Spread your wings and fly away

We spent a happy day spending money in varous nurseries and garden centres, going back and forth comparing prices of plants, pots etc. We didn't do the garden last year as we knew we would be on holiday, but thi year we decided the patio pots needed updating and new plants purchased. Planting them took a few hours and the patio is tidied up now. I have two borders that badly need sorting out and digging over, and re planting, but there are a lot of weeds in them that are flowering with bees and wasps hovering around them so we have decided to leave them till the autumn when we will dig them over and do something with them. I want them raised up and extended.

I only wish that I could go nice and brown in the sun and not red even with factor 50+ suncream on!

Ah another great classic film on the telly today while I do my work on the Laptop.

An affair to Remember with Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant.

Going to delete Twitter don't use it and fed up with having to block people I don't know!!

Right on with the film

Films
Yesterday, despairing of ever finding anything decent on the telly, I flicked the channels and started to watch Hitchcocks Rear Window with James Stewart. It is one of my many favourite films, though I find anything with James Stewart in quite watchable. Eldest sat and watched it with me, laughing at times and finding it highly amusing. Knowing he likes films as much as I do (my son is really a double version of me) we sat and discussed it afterwards to which he commented "They certainly don't make films like that anymore."

I have to agree.

My plan is to introduce him to Breakfast in Tiffanys next, another favourite of mine.

I love watching old movies on the telly. There is always that 'feel good' factor about them. You can get lost in them in the same way you can a book. Takes you away from reality for a couple of hours anyway

Doctors
Had a trip to the Doctors yesterday. Everything is ok with me, but hubby had to do a follow up visit following his problems that he ended up in A&E for two weeks ago. Nig hasn't been to the doctors in years and has no idea who our doctor is anyway let alone where the surgery is, so obviously I had to escort him there, and then waited outside. The doctor was surprised to see him, agreed that it was only an infection which seems to have cleared up and then gave him a thorough check up - heart listened to, blood pressure taken, 1001 questions, you know the sort of thing. The only thing he can come up with is that between the time he last saw him - 7 years ago, and now he has put on 22Ibs in weight! Big deal! He has suggested he is slightly overweight and perhaps working towards losing his tummy would be a good thing other than that he is in great health which is good to know

Eldest son had to go today. Another one that hasn't seen the doctor since he was about 12. Doctor did the same to him, checked him out and said he was fine, only because he hadn't seen him in a few years. Has given him some cream for his feet (has some sort of fungal infection which is what he went to the doctors about) so at least he is sorted now. He also had no idea who his doctor was let alone where he is based but at least he knows now what he has to do to get his prescription etc - left him to that one in the chemist lol

Hairdresser

Had my hair trimmed. Appointment got changed slightly as hairdresser is going on holiday next week so is trying to fit everyone in. I hate having my haircut but it was getting too long and unmanageable.

Now I am going to have a cup of tea, hang some more washing out and thing about what to do for the rest of the day.

WHo has stolen the sunshine BTW?

Have a good one

When hubby suggested I read this book as it was a "Good read" I sceptical. It isn't the usual kind of book I read, believing it to be more science fiction. So I resisted.

However, I just finished another book and picked this up of the pile of books waiting to be read and read the blurb on the back:

Just typical. No love life to speak of for months, then all at once, every horny creature in the Otherworld wants to get in your pants...Eugenie Markham is a powerful shamen who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world. Mercenary, yes, but a girl's got to eat. Her most recent case, however, is enough to ruin her appetite. Hired to find a teenager who has been taken to the Otherworld, Eugenie comes face to face with a startling prophecy - one that uncovers dark secrets about her past and claims that Eugenie's first-born will threaten the future of the world as she knows it.Now Eugenie is a hot target for every ambitious demon and Otherworldy ne'er-do-well, and the ones who don't want to knock her up want her dead. Eugenie handles a Glock as smoothly as she wields a wand, but she needs some formidable allies for a job like this. She finds them in Dorian, a seductive fairy king with a taste for bondage, and Kiyo, a gorgeous shape-shifter who redefines animal attraction. But with enemies growing bolder and time running out, Eugenie realizes that the greatest danger is yet to come, and it lies in the dark powers that are stirring to life within her.

Then laughed.

What the heck it will keep him quiet and so I started reading it.

I couldn't put it down.

The sign of a good book is one that immerses you as a reader, entertains you, allows you to have make you feel as though you know the charater personally and have some empathy with them, has a good story, and it makes you want to turn the page to find out what happens. This book had all of that for me. The main character was believable, you could imagine that everything that was happening to her was happening now. The book was well written. The feelings of the main character you could easily relate to, there is a good storyline that ends in such a way that you want more without the unnecessary cliffhanger ending. The author writes in a flowing, interesting and descriptive style that keeps the plot moving along without distraction.

After reading the book I looked on a few sites to find out more about the author and this book comes highly recommended from various sources, so glad I listened to hubby after all and read it.

