Happy Birthday Sharon

Donna offered this lovely picture this morning ! and as I've said before ,how does she do it ?always the approropriate picture just when I need it ,its so uncanny Thankyou Donna ,My daughter Sharon Jayne is fourty three today .Wish Sharon could be so obliging ,she hates having her picture taken so I dont have many of her ,anyway fourty three years ago ,I was blessed with a little girl ,after having two sons I was delighted ,She herself has three sons ,Iain ,Stuart and Paul,its Pauls girl friends little girl Keira who Sharon is holding in the picture above ,and we have taken little Keira into the fold ,as ours ,Sharon is the Mum of my only Grand-daughter Charlotte

Was talking to Sharon earlier ,she and her partner Ian  have just come back from Weymouth ,where they went for the golf ,They went sight seeing as well  ,they went to Portland bill ,reminds me of the shipping forcasts on the radio ! and to Lullworth cove ,where the bore hole sprays you with sea spray ,asked if she had taken any pictures she said she hadnt gone near to it ,,far too sheer ,Hmm sounds like her Mum ,she has also bought herself a pair of pink boots .Will need to see them !

Was thinking of things that happened around the time of her birth I remember we moved,from a delightful cottage ,two bedrooms, to a council house all mod cons ,supposing we had stayed put, built on .The cottage had so much character ,but no I wanted my modern house ! You change your thinking as you get older dont you ?The cottage is still there tastefully done up with out losing any of its character ,and is worth pots of money now .

I think Sharon was about five weeks old ,when we moved and I can remember,I had put the boys to bed ,Sharon was in her pram  ...I was watching television ,with Mick when the news flash came on ...President Kennedy had been shot....so yes like everyone else I can remember where I was and what I was doing .......

So have a lovely day Sharon and a good weekend everyone        With Love From

Yet more Sandingham

After we had visited the church ,we wandered up the path and through the little gate house where you pay to visit the house and garden ,We strolled through some wonderfully landscaped gardens and arrived at the house ,and entering the hall we were fasinated to see a weighing stool ,used by jockeys ,but guests are invited to weigh themselves on arrival and leaving to see if the y have gained any weight during their stay ! and through into the 'Salloon'I think this room is my favourite ,and can imagine the family all together in here ,there is always a jigsaw on a side table in progress ...amidst all the beautiful pictures tapestrys ,and fine furnishings ,and ornaments there is still an air of it being a family room ,the guide pointed out a cabinet where the Television is  kept and games ,and on many chairs and settees ,can be seen tapestry cushions and seat covers made by Queen Mary ...through into the small drawing room ,into the drawing room where a grand pianno is situated in the bay window over looking the gardens and beyond to some lovely woods ,I was particulary taken with a display of a collection of figures in jade and amber.In the early 1900s,the collection was dominated by works of Carl Faberge'alot of the pieces displayed were gifts to Princess Alexandra from her sister Dagmar,who married Tsar AlexanderIII,so many beautiful collections to be seen,it really is awesome ,onto the dining room,where the dining table is set up ,with all the queens lovely crystal glasses are inscribed E II R.The lovely dinner service, silver and  place mats etc surround the centre peice,The Grand National trophy,won by the Prince of Wales in 1900,The Lobby runs along side the dining room Oak cases line the walls and house a rare collection of sporting shot guns rifles and pistols owned and used by successive members of the Royal family.Maurice was impressed by a cabinet full of Purdey shotguns made for King GeorgeV,one  16 bore shotgun in particular with gold embellishment,,whatever must they now be worth ?,on now down the corridor looking at portraits ,and statues and other amazing memorabelia.and into the ball room ,with its minstrels gallery ,One can imagine the balls ,receptions and partys that take place here ,and I understand the minstrels gallery now houses afilm projection unit! From the ceiling hang chandeliers,each containing more than a thousand pieces of crystal and is over seven feet high ,The ballroom is used in the summer months to show off themed displays ,this year it was some hillarious cartoons ,quite a few aimed at the Duke of Edinburgh ! and  when I was here ,the last time it was copies of Christmas cards that the queen had sent through the years ...

