Last day of January !

Another lovely graphic by Donna,she also made the ones I used yesterday.

Good morning ,every one thankyou for your kind comments about my son Marks accident,He had his op ,yesterday afternoon,they managed to manipulate the elbow,and the wrist was wired ,Chrissy rang me from the hospital,to tell me it had gone well ,he is still in alot of pain but,now hopefully can begin the recovery process .The phone rang last evening it was Mark ,they let him come home ,so he would be able to rest in his own bed,me? well....the old mothers worry mechanisim ,was still in good working order!with result I cleared up all the ironing,and various other jobs ! How often have I heard the words "Dont fuss Mother ",its the way they call you Mother on these occasions !! 

Now Iwasn't going to say to much as I'd mentioned Mick on his Birthday ,but I switched on the computer this morning to find this email from my Daughter Catherine(Kate ),she is'nt with AOL..but she reads my journal ,so is disapointed she cant add comments ...however she has asked me to add this,,,I must warn you it made me cry

  

Well here we go - today is the worst day of any year for me - it's 23 years since my dad Mick died. I will never forget the day and every year the memories come flooding back.   You always wonder what if - what it - He would of been very proud of his wonderful grandchildren and also i think, his own kids. We have all done ok for ourselves really and all have lovely children and partners etc. We had family argument and rows etc like any other family but he was still my dad and i loved him so much.   One good thing that has come out of it all is my Mum - she outshone any two parent families when we were growing up and managed to provide us all with a steady and loving family home. Things were not always easy for her and it must of been hard but she did a grand job of bringing us lot up. She has always been there for us and is still.   I love my mum and she is my best friend, i talk to her about absolutely anything and sometimes things i perhaps shouldn't talk to my mum about. She has been there through everything that has happened in our lifes and nothing is too much trouble for her. Another good thing that my mum has done for me is introduce my step pops - Maurice to our family. I love him dearly. Today of all days i perhaps shouldn't say this - but Maurice truly is the next best thing to my dad. He has always guided me and pointed me in the right direction and like mum, giving advice which sometimes we think is wrong, but because they have been there, done that, been the right advice. I do believe that my dad is up there looking down on us and is very proud and happy. I also think that he picked Maurice for us because he knew that he would guide us in the right direction.   Maybe today then - 23 years since my dad died - i should not be sad but happy cos i have such wonderful and loving parents that will always i know, be there for me and the rest of us.   Love you both so much.   Me again !!! what can I say ! except that I am so blessed.

Poor Mark

Remember last week ,I said Mark and Chrissy ,wanted me to go roller skating with them ,well my back wasnt feeling too clever  , even if I just sat and watched ,those places arent the most comfortable,places to sit ,so I declined .Well yesterday afternoon I got a phone call from Chrissy ."Guess where we are ?",thinking they were going to call in on their way home I said ..."On your way over ?"..."No casualty !!"said Chrissy ,  " Mark(my son) has hurt his wrist,but I'll call you later ". In due course Chriss rang back Mark has broken his wrist quite badly ,they have been trying to manipulate it back into place ,but not successfully ,there is also some concern about his elbow ,as he was in extreme pain,he was given quite stong pain relief ,morphine, and he has had to stay over night and will have surgery today ,so I'm thinking about that man who is really ,my little boy ,puffing away on the old fags and wondering ...can I ring yet?...trying to keep myself occupied ,again thank heaven for journals !They say these things are sent to try us !wish they'd try someone else for a change ! Iwill of course let you know the out come ,but for now ,have good day everyone

A Cold and Frosty Sunday

 Good day, everyone one ,as Teddy ,is saying and I must admit ,I was very moved by all your lovely comments ,regarding my Mums life story ...I am pleased you enjoyed it ,I nearly didnt do it ,but Jean was saying ,"I should ! go on ",so I did !.Then as Joan suggested I printed it (so did Jean ,she tells me )..Quite alot came out of it too....Mein is name that cropped up on Denise's family tree ,Aileen often goes into Chesterfield ,and Eve was married in Oundle registry office !

Well as I boldly stated , my new year resolution was to learn to do ,all the clever things ,you good people out there are doing all the time ,well I reckon Ive got topside of many of them ,I can now add pictures , I can put them in the right order now with sub titles ,cut and paste,and with the aid of the file manager ,I wonder if he's any relation to the bank manager in the cupboard ,one of the banks were promoting some years ago !! (remember him ?)I can file and  add graphics ,I can snag and file them too,so I am very pleased with my achievement I must admit, the only thing is I think AOL thinks I'm getting far too smug ,so has changed the method of alerting ,to this wireless device Huh !!Nothing in this world is ever perfect is it ?Never mind .I have so many good friends out there who have helped me ,willingly giving ,help and advice ,and I'm so grateful to you all .Have a blessed Sunday everyone where ever you are .

Phyllis her life .

     

Phyllis, always felt protective to her younger brother Reg,he never married he suffered from eperleptic fits,he was in later life prescribedmedication which made his condition  more managable.Reg frequently came to stay with Phyllis and Ike and the, children.

Un fortunately Reg, died alone in his flat, the police came and broke the news to Phyllis and Ike, who sadly had to go toNottingham to identify him and arrange the funeral and close up his flat. Phyllis was understandably, very, upset for many years at the loss of her brother ,they had been very close as young children especially losing their Mother at such an early age .Phyllis’s other two older sisters had also died by this time. It was a lonely thought, she was the only one left from the family, and there was no one left in Nottingham, though her nieces kept in touch, and visited often, and in later life Phyllis would visit them.