This will appeal to anyone who likes reading though those that like fantasy/romance/ action will probably like it more. If you liked the twilight series of books you will like this one. I am going to browse around now and look for more by this author.

One word of caution though, if you are of a sensitive nature beware because there are a couple of sex scenes, though delicately done they are very hot!!

Enjoy

I am happy to report I don't ache as much today as I did yesterday. The muscles in my arms are screaming less, my legs still ache but nothing compared to what I felt yesterday.

I did some of the EA Sports Fitness this morning, not the 30 day challenge, but a made up workout of my own consisting of sports - tennis, inline skating, basketball and baseball. I managed a few squats, but mainly it was a cardio workout, one to burn calories up rather than focussing on the muscle groups.

I feel good today. The sun shines and I feel positive that I am doing something to tone up. I ate well yesterday. I grilled a small piece of steak (hubby and children had larger pieces) which I managed to get on special offer from the butcher and ate mine with some new potatoes (nothing beats jersey royals), some salad, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes. The others had mashed potatoes and vegetables - none of them will eat new potatoes - eldest will if nothing else is on offer!

I don't have many plans for today. Finished a book I was reading and looking at the state of the living room aught to get a move on and do some housework! Hubby has the doctors later, really should get down to see my sister as well at some point. Can't believe it is Thursday already where has this week gone!

Right better get out of this chair and do something constructive

Have a good day xx

I woke up this morning to hubby leaning over me as he placed the cup of tea he had brougt me up on the bedside cabinet. I lay there a little while then started to sit up.

OUCH!!!

The muscles in my legs screamed in agony to be joined by the ones in my arms and shoulders as I tried to push myself upright. Then noticed pain in my lower back, not the type of pain that usually has me heading for the pill cabinet but a pain that suggests that the muscles in my back had been found and were working.

"Pain?" he asks.

I nod.

"Well at least you know it works" he says.

I have always been a fairly active girl. Ok, fair play, I can be lazy at times and I like my food, hence my size, but I go for walks, I will do an exercise video, or go on the Wii fit which I enjoy. I mix this up with Pilates to stregthen my back as well as do the personal trainer for the Wii as well. Feeling energetic I ordered this one day last week

It arrived at the weekend and I decided to try out the 30 day challenge on it - well you have to start somewhere and I need the motivation so 30 days seemed like a good start, and how hard can a low intensity workout be?

As it turns out bloody hard, I was sweating buckets by the end of it but felt good. I wasn't expecting to ache so much this morning though which just goes to show that no matter how much exercise you do, you don't always hit those muscles that need targetting hence the reason why they ached this morning! I did manage to get out of bed though and complete day two of the challenge after saluting the sun first in order to wake up my body and losen it up a little.

I really am enjoying this. Youngest did a personlised sporty version of the game, choosing his own exercises which gives a lot more versatility to this therefore the chances of getting bored is minimised. There is planned an expansion pack for it later in the year so that is something to look forward to

Rest day tomorrow is planned, though I may do some pilates or yoga just to keep loose.

I am hoping to see a difference to my shape after the 30 days, we shall see

More information can be found here

Have a good day

He made a bed for himself, digging a hole and filling it with dead grass and leaves, whereupon he laid down in it.

He drove the dogs mental as he was by the fence where they could see him, but he appeared to take no notice of their barking insanely at him, content as he was in his slumber.

Excuse the pictures but it is difficult to take a decent photo when there is a window that won't open and a tall fence with trees in the way lol

The sunshine streaming through the windows promised that today would be a good one to head to Cambridgeshire and to visit to Wimpole Hall and farm.

After yesterday's fun and games, eldest decided to stay at home and do some revision so hubby, youngest and myself headed off in the car with a few essentials (drinks and snacks) to what we were promised, by the advert in the paper, a day of medieval merriment.

There was an archer admittedly who let us all have a go for the sum of £3 for 5 arrows, a few tents with people dressed up an doing some form of re-enacting though there weren't a lot of them and they weren't as good as ones we have seen in the past.

However we enjoyed walking around the farm, house and the gardens and making a plan of action to go on one of the many walks they have there at through the parkland later on in the year.

The sun was as hot as promised, I am looking very red despite having sun cream on, my feet are hurting but all in all it was a very good day with some lovely picturesque villages that we drove through to get there.

Don't disturb me I'm eating

Milking time

Doesn't everyone stand on their dinner then?

Courtyard

What'ya looking at?

Examining the soil

Wimpole hall

Back entrance

Feed me before I chew my leg off!

Dozing

Swallow

My son went to London yesterday, dressed up as an Anime figure to this.

It is the second time he has been, going with some friends from college who are all into Japanese anime/magna.

The college, which allows them to run an anime club, said that they would fund their train fare and tickets to get in. The organisers agreed no more than 40 students would go and on the day only 35 turned up at the station. Waiting for the organiser, they caught him arguing with a representative from the college who, on the morning that they were to leave for the expo, decided to withdraw the funding so the students ended up paying for their ticket and entrance fee thereby reducing the amount of money that they could spend.