So there we will leave it today ,just the museum now to tell you about another time ,with love Jan xx

More about Sandringham

 

Sandringham is recorded in the Domesday book of 1086, as 'Sant Dersingham',the sandy part of Dersingham,There is evidence of a residence on the site of the house as early as 1296.
In the spring of 1862 Sandringham house was bought from the Hon. Charles Spencer Cowper as a country home for Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, who had just turned twenty one, Prince Edward was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort, was later to succeed his mother as King EdwardVII,his father had died the previous year, but not before he had made arrangements to provide £220,000 to purchase the property and a further £60,000 for improvements.
The Prince made the house habitable and moved   his new wife,PrincessAlexandra of Denmarkthree weeks after their marriage in March 1863.As their family and the household grew, two new houses were built in the grounds ;Batchelors'Cottagefor guests and Park house for members of the royal household.Much later,Park House was let to Lord Fermoy,the local member of parliement,whose daughter Frances was born there and who later marriedViscount Althorp,Earl Spencer's son.In 1955 the Althorps came to live at Park housewhere their children were born .Their youngest daughter,Lady Diana Spencer .
Sandringham was handed down to the eldest son so on the death of King Edward VII, it was inherited by King George V, but on the  abdication of Edward VIII he sold it to his brother King George VI,our present Queens late  father.
So our Queen is the fourth generation,with her family to enjoy this lovely place ,a place we were priveledged to visit earlier this month

This is a signed photograph,King EdwardVII  is seen with his  three successors,Kings GeorgeV,EdwardVIII,and GeorgeVI

More another day ,...........Jan xx

The Little Church at Sandringham

Whilst Maurice was on holiday the other week,we decided to take a drive down to Sandringham,I had been before, but he hadnt so, on a nice sunny morning off we went ...

The thoughts of people all over the world turn towards Sandringham at Christmas when the queen arrives. Here it is that she and her family can be free from the glare of public life and enjoy themselves in peace,walking,shooting,riding,going to Church and wandering freely through the woods and fields enjoying the heather, the trees and the sea.
Sandringham is the winter home of her Majesty the Queen and her family from early December through to February obviously the younger ones dont  stay the whole time, I can imagine much too-ing and fro-ing ! But when they are all together for Christmas, there are about twenty three of them,
Our first visit was to the little Church,'The Church of St Mary Magdalene' up the steps with the handrail, and the lychgate,that we see on TV at Christmas time, when the family worship there on Christmas morning.
There to the right is the grave of the little Prince John, fifth son of King George V and Queen Mary (our Queens uncle).there was a delightful programme on TV, which was repeated again recently, about the life of this little prince, and how he lived his life in a house nearby, on the estate, because he suffered from epilepsy, sadly he died at about fourteen and was buried in the Church yard. another grave stone marks the resting place of Prince Alexander, the tiny son of King Edward and Queen Alexandra
We enter the church by the south door, first looking up at the statue of the guardian angel, above the porch, around the walls of the church are memorial tablets, to all the recent Kings and their Queens, the most recent being one of the Queen Mother. Behind us now is the bell tower in which, is the charming little baptistry,at the base of the tower, and contains a Florentine marble font which was given by KingEdward VII, it was used at the public service in December1990 for the baptism of Princess Eugenie.Walking down the aisle, and on your left the eye is drawn to the magnificent pulpit, which was presented to Queen Alexanda on the occasion her 80th birthday, in December1924.It is built of oak and panelled with solid silver. Near to the pulpit is a silver processional cross, Spanish in origin, and over 460 years old, it was presented by Mr Wanamaker in   1918,Queen Alexandra placed it in the church,in memory of the men from the Sandringham estate who died in the great war of 1914-18,and apparently owing to the beautiful workman ship, the cross is extremely heavy, and difficult to carry in a procession.
Mr Rodman Wanamaker was a great admirerof King Edward VII and of his workfor the cause of peace,He presented the magnificient solid silver alter and bronze alter rails to  Queen Alexandra on May 6 1911,the first aniversary of the death of King EdwardVII

Obviously you are not allowed to take cameras into the church so I hope my words have managed to portray the splendour and sincerity of the church where our Queen and her family worship  ,I will tell you about the house and the museum another time ,I hope you enjoy this ....

With Love Jan xx

 

Plough day

Thankyou Donna a lovely one for this entry !

Well I really dont know where to start it seems ages since I did an entry ,This is Maurices second week back at work and I'm still not back into the routine ,still got lots to tell from when he was off ,This weekend .....

