Happy Birthday Dear Daughter.

Its 5.20am ,what a crazy time to be up ,doing a journal entry!!Maurice has to start at 6.am today so since Im awake ..............I need to get up at 6am myself its best I dont go off to sleep again !!so here I am ,what better way to spend the time between now and getting ready for work ,the last one for a while I think.Shift I mean not journal! 

What was I doing forty two years ago?,I cant remember the exact time I started,but my two little boys were being taken to my Mother,I was in labour with our third child ,I was taken into the maternity home,seven miles away,Mick had come with me in the ambulance,seen me settled in ,and off he went ,In the those days men werent allowed to be around ,this was a woman thing!In due course Igave birth to a beautiful little girl, wow ,how wonderful I thought I only had boys!! Mick came in later ,and Ican remember his face to this day as he gazed at his little girl.Back at my Mothers house they were all anxiously,they,my Mum Dad brother and sister waiting until my Mum thought it time to ring up the maternity home,when she thought the time was right my little sister Jean,then about fourteen,was sent off to the phone box,clutching her pennies for the phone,she asked if her sister had ,had her baby and was told yes a little girl,Jean ran all the way home,and breathlessly announced shes had the baby,what was it ,she was asked, a little girl I think,you think !!My mother made her go back to the phone box to check,Poor Jean .We called her Sharon Jayne.

After work today Im going to do a detour and go to see my lovely girl on her 42nd birthday,she has four children of her own now and is a landlady of a pub,Her three boys have all left home Iain,twenty two Stuart twenty and engaged to Vicky and Paul eighteen,Charlotte ,my only Grandaughter is eleven.

It is now six oclock my alarm clock,is ringing its little head off ,hah beat you ,So I will get ready for my day,all those busses!!ugh and its raining!and go and see my friends at the court I retired from ,they have a coffee morning planned so it should be nice, if the weather doesnt put them off !!Maurice is picking me up from Sharons.So on that happy note I will say bye everyone have a good day                 Jan xx

Stuff!

Good ,morning everyone ,no entry yesterday I worked, then by the time Id read all the alerts and answered them it was time to cook the meal and oh.................you know what its like.   Slow down I cant keep up !!

Did any one watch,Trevor Macdonald,on ITV last night, The Shot That Shook The World,(why are programmes such as these on so late?) I didnt phone in ,this programme was part of ITVs 50th anniversary celebrations ,and again Id seen all these shocking happenings at the time.Reminds me of the old saying "them as lives longest sees most",as I sat watching I found myself transported back to what and where I was at that particular time,evoking for me many memories!

I was at the court I retired from yesterday and what a lovely welcome I got from them ,I visited as many as possible after Id called up,but the visits were difficult as I was on a time limit,and each one hung on to me as long as possible,coming up with bits of news ,and come let me show you this,I know your busy  and Ill just tell you this then you must go  Bless them . 

Do you remember our friend Freda of >My diarys ,she recently became a Grand mother to a dear little boy,CONGRATULATIONS FREDA with love from us all and how are you ?and we miss you !!

Off to do some house work now,you have to dont you ?and somebody sprayed oven cleaner in my oven last night(seemed like a good idea at the time ) so Id better attend to that UGH!On that happy note I will say goodbye for now .

                  Jan xx

The weekend,has gone again.

Here we go, another Monday where do the weeks go,certainly faster as you get older."Swift to its close,ebbs out lifes little day"..........morbid line from the lovely hymn,but apt!I frown on morbid but now and again....It must be my cold,(or the after effects)Well I finished up last night with a black border down the side of the screen I couldnt easily access the pages to scroll up and down ,I had half an hour on the phone to Jean my sister, this morning came back to the PC and its healed up again ,back to normal ,so was it me or jolly old AOL??,cus I didnt do anything honest!!