They managed to get through the day wandering around the expo once they had got there, which was a bad journey by all accounts as halfway there the train stopped and everyone had to get off and then travel in by bus. No explanation was given for this just that they had to cancel trains.

After spending the day at the expo, they headed to the Trocadero which was where they were to meet up with the organisers in the event that they got separated from the main group - easy to do though they were told to stay in their groups of 4-5. From here they ate in China Town then at 10pm made their way back to the station to get the train home.

11pm text son - where are you?
Reply - on a very slow train home.

11.45 - Everything ok?
Reply - No. Train at a standstill not sure where we are.

Panic sets in. Hubby, always resonable tells me not to be silly son knows what he is doing as he is sensible and he will be with his group.

11.15 I phone son - "How is it going?" I ask trying to keep the panic out of my voice after all I am imaging all sorts here I am a mother.
"I am at West Hampstead, just been told train can go no further we are waiting for buses!" he replies
"What if there are no buses?"
"Stay here I guess" he says totally unconcerned
"No either me or your father will come down and get you how many of you are there?"
"Six in my group the others are all pairing off and deciding a plan of action with the leaders. There are three people here from Harpenden who are keeping an eye on us and acting as guardians they are concerned about us all. P is ringing her parents now - hold on there is an announcement I will call you back"

I sit by the phone tapping fingernails and picking at the skin around them until they bleed - yes I am that worried and hubby is still acting unconcerned.

12.15 text - on train going very very slowly will text when I get to St Albans

It was 1.30am before he texted that he was at St. Albans. Hubby left here to pick son up from the station and eventually got him home at 2am. 4 hours to do a journey that usually takes 30 mins - 1hour at the most by train.

I was so glad to see him home safe and sound though. He and his friend are taking over as leaders of the anime group next year and are already organising October's trip to the next expo, not sure I want him to go it is so hard cutting those apron strings.

The college will be receiving a strongly worded letter though for the part they played. You can't promise something then go back on that on the day that the students were going. If you changed your mind you should have let them know before hand surely! Not impressed.

A friend and colleague's husband and son set off at 5 am today to do this

Ride in aid of Keech Cottage children's hospice

A magazine article headlined 'The 10 Best Bike Rides In The UK' has inspired a Luton father and son to set off on the adventure of a lifetime. Mark and Ben Lillyston, of Walsingham Close, are riding around the British coastline on the back of a Triumph Bonneville motorbike in aid of Keech Cottage children's hospice.

The daring duo have already almost doubled their £500 target - even before donning the waterproof suits donated by one of Mark's colleagues at SKF.

Machine setter Mark, 46, said the idea came to him when he was flicking through a motorbike magazine. "I saw an article highlighting the 10 best bike rides in the UK," he said. "Then a little further on it suggested 'Or you can do the really big ride - right round the UK coastline.'

"I thought: 'If I can pull off something like this, I might as well do it for Keech Cottage.' And SKF has agreed to sponsor the petrol costs."

His teaching assistant wife Sue, 21, said: "Go for it, mate." And their 15-year-old youngest son Ben was immediately up for the challenge.

Mark said: "It's taken me six attempts to plan it, sorting out everything from accommodation and petrol stations along the way down to insurance. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I can't wait to get going. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Scottish Highlands and crossing those fantastic bridges over the Forth and the Tay.

"We should be back in about a week because it's all A-roads apart from a little stretch around the Severn Bridge."

If you'd like to sponsor Mark and Ben and help them crack £1,000 for Keech Cottage, ring Mark on 07533 213106.

I wish them all the best and hope they make it safely home again.

Tucked away, down a very tree lined narrow street, in the corner is a little gem of this town.

So tucked away in fact, that if you drive down this road you are likely to miss it. The only give away that there is a school anywhere on this road is the school crossing sign, but unless you know where the school is you are likely to miss it and drive straight past.

Why call it a gem? Well this isn't just any primary school, it is a school for children with severe learning difficulties and complex needs. It is bordered by parkland surrounded by trees that lean as though protecting it's occupants.

Here you will find children that can barely talk, children with severe autism, children with mild disabilities as well as having autism. They take children from the age of 5 to 11, children who will not cope with mainstream education, children who cannot be included because their needs cannot be met. You will see children wandering around, trying to communicate through sign, gestures and pictures. Children who are so well looked after that they welcome you with arms wide open as they have no fear of 'outsiders' coming into their small community.

The school has classes of 8 children, each staffed by 1 teacher and three teaching assistants. No formal written work is done, most of their learning is through play, sensory touch, singing, drama etc. Those who are not so severe practise to write their names and everyone celebrates when they are able to do so.

The school is brightly coloured and attractive. Everything is clearly labelled and pictures of the work the children have done is on display all around the school. It feels calm here, quiet and settled, not the rush and bustle you get in other schools in the county. You feel welcomed as though you are part of a family here.

There is quite a high ratio of male teachers here as well, young, joining in the play without inhibition, dressing up and singing out loud, laughing with the children as they were having fun.

