The Youngest Grandchild

My word its still cold out there and the snow is still on the ground ,is it waiting for more ?

The little girl,on the bed is Emma ,she is my sister Jeans little grandaughter ,she is playing with her Grannys collection of Dolls .She has a sister Rachel ,Rachel and I share a birthday,which is rather nice as her mother,Joanne(Jo) is my goddaughter as well as my neice.When my sister Jean was having her second baby ,She had a son first ,Gary ,her husband Pete who was a long distance lorry driver,well when the babys birth was close Petes boss very kindly let him do local  runs ,Ar but the baby was quite happy where she was,and Jean went overdue ,me in a moment of weakness said if Pete couldnt be there ,of course I would !! and Petes boss ran out of local runs ,so on this particular day he sent Pete further afield ,no problem we had all decided Jean was going to be pregnant for ever !! At the time I worked in a filling station ,"dumdumdumdum Esso blue"putting tigers into tanks  ,and Jean looked after my then three year old Kate,I arrived with my little Kate,A voice came out of Jeans bathroom ,Jan Ive started can you take Kate and Gary to Pollys ......then come back to me (Polly was/is Jeans friend )the nurse is on her way !!,Oh me and my big mouth !! PANIC ,no keep calm ,this is your little sister ,!!!

In due course the Doctor arrived ,and Jean was safely delivered of a dear little girl , and I saw her first(says she smugly) Joanne a sister for Gary and a cousin for Mark ,Derek ,Sharon,and Catherine ,so now between us we have six children ,we did so much together with them ,now they are grown with familys of their own they are all still in touch,and get together when ever they can .

I tell this story on the aniversary of the death of our dear Mum ,she would have loved you little Emma and would have been in there helping you dress those dollys ,Its fifteen years since you left us ,and we miss you still ,but we ,your family are still close and remember the things you taught us .

    With Love to you all Jan xx       

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Thats life !!

Another sunny day ,the only thing is there is alot of snow underfoot ,that doesnt seem to want to go !I have to admit I dont like it ,I worry about people who have to travel. I woke up this morning... feeling ,well I dont know .....not quite headachey ,but as if I have another cold ,I feel hot and muzzy,so that decided me ,between how I feel and the conditions on the roads I rang in to say I wasnt going in to work ,I feel abit bad ,but at the same time ,sometimes you have to get your prioritys right ,it was the last day I was to work and if Im ill standing about waiting for buses to come home ,etc Im sure you know what Im getting at , I seem to have been doing this entry all morning ,First Jean rang so we had a nice girly chat ,about everything and nothing ,then friend Jackie rang ,upset,they have had their car stolen overnight .Surely not for joyriding ,in this weather !they had almost decided that John wouldnt be driving for much longer ,each year it amazed us by getting through its MOT yet again ,so now the decision has been made for them ,which is sad really it should have been their decision ,and not the b*****,who think they can help them selves to other folks property.Reading through this entry it strikes me its not exactly full of sunshine and light ,I think Id better close before I depress you all further !! With Love Jan xx XX

Happy Chri........oh its gone !!

Well my friends its nearly over for another year ,We will soon be saying goodbye to another year and welcoming in yet another one ,it is so true the older you get the quicker it goes .

Ive been trying all day to do an entry, and add some of the many pictures,I have taken over the last few days but I cant find them !Oh I know they are there we looked at them on the slide show thingy,but when I go to add pictures for the journal I cant find them !I know Im doing something very basic very wrong !So will leave it today and try another time as Im just making myself more and more cross !

I received some lovely presents ,hope you all did too !Maurice bought me a Web Cam ,and a rather nice scarf (to wear with sweaters )not winter muffler type !I had lots of bath goodys and some rather nice stationary and £95 worth of M&S vouchers ,from various members of the family ,they know how to please me ,so I shall be dancing in the isles at M&S any day now !!Books chocs and wine ,so Im a very lucky old gal !

Yesterday morning was busy, ringing up all the family grandchildren coming onto the phone all excited ,we then went into Peterborough hospital to see a friend of Maurices who is terminally ill with cancer ,Poor Mike hes in good spirits ,and very resigned ,but so sad as we were on our way to have Christmas lunch with my eldest son and his wife Chrissy ,Mike was going to try and eat some custard ,thats about all he could tolerate !he has a syringe driver for his morphine ,and I am so pleased that pain relief is so much better controlled nowadays . We got to Mark and Chrissys were I wasnt allowed to do anything ,so just sat back and was waited on and served a delicious dinner ,it was so nice to spend the time with them ,we set of for home early evening ,didnt want to be caught in a fog ,there had been a pea souper the previous night as often is in the Fens when ,there isnt any anywhere else ,all the drains and rivers,as it happened it was a very clear night with one very bright star ,leading us home ! We had a night together in front of the tv ,though very disapointed at the stuff thats been on ,Chrissy gave me some turkey to bring home so I made another sort of Christmas dinner today,and we spent some of the time listening to new cd;s , Maurice has now gone off to work !!So Im home alone ,me and the dog ,and the tele and you all my dear friends,so talking of tele thats what Im going to do ,I might even do some knitting ,just think no cards to write, no pressies to wrap, no pressure.So on that happy note ,enjoy the evening as I plan to .

     With Love Jan xx  

Has he been yet ?

A very happy Christmas eve everyone ,I cant believe I havent done an entry for six days ,though I managed to keep up with the alerts and comments ,just !I didnt even turn the commputer on ,on Monday and Wednesday ,both of those days I worked and went out in the evening ,so the following days were spent playing catchup !!I think everything is under control now ,So as I promised Ally ..........

My Dad loved to sing ,in my head there is a whole song book of songs he sang ,what ever he was doing hed be either singing or whistling ,though if I were to whistle hed say ,stop that ! "A whistling woman and a crowing hen ,neither any good to God nor men !!!" When I was really small ,(and remember the war was still on) ,this was the song he sang to me every Christmas.

I met a little fellow with a letter in his hand, he asked me if Id post it in the box to fairy land , So I  slipped it in the mail box for that little curly head it seemed to make him happy as he smiled and said .......Im sending a letter to Santa Claus ,a letter I hope he;ll recieve ,he;ll get alot of letters for playthings from other girls and boys ,But I want my soldier Daddy who;s better than all those toys ,So Im sending a letter to Santa Claus to bring Daddy safely home to me !                    (Is that sad enough for you? dear Ally !)

Well I guess thats it for today ,still things to do, as Im sure you all have so I wont hold you up any longer,except to say   have a lovely day tomorrow ,and thankyou to all my lovely J land friends ,for all the pleasure you have given me .......With all my love ,                     Have blessed Christmas time                      Jan xx 

Not long now

Goodmorning everyone ,Maurice came in at about six fifty this morning,and after a quick cuppa .Went to bed and is sound asleep ;so Im busy finding quiet persuits ,so I wont desturb him ,though he does sleep quite soundly once hes off ! I was busy last evening  after hed gone to work ,putting up even more strings of Christmas cards ,I found the tree ,and lights but not the baubles !!Hmm ?no doubt at the back of the hall cupboard ;I also wrapped up most of the presents ,to be passed around the family when we assemble at Sharons pub ,tomorrow night ,as you will see the two big bags ready to take!right thats explained most of the pictures !The fairy ,I hear you say what is that ?!!Well Charlotte my eleven year old ,and only Grandaughter ,(eight grandsons!) made the fairy when she was four ,at play group,and though her doilly dress is getting very yellow and the tinsel is not as bright as it once was ,I love her !although Charlotte fanes embarrasment when she sees her ,I know she is secretly pleased to see her again ,and pleased to know I keep her year by year .I used to have another fairy,but she got lost ....!She was the butt of a lot of jokes ,especially when my kids were teenagers ,they would love to point her out to their friends To look at her she was quite nice with pretty wings ,nice blonde hair ,and a lacy dress ,but on closer inspection she was found to have cross eyes and green knickers !! As I say she was lost for many years ,and then she appeared a couple of years ago ;with my daughter Catherine s (you know my Kate ) tree stuck up her posteriar ,!Theres my fairy I shriek ,amidst her laughter Kate said you gave her to me !did I?I might have done ??Mothers do strange things lol ....did I ?HMM

THE SUN IS SHINING HERE ,SO HAVE A BLESSED SUNDAY

        With Love from Jan xxxxx

Caroling through J-Land

Donna ,of nightmaremom fame ,suggests we do an entry entitled Caroling through J-Land ,with our favourite carol ............So I have chosen ..Away in a manger ,no crib for a bed ,the little Lord Jesus lays down his sweet head .

On December 11th  1961 ,my second baby boy was born .twenty months after the birth of his big brother Mark .Derek was born in a big house ,where at that time one floor was taken over as a Maternity unit .A big house wonderful architecture ,lovely grounds,Oliver Cromwell is reputed to have stayed there ,so although I dont know its age ;that at least puts it to the time of Henry V111.It is called Thorpe Hall and is in Peterborough .Some years ago now it was sold.And is now owned and run by The Sue Ryder foundation,who do wonderful work ,palliative ,respite care  etc for cancer sufferers .

I came home from the maternity home on the late morning of  December 23rd ,and after settling baby and me in at home ,my late husband Mick ,went to a village a few miles away to get Mark who had been staying at my Mums .After introducing Mark to his new baby brother ,we settled them in for the night and as we sat down to eat ,we heard the carol singers at our gate ,being a village everyone new Id come home with our new little one ,We opened the door and was greeted with crys of delight and good wishes for us and our little boys ,Before they sang for us.. Away in a manger . 