Meanwhile Phyllis’s own children had grown up, got jobs, married, Phyllis now had two sons in law Mick and Pete who adored her, had children, Janet had two sons and two daughters, and Jean had a son and a daughter, John and his wife Julia never had any children .Sadly Phyllis’s son in law Mick (Janet’s husband ) died aged forty four.

Phyllis and her daughters would take the children away on caravan holidays, which she really enjoyed.

Throughout her life Phyllis had enjoyed fairly good health, Ike who had smoked all his life developed emphysema, and she looked after him until he died aged sixty four.She was living in a council house with three bedrooms and a big garden and because a bungalow was available, she moved, helped by her family, though she found it all a bit overwhelming, coming so soon after Ikes death ,she wished she had had more time .

She did eventually settle and came to love her little bungalow, which her family helped decorate and make new curtains and buy new carpets for.

Phyllis was always a very private person, still living for her family, she read enjoyed selecting books from the library, knitted and enjoyed television, she enjoyed being a member of the Women’s Institute, in Kings Cliffe,She still visited her own family ,adored her Grandchildren , who all visited her reguraly

As the years went by Phyllis developed back problems and then a thyroid problem was diagnosed ,she became as time passed more and more confused ,she was spending more and more time staying with her daughters ,until it was decided as  she wasn’t coping at all well, it was time for her have Twenty four hour care ,a very nice care home was found ,where she spent her last days ,with the family visiting regularly ,and taking her out ,and to their homes .

She developed pneumonia in December 1990, she seemed to be recovering, but on the day after Boxing Day, the Doctor broke the news to Janet that she wasn’t expected to recover, Janet rang John and Jean.

Janet and Jean, then stayed with their mother for three days and nights helping with her personal care, gently talking, singing and praying for her with the others visiting her during this time, it was a Friday tea time, she slipped away, whilst her loving heart broken daughters were with her. She had joined her Mother and Father, her sisters and brother, and of course her beloved Ike.

 The day thou gavest Lord has ended, The darkness falls at thy behest; To thee our morning hymns ascended, Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.

  

 We only get one Mother, ours was a jewel                   Jan xx

        

Phyllis

Ikes mother,was the sort of lady people would go to if they needed help she would do all sorts of jobs, to earn some extra money, to help George and her bring up their family, she laid people out when they died , helped, mothers when they were in labour ,and helped to look after the sick.She also took in sewing .

It was when a lady died who she had been looking after; she asked the landlord if her son and his fiancée might have the cottage, it was duly arranged

So on  April 21st 1940, Phyllis and Ike became man and wife and set up home with some of the furniture left in the cottage, and Phyllis’s bottom drawer treasures, she also brought some furniture from Nottingham

Although Ike worked as a lorry driver he was also in the fire brigade so was exempt from the war.

Phyllis was very proud of her cottage in the country, she worked very hard with all the skills she had learned from Mrs Mein,to make it a home for her and her beloved Ike ,although the toilet was ‘up the yard’, and the water had to brought in from a tap in the street, neither was there any electricity until after the war ,paraffin lamps and candles were used for light .The water for washday and baths was heated in the copper in the scullery, that had a fire heated under the copper, mostly alright but if the wind was the wrong way ,was a devil to light ,recalls Phyllis.

Phyllis were married a year when their first child a daughter was born, Janet Althea.

They were fortunate as Ike had an allotment, and grew all their vegetables, they also kept a few hens and a pig for fattening, and so were pretty self sufficient and the rationing in the war didn’t effect them to much.

Twenty months after Janet was born they had a son John.

The war finished and life was good for Phyllis, she would go on the train to visit her relations in Nottingham, taking her babies with her , the pram would go in the guards van.Ike didn’t go as he didn’t get holidays.

Soon after this the brick making firm who he drove the lorry for closed down. But he soon got another job on the council driving a dust cart; he was still part time Fireman and became the village barber, in the evenings .He worked for the council until he retired.:p>

In 1947 their family was completed by the birth of another daughter Jean Susan ,Phyllis didn’t go out to work until Jean was ten ,she went to work for a Doctors wife helping her in the house .The Dr was an eminent chest Doctor specialising in patients with tuberculosis. Phyllis worked for Dr and Mrs Royce until she retired aged sixty.

Although Phyllis was what seemed a long way from her family in Nottingham, she still kept in touch, she wrote regularly to her three sisters, who were all married and had one daughter each.

They would come and stay with Phyllis and Ike and enjoy the country side.

Unfortunately, Phyllis’s elder sister died and her niece Brenda was brought up by her grandmother, as the years went by, Phyllis realised she had lost touch, with her late sisters daughter, she mentioned to her own daughter Janet that ‘Brenda had completely gone from our lives’ Janet got in touch with the Salvation Army, who in time, found the niece, and the happy ending to this was Aunt and niece became reunited.   

 

TO DAY WOULD HAVE BEEN MY MUM'S BIRTHDAY ,HAD SHE LIVED SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN NINETY TWO ........HERE IS HER STORY

Phyllis was born on January 25th 1914, her parents were Thomas and Susanah Fentem, She was born in Chesterfield Derbyshire. She was the forth daughter and the couple went on to have a son two years later.?

Phyllis early memory of her mother was of a lady kind and gentle, she loved to eat nuts, was always anaemic .and thus always tired.

Father was a farm labourer; it was her mothers dearest wish to move to the town, so that her daughters wouldn’t have to go into service, they later moved to Nottingham,Lentern,Susanah’s other wish was to own a coat ,she always wore a shawl .

Phyllis’s mother died when she was seven, there was such sadness in her voice when she spokeof this.

