye, the dad replied, "Those are for married men. ONE for January, ONE for February, ONE for March....."

is how I am feeling right now.

My body doesn't want to know my head and neck, which is hurting like mad.

This week has been another on in the long line of crap weeks.

I ache, and have a headache that I cannot shift

I am feeling old

My eldest child turned 16 yesterday and on top of all that we spent the evening looking at a sixth form attached to a local Catholic school, because that is the only school that has a sixth form. There is a sixth form college, but it is beginning to get a reputation.

We are looking at the sixth form College on Monday, I only hope that everything I have heard about it so far is not true, because I can tell you now what I have heard is not good at all.

Then of course should have met up to review Younests progress today, was told that the person concerned was running late and would catch up with me when she had a few minutes, but she buggered off to a meeting and hasn't been seen since, not a word to me about it, who really wanted to come home because i was in pain, but didn't.

MY time is limited on here as eldest child is bogged down with coursework at the moment and there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. Better go he is already huffing and puffing to get on here!

Hope you have a good evening

Ten Peeves that Dogs Have About Humans
'1'
Blaming your farts on me.....
not funny... not funny at all !!!

--------------------------------------------------
'2'
Yelling at me for barking.
I'M A FRIGGIN' DOG, YOU IDIOT!

--------------------------------------------------
'3'
Taking me for a walk, then
not letting me check stuff out.
Exactly whose walk is this anyway?

--------------------------------------------------
'4'
Any trick that involves balancing
food on my nose. Stop it!

--------------------------------------------------
'5'
Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons.
Now you know why we chew your stuff
up when you're not home.

--------------------------------------------------
'6'
The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw.
You fooled a dog! Whoooo Hoooooooo what
a proud moment for the top of the food chain.

------------------------------------! ----- ---------
'7'
Taking me to the vet for "the big snip",
then acting surprised when I freak
out every time we go back!

--------------------------------------------------
'8'
Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests.
Sorry, but I haven't quite mastered that handshake thing yet.

--------------------------------------------------
'9'
Dog sweaters. Hello ???
Haven't you noticed the fur?

--------------------------------------------------
'10'
How you act disgusted when I lick myself.
Look, we both know the truth. You're just jealous.

-----------------------------! ----- ----------------
Now lay off me on some of these things.
We both know who's boss here!
You don't see me picking up your poop do you?

EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY.
A DOG ALWAYS OFFERS UncONDITIONAL LOVE.
CATS HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT!

An elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%. The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, "Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again." The gentleman replied, "Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've changed my will three times already!" Two elderly gentlemen from a retirement home were sitting on a bench under a tree when one turns to the other and says: "Slim, I'm 83 years old now and I'm just full of aches and pains. I know you're about my age. How do you feel?" Slim says, "I feel just like a newborn baby." "Really!? Like a newborn baby!?" "Yep. No hair, no teeth, and I think I just wet my pants." An elderly couple had dinner at another couple's house, and after eating, the wives left the table and went into the kitchen. The two gentlemen were talking, and one said, "Last night we went out to a new restaurant and it was really great. I would recommend it very highly." The other man said, "What is the name of the restaurant?" The first man thought and thought and finally said, "What is the name of that flower you give to someone you love? You know... The one that's red and has thorns." "Do you mean a rose?" "Yes, that's the one," replied the man. He then turned towards the kitchen and yelled, "Rose, what's the name of that restaurant we went to last night?" Hospital regulations require a wheel chair for patients being discharged. However, while working as a student nurse, I found one elderly gentleman already dressed and sitting on the bed with a suitcase at his feet, who insisted he didn't need my help to leave the hospital. After a chat about rules being rules, he reluctantly let me wheel him to the lift. On the way down I asked him if his wife was meeting him. "I don't know," he said. "She's still upstairs in the bathroom changing out of her hospital gown." A couple in their nineties are both having problems remembering things. During a checkup, the doctor tells them that they're physically okay, but they might want to start writing things down to help them remember. Later that night, while watching TV, the old man gets up from his chair. "Want anything while I'm in the kitchen?" he asks. "Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?" "Sure." "Don't you think you should write it down so you can remember it?" she asks. "No, I can remember it." "Well, I'd like some strawberries on top, too. Maybe you should write it down, so's not to forget it?" He says, "I can remember that. You want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries." "I'd also like whipped cream. I'm certain you'll forget that, write it down?" she asks. Irritated, he says, "I don't need to write it down, I can remember it! Ice cream with strawberries and whipped cream - I got it, for goodness sake!" Then he toddles into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes, the old man returns from the kitchen and hands his wife a plate of bacon and eggs. She stares at the plate for a moment. "Where's my toast ?" A senior citizen said to his eighty-year old buddy: "So I hear you're getting married?" "Yep!" "Do I know her?" "Nope!" "This woman, is she good looking?" "Not really." "Is she a good cook?" "Naw, she can't cook too well." "Does she have lots of money?" "Nope! Poor as a church mouse." "Well, then, is she good in bed?" "I don't know." "Why in the world do you want to marry her then?" "Because she can still drive!" Three old guys are out walking. First one says, "Windy, isn't it?" Second one says, "No, it's Thursday!" Third one says, "So am I. Let's go get a beer." A man was telling his neighbor, "I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it's state of the art. It's perfect." "Really," answered the neighbor . "What kind is it?" "Twelve thirty ." Morris, an 82 year-old man, went to the doctor to get a physical. A few days later, the doctor saw Morris walking down the street with a gorgeous young woman on his arm. A couple of days later, the doctor spoke to Morris and said, "You're really doing great, aren't you?" Morris replied, "Just doing what you said, Doc: 'Get a hot mamma and be cheerful.'" The doctor said, "I didn't say that. I said, 'You've got a heart murmur; be careful." A little old man shuffled slowly into an ice cream parlor and pulled himself slowly, painfully, up onto a stool.. After catching his breath, he ordered a banana split. The waitress asked kindly, "Crushed nuts?" "No," he replied, "Arthritis."

Resimay
To hoom it mae cunsern,

I waunt to apply for the reporter job what I saw in the paper. I can Type real quik wit one finggar and do sum a counting.

I think I am good on the phone and no I am a pepole person, Pepole really seam to respond to me well. Certain men and all the ladies.

Im lookin for a Jobb as a reporter but it musent be to complicaited.

I no my spelling is not to good but find that I Offen can get a job thru my persinalety. My salerery is open so we can discus wat you want to pay me and wat you think that I am werth,

I can start imeditely. Thank you in advanse fore yore anser.

hopifuly Yore best aplicant so farr.

Sinseerly,

BRYAN nikname Beefy

PS : Because my resimay is a bit short - below is a pickture of me.

Employer's response....

Dear Beefy-I mean Bryan,

It's OK honey, we've got spell check.

A FIREMAN came home from work one day and told his wife, "You know, we have a wonderful system at the fire station: BELL 1 rings and we all put on our jackets, BELL 2 rings and we all slide down the pole, BELL 3 rings and we're on the fire truck ready to go.

"From now on when I say BELL 1

I want you to strip naked.

When I say BELL 2

I want you to jump in bed.

And when I say BELL 3

we are going to make love all night.

" The next night he came home from work and yelled

"BELL 1!" The wife promptly took all her clothes off.

When he yelled "BELL 2!", the wife jumped into bed.

When he yelled "BELL 3!", they began making love.

After a few minutes the wife yelled "BELL 4!"

"What the hell is BELL 4?" asked the husband?

"ROLL OUT MORE HOSE," she replied "
YOU'RE NOWHERE NEAR THE FIRE."

Please do not forget your flu shot!!!!
The First Half of this makes sense, but I like the second half better!!!

Eat right!

Make sure you get your daily dose
of fruits and veggies.

Take your vitamins and bump up
your vitamin C.

Get plenty of exercise because
exercise helps build your immune system.