All these years later I still wipe away a tear when I hear that carol .And Ive had lots of opportunities to do just that ,I went on to have two lovely Daughters and between them  they have given me nine fantastic Grandchildren ,so I have been to many nativities ,over the years ,where Ive indulged in shedding ,what must amount to a lake of (happy )tears .

       With Love Jan xx 

Ladies who lunch!

Hi ,everyone ,just a quickie today Ive not long been in .Left for work at eight this morning ,I worked through till twelve then ,joined the other Managers ,for a very nice lunch .I started with a prawn cocktail,(I know no imagination )but I love prawns !Then chicken with bacon ,brie and a piquant cranberry and rasberry sauce ,drizzeled over it ,with all the nice veg ,parsnips,carrots ,brussels and creamed potatoes with swede ,I couldnt eat a sweet so opted for a very nice cheese board and coffee .The girls were all on good form ,were all happy to see each other ,we swopped Christnmas cards ,and lots of lively banter ,I went for a ciggy with Anita ,she wanted to know what I get up too in my retirement ,I told her about my journal ,discovered shes with aol ,so she is going to have a look .Well this has to be a short one today ,so enjoy the rest of Friday folks     With Love Jan xx

PS  The skirt is the one I made !

Its driving me~ see mood !

Lovely sunny morning here ,the sort of morning that makes you want to get up and go ,thats the theory ,but some things gone wrong here in da bungalow !! well I caught up with all your entrys and made comments,Ive made some phone calls ,Ive tried on the skirt I made and the jumper I bought to go with it ,its the Managers Christmas lunch tomorrow .So I suppose Ive made a sort of start !!Work is so hectic as you would imagine ,I think Im giving it my all and not alot of me left for home ,of course its an age thing ,I havent got the same level of energy I had few years ago !There Ive admitted it !  I have a few more cards to do then that will be done with .Most of the presents are now bought (but not wrapped )things could be worse .My word ;what a whinger Iam !

My diary reads like this ,Friday -Rebecca picking me up at eight ,work ,then Managers lunch at midday (need Christmas cards for all other Managers ) ,Rebecca is to bring me home too .Saturday Maurice is on nights for three nights, Monday- Rebecca  rings and  suggests I move my Monday ,and come in Tuesday as they cant pick me up !Hah .......Cant do that Im promised to help do the funeral tea /coffee after Madges funeral on Monday (her family had asked could they come back to the hall after the service )its nice for her friends at the court to say their farwells and  it saves the family alot of work at this time ,some of the residents are going,to the service, I organised the transport yesterday.....  Am I boring you ?..... So Maurice has offered to take me in when he gets home ,Then my son Derek is coming up from work late Monday afternoon ;He lives in Dorset but works near Heathrow somewhere ,for our annual gathering of the clan and to exchange gifts ,he will stay over night here ,then go to work Tuesday morning ,my older daughter Sharon has a pub in Peterborough the ideal venue for us all to meet up Monday evening .So watch this space for updates !!and possibly some photos. I shall need Tuesday off to recover wont I? Then Im working Wednesday and Friday ........then on the twenty eighth.The company can then put me back in the box with the tissue paper ,onto the shelf till they need me again ,and I will be once more retired ...whew ! well my dear friends all that has worn me out as Im sure it has you! so I will say bye for now,       with love Jan xx 

Yours in haste !

Here it is the entry Im far too busy to do today ,But Ive just put a colour on my hair ,so what better way of passing the time ,while I wait for it to do,twenty minutes I think ,I should know Ive done it often enough !!Back to the "old grey mare again "Work yesterday was hectic ,yes I remember now how it used to be !! The girl who has just left didnt completely clear her desk !!I found the TV licence forms,which have to be completed by the end of November  !! =Those above seventy five dont pay of course ,but the other ones below that age pay a token five pounds ,so no prizes for guessing who was completing forms with nat ins numbers  and collecting fivers all over the place yesterday .Maurice was working until two yesterday ,so he said stay ,and I will pick you up,with the result I worked from eight thirty till two thirty ,but it was most satifactory as I shifted some stuff work wise lol ,So today the plan is to finish off the Christmas cards do my hair and some token housework  Maurice will finish at two today so that gives me a deadline !Hell be here just before three oclock .He may get chatted up to put up the decs  we still havent done it ,and Ive got piles of cards to put onto their strings around the lounge I think it would be nice to put all the ones from my dear journal friends in the study here ;as thats where  I seem to spend so much time ,on my addiction ................time to rinse hair!

Right, thats my hair coloured for another year !!Now just the cards to do and some tidying up!the rugs are all up the walls in the hall Scooby has just come scooting in and with the new laminate floor ,they go all over !! So on that happy note I must get cracking on ,Have a good day everyone          With love Jan xxxxx 

Chasing my tail

THREE.FIFTEEN  PM,every thing is running late in da bungalow today ,I got up quite early for a Sunday ,read some journals and commented on them ,I got caught up reading archives of a new one Id discovered ,phone rang it was Pete my sister Jeans husband ,"we ve been to a car boot near you,put the kettle on ,be there in fifteen minutes "Great ,I get dressed put kettle on ,and there they were ,lovely surprise for me; Maurice at work so he missed them ,lovely relaxed chat over coffee ;they were just thinking of making a move when Chrissy and Mark ,ring to say they are on their way over ,told them Jean and P ete are here ,so Chrissy said oh tell them to stay ,havent seen them for ages ,so more coffee,more chat lovely ,its so nice to get together better than phone and email which we all do ,as well !! So I havent done any thing that was on my list ,the mental one in my head ,of things to do today ,I dont care ,Im getting so laid back in my old age ,they will get done ........or not lol .My daughter ,Kate of Wood Green and Dodger fame !!was reading her bank statements ,only to realise sums of money were being taken from their bank account ,that she couldnt account for ,she rang the bank to query ,only to learn Martins(her husband )card has been cloned ,and the card was used in London ,the bank have the fraud squad involved and ,they should get their money back but not before Christmas !!!she said shes cried and cried ,poor Kate what a thing to happen ,bad any time but just now !!!....I will keep you posted on developments .I am now going to prepare dinner I wont tell you what we are having ,other wise you will all be here again and I really do have get on !and Im working again tomorrow .So for whats left of a bright sunny Sunday ,you all enjoy .....................With Love Jan xx

Sunny Saturday

What a contrast to yesterday the sun is shining brightly ,its just me thats foggy today . I cant seem to motivate my self at all .Maurice is at home today ,working again tomorrow though ,we ve been sitting over coffee; talking over different aspects of our jobs .When there is so much else we should be doing  Ar well !!

A big thankyou to all the lovely people who have sent me a  Christmas card ,we are getting quite a number now I must get the rest of mine finished ,I have sixty to do for residents ,at the Court and some communal ones for the other courts I worked on all year !Jeannette said her list gets longer each year ,well I know mine does ,I also kmow what it means to some of the residents to recieve a card  . whilst visiting them ,some of them have such a pathetic few ,I suppose as they get older their circle of friends,and family become fewer .After I finished the entry I did the other day about going back to work, and the day Id had,the post came and amongst some cards was a lovely home made from Madge ............ 

The minute Ive finished this entry Im going to do my hair,put my make up on and Im off to the shops Im going to take my shopping trolly which contains stuff to be off loaded at the charity shop .Shopping trolly ??yes Ive got one ,never mind the old lady bit were you get in everybodys way ,and run into folks !!its great; I wouldnt put my back through the stress of carrying loads ,tins ,veggys ,milk etc ,although at this time of year it does seem to be a requirment we all walk about with poly bags hanging off us ,well its no good sit ting here talking about it ,Im off to do it .

           Have a good Saturday, my friends ,  With love Jan xx

 

Fog across the fens

I ve been to work again ,and what a day to choose to go ,Rebecca picked me up at eight fifteen ,I had looked out when I got up it didnt seem too bad ,well it was barely light ,then as we got along the road ,there it was like a blanket,all the way ,we couldnt see,very far ahead but Rebecca is a good driver and was careful ,the thing is many of the roads ,as I said the other day, run along side drains and dykes ,from when the Fens were drained many years ago ,remember my entry about the Fens .So its a bit scary, many a car has ended up in there with often dire results ,Dont I do cheery entrys ?

We had a coffee morning which was marred because they were all missing Madge ,however they tried to be cheerful ,June came to talk to us about the extra care unit she will be managing ,and they have a party ,tomorrow evening to look forward too ,Emma had organised it before she left .And will be back for that ;I believe a presentation is planned .I finished at twelve thirty ,caught the bus into town ,I went to the bank ,and then instead of grabbing some Christmas shopping as Id planned ,I found my self in my favourite coffee shop ,with a cappuchino and a ciggy and was it Scarlett?from Gone With the Wind ,words ringing in my head.. Tomorrow is another day !then on to the bus for the fifty minute ride home ,still foggy !!My contact lenses have gone quite baggy ,with all the heavy peering Ive done through them today .

Maurice started at noon today ,so I left him in bed this morning ,obviously hed gone when I got home,he should be home at nearly midnight so I shall chill this evening; have a bath;  and watch some TV  ..Eastenders, Bleak House and Taggert ,always assuming I can stay awake ,can you remember the song ? The old grey mare ,she aint what she used to be .....Umm very apt !!

