tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58324381558414304522024-03-19T08:47:16.895+00:00Deb's Worlddebs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.comBlogger1856125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-7027641496222069612024-03-18T09:00:00.002+00:002024-03-18T09:00:45.625+00:00Me on Monday 18 March<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">So my first post as a pensioner! I'm happy to report that it doesn't feel too bad so far - my friend Sally sent me a great card which said <i>'People our age are so much older than us' </i>which summed it up so well. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaY_sZKXlHPx1a-SZQiF7MUY3NQ0KIQ2rtdkSFTRHaFOQSH5GfaW2VrECVcR6OIwpGGD-a07IUnB6DsQZb10JcUyN6aTgKPTLDtKYEuseNCnCcNQG4gW4uznx3UHJIjYhsNpQAwRcQkVVA7ZViUgly8oWXgXtfkpHQ1aPwdrmAfYl482pCcMd5_Iu15U/s4032/IMG_1122.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaY_sZKXlHPx1a-SZQiF7MUY3NQ0KIQ2rtdkSFTRHaFOQSH5GfaW2VrECVcR6OIwpGGD-a07IUnB6DsQZb10JcUyN6aTgKPTLDtKYEuseNCnCcNQG4gW4uznx3UHJIjYhsNpQAwRcQkVVA7ZViUgly8oWXgXtfkpHQ1aPwdrmAfYl482pCcMd5_Iu15U/s320/IMG_1122.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As often happens, things did not go completely to plan and I didn't get to have my lunch out with Jon as he was unwell. Their family have all succumbed to a virus which gives you a high temperature for 24 hours and then three days of total tiredness, Max and Olive have been sleeping for over 12 hours every night! So we have postponed as I don't really want to share their germs.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We went for cake and coffee at Rachel's which was lovely and she has passed a book onto me that a friend lent her. It is so good I read it for two hours without break while Paul watched the rugby last night so I am almost half way through! I shall give a proper review on my book reading post at the end of the month - I just hope it continues to be as gripping for the rest of the book. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I don't actually have too much planned for this week but need to pop out and find a couple of gifts to go with the children's Easter eggs. I prefer to buy them a token small egg and a book or something rather than a huge chocolate egg-stravaganza 😉</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'll need to conserve my energy for a bumper batch of childcare at the weekend involving a sleep over with Max and Olive on Friday and an evening of babysitting on my own the following day. Followed by a Sunday of doing very little I hope!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">How's your week ahead looking? </span></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-6988991420293512562024-03-11T09:06:00.000+00:002024-03-11T09:06:01.538+00:00Me on Monday 11 March<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello! Here we are on yet another Monday. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When I left you on Friday I was nervous about the craft afternoon. I should not have worried, they were a lovely bunch of ladies and they were very complimentary about my crochet! It turned out I knew three of them, although I hadn’t seen them for about 20 years when our sons all played football together. So we had a lot of mutual friends and quite a few years of catching up to do. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Friday evening at the Lost in Music concert was wonderful. So much fun; I knew all the songs and remembered all the words so had a marvellous time singing along!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h9Cz94_Cc2DmoZukADby3rdGzCV5TsUBVYl7MgiJjUF9CuZU3t36HnUS-pzZHYnj-9toh29HCciPg3F_Zu3c-Fh9Uks-RAnuhMb5niaad_a0j1yTUPl2wrfkpz5Me-HmlVLYK1xMlg4mkjGGWEVUDuE9-7uKRXnLGtll-jeCuMx14z9rFo-LpJAlFWA/s4032/IMG_1040.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h9Cz94_Cc2DmoZukADby3rdGzCV5TsUBVYl7MgiJjUF9CuZU3t36HnUS-pzZHYnj-9toh29HCciPg3F_Zu3c-Fh9Uks-RAnuhMb5niaad_a0j1yTUPl2wrfkpz5Me-HmlVLYK1xMlg4mkjGGWEVUDuE9-7uKRXnLGtll-jeCuMx14z9rFo-LpJAlFWA/s320/IMG_1040.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAN6S4vamufrtaKGaXOenoU3Ai2RMRffN18IqqaNFjfWY8gG2RbKRcV0q8iPgmYZMuvi6u-Tm-CMJlPZctOW3agWqtBWcIBndmWWG1g_hmervFSUyu1Qny0AZ0XwwTVQOsZ_PKxftSC-bhaVkoqhsQvKQ6qK15nm1RDJW-UxnHW1349gkzMRMRoJTblsU/s4032/IMG_1041.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAN6S4vamufrtaKGaXOenoU3Ai2RMRffN18IqqaNFjfWY8gG2RbKRcV0q8iPgmYZMuvi6u-Tm-CMJlPZctOW3agWqtBWcIBndmWWG1g_hmervFSUyu1Qny0AZ0XwwTVQOsZ_PKxftSC-bhaVkoqhsQvKQ6qK15nm1RDJW-UxnHW1349gkzMRMRoJTblsU/s320/IMG_1041.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">There was a lot of Earth, Wind and Fire, Gloria Gaynor, Diana Ross - all the classic disco sounds. There was a lot of dancing in the aisles 😊</span><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now in case you’re wondering about my daughter’s World Book Day costume, she did an amazing job. She ran into town and found a fleece hoody with teddy bear ears on the hood, and a pair of fleece leggings in the same colour greatly reduced in a sale. She popped into Poundland and found a red dog collar, tweaked the ears of the hoody into a more canine shape and used a brown eyeshadow to paint a patch over one eye. Apparently Rosie couldn’t believe her eyes when she came into class, not only was the secret reader her mum, but she was dressed as the dog in the story!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is my birthday week, and on my birthday my son is taking me out to lunch. One to one time with your kids when they are grown up is precious and I’m so thrilled that he’s organised it. I feel very blessed. So this is my last pre-state pension post - Doesn't that make me sound old? I certainly don't feel like a pensioner so I'm convincing myself that you are only as old as you feel 😉</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p></div>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-52261245349098948072024-03-08T09:51:00.000+00:002024-03-08T09:51:47.254+00:00Let’s sit and have a cup of coffee<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu36eUyphWo4ayV4HmhFvOm25EzscO-xXYQr9kGxVY55S26_7fEYuiEEaWXaiBg8MP9F4mDAF5ab0pccHtf_LO7v3-nFy4X-gXBVRgiefWoj4IxcX6g0ofsbo-ppE7ff_57OWjOXKGviGXuCZljbMrTxN2WnRCYEWg2bFSP-vvZrE0H3b-jIF6abUrF8w/s4032/IMG_0940.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu36eUyphWo4ayV4HmhFvOm25EzscO-xXYQr9kGxVY55S26_7fEYuiEEaWXaiBg8MP9F4mDAF5ab0pccHtf_LO7v3-nFy4X-gXBVRgiefWoj4IxcX6g0ofsbo-ppE7ff_57OWjOXKGviGXuCZljbMrTxN2WnRCYEWg2bFSP-vvZrE0H3b-jIF6abUrF8w/s320/IMG_0940.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thought I would share a picture of the lovely coffee I had when we last went up to Cambridge, sadly my barista skills are not to this standard!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Just a quick post today as I have to leave for my crafting lunch in an hour. I am ridiculously nervous about it, the sensible side of my brain is saying 'don't be silly, it's just a group of craft loving ladies getting together to share their interests' and the other side is saying 'but I only know one other person there and I have no idea how these things work, do we just sit there and knit/sew/crochet? Will they be comparing work? etc etc'. I haven't even got together all the things I need to take with me.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">So let me just share an amusing thing that happened to my daughter this morning. Actually, I think everyone else is finding it more amusing than she is. At the school that her children attend, the reception class finish each day with them all sitting on the mat and listening to a story. Every now and again there will be a 'secret reader' who will be one of the children's parents. The idea is to surprise everyone so it has to be kept secret. My daughter put her name down to join in at the beginning of term and today is the day that was allocated to her. She's chosen to read one of Rosie's favourite books 'Ruffles and the teeny tiny kittens' about a puppy who has four little kittens come to stay and how they upset his routine and want to play with his most favourite thing which he does not want to share. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, yesterday was World Book Day, but at this school they have their 'non uniform' days on Fridays so the children have all dressed as their favourite book characters today. As my daughter took Rosie to the door, all dressed up in her Isadora Moon costume, the teacher took her aside and whispered 'What will you be dressing up as?' What? 'All the teachers have dressed up too and I'm sure you'll want to join in'. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">What a panic. Of course she hadn't realised that she would be expected to dress up, and she certainly doesn't have a dog or cat costume hanging around at home! It will be interesting to see what she can pull together! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thanks for popping by!</span></div>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-43290431371540142702024-03-04T09:13:00.002+00:002024-03-04T09:13:24.617+00:00Me on Monday 4 March<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Welcome to the start of a new week. I've got a nice relaxing day ahead of me, which is well needed as we had all the family here yesterday to celebrate a hundred years of birthdays, and here's a cake to prove it!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXF6N47obkZuih3VpyCUDEN9neyrq_zZ0FCfyHhCPg6SJCxwDpqngXlo3vN39uKMXpal8JDJ2ePFK_zrvcJfI3ApwxnqQh5pCaTlsab90iB0eUypZknbGdJQutjYXYCNVBIM-QtRuEcKI888qGVDirsCbyAN1-9ywLc4zgoGMMuEHaMnmA-dBAlcjMgeU/s4032/IMG_1010.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXF6N47obkZuih3VpyCUDEN9neyrq_zZ0FCfyHhCPg6SJCxwDpqngXlo3vN39uKMXpal8JDJ2ePFK_zrvcJfI3ApwxnqQh5pCaTlsab90iB0eUypZknbGdJQutjYXYCNVBIM-QtRuEcKI888qGVDirsCbyAN1-9ywLc4zgoGMMuEHaMnmA-dBAlcjMgeU/s320/IMG_1010.jpeg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I had the same problem with those chocolate numbers that I used to have when using alphabet stickers on scrapbook pages, you never seem to have quite the right ones that you need and have to improvise - with an 'o' in place of a zero in this case! It was a bit of an early celebration; my son's birthday is tomorrow and mine is a couple of weeks time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm trying something new on Friday. A friend of mine is hosting a crafting lunch with a group of people she used to work with, kind of a 'knit and natter', and she has asked me if I'd like to join them. I was so pleased to be invited but as it is getting closer I'm wondering if my crochet will be up to their standards of crafting! I'm sure it will be fine. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then in the evening I am going to a concert of 70s music with my daughter. I'm so looking forward to it but what a dilemma, what should I wear? Ideas will be gratefully received!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Have a good week x </span></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-15868985645370079632024-03-01T12:56:00.000+00:002024-03-01T12:56:33.888+00:00#WBOYC February 2024<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6LxT1pzCLkEulDa0agbf0fuNXqHIcc_wsXKpSNFwHcz72EPmXwpboH8itImJtwQrUIxN948Ht_xBj4t3X1U28zkHDU0-ob_SIo2YZDbAOG4c4iA61zn3ZUKHpSHi1c0SP1GQoDV_r_4Uhfhs7U0x7WHTEz9tf-T-_Lay-iddEj-Q_xOO_kQbmA8m3gY/s768/wboyc-contributor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="768" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6LxT1pzCLkEulDa0agbf0fuNXqHIcc_wsXKpSNFwHcz72EPmXwpboH8itImJtwQrUIxN948Ht_xBj4t3X1U28zkHDU0-ob_SIo2YZDbAOG4c4iA61zn3ZUKHpSHi1c0SP1GQoDV_r_4Uhfhs7U0x7WHTEz9tf-T-_Lay-iddEj-Q_xOO_kQbmA8m3gY/s320/wboyc-contributor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's a leap year so we get an extra day in February, although it's still the shortest month of the year. What was on my calendar? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>F</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Finally finishing my Wasgij jigsaw. It is really hard to complete a jigsaw when you don't know what the picture is! <i>(Confession time, I did have to google the solution to get started but from then on I tried to do it without any further clues)</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjgi3gyAi6Q_sWVcxDeKN6jEwkX7TjefyRktjo7quAgYsHcji2ttOF_TRqT1TvNRDhwAKuArgoRkORCsNJene6xB3x7qcO4Zdpx9FyD4IdUE9EgTNJVtbGwi-XbiiyPNL2pDimIW66CGZDywW96qui_7l8F1CPI4eleZIJqmXT-2FgxoMY044c4-eDmA/s4032/IMG_0910.