A week last Friday Jean and Pete came over for the evening we usually have things of interest to pass on to each other ,photos news paper cuttings books etc,Jean had got a flyer from W H Smith advertising their bargains,and since she knew our printer was poorly,here was one advertised for £49.99 reduced from £99.99,photocopies/scans as well ,First thing Saturday morning I was on the phone to them ,yes they had one left, oh could you save it for me ,I will collect this afternoon,yes ,fine.Glyn next door was away on holiday,so what do I do !!The instructions looked straight forward enough!!But working on the theory if I mess up, he would have to put it right, I was very good, and waited till he came home late Saturday, Sunday morning, Maurice went fishing ,Glyns Mum and Stepdad,went to the cricket(hes not keen)so Glyn and I had a good day sorting out my computer,and of course installing the printer,He helped me to put my picture onto my journal,following Jeannettes instructions.There are still so many things I want to do but Ill get there ,

On Saturday,(Im going backwards here ,my grasshopper brain)Maurice took daughter Catherine and I to the Freemans outlet shop,where because of his work connections he gets a further 30% off,I bought 3 pairs of trousers,A lovely embroidered throw for the bed,some jeans for Maurice and some towels,all for just over £30,"dont ya just love a bargain ?"Kate bought alot too!So that was the weekend,Im working tomorrow and Friday, at the court I retired from so Im off to do some house work now.

         Have a good one folks with love Jan xx

The Fens

Hello,everyone,Ive been talking,about the area I live in and thought it might help if I was to clarify things abit,so with the help of my brother inlaw Pete,(Jeans husband)here is a brief history of the Fens, The Fens were formed over many thousands of years and have continualy changed in there shape and size to become the fens we know today. They were before mans intervention made up of vast areas of salt water marshes and rich vegetation. That would be washed down by the three main rivers that enter the fens these being the rivers Nene Welland and Ouse. These rivers would carry vast quantities of rich soil down from the Midlands and deposit them in the low lying areas . It was decided that with a lot of hard work and money that the Fens were right for a drainage scheme   that was to be undertaken by the richest men in the land . These brave men some calling them foolish, were to be rewarded for their efforts by the crown ,the more money they put into the scheme the more of the new land they would receive,these men were  known as adventurers. Although there had been many small scale attempts to drain different parts of this vast area over the last two thousand years. The adventurers started their work in the sixteen thirties and took about two hundred and twenty years before real success was achieved. The man that made the biggest and most successful impression was a Dutch man by the name of Cornelius Vermuden, he came over to design and supervise the net work of drains that were dug for many miles across the fens. I hope you find this of some interest,and it explains some things for you,A history/geography lesson and on a Sunday too !!   Have a happy and blessed Sunday      Jan xx                                                      

Ive been tagged byjlocorrierewelcome to my travels

Ive been Tagged by jlocorriere05  Welcome to my travels

We are going to a model air craft display at a disused air field near us.

I nominate>woodsey 2  Jo

p0ppet1  Angie

Jules

Ally    123130585916

The wobbles return  Denise

 

Find your twenty third entry copy off the ,fifth sentance into your journal and nominate five people to do the same ,Ithink !!!

Jan

Counting the cost !!

Hello,J/Folk

Late doing my entry today,I have been to work,nothing out standing happened,unless you count the library man when he came into the office,saw me and said "Your not normal".........No says I, I dont do normal!of course he meant to say your not the normal lady,as he explained all embarrased,to ease his embarrasment I told him I knew what he meant,but I still dont do normal !

I think the cold has gone,well I feel a whole lot better than I did  at the beginning of the week.Set me thinking ,how much even a cold can cost,........paracetamol,tissues,honey&lemons.Jelly sweets (because Im poorly)chocolate in case I dont fancy the jelly sweets,chicken soup because a journal friend told I should, a little vic thingy you stick up your nostril and inhale.And then storys attached to colds,My Mother used to say ,it will take its course,and ,they are three days coming ,three days here and three days going,and then of course you feed a cold and starve a fever.My Mum always kept a little pot of goose grease to rub on our chests when we were little,it stank!!,Any way Im off the danger list now!!                  So the weekend starts here P O E T S DAY.>push of early tomorrows Saturday!!!

           Have a good one folks  Jan xx

Memories

Maurice has just gone off to work,(its 11.30am),he wont be home until,around 11pm,,happy with his cards and pressies,I bought him an Irish rugby shirt, and some dvds hed wanted,and a tape to do with fishing always a winner! He read your greetings in my comments and was quite touched.Lovely people! No work today, Im only part time,just tomorrow to go, then two days next week at the court I retired from,which will be lovely to see all my old friends again,had some great times there,some sad ones too,which reminds me ....another story,

When I first became a manager there,I went to visit an old lady who had recently moved there following the death of her husband,she was ninety then ,she insisted on showing me round,even though the bungalows were all the same,Ididnt want to hurt her feelings so I allowed her to give me the grand tour.Just off the bedroom is a large walk in cupboard,in there she had a fridge freezer,not working! she was showing me some of the contents,there were photo albums,a fantastic collection of scrapbooks,about the royal family ,world events oh all sorts of things...........right at the bottom in a drawer,were her late husbands slippers filled with pot-pourri..............OOO

My cold feels so much better thankyou everyone,Im off to hang out the washing   With love Jan xx

Stress is the inabilty to cope,BAH!

