We went to the Olympics!

Will you be watching the Olympics or perhaps you've planned to go to Paris? We were very fortunate to go to the 2012 Olympics. Where we  lived in Essex, was the rail line that went to Stratford, the Olympic park. So getting to the games was just a 25 min train ride for us and when you booked your tickets through the Olympic web site, it was very reasonable.

When the date was given to apply for tickets I did. I applied for 30, but how we were going to pay for them all I hadn't thought about.

Anyway we got 15 tickets for different Para-Olympic events and the closing ceremony. So we went every day for a whole week!

It was amazing and wonderful, on two days we attended 3 different events. We sat in the wild garden area each day and ate our packed lunches with fresh bought coffee and cakes. We walked miles, it was a very big site and beautifully laid out.

I really value that we went, it was a once in a life time experience and I'll always remember it.

I wrote about it  here

So this year in Paris, Go GB Go!

Chrisxx

A Salesman!

 Because of my mammoth shopping for 1 cushion and 30 rings for the curtain poles, I had to take it easy yesterday. It wasn't IKEA but Dunelm Mill and it's a huge store.. Talking to my eldest son in the evening we had a laugh because, when he had to drop out of Uni, because of his illness, he had a job in a soft furnishing store. He was only working there 18 months when he was made a manager.

It had its stress times, because store sales are judge on the previous years sales.. Summer time is a slow time for soft furnishing, unless its wet weather! And so he was always thinking of ways to improve sales and he did well, so well he was made a 'Trouble Shooter Manager' This meant he was  put in failing stores to improve their sales. He was a perfectionist on how to make the shelves look perfect. Through him I know how to fold a towel to make it look fluffy, full and neat! He even went to look at local estates, which all had uniformed size windows in the new build houses, so he could display curtains on mock windows the same size in the store. 

He has a way about him and good interpersonal skills, so he did well.. he is a sales man! He was moved to different stores.. one store in the west side of Essex, bordering the East End of London wasn't easy, there were too many markets near by. It was a big store and they had displays of a full rooms, beds, furniture and nick knacks.

 The bedroom display spread outside on to the pavement.. It was a busy Saturday and the bedding on the single bed outside sold right away, so my son asked his two Saturday workers to go and put a new duvet and pillows on the outside bed. They did, but failed to connect up the chains that were anchoring it to the shop front when they had finished. And the next thing they saw, was the bed with bedding disappearing down the road, being carried by two young women! My son was not pleased, but was able to laugh about it, but not till months later. He stayed with that firm for a few more years. From that he opened up his own furniture shop and and did really well. But then decided to do what he had always wanted, and after a college course in photography, that's what he does now. 

He photographs car and motorcycle races and travels all over Europe as well as UK. He loves it and spends hours perfecting the photographs so that they sell. When the work slows down in the winter months he has an ebay shop selling cameras and watches. I didn't know that there are auctions that sell old cameras, lenses, and watches etc. He buys job lots, repairs them and insert batteries and sells them. Always the sales man, during lock down when there was no racing to photograph, he started repairing cameras and kept his  head above water as it were. I'm so pleased for him, its not been easy with his illness which altered the course of his life. I'd introduce you to him, but you'd have to be strong because there'd be a good chance he'd sell you something!

Chrisxx

Exercise

 

I'm feeling every day of my life today, not that I did anything fantastically energetic yesterday, just old! Do you get those days when just showering and getting dressed is like you've climbed a mountain?

Yesterday we went to one of those stores that are planned so you have to walk a mile just to find the cash desk... and the very aisle we needed with the cushions had a couple of people debating the colours standing bang in the middle. It meant I had to walk all around the shelves to get to the other end of it.. And then what we wanted was on another floor, the stairs were right there, but the lift was hidden somewhere around the back end of the stairs more walking.

When we eventually came out I thought I'd walked a mile, probably it was half a mile, up and down, up and down, up and down those aisles! I felt shattered by the time we got back to the car.

I need to do some exercises but perhaps not running. Is it an age thing?

Chrisxx

The Saga of Fuzzypeg

 The first time we knew we had a hedgehog in our garden was last year in September. We had popped Nell out for her last wee and we heard her yelp and we saw the little fellow running away. We didn't put out any food then, as with having a dog, she'd have eaten it. But we continued to see the little poos around the garden.