 Some years later, Phyllis’s father met Phyllis’s future step mother, and Phyllis can remember, her father used to say “I’m a married man, with four daughters and a son, but my wife lies in the church yard”.

I get the feeling that life became very difficult with the stepmother, Phyllis didn’t say a lot about that, though there is a lot of pain in those memories.

Ironically all the girls went into service until they married.

Phyllis sounds happier as she describes this period of her life.

She found employment, with a solicitor and his family, in Nottingham.Mr and Mrs Mein ,they had a son Geoffrey,Mrs Mein taught Phyllis so much ,how to cook ,to sew and to keep house ,she was almost one of the family ,and was treated very well ,she speaks of her time off, when she and her friend Betty Crowson,would go to the theatre, the pictures, and on shopping trips into Nottingham. Phyllis loved nice things, and wore all the fashionable clothes of the day .she was provided with a uniform for work, and since she was well paid, she had lots of nice clothes.

She remembered catching scarlet fever, whilst, she was with the family and they took good care of her when she left the hospital, and convalesced.

Whilst “on holiday” with the stepmothers family in Kings Cliffe, she had to look after their children, whilst their regular nanny took her holiday, she was soon noticed by the village boys ,she was really quite lovely and must have stood out in a village ,where everyone knows everyone.

One young man did fall for her and used to sit on the wall and sing songs and whistle to her, as she sat out side in the evening, cleaning the children’s shoes. They started to ‘walk out together’ and when the time came for her to go back to Nottingham, they wrote to each other, and would send each other photographs, taken in photographic studios .On one visit to Kings Cliffe, Ike as he was known, though he was christened Isaac, proposed to Phyllis and she accepted and wore his ring for two more years, before they married in the Register office in Oundle, In 1940, by now the war had begun.

Phyllis remembers being at work at Mrs Meins when war was declared, she also remembered. The Prince of Wales abdicating because he loved Mrs Simpson, these things she learned about through the wireless, which was in the kitchen at Mrs Meins house.

Whilst she was engaged to Ike, Phyllis collected lots of things for her bottom drawer, and also had a lovely trousseau, helped by Mrs Mein,who also gave Phyllis and Ike some beautiful silver as a wedding present .What a lovely lady.      

 

  THIS IS PHYLLIS ON THE RIGHT 

to be continued  >

                                  GRAPHICS BY DONNA

           

Fingers crossed

Here we go then ,with some more of the pictures,I found and scanned on Monday evening.They were taken when Sharon and I went to Manchester  on a coach trip to visit Granada Studio's about eight years ago .The first one of  myself and Connie is particularly poignant,for me I've known Connie all my adult life ,her husband Tom,was my late husband Mick's tradesman whilst he was serving his apprentiship,back in the late 1950's .Both Tom and Connie worked hard as Labour party members and as councillors for The Peterborough City Council ,all their lives.Tom was Mayor one year with Connie as his Mayoress,Later Connie was honoured to be made Mayor in her own right ,with Audrey Chalmers (another friend)as her mayoress ,that was the year the Queen came to Peterborough to present the Maunday money ,my memory of that day was of Connie chatting away to the queen in her own ,down to earth,no frills ,what you see is what you get style ,and judging by the queens body language that day ,she was enjoying Connie's company too .No problem was ever to much for Con,she was so approachable, I remember too  ,when she found out she was to become Mayor ,she asked me to take her place on the board of Govenors at our local primary school,she prepared me well for the position ,you see such was her commitment to whatever she did ,she was'nt leaving the board without a replacement .Sadly at Christmas,this year Connie died suddenly ,at her Daughters home where Tommy and her were spending Christmas .Her funeral service took place in Peterborough Cathedral,the day I went to spend my M&S vouchers ........... I didnt speak about it then,but when these pictures turned up ......It was a moving site to see all the dignatories of the town ,joined in great sadness ,along with all her neighbours and  family and friends in this awe inspiring place,saying their farewells to this great and ordinary Lady ,I shed my tears as I wished her well on her journey to eternal rest.With a silent prayer of thanks for the hard work she'd done . 

 The second picture as I said is of Sharon and Tommy,what a character ,he is,very frail now though  as you can see he's yelling to be let in ! The next picture is taken out side the Rovers Return .Strange now Sharon has her own pub ,I have printed off a copy of this picture for her to diplay there!and lastly back in the Borrowers house ,trust her to find a huge bottle of cointreau . There were so many sets to see as well as the obvious Coronation sets,we saw were blind date was filmed  .The house of parliament ,were a live sitting was staged with all of us taking part ,with shout of aye and order etc ,Needless to say it wasnt the real 10 Downing Street ,But as a day out it was excellent.I took lots of film with my camcorder that day too.  

                                         LOOK  I'VE DONE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STILL TRYING !!!

 Todays Entry ~~Part two.

As I have just explained in my earlier entry ,and we wont go into that again !Im trying to explain why I cant do these things ........by now most of you will have realised I'm abit ?   Wappy ! what you dont know is I'm only little !!!!...........as you will see from these photographs !

Seriously though ,...........They are fun arent they ?After Maurice went to work last evening ,I had a sudden thought (I know ,I dont get many !)I'm sure we've got more photo's somewhere ?Well ,I looked in the cupboard in the hall ,and voila a whole box of pictures ,so I spent the evening, then looking through them ,I even found the bundle of old comic postcards Dad would display in his Barbers shop mirror ,which I felt sure had been lost in the move !Maurice must have packed them all into the big plastic container ,(with lid)I cant remember doing it !and any way he's better at these things than me ,I'm quite happy for them to be all over ,or in my corner !!I'm not particularly tidy ,though I know where everything is, mostly lol ,So I watched the programes I  said I wanted too ,but half heartedly as I spent the evening browsing and scanning .Lots of journal fodder !