I was lucky enough to be shown round when I went on a course there yesterday. I don't think I have the patience to work with these children and admit you have to be something special to give these children what they need. Each child, as any parent with a special needs child will tell you, has their own unique quality, will bring something special into your life, but I know it is hard to work with them, how much you need to do to make their lives happy.

Glad I went and was shown round.

So yesterday: Picture the scene -

Children satisfied having eaten enough junk food to feed the street before settling down in front of the box to watch the Eurovision. We laughed we voted on our sheets, we predicted and at the end I sat and added together all our individual totals:

1st place - joint first were Norway and Ukraine (dodgy voting on Younger son's part)

2nd place - Sweden - I liked the song and thought she had a very powerful voice eldest agreed

3rd place - Germany - for the life of me I cannot remember why youngest liked them though it wasn't a bad song

4 place - Greece and Denmark (dodgy voting for Greece) I liked the Denmark one it scored high on my sheet not high enough on the sons

And so it went on. Uk came 14th place though there were only 17 in total as there were many joint places along the way - in fact UK were joint with Russia. UK was a terrible song and ALW looks far too creepy makes my flesh crawl. Still at least they did better this year than previous.

One thing missing Terry Wogan wasnt the same without his brand of sarcasm though Graham Norton tried his best.

Funny Moments:
Phone rings, hubby on end of it "Put my vote down for the Ukraine" he shouts "Can't hear it as they have the volume on mute but my god she is a fit bird!"

Youngest son "I have just realised Japan and China aren't in this competition!" Do they not teach Geography in school anymore?

......................................................................

Today:

Hubby complains about the pain in his side just under his ribs on the left hand side. He woke up with the pain a couple of days ago and it eased off. He said yesterday it was hurting but it didn't stop him going to football. He woke up this morning, pain still there had something to eat and it got worse. Couldn't get through to NHS direct and as he decided it could be a heart attack we had to take him to A&E or well I did.

3 hours of people watching later, we come out of A&E to go in search of a chemist that is open. He has been diagnosed with Pleurisy.

At home he reads the leaflet that comes with the tablets. Side effects are many but is he worried about being dizzy, having diahorrea, nausea, vertigo etc?

No

He is worried about being Impotent therefore has decided that he would rather live with the pain than take the damm tablets.

Men!!

Well it is that time of year when nations compete against each other by putting forward their worst singers in a yearly competition.

Yes the Eurovision.

Every year, I prepare a buffet of easy eating food, supply drinks a plenty to get us through it all, as we sit in front of the telly with a score sheet that has the list of the competitors on it. We each mark each one out of ten, 1 being very, very bad, 10 being good we enjoyed it. We then total it up and declare who should have one.

Now you may laugh but it has become one of our wierd family traditions in this house. Entertainment value alone as one by one we jeer each act, laugh at the costumes and the dances. We award for costume, dance while singing and being able to stay in tune. Course we all have our favourite type of music that usually scores as well. It is fun, it is something we can do together as a family after all there usually isn't much else on and youngest is not old enough to go to the pub for a drink to get away from it.

Should be interesting, only three of us doing this tonight though hubby had to make a hard decision - Staying with the family and watch Eurovision or spend the night with his mates after the footie in the pub celebrating last game of the season. No prizes for guessing which one he chose so only the kids and I playing tonight.

We were way out last year, hoping we guess correctly this time. Only hope that our entry doesn't win as I can't stand ALW, or the girl that caterwauls her way through a song, especially as I know what went on at the competition 'A song for Europe' like all these things it was a fix. Still at least there shouldn't be any dodgy voting from countries unless the judges are on the make lol!

Right better get some food ready and a drink or two before the fun begins. Won't be the same without Wogan will it?

If you are planning on visiting Malaysia this year, then please take care and choose your elephant wisely

Click to enlarge, sorry it is so small

Following on from my earlier post, and in an effort to cure boredom, I decided to have a good look through Blogland after catching up on friend's posts.

Clicking on 'Next blog' at the top of ones blogs brings some excitement, if not trepidation, at what you might find.

Today was no exception though it was noticeable how many blogs there are that tells you about Japan - culture, language, food, China and Germany as well and by their designs all done by the same person.

There were the blogs written by people who have their own story to tell, good and sad. Those that share their feelings, their fun, their stories with the world and how interesting some of those stories are. Then there are the ones that try so hard to sell you something, and these are the ones that annoy me the most today there are posts about cosmetics, beauty products, shoes, surgery to name a few.

I glance briefly at those blogs written by young girls in school. So they may be 13, 14 or 15 but it worries me that some of them can be so frank about sharing their sex lives with the rest of blogland - I don't spend too long on them. Course there are the ones that have teenage angst, that feel that because x is no longer speaking to them it is the end of their world.

I sometimes wonder what why people share so much. Ok so at times I may share more than I should but mostly because it was something that happened that was funny. Those that really know me know I am no prude at all and will happily sit hear and read what is offensive to other people. However it worries me that young girls can be so open about their needs and wants as if it was a vital part of their lives.

