Do dogs go to heaven?

Lots of people, who have lost a dog like to think they go to heaven, and are waiting there for their owners. Its a lovely idea when the loss is very raw. When my little Mari died I arrived in work wearing dark glasses to hide my red eyes, because I had cried all evening and had hardly slept. I started to play the piano for Assembly and started to sob uncontrollably, I carried on to the end of the hymn, but then the Head came to me and said 'go home!' She was the dog I got after a miscarriage and she was almost like the baby I never had. And then we had to say good bye to out lovely Nell, I was heart broken when we had to say good bye to her, she was such a love.

Recently I've read an article where a little girl in a Sunday School class asked the teacher to pray for her dog, who had recently died. Her distress was obvious from her teary face and the Sunday School teacher said a short prayer with her for her doggy friend. But of course the Christian beliefs don't encompass animals in heaven, as they don't have souls.

What is your idea of heaven? A place of gold, somewhere where you'll see Jesus face to face, or where you'll meet loved ones, who have died, or the verse in Revelations, 21.4 'There will  be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.' No matter what the picture we see, our minds are limited to imagine something of God's.  Even our best guess of the joys that heaven holds can't come near to what it will be really like.

Because of the Christian belief that only those who believe and have a soul can enter heaven, so proves to the Christian that our animals don't have a place in the heavenly abode. 

However if you look further into the Bible, in Isiah it says animals will be in the new heaven and new earth.. 'the wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard lie down with the young goat and the calf and the lion and the fatten calf together and a little child shall lead them.' There are several more verses about animals, but not dogs and cats. So do they go to heaven?  We can't imagine what it would be like.

I like this quote from Billy Graham speaking about his dog in heaven, ' I think God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness. If it takes my dog being there in heaven I believe he'll be there.'

We don't really know till we get there what it will be like. or whether our beloved dog will be there, but one thing we can be assured of is that, there'll be no lack or longing, because God's presence will be enough. 

Chrisxx

Worrying!

If you were to meet me face to face, I wouldn't appear to be worrier, but I am. It manifests itself physically by my insomnia. I can be awake night after night for no apparent reason, although not one that is obvious to anyone else.

The last few nights I've been awake worrying about a self seeded Ash Tree, well not the actual tree, but how to get rid of it, that is dig it up. It is growing between our fence and a neighbour's to the side of us.

Its on our land, as when we had the fence put up, we had it sited inside our boundary, so difficult to get to the tree from our side, as it is a solid wooden fence, they have a wrought iron one.

At the moment the tree is about 3m high, but growing fast, it could grow to 50m plus, so must come out.

Then I realised we could pay some one to do it, Prise some panels off the fence, and cut the tree down. We have a regular hedge cutter firm so not a problem.. If the fence panels get broken, we'll just have to have them replaced.. Problem solved, now I can sleep!!

Chrisxx

Gremlins

 Do you get frustrated with the ever new technology? I do and what I don't understand is how things changed in my own accounts, but its not me who's changed it!

I have several bank accounts to keep my money separate.. eg. one is solely for bill payments. So money goes in to cover our energy, phones and internet, Council Tax and water bill and anything left over is transferred into what we term the 'House' account, for repairs or replacement items. Food is paid from a different account, which is our joint account and with that Bank, we both have individual personnel accounts. To us it is simple and we know each other's passwords, although mine are changed more than I want, because there are times when my passwords don't work, but they are all written down!

I can't believe it when I get a the polite message,  ' Something is not right' and I can't get into my account, I'm inclined to loose my cool!

 When I had to phone a bank the other day I had all the ' to make sure its you' questions.. and you've guest it, I kept getting them all wrong! It was so long ago when I opened that account, years ago! In my frustration I asked the young woman to ask me a question I knew! Then I remembered when and where I opened that account, it was a three weeks after we were married, so I was able to convince her, it was me.. Anyway I added, if anyone wants to access my account to pay my Credit Card bill please let them. She didn't laugh,  Dh came to help me write down all the new passwords, which I hate, because I'd had what I thought were correct for years and I liked them and I thought I knew them! Grrrrrrr technology!

Chrisxx

HOT!!!

For the last six years of my teaching I worked part time in a school near to where I lived.. I was on a three day contract, but sometimes worked  more if the school, needed a teacher. One year I worked full time as one teacher was off on long time sick. And after that year the Head Teacher asked me if I'd like to apply for the higher teacher award. I wasn't keen, what I was earning was enough to keep me going, it was my son who pushed me to apply. I did and I got it, and it was considerably more money than I thought!

But that school was a doodle compared to some schools, where I had worked. A well organised school with a good Head teacher and I had 20 years experience, the last 8 as a senior teacher and Deputy. Also the parents were very educational conscious and took a big interest in their children's learning, so worked with their children at home.

I never forgot I had been a senior teacher and still behaved like one, so never let a child get away with anything, down to telling them to tuck their tee shirts into their trousers or skirts, when I saw it was needed. I was treated with a great deal of respect by the children and the staff.

