Love

'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'

I love this beautiful comment from Billy aged 6 years when asked by his teacher to try and describe what love means.

travelling

It is sad to see all the people being held up in airports and bus stations as the snow and frost play havoc with their carefully made arrangements. I am sure they will all arrive safely at their destinations in the end though not quite at the time they envisaged.  Being lost for a while can be quite an adventure if you manage to keep calm and go with the flow.  Some years back I caught a plane in Spain to fly back to the UK when the French Air Controllers decided otherwise and we promptly landed in Madrid with no given time for future flights - there was much panic and it was an excellent time for 'people watching'.   It took a long time for many to realise there was nothing anyone could do so it was best to just calm down and take it as it comes; it didn't help that most had no Spanish and all the instructions came in Spanish of course.  I really enjoyed the two days adrift in a smart hotel close to the airport but then I wasn't desperate to arrive at a given time as one lady was for a funeral and another for her son's wedding. Since time began -  moving around in bad weather has proved difficult whatever mode of transport you are using including your own two legs.   I hope they are all on the move soon.                                                  

Decorations

No 1 son arrived today and brought all the scruffy looking bags and boxes down from the attic and what a sorry collection they look - I almost asked him to put them all back again.   However as they contain our Christmas decorations they will all have to be opened and examined but where it not for the expense of buying more I would like to throw them all in the dustbin and and start again.   In my dreams all the new ones would be colour coded and the house would be full of real trees and holly and mistletoe as it was when  our sons were small and we lived in a large house with all the greenery we could want within picking distance.   Now we have a fibre optic tree and the crib scenes and all the baubles we have gathered over the past few years have memories for our grandchildren and cannot be changed.  Tomorrow will see us them putting all the strange mixture of lights, glitter, wreath of the door and the crib set in the same places they go every year, then they will stick the cards on to the glass doors and later help their daddy put the outside lights on the Fir tree by the garage.  When all that is completed we will be ready to welcome the Holy Season and the actions will be stored in their memories for later when they can tell their own children that Christmas's aren't the same as they were when they were young.   It was ever thus!   I will love every minute of it.

snow

How can something look as beautiful as snow cause such havoc?   We were covered in about 6cms overnight and this morning with the sun shining brightly on the glittering and unmarked surface it looked like a dream.
By the time I had cleared the back path to the garage and gritted it, staggered to the shops for my dear one's paper it became obvious that I was not going to get to my booked tour at 11.30am - the roads had not been gritted and I never saw a sign of a bus so in the end I had to phone and say I could not get in - 'Oh! there is a group waiting here for you' said the lady at the Cathedral shop making me feel dreadfully guilty and somehow inadequate.  It does sound pathetic to allow the weather to stop you from going anywhere especially just 6cm of snow.  When I was young and living in my home county of Yorkshire I would walk the 6 miles to work through whatever weather and when I worked on nights on the Delivery ward at a maternity hospital I walked through a blizzard to get on duty on time and found that everybody on duty that night had actually arrived!   Hey! but then I was young and now I am old - that's the difference I fear. I can now spend the day in our little warm den looking out at the snow which somehows appears beautiful again!

End of Term

I had a booked tour cancelled today as the school who had booked it long ago forgot it was the end of term and they had too much to do!
I went to school today to see my grandaughter in her year 6 Christmas play which was lovely.  It contained no recognisable Christmas music/carols but the songs they did sing had Christian content and the children were word perfect and sang with great gusto.   Just sitting listening to the young mothers chatting before the play is an education in itself.  Most of the teachers came in for some kind of criticism but then there was also great discussion about what kind of gifts their children were giving to the said teachers.  This is a new one on me - we never gave our teachers gifts - but then I was in school a long time ago but my children never gave the teachers a gift either so it must be a fairly recent thing.  Or are we just too stingey in our family?

Life in South Africa

I spent a good long time this afternoon chatting to my sister in law in South Africa via Skype. (It is sunny and very hot by the way!).  What a wonderful thing to be able to do....just chat for as long as you wish with someone on the other side of the world completely free of charge.  When she first went to SA some 40 years ago the post would take weeks that is if it ever got there, our Christmas cards to each other would reach their destination some time in February and phone-calls were like speaking to someone on the moon, so for many years our contact was intermitent but now we speak every week and know the details of each others every move.  Later this evening I hope to chat to friends in Spain.  Australia is rather different as my email friend and I have been emailing each other weekly/daily for more than 13 years which is easy but finding the right time to chat is more difficult as one of us is having supper whilst the other is just getting up to start the day.  By the miracle of modern day technology nobody is far from your side or your heart.

What does a typical mum look like?

My grandaughter came home from school telling of her part in the Christmas play - she is to play the 'mum' of a family getting ready for Christmas.   Sooooo!  all she needs is to dress up like a typical mum!   What!
I see a playground full of typical mums every day but they all dress very differently so no wonder she rejected all my suggestions.   She doesn't have a mummy of her own to use as a copy as her own mummy died when she was 4 years old so she only has me and it must be said I look like her old nanny.   However! after going through every garment she possesses we came to an outfit and off she went today for the dress rehearsal.  She wore a dress (not trousers like all the mums do) with a cardigan, black tights with pumps and to crown the outfit she wore an apron - an apron! - do mums still wear aprons in the kitchen?   She got it right as her teacher who is a very trendy lady it has to be said told her she looked just right.   So come Thursday afternoon I will be there to support her, pretending not to cry and knowing that Julie, her mum, would have been proud of her.

Moving

All my friends appear to be on the move just now.  My email friend in Australia is moving down to Sydney this week to be close to her family - another friend is moving back to Bristol (yeeh!) from Brighton this week,
our number 2 son is moving out of his flat soon and maybe even further, long time friends in London are moving across the city and talking as though they they are emigrating - what is it about Londoners?
Just heard a new email friend is about to move to Canada (lucky girl) and our other close friend's daughter has just left for Brazil, where she will work for CAFOD, she is a brave and lovely girl and they are lucky to have her.
I think everyone should try to move whilst they are young as it teaches you so much.  We lived and worked in Spain for 5 years and are still boring all our friends with tales of our life in Espana - in the end I was happy to come home but Spain is deeply rooted in my heart.

empty nest

After a busy few days it has been a strangley quiet day at our house.  No 1 son is home after his R and R in Cheltenham, he collected his children and did not return with them until after Xfactor ended this evening.   No 2 son went back to Dublin this morning to think seriously about his future as home, job and country are coming up for appraisal.  My dear one and I had a quiet and gentle afternoon, me at the desk writing Christmas cards and he fast asleep behind the Sunday Telegraph.   Kids back tonight, clean uniforms, bags packed, lunch sandwiches sorted, hair washed and eventually tucked safely under the duvet.  Ayeee!