    Have a good evening, dont go out if you dont have to !with love Jan xx

Keys and tears

I went to work yesterday,I was up at seven ,better than six ! With plenty of time to do my make up and hair ,tidy the house abit ,and settle the dog . Carolyne arrived at nine ,she drove well ,well you never know ,our roads are funny running along side deep Fen drains ,and dykes ,country roads,frost ,etc I could easily get paranoid !!The conversation was good and equal,I hadnt met her before ,she hasnt been with the company long ,She got me there (at my old court)by nine thirty ,half an hour to do what buses took me nearly two hours to do ! As we drove into the road ,to the complex ,I saw it ;ambulance parked out side the office !doors open and no indication where ,the paramedics had gone .I called control via the door ,voice panel ,they opened the door for me , I pressed the button for them to open the key safe for me !It opened ...........no keys inside !!!!!,a few good old anglo saxon words used here !Whos crazy idea was it for me to return to work !!............Calm down your the profesional and can cope in any situation ,dug out my mobile ,rang Hq spoke to Rebecca,she said whats your mobile no Jan ,...dont know !!........ring me back in five ,anyway she got the keys to me and off we go ho ho,...then paramedics with a trolly followed by Rosalind  apeared so I knew it was Madge her Mum  ,I chatted to Rosalind whilst the men put Madge into the ambulance and began to work on her I could see things didnt look good ,Off they went ,but not before one of the paramedic gave me a look !..... .I called everyone ,then set off to visit the vunarable and  favourites !!Lovely to see them they were pleased to see me ,wanting to know what Im doing now; hows Maurice etc etc .   The mobile phone goes its Rosalind ,whos Mum Madge had gone off in the ambulance , Jan ,Mum passed away ................................Now Its my sad duty  to go and tell her particular friends ,a job I dont relish ,but it is better coming from me ,and it saves any speculation etc ,inform HQ inform control and paper work etc ,I love Madge and she has a lovely family ,as some said what a good job you were here Jan ,I kept going till I got home then .......... 

Its a great job with many rewards ,but also many heartbreaks .

We have coffee morning planned tomorrow morning ,and then I will have completed my first week back .

The sun is shining here as I hope it is for you ;with love Jan xx

Yesterday

I attempted earlier to comment on the few journals that were around this morning ,only to be told ,journals not available so had to wait awhile ,and do them later !So this is later comments done now lets see how we go with an entry !On Sunday for want of a subject and describe my day etc I told you about preparing dinner,and what a responce that got ,you all wanted to come and eat with us !now wouldnt that be nice ?Can you imagine it ,never mind the food ,just think of the conversation that would go on around the table ,if we could all be together I think it would be a banquet of words . 

I went to the dentist yesterday ,we are newly signed on in the practise ,we found out it was a national health one and were accepted ,lucky A?It was only a check up this time ,so no need to be nervous ???  Well I waited as you do; was then called in ,and was greeted by this absolutely beautiful petite real blonde twelve year old ,who was so nice ,she is to clean and scale ,and put a tempory crown on the offending one ,the next time I go ,then she will fill some !!she said ok a few times ,and also missing !she then proposes to make a bottom denture for the missing ones at the back ,I didnt like to tell her Ive already  got one in the button jar somewhere ,its probably older than her real age I lied at first lol ,did you guess?,She was very sorry she couldnt fit me in before Christmas ,for the temopary crown but told the receptionist to take my number in the event of a cancelation ,so I still have to be a ventriloquist (talking with my mouth closed )..........ok and the dummy !untill after Christmas lol .

Then in the afternoon I went off to the computer class for more of the same !!finished off her little quizes with time to spare ,would I like to play around on the internet ?NO!   Iexplained to her what I really wanted to learn!!and as her eyes glazed over ,right ;she says !! I dont know, I have got a book ,I will be reading that I think!One good thing they had got the Wilkie Collins I had ordered ,that you recommeded Jeannette .I cant wait to start that . So that was yesterday ,tomorrow Im going to be collected and it will be hey ho and off to work I go.So I will go and get ready for that .

       Enjoy the rest of this not very nice day here,   Love Jan xx   

Better the day better the deed

Not a lot happening on the home front ,today !Maurice is working but will be home tomorrow and  Tuesday .He was off yesterday ,we went into Huntingdon and did some Christmas shopping .So before I start preparing this evenings dinner I will do a quicky entry .

Im going to cook a nice little two people ,gammon joint I bought in Aldis last week ! I have just been over to Rainbow (Coop)and bought some fresh brussels, well weve had a frost now ;the theory is they dont taste good till after theyve had a frost on them !!some carrots and  parsnips potatoes ,to roast and if I do enough boiled ones ,I can make a shepperds pie (if they are not all busy watching flocks or washing socks or whatever )ready for tomorrow after the computer class ,Oh DA.....SH  ;I meant to buy a small pot of whipping cream,and do some thing with some fruit and meringue nests,oh well tangerine jelly with tin of same ,and some icecream or evaporated milk maybe ?Yup !!for afters . 

Watching Strictly come dancing , last night I see Bianca /Patsy has gone in favour of James ,hence the sunday lunch menu I see James is already spoken for in journal land lol. So Ill cook my own dinner shall I ?Darren Gough was fiddleing with the collar off his dress shirt ,reminded me of my Dad telling me of a memory of his ......."when we were little they used to dress us up in these high stiff collars ,that you had to jump up to spit over "!!bless you Dad you were a character ,and we loved you so much .

      Have a happy blessed Sunday folks ...........Jan xx

The show must go on !!

Yesterdays story about Wind in the willows ,set me thinking of other productions I have taken part in .When I was a young Mum I belonged to the Womens institute ,and loved it , it opened so many doors for me at that time,and yes we sang Jerusalem with gusto ,my jam was good enough for spreading onto my kids bread ,not exhibition standard! We were lucky as there was a good mix of members age wise ,the older ones tolerant of us younger ones ,and eager to teach us, not only the ropes but the correct procedures for meetings etc I learned how to plan a meeting and agendas and what ad hoc meant !!I went on, after having officers jobs in my own WI ,to become convenor to six other WIs and even went to the Abert Hall one year as our federation representative (this was all valuable training in latter years for jobs Ive done )when I say the older members were tolerant ,they were actually quite proud of the fact that some of their members were trying to,change the Jam and Jerusalem image by Pictures in the Stamford Mercury  wearing~ quote" the shortest mini skirts in Northamptonshire !!"(Ienjoyed wearing hot pants too round about that time !!).

Im digressing ,I really enjoyed WI drama and belonged to the drama group ,we put on plays, we did sketches ,lots of comedy routines ,we took part in drama festivals ,where we were ;nerve rackingly judged ,scutinized , adjudicated up on ,and got through to the next round quite often .I even went to a drama work shop weekend once with my sister Jean looking after my then small children .Then as the children got bigger and joined the cubs/scouts /brownies ,our talents were then called upon to entertain at fund raisers for these groups ,So yes like my old pal!!Sir Cliff ,...........I trod the boards in my time, if only ,in village halls .school gyms and scout huts ,so in good theatrical style I will leave you because         " I want to be alone "             well Ive no choice really as Maurice is working tonight LOL    With love daarrlings   Jan xx Mwah  Mwah !!

December 1st Rabbits!

Good morning everyone ,another nondesript day ,its trying to rain or is it snow ?Just had a nice chat to my sister Jean,on the phone and the chat inevitabley,turns to the journal and other miscellaneous topics...  .Did I get my glasses fixed ?no, not yet Im wearing my contact lenses.Have I made the new skirt? no but Ive cut it out ! and me to her ....(shes had a complete new kitchen fitted )is every thing back in place ?,yes its lovely ,but cant find the pigs that sit on the window sill ,but have found my Walkman ! you know the sort of stuff,we girls talk about ,Maurice says he cant keep up ,we flit from one topic to another !!yer but we know what we mean ,and when we are together we are both talking at the same time and each know what the others said ,I can do this with daughters and friends ,so its got to be a woman thing !!

I was watching Des and Mel (a talk show)yesterday and Cliff Richard ,was on ,hes actually three months older than me !he was talking about the first time he sang on stage in public ,it was at school .Wind in the Willows ,he played Ratty ,well so did I !Ican remember the song I sang too ~All along the back water through the rushes tall ,ducks go a dabbling ,up tails all ,ducks tails, drakes tails ,yellow feet a quiver .............(Ioften find my self singing it when Im with Maurice when hes fishing )all those years ago ,little Sir Cliff and me ,both unaware of each other ,look at the different paths our lives took !!As Jean pointed out ,yes Jan, look at your family ,........yes Jean, look at his bank balance !!!LOL of course I wouldnt swop ;this is all idle banter !

with lots of love from the infamous ...unfamous    Jan xx

First she dont then she does ???

After a hard frost in the night ,its a sunny day now ,Maurice has gone ready to start his shift at twelve again .I had an email from Rebecca ,yesterday ,saying if they pick me up in the mornings at say 8.45am would I reconsider ,just 2/3 days a week at the court I retired from ,until Dec 30th with christmas week negotiable I think Ive decided to accept ,they are obviously stuck ,and as you know it was never the work that was the problem just that epic voyage in the mornings !Idid say yesterday Id never hang myself didnt I?that was after Id agreed to work again in the summer ,Rebecca did actually say if I felt I just couldnt do it; to let her know and she would stop pestering me till I came out of hibernation again in the spring !So thats the state of play at the moment .