The one summer it was hot, as hot as some days now.. on the Friday I struggled into work and even before the day began I was hot. It had been very hot all week, and I had also worked the Monday and Tuesday as extra days. When my friend phoned the night before, we laughed that here I was 63 and still working. She had retired at 58, but I really enjoyed it.

So Friday morning I was wilting, but when the Head teacher popped into my classroom, as I was writing the date on my board, I smiled even when she told me I was to have 4 extra children, as two younger teachers had phoned in sick. 'How are you faring in the heat?' she asked. I did admit that I was ready for the weekend and also I was giving my class an easy afternoon doing activities they enjoyed, while I listened to them reading their books sitting comfy in my chair, by the open door. I cheekily said , 'I hope I'll be having an afternoon cup of tea,' as she always arranged for one on a Friday afternoon.

I then said, that I hoped the two teachers weren't too bad and be alright after the weekend. She said 'I think they will as they've said they have heat exhaustion.' Without thinking I reacted with 'What??' I added that perhaps us older teaches know how to pace ourselves to keep up our stamina, or she said, 'Perhaps older teachers are more committed.'

I'm still in touch with that Head teacher and have note from her, in her Christmas card every year, I had some lovely gifts when I left and beautiful flowers too.

Chrisxx

Good news, in fact very good news,

 Yesterday I had my hospital appointment at the Urology dept, with the consultant with whom I'd had a telephone appointment last month. I was dreading it, was it going to be a cystoscopy? I hadn't had a prescription for antibiotics, so I was ready to say 'no.'

But it was fine, in fact it was better than fine it was very, very good! He explained the instances when there was blood found in my urine samples, were because my bladder was inflamed. Because when I didn't have an infection there was no blood. So not a tumour! Unlike the one Dr at the Surgery who said it could be cancer!

Such a relief,  if I could run, I'd be running through a flower meadow, jumping for joy! I'll sleep tonight because I was awake last night worrying.

Also he spoke about a new vaccine, which he has applied for the Urology Dept for persistent UTIs and I would qualify for it!! I felt like saying, give me the dotted line I'll sign now!

And he was such a nice man too, talked to me as though I had all my marbles in spite of my age! Such a relief, it has boosted my mood and I'm trying even harder to loose weight, which would help my recurrent infections.

Chrisxx

When we have the sun!

 

I have a fan on me most of the time. we don't sit out in the garden. Our patio is SW facing and temps get to 30C as the slabs are white and they reflect the sun!  

Our plants in pots sizzle and we water them every day, we're on a meter but we've never paid as much if we paid pro-rata our Council Tax, but Dwr Cymru has increased their charges to supply our water by 50%. We'll keep watering unless we're asked not to. We used to have hose pipe bans in Essex, but we did water the pots with a watering can, and watched the grass go to straw every year, But it all greened up in the Autumn.

The one benefit to me to have warm weather, my arthritis isn't as bad, but I have to be careful to keep drinking water otherwise I get a UTI.. We usually have a cold drink mid afternoon instead of tea, I have a 'Mimms' a mock Pimms.. a glass of lemonade ( sugar free) 1 tsp Balsamic  vinegar, and sliced fruit and a sprig of mint. Its really tasty and I love it.

Hope you're enjoying this weather too.

Chrisxx

Smoked salmon.

 One of the hardest thing about meals is deciding what to have.. We have loads of SW books, so no complaining about recipes, but we tend to keep to things we like. This is one we really like.....

So lunch time yesterday was smoked salmon and tagliatelle, easy to make. This serves 2.

Ingredients

150g tagliatelle

150g smoked salmon

2 Cloves garlic

100g lightest Philadelphian cheese.

Squeeze of 1/2 lemon

Chopped fresh parsley.

Method

Put pasta in pan of water and bring to the boil, simmer for 15mins

Slice garlic thinly,

Drain pasta and add garlic and chopped smoked salmon, give it a turn and a mean spray of olive oil Fry light, add cheese and mix gently and add a little of the pasta water. Mix again and give it a squeeze of lemon.

Serve with a sprinkling of parsley, and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Enjoy\!

Chrisxx

A lot more of that please!

I'm sure I'm not the only person on a diet who thinks this, but this coming week its even more important for me because last week I lost 3 pounds!!! So I want to build on that loss with even more.

It seemed a long week, it always does when you stick strictly to plan. In fact chatting to another member in our SW group, she thought the same, that the week seemed to go slowly when you stick strictly to the food plan. And we did all week, but ate well, meals I like, even some ice cream with strawberries one day.

Sunday is my worse day, its the day, when I want something nice for tea! We always have a Sunday dinner cooked the SW way and yesterday we had a chicken with our own grown potatoes, carrots, and sprouting broccoli, followed by our own rhubarb with a fat free Banana Custard yogurt, all delicious ; but then tea?? I always used to have a sandwich, a packet of crisps and a piece of home made cake, or may be two pieces of cake! So it has to be some thing I really like and filling. 