Maybe I am a prude in that respect, reading this back it does read that way, but then again my brain is fogged up and I know what I mean even if it doesn't sound right on here.

All very interesting reading which has given me some food for thought which I will retire to bed with lol

Have a good night

Please, please add me to your friends list.

I love the uk

I love the uk people

I love your blog

It is good

Please add me as a friend would really like to be friends, please

Errr no thank you not remotely interested in begging letters, or blogs about your car factory.

You have been deleted.

Subtitute Department for Blog and it says it all lol

"You stupid tart what the hell are you doing that for!" screamed hubby at the television.

No he wasn't watching some interesting documentary on television or a soap.

He is talking to Lara Croft.

Yes you heard right .......he is playing Tomb raider on eldest son's XBox.

"did it occur to you that you are the ones pressing the buttons that commanded her to do that?" says I helpfully

"You don't jump off ledges and kill yourself when I press your buttons" he replies with a wicked smile on his face

"I may not do it, but don't think I haven't thought it" says I "afterall you do tend to get things wrong sometimes"

Think that has killed of any thought of romance in the boudoir tonight then lol.

Have fun Lara

Insecure is how I feel at times.

Silly really because I know I can be confident and others see more of me than I see in myself.

I tend to jump to conclusions. I shy away from praise for fear that the person dealing it is doesn't mean it.

I assume, sometimes wrongly, that someone is laughing at something I have done wrong. Seeing people huddled in groups and I tend to think the worst and then wonder what I have done to offend.

I read again, on a post by a blogger, about some abuse they have received from other bloggers - my first reaction is to think back over any comments I have made that might have caused offence because in reality I do not intend to offend anyone, I like peace, I like making friends and being honest but I know the written word can hurt or offend when it isn't meant that way. That instant panic sets in until I read other comments and realise that I probably am not the only one that feels this way, others start there comment with "I hope I didn't offend you," or they start with an apology so the blogger concerned writes back it wasn't you, don't apologise.

We are funny creatures us bloggers. We are concerned, we care. Then there are those that want to do nothing more than hurt others, who have such sad little lives that they get their kicks out of making silly comments, ones that will offend, ones that are meant to cause harm to the blogger concerned.

There are bloggers who want nothing more than to write about what makes them tick, who want support, those who just want to share laughter, have fun yet are forced away by those who are mindless enough to think that they have a right to put express their opinions even when they are not wanted.

A shame really when a community has a few morons amongst them.

Oh and if I offend in this post then I apologise in advance - unless you are one of those mindless morons I mentioned earlier then I apologise for nothing, offend away because frankly I don't give a damm about you or your opinions, you are nothing to me you can do me no harm and I will not be leaving here anytime soon.

Day two of he SATS today.

Yesterday was the Science test, the last Sats Science test, and though the first paper was easy the second was quite hard. A lot of the paper was investigation. I was supporting an EAL child who struggled trying to find the language she needed to put what she wanted to say into a reasonable sentence. It was difficult watching her struggle and there was a lot of thumbing through the bilingual dictionary.

Today short and long writing tasks and spelling test. Fortunately she is not doing this, her English is still basic so no point putting her through this added stress. I am on general cover, so anyone that is ill I get to deal with (lovely).

So glad when this week is over.

In other news the sun still shines - for now.

Right off to work.

Have a good day everyone xx

It has taken all evening to sort out various documents, files etc on the computer, delete, tidy up and copy onto our new external hard drive. I tried to put some photos onto CD as well only to find that for some reason it kept coming up with an error message. After swearing and getting extremely annoyed with the computer I discovered that the reason it wasn't working was because I foolishly picked up DVD writer discs instead of CD one however managed to get it done eventually after searching the house for the CD writer discs to put the photos on. Still got to add some on there, but at least the majority of them have been done now.

Trying to sort out the million of songs we seem to have uploaded or downloaded, whatever the case may be, that are on various files on the computer as well. I have discovered that the children are not as meticulous as I am to have everything laid out in clearly labelled files. Instead I find that they do not necessarily have music in the music folder, neither do they have the music in album folder or at least in the folder with the artist's name - or perhaps it is only me that sorts things out like that? I have a picture file - my pictures, which is then divided into categories - funny pictures, photos, etc, documents include folder titles divided into categories - work items, letters, invoices etc. Music is put into folders according to the artist or genre. Ok so my kids think I am mad but at least I can find what I am looking for, I spent ages trying to find a file in my son's folder!

So now that that has been successfully done, all it needs now is for my two darling children to back up their various projects before I dismantle this computer, check the hard drives, defrag and update the word processing packages - I thought office 2007 was bad but had forgot how bad word 2000 is! Don't ask just lets leave it at nice computer man when I had a technical glitch deleted all my files and put very old versions of them on! Still haven't got to the bottom of that one lol!

Right enough is enough, better head off to Bedfordshire.

Night Night x

Hope you all have a fantastic day

Hugs x

You know how it is.