A good day

It has been a good day today.   The weather was much warmer than of late and actually reached +1 this afternoon.   I took my grandchildren Christmas shopping this morning - an adventure to say the least!   Childlike they chose everything they wanted themselves and found it difficult to get into the mindset of anyone who might not have appreciated an England Tshirt or a shocking pink lip gloss for example.   I really loved the experience but decided late morning that I could not survive much longer without a shot of caffine.   Now a visit to Costa Coffee has to be a lesson  of love and patience just to stop you killing one or all of the four young people who took about half an hour to serve a mere handful of us all gasping for our shot of Americano/Expresso or whatever - I lived in Spain for a few years and have often seen one young man or women serve treble the number present this morning in just a few minutes.   It was 11.45 before we eventually got our coffee.  I say I will never go again but of course I will as they are always situated just where you need a cuppa.

Good day today

Quite warm today by comparison to the recent weather - we actually reached +1 and the sun made an appearance.  One son in Cheltenham for the w/e and the other here from Dublin for a couple of days.
He had his picture taken this morning in one of the booths at the supermarket and I must say if I did not know him well  - I would not buy a car from this man!    I can't help thinking they are programmed to make you look as bad as possible and these are the official pictures on your passport.   After seeing his pictures I don't think he should leave the country as he might find it difficult to get back in!
Christmas shopping tomorrow with my grandson and grandaughter - it may take a long time!

reached zero today

Temperatures in our area got up to zero today for the first time in a few weeks though it did not feel any warmer it was lovely to see the sun.
I had a lovely swim in an almost empty pool - young mums are not coming in straight from the school run at the moment as they are obviously too busy so we oldies can make the most of it.   January appears to be the worst month as all the young mums have made New Year resolutions and flock to the gym like starlings - it never lasts to the end of February!
Younger son arrived from Dublin this evening for a couple of days - it must be warm in Dublin as he came in wearing a short jacket and no scarf - looking cool I suppose and feeling even cooler as the wind chill at the airport hit him.  Lovely to have him though.

Christmas

I do appear to have done a lot of preparation toward the festive season but every day I think of something else.   It does not help the fact that I don't know exactly who will be with us and for how long!   My family all carry on as though it doesn't matter that they come and go according to the plans that they have made and no one else knows about yet.   I have obviously brought them up wrongly or does it happen in every house where there is a mixture of old and young?   I suspect so.

Nothing changes!

I read this today and it made me realise again how little changes over the eons.  It was written on a papyrus
letter c2000BC  'Dear Mother, I am all right. Stop worrying about me.'    So mums stop it!

Christmas Shopping

I attacked a few shops this morning and managed to stagger back to the car with a bag full of presents.
I have to try not to go too often as I just keep buying and negating on my promise not to spend too much on presents.  I like lots of small things and go for them in a big way then find myself being tempted by gift tokens and huge scarfs etc., which send my budget out of the window.   Thankfully it is only once a year!

Sunday - with no snow

It was very foggy first thing and not made any easier with black ice underfoot.  I slip slided my way into church and was quite shocked to see so many had done so before me.  Sun shining by lunch time but frosty again tonight.  I wrote all my Christmas cards for abroad this afternoon so as they can be posted SAP haven't enclosed my usual greetings this year as I haven't much to report...or is it just that I can't be fussed just now.
They are all in my heart and that's the main thing.

cricket

There is a very important game of  cricket going on in Australia at the moment between our national side and the Australian national side which seems surreal as the only way to keep up with the game is to listen to a radio broadcast during the night hours - No!
I do like cricket very much but not that much.
I have though gotten into the habit of waking up at about 7.00am as usual and wanting to know immediately what
the score is; I can't wait until later in the morning.  This is a bit worrying because during the breaks between
tests I still tune in to hear the score and find myself cross and disappointed that there isn't one.
How easy is it to get into a habit?   Too easy for me obviously.   Bizarre- yes certainly - but it's good though especially as we are winning at the moment.

A bit scary!!

In the middle of my tour this morning a young man came into the cathedral and was obviously very mentally disturbed and totally without 'care in the community' - he was being gently escorted out of the cathedral by the vergers when he suddenly turned nasty and smacked one of them in the face; there was much shouting, threatening, screaming and scuffling and it all became a bit frightening.   Just outside the door on College Green a large group of policemen were standing around looking bored and cold waiting to escort a student demonstration against the government so when someone called they all rushed in like the 'Keystone Kops' - elbowed the vergers out of the way and wrestled the young, troubled man to the ground, he went strangely quiet as he was escorted out through the door and into a Police van.   Meanwhile I had ushered my children into a chapel just about as far from the action as it was possible to be and only know what happened as I was shown the CCTV
footage afterwards in the vergers office.   The children remained unfazed and at their request we sat and thought about the people who loved him and might be worried about him - kids are truly amazing and wonderful.  .

Poets

I went to a meeting at the Cathedral this morning and afterwards strolled into the library to have a read
whilst I waited for my next meeting at 1.00pm.   I grabbed a book and a cup of coffee in the refreshment area and prepared for an hour or so rest and reflection but I was soon accosted by a lady who asked if had come to the poetry reading; I said no I was just passing time and would move along if she wished but she did not want me to do that so hence I found myself in the middle of a fairly large group of people who took turns to read
poems they had written, to each other.   I don't think I actually realised so many people wrote their own poems or would be so good at doing so.  I really enjoyed the hour listening to such a varied collection of people and poems who ranged from a young and very pregnant lady to a sprinkling of oldies.   They were so friendly too - one lady even offering to share her sandwiches with me!   Lovely!

FIRE ALARM

Well at least we know the fire alarm works in our house as we were deafened this evening when  the two outlets began to scream;  only when we opened the door of the den did we see the house was full of smoke.
Potatoes in the microwave were black and the door was peeling some sort of inner lining.   It took about half an hour to clear the house of acrid fumes with the aid of 2 fans and many open windows but at least we know the fire alarm work efficiently.  Perhaps I had better put 'a microwave' at the top of my Christmas list.

Jane

Jane Townsend, aged 23 years old was at sea doing vital nursing and indeed helping in any way she could during the whole of the Battle of Trafalgar.
After the Battle was over a great many people were decorated for bravery:  Jane's Captain put her name forward to the Admiralty for a medal but had no reply.   Much later when everyone present during the Battle was award a Service Medal Jane did not get one, so her Captain requested one for her.   A letter of explanation from the Admiralty to her Captain stated that they would have to refuse recognition of Jane's courage as it would cause great offence and shock to the populace of the country to discover that women were actually there at the scene of battle!