The first picture was taken ,when Sharon and I went to Granada Studio's ,the stool was used in the making of the 'Borrowers' ,The next picture ,shows me sitting in the wheel of the big lorry ,that is driven by Pete(Jeans husband)when we went to an open day ,at the cement quarry where he works .And number three ..was at a Truck Fest ,I went to with Mark and Chrissy ,some years ago ,Well thats it for today ,or shall I do another entry with my signature ?............To use the words of Her Majesty.....Nah!      With love Jan xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRYING ....very!

Hey Folks! look what I've done !I have finally managed to put a graphic onto my journal,I have been saving them like crazy ,from everywhere but mainly the 'very clever Donna',and what a lovely one to start with ,don't you agree ?  The only thing is thats all I can get to work I cant put my pictures on as well ,and I cannot sus out how to add one of the lovely signitures that Donna,has made for me ...........Sara made a sig for me too ,ages ago.so for now ......Im off to practise some more ! 

             with love Jan xx

Fingers crossed!

Good Evening ,Everyone .....Late entry this evening ,Maurice has just gone off to do the first of his three nights again ,so I saved the posting of this until he'd gone, to give me something to do !Mark (my eldest son )and his wife Chrissy came to see us this afternoon.They want to go roller skating next Sunday ,as Maurice will be at work ,they want me to go too!!!well I could go and take my knitting ,and watch ........It's most of my life ago since I skated last ,both roller and ice, Mm  we'll see!

We watched a really nice film last night ,it was on late so I dont know if anyone else saw it,a biopic of the life of Charley Chaplin .Charley was very well played by Robert Downey junior .Geraldine Chaplin played her Grandmother ,the story starts  in London ,where Charley starts of in Music Hall,he is then discovered by Fred Carno,they do a tour in America ,and Charley ,is then invited back where he goes into the 'flickers 'and his famous black and white films of the  little clown,were made ,mainly silent movies,Charley fiercely resited the talkies ,so only made about four .All through the film ran some lovely music..my all time favourite 'Smile'and the theme from Limelight ,(I'll be loveing you) ' Eternally '.Dare I say...oh go on then ...they dont write songs like that anymore ! 

I plan to watch Professor Robert Winston's 'A child of our time 'tonight ,followed by'The Virgin Queen ',and tape Foyles War ,So now before I get settled in for the evening I am off to wash the dinner pots .Have a blessed ,whats left of Sunday ,dear friends.

                      Jan xx 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Wool ,Books and Windmills !

Yesterday ,I didnt turn on this computer until after three o clock !I was very ruthless I went through my book shelf ,and did some serious pruning !put the books I had decided to part with into my,ever faithful  shopping trolly ,and caught the bus to a village twenty minutes away ,where I did the computer lessons Hah !I had discovered they have a book exchange,and two wool shops !Iain the book shop owner allows 1/4 of the book price ,and his books sell at 1/2r.r.p.So with what I took in ,I was able to purchase three more Patricia Cornwall's ,Iain gave me a card telling me I now have six ninety nine credit ,it was then I realise he does'nt buy the books from you ,never mind ,if I dont lose the card! there is bound to be something I want when next I go,and he's made a note of books Im still looking for ,so I felt very satisfied . I then bought a ball of wool to complete the scarf I started before Christmas ,within the hour I was back on the bus for my homeward return .Since before Christmas we have been seeing wind turbines popping up on the land scape ,like mushrooms ,'cept nobody's getting up in the morning to pick them !at first there was two then three ,now there are eight ,someone said there will be fourteen eventually ,not sure how I feel about them ,may be if they painted the stem green and the middle bit yellow they could pass for giant daisys,I certainly like them better than tuddy great Pylons 'marching' across the open spaces ,as John Betjeman once put it !any way I dont know whether you can make them out in the pictures?

Jeannette's quiz was fun to do,I spent ages high lighting it,in the end I had to do it in two halfs!!!Jeannette asked me, what am I like ?she knows the answer really but is too nice to say lol .I'm also in the process of putting URL's to names on my side bar ,some are working, many are not ,but I;m persevering and will get there in the end ,I think sometimes its just a question of getting the full stop upside down!! Freda's works so if you couldn't get her ,you can go through me . I will have them all working one day I WILL !    And Jeannette(from Brighton ) kindly texted me ,how to put pictures in the order you want ,so I had a little practise with the two I put on here today!some thing else I've learned . 

So my friends thats it for today ,have a good Saturday     Jan xx

10, I think I would have liked to met Lilly Langtree.                                          11. If you could live your life over again is there anything that you would change?    Im tempted to say a few things ,but they were all ,valuable experiances ,even the bad ones taught me things about myself .

12.  What one thing annoys you the most? Liars!

13.  If you could change your first name, what would you like to be called?   I'm happy as Jan

14.  If you were a keeper in a zoo, which animals would you most like to be in charge of?Elephants

15.  Is there any actor/actress that you really dislike?Not an actress! I dont much like Carol Vorderman .                                16          Cant remember the question .....But agree with someone else Woody Allen ,(all that business  with Mia Farrow and the children they adopted ) . 

Well I c***ed that up .............but sort of got there in the end ,WHY is nothing straight forward for me ?                Janxx                            

1.   If a film was being made of your life, what actor or actress would you like to see in the lead?     Audrey Hepburn ,people used to say I looked like her !I could even see it myself !sometimes !

