Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Witty Wednesday # 47



Never underestimate the power of makeup
(apologies to my American friends but you can blame Embee for these pictures!)




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So how about this one from my friend Carol:

Kidnap

A driver is stuck in a traffic jam going into Central London. Nothing is moving north or south. Suddenly a man knocks on his window.

The driver rolls down his window and asks, 'What happened, what's the hold up?'

The man replies 'Terrorists have kidnapped Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and Alistair Darling. They are asking for a £10 million ransom. Otherwise they are going to douse them with petrol and set them on fire. We are going from car to car, taking up a collection.'

The driver asks, 'On average, how much is everyone giving?'

The man replies 'About a gallon.'

[For those who may not know the names (English past and present Prime Ministers and Chancellor) we are having a tough time here in the UK with prices on essentials rising above the rate of inflation and tax changes have made pensioners like myself worse off].

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Do you think Embee is trying to tell me something sending this!!!!
Do you eat chocolate






Have a good day and don't eat too much chocolate!!!

Archives:
2007: Fun Mon 15 Every picture tells a story

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Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Karisma's 'My Life is a Mess Challenge'!

Last week Karisma created a little poetry competition see the rules here. She has extended it for another week as she only had one (very good) entry. I told her I was useless at poetry and to prove it I will enter, just to show willing, and make it very clear why I do not join in with poetry challenges! I will not be in the least offended to get 'crappy' remarks and if I get no comments I will still get the message!!

Here goes:

Whatever happened to leisurely days
I have to get going and mend my slovenly ways

I spend far too much time blogging
When what I should be doing is slogging

As the garden needs weeding
And the plants need feeding

I can write my name in dust
But really I'm not fussed

If the meals are often late
By the time they reach the plate

Oh whatever should I do
To start off anew

And end my addiction
For this computer affliction!

LOL well I did warn you~ maybe I should get my daughter Sam to rewrite it for me; she is so good at this sort of thing! How about suggesting a Title!!!!!

Archives:
2007: Tortoises are expensive

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Monday, April 28, 2008

Fun Monday # 64 A walk in the woods



Angela @ the Lurchers has chosen a really good topic for this time of the year, she says:

All I want you to do is take me on your favourite walk. In words or pictures. Or both of course! Tell me why it's your favourite and point out things of interest on the way.

So go get your walking boots on!


After all the winter weather and being stuck indoors it is lovely to be able to see everything begin to come to life with the warmth and sunshine (not that we have had too much sun yet this year!)
I have posted about some of my favourite walks before so I'm going to show you a beautiful place that my mother loves to visit at this time of year. It is a little place called Damery (near Tortworth and Woodford in Gloucestershire) and we went there on Friday. Now some of you may think this is morbid but my mother wanted to show me where she wants her ashes to be scattered when the time comes. She could not have picked a prettier place and you will see why from the photos.

There is a country lane along the side of woods that are just a carpet of Bluebells, A stream runs along the bottom and there is an abundance of wild garlic (the aroma really hits you!). It is very quiet and so peaceful, very little traffic and only a few houses. There is an area where memorial trees can be planted. Below are a few of the photos I took and I think you will understand why my mother loves this place in the spring.













I am looking forward to joining you all on your walks, what a good way of getting virtually fit!!!

Archives:
2007: Hoorah for Skype

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Sunday, April 27, 2008

Monday Motivation Meme and Awards

Misslionheart realises that I need something to motivate me for the week ahead! She has worked out that I spend more time on the computer than I should and she is trying to wean me off with this Monday Motivation Meme! Now I cannot do this on Monday because I always participate in Fun Monday so I'm doing it a day early~ how's this for motivation!!

The rules of the game are simple enough…just list 5 things you wish to achieve during the week ahead and hopefully get motivated!