Brrrrrr....

Temperatures 6 below zero tonight and threatening to get lower later in the week.   There is something so paralyzing about the intense cold - I can hardly function; all my energy comes rushing in when the sun warms me.
Yet Scott and his team went to the Antartic badly clothed by today's standards as did the early climbers on Everest yet they had both energy and enthusiasm for the task in hand.   I have to wonder whether they would have been the same intrepid men in a warm environment or would they perhaps have lost energy there- we'll never know.

I Like this by Max Erhmann

   Do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born out of fatigue and loneliness.
Be gentle with yourself, you are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars:   You have a right to be here.
Have no doubts the universe is unfolding just as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him/Her to be;
and in the noisy confusions of life keep peace with your soul.
With all the shams, drudgery and broken dreams -
THIS IS STILL A MOST BEAUTIFUL WORLD.
Strive to be happy in it.

a day in the country

We woke to a layer of snow this morning and a leaden sky which warned of more to come.
Should we continue with our plans to have lunch with friends at a country house?   Yes!
with our son and his 4x4 on standby we set off  into Mendip country which look so beautiful
in the snow I almost cried for my camera which I had left behind at home.
The house looked as though it had hardly changed since Jane Austen's day snuggled into
the white, crispy fields and the deer looked far too well fed and happy to feel sorry for them
as they chased each other across the grounds.   The food was excellent, the company loving
and the conversation interesting so who could ask for anything more?

a cold and frosty evening

Well the snow has stopped but even worse now it is solid with frost and ice.  Our little girl went off to Guide Camp this evening packed up as though she was going on expedition with 'Scott of the Antartic'.
Thankfully it seems the days of camping in tents in the open air are long over for the Guides and Scouts of  today:
Blow up mattresses are the order of the day all lined up neatly in a long, warm wooden cabin, so as she slips into her sleeping bag with long socks, pyjamas, woolly caftan, and maybe gloves and hat she should be warm enough to survive 'til Sunday.   I am missing her already.

God speed Astro Wheels

For the past 6 months I have been following the tweets of Colonel Douglas Wheelock as he circled the earth in the space station ISS Cupola.  He constanly sent pictures back to earth of our beautiful planet from space and sometimes even his thoughts as he saw the sights of earth.  Today he, along with his Russian counterpart and a female astro have been strapped into the space shuttle and are hurtling through space and back home for Christmas.   These
are the words he posted before his departure -
'Be strong enough to know when you are weak...brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid
never substitute words for actions.
Learn to stand up in a storm but have compassion on those who fall.
Always have a heart that is clean, and a goal that is high.....learn to laugh but never forget how to weep......
until we meet again'
He also said 'leave a light on I'm coming home'    We will, God's speed Doug and thank you.

Weather

The vagaries of our weather is fascinating and worthy of the acres of print and hours of discussion it evokes.
I am quite jealous hearing about the beautiful days in Oz whilst the commentators talk endlessly about the start of the first Ashes game - how wonderful I think to be sitting there in the sunshine waiting for the English batsmen to come out - but it's just a lovely dream.   Meanwhile a friend's daughter is preparing a small hotel in the French Alps ready for the start of the ski season  only to find their small village already covered in snow and all the children being taken out of school to have their PE lessons on the slopes.   My sister in law in South Africa Skyped a few days ago and with great glee told me they had had 10 mm of rain which was good as they are in their rainy season!  We in the South West had more than100 mm that very same night - but let's face it we are in a constant rainy season.   When we lived in Spain we used to look forward to the high winds in Spring which knocked down the acres of almond blossom and generally signaled the start of the settled summer temperatures which would them climb constantly to reach their peak in August; by then though we also waited for the 'gotta fria' at the beginning of October: a series of heavy storms which knocked the temperatures down towards their winter readings.   I love the seasons with everything they bring us

Bad news for Spain

Today a close friend in Spain sent an email bewailing the fate of his adopted nation (as it was ours for some 5 years) as it sinks rapidly into debt and might have to be rescued by the European Commission as did Greece not so long ago.  Many newly built houses and hotels remain empty and many of the established restaurants around their home have closed not expecting to reopen in the near future.   We are all worried about our home nations and have no idea what to do.
An article in the newspaper today gave us some hope when it said 'there is no way of maintaining the economy without consumption, it is a leisure activity and a social experience in our country.  We should not stop shopping
but just change how we shop.'
Good news for all the people milling around in the department stores this week - on Monday morning I thought it was the January sales and for a moment and I might have missed Christmas!

Swing Low Sweet Chariot

I was surprised to find that this song was written  by Wallace Willis, the same man who wrote 'Steal away to Jesus' and a freedman of Chowtaw descent.  Very much in the usual spiritual story style; this is about Elijah being taken up into Heaven in a chariot.  It was first recorded in1909 and has been covered by many famous singers over the years including Elvis.   It has been a rugby song in this country for many decades since
a black player ran in four tries to enable England to trounce the Irish team after many years of being beaten.
It was sung at Twickenham in 1988 to encourage the National side and has been sung at every national game since then.   A strange choice of a song to sing the team to victory but hey, if it works who cares?    

The Mission

BBC showed that wonderful film 'The Mission' this week about the Jesuits in South America.  It was especially poignant for us as a friend had a bit part and although he died some time ago there he was on the screen looking like the last time we saw him.
Tony, our friend was Father General of the 'Society of Jesus' in England when he was asked to advise the makers of the film on Jesuit priests, how they would speak and act with each other so that the actors Jeremy Irons and Robert de Nero would at least appear genuine to anyone who had known a Jesuit.  He was so critical they eventually changed the script, got him an Equity card and he went off to Columbia for three months with the cast and as well as advising,  played a tiny part of the Father Provincial, just played himself in fact.
He would be so sad if he were still with us to hear nothing much has changed for the Indians in that area, they are still cheated of their land and hounded into other areas.   He did his best to help the film makers  not to stray too far from the truth of the work of the brothers in his order was too precious for him to allow Hollywood to make mock.   It's a fine film.   RIP Tony.

A grand day out (apologies to Wallace and Grommit)

A child's eye account of a visit to Twickenham to watch England v Samoa accompanied our supper tonight.
Every moment from getting on the bus at school to alighting at the ground and finding a loo.   The singing of the National Anthems impressed him greatly - couldn't believe how silent everyone became.  He loved doing the Mexican wave and singing the England song of  'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' - the whole family have set ourselves a quest for tomorrow to try and find out how an old negro spiritual became the war song of the National Team.
Perhaps the fact that England ended the game victorious made this the perfect day for this young man.
Yeh!  as he would say.