Walk for at least an hour a day,
go for a swim,

take the stairs instead of the
elevator, etc.

Wash your hands often. If you can't wash them, keep a bottle of antibacterial stuff around.

Get lots of fresh air.
Open doors & windows whenever possible.

Try to eliminate as much stress
from your life as you can.
Get plenty of rest.
OR

Take the doctor's approach.
Think about it...
When you go for a shot,
what do they do first?
They clean your arm with alcohol...
Why?
Because Alcohol KILLS GERMS.
So.......

I walk to the liquor store. (exercise)
I put lime in my Corona ....(fruit)
Celery in my Bloody Mary (veggies)
Drink outdoors on the bar patio..(fresh air)
Tell jokes, laugh....(eliminate stress)
Then......pass out. (rest)
The way I see it...

If you keep your alcohol levels up,
flu germs can't get you!

My mother always said,
"A shot in the glass
is better than one in the ass!"

Live Well - Laugh Often - Love Much!!!

I flirt.

I like going out and meeting new people
I like mixing with my friends
I enjoy their company and I enjoy drinking
I have a laugh that is loud once I start giggling i cannot stop.

Yes we did get to a pub with a disco. Yes I was asked to dance by a man. The reason I turned him down was not because my husband was there, but because this man genuinely could not stand.

We all need a drink for dutch courage. We all think that without we would not be able to talk to that person of the opposite or same sex as ourselves. We all expect that if you are in a pub/nightclub etc that at some point that person that has approached us has been drinking. HOWEVER drinking to the point where you cannot stand, where you are slurring your words and are obviously are seeing double is not good. you do not look good. And yes if you are out looking for a mate for the evening then being like that you are not going to get very far unless that person you are talking to is in the same state as you are, in which case you are unlikely, if your intention is to have sex, going to get very far at all. trust me seen it happen too many times.

If however you haven't drunk that much, a little bit to give you the nerve to talk to that good looking man/woman in the corner and they turn you down or walk away then they are not the person for you.

My husband was with me last night. The bloke that asked me to dance with him was in no fit state to do so. Had he been reasonably sober (in which case he would have been unlikely to ask me to dance with him anyway) I may have said yes, he was quite sweet really. But it is no fun if you fear them chucking up the contents of their drink over you. Hubby would not have minded, we go out to enjoy ourselves, we flirt we have fun we have each other and love each other to come back to.

For the person who sent me the email with all the verbal on it, may I ask you to think in future before you start slagging me off. you don't know me, you don't know what happened last night. If however, you still think that having copious amounts of drink to talk to your ideal woman as you called it, may I suggest you find somewhere to go where you may have more chance of finding them because where you are at the moment is obviously not working for you. Hubby says usually standing by the ladies toilet is a good place as they usually go in twos, walk by several times and you have more chance of striking up a conversation with the one person who has passed you by three or four times already that evening. Just a suggestion, try it, maybe you will manage to find your ideal girl then.

In the meantime harrassing people because of something they posted on their blog is not going to endear you to me. Can I just say don't like it, don't read it! It is my blog, I will post what I want and when I want and if something as trivial as stating a fact that I don't really like it when drunk men come up to ask me to dance, offends you then can I just say, get a bloody life!!!

A wonderful evening out yesterday, something that we had booked for sometime. The quiz team decided to treat ourselves to a night out bowling (well what were you thinking) and we split into two teams.

obviously the conversation was going to go downhill fast, what do you expect, and I was on top form losing for the team I was in.

I refuse to give into the pain, it will probably always be with me, but I wasn't going to miss out, so I bowled as well as I could with a dodgy shoulder and neck. Now I can't really bowl for toffees, and last night was the worst ever. If I managed to knock two pins down it was a miracle. Did at one point have a fluke and knock six down, but they were few and far between happening. Think my highest score at one point was 38, which is dire even for me. But I battled on, and though we didn't win the coveted trophy up for grabs between the two teams, we had a good laugh which is what it is all about really.