Started when he came off nights, Friday morning it was his Birthday ,he had to stay back for a meeting so was late in, he opened his cards and presents ,I had bought him some fishing stuff he wanted, some books  and a DVD ,he had been complaining of pains in his wrist and lower arm ,he must have been in pain because he rang up and got an appointment with the Doctor ,wow ?The Doctor diagnosed Tendonitis ?spelling ! he came home and went to bed shattered ,It rained all Friday ,much like today ,so I went and cashed his prescription for some ointment ,I got soaked through .....I then made dinner, his favourites ,he ate his dinner then slept most of the evening on the couch ,Happy Birthday Maurice .

Saturday, bright and sunny and warm complete contrast to Fridays weather ,I went shopping, Maurice started the fireplace he is making for Mark my son and his wife Chrissy ,We then went to Peterborough were Jackie and Mike had invited us for a Birthday dinner for Maurice spent a lovely Saturday evening with them ,After some over night rain ,yesterday turned out really nice and warm with lots of sunshine ,Maurice and I were joined here by Jean and her husband Pete ,Mark and Chrissy ,and we all went to the country fair and Plough day at the Rural Museum here....

I had offered to help ,so as we got there the others went on their way and I went and reported for duty ...Jane gave me a badge and said would I like to help on the book stall ,Ooh Yea  ! I went and offered myself to this man ,!!who said... theres three of us all ready ! goo over there ,I went over there and the lady laughed and said ,so many people have turned up to help we are getting in each others way (superfluous to the occasion then !! Huh )I offered to lose myself ,the lady agreed ,so I went and found the others and what a lovely day we had We kept losing each other ,usually us girls had gone off to see something we liked and the men the same ,then we would meet up again ,greeting each other with have you seen this .....

Jean and I went and joined the plough service,a few prayers to bless the plough and thankyou for the harvest ,The vicar explained until he came here,from Birmingham(in the midlands ) harvest festival offerings were of cans etc ,here it is real produce of the land ,and he was abit apprehensive about the big Shire and Suffolk Punch horses ,and we all rejoiced with him when he found himself patting and being nuzzled by one ,We sang 'We Plough the Fields and scatter the good seed on the land,for it is fed and watered by Gods almighty hand'  it was lovely all there in the sunshine ,me and my little sis ,while the men (heathens)were watching the various ploughing competions that were going on , 

After the service we looked around I even bought some books from the man who turned my services down !So much to see and do .Jean Chrissy and I went and joined a SAHAJA yoga relaxation session and all came away amazed at the way it made us feel ,how warm and relaxed and such good feeling all round well being ,I coudnt believe it I was prepared to scoff ,but it was an excellent experiance ,and we all agreed .We found the men or did they find us this time ?so we had some refreshments before starting again ,we looked at the lady making the lace who turned out to be a teacher of domestic science,when Jean was at school who had taught her ,We saw the quilts and were enthralled at old ones from over a hundred years ago ,so yes we all had a good day out in the sunshine .then all home to ours for a cuppa before they all went home and on this late September day ,we sat in the garden chatting ,laughing and all feeling very good about life .....

Have a good week everyone ,Jan xx

Prayers for Ally

These hugs are for our dear Friend Ally ,whose Grandson Tom was taken into Hospital yesterday and when she posted last night she was naturally very concerned ,She has asked me to tell you all ,that lots of tests have been done during the night  he was to have had a scan this morning ,as they think it may be a small blood clot on the lung......so until things become more clear Ally has asked me to tell you how grateful she is, to you all who have sent comments to her,with your prayers and good wishes, as soon as she feels able  ....she will of course be in touch again , Meanwhile I know you all join me in wishing Tom a speedy recovery and to reassure her that Tom, Cressy,Lyn and the family as well as our dear Ally are in our prayers and thoughts at this time .........With love Jan xx 

http://journals.aol.co.uk/ally123130585918/Lifewithally/

A Lovely House in Fen land

On the tenth of September ,the day I posted my tribute to John Santore ,It was Heritage day ,not sure how wide spread it was certainly in Peterborough and Huntingdon areas,all sorts of places of interest were open to the public,we had ,had visitors all morning and I think Maurice saw how involved I had been in the tribute ,we decided to go out for a ride ,and sheerly by accident we discovered ,that a house of note was open to the public ,

Funnily enough it is a house we pass by quite often ,Grade one listed  Bodsey house is now privately owned, so this was a rare chance to see it ,by a delightful couple Brian and Chris,Chris laughingly explained Brian had come home one day recently and announced ,he had been approached about  opening up the house to the public on Heritage day ,he had agreed ,he was however conspicuous by his absence ,Chris however did a marvelous job showing groups of people around ,and telling us lots of interesting facts .