Children in Need

A long and very boring television evening tonight in aid of Children in Need - I gave it up in about half an hour
simply because I don't know half the 'stars' in the sketches and the sketches are always, always abysmal.
All that said it raises vast sums for this excellent charity and long may it reign.
A banging at the door before 8.00am this morning turned out to be British Gas to check the heating boiler -' it's getting old' said the man about an hour later and then 'it's fine but doesn't work as hard as it used to do a few years ago'........he could so easily have been talking about me.
Whilst he was engaging me in conversation I was trying to get number 1 off to catch the school bus whilst endeavouring to instill a sense or urgency into his sister who was still selecting her outfit for the day.   Because of 'Children in Need' they were excused school uniform and had to take some money for the priviledge which went to Children in Need.   Her outfit had to be in blue and look COOL.   When I brought my own two boys up many years ago they would have gone to school in a plastic bag but she makes life difficult as she actually cares what she wears - Oh! how will we cope when she's 16?   Help!

old photographs

I decided to clear out my wardrobe today and sent some things to the cleaners and/or the charity shop but I found it a bit depressing that many of my favourite things did not have a lot of room in them - to be truthful
they didn't fit as well as they used to ie., I have become fat!   Well!  enough of that, I quickly became side tracked by a big box of old photographs from the days when we did not have digital cameras.  In those days we managed to keep everything for years and years; whereas now Picaso or its equivalent manages to eat up great stacks of them which we don't notice until it is too late to retrieve them.   I love having a digital camera which produces everything immediately but there is always a down side.
However today I found a picture of my mother (who died some years ago) which was taken in the 1920's so that my father could send it home to his parents to show them the girl he had decided to marry.   Our mother
always appears to have been oldish as we have no memory of ourselves as babies or her as a young mother but in this picture my mum looks so beautiful; and this was in the days when cameras were not so sophisticated, hairdressers for someone of my mothers class were unheard of and only those with 'a reputation' wore any kind of make up or lipstick.  So there she is completely unadorned and simply dressed and looking like a million dollars.   Even my teenage grandchildren and my ancient husband agreed.

A Royal Wedding

Great news about a Royal Wedding in the Spring.  It is just what the country needs before the Olympic Games
to bring in lots of dollars and euros as all flock to London to looksee.   Only an old cynic could possibly think that someone in high places might have whispered in their ears that this would be a good time to tie the knot.  I am so happy that my grandaughter will see her first Royal Wedding, she will be sooooo interested in the fashions. She would like to be a bridesmaid but I had to tell her that as she isn't a close relative she doesn't stand much of a chance.  I will have to wrestle her daddy to the floor for permission to watch it on their cinema size screen with HD and whatever  - short only of a lady selling popcorn!   If all else fails she will have to watch with the oldies on their rather old fashioned set.   Bets are being places as to the venue and surely it must be Westminster Abbey but they might just go for St George's Windsor which would look pretty spectacular as pictures are flashed around the world.

This is your life!

Someone sent me this today and I like it though the advice is a bit late for me with 40plus years of happy marriage behind me - some of it is good stuff though for the wingers of this world.

THIS IS YOUR LIFE- do what you love and do it often.
THIS IS YOUR LIFE - if you don't like something change it.
If you don't like your job, quit it.
If you don't have enough time -  stop watching television.
I f you are looking for the love of your life - STOP IT.
They will be waiting for you WHEN you start doing all the things you love.

New House

I have had an interesting time recently looking at houses in Australia!  Not in person.   Just over 12 years ago when I got my first PC I agreed to write to a lady my own age who lived in New South Wales via email.  We exchanged greetings
and family news and found our notes becoming more frequent as we discovered more about each others lives, family and countries.  About three years ago after attending a language school in Italy (she now writes to an Italian lady in Italian!) her flight back to Oz had a stop over of 1 night in London so my dear one and I went down to meet up with her.   We recognised each other immediately and were in each others company for about 8 hours or so and never once stopped talking.   However I digress.   This year she decided to sell her small house on the coast and help her son and his wife buy a bigger property with a granny flat for her; so I have spent a long time on the computer looking at the houses they were looking at and enthused when the sale was going well and comforted her when they were beaten at the post.   However, this week it looks as though a sale is going through on a wonderful house with pool in Hornsby Heights, on the outskirts of Sydney.   I feel so thrilled you might think I had bought the house and was about to move but sadly half a million pounds is beyond my pocket and Oz is a very long way for an Anglophile.

Reverend Mother

Some years ago I was intending to write some items about interesting events in the lives of my friends - nothing much came of my intentions but today I found some old notes and here is an amusing extract from the story of a very dear friend - a Sister of Mercy.
      Quote:-   After 6 years away from my convent, studying, I went back home to await my next posting.
      At my first Council Meeting I found we were to try and appoint a Superior for the Mother House and we
       were told the Sisters had especially asked for someone who was not too well organised - in other words             they did not want to be too regimented.   By 11 o'clock that night after many votes I found myself to
       be the new Superior - after 6 years absence I was in a very powerful position.   I can still remember
       all the laughter and jokes directed at me and my shocked face.   My first act as the Superior was to go
       down into the store and bring back a bottle of brandy and all the sisters toasted me - I felt I needed it!

        A lovely story from a lovely lady.

another birthday

It's a week of celebrations in our house with three birthdays in the same week.   You can have enough of cakes, candles, cards, presents, phone calls........no not really, it's been an amazing week with a lot of love and caring surrounding we birthday people.   I opened my first gift and immediately spotted the famous letters YSL on the box...enough -  I'm happy.
Watched the rugby this afternoon with the dear one but BBC covered the Wales v South Africa match (not complaining) as we refuse to put money into the pocket of Mr Murdoch for SKY so we get what we pay for.
We can catch up with the England game later.

Mount Merapi

I have just looked at some pictures on the internet of the aftermath of the erruptions of Mount Merapi in Indonesia which began on October 25th.   Many people have lost their homes, hundreds are injured and 140 dead, yet with all the fuss about student protests, sport incidents and the X Factor we have heard very little of the trauma in this country -  are we losing our caring gene?   I hope the rest of the International community haven't lost theirs!

Remembrance Day - Lest we forget.