2.   If you could choose to live anywhere in the world, where would it be?    I like it here,but if I had alot of money a small holding in Cornwall ,( with some help to look after the animals !)

3.   If you could meet someone famous (alive or dead) who would you choose and why?   Sean Connery...isnt it obvious?

4.   What is your all time favourite film or book?  The Shell Seekers by Rosamund Pilcher        5.  If you could change one thing about your appearance what would it be?  I'd like some younger skin .

6.   If you could appear on a T.V. programme, which one would you choose?  Master mind ,so can I be clever as well please ?

7.   If you were going out to dinner, what type of restaurant would you pick?  A Sea Food restaurant ,I like pasta too !

8.   If you could invent a totally new gadget that would make your life easier, what would you like it to be?  I havent worked it out yet ,but it involves ironing !

9.   If you could own a racehorse, what would you call it?   Dobbin

10. What is the most memorable event in your life so far?Have sad ones and happy ......!     to be continued I obviously havent caught on to the cut and paste thingy yet !!!!!Durr 

Me and Mine

Hi everyone ,yet another grey day !!Pause for coffee ...........Well that was a good idea while it lasted ! I have been having great fun the last few days looking through photograph albums and scanning away merrily ,thought it would be a nice idea to put pictures of my brood into my journal so you would know who they are , and watch them grow So I carefully selected them and entered the pictures in order of time ,but as you can see they are all over the place,I tried and retried ,it spoils the effect a bit !  in the end I put my own numbers on !They have obviously come out in the order they were scanned ! some thing else I've learned !I dont know if you can see on picture no 1 .computers no5 Sharon is sporting ball point pen freckles ,I wonder which big brother did that ?At this point I thought my family was complete with two little boys and a lovely little girl ,I was very wrong !this family couldnt possibly be complete without Catherine (our Kate ).My no 6 shows us all a couple of years ago ,in Sharons pub ,its not always easy now to get us all together ,in pictures anyway !These four were beautiful children ,iffy teenagers ,and have each turned out to be  very special individuals ,its great to be in their company ,they are my friends ,Because Im their Mum ,I'm Blessed .             Jan xx

Grey Monday !

As the late great Larry Grayson  nearly said .what a grey day !!Well it's Monday again .The start of another week ,I;ve just been listening to the lunch time news ,apparently,last year 22000 people under went plastic surgery !its not cheap either the average nose job would set you back £3000,anyone for a face lift ? You should have known my mother ,I got a face lift every morning before School when I had long hair ,she would divide your head in two with the comb ?Then proceed to make two tight plaits ,at the back each side of your head ,well we could'nt have it come loose during the day,and woe betide you if you lost a hair ribbon ,and if you were'nt careful the boy sitting behind you would dip your plait in the ink well ,and then there would be trouble ,ink all over your blouse although I remember if you soaked the blouse in milk, the ink would come out ! 

Missing alerts again ...I know of at least two... Jules posted today and Freda yesterday !I recently put a list of my favourite journals at the side of mine, I must go back into that column and add the URL's ,I can then check for myself ,I know we dont' all post everyday ,But a lot of work goes into some of these entrys ,and it is such a shame when we are not acknowledged ,we all love our comments .No change in the mood dropdown yet either !!!OOooo we are on our soapbox today !!

I have been scanning more photographs this morning ,it kept me quiet whilst Maurice was asleep ,he's off now until Thursday morning .I'll go and wake him now with a cuppa, other wise he won't sleep tonight it's always difficult changing over 

   Enjoy the rest of Monday .............Jan xx  

Memorys

Late entry today,but better late than never ,I have been busy scanning pictures today! or should I say trying to.I would scan them then save them ,but not in a folder that my journal was aware of !In the end I sent out an S.O.S. Next door  to the ever patient  Glynn,who listened to what I said went click ..click ..click ,!and there it all was !!Whoa !says I, what did you do ?SHOW ME!!he did and here is the result !  (hope I can do it again !!)

I dont want this to be a sad entry,I just want to share with you  It was Micks birthday yesterday ,and if he had'nt died aged fourty four ,twenty three years ago,He would have been sixty seven ,I can't believe that !I have many emotions still about him ,of course !the sad thing is he didnt live to see what amazing adults his children turned out to be ,and even worse ,he never met any of his wonderful grandchildren ,He missed weddings and christenings ,I went to all these things alone ,oh I was'nt alone ,but I didnt have beside me the one person, who these happenings ,would have shared what I was feeling .I've smiled my way through ,the years and folks think with time ,your over it ,and of course you are ,just sometimes ,Im crying inside .So ....these are a few pictures I found ,I think the one on the ship might have been taken in Southend ,perhaps Jeannette could enlighten me ,is/was  there a likely vessel ,moored there ?I know the other one was taken in Bagshot in Surry,on a hill called High Curly ,and the rest are self explanatory (oh Jean were we ever that young ?)

So now I know how to scan pictures onto the journal ,I shall be adding some family favourites,Checking this over I am struck by how Matthew (my youngest daughter Kates son) is like his Grandad .I had to search for the photo albums  had'nt seen them since we moved so when I found them,and while Maurice was in bed today ..he's gone off to work now ..I've had  a lovely time looking through them . I'm off now to wash the dinner pots and watch some tele',So folks enjoy what is left of the day .