Dh makes a very tasty Frittata of which half serves as Saturday lunch with a full salad, shredded white and read cabbage, our own Cos and Lolo Roso lettuce with chopped apple, pine nuts and green olives, so the rest is our Sunday tea, No cake but a fruit yogurt fills me up and its a good start to another week.

I can do this!

Chrisxx

Rods, Dogs, Old women?

 There wasn't anywhere I particularly wanted to go yesterday, but when I saw the horrendous down pour first thing, I thought oh no, it's too wet to be going out! I hate getting wet. 

But when Dh asked where I wanted to go, I said, no where.. I just wanted the option to go! Silly or what?

It came down like 'stair rods,' Isn't that a silly saying, most people say like 'cats and dogs. ' In Wales they say 'Old women and sticks!' Anyway it was very, very wet|! 

Dh dashed out into the garden for some lettuce at lunch time, one of the disadvantages of growing your own! LOL

When it did stop the impulse to to out had gone and we stayed in and watched some tennis. When Dh went to prepare our easy Thursday night meal, as its SW weigh day today, I switched to watch Garden Makeover.. One of the programs Carol Klein says doesn't teach people how to garden, but then some of us just want to look at the designs and the flowers and the water features, so we don't want to learn.

It was really good and I loved it.. and I love Blue Geraniums.

May be after SW we'll go to town for a coffee? That is unless the rods, dogs or old women don't arrive!

Chrisxx

The Leaky Roof

Dh does all the cooking and sometimes I help by sitting in the kitchen to support him, so he's not by himself and chat!! We unload and load the dishwasher together. I always do the 'leaky roof' Which is the cutlery, called this, because where we used to live in Suffolk, the kitchen was an extension and we'd had the flat roof replaced. I'd taken the cutlery basket and put it on the table to put the cutlery in the drawer.

When we had sorted out everything after our meal. We noticed there was water droplets on the table. We were both puzzled and stared up at the ceiling, looking for a leak! Dreading that there might be one.. then the penny dropped and we realised the water was from the cutlery basket and laughed and laughed..  So ever since then the cutlery basket has been known as the leaky roof!

Altho' Dh is a good cook, he can be messy, so yesterday I gave the kitchen a really good clean, including the cooker top, which was very messy. But once I don my 'marigolds' I can do anything!

I did not check in there after we'd had dinner, altho' I was tempted as we'd had stir fry, which can slop over the wok! It was a very tasty meal, chicken thighs with stir fry peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic and a sauce of honey and balsamic vinegar, I love it!

We'll keep it clean now for days.. perhaps!

Chrisxx

Stop everything......

 The bathroom needed cleaning,

The lounge windows needed cleaning,

The lounge carpet needed a vac,

The bedding needed changing,

And the washing machine had finished.

But there were 4 British girls playing tennis at Queens

So that's what we did, we sat and cheered for Emma Raducanu, Heather Watson,  Katie Boulter, and Sonay Kartal.

It was so exciting and they all won, hurrah!

We shall watch some more and keep cheering

We love watching it and so the housework was left!

When I was 10 my Aunt bought me everything to play. A pretty tennis outfit, a super tennis racket and pushed me to join the Tennis Club. I was never any good, when the ball hit my racket my arm went back and when I did hit the ball, it hardly got over the net! So I left and had piano lessons instead! I didn't mind, it didn't interest me. 

But as I've aged I've grown to love watching it.. and so does Dh!

The washing was pegged out on the line and dried, the bed was made up fresh and I did a quick swoosh of the bathroom! Windows can wait,  because there's more tennis tomorrow!

Chrisxx

Was it fun?

 If you're as old as I am you'll recognize this little photo and remember scenes of your own like it. (Photo from the internet)

The road side picnic! My daughter has a romanticize memory of these, but as it was I in charge, not me!

Each summer we made two journeys across the country from where we lived in Essex, first to the West country for our annual holiday and then here, to S Wales  to visit my family. 

No service areas in those earlier days.

I'd have made sandwiches and we had flasks of tea and the toilet was behind a bush out of sight. With 4 children it was quite a feat.. the boys were fine, but it was me who did the treading down of stinging nettles for my daughter to squat!

How much easier it was when Service areas were built and indeed the M4 motorway in 1971.  But it still took us 5 hours, more some times!

I suppose looking back it was fun in a way, but only on the days when the sun shone. We listened to Children's Favorites on the radio, singing along to Nellie the Elephant, The Run Away Train, and others like those. 

We were off on our summer holiday!

Chrisxx

Cardi Madam?

 Recently there have been items on various news feed latewy about the late Queens choice of clothes.. It has also been noticed that Princess Anne her daughter, has been photographed wearing a jacket that her mother had worn! So even the Royals do that!

It seems the late Queen liked her clothes to be bright,  saying that as she was tiny,  she might disappear in the crowds, so in bright colours   the people could still see her.