I have been trying to get onto A O L for ages,kept getting.... Script is blocking blah blah....After trying everything,I rang A O L ,who told me it was one of theirs ...to authorise it and it would let me back on .And two hours plus later here Iam .I should have stayed in bed today .My trip into Huntingdon ,was uneventful ,there had been a fog warning for our area,but it wasnt so bad certainly not enough to hold us up at all.Arrived in Huntingdon ,and this was were the day started to go down hill,I waited threequarters of an an hour for my connection,the driver explained hed been given two extra school runs,says he-"must get the kiddies to school",  mmm I arrived late and Ive got the Health and safety officer coming!!!SUGAR**Keep cool...... I managed to get the residents called up, and he arrived,with Sally a student in training.I explained Id retired and was doing holiday cover ,thinking he might be gentle with me ,Oh no! hed got a student to impress,hadnt he ?He took me through the lot,I think I disapointed him , by answering his questions correctly,Sally kept flashing me sympathetic looks.On his summing up he suggested some algi ,was power washed away from out side on a little bit of the patio area, and that the engine room ,key (engine room for lift ) should be labeled,the master key didnt open the door so I had to look for the correct one.

I had another lie down with my book , when I got home still got the afore mentioned cold,wrapped Maurices pressies for his birthday tomorrow and that brings me bang up to date ,Iam going to watch 49 up on ITV tonight .In1964 agroup of seven year olds were interviewed,then and every seven years since,they are now forty nine,and,sobering thought Ive seen them all!!    I havent answered any of your entries folks, but I will.......... tomorrow as the saying goes is another day .Enjoy whats left of the evening                Jan xx

P S  Jeannette has just pointed out... 49 up... is on tomorrow!!Its a good job shes looking out for me ,I told you it had been a bad day!!

Good Morning everyone,well its afternoon really but Im not dressed yet,so Gmorning!There should be a public health warning attached to this entry,so put on your masks................ready ?Ib god a coad in me ed!!....Not ill, as such ,but you know how the common cold can make you feel miserable, well thats me today.Thinks, Id like to meet the person who kindly shared their air born little monsters with me,Im drinking lots ,you feel so dehyrated dont you ?

To complete my discomfort,Ive just been putting a colour on my hair,long over due unless you go for the piebald look,as the advert says" because Im worth it".I wonder what colour I really am now? Anno Domini!! .........      time to rinse..............OH looks a bit dark ,its always at its best when its due again!!As you will have gathered Im not working today so Im only  doing silly little jobs indoors today ,just enough to justify my existance!!I have already done some typing for Maurice for which he was grateful,he is on twelve untill eleven to night so I have all day to potter and since Im starting to waffle, I will put this entry to bed ,(now theres a thought ,with a book ,well Iam poorly)            Enjoy the afternoon and evening      Jan xx atchoooooo

 

 

 

 

The fruits of Autumn

Autumn ,has arrived, not as cold this morning going to work ,but certainly not warm.Riding along on the bus,I noticed the Horse chest nut tree is shedding its nuts so ,that means its conker season again,can you remember the conker fights,find a likely conker pierce it with a skewer,thread some string through it ,tie a knot and you are ready to do battle.We got up to all sorts of tricks,to protect our conker from being shattered by our oponent,not particularly successfully as I remember we put them in the oven and baked them ,we even tried ,pickling them in vinegar,actually I prefered making dolls house furniture,with matchsticks for legs they made very nice stools.

As I rode along I also noticed all the rose hips,along the hedge rows,We could earn our selves a few shillings by collecting these and taking them into school,where they would be weighed,The amount collected logged by your name.Then wait a few days ,When with baited breath, you waited, you would be called out to collect your earnings.Oh riches,I can remember ,being given 2/6on one occasion.This must have been in the late nineteen fortys/early fifties ,and the rosehip syrup was delcious.