Cold, very wet with fierce winds attacking you as you walk - must have been like this for the men in the trenches as everytime you look at a picture or see a newsreel....it's always wet and muddy.   I went to visit the war graves
 a few years ago and it was a very moving experience.   Ypres, Arras and Albert - all famous names.   The mighty Thiepval Memorial arch inscribed with more than a million names of British soldiers whose bodies are still missing in the mud of Pachendale and the Somme.   Very moving and something every youngster should strive to see before they begin to think war might be the answer to any disagreement between nations instead of talk, talk.

                   'In Flanders fields the poppies grow
                   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.'

                                 RIP.............thank you

Quiet please!

I went into Bath today which it must be said is a pretty wonderful place to shop for almost anything you might possibly want.   I lived there for a while and have never got over it.   Shops are already decorated for Christmas and by the looks of the crowds in them today, doing well.   I quickly tired of the Christmas music(?) in the very first shop I went into, so after a while came out without buying and went further down the street and into another department store ....only to hear the very same tune as I had walked out on.  Max Erhmann said a long time ago - 'Go placidly amid the noise and haste of the city but remember what peace there may be in silence.'
I remember but sadly none of the commercial centres do.

A strange day.

We were all up and about early celebrating Georgi's birthday before everyone went their separate ways.
My way was to go for a swim (which I did) then come home and do a really good clean of the house (long overdue).  Came home after swim and coffee to find a bag full of filthy rugger clothes and a note saying they were needed again this evening - panic - but some time later they made it into the dryer.   Gas man appeared
(3 HOURS EARLY) to check out the heating boiler closely followed by the man from EON to read the metres; which meant more removal of furniture to get to the said metres.   It does not matter how many times we tell EON we will take our own readings and post them on line; they always agree and then send the metre man!  By now it has been a long morning and I haven't got around to doing any cleaning so a quick mop of the kitchen floor and forget the rest.

Birthday carried on this evening with cake, candles,  more cards and gifts and a visit to the theatre to see 'The Sound of Music' - it has been declared 'the best birthday ever'....she's only had 11.   What will we do next year? 

The church in Crisis!

Is the church in crisis?   Well if you read todays press - Yes, big time.   If you are an everyday member of the church then I think  - No, would likely be your answer.   So, four Bishops in the Anglican church are about to move over to Rome, well three actually as one is already retired.   They are also reported to be taking large numbers of laity with them - the last time this happened and it has happened about ten years ago almost everyone came back within a year.   It is very sad; but  it is quite normal that when people disagree they choose act by either fighting the situation from where they are ie., inside.....or they decide to leave and 'never darken the doors again'
What we must do as members of the church is fight for their right to do whatever they wish and not condemn them for their actions.   The church always grows when put under pressure so who knows they might be doing us a favour.  God Bless them all in their decisions.

A Clear Day!

Got up early and begin a thorough search of the study for my glasses and eventually whilst lying flat out on the floor I found they had dropped down behind the back of the desk and firmly wedged between skirting board and desk.   With perseverence and patience they were extracted without damage and after a wash and shine my life became easier as I sat down to read the Sunday newspaper.   Perhaps it isn't such a good idea after all to be able to read all the doom and gloom of the front page.  
 

A rainy day

Not an easy day as I have lost my reading glasses - just a temporary thing hopefully.   It's just because I am getting old and I can't remember where I put them.  
Had a lovely swim this morning in an empty pool, followed by meditation in the steam room - able to enjoy this morning as no half wit had come on duty and seen their duty was to switch on music to everywhere in the kingdom - there is nothing worse than going in for an early swim and having to endure someone else's choice of music (?).   What is wrong with silence in the UK?
Our dear friends are back today from a visit to their daughter in Brazil and I am looking forward to hearing about it - especially as they were visiting during the election campaign which according to the media was 'lively' as like the Spanish they are quick to take to the streets in their thousands.   We don't seem to be able to do that without fighting the Police and each other.   Off to bed now with a magnifying glass for my late night read!
I refuse to get any older as it is difficult enough now.

Fireworks Day!

It is just  like a war zone around our house - one would think that when money is short fireworks would be the last thing on the list but not around here where hundreds of pounds worth have gone up in smoke since about 5 o'clock this evening.   Not from me as I am still feeling a little fragile after a bad dose of swine flu - OK not swine flu, just a cold but the rest of the family took off to a bonfire party and had their share of hot chocolate and toffee apples etc.,   They all came home soaked to the skin so the dear old washing machine had to snap to attention at 10.30pm:  jeans, tops, socks and hats are now festooned around the kitchen.
Cold or not I am going for a swim in the morning - my mother always used to tell us to move around a lot when we had a cold as  the exercise was good for it and it has taken me all these years to realise that she just did not want us all decorating the sofas feeling sorry for ourselves.

I'm almost ill!

Woke up this morning with a bass/baritone voice and a bunged up nose - oh no, a cold.   Dosed myself up to the eyes and went to do a tour this afternoon.   I was doing quite well until my voice suddenly and completely disappeared causing a great deal of giggling from the pupils, struggled on as it was almost the end of the tour and then to my embarrassment my mobile began to trill from inside my pocket.   'You can't answer it can you Miss, you've lost your voice?' came from one little smart alec.   Kids are so sweet.   However the tour came to an end and the children politely thanked me and went off back to school.   Except for a small number, most of the children I meet from day to day are very well behaved and a credit to their teachers.

Shopping

Just remembered we will have 4 birthdays before Christmas so off I set today to find some ideas.
Nope!   I did not sort it all out and come home laden with gifts, in fact after researching a few ideas
the alarm bells attacked our ears and via a disembodied voice we were asked to leave the mall as quickly as possible and like good Brits everyone made their way calmly to the nearest exits.   As soon as my 'dear one' felt the fresh air on his face he made a beeline for the car saying in a relieved tone of voice it could be hours before the problem was sorted!
Well!  I couldn't argue with that so we came home.   Looking back and pondering as you do, I suddenly realised most of the things were in Christmas wrapping or presentation boxes anyway, it might have to be hard cash in an envelope - it always appears to be well received.
We had a letter from British Gas this morning: to tell us our gas boiler was ready for inspection urgently and we should 'phone as soon as possible (if not before!)    Called to them later to be told as we are not having trouble they would come and inspect it in a couple of weeks!    Obviously 'urgently' has changed it's meaning.

Moustaches!!