You buy a new mobile phone.

Your old one sits and gathers dust somewhere until you finally shut it away in a cupboard or drawer where it stays, alone and forgotten. After all you never know when you may want a spare mobile phone do you?

Over time, other phones join it until that day comes when as well as the phones there is also a lot of rubbish which needs to be cleared out of that cupboard or drawer.

We have a drawer of phones, which today we decided we really don't want to keep anymore, we will not use them and we between hubby and I we have at least 1 spare - just in case of course- so it will be pointless to keep the others.

Making sure that all memories are wiped, no phone contacts, incriminating photos and messages are still on them, we bundled them up into their respective boxes - yes we kept those as well - and took them to CEX in town to exchange them for a game or something, or even a voucher to spend in there another time. Hubby was thinking we would get about £10 for each phone, there were 5 of them. After a long time at the desk while they checked each one worked properly we got the princely sum of £84 for the phones. We used £75 of that on an external 750GB hard drive so that we can back up our files or store pictures and music on there. Also handy for storing hubby's games when he wants to play on the computer!

So that was my sunday in a nutshell. Chilling out now after updating our anti-virus software and now going to start thinking about the assignment I have to do for next Friday eeeekkkkk!

Have a good evening

My blog is 3 years old today.

Three years ago I wrote this:

Welcome

So here I am, in the world of blogging. I have another site that I blog on but wanted somewhere where I can vent my frustrations in life and all that it entails. For the most part not much gets to me at all, but there are times when things do. For instance, did Sven Ericikson do right by picking a 17 year old that hasn't played in first team football to represent us in the England team? Should the manager of the England team be foreign or English?
I say who the hell cares. Do I care? NO. Is it a matter of life and death? No
It is 22 men who have nothing better to do BUT to kick a ball around and big field. There are more important things happening out there than football. I honestly think they should have picked my hubby to be manager, afterall he thinks he knows more about football than any manager out there, let alone the FA.

Look closely folks I said he thinks he knows more, not that he does, though in his defence he follows his team religiously, has had a season ticket since he was seven years old and can tell you who played in that team for every year since. (Yes he can be that boring at times).

Believe me I used to like football,though I prefer rugby - the men are chunkier - but hubbys fanaticism is such that I have gradually gone off it over the years. Now when he moans I just sit back and read a book or surf the net while he rants and nod at the appropriate moment. On the other hand at least he goes and watches his team play, there is nothing worse than an armchair supporter who thinks they know everything - they really get on my nerves.

So here we are, another world cup looming oh joy - now perhaps I should start thinking about emigrating!

AS I write this hubby is watching football on telly! NIce to know not much changes hey lol

We popped to Hemel Hempstead today for a change and spent most of the day wandering around popping in and out of shops as you do.

Bought eldest a new phone to replace the one that he had mugged - well it isn't new it was 2nd hand from CEX thought it is in really good condition with all the bits and pieces in the box.

Hmv spent a tiny fortune on DVDs, CDs including the Twilight soundtrack. New headphones as mine are not working and even though I went into a couple of clothes shops I didn't buy anything which is good for me.

On way home popped into Tescos for the weekly shop, didn't need a lot fortunately so it wasn't that expensive. Son was talking about the state of some of the young girls walking around - ok so the sun was out for a while and yes I do see that you may want to wear a short skirt but does the world need to see your knickers? The tops that left very little to the imagination - son's eyes were on stalks - he is so much like his father! Mind you I had a moment where I had a giggling fit when a young, quite good looking man came towards me with his mate, wearing a pair of white shorts that left nothing to the imagination at all - shame he didn't look in the mirror before he ventured to Tescos though I am sure quite a few women would have seen what I saw partiularly as he wasn't wearing any underwear!

So that was my Saturday. All day spent at the shops but at least everything that needed to be done got done.

Had a lovely curry for tea, which topped it all perfectly

You start the day hopeful and thankful that your son isn't the young lad that got stabbed last night.

You say goodbye to him as you leave for work.

At work you text him to ask if he has seen something, which he hasn'to course. You tell him you love him and to have a good day.

Then comes the phonecall, the one every parent dreads, the one that sends chills down your spine.

"Mrs Faffa, this is the police." Panic sets in, your mind goes blank you imagine the worse possible scenario as time seems to come to a standstill.

"Your son is in hospital having xrays following a mugging"

Common sense starts to take over. ON automatic pilot you determine the extent of the injuries, and start to take in the rest of the information the policeman is trying to tell you while you go into overdrive. You thank the policeman, put the phone down and tell your boss you have to leave as you try and phone your husband to let him know what is going on.

I was told to meet them at the police station. The Xrays were a precaution as he looked dizzy when they picked him up. A passerby saw him struggle to get up of the floor and called the emergency services.