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjgi3gyAi6Q_sWVcxDeKN6jEwkX7TjefyRktjo7quAgYsHcji2ttOF_TRqT1TvNRDhwAKuArgoRkORCsNJene6xB3x7qcO4Zdpx9FyD4IdUE9EgTNJVtbGwi-XbiiyPNL2pDimIW66CGZDywW96qui_7l8F1CPI4eleZIJqmXT-2FgxoMY044c4-eDmA/s320/IMG_0910.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /><i><br /></i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>E</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Easting and drinking, what a good job I didn't make any new year's resolutions to eat sensibly and healthily all the time! Nine meals or lunches with friends.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>B</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Booked a vineyard tour. Jon and Sophie bought us a voucher for a vineyard tour, wine tasting and sharing cheese board as our Christmas present so as soon as the 2024 dates were released I booked us in for a few months time. I didn't even know we had a vineyard anywhere near us! I will report back when we have been.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>R</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Resisting the urge to do my crocheting as quickly as possible (my usual way of working) so that I can properly enjoy the process of making my next blanket.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIc5v70Cngi0vvfFIeqW1QVU9l1sIzhod3AzRfYzf6KGUuy_Shki_dN8woxqnZ7ZL5-Bxonz9mpTC6OoJarV_T5ojQGZBy0_j2B8S6ak1Of0Cj38jGFNfZjA9LWQnHdgvLWDpEqQq5M6N17iTrfQlHu3_gywv4VwNvjC6CZD6GkrCIaRjymontNeGQuM/s4032/IMG_0922.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIc5v70Cngi0vvfFIeqW1QVU9l1sIzhod3AzRfYzf6KGUuy_Shki_dN8woxqnZ7ZL5-Bxonz9mpTC6OoJarV_T5ojQGZBy0_j2B8S6ak1Of0Cj38jGFNfZjA9LWQnHdgvLWDpEqQq5M6N17iTrfQlHu3_gywv4VwNvjC6CZD6GkrCIaRjymontNeGQuM/s320/IMG_0922.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>U</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Unsubscribing from marketing emails. You know how you get 10% off your first order if you subscribe to online companies? Then they bombard you on almost a daily basis trying to entice you to buy things you really don't need. So rather than have temptation filling up my inbox, every morning I am unsubscribing to each email I didn't really want to receive and boy has the amount of emails I am receiving reduced and now I only see special offers from companies I really want to buy from!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>A</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Ashamed of the state of my nails, honestly they have never been in such bad condition. I haven't had a professional manicure for so long. This was well overdue and I am now loving my nails and waving my hands around as much as possible so they get the attention they deserve! They even match the jumper I was wearing to the appointment.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSUfXpCe7MteJ0n7Ih_noqoLKEuA6P8XFfUUC4MJ1N5VlllXOdmTCNIuKTQ2vcG2JGvadeNlhX9qFk3KOEfsEBHsdtjrZRToNl6FW174QPfPI5yqBZ4O45OcTy1nG_KEiq3UrnqlxPhGVcb7OwrKfQXNeM0pwBT1jMVk0b_PDq22O4i_qEHyXOEp9h38/s2208/IMG_0928.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="1242" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSUfXpCe7MteJ0n7Ih_noqoLKEuA6P8XFfUUC4MJ1N5VlllXOdmTCNIuKTQ2vcG2JGvadeNlhX9qFk3KOEfsEBHsdtjrZRToNl6FW174QPfPI5yqBZ4O45OcTy1nG_KEiq3UrnqlxPhGVcb7OwrKfQXNeM0pwBT1jMVk0b_PDq22O4i_qEHyXOEp9h38/s320/IMG_0928.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>R</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Researching somewhere to go for a long weekend with Coco once the weather settles down and spring arrives. We narrowed it down to the Kent coastline and now have a cottage booked for a few months time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>Y</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Yearning for a rest after half term childcare duties. Either they are getting more energetic or I am getting older 😉</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">So that's it for another month. Thanks to Deb at the other <a href="https://debs-world.com">Deb's World</a> for organising this round up and let's end on the 1 Second Everyday video of the month.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzszps-9N8P8eI97eMc_Yi-I301ecdhmGp1iRNANk5hoHZY5xNd4g-KMQKwIy3iJA_HhHcEY5EYPFu176xlbw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /></span></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-59103542369696849542024-02-26T09:34:00.001+00:002024-02-26T09:34:33.637+00:00Me on Monday 26 February<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">It's all back to normal this week with half term being over and childcare back to its usual (shorter!) hours.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So tell me, did you start today with breakfast cereal? I ask because today's historical info is that this is the day in 1852 that John Harvey Kellogg was born. Little did they know how his humble cornflake would change the breakfasts of so many generations! My cereal of choice this morning was a bowl of his company's Fruit'n Fibre, with a generous helping of sliced banana on the top. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Was last week good for you? I started mine with meeting up with my friend which was lovely. Then a whole day of Leo and Rosie where we enjoyed making things with some air dry clay and they then had great fun constructing a den out of four dining chairs, every cushion we possess and all my crochet blankets. It kept them quiet for ages 😀</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVYDFQ1PsN1p-DvQ5LOPDtMaqrMeKzwGSqbrUWlM06KMlhwpqE3xekp6xsJAOTtFdX2wOsjMD2HClbqG8sPCqB33BXIcxfb7ICvWpkBTuqdWR4tCvYUxacY2pFcjSV-s7MeYxnFIDqKC_LSRQhYEKLkB8AY74ftOHvPDYYob-7c27bAwL6jFCHJJ09oM/s4032/IMG_0981.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVYDFQ1PsN1p-DvQ5LOPDtMaqrMeKzwGSqbrUWlM06KMlhwpqE3xekp6xsJAOTtFdX2wOsjMD2HClbqG8sPCqB33BXIcxfb7ICvWpkBTuqdWR4tCvYUxacY2pFcjSV-s7MeYxnFIDqKC_LSRQhYEKLkB8AY74ftOHvPDYYob-7c27bAwL6jFCHJJ09oM/s320/IMG_0981.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I managed to get a bit of crochet done this week while binge watching One Day on Netflix. I had already read the book so was prepared for how it ended, and thoroughly enjoyed it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We finally sat down and browsed the Airbnb site to find somewhere to go in this country with Coco in May, so if anyone reading this knows the Whitstable area in Kent, let me know any places we should visit while we are there! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So how is this week looking? Well later today we are planning a trip to a gallery near us where Paul's art teacher has a painting in an exhibition. Then not too many plans for the rest of the week other than meeting up with some people I used to work with for lunch on Thursday. I will have done my Zumba class earlier in the morning so won't feel guilty if I succumb to a dessert!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">February seems to have gone in a flash and March is just around the corner now - spring is on its way! Have a good week x</span></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-8283792758653189652024-02-23T10:46:00.001+00:002024-02-23T10:46:08.358+00:00What I've been reading in February<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Both books this month were recommended by Gail at <a href="https://www.isthismutton.com/">Is this mutton?</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">First up, The Secret Pianist by Andie Newton</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDjxvHbLi0XM4bYCGUgMnVAynz-HeHfAjWn9yzfwQI4Gt5IXHoSR8gc4PZjTyU2gjV_wCn-YCr-OCC3OfkMEINny6ZdP8AxEwqj_75_ICRah5Zvu9mGM0-xy67H4Bibn5-qKcQBWN6GKbUwkCsG_F_LMaFDCv0ZmD2IEwNkKPnIcuWG-YEPf57-IEReEo/s1590/IMG_0224.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1590" data-original-width="1052" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDjxvHbLi0XM4bYCGUgMnVAynz-HeHfAjWn9yzfwQI4Gt5IXHoSR8gc4PZjTyU2gjV_wCn-YCr-OCC3OfkMEINny6ZdP8AxEwqj_75_ICRah5Zvu9mGM0-xy67H4Bibn5-qKcQBWN6GKbUwkCsG_F_LMaFDCv0ZmD2IEwNkKPnIcuWG-YEPf57-IEReEo/s320/IMG_0224.jpeg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is set in the French town of Boulogne sur Mer during the time of the German occupation. A British RAF plane comes under fire while flying over the town and forced to abandon its cargo of spy messenger carrier pigeons. One of the birds is found by Martine, one of three sisters living in the town. She is excited about the opportunity to feed information back to the English but her sisters Gaby and Simone are hesitant to draw attention to themselves. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Gaby comes to the attention of a German Commandant who orders her to teach his daughter to play the piano. When their neighbours discover this, they are tarnished with the 'bad French' reputation for supposedly assisting the Germans. Martine convinces her sisters that they must take advantage of having a means to give information to the British to locate German U boat pens. They find a way to disguise messages on sheets of piano music and release the bird at the dead of night. But have they been successful in their plan to help the resistance or put themselves into greater danger?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and I have a vivid picture of the sisters in my mind as I read the story. You find yourself emotionally involved in their plight and the narrative really takes you to occupied France and the difficulties for the people living in the small towns.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">📚📚📚</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The next book was very different, My Sister's Baby by Louise Guy</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxf445HL5goE7vSucQ2QE1UsTEAmY7AImRsniZK1nxGldn_vwqV3WfgrbAbGgyJ4y1x238ZqE-TpE2Cya_5uPxrkytYYm6AO7H6W1Y1Te16VYWVMdEex8wcQOrx90JeTc5P3P-Z1XNeePp98o_KW-BYL47HrMwWLzL0DKv-uUepfGFfJ5y-WmDPcA1qqU/s2160/IMG_0229.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="1620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxf445HL5goE7vSucQ2QE1UsTEAmY7AImRsniZK1nxGldn_vwqV3WfgrbAbGgyJ4y1x238ZqE-TpE2Cya_5uPxrkytYYm6AO7H6W1Y1Te16VYWVMdEex8wcQOrx90JeTc5P3P-Z1XNeePp98o_KW-BYL47HrMwWLzL0DKv-uUepfGFfJ5y-WmDPcA1qqU/s320/IMG_0229.png" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>This is the story of three sisters. Mandy suffered learning difficulties following a childhood illness which meant that her parents had to pay her far more attention growing up which has led to a strong feeling of resentment from her sister Toni. Liv found herself in a life threatening accident which resulted in the need for a kidney transplant. Her sister Toni was the only member of the family to be a suitable match and she did not hesitate to be her sister's donor.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Toni and her husband have been unsuccessful in having children despite rounds of IVF and Liv would give anything to be able to help her sister just as she had helped her when she needed a kidney. So when Liv finds herself in a situation where she could help Toni fulfil her dream of becoming a mother, she breaks all the rules and decides to offer Toni a baby to adopt. The baby is born at home with the help of a doula to avoid questions in a hospital and in order to make it look as if baby Ruby is Toni's actual baby, she falsifies the birth certificate by entering the wrong names of the birth mother and father. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Things then start to go wrong, Toni is not finding motherhood as fulfilling as she expected, she is constantly worried that Liv will change her mind and ask for the baby back. Not only that but she finds it hard to bond with the baby and cannot wait to return to work. Not long after, t</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">he secret of what Liv has done is discovered and Liv finds herself being blackmailed. She can't tell the police as that would mean admitting the fraud she has committed. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have to be honest and say that I figured out the story behind Ruby's birth before it was revealed but it didn't stop me enjoying the book! My heart went out to Mandy who is aware that she is seen by some to be a burden and how her sister Toni dislikes her. I didn't like Toni especially regarding her treatment of Mandy and how she quickly decides that after all these years of being desperate for a baby, motherhood is not for her after all. Her lies to her family and husband trip off her tongue too easily.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I enjoyed both books, thanks to Gail for the recommendations!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p></div>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-62813549538350335762024-02-19T09:20:00.000+00:002024-02-19T09:20:04.912+00:00Me on Monday 19 February<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello to the start of a new week!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">How can a TV show help name your baby? It was this day in 1985 that the first episode of the TV soap 'Eastenders' aired. Little did we know that this programme would influence the name that we gave our daughter when I fell pregnant at the end of that year. We didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl so struggled to find two names that we both liked. For a girl we narrowed it down to two, Michelle or Rachel. But as Eastenders became increasingly popular, the character of Michelle Fowler became so well known and we realised that our baby would quite possibly be referred to as 'Shell' or 'Meesh'. Said in a cockney accent! Which is why she was named Rachel instead. Of course that became 'Raych' as she got older, why do people always have to shorten names? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's half term this week so our routines are altered. We'll have Leo and Rosie all day on Tuesday but won't have Olive or Max as their aunty from Brooklyn, New York is over for a week and they'll be spending time with her. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We had a momentous event at the end of last week. We went to Cambridge and when we got to the 'Park and Ride', Paul was able to use his bus pass for the first time! What a novelty. It was a lovely sunny day in Cambridge, while Paul was browsing book shops and artists suppliers I happily browsed the shops and managed to find a couple of things for him to give me for my birthday. Then lunch at our favourite Aromi Sicilian restaurant. A nice way to spend a Friday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's all about the Italian restaurants this week as we met up with my sister and cousin at a 'new to us' Italian in a village midway between where we all live. It was so delicious and rightly deserves all the great reviews it gets from people who live in that area. So I ended the week with food, and I'm starting this one with food. I'm meeting up with a friend I met at my first job back in 1976 - my waistline needs me to stop organising social events which involve eating and drinking!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIiyAlyefeuNZMUfG1KNo7ZLCTREfssppiFBYumksgpVaiIBVpHs4XA-YX8EFuCQzaIaKI0BioDugx5m0q_vLTV9cVSFNK7JE1qgfcZB_eaDi9g8xFJZURuj2PdQ1EKPUOgwtBS5954drF9OHRS1-_i4crWXR5ozM3NpyB6viJmhUDGUsdu_r6II8laI/s4032/IMG_0950.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIiyAlyefeuNZMUfG1KNo7ZLCTREfssppiFBYumksgpVaiIBVpHs4XA-YX8EFuCQzaIaKI0BioDugx5m0q_vLTV9cVSFNK7JE1qgfcZB_eaDi9g8xFJZURuj2PdQ1EKPUOgwtBS5954drF9OHRS1-_i4crWXR5ozM3NpyB6viJmhUDGUsdu_r6II8laI/s320/IMG_0950.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-78624065753810886392024-02-12T09:59:00.000+00:002024-02-12T09:59:03.356+00:00Me on Monday 12 February<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Does everyone have their eggs, flour and milk ready for Shrove Tuesday/pancake day tomorrow? How do you like your pancakes? Small and chunky like American pancakes, or thin and delicate like a French crepe? What about toppings - do you drizzle with honey and sprinkle blueberries and sliced strawberries on them, or a more traditional lemon juice and a sprinkle of caster sugar? We have Leo and Rosie here on a Tuesday and they have already put in their requests for American style with honey or Nutella on them. I will have my lemon and caster sugar ready for my thinner version!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I need to have a week of eating less after last week which included two lunches out and friends over for Sunday lunch yesterday. However we will be ending the week with dinner out with my sister and cousin to a new to us Italian restaurant but maybe 6 good days out of 7 will be fine!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We had absolutely torrential rain here last week, the water on the lake rose really high and there were several pockets of flooding on the roads nearby. It was a good excuse to stay indoors and get my jigsaw finished - gosh it was a tough one.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibO5yxofAzJ2cnJEiXdk15qj5aAM06-9upQNDcbWs6Eqd9HPo3KqDRfwuflkfrGhUA2vMuchUtcybuUmYJJfdr4EGytsk9O1Od2KqxJPT-poG_omTEu2W73e46qZg9Eg4d9VMfb7k0hkhXhRTzTmGRpD8RHdO_YBZBJG1kYs7zb5X0VyYNYt6TwRn5d1E/s4032/IMG_4876.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibO5yxofAzJ2cnJEiXdk15qj5aAM06-9upQNDcbWs6Eqd9HPo3KqDRfwuflkfrGhUA2vMuchUtcybuUmYJJfdr4EGytsk9O1Od2KqxJPT-poG_omTEu2W73e46qZg9Eg4d9VMfb7k0hkhXhRTzTmGRpD8RHdO_YBZBJG1kYs7zb5X0VyYNYt6TwRn5d1E/s320/IMG_4876.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not to mention my crochet coming along nicely, I'm definitely enjoying this one and intending to slowly enjoy each new part rather than impatient to get on with the next part. I'm dreadful at rushing through things to move on so am really having to restrain myself to just do a little bit every day and not even look at what the next square is all about. I'm only printing the pattern instructions as I need them instead of downloading them all en masse. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7ZvQlPOFQZO0pXmoc9yVBOjELDr2re5Hwl99j6grmRTOeou1uwlLmM6ueXYMe_dqtKY1f3vIIk-Ym8QTedPG4x-sZL_7IVjAGfMcBM1-v4MyDN2zH0W72JLbIr3VyTl7kE-3bPG1A70eb12xAae7G-mHgff4VcWhnpEgjyaYlUTf9qIL9-LrVysfu1c/s4032/IMG_0922.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7ZvQlPOFQZO0pXmoc9yVBOjELDr2re5Hwl99j6grmRTOeou1uwlLmM6ueXYMe_dqtKY1f3vIIk-Ym8QTedPG4x-sZL_7IVjAGfMcBM1-v4MyDN2zH0W72JLbIr3VyTl7kE-3bPG1A70eb12xAae7G-mHgff4VcWhnpEgjyaYlUTf9qIL9-LrVysfu1c/s320/IMG_0922.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Random piece of information this week is that it is Darwin Day. I'm not sure it's something I will be celebrating and we didn't get round to organising an oriental meal for Chinese New Year this year either. However, Pancake Day will <i><u>always</u></i> be celebrated here! Have a good week x</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-80655924905871956432024-02-05T08:00:00.000+00:002024-02-05T08:00:00.241+00:00Me on Monday 5 February<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjanDev6VUKdMlMhQSn0zvLIuC-fKXvUmEUkEY5OkeCHqBqOylRtOh4HYGVS42DpiWtbc947i54CqWwZIGqAyQiLUvaytjU2T-4Iy5gsQ4vO3QeL-DTpTwm6a0obqA29bxPLMJY5jnCDRUPAuOnNb36Um9P5qv1oHyks0QoZDRgNlfwjOq_hHUWNRcbLNM/s4032/IMG_0901.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjanDev6VUKdMlMhQSn0zvLIuC-fKXvUmEUkEY5OkeCHqBqOylRtOh4HYGVS42DpiWtbc947i54CqWwZIGqAyQiLUvaytjU2T-4Iy5gsQ4vO3QeL-DTpTwm6a0obqA29bxPLMJY5jnCDRUPAuOnNb36Um9P5qv1oHyks0QoZDRgNlfwjOq_hHUWNRcbLNM/s320/IMG_0901.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Although we have lots of daffodil leaves peeking through the ground, there is just one solitary flower standing sentry in the front garden. Come on sunshine, let's see if we can entice a few more to open up and show off their petals!</span></p><p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">After a full on week of helping out here, there and everywhere, it was nice to have a weekend with very little on the calendar. Just a meal out as a belated birthday celebrations for my friend whose birthday is Christmas Day and for Paul whose birthday was on 12 December. As December is always super busy they decided to celebrate at the beginning of the year when things are somewhat quieter. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was nice to catch up on doing some baking and a few more rounds of my crochet this weekend - square number two is now complete! I'm trying to pace myself more with this blanket. Normally I start and then can't wait to have it finished but I'm going to take my time over this one and enjoy the process more than just wanting to see what the end result is!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So today sees me meeting up with my friend Sally. We were really close friends after meeting back in 1986 when we were both expecting our first babies and that friendship has continued despite her moving away when her husband changed jobs. Not too far that we couldn't still meet up but too far for a couple of hours to just have a cup of coffee. Now she has retired too we have picked a point half way between our homes and will be meeting for lunch and I can't wait! I haven't seen her in person for almost a year so we have much news to share and lots of grandchildren photos to share.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall be ending the week as I start it with lunch with a friend that I go to Zumba with. Although we see each other every Thursday, there isn't time for a proper chat before or after class so we plan to have a nice leisurely lunch putting the world to rights.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Without giving the impression I do nothing but eat and drink, we also have friends coming for Sunday lunch next weekend so I really need to think about what I will be cooking. That's not a chore though, I enjoy looking through cookery books.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nearly forgot my random piece of information; it was this day in 1924 that the Greenwich Time Signal (six short 'pips' to mark the start of the hour) was introduced. I feel that in honour of this, I should schedule this post to go live exactly on the hour of 8.00 am!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Is spring starting to come into sight where you live? I think it is gradually creeping closer here, thank goodness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-46688503099770171202024-01-30T13:52:00.000+00:002024-01-30T13:52:20.055+00:00What I've been reading in December/January<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I wasn't able to get hold of December's book club choice, I think it is later being published over here, so I downloaded the kindle version of the book that I had voted for instead.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6d0T3kkKNaYXG6p2-KtNkimf7vrYM8PylwgttiVAqj1_VXPBs5X_0CB9uDYmM0-XwkW5QlkPsXEE8joe6VcYjTOkVrYFWAXAksMHQGMG9TBx1oRHezrlio1JFqPaLkyK6AUdlTEGavkhDuzmn2NG7CwtZWY9uiy6xcCT2xP7bG_SRjMBRhSSiNu5QSo/s2160/IMG_0216.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="1620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6d0T3kkKNaYXG6p2-KtNkimf7vrYM8PylwgttiVAqj1_VXPBs5X_0CB9uDYmM0-XwkW5QlkPsXEE8joe6VcYjTOkVrYFWAXAksMHQGMG9TBx1oRHezrlio1JFqPaLkyK6AUdlTEGavkhDuzmn2NG7CwtZWY9uiy6xcCT2xP7bG_SRjMBRhSSiNu5QSo/s320/IMG_0216.png" width="240" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nineteen year old Jill Moss disappears near the Utah/Arizona border leaving a multitude of opinions as to where she may be or what may have happened to her. One person knows the truth. Norma Gallagher, who was part of the search and rescue operation, found Jill, safe and hiding in a cave. She confides to Norma that she had run away from her abusive boyfriend Jake Willis, fearing for her life if he should ever find her. Wanting to keep Jill safe, Norma helps her reunite with her parents in California, keeping her whereabouts secret from the police, the press and most importantly from Jake.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Five years later, the disappearance of Jill makes headline news again when Jake is arrested for her murder. Norma is conflicted, she knows he didn't murder her but to give that information to the police will divulge where Jill is hiding and potentially put her in danger. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The trial approaches, press interest is reignited and public opinion is demanding retribution. Jill's family refuse to come forward which means that Norma has to make an important decision. Does she stay quiet to ensure Jill's continued safety from violence, or does she tell the truth, meaning that an innocent man does not go to prison? Jake may be an abusive, violent man but he isn't a murderer. Furthermore, would telling the truth put her, Jill and her parents in trouble for concealing information from the police? What would you do?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My second book was The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka .</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjCZTEN8MowvK9d32NatBWvhPcIbYXnfPpru3FsUtCgpHkRwILJ3QiwvhrcQSog_-6SogqWJfCx7dkrjTeUjvF5iOL4lnkdkXTIVzfeFSitzWyvN4qRClt6uwaLJnBGZLWwC1ihNVPw6WjPcOrSZgC-c2mQuWUFXAceZ811fLTtbjRcGEfsqqsVFsfWI/s2160/IMG_0220.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="1620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjCZTEN8MowvK9d32NatBWvhPcIbYXnfPpru3FsUtCgpHkRwILJ3QiwvhrcQSog_-6SogqWJfCx7dkrjTeUjvF5iOL4lnkdkXTIVzfeFSitzWyvN4qRClt6uwaLJnBGZLWwC1ihNVPw6WjPcOrSZgC-c2mQuWUFXAceZ811fLTtbjRcGEfsqqsVFsfWI/s320/IMG_0220.png" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Katrina and Nathan are cowriters of a bestseller book. They have a contract to complete a second in the series but between the completion of the first and writing the next, their relationship breaks up. Dramatically. Neither will have anything to do with the other. There is no backing out of writing another book together even though they have spent three years avoiding each other. After a lot of coercing from her partner, Katrina finally gives in and agrees to get the book over and done with.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To honour their contract they return to the house in Florida where they wrote the first book with the express intention of getting the second book written as quickly and painlessly as possible. The book flits from 4 years ago to present day and you can feel the tension between them in the present day gradually ease as the book progresses. The reader doesn't know exactly what has happened between them four years previously except at the time of book one, Nathan was married and Katrina was single, although the publisher, Chris, is obviously interested in her. In the present day, Nathan is divorced and Katrina is engaged to Chris although it is quite obvious that he is very controlling in their relationship and something dramatic must have happened while writing the first book.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It feels as if Katrina and Nathan are living out their emotions through the dialogue of the characters in the book and in the chapters set in the past we gradually piece together what has happened at the time they wrote the first book. Was that chapter of their lives just a rough draft for their future?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have to be honest and say I didn’t love this book. It was OK, but I felt it dragged in a few places. I never felt that ‘I must just read one more chapter’ compulsion, at about 75% of the way through I simply wanted to find out whether Katrina had just vastly over reacted about something in the past and why Nathan couldn’t forgive her. It did get very good reviews on some sites so maybe my expectations were just a bit too high!</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-85689782247989958482024-01-29T11:59:00.002+00:002024-01-29T11:59:45.498+00:00Me on Monday 29 January<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">It's still January - how can that be? It seems like Christmas was months ago!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">According to my book of random facts, it was this date in 1942 that the first episode of Desert Island Discs was aired. Where guests are invited to choose eight pieces of music, a book and a luxury that they would enjoy if stranded on a desert island. Brian Bilston, the author, has written alternative ideas with a play on words for a <i><u>dessert</u></i> island choice, the last verse is this </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>"It's a family eclair</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Don't it make your brownies blue</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>In the gateaux</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Brûlée-vous"</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Can you think of more? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We had all the family over yesterday and it's so lovely now Olive is old enough to join in with all the games the others like to play. She is turning into quite a little character now, I love this age and even though she is now two, I don't see many 'terrible two' incidents.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">There's a bit of life admin on the cards today. We had an appointment with a local solicitor to prepare our Lasting Power of Attorney paperwork. It's one of those things we've been meaning to do for ages as we know it's better to have it in place before you need it, so when you <b>do</b> need it, one phone call should be all that is needed to implement it. All that legal work is thirsty business so we popped over the road to a little Italian deli for refreshments</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxwIYTIA1mtkiJNh5ownTWNZ6oeVcsnD0Ii4LthyphenhyphenldrkQkr-9vUv3LfMfsVil0JIyN1UAPV0kMRr4SPTvBfE3rHmzsPX6ah1OTSPwWeR_Tn1uVd6Ej7xrvEUWUicOhLQ1HclEVSA-dAnrcW1k08eOKSQyIG5EqQZn2PwoJ8PTuLhuRli5KAiDvmQzuqE/s4032/IMG_0880.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxwIYTIA1mtkiJNh5ownTWNZ6oeVcsnD0Ii4LthyphenhyphenldrkQkr-9vUv3LfMfsVil0JIyN1UAPV0kMRr4SPTvBfE3rHmzsPX6ah1OTSPwWeR_Tn1uVd6Ej7xrvEUWUicOhLQ1HclEVSA-dAnrcW1k08eOKSQyIG5EqQZn2PwoJ8PTuLhuRli5KAiDvmQzuqE/s320/IMG_0880.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">As you will see, the thought of a bite of Sicilian lemon tart was too hard to resist before I remembered to take a photo 😉</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The rest of the week is going to be busy with Leo and Rosie sleeping over on Wednesday night due to their mum and dad both having heavy work commitments and Rachel having to be away overnight and her husband having a very early start the next morning. Much easier for them to sleep here rather than them being dropped off here before 6am on Thursday! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">After that it is a nice social end to the week with afternoon tea with friends and then a nice meal out at the weekend. I think I shall probably need it after an unexpected sleepover midweek!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Have a good week! </span></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-24589836817559281322024-01-26T13:12:00.000+00:002024-01-26T13:12:43.252+00:00#WBOYC January<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfNsvfmQq4_QBIKHT9jRahefLVBAOOEq1deHTJztOZrhK7hq1RfTRokXV1UoXcxw-v8u6EZrypJ6ecQOw8piSeE-G6SMbuzHu9eq1j9zfpdeE9IhgKxMC5KbDkCjMhQECT4qf1ikAMe-7XZFZCvdlHPsrJtwWNKwX8mmBW29C_EoJsdWPxA98yOFKDPU/s768/wboyc-contributor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="768" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfNsvfmQq4_QBIKHT9jRahefLVBAOOEq1deHTJztOZrhK7hq1RfTRokXV1UoXcxw-v8u6EZrypJ6ecQOw8piSeE-G6SMbuzHu9eq1j9zfpdeE9IhgKxMC5KbDkCjMhQECT4qf1ikAMe-7XZFZCvdlHPsrJtwWNKwX8mmBW29C_EoJsdWPxA98yOFKDPU/s320/wboyc-contributor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The first WBOYC of the new year and the twelfth one that I have done in this format ... time for a new look next month maybe? In the meantime, in what seems to have been the longest month of the year, we've reached the last Friday in the month and are ready to share what we have been doing.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>J</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Jigsaw puzzles and January sales. My daughter gave me a couple of jigsaws to keep me occupied - one down and now the more difficult one to go. I didn't actually buy much in the sales - I use the mantra of if you had the money and you didn't feel the urge to buy it before the sale, do you really need to buy it now just because it is on special offer? But I did succumb to a rather lovely Katie Loxton bag which I know I will use a lot and is in a different colour to the rest of my handbags.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGjGz-1JPYLLOLrD_HtKFTDpM-QadnGj31W2D8AzjFz6tBSCYt-eKq9z_sJEpNB5l5ZeWXCMK51dr2DnLikHZ1K1CXfWWMoLlYfCFb6QTsx7hJFnSkLeMracTzpNhgfsvIWZCYpbnQQvuyg53HGw14k-p35bDswv2dkW0HmNIUQABQC-CjcCCAo462bw/s4032/IMG_0872.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGjGz-1JPYLLOLrD_HtKFTDpM-QadnGj31W2D8AzjFz6tBSCYt-eKq9z_sJEpNB5l5ZeWXCMK51dr2DnLikHZ1K1CXfWWMoLlYfCFb6QTsx7hJFnSkLeMracTzpNhgfsvIWZCYpbnQQvuyg53HGw14k-p35bDswv2dkW0HmNIUQABQC-CjcCCAo462bw/s320/IMG_0872.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>A</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">After far too long a gap since our last meeting, I had lunch out with an old school friend. She is still working and had rather too many health issues for us to get together last year, so we are both hoping that this lunch would be the start of getting back to our regular meet ups.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>N</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">National Theatre productions have started to be live streamed via our local Arts Centre so we went to see 'Dear England' to get the atmosphere of a London Theatre without having to embrace the somewhat unreliable winter train journey into London. It was so good; the time flew by and it was great to find something that both of us thoroughly enjoyed.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-Kk-C_7dDx4EEzW6KRNlMpBH_bvDns6I7sX2cXKbuJQhkeycKZbWLJUiJ8clgqu9q-h4hwhrJzLYp5Pec7-1l3I9WDtI_GhOl45p828O35kz6eyJ5P0fwp_hYOCMbtgnNcN6LImifAzK5YumT-bWxwSftj_Y-Xh4QRCRC_WyTVKEmP3urblOM_THJRI/s2397/IMG_0871.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1948" data-original-width="2397" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-Kk-C_7dDx4EEzW6KRNlMpBH_bvDns6I7sX2cXKbuJQhkeycKZbWLJUiJ8clgqu9q-h4hwhrJzLYp5Pec7-1l3I9WDtI_GhOl45p828O35kz6eyJ5P0fwp_hYOCMbtgnNcN6LImifAzK5YumT-bWxwSftj_Y-Xh4QRCRC_WyTVKEmP3urblOM_THJRI/s320/IMG_0871.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>U</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Unhappy news from the family of an old school friend to say that he had died really made me stop and take stock. I'd known him for 60 years, our claim to fame was that he'd been my partner on stage at the Royal Albert Hall in a schools country dancing festival and he was genuinely a lovely person. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>A</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">As soon as my friend Sal retired we made arrangements to meet up for a midweek lunch. She really was my best friend when our children were small. We met at ante natal classes and just hit it off so well. The bonus being that our husbands got on well too. I was sad when they had to relocate due to their jobs changing. Not hundreds of miles away, but far enough not to be able to get together so easily. She is happy to say that she is a few months younger than me so not at official retirement age yet, but she finally took early retirement from her job and we quickly made plans to meet up at a half way point for a long lunch. Here's to many more!</span></p><p><b style="font-family: Courier;">R</b></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Routines - getting back into them after Christmas is quietly comforting as life gets back to normal. I did have intentions to declutter a room a week but have only really managed to do two and so that would mean there were two weeks where I failed miserably at sticking to my intentions!