She did indeed wear some beautiful dresses and suits all with matching hats and the handbag, which she was never seen without. But how she held her bag was a signal to her personal assistant. Moving it from one arm to the other, its said, was her signal to say she wanted to leave  and  they would relieve her and make a reason for her to leave. Was that true, who knows,  but its been reported as such.

Of all her outfits the one I love is that one, top left. It was how she greeted the new Prime Minister of the day then, Liz Truss. The Queen died a short time after that meeting.

She looks frail and is wearing a pleated skirt and a cardigan. If you look you can see the button holes on the cardigan are stretched, as though they had all, at some time been used. So not just a show outfits,  but as she relaxed at home, with a cardi to keep warm!(click on the picture to enlarge it)

Nice to see, I love my cardis and have a lot, all different colours and all wool to keep me warm!

Chrisxx

Could you be in 'The Race Across the World?'

 I am loving Race Across the World this year again.  Although some people complain there are too many sob stories I think its those that make it the interesting programme it is. 

Fin and Sioned a Welsh couple are doing well, altho she felt over whelmed with the crowds and noise in China. Their openness makes one realise, its ok if you don't have everything worked out, no matter what your age. you can get through it and thrive.

I love Caroline and Tom, mother and son, she age 61 has thrown herself into it and disclosed to him that her only value she felt was,  if she was useful at home. Taking part has shown her that she had strengths she didn't know she had. I 'd like these to win!

The sisters Elizabeth 33 and Letitia  26 are so serious, but have opened up that they have only ever had a surface relationship. They obviously care a lot about each other, but there is a lot left unsaid.

Brian 62 and Mervyn 65 spent a great deal of their childhood apart in a not too happy a home.  It made it all the more emotional when they had their first photograph together in years and vowed to go on more holidays together.

Without the sob stories The Race Across the World, would still be entertaining to watch, but this extra layer serves as a reminder that every single person you cross paths with in life. has struggles you may not know about. 

The emotional parts of the show are thought inspiring, and the show wouldn't have the same impact for me without them. Its not a travel programme, its a show of lives and relationships and I love it.  

Chrisxx

Blue cleaning??

Dh and I have a cleaning order, I do 'tops' he does 'bottoms'!

So in the bathroom I clean the sink and the surround and he does the shower, which is a large walk in one. I also do the toilet.. neither one of us mind cleaning the room that a lot of people don't like to do. We both had jobs where we were shown how to clean.. me, my student nursing, Dh, the Navy. Our very first jobs too!

We bought this to clean in the shower, because its very easy to get a discoloration in the grouting.

I'm not advertising this, altho' it does work, but to say, when we were in town yesterday, there was one just like it in a charity shop window for a fraction of the price we paid only last week! 

Altho truth be told we wouldn't have known what it was if we hadn't bought one.. I had never seen anything like it before!

Dh uses it and says it does the job a treat! But then we wondered why someone would have abandoned it, as from the box  it looked as new as ours?

Rather disconcerting and why has my blog writing gone blue??

Chrisxx

Oh no!!

 Monday morning Dh took his first cuppa of the day and sat on the new bench, while I was still getting showered and dressed; the sun was glorious. We have our on line Welsh session at 9:30am and we're both often bleary eyed, even going to bed earlier the night before. I would have joined him,  but I love that first cup of tea sitting comfy in my chair with a quick flick at the news of the day. He is determined we use the new bench! 'I will sit there tomorrow,'  I said

Yesterday early it rained, much needed again for the garden, so no sitting outside. When it had stopped, off Dh went to do the peering, that gardeners do over the plants and shrubs.. I heard him call out, and went to see what the shout was about. He was standing by the Buddleia.. 'you'll never believe what I've just witnessed'.. he said. Evidently a sparrow had snatched a caterpillar, yes the one that's a good one, bashed it on the ground and then ate it!!! So that's the end of that, because when we looked there wasn't one caterpillar left. All gobbled by sparrows and they have the very best seeds, sunflower seed hearts and a peanut butter thingy to feed on, so why did they take those caterpillars, we feel cheated!!

Nature can be so cruel!

Chrisxx

Dr Appointment.

 Yesterday afternoon I had a Dr's appointment, I had been asked to attend, so the Dr could talk over with me, that letter from the consultant Urologist at the hospital.

Very nice Dr, new to me, the umpteenth one I've seen! Anyway surprise, surprise the proposed Cystoscopy date had come and gone! So the strong antibiotics I had taken was in vain.. yes they worked and killed off all the bad guys, but they also killed off some of the good ones too, so I had some uncomfortable side effects, but hey ho I survived. 

So this Dr is writing back to the Urologist to arrange for me to have the cystoscopy and I will be given anti-biotics to cover me against an infection. Beats me why an investigation that can infect a patient is deemed ok? 

He said it is important to remove the possibility of a growth. I asked what will happen when it shows NAD.. No abnormality detected? His answer, it will determine that it is not a tumour.. So it may have the same results as before and I'll just go on from one infection to the next.. not great but at least I'm having something done and if I get an UTI I'll get treatment!! But it doesn't fill me with joy, I think I'll just be one of 100s of women who have recurrent infections for no apparent reason.