Of course I mustnt forget the blackberry ,the lovely pies ,with some apples (I wish I could make pastry like my Mums mmm) jam, and blackberry vinegar.We would come home arms and legs all scratched with fingers and mouths all black!!Oh happy days.

Have a good evening everyone.       Jan xx 

No theme just green.

Maurice is on duty this morning ,he left just after six o clock by six thirty I was cold and couldnt get off to sleep again ,so that decides it ,the summer quilt,is to be changed for the winter weight one.Its a lovely sunny morning here,but that nip is in the air.I will start looking out some warmer clothes too.I bought some very nice cord material,with machine stitched embroidery,slightly stretchy,in bottle green ,a couple of months ago,I cut it out ,now is the time to start thinking of completing it.It will go very nicely with a cardigan I bought in Ireland,early last year,as my Daughter in law said when I bought some sage green wool recently,whats with all this green ,all of a sudden.That made me think........I once lived somewhere ,where there was a lot of green and I wasnt happy,so maybe thats it.Well I must be over it now,we painted the bathroom pale green,with bottle green accessories,even have three green bottles.............hanging ,no sitting on the edge of the bath.We also have a green leather suite in the lounge,So yea Im over it !!!Then again it might be Maurices influance, he was born in Ireland,quite near the place A ngelas ashes was made,A beautiful country!!Ill tell you a secret ,I have a shamrock tattoo about eight inches above my left knee.I had just turned sixty when I got it done so I asked the guy did he do reductions for pensioners!!!he roared with laughter,and promptly knocked,some money off,Its no good having cheek if you dont use it.  So on that happy note Im off to change the quilt

     Bye everyone have a good day Jan xx

Definitely,Autumn this morning as I waited for the bus at seven thirty ugh...at least by then it had stopped raining.Chatted to my new friend again on the journey.I finally arrived and called everyone ,all fine .Off I went to visit as many as possible,see them settled before the weekend,I told you what a lovely place it is ,as I was walking down one of the corridors I was over looking the grounds in amongst the trees I spotted some busy squirrels and a lone magpie who I greeted with ~"Good morning Mr Magpie ,hows the wife and children today?",I spied some bunnies too.Jeannette suggested the residents had some tales to tell,one dear old gentleman,upset me abit this morning ,he said he hadnt slept very well last night,hed had a nightmare, he then went on to tell me he was in Burma, in the war , and had been captured by the"Japs"poor old soldier,and to think he is still suffering.

I had some time to kill before my bus home ,so I did some shopping,there was a farmers market,and on a recommendation from one of the residents I bought some ostrich burgers,low in fat she tells me !Im 9stone10,Maurice isnt much more still they might be nice ,Ill let you know!!has anyone else tried them ??Well I guess thats it folks ,The weekend starts here have a good one                With Love Jan  XX

After the lord Mayors show.....

The day after the party , and its back to work, at another court , in the other direction,just two buses this time.What a lovely place ,it is set in its own grounds,vast lawns lovely old trees,flowerbeds ,flowers and shrubs.Follow the path down to the river,yes the river runs along the bottom of the garden,with fishing and mooring.

I got talking to a young lady on the bus,who was also off to work, as a drug councellor ,she was as interested to hear about my job as I was to hear about hers,So with the ball of conversation bouncing between us the threequarter of an hour  journey passed quickly.I arrived, made my self familiar with the office ,the computer ,the controls ,and called all the residents who were fortunately ,safe and well .I dealt with some paper work, Then joined the residents for their coffee morning ,a good way to meet alot of people in one fell swoop!a very nice bunch of people all vying with each other to tell me their stories,after coffee I visited a few vulnerables,Id taken a few phone calls ,one saying the food hygiene inspection officer would be visiting tomorrow at ten, to look at the kitchen .So my morning passed busily and quickly and I was off home again. 

Maurice was off yesterday so he drove me to work,and yes youve guessed it he fished the river, another busy day ,when I received a phone call, from a care agency, one of her carers had seen MrsBrown, walking down East street on her own ,this lady is partially sighted and quite frail ,her care package,involves carers coming in three times a day!!her family shop for her,...................Wow dont panic ,tried to ring the family ,no reply ,rang the police, theyd send some one out ,rang my boss ,she said you go and have a look !! Ok I dont know the geography, but rang controll to put me off site ,off I sets ..............Thank you God, walking towards me a little old lady with white stick, "Hello Peggy where have you been"........"Just to the shops"!!!Bless her, old habits die hard with us ladies,dont they ?Settle her down in her flat with a cuppa, called of the police, rang my boss and controll ,  AHH. The phone goes , a very apologetic food hygiene inspector,"I am sorry Ive kept you waiting for me, Im afraid I wont be able to make it today,Would it be convenient to come next week!!" Of course I forgave him and agreed to meet him next week!!