Oh! no, my son is growing a mustache for the November awareness of men's health.   A very worthy cause and I salute him but who can miss the great oportunities of taking the p... during the next four weeks.
I have 'googled' dozens of pictures of strange looking men with their mos from Adolf to Salvador Dali and aim to send him just a few - to encourage him you understand!
It's been a good day overall.    Went for a swim this morning and managed 25+ lengths before I was forced to stagger out of the pool claiming shortage of breath because of my cold.   Cold didn't stop me shopping for a ton of things on the way home - is there going to be a siege?   If so we have plenty of stuff.
Started making some Christmas Cards this afternoon which was relaxing and creative.   Good eh?
It is very peaceful in our house this evening.   One at football, one at rugby training, one acting chauffeur
so just my dear one and I for supper and an hour of TV before they all rush home again.

It's Monday again!

Isn't Stephen Fry a stupid man?    You know the one who knows how to keep his name in the news but then bleets about being misquoted.    Now aparently he knows all about women and sex - well some homeosexual men do but you are not one of them Stephen.
His latest offering to the world is his sadness that we don't hang around smellie lavatories and woods with all the rest of the saddos who have to rely on total strangers for gratification.
Unlike you Stephen, we can have sex from any man at any time in the comfort of a warm bed or anywhere else we care to choose.   I feel better having gotten rid of that rant.
It is a really beautiful day where I live.   I took myself off to the local Garden Centre this morning to buy food for orchids, garlick to plant for next year and various other things like bulbs etc., but here the whole place was decorated up for Christmas, complete with flashing lights and music and dates when you can expect to see Santa there.  Oh dear!   I know we like to get ready for major festivals early but it is only 'All Saints' Day' and two full months before the feast.   I had better stop -  I obviously got out of bed at the wrong side this morning.

Sunday

A lot of people in church this morning - perhaps it was the extra hour in bed that got them all moving?   Max played rugby this morning and his team was soundly beaten but at least he had a free lunch which seemed to compensate him a little!
Georgi decorated a small cake with chocolate spread and wallnuts - it looked good.
Waldo Emerson 19c  said,  'Finish each day and be done with it.  You have done what you could
Some blunders might have crept in; forget them as soon as you can.'
He also said:   'Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely.'     I go for that.

Saturday

Clocks back tonight.   Bad news:  I do not like the long dark nights.   Good day today.  I had a long swim this morning then coffee and a short rest before lunch and out to head a tour; met some interesting people as usual.
Watched 'Strictly Come Dancing' tonight;  the costumes were weird (even on Halloween Night), the music didn't seem to match the dances and Anne Widdecombe has become a BIG JOKE that's not funny any more.  I hated it.   Kids in bed insisting they will be up at the crack of dawn -  I don't think so.

Friday

Horrid day today, high winds and torrential rain.   Our tree in the front garden looks as though it is on the point of falling over - it's leaning dangerously; but thankfully even if it goes to ground it is in a position that will not harm
anything or anyone except perhaps for one of the many cats who use our garden as their public toilet.   Cats,
though with their sixth sense rarely get into any kind of danger from falling items - they are too sharp by far.

Georgi and I made a lemon drizzle cake today which is a huge success and is disappearing rapidly - mainly into Georgi's tummy!

Wednesday

Decided to take Max and Georgi into town this afternoon - I did suggest we all went to the garden centre and I still can't believe they refused to go!    It is strange taking a teenage boy to the shops as no matter what he looks at he never wants to buy anything (perhaps because we didn't go to PC WORLD).   His sister on the other hand wants to buy something from every shop - you can never have enough of anything and she constanty bemoans having to live without whatever catches her eye.   I am a mixture of the two of them -  I want everything and buy nothing.
I am looking forward to the cricket from Oz in a week or so but however much I insist I will listen to the comentaries live - I know that I won't.  It will be all second hand news for me.

Tuesday

Just watched a programme about young people and the ever serious problem of drug taking.
It doesn't reall matter if you take drugs in the privacy of your own home involving no one but yourself.  
You are still ensuring that an industry based on exploitation, fear and murder is perpetuated and
prospers.    Perpetuated by YOU.

Monday

Beautiful bright, sunny day.   Took a £50 note out with me to buy a few things for the kids and spent it in the first shop!    Jeans, boots, shoes and a pair of pyjamas and lo I had to top it up.
It made me a bit cross today to read in the paper that Bristol City Museum , Manchester University Museum and others had covered up their display of unwrapped mummies and removed an Iron Age bog body and a skeleton of a child with rickets and 'Seventeen other museums are becoming increasingly nervous about displaying ancient human remains.'   Apparently a small group from the Pagan Organisation Honouring the Ancient Dead have complained.   Perhaps other people remember when we ceased to live in a free country.

Sunday

Very cold today when I came out of church and was waiting for the bus - I thought I didn't have time for coffee
so went straight to the bus stop - guess what? the wretched bus was 5 minutes late....time for two coffees.
Lots of folk from the congregation had arranged to go walking in the woods:   I might have joined them but unlike me they were all ready with a change of clothes and footwear.    I noticed that not one of the would be hikers was a day under 50+ but as someone once said - 'being  'over the hill'  is much better than being under it".
I agree entirely.

A 'flu jab

I went to the doctor this morning for a 'flu jab:   I was sitting amongst about 50/60 people when I arrived and that number remained fairly constant as people came and went; but it was all very efficiently organised and I was out of there in less than 10 minutes.   Whatever short falls the NHS might have we are lucky to live in a country where we are offered at no immediate cost, protective treatment of this nature.
I hit the shops yesterday in search of a posh blouse, brightly coloured, with sleeves and a neck high enough not to show the world my ageing busoms.   Not easy, in fact almost impossible but after falling into a seat for a strong coffee and 15 minutes spent just staring at people, I found myself outside M and S and decided as a last resort on the way to the car and defeat to have a quick look.   Geronimo! after years of being let down by them I found the very thing I was looking for - bought it and went off in some high spirits.

Strange!

We are living in strange times when our nation's economy is seriously threatened yet the media is dominated by one young man who is not playing 'footie' very well at the moment but who wants to be payed almost a million pounds a month in wages.   Sadly he'll get it.
I have a free day tomorrow so I'm hitting the shops for a while.

cold and frost morning....

It was really frosty this morning and soooo cold, just 2 degrees in Bristol but by late morning the sun was shining and the temps had risen to a more respectable number.   I don't like cold days as I seem to lose energy which I can onlybe restored when the sun shines - it sounds a bit pathetic but it does appear to be true.
Georgi went to the centenary celebration of the Guide Movement this evening and enjoyed it very much.
Millions of children have benefitted through 100 years of Scouting and Guiding.
A friend came in for supper and we enjoyed a long exchange of tales and pictures getting us up to date with our
life as it is today.   She nurses people in the last stages of their life and says everyone thinks it must be a most depressing job but not so as it shows patients and their families at their very best.   She has been taking care of a lady for some weeks who died during her night duty last night and her last words before she actually died were 'thank you nurse'.......which both she and I found very moving.