On the way to college, my son was approached by a 'youth' who asked him for the time. Son told him he didn't have a watch and started to walk away. The scumbag told him to check his phone. Son told him he didn't have one. Son walked away and crossed the road, next thing he knew he was in a headlock from behind while an accomplice kicked him to the ground and another was ordered to search his pockets. Son kept twisting and turning to get out of the headlock and to make it as difficult for them as possible to get into his pockets as they searched him. He was dragged across a concrete path while being kicked and thumped. Eventually son decided to let them have his phone rather than fight anymore, as he said it could have got a lot worse and by the sound of their voices they were beginning to panic, no longer using the calm voices of before. They got away on bikes and left him there after they had kicked him a few times more.

A blackbelt in Taekwondo, but as he said no match for three people who come at you from beind and get you in a headlock. He feels confident that he could have taken on two but three was more than he was really prepared for.

Several hours passed at the police station, filling in statements, answering questions and making sure everything was filled in. I have to say the policeman who was with him throughout was concerned about how calm son was and how clear and concise he was when giving the statement. Everything has now been passed to the robbery squad, though if anything will come of that or not remains to be seen, so much happens here you just don't think it will happen to one of you.

Son is badly bruised where he was kicked, one side of his face is swollen and there is a massive graze on the side of his head. He remains philisophical though "Mum if it weren't me it would have been someone else and I was lucky, I survived, no harm done."

I am a wreck, all thoughts having gone through my mind, hovering over him to make sure there is no delayed concussion, or shock while he is irritated by the fuss - which is so like him even as a baby he hated fuss! You can't help but worry though. Having said that I am so thankful that it was nothing worse, he is ok, it was just a phone it could have been a lot worse.

Subject: WOMEN WHO KNOW THEIR PLACE

Barbara Walters, of Television's 20/20, did a story on gender roles in
Kabul, Afghanistan several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted
that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands.

She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind
their husbands. From Ms Walters' vantage point, despite the overthrow of
the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem to walk even further
back behind their husbands, and are happy to maintain the old custom.

Ms Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, 'Why do you
now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to
change?'

The woman looked Miss Walters straight in the eyes, and without
hesitation said, 'Land Mines.'

Moral of the story is (no matter what language you speak and where you
go):

BEHIND EVERY MAN, THERE'S A SMART WOMAN

This is true.

Yes it is another Government incentive for the beleagured workforce of this country.

Dear employees,

Due to the current financial situation caused by the
slowdown of the economy, Management has decided to implement
a scheme to put workers of 40 years of age and above on
early retirement. This scheme will be known as RAPE (Retire
Aged People Early).

Persons selected to be RAPED can apply to management to be
eligible for the SHAFT scheme (Special Help After Forced
Termination). Persons who have been RAPED and SHAFTED will
be reviewed under the SCREW programme (Scheme Covering
Retired Early Workers). A person may be RAPED once, SHAFTED
twice and SCREWED as many times as Management deems
appropriate.

Persons who have been RAPED can only get AIDS (Additional
Income for Dependants & Spouse) or HERPES (Half Earnings
for Retired Personnel Early Severance).

Obviously persons who have AIDS or HERPES will not be
SHAFTED or SCREWED any further by Management.

Persons who are not RAPED and are staying on will receive
as much SHIT (Special High Intensity Training) as possible.
Management has always prided itself on the amount of SHIT it
gives employees. Should you feel that you do not receive
enough SHIT, please bring to the attention of your
Supervisor. They have been trained to give you all the SHIT
you can handle.

Sincerely,

The Management

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friends face,
For life is a swift and terrible race,

He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell.
And he rang mine but we were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.

'Tomorrow' I say! 'I will call on Jim
Just to show that I'm thinking of him.'
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows..
Around the corner, yet miles away,
'Here's a telegram sir,' 'Jim died today.'
And that's what we get and deserve in the end.
Around the corner, a vanished friend.

Remember to always say what you mean.
If you love someone, tell them.
Don't be afraid to express yourself.
Reach out and tell someone what they mean to you.
Because when you decide that it is the right time it might
be too late.

Seize the day. Never have regrets.

Received this today with the usual threats of bad luck if I don't pass this on to at least 10 people, liked the poem but can't be bothered to email it on so posting it on here instead! Hope you enjoyed it lol:

EVER WONDER where we are headed...

Why the sun lightens our hair,

but darkens our skin?

Why women can't put on mascara

with their mouth closed?

Why you don't ever see the headline:

'Psychic Wins Lottery'?

Why 'abbreviated' is such a long word?

Why Doctors call what they do 'practice'?

Why you have to click on 'Start'

to stop Windows 98?

Why lemon juice is made with artificial flavour, while dishwashing liquid is made with real lemons?

Why the man who invests all your money is called a 'Broker'?

Why there isn't mouse flavoured cat food?

Who tastes dog food when it has a

'new & improved' flavour?

Why Noah didn't swat those two mosquitoes?

Why they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

Why they don't make the whole plane out of the material used for the indestructible black box?

Why sheep don't shrink when it rains?

Why they are called apartments when

they are all stuck together?

If con is the opposite of pro,

is Congress the opposite of progress?