Im off today and its raining,wouldnt you know it   With love   Jan x                 P.S. Maurice caught two fish !

Party time

We all enjoyed the party on Monday though it seems a long time ago now ,The sun shone, the ladies all wore their" posh frocks"the gents were all suited and booted, the hall was all decorated ,lovely table cloth,s and napkins ,in a pretty pink, lots of flowers everywhere,The Mayor and his lady were there,she was charming going around the room, with a word for each one,The Mayor s speech was short and interesting,he told us about the man who the court had been named after, how, even though hed lost a leg in the war, he had worked hard for the community ,and had in his turn been elected Mayor,but his every day job was in the ticket office at the station.(I love to hear local history storys )this particular station went, in the time of Dr Beeching!    Then it was the turn of our chief exec...."Well it wont be long"......(oh good we thought, another short speech.)......."and then England will have the ashes"Richard!! no ,his speech was short and interesting too, a handful of residents had been at the court since it opened twenty years ago so were presented with chocs and flowers .Next it was Celias turn shes ninety four and writes poetry,yes she had written one about living in sheltered housing,she proudly walked, to the front and recited it for us in a voice that could clearly be heard at the back of the room, then the most delicious buffet,Two cakes,one iced with a two and one with zero, side by side to make twenty ,one fruit, one plain, lots to drink, wine ,punch and good old tea and coffee Oh and the press were there taking their pictures and getting their stories .As Maurice and I were leaving,we were invited to stay but Maurice had been up since four,the entertainers had them all joining in and they looked good for a good old sing song.

               Have a nice day folks Jan xx

Lest we forget

Following the terrible events of September the eleventh,we were all in a state of shock ,of disbelief ,as was the rest of the civilised world,The news reports coming ,minute by minute.It was all totally beyond our comprehension.My poor residents,some of whom had been born during the first world war,had fought in and survived the second ,now this,why? was a question I was often asked and couldnt answer.We some how got through the following days,spirits were low.It was proposed we all,at a certain time and day,all over the world  should observe a two minutes silence,(I forget now quite when it was)As the suggested time was to be at a time when we wouldnt normally be  all together.I suggested we all meet in the community room.I told them I would like them to bring along with them a floral tribute,Iwanted a them to do an arrangement in their thimbles!Do you know some of these were beautiful,those that hadnt got a thimble used the little china ones , you know ,a present from Skegness,even the men took part,you can see what I was up to cant you ?keep them distracted, it nearly worked .So with all our flowers and candles on a table.............I suggested we all now kept the silence for two minutes whilst we remember in our prayers.........With my eye on my watch...... I rehearsed in my mind what I should say ,when I broke the silence  ,(what a strange situation to find myself in,can you imagine it?)The Good Lord , gave me the words.For which I give thanks.            Jan

Sorry no entry yesterday ,the day just disappeared, from under my nose,the only "window"  I found myself with , Maurice was on the P C ,WELL,it is our P C so you have to allow them to use it sometimes dont you ?

So what was I doing,? oh yes ,shopping,washing, cooking ,watched casualty on the box and then Kellys heros , then to bed and read while Maurice stayed up to watch the boxing.

The court I have been at most this year are holding a birthday party they have been open twenty years ,I have been invited to it tomorrow, so I have been making a skirt to wear ,I have to finish it today!(leave every thing to the last minute)!!I am looking forward to the party , on this occation I dont have to do any of the preparation,The manager will be back from her holiday,My line manager will be there and our chief exec, who , I havent seen since my leaving party,oh and the Mayor is to be there too, there will be eats and entertainment so will be a good day.The proposed ending time coincides with Maurices finishing time so he will collect me and take me home,goody, straight home ,no bus !