I'm getting old.....

I was working with children yesterday for 5 hours and was exhausted by 'cuppa tea time' however it was interesting and mainly the children aged 9 plus or minus were very good but there's always one!   In art work he stated he didn't like colours and refused to put anything on the page bar his name and later when out sketching he crawled under the shrubs and scribbled on an ancient grave stone.   Little vandal.   I wish his school would (could) ban him from any future outing making him stay behind and do some maths or perhaps ask he and his parents to clean up his graffiti.  I doubt they will do that or maybe they're not allowed to treat the little nasty in the way he should be treated.
I went for a swim this morning.  Pool was almost empty, water lovely and warm but the sound system thundered out loud rap music(?).   Why on earth could anyone think you need that row to accompany your swim?   Two lengths and I was out of there....sad.   Rather negative so far but hey there is always this afternoon.   

Negative day

Poor Max was left on the bench today for most of the game in which his team lost heavily.  He looks as though he has been beaten up now that his bruises around his nose and cheeks have taken on various hues - mostly dark blue.  I decided to catch the bus to church but it was 'late leaving the depot' - however I decided to chance getting there just a little late but just before my stop we were detoured off a short way as the builders were erecting a temporary cabin to advertise games on line or some such thing.   Got to Cathedral very late to find it was the Law Courts service and all had changed so I had coffee on the water front and got the next bus home.
On the positive side it was a really beautiful day.

Minor panic

Minor panic today when Max fell over the handlebars of his bike and ran in with blood pouring from his face;
a wipe over found nothing really hurt but his pride.   Now some hours have passed he looks a bit bashed about but he is determined to be up early and off to rugby as he's on the team sheet tomorrow so no doubt he'll be home at lunch time sporting more bruises to add to his war wounds.  I hope we don't get a visit from the NSPCC especially as his sister just back from an outward bound holiday is also covered in scars and bruises  from her adventures absailing, canoeing, climbing and so on and so on......

In the city.

Spent the day in the big city today stepping dangerously between the cyclists in this 'cycle friendly city' - I'm too scared to go very often now they are swarming everywhere- except of course on the road!
Had lunch with a party of Germans from Hanover, very charming but they ate as though they were never going to eat again - even English food seemed to suit them.   I haven't had 'Coronation chicken' for years but they all
woofed it down.   Very nice.
I have booked a flu jab for next week but was told I would be given a swine flu jab at the same time unless of course I refused to have it.   I can't stop thinking the Government bought in too much of the serum last year when they were suggesting we were going into a pandemic and now want to use it.   I will have to think about this before next Saturday but I suspect I will go for the two (just in case!).

School

I am really enjoying school nowadays through the eyes of my grandchildren and far more than I did when I was there.   Tonight we have been looking at Illuminated letters and with the help of the PC we looked at some real treasures - I somehow don't think my grandson's effort is going to look anything like these!
We also looked at the solar system and saw some amazing pictures from the space station.   I would love to go off in the morning with my PE kit and lots of books but the thing that puts me right off is the other blurddy kids!!

An exciting day!

What joy to see the pictures on TV of the miners being brought safely back into the world again thanks to the great skills of the amazing engineers who have worked so hard during the past weeks - how will the men ever be able to thank them?   I hope the constant demands of the greedy world media will not spoil things for them and their families.
It has been a cold day today with the threat of the dark nights looming ahead as we prepare to put our clocks back at the end of the month -  I wish we did not have to do this. 
I have cleared the last of the summer flowers and vegetables and am preparing to plant some winter bulbs because I know come next March I will be desperate to see some kind of new life and colour coming into our lives.

Autumn Colours

I read in the Newspaper this morning that director of the National Arboretum in the Cotswolds said 'The Autumn colour may be a little later this year owing to mild weather, but it is now flourishing'.    I have just spent the last three days driving around the Cotswolds, camera at the ready to take in the changing colours of the wonderful trees but I have to say I did not take one picture with a hint of colour change.   You can never believe what you read in the papers! or perhaps I went to the wrong Cotswolds!   However I did take some lovely pictures of the lush green trees and grass which we saw everywhere.

The fire alarm

Just spent the weekend in a very large hotel which was quite full with visitors.   On Saturday night a 02.30am the fire alarms sounded loud and long.   My dear one and I got out of bed, put on our specs and set off down the corridor as instructed by the notice on the back of our bedroom door, towards the 'meeting place'.  We arrived to find ourselves the only ones there with lights going on and off in the building and the footsteps of the staff as they rushed up and down the stairs.   It got colder as the minutes ticked by but still nobody joined us and eventually a member of staff informed us that it was a false alarm and we could go back to bed.   We have debated since then - was it because we looked such an odd little old couple, she in caftan (acting as dressing gown) clutching handbag and he sporting his 'Costa Blanca' Teeshirt with badly matched baggy shorts? ...had some people honestly not heard the alarm.......or don't people read 'what to do in case of fire'.. or do they just not believe anything bad could happen to them?......................I'll have to settle for the fact that we looked scaringly odd!

Weekend

I am packing three small bags this morning for three people who are going away for a couple of days to different venues and what a chore it is - you might as well pack for a month.   It's all the little things like mobile chargers bits and pieces for all seasons that are so irritating.   When I get myself organised (one day!) I will always have a bag on standby so as I can just pick it up from the cupboard in the hall and walk out of the door.
Sadly, that will never happen.   Bad news, I think I am starting a cold.   

Big Draw Day

Interesting day today when we took 150 children on a 'big draw' in the Cathedral.   It is really funny what some of the children found interesting and in almost every case the most able drew something quite simple whilst the least able attempted a most intricate window or carving to reproduce.   One small autistic child spent the whole
morning crouched under a prayer desk and drew more attention from the other children than the art work.
I am looking forward to visiting the Cotswolds this weekend, camera at the ready for some autumn shots but around here in the outskirts of the city it is still very green.

Shopping

A bathing suit ....Ureka!   Most of the assistants in the High Street shops I visited laughed at me and with me.   I was searching  for a  Swim suit during the worst month of the year so I was informed----------'We're making room for Halloween goods and then Christmas'  I was told by one bemused young girl.  In M and S a very kind lady assistant told me she was looking for one herself - 'Tell me if you see any she laughed'.   I finally tracked one down.in the shop where I go to the gym.    We oldies might not be as energetic as we were but we are very tenacious!    It's a bit boring in a plain navy  blue but - hey!  it's a swimsuit after all these weeks.