Later headed for the pub down the road, after a couple of drinks at the bar in the bowling centre, where they had a disco going and it was packed with people of our age which was nice. Standing there, some bloke came over and asked me to dance, which I declined mainly because he could barely stand and didn't really feel like picking him up. What amazes me is why do men have to be so drunk before they talk to you? is it really that it gives you confidence? trust me it isn't a good look and you are less likely to pick someone up that way. He hung around a fair bit, occasionally reaching out to touch me as though he was trying to get past, and for the best part I ignored him afterall there was plenty of room to get past me. He asked me another couple of times much to the amusement of hubby who thought it was hilarious and yet despite me saying no he still seemed to be around us. Even when the conversation got lowered once more by hubby's brain being in the gutter somewhere he was still there listening in on the conversation!

I think we all had a good night yesterday/early hours of this morning, I certainly have never laughed so much. Today I ache though. I have yet to find a muscle or bone that isn't hurting, think despite me deciding that I am not going to give in I may have overdone it a little - definitely will be taking it easy today

THE 5 ANSWERS FOR MEN WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR

Q: WHAT ARE THE SMALL BUMPS AROUND A WOMAN'S NIPPLES FOR?

A: It's Braille for 'suck here'.

Q: WHAT IS AN AUSTRALIAN KISS?

A: It's the same as a French kiss, but 'down under.'

Q: WHAT DO YOU DO WITH 365 USED CONDOMS?

A: Melt them down, make a tyre, and call it a Goodyear.

Q: WHY WERE HURRICANES NORMALLY NAMED AFTER WOMEN?

A: Because when they come, they're wild and wet. But when they go, they take

your house and car with them.

Q: WHY DO GIRLS RUB THEIR EYES WHEN THEY GET UP IN THE MORNING?

A: Because they don't have any balls to scratch.

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER BANNED FOR LIFE FROM DISNEYLAND. This has got to be one of the funniest things going around the computer...............wonder where they got the NERVE?

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER BANNED FOR LIFE FROM DISNEYLAND

YEP - Those are their real boobs!

Three girls, one brunette, one redhead and a blonde all worked in the
same office with the same female boss.

Each day, they noticed that the boss left work early.

One day, the girls decided that, when the boss left, they would leave right behind her. After all, she never called or came back to work, so how would she know they went home early.

The brunette was thrilled to be home early. She did a little gardening,
spent playtime with her son, and went to bed early.

The redhead was elated to be able to get in a quick work-out at the spa
before meeting a dinner date.

The blonde was happy to get home early and surprise her husband, but
when she got to her bedroom, she heard a muffled noise from inside.
Slowly and quietly, she cracked open the door and was mortified to see
her husband in bed with her boss! Gently she closed the door and crept
out of her house.

The next day, at their coffee break, the brunette and redhead planned to
leave early again, and they asked the blonde if she was going to go with
them. "No way," the blonde exclaimed. "I almost got caught yesterday."

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 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, and 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?

(Scroll down for the answer)

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M&M's of course. They melt in your mouth, not in your hand.

What were you thinking??

A father asked his 10-year old son if he knew about the birds and the bees.

"I don't want to know," the child said, bursting into tears. "Promise me you won't tell me."

Confused, the father asked what was wrong.

The boy sobbed, "When I was six, I got the 'There's no Easter Bunny' speech. At seven, I got the "There's no Tooth Fairy" speech. When I was eight, you hit me with the "There's no Santa" speech. If you're going to tell me that grown-ups don't really get laid, I'll have nothing left to live for."

Phonecall "Not feeling well FJ, can you see if the concert is still on because someone has just told me he cancelled an earlier one"

So I duly phoned the NEC in Birmingham to be told the concert was still going ahead.

We head up the motorway to Birmingham, singing along to the cd and putting the world to rights as you do.

Get off the motorway find the NEC easily (first time there) to be told the concert had been cancelled twenty minutes before.

Bugger.