</span></p><p><b style="font-family: Courier;">Y</b></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Yay! We booked a holiday! After much deliberation we have booked to go to Mallorca. We last went there about 20 years ago and have very happy memories. We aren't ones to return to the exact place we have been before, so as our previous holidays were on the north and east coastlines we are going to the west coast, to a resort called Puerto de Soller. There's some nice walks around there and an old tram which takes you to the town of Soller and it's not too far to the capital, Palma. It's nice to have something to look forward to because, between you and me, I've had enough of dark mornings, early sunsets, and drizzly damp weather. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5xKXVMq6at1kmynj6sVwolwQ435F3y9ihUZWndPcouJhq2l_kGX06pltvU7UAwkXvtTAlF2xiH_IGE066UGw5IZk8vo0e-jgMcZcudsXNlfgS1k8MT1OOfpp5WR9Pjsz8DiaUrIidyZd0yZeH6BRrp73Z2GkPDKH7vsIL51sX4yyHtpiHDr1ho-PMfw/s2100/IMG_0851.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1576" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5xKXVMq6at1kmynj6sVwolwQ435F3y9ihUZWndPcouJhq2l_kGX06pltvU7UAwkXvtTAlF2xiH_IGE066UGw5IZk8vo0e-jgMcZcudsXNlfgS1k8MT1OOfpp5WR9Pjsz8DiaUrIidyZd0yZeH6BRrp73Z2GkPDKH7vsIL51sX4yyHtpiHDr1ho-PMfw/s320/IMG_0851.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">I guess it is time to share the 1 Second Everyday Video clip!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyL2GILDD8zBNaAv1rj8BRN8EEq7Lwt3gq3NtV_B46XkxkC2aCPy_7hc7YXcsAOx9beBDJ66rA54YCQb7RKSA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Please also pop and see what <a href="https://debs-world.com/2024/01/26/welcome-to-the-first-month-of-2024-and-whats-been-on-your-calendar-wboyc/">Australian Deb</a> has been up to in her summertime January.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-9521414573772675282024-01-22T09:02:00.000+00:002024-01-22T09:02:07.581+00:00Me on Monday 22 January<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Welcome to a brand new week - hopefully not quite as chilly as the last one was! I know that we Brits are renowned for our obsession with the weather but boy has it been cold. It's not so much the temperature on the thermometer, it's the wind chill factor. I made a silly mistake on Thursday when I went into town for a few bits. I was planning on parking in the multi storey car park, nipping into M&S and Boots and coming home. About 3/4 of a mile from town is a lay by where you can park for free for two hours; normally it is busy but that day there were a few spaces so I thought 'it's better for my health to get a few more steps in, plus I won't have to get involved in any traffic'. It wasn't until I had locked the car and started walking that I realised that although I had gloves with me, I hadn't taken my hat or scarf as I wasn't expecting to be walking far. Boy did I regret that! On my way back from town I passed this board outside a cafe ...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71_AJcTBE-GvaxTefRLCXRauikogIbN0R_draSgKnu-JtEx3ynvroBhMRxB0yWclX3zKCQf7iL-NysI8L9p7BBKz4i-7gT29uquNdft7U2mUd_M7UnQK67rGKiRalGfLsRBBcYKt2Q1PehtQVUb4DB9oENiKt3W-VaAXp1-mtQEgxWBrlw8_9MSGHOws/s3512/IMG_0842.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3512" data-original-width="2791" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71_AJcTBE-GvaxTefRLCXRauikogIbN0R_draSgKnu-JtEx3ynvroBhMRxB0yWclX3zKCQf7iL-NysI8L9p7BBKz4i-7gT29uquNdft7U2mUd_M7UnQK67rGKiRalGfLsRBBcYKt2Q1PehtQVUb4DB9oENiKt3W-VaAXp1-mtQEgxWBrlw8_9MSGHOws/s320/IMG_0842.jpeg" width="254" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: verdana;">Dogs welcome, People tolerated!</i></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That made me smile. Other things that made me smile this week were these ...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RLJUGE4LYGKPk8NtydK8m1QczoEAWIndENFG47DMYivlz8pcMTeOVlOkRYqnp7cmL8noeK-xe9csOjSjJgrYyta-zEGkGxM4Ru0PQXGgJPUCCKOy5DgRrlHcQ34RtNsCiUwQ1_Fd3NmV02pdWM4U118Yajm9wzf4inKpO1nyJ36abpmjcQCLTNBdQK4/s4032/IMG_0844.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RLJUGE4LYGKPk8NtydK8m1QczoEAWIndENFG47DMYivlz8pcMTeOVlOkRYqnp7cmL8noeK-xe9csOjSjJgrYyta-zEGkGxM4Ru0PQXGgJPUCCKOy5DgRrlHcQ34RtNsCiUwQ1_Fd3NmV02pdWM4U118Yajm9wzf4inKpO1nyJ36abpmjcQCLTNBdQK4/s320/IMG_0844.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A few years ago I was inspired to try my hand at knitting socks so I have a small supply of the warmest socks I own.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Also who could resist a note like this one from Leo</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJbgfdm1aGNeLzBzXx-iOdqKSi0pzy6PCrSVXDkakIICZhlaO0vt24oSvezytYmrmUunm64IaLijopBZB0BR1l8BiiF-CrtPFoeVLYTsep1Jm2-t4oZHpZDB1o13qpQcgiU0VJ6CHE6Y3FQJMMbCBRRHqyAJIj545tdAdVSVfDK2e1r_o4tEyhe1EzO9k/s4032/IMG_0846.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJbgfdm1aGNeLzBzXx-iOdqKSi0pzy6PCrSVXDkakIICZhlaO0vt24oSvezytYmrmUunm64IaLijopBZB0BR1l8BiiF-CrtPFoeVLYTsep1Jm2-t4oZHpZDB1o13qpQcgiU0VJ6CHE6Y3FQJMMbCBRRHqyAJIj545tdAdVSVfDK2e1r_o4tEyhe1EzO9k/s320/IMG_0846.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The message inside tells me I am 'The best Nanny ever' so that definitely made me smile. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My random piece of information for today is that it was this date in 1927 that the first football match was commentated on radio. The Radio Times published a plan of the pitch marked into squares so that listeners could follow the match. It is thought that this may be the origin of going 'back to square one' as this was the box that the ball would land in if kicked back to the goalkeeper. Some think it relates to earlier games like snakes and ladders but I like the vision of people listening intently to a radio commentary and following along with their pitch plan in the magazine.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are trying something new this week, our local Arts Centre has a live showing from the National Theatre of 'Dear England' a play about Gareth Southgate and how he went from being known for missing a crucial penalty to being the manager of the England football team. Now I'm not the biggest football fan, although I do watch our national team, but the play gets good reviews and I do want to support our local Arts Centre.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So while I was hibernating last week, I did get on with my crochet and I now have a completed centre square to share. I have even given away a couple of completed blankets to Rachel and Jon, now the weather has turned cold our grandchildren enjoy sitting in their car booster seats and being tucked up under a lovely wooly blanket. I now have a clear conscience about starting a new one ;-) </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RDYqvoJMlmQKY-3_gDPor9utGFP3ddgL8t9RI2CTuK4aSZcIs2tNyB7BOYYHvE1iTfundsFLblSjVS8uz8dmwAHMZ21oS6jR9No6ZCnIwlAQ9WP9QEi7eRLVB1O-P4rHINUoipImuMD8mZ1NpVARAGAyV31W7zNoD1KgMqFk729MNLh0NzyNWVDCThM/s4032/IMG_0826.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RDYqvoJMlmQKY-3_gDPor9utGFP3ddgL8t9RI2CTuK4aSZcIs2tNyB7BOYYHvE1iTfundsFLblSjVS8uz8dmwAHMZ21oS6jR9No6ZCnIwlAQ9WP9QEi7eRLVB1O-P4rHINUoipImuMD8mZ1NpVARAGAyV31W7zNoD1KgMqFk729MNLh0NzyNWVDCThM/s320/IMG_0826.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Today my main plan is to go into town and book a holiday ... watch this space!</span><p></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-56328911695435862732024-01-15T08:46:00.001+00:002024-01-15T08:46:34.885+00:00Me on the 3rd Monday of January<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm starting this post with a picture of some daffodils in a vase on my hall table</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QRuGWasOP7L6ABZI4sWubPpCLx8OQmDOPz2LcE0EnkMsJSTVwiVzx8MAbmPBnwhmmm5xJgZx4pUQOhWOfiaP9wxjmcT70I3gnPOA9lDVlVSd9YvWKXpq6cDu8DmHlB4BxoaixDUm1uLewfv1jKoPWe7c0Xc_oTq-1PHDwmB7dC6QMb9iDCE8oEgfCso/s4032/IMG_0828.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QRuGWasOP7L6ABZI4sWubPpCLx8OQmDOPz2LcE0EnkMsJSTVwiVzx8MAbmPBnwhmmm5xJgZx4pUQOhWOfiaP9wxjmcT70I3gnPOA9lDVlVSd9YvWKXpq6cDu8DmHlB4BxoaixDUm1uLewfv1jKoPWe7c0Xc_oTq-1PHDwmB7dC6QMb9iDCE8oEgfCso/s320/IMG_0828.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">They are pretty, they make a room feel cheerful and they bring a glimmer of hope that spring will soon be here. I kind of feel like that is exactly what I need right now. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The information from my book of verses for every day of the year tells me that on 14th January 1966, a certain David Robert Jones changed his name. The name Davy Jones had already been popularised by my favourite Monkee and so David Robert Jones became David Bowie, who would later also become Ziggy Stardust, The Thin White Duke and Aladdin Sane.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This bit of random information regarding change seems appropriate as I type this for last week was bookended by two shocking emails, both from members of the group of school friends with whom I meet up with annually. The first email contained the sad news that one of our group had died after many rounds of cancer treatment. Although not unexpected, it's still shocking when it happens. I had known him 60 years, having first met at primary school. It hits hard when one of your friendship groups goes far too soon. The second email was from one of the 'boys' (can you still be considered a boy/girl when you are 65?) who was in my class at secondary school for seven years, telling us that he was changing gender and also changing his/her name. That takes a bit of getting used to as well. It was a shock for me, so how on earth his/her wife and son reacted must have been earth shattering. One thing that has lifted my heart has been the outpouring of support and compassion from the rest of our group. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So yes, this week starts with me feeling a bit unsteady. I don't have much planned for the week which is a shame as I feel that not only do I need something to take my mind off things but also that I should not be wasting my days.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am sorry that my Me on Monday post is subdued, but the idea of blogging is to note the good with the bad, and I can't make things like a shiny Instagram post sharing only the best. I think a nice quiet afternoon of crochet will relax my mind so expect a blanket update very soon! </span></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-27616215945524668942024-01-08T08:33:00.001+00:002024-01-08T08:33:29.529+00:00Me on Monday 2024 Week 2<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Things are getting a bit more normal aren't they? Decorations down, people back to work and children back to school. Christmas already seems a long time ago! </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">How are you this Monday? If you are visiting from England you are probably still feeling the effects of the storm last week, oh how I long for spring to arrive.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Checking in my book of Brian Bilston poems I thought I would share with you an excerpt from his poem for tomorrow, 9th January. On that day in 1902 New York State passed a bill to ban flirting in public in order to protect young girls and women from unwanted attention. His poem is called "Be Alert, Not a Flirt" - here are a few lines from the verses.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>"Please be aware that flirts</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>are known to operate in this area.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>You are advised to keep your longings with you at all times.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Kisses have been stolen</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>and bottoms pinched</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>while there have been reports of </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>batted eyelids, and grazed arms ..."</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So unless you are prepared to pay a $25 fine, be careful when out in New York!