Why?

Dreary morning -  foretaste of what's to come in the months ahead.  I have been on the hunt for inexpensive bathing suits which my grandaughter grows out of in weeks but I am told by the famous Superstores that October isn't a swimming season?   What?   I swim at least three times every week and so do all my family -
we might have to resort to 'skinny dipping' and with that thought I can't write more for laughing hysterically.
I'm off now into the big city to run the gauntlet of the pavement bike riders and try to locate some swimsuits.

A Busy Day

At first light I managed to help my grandaughter to the coach taking her to Wales on an 'adventure holiday' -
I was so thankful that in the end we didn't have to phone 'Pickfords' to help us with all her stuff.   Clothes and shoes and boots for all weathers, coats and hoodies and waterproofs,  socks long and short, daps for walking into water, towels of every size and hue........oh! I do hope she has enough!
Number 2 son home from Las Vegas not knowing what day it is after a ten hour flight - now he doesn't know whether to go to bed as he's not sure what time zone he is in!   He has to be taken to the airport in the morning to catch a flight for Dublin.   Number 1 son has to leave the house at 6.00am to be on a job in Bath before the impossible transport system kicks in.   Grandson to be taken to school bus.   You know 5 years ago we decided to retire and I rashly thought of days in the country or in foreign lands.  
I did not realise that the despite changes in the work load there would be no cheque at the end of each month.
I certainly can't grow old 'cos I haven't got the time.   

Mock the Week

I have just got round to watching 'Mock the Week' - a good show but what a week for hairstyles.
Dara O Briain's hair is disappearing fast but Andy Parson's disappeared so long ago he has not one hair on his head, Chris Addison looked as though his perm had failed, the beautiful Nigerian Andi Osho had red henna on one side of her hair and the other side shaven.   Jack Whitehall sitting next to her looked as though his hairdresser had run off with his money before he finished the job and Carl Donnelly looked just like my old auntie in Leeds with full head of curls and the uncertain look that wondered if she had gone too far this time.
Hugh Dennis on top form though especially when doing his voices for the Queen and Prince Philip.
It is good to go to bed after a good laugh which hangs around you for quite a time.

Busy day

I have had a busy day today - missed my swim this morning as I just did not have time - bad news about that but I can catch up next week.   I am packing four cases for next week and it's driving me mad as I keep putting  things in the wrong cases.   It seemed like a good idea to put all the cases in the spare room and drop things in them whenever I remember but it does not seem to be working out  -  the first case, packed with kit for an 'activity week' holiday is due to leave the house on Monday morning.   Embarrassing if pink flowery disco top ends up in that one.
I toured a small party around the cathedral this afternoon which proved interesting for me and I hope for them.
Two people from Berkshire, three from Cornwall a local family and a lady from New Zealand, just a lovely bunch of folk.
Tonight we had chips for supper - naughty but nice!

Weather

I had a text from our son in Las Vegas today reporting that the temperature there is 34c later I skyped my sister in law in South Africa to hear they have 32c and then an email from a friend in Portugal told me of 28c today with a little light rain.   Oh! shame, we have had torrential rain all day where I am with temperature at best 14c.
We do have an awful lot to be thankful for in our little Islands but the weather isn't really opne of them.   Never mind tomorrow is another day in the life of...............

Celebration

We as a family went out for a celebration meal last evening and had a wonderful time. We don't do these get togethers often enough in our family now that we are scattered.   Today our son has gone off to Las Vegas with a group of friends for yet another celebration - hope he remembers he's supposed to work for a living when he arrives back at Heathrow next week.                                                                                                                                                                 

Autumn

This is the time of year when our lovely country changes it's clothes and it becomes even more beautiful, even in the cities the trees light up the streets with orange long before the street lights switch on.   Out in the parks or the countryside is the place to be of course clutching camera and flask of coffee.  

A good day.

We woke up to autumnal mist today but it soon gave way to glorious sunshine and reasonably good temperatures - Oooh! I hope it lasts.
We have a celebration day tomorrow, our son flies in from Dublin to join us for a meal in town in the evening with the rest of the family.    Today I heard that my sister in law was free from cancer cells after 6 months of chemotherapy and my friend in Australia became a grandmother to baby Hugo -  so celebrations all round.

A Day in London

Went to London yesterday by coach and it was a nightmare.  The coach dropped us at the V and A we where we found an exhibition of the Grace Kelly years - sadly it was booked up with just one ticket available for the next tour.   Not problem we decided to do the Raphael exhibition instead which was free but when we actually reached the entrance we were told we still needed tickets which were available in the entrace hall.- no hope of my husband doing the return journey so we did our own short tour which was very interesting.  Eventually we decided to join the fight for refreshments - very expensive and not that good.
Took the touring bus in the afternoon but the rain forced us all undercover and we eventually alighted in a packed Trafalgar square.   My sandal broke and I was unable to walk easily so we tried to find a taxi,impossible!  so waited half an hour for a bus which took more than an hour to get back across to the V and A and made us late for the coach home.   How stressful the journey across London became as we wondered whether they would wait for us or whether we would have to take out a mortgage and find a train to return to Bristol.   Hey, Ho, they waited bless them but we had to run the gauntlet of the full coach apologising profusely as we found our seats.   Another visit.....not for quite a time.

Shut up...please.

I am sick of Richard Dawkins, Peter Tatchell, Stephen Fry and other 'free thinkers' telling me their
opinions at great length and too often.   I am free too, to believe whatever I want to.
'Heart speaks to heart' - indeed it does but they and their friends could never speak to my heart.
This has been a good day, the sun is shining, I went for a long swim first thing, followed it with coffee and cake and then retired to the chair with the Saturday Telegraph - looking forward to fish and chips for supper!
Off to London tomorrow to the V and A - exciting.

Outer Space

On a day when your ego's in bloom it's always good  to look at pictures of outer space.   'Astro Wheels'
on Twitter has the most outstanding shots taken from the space station.

Helping hands

I am proud to belong to the only country in the world who has not reneged on Gift Aid despite aggressive recession.   The only way to heal the world and our own families is to help each other.

Schools today

Went to look at senior schools yesterday with my grandaughter - it was exhausting but I was very impressed
with the children selected to be our guides, they were smart, friendly and knowledgeable, a credit to their school.
We hear so much in this country about low standards in schools so I was shocked and amazed by the amount of  resources they had.   I mused for the rest of the day on how on earth I was educated without all that back up
equipment way back when even our paper was rationed. 
.