The house was part of an endowment to the local Abbey,and was used as a retreat for the Abbot and monks,The present day house,is of variuos dates.Some of the outbuildings are mediaeval while part of a 14th century chapel remains .And is in use as the couples lounge ,very tastefully decorated keeping many of the features .The major part of the house dates from the 17th century and one of the bedrooms has a barrel shaped ceiling .

 We were shown into a room down stairs ,and the thickness of the walls was pointed out ,also that this was an outside wall,,so this was in fact part of the old courtyard ,where two of the sons of King Canute were buried ,they had been drowned in the near by Mere which in those days was vast ,before the fens were drained ,my Brother in law Pete said he had read that the King had a road built around the Mere because he refused to go by boat ,the usual method .in this area at the time .

Chris explained that Brian is a restoration builder ,,and that he uncovers old walls ,we saw the old whattle and daub in the hall way ,I took pictures of the downstairs cloak room ,Maurice was excited to find the motor bike in there ,(every home should have one !)Iwas excited to see the little house ,on the dresser ,an old Dr Barnardo's collection box !there was also one on the hall table ,we had one when I was a  child ,we put our pennys in there as children and the money was to help run homes for orphan  children .

Up stairs the floors were all uneven and Chris explained they had to saw down a front and back leg on her wardrobe in order for it to stand level ! The bedroom with the barrel shaped ceiling ,had a false ceiling until the 1950's imagine their delight when they opened it up to find those beams .

We enjoyed our afternoon visiting Bodsey house I hope you did too ,With Love

         Jan xx

About Sunday ,on Monday

Thankyou Ally, for the lovely flowers ,I just recieved these in an email ,Igot them earlier  so thought I'd share ,well after rain showers some of them quite heavy ,the sun has come out so I have the washing machine on.

It was a lovely day yesterday (Sunday )so I spent alot of time in the garden ,just tidying up ,but pleasant in the sunshine ,I also went for a walk ,finishing up at the Rainbow or Co op ,I made my purchases, then wandered over to look at the plant stall that is often there on a weekend ,I bought a pot of mint ,we had masses where we lived before ,but none here and I do miss haveing fresh mint growing where I can go out and pick a sprig for the potatoes or to make mint sauce .I also bought some viola's or little pansies for the pots and hanging baskets ,need to get lots more but its a start .

My best buy had to be the lily,it was £1.50,and when it finishes flowering the lady says it can be put into the garden ,thats even cheaper than buying a bunch of lilys,but the lady says she was selling them off because she is going away on holiday ,oh and if you get pollen on your clothes, dont rub at it ,sellotape, rolled into a ball and dab it onto the area .It smells delicious ,can be smelt all over the bungalow .

So after I paid for my bargains and said goodbye to the flowerlady who I had been chatting too ,thats what is so nice living here everyone has time for a chat ! I turned to go back across the car park ,and there parked in front of the store was  the Limo !What away to go shopping ! as I walked away ,with poly bags hanging off each arm,I felt like the bag lady ,ha ha ha !

         So I'm off to hang out the washing now ,have a good Monday everyone  ,with love from Jan xx

                                    

Another lovely bouquet of flowers,from the same email this time from Joanne ,thankyou dear friends xxxxxx

The Rural Museum

While Charlotte was with us we took her to see the Rural museum ,which you will be  hearing more about ,I have been invited to help out here and of course I said yes please ! What a bonus, the day we went they had a Thatching demontration going on ,it was extremely interesting ,and we learned such a lot about this ancient craft ,for instance a young man has to serve a seven year apprentice ship to become a Thatcher and then a further two years as an improver ,wow you could become a Doctor or a vet in less time ,of course in the early days of farming was all done by hand ,until some enterprising farmers bought threshing equipment and went from farm to farm ,towing their van ,to live in ,behind them .I can remember lots of haystacks used to be thatched ,too ,and there are still many houses  today with thatched roofs ,including the home of my neice Jo  and her husband Tony ,Jo as you know is Jean my sisters daughter .Apparently the oldest thatched roofed house is beneath the waters of a loch ,some where in Scotland proving how thatch can withstand the wet ! Well I hope between my words ,and the pictures I have managed to give you an insight into the old craft ,I should have posted this when we went, but we werent getting alerts at the time so I was a bit ,put out about it, so posted the entry where I was tapping my fingers, he he he !The rest of the pictures were taken as we wandered around the rural museum,and there will be more from there ,I hope you enjoy as much as we did With Love and have a good Saturday.