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">These long lost laws and rules are amusing aren't they? My friend once lived in a lovely old cottage in a very rural location. They put in a planning application to add some gates across their driveway to keep the children safe in the garden. It was turned down due to there being a restriction on the property that there had to be room in front of their cottage for a horse and cart to safely turn round in a full circle unobstructed. I think it had been many a day since a horse and cart travelled down the lane to their home but they still had to redesign the front garden!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Last week was a week of trying to get my head round the fact that it is now 2024 - it takes a while to get used to entering a different year onto online forms. This Monday finds me getting back to our normal weekly routines and boy do I need to get back to doing my Zumba class. The good news is that the osteopath has said she doesn't need to see me again following the injury to my back at the end of September. I've been seeing her every four weeks and I am now much more aware of how I move to protect my back. How long before I slip into bad habits though?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I also found a delicious new recipe, proper comfort food and really easy to make. It’s called Chicken Barley and I would recommend it if you are looking for something new, you can find it here </span><a href="https://www.nigella.com/recipes/chicken-barley"><span style="font-family: verdana;">https://www.nigella.com/recipes/chicken-barley</span></a>.</p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The jigsaw that I shared on Friday is now complete. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uL79Qf-zT5Jifa7cfZnY5qV9sjk-d_qLdpXeU-WoaH-YaSjOg9YXVujjTIn8DIMonxdZqG5vBsuTVizUQjh8vC_3-RBqhMZJ2hIovSfJKKLsa5YsbuF1poZGYycZahypD2w__p8-URYlXD7YD6ZNOgaAzVm66V3AqcBm3H_mV5W-a03mqCLDAtFXtT0/s3946/IMG_0799.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2893" data-original-width="3946" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uL79Qf-zT5Jifa7cfZnY5qV9sjk-d_qLdpXeU-WoaH-YaSjOg9YXVujjTIn8DIMonxdZqG5vBsuTVizUQjh8vC_3-RBqhMZJ2hIovSfJKKLsa5YsbuF1poZGYycZahypD2w__p8-URYlXD7YD6ZNOgaAzVm66V3AqcBm3H_mV5W-a03mqCLDAtFXtT0/s320/IMG_0799.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the end it wasn't the sky that was the most difficult, it was the ferns in the bottom left corner - onto my next one now, which is one of the <a href="https://wasgij.com/puzzles/santas-dash/">Wasgij</a> puzzles. They can be pretty tricky as you don't actually know what the picture is that you will be making. All you have to work it out is a picture of people opposite and you have to guess what they are looking at. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It seems from the weather reports that the heavy, continuous rain of last week has passed on and we now have a period of dry but cold weather ahead. I much prefer that - how are things wherever you are this Monday morning?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-50180970816869645732024-01-05T08:00:00.001+00:002024-01-05T08:00:00.129+00:00Let's sit together and have a chat<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Come on in and sit down, isn't the weather awful? I hope you didn't get caught in any flooding, I shall be pleased when this heavy rain stops. I'll make us a drink and we can catch up on the last month's news. I can't offer you cake or chocolate biscuits this month as like a lot of the population we're trying to make up for all the extra food we ate over Christmas! If I don't have cake in the tin, I can't eat it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Christmas already seems a long time ago and although we had a lovely time, I quite like getting back to normal routines. It's nice to take all the decorations down and everywhere looks fresh again. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I know a few people who were unwell around Christmas and New Year so am very grateful that our family stayed well over the whole period. I'm not one for making resolutions but I do hope that I can eat a little healthier this year. It's not that we eat un-healthy meals, it's the snacking in-between them that is my weakness. So any suggestions for things to snack on that are better for you than chocolate or sweets will be gratefully received!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Did you notice the jigsaw taking up half the dining room table as you came in? My daughter bought it for me as she knows I like to do jigsaws in the winter but when I saw it I thought it was going to be a difficult one. I am feeling more optimistic now I have completed a chunk of it but I have a feeling that it will be a while before the sky comes together!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUv2LrMgMjRjFDNbOgIp3Fvp62YSKv5gL1-LVtvffSrqq_hhoGg-X0R8T1RX0AP7Pp38DUzc-aMxFcvcj-cOrYLeHVtQOrTRWZeqtZnpkQ9gz-r8ODi2SxZCJDyEbx-KEf3WPaShyphenhyphenkU3ZHCtTBNERGNkBUlhyphenhyphenIXAQBS-a2f_sUnuYffxRrBKixlucUidI/s4032/IMG_0789.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUv2LrMgMjRjFDNbOgIp3Fvp62YSKv5gL1-LVtvffSrqq_hhoGg-X0R8T1RX0AP7Pp38DUzc-aMxFcvcj-cOrYLeHVtQOrTRWZeqtZnpkQ9gz-r8ODi2SxZCJDyEbx-KEf3WPaShyphenhyphenkU3ZHCtTBNERGNkBUlhyphenhyphenIXAQBS-a2f_sUnuYffxRrBKixlucUidI/s320/IMG_0789.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, that is the start of a new blanket that you can see. No we probably don't need another blanket but it is such a relaxing hobby to have with the added bonus of it covering your lap nicely as it progresses in the evenings!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-BG1qFTnOLtwGbkzLdkwPWDac4fT26LdVYF7SnhUotDz5XugkGi_EuMopMFu-JQ1gG9R3h-EBkZOQpUQTXqF2B3hX1AAl_s2C8C5FDz2R-LLpR7g-XFTArSu-3KW_-Dkbm45z7tMG5pkAg-XvBXvxCupE3iRH85FBSYUn1fMkjRrpaxtgkB14GKzLS0/s4032/IMG_0787.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-BG1qFTnOLtwGbkzLdkwPWDac4fT26LdVYF7SnhUotDz5XugkGi_EuMopMFu-JQ1gG9R3h-EBkZOQpUQTXqF2B3hX1AAl_s2C8C5FDz2R-LLpR7g-XFTArSu-3KW_-Dkbm45z7tMG5pkAg-XvBXvxCupE3iRH85FBSYUn1fMkjRrpaxtgkB14GKzLS0/s320/IMG_0787.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you so much for visiting - drive carefully on your way home, and I hope to see you again on the next first Friday of the month!<br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-63217446737298665872024-01-01T10:33:00.000+00:002024-01-01T10:33:05.750+00:00Me on Monday - the New Year edition<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Here we are at the very beginning of the new year - I hope it finds you happy and healthy. We started off the year with a healthy long dog walk</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltusGX1rqbm0pSPTGbuvMEfNTvUuYT3VIo-aYt2tF7h8epu14T6vM9c13XGheAEjAk_ZQm0jK2S1HbyAnz-987ET7YEC5Aa4vGfiVNxXX6vDjCFANmQW1urkNo8BCsoOTzyqbjXOrvUvKriK9bcnVeQxv3a8PM_V4nX4VGUYBu-77FiqKRphjB2gVby0/s4032/IMG_0780.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltusGX1rqbm0pSPTGbuvMEfNTvUuYT3VIo-aYt2tF7h8epu14T6vM9c13XGheAEjAk_ZQm0jK2S1HbyAnz-987ET7YEC5Aa4vGfiVNxXX6vDjCFANmQW1urkNo8BCsoOTzyqbjXOrvUvKriK9bcnVeQxv3a8PM_V4nX4VGUYBu-77FiqKRphjB2gVby0/s320/IMG_0780.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hard to believe that after all the build up, the festivities are over and I even saw Valentine cards for sale in our local shop on Friday - always onto the next thing! We had a lovely family time at Christmas and fortunately everyone was well in time for the big day. Our grandchildren are still believers and Leo said to me that they had recently had a video doorbell fitted and he wondered if it would pick up Father Christmas coming with their presents. Which was when I remembered that we have an old FC outfit up in our loft from when my dad used to dress up for our children. So Paul was despatched to the nether regions of the loft where I don't dare to venture and we hatched our plan. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We spent the evening at theirs, secretly sneaked their presents in when they were busy playing a game and said goodbye at about 8.30pm. Rachel hurried them upstairs to get ready for bed and we drove around the corner until we were out of sight of their house. Paul got out the car and put the costume on, then walked back to their house to walk up to the front door, check his list, then walk round the house seemingly to deliver presents. All was going well until a neighbour got out of his car, saw Paul walking round the corner in full FC gear and followed him with his phone in his hand. At which point I realised how dodgy we must have looked, a perfect disguise for someone to sneak around houses in the dark! So I quickly got out the car, ran up to him and explained it was to prove to our grandchildren there is a Santa, please don't call the police! He laughed and said he just wanted a photo of Santa delivering presents in his road to show to his grandchildren the next day!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our New Year's Eve was spent quietly at home (Coco is extremely nervous once the fireworks start and we didn't dare risk leaving her on her own) but we had an early get together with two other couples on the eve of NYE so I guess that counts as early celebrations!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of my Christmas presents was a book of poems by the poet Brian Bilston, one for each day of the year with a fact about that day so I thought I might add a snippet of verse from those in my Monday posts. The January 1st one is called Resolutions, and considers how a poet may vow to not write an acrostic for a whole ... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Year. A resolution, I think,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Easily done. Eminently achievable,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A piece of cake. Oh,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rats"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy New Year!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-10714471457410849552023-12-29T15:00:00.000+00:002023-12-29T15:00:53.048+00:00#WBOYC in December<p> Time to link up for the last time this year with <a href="https://debs-world.com/2023/12/29/exploration-is-the-essence-of-the-human-spirit-my-woty-is-coming-to-an-end-wboyc/">Deb</a> in Australia for What's Been On Your Calendar</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFNs3UmfAqOsFt1QuMgxyOkoagPItgWcRL6o09xMYoAVg6aoaqL3zXzHJAeNM6yzZxREp3vEw0qHXCA-R_CgRRcLYyumfMVZQSD_Gc_f22Gjr_dD6KsTgRPIOKjH4yNHvMoZEMw-voX2MmIcQrLLuqU2PN7jR0-J3NX-k_8lJ4IXI7m6kow7BHURMkbY/s768/wboyc-contributor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="768" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFNs3UmfAqOsFt1QuMgxyOkoagPItgWcRL6o09xMYoAVg6aoaqL3zXzHJAeNM6yzZxREp3vEw0qHXCA-R_CgRRcLYyumfMVZQSD_Gc_f22Gjr_dD6KsTgRPIOKjH4yNHvMoZEMw-voX2MmIcQrLLuqU2PN7jR0-J3NX-k_8lJ4IXI7m6kow7BHURMkbY/s320/wboyc-contributor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>It was a month that started with temperatures in the minus figures - but I guess we shouldn't be surprised by that in the last month of the year!</p><p><b><span style="font-family: Courier;">D</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Deicing my car never gets more enjoyable - although I did read a very handy tip that if you pull your sun visors down when you put the heat up the windscreen it recirculates the air up and down the glass rather than inside the car and the ice will just melt away. So I started the month with a valuable lesson which saved me being out in the freezing cold too long.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Courier;">E</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Everybody here for a meal to celebrate Paul's 66th birthday and him officially becoming a pensioner! </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Courier;">C</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Christmas - what else could C stand for? Apart from the big day itself, Christmas Nativity Concerts for Max and Rosie this year. We were so lucky to have such a lovely family Christmas, I am very thankful for time spent together.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuev9YKFTXsogmoLLZF6f-Jc3VlwGoRwl83tIGn7BcPTkRl7YfjPkTYMEi-gBMK71BucpthfzSQP9w5zlw9jniNbvyH7L1J9dWMtqH0-szjlSSJVuIsz37CebdYkm7vEMpyLOz1sKS2xC8qOXvax7grN6Q0-StvmXxkF54gFt3ZmH3eakjqFia7Iuvxes/s2208/IMG_0688.