Well ,since I now have to finish  the afore mentioned skirt,and then theres the dreaded ironing ,and Sunday lunch to cook I will now close a very mundane entry .                                            Have a happy Blessed Sunday folks    Jan xx

Im tired tonight,up at six am to get the bus/s to work,then quite a busy day Friday,lots of loose ends to be tied up before, a weekend.Almost the first job is to call the residents in their flats/bungalows(depending on the type of site we are on) I punch a code into the speech module,usually flat no, which alerts the resident,Im about to speak to them ,the conversation will go some thing like this ~Morning Bert are you alright.He will answer(we hope!)Morning Jan,Im fine are you?we then have a little chat about the weather/the cricket/football.... you get the idea.....Most residents like a call but some opt out,but must sign a disclaimer.I showed a potential resident around the scheme,we also viewed the flat that has been offered her,she loved it as did her daughter,Iexplained to them the aspects of sheltered housing,but Im not going into the whole shpeil here!! .........We had a residents coffee morning ,today ,which is handy as Ican go around the room chatting to many residents at once,of course the more vunerable/housebound I would go and visit also to the more private ones who dont feel inclined to join in, will get a visitThey all know ,if they have a problem They they can discuss it with me ,and I will do my best to sort it out,It could be any thing from maintainance to medical to financial, just anything so I need to be in touch with the relevant agencies.Fortunately today they all seemed happy bunnies,some times though they will say they are fine and some thing tells you they are not ,you get a feel for these things, so abit of gentle encouragement to share is required. Then you get the others who no matter what you do for them you cant get it right .........Bless em !!I am reminded, about some thing that happened at the court I retired from ,calling up one cold and windy morning But first I have to explain ...the lady I am about to call lives in an end bungalow ,with a path running around from the front to the back,down the side she has a hedge which devides her from the neighbour,So.....Morning Mabel,... Morning Jan ,me ...Hasnt it been an awful night?......Mabel "yes the winds been blowing up my backpassage all night ,I havent had a wink of sleep"

Maurice is working till eleven tonight so Im now going to make myself some thing to eat,and maybe watch some tele always assuming I can keep away from this thing!!So have a good rest of the evening folks,Oh you will thank your Mother for the Kippers for me wont you ?          BYEE   JAN XXX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We nearly got banned!!!

Volunteers,required to take a group of residents to the theatre,To see Brideshead revisited,    read the notice in the staff room...,I quite fancy that ...,says I.the only other volunteer was Chrissy,who  became my dear daughter in law when she married Mark my son a few years later,funnily enough I had  nothing to do with their meeting,

Transport was arranged and off we went,I think we took about eight residents,it was an after noon performance,,We got everyone settled and the performance began really very good.But maybe abit heavy, for our old chums,so quite abit off shuffleing till the majority dropped of to sleep,Well as you know homes for the elderly are  kept  really quite warm so by comparison the air conditioning,made it though ,pleasant enough for us ,quite cool for the chums.                And so yes youve guessed it ,it had to be these two didnt it ?

Kate~"Im not very warm".     I reach over and tuck her crocheted rug round her knees .                                                                                                                                       Flo~(remember shes deaf) "What"       Kate~(Kates abit deaf) "I said Im cold".  F lo~"You What?"            Kate ~"NO IM NOT BLEEDIN OT IM COLD".Well by now Chrissy and I were pulling out our hair ,when Ivy whod been wimpering quietly decided she wanted the loo ,so this coward saw a get out and took her to the toilet ,only to be accosted by one of the theatre staff, as we returned ,saying our party were disturbing the other patrons and could we keep them quiet,Igot back to our seats,where Chrissy informed me shed been told off, yes ,says I,so have I !!So amongst giggles we decided ,come the interval, we are out of here.Idont think the residents were too dissapointed to miss the second half.Then once back at the home we ,informed the manager,it had been entirely the wrong programe for our residents.We later learned hed been given the tickets!!  Never again!!         well you do dont you ?We booked to see Ken Dod,everyone ready in good time,patiently waiting for the transport .................It didnt turn up.The theatre rang there was a block of seats vacant,booked out to us,they couldnt hold the curtain any longer,we said go ahead well try to be there for the second half to which they agreed.Sent out an SOS to taxi company for three taxis and off we went,we got to the theatre and all handed a programme,"compliments of Mr Dod"said the staff ,who had hopefully forgotten who we were!              The manager again ugrr -  I was made social secretary after that and we enjoyed pantomimes old time music halls and The highlight for every one The Salvation Army Christmas concert, you book early for that one .