This situation has arisen because the company are building/opening a new Extra care sheltered accomadation ,and  J the girl whos court I was at last, got the position as Manager there; now the girl who took my job when I retired,is taking over at Js court ,so leaving my old court un managed until I suppose ,the new manager who is having to work notice .Is ready to take over in the new year ,Whew sorry about that ,did I manage to explain it ,clearly !!Dont answer that lol

After all that; I cant go in as I explained to Rebecca ;this Monday as I have a dentists appointment ,the crown on one of my front teeth has broken ,its not bad enough that all your own bits are not what  they were; the artificial ones are cracking up now also . Remember the specs yesterday !!

   With much love from whats left of me       Jan xx

               

BITS AND BOBS TODAY

Tuesday ,and the week is well under way again !Iwent to the computer course again yesterday ,and as I said to Chrissy,"What have we learned really ",yesterday it was looking up stuff on the internet ,for example,the price of stall seat tickets to see Mama Mia , does Madame Tussards have wheel chair access,the price of tickets on the London eye ,on a day in York wanting to visit the railway museum and find out about vikings .So I now know all that ,hah I did before ,but keep going ,in the hopes things will happen !!I will have to explain to the tutor next week ,We clearly explained what we could do and what we needed to know on the first enrollment day ,I suppose,,its a set format ,see what next week brings ,and they hadnt got my book I ordered,It will be in today !!so can get it next week . Im having a right old whinge arent I ?

The pictures ,were taken a couple of weeks ago when the family were here ,thats Paul and Becka and baby Keira,Paul in the everlasting base ballcap ,if ever he decides to remove it ,it will need to be done surgically ! not good pics of Keira she seems to have crosseyes its the way her little Mum was holding her I think ,and Grandaughter Charlotte Janet ,my shes a string bean now ,the sunset is taken from the bus window ,across the Fens ,on my way to the computer course the other week ,thinks I must take some more !Ive become complacent , its this silly cold .

I had a phone call this morning ,from my team leader, its her assistant Carolyne  Ive been talking to this last week ,Rebecca was concerned I was ill ,hoped it wasnt the work that had made me so ,no says I its the travelling ,buses etc ,and this cold was the final straw ,she was so understanding ,and wanted to know would I do holiday cover next year ,in the better weather !!Ididnt actually mind that so ............here I go again ,but not yet !!Ill never hang myself will I?              Maurice is at work today from twelve until ten so I have the day to pass by myself I dont mind as there is plenty Ican do here ,OH   one of  the lenses has just dropped out of my specs ,Im off to put my contact lenses in,and hope Maurise can fix them when he gets home ,the glasses Imean ............So Ill be seeing you LOL             with love Jan xx

We are gonna get lit up !

Here we go Sunday again ,we have just come back from a trip to Peterborough ,we ended up calling in at Aldis ,we were just down the second isle and I felt my bag vibrating ,yes my mobile phone was ringing it was Mark and Chrissy ,where are you says Chrissy ,at Aldis says I, roars with laughter  from Chrissy ,they had just left there ,and were in the car park ready to come over to visit us ,so we all came back to ours ,after we finished our shopping .Maurice doesnt mind shopping in Aldi as they often have stuff in there that he can slip into the trolley ,tools etc ,today it was some exterier lights to go around the trellis he made ,in the summer around the patio area in the garden,that found thier way into the trolly .Im inclined to think men and shopping  dont naturally  go together ,they tend to stand behind you sighing , have you noticed ,although he likes some places better than others !!We also bought a slim line dvd player ,our combi with the video seems to have packed up ,the video bit still works and this cost £23 ,so not bad ,So while Im doing this entry Maurice is watching War of the Worlds .Mark and Chrissy have gone home to get thier evening meal and I shall have to think about getting ours ,and that brings me back to the topic of eating evening meals we spoke about a week ago,cant believe thats another week gone .Oh, Ive just gone through to the lounge ,the dvd is playing to itself, Maurice is out there putting his lights around afore mentioned trellis so looks as though we shall be lit up tonight !!incidentally the lights are all red ,but I want no comments about red light areas etc ,this old gals too old to be sitting in any window!! lol

So on that mind boggling thought I shall go and see to some dinner,              With love Jan xx    

Whats in a name ?

A very mixed day here weather wise !it has rained on and off all night ,and morning ,and then some sun ,(no rainbow)and wind .Much like the way Im feeling actually ,very mixed !one minute Im feeling so much better ,then start to do some thing ,then need a little rest ,so Im not as over it as Id like to think .Right thats the boring stuff out the way ...The weather and my  ailments !!

Now this name ........Ally and I decided,its time to tell you since no one has guessed ,But weve had a giggle at some of your sugestions,Alison and Alexandra were popular ,no Alice ,Alicia , Elaine even but no .....I think Sara came close when she suggested Dool-Ally !!what is she like ?

Ive often wondered were my Mother got the name from ,I suspect the District nurse at the time had something to do with it ,she certainly influanced my friend Serenas Mother ,I can remember her,Mum telling us ,how Nurse Windross,would suggest names for the babies she delivered .But as my sister Jean pointed out ,when my Granny died and we were sorting out her house ,I was in the pantry and was heard to shriek"Thats it! Im named after a plate ".I had found an odd, rather nice old plate, navy blue and white ,all crazy cracked ,its hanging on my wall even as we speak .....I had picked up the plate and turned it over ,as you do !and there it was .........Althea        On that happy note        I wish you all a good day from her and a good day from me !!!!         (Jan xx)

Lady of leisure!!

Good day everyone ,was going to say good morning but noticed its now noon ,I have been reading journals Id missed ,some how I havent been getting alerts for some, since the troubles,so have had a lovely time reading and catching up, I  didnt get up very early ,am turning into a slob !!I do think Im feeling abit better today though,I  have to admit I have felt really ill these last few days ,I had to ring my team leader ,yesterday to say whether Id be in today or not ,she was very understanding ,but I have been very honest with myself ,and her!. yes youve guessed it Ive thrown in the towel. I decided to hang up my managers hat .Thirteen months after I officially retired Ive done it again ,well it was only holiday and sick cover but it was getting to be most weeks ,the work yes I love it ,but the travelling was getting too much ,it wasnt so bad in the summer months ,but now the cold winter mornings are a very daunting prospect .

What am I going to do with my time now? I can assure you I wont be bored !! I wont have to feel guilty at all the time I spend on here for one thing ,I have my knitting ,sewing ,reading to say nothing of the house to look after ,so yes I feel it was a good decision,and though I dont feel it I will be sixty five in February ,what a thought ! Off now to look out my smelling salts and have a little swoon !!          With Love Jan xx

Hot and cant be bothered !!

Another day ,divided between bed and little sleeps ,and computer and little reads. Now Ill try an entry,Ive been reading a book as well ,just finished another Patricia Cornwell ,When I was at the library where the computer classs are held, I asked if they had that book about Wilkie Collins that Jeannette recommended,they havent got it in, but have put in an order for me,I look forward to that.Was notified today my heating allowance would be going into my bank shortly .The government give it too pentioners each winter to help towards fuel costs,I suppose I should return mine,because at the minute Im burning up ,with this silly bug ,time for more paracetamol I think ! Im supposed to let my team leader know tomorrow if Ill be fit by Friday,at the moment my answer would be no, but see how I feel tomorrow .At the moment no one has guessed the name Ally and I share,we have been quite interested in some of your answers,So wont be telling you just yet LOL ,as I said Im due my next fix !! so will go and take it along with lots of fluids.

    I hope you all stay fit ,with love Jan xx         

Change of plan

I went to the computer class again yesterday,you sit on the bus ,idly watching the little town pass by the bus windows ,AND  THEN we pull up at the school ,and on clamber about four hundred,school children ,ages ranging from I suppose eleven to............young ladies and men I mean these lovely young things arent school kids !! of course they are ,I sit back and listen to them amused by their snippets of conversations ,their boy/girl  friends ,one young fella saying" I dont love Sophie any more! " he was all of twelve I would think ! A couple of boys discussing science ,and then another young lady ,"Oh he still rings me up ,but hes gay now ,and so is his cousin ".and then opposite me this tiny little thing  all of eleven I would think,she had lovely blonde hair right down her back ,she was covered in all this beautiful young skin ,proceeds to plaster her little face ,from her compressed powder compact .Oh bless em they certainly made a boring journey less so !Who was it said youth is wasted on the young ,all that energy I could so put that to good use .(There was really only about fourty on the bus !!)

Today I woke as Maurice was leaving at about five fourtyfive feeling awful ,yes Id succumbed to the bug that had plagued him ,so I stayed in bed and went back to sleep untill about nine o clock when I rang in sick,I dont like letting them down ,but it would not be fair to inflict this bug on the vunerable group I would be working with .So instead of sitting on the buses riding along the roads and droves ,beside dykes and drains (Fen talk )I was snuggled up in my bed feeling sorry for myself AHH.

Yesterday when I wrote Im learning more about everyone,I was going to tell you Id recently learned  that Ally and I share the same name ,it is my second name and her first,I have spoken to her and we thought it might be rather fun if you could guess what the name is ,of course we have told some of you but ,you wont tell if you already know , of course my sister knows ,and she wont say anything ,just a bit of fun  folks ,So what is Ally short for ?

   Enjoy the evening everyone     Jan xx

Six days shalt thou labour!!!!