                       With Love Jan xx  

Shopping trip

Good morning ,I hope everyone is well and happy on this Saturday morning ,Its a bit grey and overcast here ,maybe it will improve later ,No entry for a couple of days ,I dont know what happened Thursday but yesterday I went shopping ,armed with my M&S vouchers that I'd recieved at Christmas ,I went on the bus ,to Peterborough and the nearest Marks and Spencer store .I arrived in town and the first thing I did was visit some charity shops ,still on the trail of books by Patricia Cornwall !no luck at this stage !so in I go to dear old M&S ,First I did a reccy ,but quickly discovered a pair of brown trousers ,proper ones with waist band ,not the hipster ones that fashion dictates we should all wear !!and then a pair of black culottes ,to wear with my knee high  black boots ,still not quite sure about these(mutton dressed as lamb!)but saw women my age wearing them and looking ok !!But what the heck,its my pressie money and these were in the sale so we'll see lol ............I'd made my selection,so queued for a cubicle,to check the fit ,I'd selected 12's ,because I'd recently given all my tight, zips wont do up, 10's to the charity shop.only to find they were baggy ,I dont do baggy ,even at my age!! so gets dressed again and select 10's,queued again for a fitting room ,and voila ,they fit and look good .I exchanged my vouchers for my goodys ,thinking I've had enough for today !! but found myself in the knitwear department ,where I had another little brouse,and found a cream ribby polo neck sweater ,and  a lovely brown lacy cardigan .Whey !.....Because I'd exausted  all the charity shops ,I set off to the market where there is a second hand book stall ,I found four of the books Id been seeking ,so my collection is nearly complete .I just had time to call into my fave coffee shop for a capachino and ciggy ,I met in there a girl I'd known since we were children , great excitement from us both !! both in a hurry ,but we swopped telephone no's and e-mail ads ............then off to the bus and home ,where Maurice met me off the bus,I did his pack up and made dinner ,before he went off to work for the night ,I spent most of the evening reading and anwering journals ,so there you have it ,thats what I've been up to !.................Have a good Saturday ,with love Jan xx  

Last night I cried

Did anyone see the programe on TV last night Surviving Disaster?I watched it last week about the rescue of the Russian submarine. Last nights programme,however evoked some memorys .It was about the Manchester air disaster ,in 1958 the plane crashed ,killing 23 passengers,including eight members of the Manchester United football team ,and many others seriously injured ,I worked in Corby at that time and traveled to and fro by bus ,as did a few other  fellow villagers, I can remember sitting behind a man on the bus ,as we came home from work ,and catching sight of the headlines on the paper he was reading ,over his shoulder ,I read  the chilling news ,I tapped his shoulder and enquired ,"Whats that Wally ?"he turned and I saw the tears in his eyes !yes this news ,I saw many men cry ,over the next few days . I remember my boyfriend ,(later to become my husband ) Mick not due to see me that night ,but came over to see me ,he was very upset as was my Dad .During the next few days we watched the papers ,for updates of  our heros .The great Matt Busby ,was'nt expected to survive ,but did ,My own dear Grandson Matthew ,was named for this man ,(Kate and Martins older boy).

The years have passed and ,you forget ,then it comes up again ,When my daughter Kate started going out with Martin ,he was /is a very keen Man U supporter,like his Dad ,I found the news paper,which had some how survived the years,Igave it to Martin  who was delighted to add it to his collection of Man U treasures .So yes last night I cried for the people who died ,and for the time it took me back to ............. 

Manchester Manchesteeer United ,the're a bunch of bubbling Busby babes ,They deserve to be knighted !

The sun is shining here ,after rain and wind last night ,Have a good day folks                       Jan xx

Home alone !

Maurice is at work so ,Im doing the housework that cant get done when he;s on nights ,and dos;ntget done when he;s here if you know what I mean ?This is like a serial ,....I had to rush to finish yesterdays entry  because he needed my assistance ,since he did the laminate floor we;ve had no tele in the kitchen,and I;ve been protesting ,Im missing bits of things we;re watching on TV in the lounge when preparing meals and cuppas etc  in the kitchen (sad),you see the cable for the tv was under the carpet before the laminate ,now my hero has drilled a hole through the wall behind in the picture of me !!so the cable now goes at the back of the cabinet and along side the couch through into the kitchen ,then behind the little freezer the cooker then into the tv on the corner work surface ,does that sound complicated ?well Im pleased to report its now all up and running lol .Well the picture of me sitting bemused in my corner ,Maurice took,after he;d come back from the barber ,were he tells me they talked about boxing ,and he (the barber )is getting a new assistant ,because the other one has gone to be a lawyer ,oh and he met the local bobby who was getting his hair cut too ,I digress a lit........lot !My corner is something Im famous for ! I keep my knitting ,handbag(s)books ,magazines and oh you know ...not visible to the naked eye but its there and I know where everything is !all to hand lol I tidy it all out from time to time ,but yesterdays hole through the wall project led to an enforced blitz.....huh hence the confused pee d off look lol .I like to do it in private ,There was Maurice to witness the stuff Id squirreled away ,ie half a pkt of liquorish allsorts ,apart from the cardi I;m knitting,some wool to make a scarf !three hand bags ,my cream boots (thats where they went ),and oh joy a poly bag with a pkt of ciggys I didnt know were there !This is pretty much tongue in cheek entry ,but there is another story on this theme that should be told at this point ,if your not already bored to tears !!When we moved here, we used a removal man who was a family friend ,who when he;d finished here,he  went back to my daughters pub ,to recover and have a pint ,"Have you moved my Mum to a round house "?.said Sharon ,"No why?" said Derry .."Well if you;ve taken her to a house with corners ,she;ll fill em !"   So on that happy note Im going to do the jobs I cant do when Maurice is on nights ....Hmm???   maybe !