                 Jan xx               

I'm back !

Hi Everyone,have you missed me ? I have been so busy ,as I told you Maurice has been on holiday for the last two weeks and we have been visiting many interesting places ,as well as visiting friends and family,and doing jobs in the home and the garden .I did manage to keep up with my alerts (when they came back !),and I did my dedication to my 9/11 Fireman John Santore ,I have to admit to feeling very affected by that ,and I know others shared that feeling after they had done their tributes too.

               Yesterday I went to collect my new specs as you will see from the pictures ,I went for the eye test last Monday ,and the optician told me they would be ready in ten days,so I was pleasantly surprised to get the phone call yesterday to say they were ready .           .

We called in to see Jean and Pete ,and she gave me my 'per una top ' arent sisters nice ?As well as the piece for John Santore,I did a  write up for the news letter for the company I used to work for, about last Friday evening ,when we went to a Disco ,some of the staff very talented, had formed a group ,comprising ,drums,two lead/rhythm/bass  guitarists , accompanied with saxophone ,the girl from the office who deals with benefits ,was a very able lead singer ,her rendition of 'The first cut is the deepest 'had to be heard to be appreciated,she had a backing group of three of the girls who all have responsible positions within the firm ,and wowed the audience with a sexy song and dance routine  to 'All that jazz'

So that was how we finished up our first weeks holiday ,we have been to see a tiny church ,a seventeenth century house that was ,opened to the public on National Heritage day ,We also went to Sandringham where the Queen and about twenty two members of the Royal family spend much of their winter ,we saw the church where they worship and the museum,We have also been fishing again(and it was fine this time) . but as I still have things to do ,I will be telling you about all these things in my journals ,in the next few days   So have a lovely weekend with love and hugs from

                                       

John Santore

    This was the entry I did a year ago today , In that year we have lived and laughed and loved we've cried ,smiled and the whole range of emotions , We have seen the seasons change ,,and for Johns family another year has gone by ,I know from experiance that it  still hurts ,but with each year you get some sort of strengh to carry on ,but how Frances and the girls are coping ,given the horror of what took John away from them I cant begin imagine ,after doing this entry last year I think of John often ,and my love goes out to his family ................................................................................................................... When journalists were invited to do a dedication,to a victim of 9/11,I thought about it and decided I would like to pay a tribute ,to one of these brave people ,It has however become a very moving thing to do ,and as I have researched this my heart has become heavier and heavier ,John has become so real to Maurice and I, of course we couldnt know him ,but it so important,to bear in mind ,many people did know and love him and be mindful of their grief ,then and now.

  John was one of,that number of people !

He was a married man,with two daughters ,how they must miss him .He was fourty nine.

There has been alot of TV  coverage ,on the disaster that started the millenium off. and we have been watching it all ,The New york fire Brigade had been featured on a film some Rooky firemen were making at the time ,and as it coincided with the disaster they decided to carry on ,and as you see from the above pictures John's picture was also featured .Here is the tribute left by his wife

John Santore

World Trade Center

Spoiling the Girls

When the Santores traveled, a few things always accompanied them: candles and two Champagne glasses wrapped in a towel. The candles were store-bought; the glasses were a relic. They were the same glasses John A. Santore and Frances Scarselli used to drink to their happiness the night he asked her to marry him. Mr. Santore asked the waiter if he could keep them.

Both the candles and the glasses were necessary tools for Mr. Santore, a firefighter with Ladder Company 5 on Staten Island, the father of two girls, 20 and 13, and a romantic.

"He would set the table withthe candles and the flowers and the wine and then cook for us," Mrs. Santore said. "We are three girls in the home, so he would always spoil us."

On weekend mornings, Mr. Santore would run to a deli to buy coffee and croissants for the family so they would not have to cook. During the week, he would often surprise his wife with a bunch of wildflowers.

When someone mentioned the need for a maritime museum on Staten Island to honor John Noble, a famed local artist, Mr. Santore, 49, formed what he called the Noble Crew to build it, his wife said.

"He was wonderful with his hands," she said. `There was nothing he couldn't do."

Profile  published in THE NEW YORK TIMES

 

 And here is a lovely picture I found of John off duty

John it was my honor to be assigned  to you ,as my victim you became my hero,and I shall think of you often ,and I send very special love to your wife Frances and  your daughters

......Jan xx