Here it is Monday again ,dont know where the weeks go ,I think Ive used that opening line before ,Its an age thing when you start repeating yourself.  isnt it ? Theres got to be some hope for me cause I know Im doing it !

How well   Im getting to know you all now ,its amazing how much of our selves we give away ,possibly without meaning to .This Sunday lunch /dinner thing for instance ,as a small child We would be eating our dinner at lunch time whilst listening to the Billy Cotton band show ,on the radio !Its only I think that so many of us worked ,that the ritual of the Sunday roast moved to tea time,and we have even been known not to have the traditional roast sometimes ,though I have to admit,I do tend to cling on to the "ritual", creatures of habit arent we ,any way I learned that most of you eat in the evening.

I didnt get the skirt cut out I got side tracked and sort of spring cleaned the kitchen instead ,I did finish the ironing though ,only to wash some more LOL ,thinks, there must either be very dirty people or very clean folks in this house cause Im always washing lol,and dont often see the bottom of the ironing basket .Idid finish the cardy Im knitting ,apart from ......picking up all the stitches around the front sides and back to form the rib ,done on a circular needle !!Ido set my self some tasks/challenges .Leads me in to another thought ,my Grandmother would have frowned on any sewing or knitting tasks being undertaken on a Sunday ,and Colleen reminded me about the one of washing on a Sunday when she said,her neighbour had commented about her nappys being on the line on a Sunday ,my dear Father in Law used to tell me Id go to the moon !!as I pegged my nappys out ,Mother in law however ,would say better the day better the deed ,and she was the more God fearing .Bless her ......Well that was Sunday,Have a good Monday everyone .           With love Jan xx 

Diving straight in !!

I havent done a test shot today, I am as the title suggests ,diving straight in !Such is my faith in good old AOL !!yesterdays title is giving me a headache ,"Its still working "what advert was that from ,I cant remember and nor can Maurice,Pause here ......................Son Mark and Chrissy his wife have just been to visit ,nice surprise ,Maurice has gone back to bed feeling awful with a cold ,he hasnt had one for ages ,you forget how poorly they can make you feel ,so as hes off today he might as well chill out .Not a long entry today .I will go and prepare our lunch, late I know ,we never eat early,because when we are at work we have our dinner in the evening,so we are never ready till later

So on that happy note I will wish you all a happy and blessed Sunday . Jan xx  

Its still working

Old Jack Frost has been busy in the night ,Maurice was called in to work today ,I wasnt to happy about that,something to do with animal rights protesters ,hes in security ,so because of the nature of the job,I cant say more !as you will have gathered hes younger than me so is still working . Hes just called me, frost and fog ,all the way to work .try to be positive! hopefully a few frosts will kill off some of the silly bugs that have been doing the rounds .

The funeral yesterday went well,Ivy was such a favourite of mine (there Ive said it )and her husband Derek and her were such a devoted couple ,they were a pleasure to take care of .We arrived early enough to meet lots of old friends outside ,the crem ,The service started with a song by David Whitfield I didnt know it but it was a favourite of theirs obviously .The vicar was lovely said alot  of the things this dear couple had told me , and more .They have a lovely family , Many of whom Id met in the course of the job .They have two daughters and two sons ,grandchildren and great grandchildren ,Ivy was only seventy six ,not old by todays standards .Both her daughters live locally ,as do many grandchildren and their familys .The sons are further away, one son quite a high ranking officer in the RAF,stationed in Scotland wore his dress uniform and medals as his Dad had asked him too ,choked me up as he saluted his mothers coffin ,The youngest son ,lives in Las Vegas ,and plays in David Cassidys backing group .Afterwards we were invited back for refreshments at the public house Ivy and Derek kept before they retired ,Derek hugged me and said "I wish we could all still be together having our coffee and fags !"I told him Im coming over again in December to work  ,and would come to visit so to make sure he has the kettle on !Oh yes the tears flowed ,She loved you ,you know Derek said so do I ,................there are some lovely people out there you know and a pleasure to work with ,I havent done this entry to make you sad ,I hope, just sharing my highs and lows.And in a way my tribute to Ivy who touched my life with warmth and love ,and hope she knew it was returned ,Good night, God Bless dear friend .

Lots to do today ,some shopping ,the everbloominglasting ironing ,I might even cut out the skirt from the new material ,I bought .Have a good day my friends keep warm .         with love   Jan xx

 

test

Ithink its working

Shh!        I think its working so this is a quicky by way of a test run .Its now nearly eleven o clock so Im not going to do any thing too amazing at this time of night ,Im using red because if its working then its a red letter day if not,then its the colour of my anger grr! If it does work Id like to thank the person who managed to find the solvent ,and managed to free my save button ,did you know someone had stuck it up with super glue ,there is a hefty reward ,if we can find the culprit !!          Thinks.. Ill leave it there for now ,and do a proper entry tomorrow .               Na night and god bless   Jan xx

testing

Goodness only knows

Here I go .........Im risking an entry because my good and patient friends have sent me the key to unlock this ravel !!So with everything crossed ,and thanks to JEANNETTE and SANDRA.........

I havent done an entry since Sunday so Ive lost my place .Where was I?you must make allowances for my dementia ,dont mock its an occupational hazaad,its called relating to my residents ,(well thats my excuse ,Im just wappy really )(Ishouldnt be insulting your intelligence ,by telling you that )Oh yes Igot a phone call from work they are asking me to work full time on the court I retired from! err no Ive retired! phone call back, after meeting with great white chief would I do what Ive been doing ,three hours ,three days a week  Guess which cant say no muggins said OK then ,so Im back flogging my wares till after Christmas .I shall of course see how it goes ........and weve got alot of bad weather coming !!,.............it will be nice to be with all my old friends through the Christmas period ,and of course the money will be handy ,if Iever get the time and energy to spend it LOL Iworked yesterday and Tuesday ,enjoyed it ,Ihave a funeral to go to tomorrow of a dear lady from the court I retired from ,she was abit special ,of course they are all special But Ivy was extra spesh ,Maurice is off tomorrow so he is taking me ,bless him ,then hes off till Monday and me till next Tuesday .Well Im dying to see if this works so enough waffleing !!

    With love Jan xx                and press save   

We will remember them

Watching the Royal British Legion Festival of remembrance last evening ,attended by Her Majesty the Queen and members of her family ,evokes a whole gamut of emotions ,proud, sad,patriotic ,and as a woman angry ,would there be wars if it was up to the women I dont know ?we struggle to give life ,it is so precious ,and yet war can deprive us of those we love , And the service at the cenotaph this morning .................and songs of praise tonight ,all serves to remind us ,our Lord asked us to love one another .My other Lord well he was my Dad ,used to say "If you cant do somebody a good turn,theres no need to do em a bad  un  either " I have watched and enjoyed the services ,from young Catherine Jenkins singing ,Well meet again ,watched by Dame Vera Lynn,and then the young airman singing Ill be seeing you (reminds me I courted my own Brylcream boy once for a short while !)the storys told by those who served !!The hymn singing ,Guide me oh thou great redeemer,The day thou gavest Lord has ended ,Am I getting old! tears flowed ,The soldiers the sailors and the airmen ,and all of the others who played/play their part ,that me and mine could/can be free ,May God bless each and everyone ,and those that have gone before ,may they find eternal peace .I once went to see the war graves at Arnem,how humbleing is that ?and will always carry the memory of twin soldiers lying side by side ,nineteen years old .

     When you go home tell them of us ,for your tomorrow we gave our today .

                          With love Jan xx

Excuse me Madam !!

Here in J-land you dont really know who you are talking to !!!so with that in mind ,Im about to tell you something ,thats been on my mind ,to tell or not to tell ?.................Well here goes ~~

I got ,done for shoplifting ! It was like this, I was in John Lewis ,department store in local shopping centre ,Id broken my tail comb ,so found what I wanted ,remembered I also needed some blusher ,so made my way to the cosmetics department which is near the door ,happened to look out and thought I saw some one I knew ,as it happened it wasnt !But nearly jumped out of my skin when a blooming great hand ,grabbed my shoulder !Excuse me madam ,we believe youve got goods you havent paid for ,I tried to explain ,but no, this gorilla in security mans clothes wasnt having it !I was escorted to the managers office ,where this man told the manager his tale ,no one was listening to me ,then as they locked me into a little room off the managers office the words police were ringing in my ears ,oh my God ,what will work say! its bound to be in the Evening Telegraph ,whats the neighbours going to think ,and my family !and Maurices family ,and Maurice OH he will kill me ,I did some quick thinking ,looked around the room ,there was some racks with files  a couple of chairs,and a desk ,there was a window leading out onto a fire escape,just then I heard voices ,I made a decision , The window ,it was stiff,but I managed to get it open ,and Id straddled the window sill when into the room burst,a police man ,the manager,and the gorilla ,well there I was half in and half out of the window ,with this Tuddy great gorilla pulling my leg ,just like Im pulling yours.