        With Love Jan xx

Another week end gone !!

The weekend has been and gone again ,and was a busy one .You will remember I was just completing Saturdays entry when Kate rang to say they were coming over .Martin Kate ,Sam and Sharons second boy Stuart arrived ,Kate and I had fun shopping in our little town she was very excited because the local butcher gave her some bones for her dog ,We went to the charity shop ,where I bought some Patricia Cornwall books ,all of which I;ve read (Jean lent me them )but as Jeannette says you need to read them again ,at some point, as they are quite complex ,we went to the gift shop were they sell lovely items ,she bought a couple of things ,then onto the pound shop ,ditto! then to the market  ditto again and where she bought the flowers ,for me .Sunday  morning ,my brother John and his wife Julia ,came and we had a good old chin wag ,we fetchted a few family skeletons out of the cupboard ,gave them a dusting off before restoring them back again !!After a while Julia said are;nt you going to get the stuff from the car John ?out he went and returned with the lovely planter ,saying heres your last years Christmas present ,and then... this is for this year ....a fantastic wine rack (Imight have got them the wrong way round but no matter )Needless to Maurice and I were delighted at the beautiful presents .As you will have gathered my brother is very gifted ,where wood is concerned  he can make anything ,and such high quality too , hes had commisions to make the most amazing things .He made a rocking horse for my son Dereks Micky when he was little and Kate has had some lovely toys for her boys too,I have peices he has made over the years ,the wooden bowl he must have made at least thirtyfive years ago (and he was proud to note the lid still fitted and had;nt worped )the little pot with pens sciccors knitting needles etc in it was made prior ,to the "three day week"if you can remember when that was ?because during a blackout I can remember Mick my late husband burning our initials on it with the fire poker ,as we sat idly waiting for the lecy to come back on again lol(the things you remember !!) Well since Maurice is waiting for me to help him lift something ,and keeps visiting me to see how Im doing, Id better  take the hint and close for now with love       Janxx

A fishy story

Eleven am and alls well !Maurice is home and in bed .Now he has three days off ,Whilst he has a sleep Im looking for quiet persuits ,so I dont disturb him .I took these pictures the other day,I put them onto the commputer ,then they went somewhere else I managed to put them with the others so thats some thing else Ive learned !I wanted to show you the new fish ,and thought youd like to see the ones Id already got ,The bathroom is a pale green ,I didnt think I liked green till about a year ago, when we decorated the bathroom ,and Maurice was so surprised when I suggested green any way it worked I have bottle green towels and bath mats alternating with a lime green colour ,prefer the bottle green ones ,the knob I spoke about in the picture,is a chunky pot thing ,it was blue to match the last bathroom ,I painted it with green nail polish ,and on it hangs a bathroom clock I bought from Avon years ago.

Just had a phone call from Catherine (Kate ) they are coming over so I  had better wind this up ,Have a good Saturday ,its very damp and mizzling here !!     with love Jan xx    

A Miscellany

Good evening ,Here we go again,Maurice has gone off to do his third and last night ,then hes home for three days ,before he does three days again and thats the work pattern .I have just realised as I read Jeannettes entry ,she said it was a short week ,I cant look forward to bank holidays the same as if I was working can I? I feel a bit cheated some how lol .Well the fairys and I finished a mountain of ironing last evening ,dont know why Im giving them credit I did most of it ,dont you feel good as you finally finish the last item .Our TV screens went dead for a couple of hours at about this time last evening ,not that I missed it too much ,I would like to know why though ! 

Did you find Freda ?http://journals.aol.co.uk/frdbrow7/FredasDiarys/  and my daughter e-mailed me earlier warning me not to open an e-mail entitled Life is Beautiful ,apparently it carries a virus ,when opened tells you life is not beautiful any more as it then does its stuff .

Can you remember I told you my daughter had been invited to go on a sponsered walk with her dog Maddy ,in aid of the Dodger appeal ,well Kate and Martin her husband went last Tuesday ,and raised £270 ,they are going back to Wood Green to hand the money in ,Maddy enjoyed the day ,they covered all of the walk around the grounds (which was one of the less arduous walks )and then on through the woods ,to cover all of the suggested route ,well done them A?Martin says hes still trying to get his boots clean !!

Well as the workers would say ,thank goodness its Friday ,so bye for now have a good weekend ...........Jan xx

A quiet day !

Hi,Everyone ,Not much to tell today ,Maurice came in from work at about eight oclock this morning ,we chatted for a while before he went to bed ,I did abit of tentative tidying up.Then I curled up on the couch with my book!Which I finished. Patricia Cornwalls Cause of Death ,Im addicted to them ,and have already started,the next one,Unnatural Exposure!Oh the joys of being retired ,fancy reading in the day ,tut tut !!I then made dinner and did a pack up for Maurice,who has left me home alone again with the dog who is sleeping ,see I told you nothing much to report!! Is twelvth night tomorrow or the next day?

I read some journals and one of my comments was from Freda,who whilst on leave from her time consuming job ,at Christmas did an up date on her journal,only to have no one comment ,how disapointing after we;d begged for more when she had time, to get no responce .Look her up on Fredas diarys ,and if you havent read her before,Ican recommend her, she is well worth a read .Well the fairys didnt do the ironing ,so I guess Id better do it!  with love to you all          Jan xx       

Better late than never !