Chrisxx

A good one or a bad one?

 You never know what is good or bad in a garden  Dh's mother used to stay with us, at different places over the years. She was not a gardener, and she couldn't understand why people had go out into their gardens every morning. And what were they peering at!

Last year our gooseberries were decimated by the Gooseberry Saw Fly Caterpillar before we even realised. So this year we have been vigilant and checked our two bushes every morning without fail.. no destruction of our bushes, lovely leaves but very few berries, awww!

So when Dh saw this on our Buddleia bush we looked it up. Looks nasty we thought, not a cabbage white they're bright green.. does bright colours mean its poisonous we wondered?

It is in fact the caterpillar of the Mullein moth and its quite common to find it on Buddleia leaves, but not so common where we live.

So we feel quite pleased it has decided to chose our garden and are watching now. for it to pupate and develop into this beautiful moth.

    So its a good one to have.

Chrisxx

Bikini polka dot melyn bychan

We always used to go to the library every Saturday morning, but here its not in the main street of the town, and its up stairs with a ramp for people like me, so we don't go as often. I don't understand why disabled people have to walk so much further with these U shaped ramps! I've missed going to town, so yesterday we made the effort and were in town in our favourite coffee shop by 10:00 am. There were a lot of people around, holiday makers? And white whiskery old dogs in push chairs; they always look so comfy!

Dh wanted to go to get his after shave moisturizer and I needed a card so we walked down the main street, me avoiding the broken blocks, I've seen two people trip over them so I'm very careful. I keep hearing that physio's voice saying, 'Lift your foot higher than you think!' My legs are struggling at the moment, I walked too far the other day and they keep telling me I did!.

We did sit for a while and listened to a band performing in the Band Stand, singing summer type pop songs in Welsh! It was very pleasant in the sun and enjoying the music. 

We were busy in the afternoon, Dh cut the grass and I potted up some foxglove seedlings ready for planting out in the autumn. I already have lupins and aquilegia so we should have good size plants by then.

And we are benefitting from the garden, as we're eating our own lettuce and we have sprouting broccoli all growing really well and if you need rhubarb or garlic come to us!.

A rather pleasant Saturday for us.

Chrisxx

What a shock!

My Friday started badly, I've  had a horrible weight gain, how??

 Last weekend we really pushed the boat out, extra treats on the Friday after leaving the SW group with a minimum gain, which I was ok about. Then I had a cheese toasty and chocolate tiffin at our favourite coffee shop, why? Well, we had acquired some free coffee points so had to use them! 

And Dh suggested rib of beef for Sunday dinner, which we had with 

all the trimmings which included several Yorkshire puds and Monday we had ice cream plus, plus, well it was Bank Holiday|! So easy to gain and so so difficult to get it off..so this extra weight gain is the shock I needed. The rainy days haven't helped as we only went walking one afternoon.

I know other women my age who are over weight too and think trying to lose weight at our age is silly and you should enjoy all treats at our age.. do you agree with them or do you think at any age you should attempt to lose weight?

Chrisxx

Let the light in... Liz Newman

 

Such lovely words

Chrisxx

Ellie Simmonds OBE

 We saw Ellie Simmonds win a gold medal in the 2012 Paralympics, so when I saw she was doing a documentary on her birth mother, I wanted to watch it.

She was very emotional at times, so was I watching, as she finds out why her birth mother gave her up for adoption, when she was just ten  days old. Born November 11th 1994, her mother had been told quite brutally that her baby had achondroplasia, a common form of dwarfism and that her child would be disabled.  She was led to believe that Ellie would be like a circus dwarf, short of stature, flat face, bowed legs and muscular. A single mum on her own, she decided she wouldn't be able to cope.

She was adopted by a couple, who also adopted other children with disabilities and has had a wonderful up bringing in a very happy family unit.

While Ellie was talking on the subject of her birth mother, she never once blamed her for the decision to give her up. In fact when you listen to Ellie talking, she comes over as a really lovely person with a heart of gold. 

I loved the programme and then watched the second one, where she is trying to come to the decision if she should have children of her own. She is so honest and open it was very difficult not to weep a few tears with her. The option to have a child via sperm donation, where the donor sperm was normal height was an option explained to her, even that the embryo could be checked, so the implanted embryo does not have any genetic faults.. She decided she wasn't ready to go ahead at the moment. A sad time for her and too difficult a decision and tears fell. 

I shed quite a few tears myself watching her. If you haven't seen it, do, its so worth watching. (ITVX)

Chrisxx

What a palaver!!

 When I had to have a bladder catheter, it was very uncomfortable sitting, so I bought this ring, December 7th 2024.

I thought having the hole in it would be ok for the catheter,, well it was awful, it was hard and uncomfortable. So that's what I wrote in the review and so did other people write that it was hard. . It was £19.59 so I just decided to forget the money wasted.. Just another bad buy!

Anyway April this year I had an email offering me my money back plus £5.00  I thought it was a scam so forwarded the email to paypal, and their advice was not to change my review, just because the firm had offered me money. So I ignored the emails, which were now arriving every day. 