  • move all the remaining junk boxes from the house to storage area
  • clean house (after new roof insulation has been fitted on Weds) I think this will take me at least a week! you should see the mess just emptying the loft~ I hate to think what it will be like after the fitters have been here.
  • sort and put away winter clothes and bring out summer clothes~ am I being a bit premature~ probably!!
  • ring a couple of people that I have been meaning to get in touch with since the new year~ I know I'm very bad!
  • the final thing is to get the ironing done I have been adding to the basket for quite a while, telling myself it wasn't worth getting the ironing board out for a few items. This has now grown to an overflowing basket~oh and I really hate ironing! Done 29/4

Well that's my five all a bit mundane really~ which is exactly why I needed this motivational shove and I have misslionheart to thank for this!!

I know I should be passing it on but I'm not that motivated so lets say if anyone would like to motivate themselves you are tagged by moi!!
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Jackie at Mother's Pride has given this award to everyone. It's very cute don't you think! So thank you Jackie It has gone on display in my linked gallery. I consider all my visitors to be great blogging friends so I give this to everyone who drops by this post! Where would I be without good friends like you.

Alison gave me this lovely award and if you have not been following her adoption stories you should go over and read about her two journeys through this process. I guarantee you will be hooked! I love you all so I also give this to everyone especially my daughters Sam and Beccy.

Kila thank you very much for giving me 'The Good Chat Award'. I was originally given this Jackie I wondered if they are trying to tell me I talk too much~ no seriously guys I love it that blog friends like to visit me and chat I really look forward hearing everyone's news :)

Archives:
2007: Help me up

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Saturday, April 26, 2008

A quickie!!

Anyone who has been reading my twitterings will know that all our upstairs electrics were knocked out yesterday by someone who shall remain nameless! That someone was very quick to go up into the loft this morning and fix the problem (which thank goodness only turned out to be a loose screw in a connection).

You may recall yesterday that I was taking my mother out for the day, we managed to exchange a pair of trousers (pants) for a pink cardigan so she is happy. I took her to see the Bluebell Woods and then we went on to have lunch with my brother, his wife and her mother was also there. We had a lovely lunch but I ate far too much~ well it would have been fine if I had not indulged in all three of the puddings!! How can anyone resist blackberry and apple crumble, treacle pudding and fresh pineapple with custard and cream! Tell me I am a glutton and I will agree but I didn't eat anything for the rest of the day and I don't really feel hungry today.
Over lunch we started talking about relatives and my mother regaled us with some bits of family history that we knew nothing about which was very entertaining. You want to know ~ well lets just say there were several illegitimate children in the family~ and for one there is a connection to the picture below!!

I just had to stop and take a photo of this field of oilseed rape which was very colourful! We are now off to get the tortoises weighed and checked.

Archives:
2007: Lemon Curd is Mellow Yellow

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Friday, April 25, 2008

What kind of music are you??

I needed a quick post today because I am taking my mother out. I may have mentioned last week that I took her clothes shopping~ well this week some of it has to be returned! Also we have been invited to lunch with my brother and his wife and on the way there we are hoping to go and see if the Bluebells are out yet. So when I saw this over at Karisma's yesterday, I decided to borrow the idea and give it a go; I think I might have done this before and got a different result!! If you try it, let me know what kind of music you are!!





You Are Classical Music



You are a somewhat serious person who enjoys studying subjects deeply.

Art of all kinds interests you, and a good piece of art can really effect you emotionally.

You are inspired by human achievement, and you appreciate work that takes years to accomplish.

For you, the finer things in life are not about snobbery - they're about quality.



Is this me I wonder!!!!!!!

Archives:
2007: Witty Wednesday-What's the problem Eve

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Thursday, April 24, 2008

Project Looking Through # 5......the looking glass!

For my last photo in this project I decided to be like Alice and go through the looking glass!

Mark@Regular Life is hosting PLT

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Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Happy St Georges Day on Witty Wednesday # 46

HAPPY ST GEORGE'S DAY


Cry God for Harry, England and Saint George!

As wrote William Shakespeare in (Henry V). By interesting coincidence, William Shakespeare, was not only born on 23rd April (1564) but also died on 23rd April (1616).

St George (famous for slaying the dragon which is probably just a myth) is the patron saint of England. He was a Roman soldier who protested against the Roman torture of Christians, and was killed for his beliefs.