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="1242" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuev9YKFTXsogmoLLZF6f-Jc3VlwGoRwl83tIGn7BcPTkRl7YfjPkTYMEi-gBMK71BucpthfzSQP9w5zlw9jniNbvyH7L1J9dWMtqH0-szjlSSJVuIsz37CebdYkm7vEMpyLOz1sKS2xC8qOXvax7grN6Q0-StvmXxkF54gFt3ZmH3eakjqFia7Iuvxes/s320/IMG_0688.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Courier;">Leo still enjoys a Snapchat filter!</span><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Courier;">E</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Ending the year with a good book club choice - The Berry Pickers. I have read so many books this year that are of varied genres that I would never have chosen myself. The sign of a good book club is to introduce you to authors and books you wouldn't discover yourself.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Courier;">M</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Meals out with friends to celebrate Christmas. I wonder why we feel the need to meet up with everyone in the weeks leading up to December 25? This year we have a post Christmas meal already planned so we haven’t used up all our social events in the busy time.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Courier;">B</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Buying gifts for family brings so much happiness. I love picking something that I think will make them smile. I still ask everyone for ideas about what they would like, but try to add a little surprise (or two)along the way.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Courier;">E</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Eventually completed my Scandi Meadow blanket </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6X2R1IVlZeQYrELEkWJ-Lh1bRadeeWhzbnX-Da3hdNQL4Ig7fMhQqwL_fOlVi9AujQoj2v8pArDwjub0v3IXGVQwlzZgt-YnpzY8N6veRHu_bYnJScC9Ka_cKIh3ovof4sYzZ5grZh7It0B_q93oMHt94b3F5dP4W94GUJOmm-mRBJcezZTzZH39sByw/s4032/IMG_0706.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6X2R1IVlZeQYrELEkWJ-Lh1bRadeeWhzbnX-Da3hdNQL4Ig7fMhQqwL_fOlVi9AujQoj2v8pArDwjub0v3IXGVQwlzZgt-YnpzY8N6veRHu_bYnJScC9Ka_cKIh3ovof4sYzZ5grZh7It0B_q93oMHt94b3F5dP4W94GUJOmm-mRBJcezZTzZH39sByw/s320/IMG_0706.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><span style="font-family: courier;">And now time to start a new one </span>😉<br /><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /></span><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Courier;">R</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Remembering my dear Mum who loved Christmas so much and died on the 18th December in 1997. She made Christmas so magical for us when we were growing up and we have tried to maintain her traditions while also making new ones of our own.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">So that is my last monthly round up for 2023, here’s a month’s worth of pictures 1 Second Every Day …</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dweUDWLP6HOymNFRSasq4a7sWcxOq-C16IokwuLzG7DNEe2aUZXKBs-qZ14Bcm9-IrYv9Kwy_Fsd7odWBYoxw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /></span><p></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-81295933418556961592023-12-19T08:30:00.001+00:002023-12-19T08:30:00.144+00:00What I've been reading in December<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Just one book to share with you, and that was the book club choice of <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/461967/the-berry-pickers-by-peters-amanda/9780241692431">The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters</a></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDmTeeWBUAe3suF6VXqOXEWgBrqnm9fEKuKv9mu-d3V7_Bsnu4WSoPjgKpbu_wNuG4F4jEkDGISkWrza28qPNj82Eg9Y_kcosN9pnNLubIufmCUIQVG5O-1JSrhXnGUy_FLeK1sF5t_UeMCAA7ER2TH-fsFaA8Q5FMEJ3r6Jzn_-P9S8By95vblCHBOA/s4032/IMG_0533.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDmTeeWBUAe3suF6VXqOXEWgBrqnm9fEKuKv9mu-d3V7_Bsnu4WSoPjgKpbu_wNuG4F4jEkDGISkWrza28qPNj82Eg9Y_kcosN9pnNLubIufmCUIQVG5O-1JSrhXnGUy_FLeK1sF5t_UeMCAA7ER2TH-fsFaA8Q5FMEJ3r6Jzn_-P9S8By95vblCHBOA/s320/IMG_0533.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Before I start my review I should explain that although people said that it was an excellent book, I put off reading it for a couple of weeks after I picked it up from the library as I wasn't sure that I would be able to comfortably read it. Those of us in the UK will remember the heartbreaking story in early 1993 of a little boy called Jamie who was taken by two ten year old boys in a shopping centre in the seconds that it took his mum to let go of his hand to get money out of her purse. Little Jamie was just two years old and at the time and my son was almost three so you can imagine that the story hit me hard. It is true to say that this affected me so much that I had a real sense of panic if I ever lost sight of my son at a park or indoor play area and the rule of holding hands whenever shopping was ingrained. Little Jamie had unspeakable things done to him and whenever reports of his death appeared in the press I could not help but wonder how on earth his mum managed to cope with the loss of her little boy. Whilst I knew from the reviews of the book that nothing untoward happened to Ruthie in the story, I could not help but find the storyline of a child being snatched emotionally triggering. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So that is why I was late starting the book, but having finally read it I can agree with the reviews that it is a very emotional, well written story. On a summers day in the 1960s, a four year old Mi'kmaq girl called Ruthie disappears from a field in Maine where her family are picking berries. Despite extensive searches by her family Ruthie is never found and the family have no alternative but to move back to their home in Nova Scotia when the berry season comes to an end. Ruthie's six year old brother Joe was the last to see Ruthie and for the rest of his life he feels the guilt that maybe he could have done something to keep her safe. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Meanwhile, in Maine a girl named Norma is growing up as an only child with an emotionally distant father and an overprotective mother. Norma is plagued by dreams of herself in another life and as time moves on she is unsure if they are figments of her imagination or distant memories. Was she adopted? There are no photos of her as a baby and she clearly has different skin tone to her parents. She is unable to discuss this with her mother as the moment she would try and broach the subject, her mother would develop a dreadful 'headache' and take to her bed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have to agree with the reviews about how good this book is. How one moment of impetuousness affects the lives of so many people. How the unknown fate of a little girl threads tendrils of fear, loss and guilt to two very different families. Apparently the author is a writer of Mi'kmaq and settler ancestry, and her knowledge of the lifestyle of these people at that time shines through her writing. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This was a good end of year book and I'm looking forward to seeing which title our book club chooses for the first read of 2024. </span></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-52123564265690382602023-12-18T08:53:00.000+00:002023-12-18T08:53:06.345+00:00Me on Monday<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> These Mondays are coming round super fast aren’t they? This photo of a wobbly inflatable polar bear, that we passed in the park while walking Coco, sums up how I’m feeling</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFsk58RrqvrnRU_5xEhnuzk-zl9QhGnZysnkIkNN2ilTfU5pRxoUD_Dzi_TMSRIOomSotWFZ_Fdp1dcENn35JHooaWTEkSnseFmF0ShSbkVt2RajPG3Opro7KYXnNesPdbhF6IIoejroBbbLNTNNDksi320yZxRcyxBtePvivEp6YWp9C3CehTA-ZKcM8/s4032/IMG_0636.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFsk58RrqvrnRU_5xEhnuzk-zl9QhGnZysnkIkNN2ilTfU5pRxoUD_Dzi_TMSRIOomSotWFZ_Fdp1dcENn35JHooaWTEkSnseFmF0ShSbkVt2RajPG3Opro7KYXnNesPdbhF6IIoejroBbbLNTNNDksi320yZxRcyxBtePvivEp6YWp9C3CehTA-ZKcM8/s320/IMG_0636.jpeg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Still smiling, and standing, but feeling a bit under inflated now and again depending on which way the breeze is blowing!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We’ve had a busy few days with dinner out with friends on Friday evening and friends coming round for drinks on Saturday night. Every now and again it hits me exactly how much we missed out on during the Covid period. Maybe that's why we are taking advantage of any invitations to see people over the holidays.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I must confess to having a tear in my eye on Thursday when we watched Max's nativity. These children have been in school for just 12 weeks, a lot of them are barely four and the oldest is just five. Yet they knew all the words to the songs and joined in with all the movements and spoke their lines clearly. There was no toenail event this week, but when the third camel from the left had to escort the kings to the stable he suddenly went very shy and pulled his t shirt over his face and wedged it under his camel ears so no one could see him! How he made it back to the right place on stage without mishap I don't know as I'm sure he couldn't see where he was going!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So this Monday finds us counting down to the big day, food shopping being done, the last presents being wrapped (what a time consuming job that is!) and making lists to make sure nothing is forgotten.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">There won't be a Me on Monday next week because I feel that everyone will be too busy to read it so my next Monday post will be next year - sounds funny to say that but 2024 is approaching very quickly now. Wishing you all a happy and healthy Christmas and thank you for your Monday visits during 2023.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-74132674365646374492023-12-11T09:05:00.001+00:002023-12-11T09:05:19.252+00:00 Me on Monday<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Oh hello! Is it Monday again? We’ve had a busy weekend, which ended with a drive by from a very important person just as our grandchildren were about to go home after a pre-birthday dinner for Paul.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzn32XEiSZErn7T0tRFFezA8yf1rnCHLCka6A1JRpjGvgiifNlTOUvRHao_xu1dsTiLBSXjyY4xSL1t7uvo8xIlmgWLphyphenhyphen8Rtrb2GWl0U__f-a1QVpYuEoTNXMK3ihma0rCyVnNGXYTNwYvw_iuZlBtFnPeLhSv6sDIEPEMKIiGm-0_i-wh_WEyrMvSE/s2048/6262c54a-2dc2-4151-a4e4-da49cc704ec1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzn32XEiSZErn7T0tRFFezA8yf1rnCHLCka6A1JRpjGvgiifNlTOUvRHao_xu1dsTiLBSXjyY4xSL1t7uvo8xIlmgWLphyphenhyphen8Rtrb2GWl0U__f-a1QVpYuEoTNXMK3ihma0rCyVnNGXYTNwYvw_iuZlBtFnPeLhSv6sDIEPEMKIiGm-0_i-wh_WEyrMvSE/s320/6262c54a-2dc2-4151-a4e4-da49cc704ec1.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Olive was a little bit apprehensive about going out to see Santa so stayed safely in the doorway with her mum. It’s a bit scary when you’re only two! It's organised by our local Rotary Club and such a lovely thing for them to do in the lead up to Christmas.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We started the weekend with a show by Leo and Rosie’s drama classes. I have nothing but admiration for those people who spend so much time organising events like that. The children did so well and obviously enjoyed themselves. We’d also had Rosie’s nativity play earlier in the week so I think we are now well in the Christmas spirit!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So this Monday finds me popping into town to pick up a couple of things I had ordered on click and collect, then having friends over tea and cake in the afternoon. Tuesday is Paul’s birthday and at 66 he is now officially ancient enough to get his state pension. Wednesday we will be looking after Olive and then Thursday it is the turn of Max to have his nativity show. Friday we are going for a meal with friends, and we have friends coming over for dinner on Saturday. That’s another week done and dusted. With a lot of eating and drinking!