Then a few weeks ago this year, we saw him/her and put out cat food in saucers, they tipped up when he walked over them! We started researching hedgehogs and then bought hedgehog food and two little dishes. When we put it out that first evening, we didn't think he was  coming, but 9:30 he arrived and ate the food. We were like little children smiling and giggling as we watched.

This was a book I had as a child, written by Alison Uttley (1884-1976) She wrote over 100 books, and  in the series of 'Little Grey Rabbit' introduced Fuzzypeg, a little hedgehog. I loved it and had another one too, where he goes to school, so hence the name.

Of course now we have seen another one as well as Fuzzypeg. So last night we put out 2 lots of food, one lot in the usual place on the patio where we can see him easily, and the other half was up the garden. It was gone 9 and no Fuzzypeg on the patio, but then we saw one eating the food in the middle of the garden, was it Fuzzypeg? It was too far away so we couldn't really judge the size, then another one arrived, and he was bigger and they both shared the food! So we're calling the second one Draenog, which is Welsh for hedgehog (pronounced Dray-nog)

Draenog, decided he'd had enough and came down to the patio, but missed the dish of food and went into flower bed and we watched him make his way alongside the fence, to the bit where there is a hole under it and off he went. Fuzzypeg did the same and he too missed the dish of food and went off under the fence.

The dish was licked clean looking the next morning!

So Dh is putting out 2 lots of food, they're a hungry pair, but so lovely to watch and you can hear them munching.

Chrisxx

ps, Blood test was fine.

Vampires?

 

I have the dreaded blood tests today, which in recent years I've come to hate and fear. Some nurses are fine, but I've had few who fail to find a viable vein on the first go and then prod me in others, each time saying just a sharp prick! 

I have been known to let my feelings be known so loudly, they can be heard in the waiting room! The one time, the girl gave up and the head honcho came and blood flowed at her first attempt! 

The very worse one was a junior Dr who left me black and blue with bruises and tears streaming down my face.. So I'm drinking pints of water in readiness before we go.

Wish me luck!

Chrisxx

After the sun came the rain...

 Saturday, our town had a Police day with an exhibition and fun day about the early police force here.

Held in the old police station, which is a museum now. Can't say I've seen these, but evidently there are some on the front prom in an evening, during the summer season.

The rain didn't arrive till lunch time, but this morning stepping outside was like stepping out of a plane in a hot country. The humidity was over whelming, I was off to have my hair cut and styled, so I'm tidy now.

You could practically hear the garden sucking up the rain. With sandy soil, our garden gets very dry, but it was so needed, we watched from inside and cheered!

We had quite a surprise last evening, Fuzzypeg didn't arrived till gone 9, then he dived into the dish of food. He eats with one foot in the dish and as we watched him. another much larger hedgehog arrived|! Fuzzypeg turned to face him and the second hedgehog disappeared back in to the shrubs. 

He was a lot larger than our little Fuzzypeg, so is he a parent one? We're waiting to see what happens next.

Chrisxx

Cat stopped traffic!

 Friday is our SW weighing day (Slimming world.) Both Dh and myself gained half a pound, we think although we kept to plan, we ate too much with our sedentary week. My itchy disturbed nights meant dozy days, so no walking! But hey ho, that's only 8 ounces, and we can cope with that. Dh thinks he might have eaten some extras, when he was alone in the kitchen, or hidden in the pantry! What??

After the meeting we drove into town to buy some more anti-histamine cream and insect repellent. But there was a huge queue going into the town car park and we thought it was a big mistake, especially as the queue didn't seem  to be moving. Eventually we inched into the car park, only to discover why there was a queue, there was a cat stretched out in the sunshine and blocking the entrance! No one had attempted to move it, but were curving round it.. Fortunately as we approached it got up, twirled round and lay down again, but not bang in the middle of the entrance. 

Gosh it was hot, 25.2°C but with windows open there was a slight breeze in the Scout hut. We chatted to Fran who has the coffee unit on West End Ave, which is the promenade. She comes to SW, so knows those of us who buy a coffee from her and maybe a biscuit or even an ice cream, but she never tells! She was saying with this hot spell of weather, she was still serving coffee and cakes Thursday evening, as late as 9 pm as there were so many people still walking around in the late sunshine.

Town was buzzing, the sunshine had brought out the people, the veg shops had their stalls out on the pavements and the lovely flower shop too. There was a singer serenading and he was good, a real holiday atmosphere. 