Why they call the airport 'the terminal'

if flying is so safe?

AND...

In case you need further proof that the human race is doomed because of stupidity, here are some actual label instructions on consumer goods.

On a Myer hairdryer:

'Do not use while sleeping'.

(Darn, and that's the only time I have to work on my hair).

On a bag of Chips:

You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.

(The shoplifter special?)

On a bar of Palmolive soap:

'Directions: Use like regular soap'.

(And that would be how???)

On some frozen dinners:

'Serving suggestion: Defrost'.

(But, it's just a suggestion).

On Nanna's Tiramisu dessert

(printed on bottom):

'Do not turn upside down'.

(Well....duh, a bit late, huh)!

On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding:

'Product will be hot after heating'.

(And you thought????...)

On packaging for a K-Mart iron:

'Do not iron clothes on body'.

(But wouldn't this save me more time?)

On Boot's Children Cough Medicine:

'Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication'.

(We could do a lot to reduce the rate of construction accidents if we could just get those 5 year olds with head colds off those forklifts.)

On Nytol Sleep Aid:

'Warning: May cause drowsiness'.

(And...I'm taking this because???)

On most brands of Christmas lights:

'For indoor or outdoor use only'.

(As opposed to....what?)

On a Japanese food processor:

'Not to be used for the other use'.

(Now, somebody out there, help me on this. I'm a bit curious.)

On Nobby's peanuts:

'Warning: contains nuts'.

(Talk about a news flash!)

On an American Airlines packet of nuts:

'Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts'.

(Step 3: maybe, uh....fly Delta?)

I don't blame the company, I blame the parents for this one:

On a child's superman costume:

'Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly'.

On a Swedish chainsaw:

'Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands or genitals'.

(Was there a lot of this happening somewhere?)

Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle)...in other words send it to everyone. We all need to smile every once in a while.

I thought it was about time I caught you up on the life in Faffajane's world at the moment.

Busy? yes
Hectic? Yes

I have also been trying to spend some time with the family and making the most of the nice weather - I really need to get some gardening done though not that that is likely to happen anytime soon though lol

So what has been happening then.

Well let's start back to last weekend, the weekend of my birthday.

Woke up to rain.
Hubby made a cup of tea while I got showered and dressed, making my way downstairs to prepare the sandwiches etc for our picnic. St. George's day festival happens every year at Wrest Park either the weekend before St. George's day or after, this year it was on my birthday

Once that was all prepared, I opened my presents - two bottles of Bulmers and a the new Pink CD for the car. I knew hubby was planning on buying me something from Wrest park so it was nice to have something to open all the same. Best bit was opening the cards and getting one saying 'to a special aunt' from my niece - hubby still doesn't understand why I was so over the moon with that one!

Wrest park was fun. Saw the medieval archers, Victorian military display, Two very funny guys called 'what a palaver' doing various tricks including laying on a bed of nails with two heavy paving stones on top of him while his mate hit them with a sledgehammer, and St. George slaying the dragon. Missed the falconry display which is one of my favourites as the birds are so graceful in the air, but watched some horses being taken through their paces in the Victorian Dressage instead.

Of course, the day wouldn't have been complete if we hadn't of visited the many stalls selling their wares - hubby bought me a handmade necklace with matching earrings, we stocked up on homemade wine and sloe gin, as well as some spicy tomato and apple chutney and orange curd!

Fortunately the weather wasn't as bad as it was when I first got up - the rain had stopped, the sun poked a bleary eye through the clouds and it was warm enough to walk around in a tshirt at times though we put our woolies on when the clouds decided the sun had had enough fun for one day!

I did want to take some photos of the lovely gardens they have at Wrest Park, unfortunately we were out of time. The one I wanted to take a picture off I couldn't as that sweeps down from the main house itself which was closed off due to renovation - however you can get a good look at it on the video 'the fear' by Lily Allen

Bed of nails

Wrest Park

Captured food

Fighting the dragon

Dressage

Archers

Am and Fire

In other news, saw my neice on Saturday all are doing well, she is now 9 weeks old and weighs at least 10Ibs! Se has started smiling though will refuse to do so for photographs! It was lovely spending time with her and my sister, we all went to the park so my youngest could play with my sister's friends little boy while sis and I had a wander around with the dog.
Work continues to be busy and I am preparing to start my course after the SATS next week. I have an assignment to do which I haven't started yet, decided it was more important to catch up on here first lol!

Right better log off and get some sleep. Spent most of the evening trying to upload photos to Flikr so you can see some of the other ones from last week on there should you wish for more. Sleep pattern is sporadic at the moment and feeling a little off colour with it all, but sure it is just one of the many viruses going around school at the moment!

Oh last but not least finished all the Twilight series and watched the film last night - really enjoyed the last book, liked the film though disappointed with some of the characters - funy how you build a picture up in your head and find that the characters are different when they are on the screen!

Right enough rambling lost three friends don't in the last three weeks don't want to scare the rest of you off now do I lol

Hugs xx