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Is it just me that finds that the closer Christmas gets, the faster the days fly past?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-55927064677074132972023-12-05T12:02:00.002+00:002023-12-05T12:02:24.038+00:00It must be getting closer<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Because we've just come back from Rosie's first Nativity Play</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rBDUVDFUnAa925xI1kvLMXbYUjgQd5dWnG61G8OLJ4W3rNGFnV5Qi2JkRXRQR7Uz1UerrGKbSRHeH8rXyt9HQ6233bsKuIqVHl48UpyKSQY24AEkvVZ2HoDcdtU50cjo8wVKXEX7FBo7ULIoxA2U0EAXqlHgKuY2pHbdL0FEKn8EMGUtSMOJ3MwcZw4/s1927/IMG_0535.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1927" data-original-width="1716" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rBDUVDFUnAa925xI1kvLMXbYUjgQd5dWnG61G8OLJ4W3rNGFnV5Qi2JkRXRQR7Uz1UerrGKbSRHeH8rXyt9HQ6233bsKuIqVHl48UpyKSQY24AEkvVZ2HoDcdtU50cjo8wVKXEX7FBo7ULIoxA2U0EAXqlHgKuY2pHbdL0FEKn8EMGUtSMOJ3MwcZw4/s320/IMG_0535.jpeg" width="285" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">and I've started constructing a gingerbread house</span><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBDvvyESDdjoaIzso4bi8Aul2yMGqmi8Q3QIJoh3slBoRx5DcJ0bN4d8WeblxidY80L19rT-sKx3C7wddHFAUoPjwc-w1BktprC_PHEaXQRHvgjG7kJbs7hmAftMEI_DuDaySc5RtyW8ArFIu2WZ2yeP644VmK4fZ8rh8cJd7JmNDr0YA4_LCONL8WAg/s4032/IMG_0541.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBDvvyESDdjoaIzso4bi8Aul2yMGqmi8Q3QIJoh3slBoRx5DcJ0bN4d8WeblxidY80L19rT-sKx3C7wddHFAUoPjwc-w1BktprC_PHEaXQRHvgjG7kJbs7hmAftMEI_DuDaySc5RtyW8ArFIu2WZ2yeP644VmK4fZ8rh8cJd7JmNDr0YA4_LCONL8WAg/s320/IMG_0541.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I had tears in my eyes before the first angel had walked on stage because I cannot help myself when I see those little five year olds desperately searching the audience for their mums and dads. There are sixty children in each year group so this meant the cast list was quite enlarged from the original Nativity story. Rosie was Inkeeper 1's wife. She'd chosen her husband wisely as Inkeeper 2 sat down and started chewing his toenails part way through 😱</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I think I would quite enjoy decorating my gingerbread house myself but I've promised Rosie and Leo that we will finish it off when they get home from school today. There will be squabbles no doubt about who wants to be doing the icing and what sweets and sprinkles they will use to decorate, and there's a very good chance one will lean too hard on the roof while doing it and the whole thing will collapse. I'll try and get the 'after' photo to share another time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We went to Chelmsford for some Christmas shopping yesterday (which is one of the reasons I forgot to do a 'Me on Monday') I managed to tick a few more things off my list and it was a nice atmosphere there, not too busy. We stopped for a coffee and a scone mid morning, I liked this sign they had in the John Lewis cafe</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd74GLkP87PuLZv6YT7ZGgRybJTIRZg4LRPrmfU1VHGwuMVt7rTwfP3RiCxd90LNKpcGe80ToYNfD2TSUMgEjjx1p2nAcSTlIVd0omOXvOUCmTGCuHeZkVYbEwUpnN-tT-wbpq_3X5cRr_QB5NNnM-GXpfqXE57UZbvUdOHOL3Nup-zQvo4NRwiPc7c9s/s4032/IMG_0532.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd74GLkP87PuLZv6YT7ZGgRybJTIRZg4LRPrmfU1VHGwuMVt7rTwfP3RiCxd90LNKpcGe80ToYNfD2TSUMgEjjx1p2nAcSTlIVd0omOXvOUCmTGCuHeZkVYbEwUpnN-tT-wbpq_3X5cRr_QB5NNnM-GXpfqXE57UZbvUdOHOL3Nup-zQvo4NRwiPc7c9s/s320/IMG_0532.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">We have a busy weekend ahead with watching Leo and Rosie in their drama club concert on Saturday and we have all the family round for lunch to celebrate Paul's 66th birthday a little early on Sunday. Fancy that, I'll be married to a pensioner! So tradition dictates that we need to put our Christmas tree up very soon, then it really will feel like Christmas is getting closer!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p></div>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-60953781318792912382023-12-01T15:48:00.000+00:002023-12-01T15:48:12.305+00:00Let's sit and have a cup of tea<p> <span style="font-family: Courier;">Here we are with the last 'first Friday of the month' of the year!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3I9vpyC_EiZu4XjJYIeknWPCv7ec5GLCi8aMD0C1Pk1QUs1k32BHarwkxi_xA7F3HRlcENnxV7VrUzuqkAUtxr9xn2JeXdUGWIH8DkjH_YcpraLWReKDwSf7QsFT7UvnsX9CHkl5uMhQVHOtv2OB7qvpuk09LQm2AN97pQvi-m4FdMlYCL4RgP211d0/s4032/IMG_0515.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3I9vpyC_EiZu4XjJYIeknWPCv7ec5GLCi8aMD0C1Pk1QUs1k32BHarwkxi_xA7F3HRlcENnxV7VrUzuqkAUtxr9xn2JeXdUGWIH8DkjH_YcpraLWReKDwSf7QsFT7UvnsX9CHkl5uMhQVHOtv2OB7qvpuk09LQm2AN97pQvi-m4FdMlYCL4RgP211d0/s320/IMG_0515.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Thank you for taking the time to join me for a cuppa and a biscuit. It's getting busy isn't it? Please do sit down and sample one of the brownie cup cakes I made yesterday. It's a new recipe for me, salted caramel brownies made with Carnation caramel condensed milk. What do you think? They've been a hit so far with Leo and Rosie, not to mention me and Paul!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Are you organised with all your Christmas prep? I'm gradually working my way through the list of presents I want to buy and we'll probably put our tree up after the weekend. Family tradition dictates that it goes up just before Paul's birthday on the 12th so we have a deadline! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Our grandchildren are getting very excited now, they are the perfect ages for Christmas, young enough to still believe, and old enough to understand what's going on. We will be going to see Max in his first nativity in a couple of weeks and Leo and Rosie are in a Christmas concert next weekend. I will definitely be shedding a few proud tears I know!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">Hasn't the weather turned cold? I was late collecting Olive this Wednesday as I simply couldn't get into my car! The door lock and handle were fine but the window seal had frozen solid. After a lot of googling, I found a recommendation to use a vinyl and rubber conditioner and luckily had a bottle of it in the car in amongst all the car washing products. It seems to be working!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Courier;">By the time we meet again Christmas will be done and dusted and we will be a few days into the new year isn't that hard to believe? Have a happy and healthy Christmas!</span></p><p><br /></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832438155841430452.post-31510281385349687882023-11-30T14:23:00.004+00:002023-12-01T09:12:11.147+00:00#WBOYC in November<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Once again I am linking up with <a href="https://debs-world.com/2023/12/01/november-explorations-wboyc/">Australian Deb</a> to share what's been on my calendar this month</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERPsd7JrBYp0DYwlt8qJN1uACa72w0DhKHeyGQIfOpk09ysE7rB7nl-eH5xFCyoxfBy1jeuq2HAOpG7ZSbRPFx8pHANFtucsG09G2Fd7s-1HbO0EOK4sLLqvwRIPjmEopWbHceeSOWp25Xa7WzgHvKuyOkRSsrYFoP5kbjxgTKQszlGJjQEXdWoy8Zhg/s768/wboyc-contributor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="768" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERPsd7JrBYp0DYwlt8qJN1uACa72w0DhKHeyGQIfOpk09ysE7rB7nl-eH5xFCyoxfBy1jeuq2HAOpG7ZSbRPFx8pHANFtucsG09G2Fd7s-1HbO0EOK4sLLqvwRIPjmEopWbHceeSOWp25Xa7WzgHvKuyOkRSsrYFoP5kbjxgTKQszlGJjQEXdWoy8Zhg/s320/wboyc-contributor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>N</b>ew wallpaper and vanity unit in the downstairs loo. This is a project that has been on the cards for quite some time now.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKYr7ZWCtLlKRHbtPz-Q0dShcWzcrsDkBukJTZ4xU9YUVoEf30LTmuZv4GUckze9Tjij45BavZldYdWpQ4FcKyM16SRnjMxKmsxLUsxNTbII6Q2utKXs3ksXDCJhgxIOVXxFT7GXOSfJ9qGAuPzldvewCLm8lBe_fk2FofTunstzWJ_h_9vm3QtC1CZs/s4032/IMG_0486.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKYr7ZWCtLlKRHbtPz-Q0dShcWzcrsDkBukJTZ4xU9YUVoEf30LTmuZv4GUckze9Tjij45BavZldYdWpQ4FcKyM16SRnjMxKmsxLUsxNTbII6Q2utKXs3ksXDCJhgxIOVXxFT7GXOSfJ9qGAuPzldvewCLm8lBe_fk2FofTunstzWJ_h_9vm3QtC1CZs/s320/IMG_0486.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Courier;"><div><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /></span></div>I was a little sceptical when Paul said he could instal a new vanity unit along with all the associated plumbing issues but he's made a good job of it all.</span><br /><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>O</b>h how tidy Coco and I both look after having our hair/fur cut and blowdried</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_XoH5FmYEF2_4kWrSYbduWlUXc6ybYdm6ZBpNZOcRRw0xhN0965LWmTn4TNKZWG8Al9cCkMbZFZo0TXMgBVouPPGwZdLzN-sMWJ6Gl5bDs92mka1MvLFnLs9zImQm0SfzoWSP4nust_A209CxQmgpliBY5_9W0KqlZnji0F4IuThZQrG-0SxzfdtbhA/s2208/IMG_0398.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="1244" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_XoH5FmYEF2_4kWrSYbduWlUXc6ybYdm6ZBpNZOcRRw0xhN0965LWmTn4TNKZWG8Al9cCkMbZFZo0TXMgBVouPPGwZdLzN-sMWJ6Gl5bDs92mka1MvLFnLs9zImQm0SfzoWSP4nust_A209CxQmgpliBY5_9W0KqlZnji0F4IuThZQrG-0SxzfdtbhA/s320/IMG_0398.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2e0Jlp2VNk24YBIZ2plo9hVlzCfFPJecMyXhs42U8oCPi5umDXb924PlAzsnSB6NPRdE976U3kxQOt0MmhkpZjqYj9acfIxvtzGvFkD9YJVGJv7s7qFtju-9G9jDqc9dQcZBPrO1WQGdDIN6zE13RSXqTUxw7zmrdJqVjfOcpSMdXZ9FImjRpKlphLk/s678/PhotoRoom_20231128_113755.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="678" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2e0Jlp2VNk24YBIZ2plo9hVlzCfFPJecMyXhs42U8oCPi5umDXb924PlAzsnSB6NPRdE976U3kxQOt0MmhkpZjqYj9acfIxvtzGvFkD9YJVGJv7s7qFtju-9G9jDqc9dQcZBPrO1WQGdDIN6zE13RSXqTUxw7zmrdJqVjfOcpSMdXZ9FImjRpKlphLk/w200-h200/PhotoRoom_20231128_113755.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><p></p><p><b style="font-family: courier;">V</b><span style="font-family: courier;">ery enjoyable show from our local musical theatre group at the South Mill Arts Centre (used to be called the Rhodes Centre after Cecil Rhodes who was born here, but was controversially renamed recently in view of his history)We were amazed by how professional it was, we will definitely be returning for their 2024 production.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>E</b>venings spent consoling Coco around Guy Fawkes night - she really doesn't like all the bangs. Also <b>E</b>leven teeth removed when she went to the vets. November hasn't been the best month for her!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2K7gbPR2t8ZiPXllGLLGnFcwhTcxurMLVB8rylqPPYFdq8bmKEz4nh9FBpu1APOQ5zU6v90ffPGO3gX5uNFKb7uka3k8ScZCOPZTAogQB3I94Drxhql18xzYza1vLbFC2KDCLph1fz4O509HoE78rpvbEx1ptvbUI5ya1tZDxKruhVPmB6jmuJhzXKb8/s4032/IMG_0441.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2K7gbPR2t8ZiPXllGLLGnFcwhTcxurMLVB8rylqPPYFdq8bmKEz4nh9FBpu1APOQ5zU6v90ffPGO3gX5uNFKb7uka3k8ScZCOPZTAogQB3I94Drxhql18xzYza1vLbFC2KDCLph1fz4O509HoE78rpvbEx1ptvbUI5ya1tZDxKruhVPmB6jmuJhzXKb8/s320/IMG_0441.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: courier;">Feeling a bit sorry for herself after her op 😢</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>M</b>eeting up with friends three times this month - getting all those pre-Christmas meals in before everyone gets too busy!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>B</b></span><span style="font-family: courier;">irthday celebrations for our Granddaughter Rosie who has had her fifth birthday this month. She kicked off proceedings early, telling her teacher it was her birthday the week before it really was so she could sit in the birthday chair twice, cheeky!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>R</b>eminded of how ancient I am becoming by receiving a letter inviting me to apply for my state pension 👵 </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">So that’s almost a wrap for November, and here it is day by day, 1 Second Everyday</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyKLjVxkRmhyfgC5VxmOSufrTfB5YFUG1kqZU4F0mt339vhwop2buqKlJBnq_N3c2hR6bzevmdK5QiJVO0bEg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>debs14http://www.blogger.com/profile/14521565769251816528noreply@blogger.com9