Then last week Paypal contacted me about an issue they said, where I had sold something and the recipient hadn't received it, although they had paid via paypal!! The cushion firm had complained that I hadn't given them what they had paid for! What??

It has taken me all these last few days, via chatting to an AI chat bot to convince Paypal, that its this cushion firm, who have put £25 minus £2.70 transaction fee in my paypal account and emailed me they had!

But when I did check it was  a 'pending' amount, so they hadn't actually given me anything.. their emails now were begging ones, along the lines of, 'We're being nice to you and giving you money, you could be nice to us with your review!' I just forwarded all the emails to Paypal.

Eventually Paypal have apologized for the inconvenience of all the messages,  as I have been a valued customer for 17 years! And offered me £20 as I will not be getting the refund from the cushion firm. I said no need and refused it.

What a palaver.. lesson learnt, Do not buy anything from China!!

Chrisxx

A VE Topper

 Isn't this lovely? Its just round the corner from us, so its the post box we use.

 

The crocheted topper was there before the anniversary of VE day and is now battling against the weather.

After all the weeks of sunshine and temperatures in the high twenties, it is now very wet.

We are having gusts of wind and the rain which we badly needed..

But the 'Topper' is braving it all and it looks amazing.  How lovely that someone has crocheted this.. thank you to who ever has done it.

Have any of you have one near to where you live?

Chrisxx

Dych chi' n siarad cymraig?

 I am struggling with my learning Welsh, at the moment. I do 45 mins plus  each day practising and doing the exercises. While I'm doing them I remember, but then if I move on I've forgotten some.. Is it so hard or am I just too old to learn? I get confused and unless there is a rule. I guess the words.. I'm good with 'weather' and I can say what I like or what I don't like. 

We watch Popol y Cwm, the Welsh every day soap and although we know some of the words, we miss a lot. We've tried watching children's programmes, but when its puppets their lips don't move with the words!

Some one said watch the News, because you already know what its about, so easier?? No its not! 

We can get sub titles in Welsh and that makes it so much easier, but that's not conversation.

We have Welsh lessons each Monday morning 9:30 to 12:30 and I always feel absolutely flat after it, so I must be using some 'brain energy.' 

I do like the sessions and when we're partnered up, its good to know the younger members of our group are finding it hard too. Once when I was partnered with Will, we had done the required exercise, so decided to try the past tense, so when the Tutor popped into our 'room' we got a 'no no no!!' Will,  a young man and I laughed and laughed. 

The following week when we were again partnered up.. I said... Peidiwch a'm rhoi mewn trafferth y wythnos hon!! =  Don't get me into trouble this week!! So we do have fun and because I did a very small amount of welsh, as a child my pronunciation is good.

What amazes me I can remember French words I learnt in the fifties! But I'm carrying on and still trying... Dw i eisiau i r dysgu cymraig!

Chrisxx

My Happiest Place!

 Oh dear I've neglected my blog but we have been very busy in the garden and there are only about 30 plants left to plant out.

Most of the flowers I have grown from seed on window sills.

Our new bench  bought as an anniversary present to us, which isn't till July, but we thought we'd get it now so we can sit there all summer. We're off to buy some smaller grey pavers next week, which Dh will sink into the ground for easy mowing.

And sitting there we have a good view of the garden.

This rose is the grand daughter of a rose my daughter gave me for Mothers Day 2012. Dh took 4 cuttings, which we took to Suffolk. All flourished and grew, we gave 2 away, planted 2 in our garden there and then when we moved, Dh took a cutting and here it is blooming and growing, its scent is heavenly just like Turkish Delight! Sorry I can't remember the name.

And we have figs, 12 altogether I want to make some little bags from mesh to keep the squirrels off!

All the lupins have been amazing and all grown from seed.. I have some sown already for planting out in the autumn, for next year!

One of the climbing roses and this one has a clematis with it. Taking out the old hedge and putting in a fence was a very good idea.

    Two years ago

And now the shrubs are all flourishing and beginning to flower. I only bought shrubs that would flowers.

  

I have pots all over the patio, and all are now beginning to show their worth and the buds have started to open.

This year we will have colour and that makes me so happy.

Where else can you have such happiness?

Translated ... 'To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.'

Audrey Hepburn,

Chrisxx

Book Clubs, yea or nay?

 We shouldn't, but we buy books all the time, I say shouldn't because we buy because we like to, rather than we don't have anything to read. But isn't that like all people who love to read.

These are the Richard and Judy choices for their Book Club for Spring 2025. We bought all last years and I've 4 still to read, Dh still has about 8 I think. He's reading, ' We All Live Here' by Jojo Moyles at the moment and must be enjoying it, as he keeps bursting out in laughter!  I swapped it for 'The Women' as we'd read that and we liked some of Jojo Moyes other books, especially 'The Giver of Stars.' Have you read it, its about the women who took books to women in the wilds of America, on horseback in the 1880s A lovely story of resilience and love, worth a read,

I've just finished our Library Book Group book 'The Cabin' by Jorn Lier Horst.. a detective story,,, but not my choice. I read it because it was the Group book, otherwise I'd have given up on it, a lot of words with very little story!