        Now you have a really good day everyone wth love from Jan xx

                                                                                                                                    .F

DEAR OLD PALS JOLLY OLD PALS

Before I retired and before I was a scheme Manager I worked in a residential home for the elderly, and have a store of happy memories from those days,one particularly lovely couple I remember,Isay couple simply because they sat side by side,and looked out for each other.Kate was a dear old cockney lady, the most important things in her life were her teeth and her corset,the teeth would come out and wrapped in her napkin and put beside her plate most meal times I think they also spent as much time in the rubbish bin and we could often be found delving into the rubbish to rescue them.Helping her to get ready for bed was a ritual that had to be adhered to!first we had to unpin the little religeous medal she wore on her vest , she would kiss it pass it to me to do the same ,then I had to pin it to her nighty ,then "Oh get me stays off gel" wait till she gave her belly a good scratch.nighty on and then  into bed,"Night night Kate God bless"she would reply "Gor bless ya darrlin.     Now its her partner in crimes turn to go to bed, she was quite deaf with a lovely sense of humour her bedtime,comment in reply to mine was always "Thank you Janit goodnightO and thank your mother for the kippers"(the mother was pronounced to rhyme with bother) wonderful ladies,and then Amy she used to say "you are a good girl I hope there will be some one to look after you when your old" Oh Amy says I they will have recycled you by then  to which she would roar with laughter.Sadly these old sweethearts went to a better place some years ago ,I often think of them     So since Im late posting today, Have agood evening,Night Night ,OO and dont forget to Thank your Mother for the kippers!!

           Janxx 

Food for thought ~and drink!

Dont you just love the words"Summer afternoons",it conjures up thoughts of cool drinks on the patio,the smell of the the flowers and the newly cut lawns,a good book to read,scones and strawberry jam with cream.September can often be a good month,and without the fierce heat we have had lately,though the nights are pulling in. pulling in( theres a phrase)its only when its written down you question what you say!

I went to work today,Maurice having a day off took me,which was great,I have to take three buses to get to the court I am at this week. So it was good to go straight there. He stayed in the foyer reading, but was interupted a few times, the residents were all keen to chat to him, a number of them used to live in the area where he grew up so they like to reminise and ask him about people ,who lived in the area in their day. They tend to forget their contemporarys have moved on too .They do make us/me most welcome it can be a rewarding job but if they have a grievance, look out ,they dont mince their words.Bless Em !!                                                           PAUSE TO WATCH  THE WEAKEST LINK.

Im back ,one of the questions,was about Tea bags.........introduced in 1953....They werent allowed in our house, my father would not entertain the idea , our loose tea had to be kept in a caddy,the tea pot had to be warmed,and in addition to the requiered amount ,was added one for the pot,and if two people were to handle the pot ie to pour a second cup,one of them could expect to have ginger twins.During my years working with the elderly I learned of many such superstitions,I think would make a good journal entry some time but not now I should go and prepare some dinner

   So have a nice evening everyone    Jan  xx

 

Stormy night

Another stormy night, with thunder and lightning,so I didnt sleep very well,and since Maurice isnt working today, hes gone fishing,As he was loading up the car the door squeaked each time he went in and out,and the dog moaned ,and so I couldnt get back to sleep,and Ive got a frozen shoulder.AHH    Nothing like starting the day with a good old whinge,is there?Sorry folks.

Im going to Huntingdon today with Chrissie,shes listened to me saying how I enjoy that little Town so she  booked a day off ages ago,(she is an ambulance driver)so here we go,and then tomorrow,I am working ,it will be so nice to see all my old friends at the court Im going to(Ive been there alot this year as the manager was off sick for about six weeks)They always give me a lovely welcome.

A very thoughtful young lady, sent me an email yesterday suggesting I had given far too many details,on my first entry, she was quite right of course,and shes also right, there are some nutters out there, yet another frantic S O S ,to the ever patient Jeannette, who explained,how to edit the offending paragraph,so.... something else ,Ive learned,During the editing I was tempted to slip in a little n somewhere!!, but that would have been cheating wouldnt it? lol

I should go and get ready ,Chrissy will here soon, my get up and go got up and went this morning,and what to wear?not flip flops, some thing weather proof, but its still clammy isnt it ?Oh and the brolly!!Have a good day folks,     Jan xx

Missing 1 n!