I think it is rather sad that
  • Despite the fact that St. George has been the patron saint of England since the 14th century, only one in five people know that St. George’s Day falls on April 23rd.
  • More than a quarter of people living in England do not even know who their patron saint is!

By tradition, April 23rd is the day for a red rose in the button hole, the national flower. However, unlike other countries, England does not celebrate it like Americans celebrate 4 July with fireworks. I think it would be very different if it were declared a public holiday! When we grew roses I used to wear one to work and so did a few others. I'm proud of my heritage, so come on Gordon Brown, you may be flying the flag over Downing Street but I'm not sure you are doing enough for the poor English people!
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Witty Wednesday


Now I know why Embee drinks wine!!! To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine... and those who don't.

As Ben Franklin said: In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.

In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 litre of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) - bacteria found in faeces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop.

However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer (or tequila, rum, whisky or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

Remember: Water = Poop, Wine = Health.
Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of crap.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information: I'm doing it as a public service.
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Learn Chinese in 5 minutes (You MUST read them aloud) English - Chinese

That's not right! Sum Ting Wong


Are you harbouring a fugitive? Hu Yu Hai Ding


See me ASAP ; Kum Hia Nao


Stupid Man; Fu Kin Dum


Small Horse; Tai Ni Po Ni


Did you go to the beach? Wai Yu So Tan

I bumped into a coffee table! Ai Bang Mai Fu Kin Ni


I think you need a face lift! Chin Tu Fat


It's very dark in here! Wai So Dim

I thought you were on a diet! Wai Yu Mun Ching


This is a tow away zone! No Pah King


Our meeting is scheduled for next week! Wai Yu Kum Nao

Staying out of sight; Lei Ying Lo

He's cleaning his automobile; Wa Shing Ka


Your body odour is offensive; Yu Fu Kin Stin Ki Pu


Great; Fa Kin Su Pa



Have a good day :)

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post script: for anyone who is interested we now have a volunteer to host next the next FUN MONDAY it is Angela@The Lurchers
I'm not sure when she will have the assignment posted but do hop over to check and sign up.

Archives:
2007: Fun Monday 14 Isn't every day a bad hair day + Happy St Georges Day

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Tuesday, April 22, 2008

A tutorial in editing photos!!! PLT #4

I've just come back from my hairdresser and had a very interesting visit. Sarah's husband is a professional photographer and I was asking him a few questions about photoshop elements, photography and editing in general and he was so helpful. He gave me a personal tutorial and I have actually learned quite a lot but don't expect me to magically improve. I now understand why I will never be able to produce really good photographs with my little digital, good as it is for it's type! Steve is considering doing a workshop for those who want to learn more and if it gets off the ground I will certainly be attending. He is also going to recommend an idiots guide book which is something I have been wanting for ages. I know I have not had this camera very long but it looks like I need an even better one that will download raw photos if I'm to achieve the editing that I aspire towards. Having spoken about photos I think I'd better include a PLT shot. This is a view of a local golf course that my mother enjoys from her bedroom window.
Mark@Regular Life is hosting PLT


Archives:
2007: The fruits of Embee's labour

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Monday, April 21, 2008

Fun Monday # 63

Southern Doll is out hostess this week and this is what she wants us to tell the world!

What have you done in your life that was worth doing? I want to know the moments in your life that you hope will be the ones to pass through your mind when your time comes. I hope that doesn't sound too morbid. This doesn't necessarily have to be items you have checked off your Bucket List, it can be those small moments that made you smile, or the time you got that huge promotion you deserved, or the first time your baby smiled at you out of pure joy. I want to know all the moments, big and small, that make life sweet!


My first thought when I read this was I haven't done any thing that is worth writing about and then I realised it is all the little things we do that are worthwhile and often one thing leads to another so.....

I am going to make this short and hopefully sweet so that you can pass quickly on! I don't think I've ever made a secret of the fact that my family are my world so I'm convinced that when my time comes it is moments in my family's life that I will relive! I also believe in karma and that our destiny is mapped out for us.......