                                                                Jan xx 

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

As I begin this entry ,the time is ~~10.57,on the eleventh of the eleventh ,it feels appropriate to tell you about an uncle ,I never met ,My Uncle Jack ,he was my Dads younger brother ,I never met him but he was often spoken ofwith lots of love,sometimes with lots of laughter because I gather he was quite mischievous,as a young boy,And quite a "leg puller",when in his youth .One story I remember (little pitchers have big ears ) my Granny telling ~~she was storing some apples for Christmas ,under her bed!! on a large tray and would check them from time to time for bad ones ! She realised though that the apples were disappearing so she ,became vigilant ,when Jack thought no one was watching ,he crept up the stairs ,unknown to him watched by his Mother from the stairs where she could see into her bedroom,he was lying on his belly ,half under the bed  with crunching noises coming from,under the bed Granny crept up and to use her words,"Slapped his arse ,and said caught you ,you little bugger !"she always told this story with a proud chuckle and wiped away a tear ,Uncle Jack was popular with every one ,had lots of girl friends untill he became engaged to "Aunty" Dorothy ,a lovely girl from the next village .

And then came the war ,my Uncle was called up along with thousands of other men to fight for his country .I dont recall any more of the story prior to this ,but he was badly shot at Dunkirk,dont know how he got home .but this happened in the May of 1940,he was hospitalized ,patched up ,and sent home to recover ,but in the November ,was due to go back to the hospital for more surgery .Uncle Jack had had all his private parts shot away,and according to an older cousin who sadly ,recently passed away,she could remember putting her fingers into the holes in his legs ! My Mother who was pregnant with me  then (Iwas born the following February ) asked Uncle Jack ,would he be home for Christmas ,his reply Oh yes Phylis,yes Ive got some thing planned ,A couple of days before he was due to return to the hospital ,he went over to the wash house across the yard at the back of the house and shot himself through the head ,my Granny heard the shot ,................after finding her son ,she ran the seventy yards or so to our house for my Dad ,who was home for his lunch .Icant do any more .

Aunty Dorothy I can remember ,I can clearly see some brown gloves she knitted for me ,so she must have been around for some time after ,and I can also remember every one getting excited at wedding photos of her ,She married an American air man and went back to America,with him after the war ,I do hope she had a happy life .

I can also remember standing by my Dads side at a service in our Church when the plaque was unveiled ,with the names of the men from our village ,who had lost their lives that we might be free,I wouldnt have been very old but I can ,still hear the last post being sounded,and singing Oh,Valiant Hearts.

                     Jan xx 

This and That

The crazy news flash last evening,was as a result of a phone call I recieved from Catherine (Kate ),She had spoken to me a couple of days prior ,and indicated it might happen, but as soon as it was official ,I felt I had to let you know,since weve been in on it from nearly the beginning ,so to speak ,Im quite excited now ,looking forward to seeing him on the programme ,Kate said if she thought hed get on with Maddy hed definitely be coming home with her , Oh dear now arent we all surprised !!.

I had a phone call from my boss ,yesterday ,she wants me to do some cover at the court I was at the  week  before last ,The manager there is leaving the court to manage an "extra sheltered"accomadation,soon to be opened by the company,So until the new manager starts in December ,I look as though I shall be busy,it does my morale good to keep being called back,Its a year now since I retired ,and the money is nice especially this time of year !So Ive got till next Tuesday to get my self organised  .Now that is a laugh I dont do organised..........though on reflection I suppose I must do to a certain extent ,but certainly not on the scale my Mother did ,she religiously kept to a routine,each day had its own set of tasks ,that just had to be done whatever ,so I suppose Im rebelling in a small way ,but of course Mum never worked full time so its a different life style, different times, there wasnt any of the "labour saving gadgets",so all day could be spent ,for instance washing . So I suppose its not really fair to compare is it ? So on that happy note ............ 

     Have a good one ................Jan xx  

Dodger

News Flash ,          Dodger on the

Paul OGrady      show tomorrow

Catherine got a text from,her friend at Wood green today ,it was confirmed although wed heard there was a possiblity,quite a star isnt he ??       Jan xx

Busy doing Nothing !!!

Good Morning ,another sunny day here !!(so far )if abit windy ,what to write?I shouldnt be writing at all.... yet ,Ive got loads of ironing ,well quite a lot !!Since its fine I ought to be in the garden!still got a tray of winter pansys to put into the pots in the front ,but because its sheltered out there the busy lizzies still look good so havent liked to disturb them !!I forgot to confess when I was at work last week I went and bought some material (winter weight ) so I could cut out the skirt ,before I hoover!!Ive got Birthdays coming up,I ought to be writing cards ! I suppose because its fine the windows might like a clean Can you see where this entrys going ?...............Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow LOL!!!

Seriously,    Yesterday Chrissy and I went to our class,apart from abit of history about how the internet was formed ,I still havent learned any thing really new,Im either more clever than I thought ,No I know that isnt the answer ,there is more to come ,Must learn to crawl before I walk !!some of you commented Id be showing you what to do,Idont think so.........some of you are so clever ,if I could achieve your standards Id be delighted . 

We watched the first part of Lynda La Plantes,Trial and Retribution last evening ,looking forward to tonights concluding episode .I ve just read her book Above Suspicion ,and enjoyed it, although the main character ,reminded me abit of Jane Tennison,from Prime suspect,and even abit like Patricia Cornwalls Dr Kay Scarpetta,purely coincidental,Im sure maybe its because all the characters are women striving to succeed in a mans world .

   Have a lovely day everyone ,I have to go and find some thing to do !!                 Jan xx

Monday again

First of all ,thanks for your comments regarding the vivis Im pleased so many of you agreed with me ,I wondered if Id been too out spoken ,but felt something had to be said ,and since I was never in the running ...............

Now today is a total contrast to yesterday weather wise ,the sun is shining ,a slight breeze,and Ive got work shirts ,looking nice and bright and white in the sunshine ,remember the satisfaction of lines of lovely white fluffy nappies girls ?

Number two son rang me last evening ,as is his wont ,he lives with Tricia,his wife and three sons Micky ,Edward and Christopher ,in Gillingham in Dorset ,well the outcome of the phone call was ~they ve had their computer repaired,and I didnt realise this before ,they are with AOL, so hes going to have a look at my journals,so I shall have to watch what I sayLOL.Derek is lots of fun,with a brilliant sense of humour ,so I await his comments with the warning ,Iam able to block comments if they get too cheeky!!remember the flipflops Derek,your not to big yet !!(Iused to threaten them with my flip flops ,saying Id beat them ,only to greeted with roars of laughter )Derek was heard telling someone once, they had to salute my flip flops ............Tereble Mother I was !!! they were good kids,and now they are my bestest friends .We had some tough times but lots of good too and many happy memories .

This afternoon Im meeting Chrissy,shes number one sons wife,(Mark)we are going to our computer class ,this will be our third week ,the first was to enroll,Ihavent learned any thing new yet ,but we are getting nearer,so Ill be able to understand many things,that havent been clear up to now ,hopefully.

Since the weather was so nice Ive been potting some tradescanthia(spelling )(Inipped/nicked )from a plant at the court Iwas at the other week !!You can do so much more when the weather is nice ,both inside and out , 

          HAVE A GOOD MONDAY EVERYONE ..............JAN XX

Hello everyone ,A wet and windy Sunday ,Maurice is working today so Ive been chilling here .Then decided to go up to the town centre,,so braving the elements,the drizzle and the wind,off I set ,Just got back right, its chucking it down now.,there was a fantastic array of breads,cheeses meats wines/cider,oils ,I enjoyed looking and wandering, I did buy some rather nice pate ,Ive just sampled  some on some crusty bread  Id  bought from Somerfield yesterday !! As you know I worked three days last week so Ive been playing catchup ,with jobs in doors and journal alerts to say nothing of recharging my  energy.We discovered on Thursday ,our phone was dead ,Maurice called BT  on his mobile, I cant get a signal on mine at home ,did all the checks when we unplugged the modem (from another socket not the phone one  )we found the phone was OK ,so its phone OR online at the minute ,not both ,I rang AOL,who suggest the modem might be at fault so ,sending me another meanwhile..................Are you still checking Dodgers progress at Woodgreen? they do an update each weekday ,on Fridays one you can see a pic of Kate with Kerrie ,Woodgreens manager and Dodger of course ,Kate tells me Dodger went over to Peterborough, to the Forward press offices ,and there were more pics taken ,so Im  looking forward to Mondays update,every one at the office to quote Kate were well up for meeting him ,and hes loving all the attention ,makes you wonder about his history,no one has claimed him and there has been alot of publicity HMMM?

Now before I go, its got to said ~~~Well done to all the vivi award winners.........Im new to journals so didnt qualify to be nominated so ,its not sour grapes !!!But there are some damn good brit journals, that are as good and often better than the winners ,and when you look at the work and time  effort and research some of our people put into their journals Well Im disapointed ............So there ,      you know who you are folks ,in my opinion your simply the best ,better than all the rest ,Ishall keep reading your excellent journals,    With love Jan xx 

Oh Mum hes lovely!!!!

Work today !up at six ,catch the first of my buses,at seven thirtyfive to get to work by nine,fifteen ,Called all the residents all fine ............except no answer from I at no 16 ,spoke to a neighbour who was concerned,got back onto control in case they had omitted to give me a message concerning  I no ,they had had no message ,arr well !got the master key let myself in to Is bungalow, calling her name peeping into each room ,wondering what I might find ,(Ive had a few experiences,as you will imagine ,over the years ,and you never get used to it !!)Nothing ,   look for next of kins numbers ,who tell me she was admitted to hospital Tuesday night ,They should in the event of no manager on site have notified control,all they had to do was pull the cord,notified control who would have notified me !!!.Well Im home again now .Well I supose I must be or who is doing this entry !