Thankyou to those off you who took part in the "Spot the deliberate mistake competition",yesterday .Blue Peter badges are on there way to you,(not really Im teasing you !)So now as though I not in enough trouble with my Ss I have mislaid an N.

This will need to be a short entry today,we are going to a model aircraft display at a dissused air field nearby,not our hobby but Glen the young fellow next door is keen ,but rather shy and doesnt want to go by himself so we said we d go with him.We are going to take Mr Wrikly with us.....I went to sign up for a computer course ,yesterday,with my daughter in law Chrissie, there is such alot to learn however much you think you know.

Some of you mentioned my quote,Im afraid I cant claim it as mine ,but I can remember where I heard it.Can you remember the TV programe?."The house of Elliot" Set before the war(WW2).Two young girls designed and sold dresses,well the older one said it!

I shall now finish this entry,the fellas are calling me,Imust fly !!OOPS ..perhaps not !Have a happy blessed Sunday everyone. Jan xx

How to make one entry last three days!

This will be the third time,I have,done this particular entry,you see after the marvelous start I had on Thursday1st September.on  the2nd I,full of enthusiasm,posted again in a...... 2nd journal,yes really!!Serendipity,became  serendipity.Yes one little s!!Poor Jeannette she was getting e- mails all day from a frantic me,anyway as ever,she sorted me out,pointed me in the right direction,and put me back on line literally.THANKYOU AGAIN jEANNETTE XX

I called this one ecstatic   I entitled it Some more of the same.

Sometimes in life there are champagne moments,yesterday I think must fall into that category,WOW arent you all amazing?Led by Jeannette,she im ed me last evening and we wowed together,as I said though ,she must have alot of readers for it to have taken off like this,I got 143 hitsand 32 comments when I went to bed,by this morning the hit counter had gone up by another 20 and there were more comments........this is going to take some living up to!!THANK YOU everyone.

Some where on other peoples journals,Ive read their favourite quotes,I cant find where to put mine ,but I think it would have to be="If one wasnt pleasant to strangers how would one meet, ones friends.

I will in due course add pictures I can put them onto the computer and even do slide shows for my ever tolerant family,but they the pictures not the family,dont seem to want to go onto youve got pictures,But bear with me Ill get there!and then Ill show you our wrikly dog...........me hey Ive earned every wrinkle!they are actually character lines!

Last Monday being abank holiday,I went with my son Mark and his wife Chrissie and my daughter Catherine,who insists on being called Kate but Im her Mum SO.....we went to St Ives (Cambs)market, and I bought a duck!!much like the ones Jeannette and Joan have,it cost £10 and I suspect seconds ,but who cares I called her Ivy.

I bought other bargains ,we then went for a pub lunch I had a prawn and mayo baggette, could nt eat all the bread ,so my Kate says "pick it up Mother and..........."pause I did as I was told, well you do dont you?..........."put in the bag with your duck".........CATHERINE!!

WELL THAT WAS YESTERDAYS ENTRY !!Iam afraid I do tend to waffle............To all my lovely new friends have a happyday, With Love from JAN

Family and other things

Hi Im Jan ,

I thought I ought to try my hand at this journal making ,I dont much like the word blogging ,it makes me think of back logging ,and Im not here to talk about my ironing ,I went on line last April and when I discovered your lovely journals I was hooked.I have added comments on many,and feel I know so many of you ,its only fair I tell you abit about me.

I retired as a Scheme Manager on a sheltered housing scheme for the elderly,last November because I lived on site retiring also meant moving so my partner Maurice and I moved to a charming little market town in the fens ,Well having told you Im retired ,Iam actually back doing holiday cover on a part time basis,which is lovely but since Idont drive I have to use public transport to the various Schemes Ive been covering, so my shifts are subject to bus time tables!

Maurice always wanted a dog so soon after we moved we went to the animal shelter and adopted Scooby a Shar Pai dog.Funny old boy about two years old with a few of the wrinkles a chacteristic of the breed (well dogs are supposed to look like their owners arnt they ?)

My husband Mick who died twenty two years ago and I had four children two boys and two girls and between them have presented me with nine grandchildren eight boys and Charlotte Janet,my name is Janet but Im Jan to my friends,Can I join you and be your friend too,Im gonna press the save button now ........fingers crossed    JAN