Good evening ,as the title and time suggest better late than never !In more ways than one .Its now January 4th and Im showing you pictures I took on New Years eve !The first one shows how my mouth felt at 12.30 pm today ,yes I went to the dentist and have to admit to getting very screwed up before hand !Maurice started the first of his three nights, so he took me ,He was actually waiting for me when I came out which surprised me as I said Id walk home,when I was done ,he knew how I was feeling ,maybe he didnt trust me and thought I slip out again,so stayed with his foot to the door lol .Im not going to tell you it was ok because it was horrible ,and all she did was sandblasted ,I mean cleaned and polished them ,that took three weeks to do !!well the longest half an hour Ive lived through for a long time (it might be my own fault abit, I havent been to a dentist for  4 years )but now I;ve found a NHS one I plan to go every six months  ,but before then I have to have all this other stuff done!she didnt start on the crown because that will take an hour appointment ,so I go through all this again in February ............What else can we talk about ,Maurice has gone off to work and Im once more home alone,I;ve got some ironing I should do but not tonight ,one ordeal a day is quite enough !I think I will watch some tele then a bath and bed with my book .Talking of baths !I got another fish ,for the bathroom,because your all clever you knew, I collected fish for the bathroom you didnt need me to tell you,did you? yea I got it from a charity shop in Huntingdon on Saturday(a pot one !) Of course if this was anyone else ,they would have taken pictures to show you on this entry but I havent so I wont ,maybe next time ,lol      Well I guess thats all the highlights of my day ,so I will leave you to enjoy the rest of the evening ,and soon it will be ...   night night God bless Jan xx 

 PS the middle card on the top of the tv set is the one Madge made for me ,that I received the day after she died .

Or as Kate would say the Clampits

Good afternoon every one .Bit of a grey day here, I need some sun to function properly .But since theres none I;ll struggle on .Well after yesterdays entry ,in magestic company ,I bring  us down to earth with some more pictures of the family ,most were taken when we met at Sharons pub on the Monday before Christmas ,I dont claim to be a photographer !! but you have an idea of who is who when I speak of them all .Oh !perhaps I should mention Blue,  Mark and Chrissys dog ,he is huge but so soft and gentle ,he is a Pyranean (sure thats not the correct spelling )

This wont be a long one today, I have to go to post my time sheet for the hours I worked before Christmas ,it has to be in before the tenth ,in order to be paid by the end of the month ,I wonder if they;ll ask me again ?But not yet I hope !Well I suppose Id better mention it......Im at the dentist tomorrow though Im trying not to think about it .....UGH !!

    So with that happy ?thought in mind ,I;ll say bye for now ,Jan xx

Rolf paints the Queen

Did you see Rolf Harris painting the Queen last evening ?His picture of her was unveiled recently ,and the programe last night took us through the procedure in his words ,he was obviously nervous ,naturally ! He did just a lot of blur at first ,then gradually you saw the Queens features ,become more clear and recognisable .They chatted about all sorts of things ,and about previous sittings shed done for various artists over the years ,the one that was done of her as a very young girl ,she described the artist as awful ,he;d wanted her to sit still all the time a thing she found difficult even now !!one of Rolfs favourites was done by a fellow country man of his ,who the Queen explained did two at a time ,so one of them went to the Australian Prime minister ,and the other one ,is here ,He also said his Grandfather had ,had the priviledge of painting her Grandfather ,"Looking back on all these paintings ,you must see your self getting older Maam ,Does it bother you ?"said Rolf .The Queens reply ,after she thought for a moment ........."Nah " I thought was wonderful !thats just how she said it Nah

  Have a good day folks ,dont worry about getting old ,think of the alternative ..............Jan xx

Getting better !

Hi again ,what did I say about getting better on the computer as my new year resolution, Glynn came round earlier and showed me where my pictures were ,Sara had told me how to put words under them ,,So as my second entry today a few of the pics I;ve been taking ,and letting you meet some of my family ,  Im getting cleverer all the time arent I and modest with it lol            lots of love Jan xx

The Very Best for 2006

I saw the old homestead ,and people I loved .  I saw Englands valleys and hills ,  I listened with joy as I did when a boy,  to the sound of the old village bells ,  Oh the log was burning brightly , Twas a night that would banish all sin , For the bells were ringing the old year out ,    and the new year in . 

A very Happy, Healthy ,blessed new year to you all, my J land friends .

Maurice is working today ,so was up at four thirty ,He went to bed at around ten thirty only to be woken by the bells ringing through our little Market town ,at eleven thirty last night ,and then the fireworks at eleven ,fourty five untill twelve thirty ,He didnt complain bless him ,and said he thought they would have an easy ish day ,I hope so ,I rang him earlier he says hes OK !!

We didnt go out last evening ,though we did ride through to Huntingdon in the morning ,now the snow has gone from the roads ,thankgoodness it went quite quickly didnt it ?

The sound of the church bells last night ,reminded me of the song I started off with (of course one my Dad used to sing ),and I got all ,daft ...you know happy and sad ,sad and happy .Soppy Cow  ! 

Any New Year resolutions any one? Im going to learn to do graphics ,  I dont mean make them oh no no no ! just apply them ,to learn where Ive put stuff  Ive saved ,as you see Ive learned to snag ,sort of !Donna talked me through that one ,well she did put my name on it LOL I know I know !its in pictures ,but at least I got it  from her journal to mine !! So that is an achievement in it self ,I feel Ive come along way since my first entry on September the first ,I remember how I trembled as I pressed save that day ,then I emailed Jeannette whod been encouraging me to do it , and well the rest as they say is history ,except that I have made so many lovely friends .Im going to finish now cause Im getting all choked ,cus your all brill ,Bye for now with a lorra lorra luv ....Jan xx