I had an e-mail ,from Kate ,closely followed by a  phonecall from a very excited Kate yesterday afternoon saying Ive been!! and hes lovely he was licking her ,she said hed had extensive surgery,and was shaved and they saw where all his stitches were ,what a marvelous place Mum ,she has an invite to go back with Maddy at Christmas ,she said they were treated like royalty ,shed gone with Kerrie, Forward presses PR girl ,who took lots of pics ,Kate is going to email me some ,so I hope to share them,with you ,once Kerrie has given them to Kate .Whilst there Kate got an email from her husband Martin ,simply saying,NO YOU CANT!!how well he knows her .any way you can see all this for your self if you click onto ~  http://www.woodgreen.org.uk/ If you go into sponsers you will find Dodgers story ,Kate was saying that their sister company had now pledged another four thousand ,arent people lovely ? 

         Enjoy whats left of Thursday folks          Jan xx 

Not so artful DODGER !!

The time spent on this computer ,is verging on disgusting .I find myself in a chicken and egg situation ,do I read all my alerts first or do I do an entry ?today Im not at work, I have read alerts , good job Idid, because in amongst the alerts was an e-mail from a very excited daughter Catherine/Kate ,now for the entry ....Kate works for a publishing firm she types and proof reads manuscripts .Yesterday she was approached by her boss to go to Wood green animal rescue centre(we adopted Scooby from there),to present a cheque on behalf of her boss and the company .The story was in the local press and local radio news,telling of an  eighteen month old terrier who had been involved in an accident with a lorry,dislocating his hip and with fractures down his back,so today our Kate is to meet a lady ,to see the theatre and the post op room,and to meet the aptly named DODGER!all of which is to be recorded,on webcam,so that all the people who donated will see her hand over the money,she has promised not to adopt Dodger she has a lovely german shepherd of her own,but knowing Kate she is going to be sorely tempted,I would assume its because of her enthusiam,about her own dear Maddy ,and training etc and her love of all animals that made her boss decide she was the obvious choice,to represent them today .I will of course keep you posted on this lovely story.

        HAVE A GOOD DAY EVERYONE ,WITH LOVE ,JAN XX 

Reasons to be A W O L

Well the last couple of weeks have been crazy here,as I said Maurice had a few days off so decided to,laminate the floors in the lounge ,hall and this little room (the study ),fine until we learned the order would not be ready until the Friday so,whilst I finished up the ironing (so that we wouldnt be moving it around in its basket!) and doing abit of organized!clearing ,off he went to collect the flooring and everything else involved ,So that meant from a week last Friday till yesterday every where has been organised chaos here .Maurice went back to work on the Monday and has been doing as much as he can whenever he could ever since.Hes had yesterday and today off so its now more or less finished ,thank goodness ,though now I have to say it looks lovely hes made a good job ,I will post some pics when I find the battery charger for the camera!! I went to a tenants participation meeting on Saturday , which was fun ,I joined in a couple of workshops ,but spent most of the day networking  I now know so many more people with visiting, so many different courts over the holiday period ,I went to one today ,and Im going again on Thursday and Friday.So Im not able to stay at home to enjoy the new floor,and play house rearranging things again .Never mind "one day" ! Maurice is of till tomorrow so he took me to work  today ,so I didnt have to worry about buses . On our way home we called in to see Aunty Kitty ,who was pleased to see us , we got chatting to one of the careers ,remember I told you the house used to be the convent ,well this young lady was showing us were the original house was ,I asked her if shed ever seen any thing ,she said on two occasions ,yes the first was a nun in blue and the second all in white ,when I asked her how she felt ,she said calm and peaceful ,isnt that lovely ?         Well I ,think thats me more or less up to date,talking of dates its now November !did you say Rabbits this morning          With love Jan xx  

In Bare Foot days

Yesterday, Jeannette gave me some food for thought with her entry about early memories ,Iwas born in a village in Northamptonshire ,as was my life long friend S,who is five months older than me,and did she pull rank because she was older!I had a  brother who was three years younger than me and  my sister was six years younger,S came from a big family,there were ten of them .S and I were about eight I suppose,and we were charged with the job of minding our little sisters ,whilst our Mothers were busy,I can clearly remember us pushing our little sisters in their pushchairs as we as intructed took them for a walk !It was a warm summer day,and our walk took us about a mile from home ,along a country road towards the next village,(not much traffic in those days) just before a bend was a wide verge ,where I remember we parked our little sisters ,who were sitting in their pushchairs,strapped in of course ,we ducked under the barbed wire ,across the field to the bottom where the Willow brook ran,off came our socks and sandals and we had a lovely time paddleing in the brook.Afterwards back we went to were wed left our baby sisters ,both were howling their heads off as I remember !(Sorry Jean ),the babys had been sitting on pram rugs ,which were ideal for us to dry our feet on !! ...........Id rather you didnt point out to me how many things could have gone sadly wrong!!! They didnt! as we are all here to tell the tale .

At around about the same time,I suppose I ran all the errands ,both for my Mum and my Granny .I dont think we had electricity at that time and our "wireless",ran on a battery and what used to be called an accumulater I think!this thing was like thick glass enclosed in a metal cage about the size of a house brick,with a handle and sort of terminals that attached to the wireless ,well I was frequently sent to get it charged up at a house two streets away ,it seemed a long way as I remember,with the instuction to hold  it away from you (it was heavy ),and mind your coat!............Imagine a kid today walking the streets wth a container of acid !!!Good old days . 

My Dad was the village barber ,part time only .I used to be sent down to his little shop to collect his scissors , (Dad always pronounced it sithers)and take them on to my Grandad ,who would sharpen them for my Dad,.........Dad would give me his bunch of keys ,thats the shop key he would say ,he also gave me a news paper to wrap them in so I didnt "stick "myself with them !I was always told to make sure I locked up on leaving,and to keep out off the cupboard!!hed have been better not saying that because off course I looked ,didnt I ?this was a barbers shop !!!..........Any thing for the weekend sir ?

They are some of my memorys,or one might even say confessions!So maybe Id better stop...............Have a good day folks         Jan xx

Asewing machine,agirls best friend

Hello again,Maurice has gone fishing today with ,sister Jeans husband Pete,(it is so nice they get on so well together)I have the whole day to get some jobs done,thought I would go through my wardrobe,today put the summer cloths away into a suitcase in the cupboard in the hall,it contains winter ones at the moment ,but change over time is here I think.   So now you know what the pictures of skirts ,are doing there!These are some of the ones Ive made,I bought a pattern,last May from John Lewis,Macalls patterns were reduced,to half price on a pro mo I paid £3.50 for this one.I discovered some lovely materials on the market,for £1 a metre.So these summer skirts have been costing less than a fiver each ,with the exception of the the green one ,thats the embroidered green cord I told you about was more expensive but so much cheaper than the shops.           Yes ,since I retired I rediscovered my sewing machine,I made the bed head you saw at the back of the bed ,that Scooby sleeps on in our absence !! I also enjoy knitting and made a poncho in very heavy wool and telegraph poles,instead of needles(slight exageration) ,that made my wrists ache so was pleased to complete that, I make cardys to go with my skirts ,and have made some little jackets for baby Keira .I think I inherit my creative streak from my Granny,my Dads Mum.Yes I enjoy creating ,even if its only havoc !!!!! So now Im off to creat  a void in the ironing basket!!UGH .

         Hope your day is creative folks   with love Jan xx 

Carry on Matron!

Today, we went to visit Aunty Kitty,who now lives in a residential home for the elderly,the home isnt a purpose built building,in fact it was once a convent,a beautiful house still.It has been sympathetically adapted ,whilst still retaining many lovely features .Maurice ,can remember being taught by some of the nuns,who had lived there,with not particular happy memories of some of them!!either he was a naughty little boy or some of them were tartars !bless em !

Kathleen Wall,was born in Ireland in 1920,in a small village near Limerick, called Killmallock.She was the youngest of seven children,so she had five sisters and a brother John,her sisters were Bridie,Teresa,Lilly,one who sadly died at a young age,and Maurices Mother ,Mary,fondly called May .

Aunty Kitty is a frail old lady now , but on a good day ,it is still possible to see a spark of the lady she was ,She went into the nursing profession,as a young lady ,and I believe,fell in love,with a Doctor who,broke off the engagement and her heart.She then threw herself into her job,she worked in many ,aspects of nursing ,and became extremely qualified, and attained the position as a  matron.I can imagine her ,the old school ,standing for no nonsense from either her staff or indeed patients alike.She actually nursed Spike Milligan at one stage in her career,when I commented on this,and asked what he was like, she dismissed me with Oh I didnt particularly like him myself........so there !!Old age can be so cruel sometimes, all that knowledge has left her now.She can remember though  what to do with a nice glass of sherry,indeed why not,at eighty five her work is done,so she sits and watches ,her carers at work ,and looks forward to her visits from her family .Shes lovely!

After we left Aunty Kitty, we went shopping and stocked up the freezer, and home ,where Im typing this up, on a compooter that has a mind of its own ,and wants to change size of text to suit itself no amount of correcting by me ,has changed it so you can see who had the last word !!!  