So we start the food plan again in this new week, but with the sunshine we sort of feel we're on holiday, and that's dangerous for dieters, because being in the holiday mode means fish n chips and ice cream! I will be saying every morning, ' Today I'm on plan!' Do you have treats on holidays?

Chrisxx

A Debut Novel.

Celeste Ng's impressive debut novel is an absorbing and emotionally  resonant study of the fragility of family life, the burden of expectation and the suffocating pressures when a child is forced to inherit their parents dreams.

The story is as much one of the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of a favourite child age 16, Lydia, as it is about the meeting and marriage of Marilyn Walker, a studious white Virginian with ambitions of becoming a Doctor and James Lee, a first generation Chinese American graduate hoping to secure a teaching position at his alma marter, Harvard.

It goes back and fro in time and as we learn more about each member of the family, the unhappiness of the family members become apparent. With the death of Lydia, more of the story unravels, James is consumed with guilt and sets out on a path that will destroy his marriage. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful sets out to make someone accountable, no matter what the cost. Nath, Lydia's  brother is convinced that local bad boy Jack is somehow involved. But it's Hannah, the youngest of the family who observes far more than the rest of the family realises and may know more of what really happened.

This was our July book group read and although I did enjoy it I was glad to get it finished!

Chrisxx

Will they be an asset?

It seems that there have been 1428 people crossing the 21 mile channel since the Labour Government took power. What is so appealing to people to come here? If you think its the benefits they'll get, you're wrong. They get very little, around about £300 a month and often housed in old army huts or blocks of flats. They may also get child benefits and free school dinners, but not a fortune, not luxury by any means.. to the argument they are fearing the regime of their 'home' country, if that's the case why not choose one of the other countries in Europe? No, they want to come here to UK, why?

When I was teaching, one year, we had an all counties conference about Travelers, who were flooding the area of Essex where I taught. One school was having very big problems keeping regular staff, because of the problems caused by traveler children, 80% of the children were travelers. I've taught traveler children age 7,  they were well below the levels in English and Maths.

And yet later on in my teaching, I worked in a school where there was a large number of Fair Ground owner's children. They weren't easy, nor were their parents!

But going back to immigrants, I'd teach those any day over, traveler or fair ground children. Immigrant children want to learn, they want to succeed and so do their parents want that, for them. 

Having spent a lot of time in hospital (4 different ones )with my broken arm, the ward staff were mostly immigrants, the assistant nurses were mostly Eastern European, ok not illegal, but they wanted to come here to work. They were amazing, working hard and nothing was too much trouble. Although, the young lady serving the breakfasts just didn't understand de-caff tea and I had coffee, but Dh saved the day, bringing me one from the Costa stall! But they worked hard and were happy in their work.

So what to do? The present Government has scrapped the Rwanda plan and say they will divert the £75 million from this, to enhance the Border Security Command to put in place the immigration plan. What is it? I haven't read anything they want to do .... yet! 

 It's a problem, are they over burdening our all ready struggling NHS, housing, schools, etc?  But its so sad that people are willing to pay thousands and face an unsafe crossing to come here.. should we be worried about these people, are they taking benefits or jobs from UK residents, or are they an asset? 

Chrisxx

Itching!

 I itched off and on for part of yesterday, although I did have some respite for a couple of hours. Dh streamed cold water down my back, which is the worst area with 5 bites! Why didn't I feel getting bitten?

Anyway cooling my back worked and then with anti-histamine cream I had total relief all afternoon.

I was then able to clean the bathroom, and tidy the bedroom. I don't have a 'chair-robe' any more. All clothes sorted either, hung up, in the washing basket and some... drum roll please.....in a bag for a charity shop! 

Later in the garden we cut out the wild rose sent to me instead of  the climbing rose Starlight Symphony I sent for.... its a year since I ordered it and its taken several months to convince them the rose wasn't right, even with photographs. Then we dead headed the roses, I cut back the spent lupins, the aquilegia and took out the tomato side shoots. And that was that, one of the benefits of having gardener, we just did the easy jobs. I did hoe the top of the fence garden, where some small weeds were showing growth, I do love hoeing weeds to death!

I slept quite well in spite of the bites, so I hope I will to tonight. Dh is going to cool my back down again and then the put on the cream, so I hope for a good sleep tonight too, I really do! Who'd believe itching could be so awful.

Dh has been on line buying dishes for the hedgehog food! Because we only had a plastic tub and as you can see he tips it up!

Chrisxx

Isn't he a cutie?