So we then decide to go and get something to eat at the Toby Inn nearby.

Excellent carvery, excellent food, and cheap as well.

After spending an hour or two there we decide to head home.

Motorway is shut off.

Ok never ever been to Birmingham or through it except on the Motorway, but we see a sign for Coventry so we head towards that, my friend trying to follow the route on the map in the dark (no street lights) and me trying not to panic.

However did think that there is a sign post for Coventry on the M1 so obviously we will eventually find a sign post for the M1.

Didn't expect the whole of the audience going the same way though, because the road to Coventry was nose to tail with cars going less than 5 mph.

We had to laugh though, in fact I am sure any driver that passed us must have thought we were total nutcases as we were giggling, because only we could go all the way to Birmingham, a 2 hour drive, on a Friday night for food and come back again!

23 years ago today he died.

Passed away in hospital where he had been rushed into after a routine check up.

He had been on drips and oxygen for the past few days, some infection in the blood.

All those years that he suffered from Malaria, the years where he had one heart attack after another. The triple bypass operation that made him last a few more years, the tablets that kept him alive.

He meant so much to me and there is not a day that doesn't pass where I don't miss him.

42 years ago, as he lay in a hospital bed, after his first heartattack, his daughter told him she was pregnant, fingers crossed behind her back in the hope that she was. He told her he wanted a girl, she promised it would be hoping against hope that it would be, that she was.

All those times he was in hospital, I would visit him, but the last visit I didn't I wanted to remember him without the tubes, without watching him suffering. As I sat in my friends house watching a video i got up to go.

"where are you going?" he asked, concerned.
"home" said I.

I couldn't explain, I just knew he had died at that moment, he was no longer with us, and as I walked home I felt him near me. My mum putting down the phone as I walked in. "I have news" she said, but I knew what it was.

There are great grandchildren that will never get the love that I felt from him, he was not able to see. I know he was there when i had my first child, he was with me, he is here now, I see him in my dreams and feel him around me. He is near, he is with me.

My grandfather, I miss you with everyday that passes.

British gas website has a notice that says:

If you have a power cut or need to report a dangerous situation click on this link.

so explain how do I do that if I have a power cut?

T mobile text me this morning:

It's top up Friday! Top up with £10 today and you receive free texts all weekend

Now I don't need to top up my phone, and anyway if I did then the texts wouldn't really be free would they because I have just paid you £10 in order to get the free texts in the first place!

this is almost as bad as telling me that once I have cooked an item then it will be hot!!!

I spent today going through a variety of motions.

I want to cry my heart out

I am finding it hard to be my usual cheerful self

i have lost my bubbly side, it doesn't exsist at the moment.

This time of year is always hard.

I always feel low about now, probably made worse by recent events and yes I should get over it, I know I will but for now I am finding it hard to do so.

Work is crap at the moment. There is no flexibility anymore. Our jobs have been eroded away to the point where we are just listening to readers and taking them swimming. We all feel worthless. We all feel undervalued. we no longer support in class, it isn't necessary according to her, she just wants menial workers, to get rid of the mums that help out from time to time and put TAs in their place doing the work the mums used to willingly do.

We are all feeling fed up.

Yet I can't leave until youngest finishes there, I promised him when I moved him that I would stay till he left.

Usually I fight, usually i think that I will stay and get on her nerves till she leaves, at the moment I really don't feel like I can fight anymore though.

Too low.

Don't care anymore

And there is the feeling of crapness all the time. Not feeling happy, giggly, just want to cry. The feeling of being useless all the time.

The worry of it all.

I sometimes wonder what I would do without the good friends and family I have around me. They don't deserve me being this low and miserable. They really don't.

Sometimes, just sometimes I wonder if it is all worth it.

Comments are closed, sorry but just needed to get this out of my head and down somewhere, not after sympathy afterall most of this is self inflicted.

Normal service will be resumed soon I promise, for now I just need to get my head into gear, get through the next few days in my own way.

Hugs xx