Can't wait to read the Tim Weaver book in this Spring group of books, but I'm being good and reading the ones left from last Autumn's books first, but it is very tempting.

I just love reading! Kindle or books it doesn't matter to me. Young people walk around with their phones, I always have a book or kindle with me, incase I have to wait somewhere!

Chrisxx

A Group Breakfast

 Although I attend  a slimming group every Friday morning, it is a social gathering too. A group of us called the Coffi Club meet up now and then for coffee ot meals. Last Friday we decided to go for breakfast after the slimming world meeting.  The garden centre has a super restaurant and 12 of us booked to go.

I have been for an afternoon tea with the group and we all ate everything, sandwiches, cakes and scones with jam and cream. It was a special occasion as it was someone's birthday, so no food barred.

Friday was just breakfast, so I thought we'd all be making wise choices, I decided a bacon sandwich with whole meal bread, no butter, as this was more or less a slimming world meal.

Ha ha,  it wasn't what the rest of the group were choosing. So I changed my mind and had hog roast sausage roll, coleslaw, lettuce and chips!! It was absolutely delicious, the coleslaw was full fat and creamy,  I never have that usually and the chips were crispy. I ate slowly and savoured every bite! I didn't have a coffee at that time late morning, I'd never get to sleep, so I had an Elderflower Presse.

I did enjoy my breakfast! I usually just have a banana and 40g of muesli And the chatting and laughter was super too.. roll on the next Coffi Club meal out!

Chrisxx

TMI??

 If you've never had a urinary infection you won't know the added stress you can have along with pain and the need to wee a lot.. there's the anxiety of going somewhere, that might not have a toilet, or being in a position where you can't get to one easily.

The Welsh trains have decided, that in their new built trains, they won't have toilets, to make room for more seats? So that's me not using them, not that I plan going anywhere. People prone to UTIs don't travel usually.

I did go to buy some 'pads.' Omgosh, there are 100s to choose from, and in bulk buys. I spent ages looking and bought some to go for that bladder scan, where you have to arrive with a full bladder. Criky it was like riding a horse between my legs!

But I have been prescribed with a very powerful  anti biotic,  prior to this proposed cystoscopy.. magic!! One dose and I did a proper wee, ie I went to the toilet, no hesitancy, and a good strong stream of wee, not just a dribble! And last night I only had to get up 3 times instead of 4 or 5 or more.. what a difference its made. I slept really well in between toilet visits, so feel really well this morning. No frequency, no worry of piddling my pants, no feeling of burning in my bladder region, nor the  constant feeling I have to wee, in fact I feel normal!  If only this could last for ever? 

Too much information? Well I did warn you!

Chrisxx

Ruth Jones with the BAFTA for Female Performance in a Comedy for Gavin & Stacey

What is it about Ruth Jones that has us all laughing, when really we're laughing at ourselves. The exaggerated Welsh accent, the names like 'Dave the coaches' have us holding our sides with laughter.

But this was like my youth, there was Dan the van man, he sold potatoes and I remember Annie with a tray of cockles on her head.. we always had some and I loved them. My grand mother used to fry them with white bread crumbs in butter, very nice but I preferred them as they were with lots of vinegar.

Ruth is from Porthcawl and met Rob Brydon in the Porthcawl Comp, and of course acted together in the school drama shows.

She has written several books, sort of  'chick lit' and I've tried to read some, they're not the sort of book I like, but they sell in their thousands!

But what ever, I just loved Gavin and Stacey.. and am looking forward to seeing  Ruth in some new dramas on TV.. It will be good I'm sure.

Chrisxx

99 Years old!

David Attenborough born 8th May 1926, the same year as Queen Elizabeth 2nd, An amazing man well known for his interest in the living world of animals. He's had 2 Knighthoods, won many Bafta awards and is loved by all.

He has presented many, many films about animals and climate change, the first in 1954 called Zoo Quest, which involved filming animals in captivity and the wild and launched him as a TV presenter. And he has carried on for several decades. I'm sure if you've seen any you'll have your favourite. I think mine was one he did with gorillas  in the jungle, cavorting around as one of them. 

I've been looking him up and honestly I couldn't do him proud on my humble blog, to list his achievements, there are so many, so I'll leave it up to you to research yourself, should you wish.

All I want to say is, even though he is this brilliant man, those who know him say he is kind, considerate and loyal. 

So a thoroughly nice man.

Anyone who treats animals like he does, is more than just nice in my opinion. 

Happy Birthday Sir David Attenborough!

Chrisxx

Snap!!

 Although we have loads of gardening to do, mainly planting all the plants I've grown from seed, Dh and I decided to go out Wednesday afternoon. I really didn't want to go far, so we just decided a walk on the front promenade would be good, trusting we'd find a parking space. Living in a holiday seaside town, it can be very difficult to park with a view of the sea.