  Have a good whats left of the afternoon and evening friends ,

            Jan xxx

Good morning,?is it ?    Well just ,we are going into Huntingdon,soon so a quickie again ,Ithought Id post a few pictures of our little garden today ,As you will see,Maurice put decking down to make a patio area, out side the back door ,also he made the trellis ,clever boy ,he is !!Can you see the ducks ,Ivy and Poppy,also pictured though not very well,we recently bought three hanging baskets complete with winter pansys in yellow white and my favourite violet ,in the back ground opposite the patio door you can see the summer house,also built by Maurice ,told you he was clever didnt I ?and just to bring some reality into the pics you can see the tea towels on the line,that I used to mop up whilst defrosting afore mentioned freezer,well as Isaid we are going out so will go and get ready ,dont want to keep anyone !waiting !!So this entry today is~(to borrow a saying of my Dads) Like a donkeys gallop ,short and sweet!!    Have a good day ,be happy ,Jan xx

Whos been sleeping in my bed??

Just a quick entry today ,Maurice has a few days off so, weve been doing loads of odd jobs around the house ,and garden,he has been cutting back a thick hedge at the side of the bungalow ,me Ive been defrosting the fidgefreezer we have shredded loads of paper ,dont you accumalate,some rubbish?

I go to the shops and when I return,there is signs that Scooby has been sleeping on the bed in our absence,we havent yet caught him but he kind of gives the game away....Ive found slippers,toys books ,on this occasion you will see hes even taken his dinner,he must nudge the toy Scooby to one side and curl up with a book to wait for our return,because,there is a warm patch on the bed,but he will be standing wagging his tail as we/I unlock the door!!           catch you all later          Jan xx  

What A O L did for me (not an advert!!)

Talking to a friend today  on I M,she asked me how long had I been with A O L, I suppose its probably,five /six months now .And on reflection its changed my life ,that is a bold statement to make ,but true .I spoke earlier about the difficulty I had adjusting to retirement,not being able to stucture my time etc.Maurice ,said ,at the time ,he didnt think I was mentally ready,with hind sight he was right ,but at the same time my body was telling me something different,working full time in a stressfull environment,and with alot of responsibilty ,was taking its toll,I suppose my employers acknowleded all this ,when I left but was invited to do holiday and sick cover.

So when my sister talked me into getting A O L ,it became away of life I didnt foresee,and I have now found the ideal way of exercising,the leetle grey cells!At first I was finding my way around ,clicked on to blogs ,then Jeannettes jottings ,went to people in her list ,hey this is good !!My sister came over to visit one ,have you done this showed her ,yer wow .....I read and commented,loved it ,I emailed Jeannette for some thing or other ,we had quite a correspondence going,she said why dont you do your own journal!!!WHAT ME ?????oh no ..........what would I talk about LOL ............some more time elapsed,I think I was physcing myself up ..............THEN I thought why not,did the entry ,pressed save and emailed Jeannette saying ,Ive only gone and done it !Ive had some hiccoughs along the way ,and yes youve guessed she sorted me out ,well here I am !Ive been read some 1500 times thanks everyone ,and the rest you know is history.Its great !! Im in the living room or kitchen(but not alot!!) when ....PING....goes an alert ,the dog automaticaly,trots into the study (posh word for you know now where )because he knows we will be in here some time .I have met some fantastic friends and enjoyed some wonderful stories,Its the bestest retirement hobby a girl (and fellah )can have.    With all my love and thankyou   Jan xx  

OUT OF THE BIT BAG

A miscellany,of pictures and storys today............Picture no 1.. At the old bungalow we lived in Maurice had built a fitted wardrobe,when we moved here ,the second bedroom, it was decided, it was far too small, so no attempt was made to furnish it with bedroom furniture,He rebuilt the wardrobe and it is  usefull storage,as you can see Matthew(Matt) , Sams big brother,is playing on the leccy organ ,Maurices guitars and bodrum are on the wall above the organ and computer.If grandchilren come to stay like Sam the other week,the organ is removed and a camp bed ,put in there,so now you see our music/computer room............Picture no 2  Was taken with the journal in mind so though it didnt show what I wanted it too Im posting it anyway!~the top plaque reads cemetary gate,underneath is the warning ,from the electricity board~   In danger of death keep out !!!........Picture no 3,My eighteen year old grandson Paul,has a girl friend,who recently had a baby ,her boy friend left when it was found she was pregnant ,Paul stayed and loves the baby like his own and his girl friend of course,well thats good enough for us,except that makes you know who a greatgranny!!!!!Which Paul tells me Ive always been a great  granny AHHH!  She is adorable,her name is Keira,and Ive loved knitting her lots of little jackets and buying little clothes for her.SO there you have it a patchwork of pictures today,with stories to match.And for all you workers out there except those doing shift work Maurice!!   I used to love to say ........"The weekend starts here " have a good one folks  JAN XX 

THERE,LL BE BLUE BIRDS OVER ..........

The little town we live in hold a Fortys weekend ,once a year,John the owner of the car in picture no 10,is a friend of Maurices,we discovered about the event from John,when we were out walking the dog one day,there was John in a garden we were admiring ,it was then he told us of forthcoming events in the area,and the Fortys was some thing not to be missed he said .So as the time drew near we purchased our tickets for the dance .The whole weekend was in and around,the town with all the shops ,competing in the window displays,There were stalls in the street,the main events took place in the adjoining village where there used to be an air base in the war,So on the afternoon of Saturday August 20, we set off in the afternoon,and had a great time looking at the stalls selling fortys memorbelia I bought a little straw beret type hat,as I planned to wear a dress I own from that period,a little black two piece ,button down the back, with a big sequined sea horse on the front,I managed to locate some seamed stockings from the antique shop,earlier that week.There was an amazing display of cars ,tanks vehicles from the forties,bikes etc .People were strolling round in the sunshine in costume,strenthening my resolve to get dressed up that evening ,picture no 6 shows a blindman?selling his matches bootlaces ,behind him,was a mock up of a garden with all the veg ,complete with washing line,on which an amazing array of washing ,was drying ,including a liberty bodice!There was just so much to see.We went home and called in for some fish and chips from the chippy.Then we got our selves ready Maurice wore his suit ,but called it his demob suit !!and me in my regalia wished I had some gloves ,ladies always wore hats and gloves, never mind Id got my hat ,I tucked a lace hanky into my watchstrap,and off we went ,People had really gone to town,some of the dresses were amazing ,and the uniforms were a sight to see .Igot talking to one old gentleman(old gentlemen are my stock in trade!! )In a Majors uniform,it was authentic I recognised his badges as those of a medic he told us of his time in Burma what a delightful old gentleman I thanked him for his part in making my growing up safe !!The music was great ,Glenn Miller and numerous others ,the dances ,jitterbug ,jive wow ,even a gentleman in his smoking jacket and long cigarrete holder, doing stuff from Noel Coward.It was a truly enjoyable evening ,and now Ican do pictures I was able to share it with you,The one of me with the MP in front of the tank, He was the door man, I asked his wife if we might take the picture,sure said she in her Essex accent and  American uniform ,apparantly these people go all over the country to these events,make lots of freinds and have a ball.My M P ,when Isaid ,you dont mind do you ?replied out of the corner of his mouth ,course not babe how do you want me !hence the big grins on the picture .

And so on that happy note I will wish you all a good day,JAN XX 

 

 

A Piscatorial entry!!

Good morning ,Every one ,Im going to be playing catchup now I have discovered how to add my pictures,it wasnt so much how to add them ,more a question of where they were on the computer!The journals today seem to have a fishy theme I ve just read Ally and she tells us a lovely story of how she became interested.And now youve seen the pics of our Sam with his,booty ,beauty...catch! I was given a rather amusing book one Christmas ,by my sister,entitled  The Fishing Widows Guide by Rosie Barham.Iam about to share some of the more amusing,bits. 

Glossary-A few angling terms (and what they really mean)----------BAIT BOX-Tupperware   BARBEL -lady angler in the pub-or a species of fish.  CARP-what they do when they lose a fish or Common,Mirror,crucian,Leather etc.CASTORS(OILED)-what an effiently run anglers house hold runs on or maggots at the chryaslis stage.COURSE FISHING-Shouting abuse at other water users,ie boats swanns ducks etc or fresh water fishing  BIVVY- anglers cant pronounce bivouac.PINKY -affectionate name for a light red maggot SHAKESPEARE BOX-part of a theatre,where you will never persuade your angler to set foot ,or the trade name for a tackle box. PRIEST what catholic anglers look as though they need after a long session or a lead baton used to kill edible fish. ROD REST -time for a beer, or a support for fishing rod.SWIM,you must never do this anywhere near your angler or a section of water so called because fish......er ....swim in it .FISHING LICENCE-similar to poetic licence but only applies to the size of the fish..................AND ...then we come to the letters page ~~from Hooked of Holbeach-I think we have a poltergeist in the house!! I go shopping once a week but tins of sweetcorn and luncheon meat,even crusty loafs of bread seem to disappear overnight and no one knows where they have gone ,Shall I call in a priest.......................Dear Hooked ,your groceries are being thrown in the river.The only course of action is to hit your husband over the head with a priest he is bound to have at least . one in his tackle box.     AND FINALLY ...From Shell Shocked,of Southampton ,My husband and three sons keep using the" F "word.It appears in their conversationin almost every sentence and when I protest,they argue  that it is heard everywhere nowadays,even on T V .I find it most upsetting how can I stop them saying it ?.............Dear shocked.    You will never be able to stop them from saying it,try to ignore it.I understand your concern but the word "fishing "comes from the old Anglo Saxon,and is becoming quite acceptable in polite society.

Well have a good day folks and if your going fishing?---- Tight Lines !!                      Jan xx