But as luck would have it, there was a space right by our favourite pavement kiosk, Booths, good coffee and seats with a view of the sea.  In fact you can see across the Bristol Channel to Cornwell!

But first the walk, we walked back towards the pier, but oh my gosh were my legs aching, so I only walked half way and we turned back and it was such relief to sit down. Dh offered me an ice cream, well it would have been very ungrateful to refuse, so we had a vanilla one each, just a small cone. It was delicious, then we had a coffee, it was a perfect afternoon. People watching, although I look at all the dogs!

Then to my surprise there was a lady coming towards us with a wheeler just like mine, my Rhet Butler!

I raised my hand and called out 'Snap.' She came to where we were sitting and was very proud to say, she'd bought it from a charity shop for £5!! She went in with her old 3 wheeler and came out with a spanking new 4 wheeler just like mine! I tell everyone I meet she said, it was only £5 it was such a bargain! 

We chatted for quite a while, they were just visiting the town and taking in the sea air!

How extraordinary I've never seen someone with a walker like mine before.  I paid a lot more than £5 but its worth it, as I can walk further with it and feel secure. In fact yesterday morning I walked the length of our main street, but I'll admit it wasn't easy..and the ice cream didn't show at SW because I lost 1.5 pounds!

Chrisxx

6 Things strong women do!

1.  They move on, they don't waste time feeling sorry for themselves.

2. They embrace change and welcome challenges.

3. They stay happy and don't waste energy on things that they can't control.

4. They are kind, fair and unafraid to speak up.

5. They are willing to take calculated risks.

6. They celebrate the success of others and don't resent that success.

And most of all they have hope!

Chrisxx

IMV A very good book!

 I've finished the book and I loved it all the way through; it was a long book!

Set in South Australia in two different eras 1959 and 2018. The story starts on Christmas eve, at the end of a scorching hot day in the grounds of a large country house, where a local man makes a terrible discovery. 

The police are called and the little town of Tambilla becomes involved in one of the most baffling murder investigations, in the history of S Australia. Nearly sixty years later in London Jess's evening out with friends is interrupted by a phone call, informing her that her grandmother, Nora had a fall and was in hospital. She was very close to Nora, who brought her up, when her own mother wasn't able to. She is greatly upset to see her grandmother as the small pale old lady in the hospital bed, instead of the strong person she grew up with.  The ramblings of Nora, sets Jess off on a search about their family and the mystery of what actually happen on that Christmas eve afternoon.

What was different about this book was that,  it was a book within a book. As Jess starts to find out the family history of this dreadful event she reads the novelized account of a journalist, who was in Tambilla at the time of the tragedy. Daniel Miller's book is included in its entirety, a true fiction sort of account, called 'As if they were Sleeping.'

The story is at its heart very much a mystery, as well as a family saga. It explores the themes of grief, family, and motherhood  in particular and how we define home.

I loved the characters especially Polly (Jess' mother) and I enjoyed the complex family dynamics as it played out.

As the story weaves from one instant to another, the truth of what actually happened  to the Turner family kept me reading. How do some people have this imagination baffles me, the convoluting happenings were amazing. I had to stop and slow down to make sure I was reading all the details, there were a lot of characters to follow. 

It wasn't just the story that I liked,  the author's use of language as well and I found some passages were very beautifully written and had to reread some sections.. I loved it all and want to read another book by her, although I'm wary, that this book will be the best I read by her.

Chrisxx

A phone call from Urology!

 Thank goodness for our garden, its keeping me sane,, yesterday I had a telephone appointment with the Urology Consultant. The appointment was made 10 days ago, and I've been dreading it. It was with a different Dr to the one I saw in March. I was half expecting him to say, as I've been on these low dose anti-biotics a  month,  they'd see me next week for the cystoscopy! But no, whew! He explained that my lab tested  urine sample showed a bug, that was resistant to the anti-biotics I'd been given. So he was writing to my own Dr to give him the results and for a prescription for a different anti-biotic. So see how that would go, with a possible appointment for the procedure in two weeks time. I feel more positive, because this will cover me through and after the cystoscopy. 

I didn't sleep well the night before worrying about the phone call.. 

So I hoped to sleep last night, especially as I'd spent the afternoon in the garden.. we have a lot of seedlings to plant and I mean a lot.

I've planted the cosmos in a pot like last year and we have planted Dh's sweet peas in a pot with a rounded tall cane support and the Verbena Borealis we planted n one of the flower beds, but there are lots more to plant. 

My seeds have done me proud, but it means I have a lot as well as veg to plant!

This is a shrub we bought 2years ago from Homebase, so pretty but I can't remember the name. We'll really miss Homebase we bought a lot of gardening produce from there.

And this is the beautiful geum we bought from the garden centre. Its planted behind some pale orange crocosmia and a blue geranium so will look even prettier when they flower too. 

So a worrying for nothing and a lovely afternoon.

Chrisxx