  • if I had not passed my 11+ exam and got to Grammar School I would not have had the opportunity to pass my O' level exams that enabled me to train as a nurse.....
  • if I had not been supporting a friend by going on a sort of blind date I would not have met the father of my children! This lead to......
  • the birth of my two lovely daughters, Sam and Beccy which is definitely the most worthwhile thing I have ever done in my whole life. They have given me a lot of joy and some sorrow but I am very proud of both of them. This lead to.....my youngest daughter, Beccy, having children...
  • seeing my eldest grandson a few moments after he was born is such a sweet memory and one I will never forget. When your grandchildren tell you they love you, you know that you have done something right!
  • if my first husband had not left us I would not have returned to work, completed a management course and started on a new career......
  • if my job had not been axed.....I would not have changed direction....then trained as a social worker.....
  • if that job had not been transferred to OFSTED I would not have ended my career managing a small team of Inspectors (hopefully making a difference to children's care and education)
So just to sum up what has been worth while in my life I have tried to to be a responsible citizen, help people throughout my life and bring up my children to be kind, thoughtful and show respect to others but also stand up for what is right. I want them to live full and happy lives and in turn I hope they pass this on to the next generation. For me this has been worth doing.

I'll stop here as this has turned out longer than I intended (and I know you will have heard some of this before). Now hop over and see what everyone else has to say!


Archives:
2007: The answer to the question.. is it fact or fiction

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Sunday, April 20, 2008

Project Looking Through # 3 Animals

When I took these photos last year the goat and the turkeys definitely had their beady eyes on me as I looked through and they looked out!


Mark@Regular Life is hosting PLT.



Archives:
2007: Days without a computer 1

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Saturday, April 19, 2008

Project Looking Though # 2 The Fall


Mark@RegularLife is hosting PLT

I know it's the wrong time of the year but I couldn't resit sharing this panoramic view from on high. The rich colours are so beautiful. (click to enlarge)

Archives:
2007: Why is it that

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Friday, April 18, 2008

Project Looking through (PLT) # 1

I saw a that Alix and Robin have started participating in a photographic project that looked interesting so I mosyed over to Mark@Regular Life and signed up.

Mark says "The only requirement is the sensation of looking through something. That keeps it specific enough to keep us focused, but vague enough to free up everybody’s creativity".

Until I am actually able to go out and take some new pictures I am using some from my archives. This particular photo was taken about a month ago and I like it because my little digital camera managed to capture the rain drops on the window.



Archives:
2007: What is happening to the world + WW 3 21st Century thinking

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Thursday, April 17, 2008

Do you 'Twitter'?

Sam has persuaded me to sign up to Twitter. It's a bit like a one line blog so that you can very briefly let other idiots twitters know what exciting things you are doing!
I have found a few familiar names that I now follow, but I'm sure there are more of you out there who are enjoying this new craze! Please let me know so that I can become a stalker follower!

I don't like to send out too many invites to join but I have done a couple...Beccy this is much quicker than blogging!!!!!


Archives:
2007: Birthday Meme

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Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Witty Wednesday # 45

John sent me the first two of this weeks wit~ looks like the first one has been around for a while so you might have seen it!

Yes, it's again that magical time of the year when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honouring the least-evolved among us.

And the glorious Winner for 2007 is:

1. When his 38-caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach , California , would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

now, the Honourable Mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat- cutting machine and submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

3. A man who shovelled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.

5. A Texas teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer: $15.

7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.

8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, 'Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from.'

9. The Ann Arbor Michigan News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti , Michigan , at 5 a.m., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away.

******THE 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER*****

10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges, saying that it was the best laugh he'd had in a very long time.

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Cured? a good Irish joke!

A doctor in Dublin wanted to get off work and go fishing, so he approached his assistant.

'Murphy, I am going hunting tomorrow and don't want to close the clinic..

I want you to take care of the clinic and take care of all me patients'.

'Yes, sir!' answers Murphy.

The doctor goes fishing and returns the following day and asks: ' So, Murphy, how was your day?'

Murphy told him that he took care of three patients.

'The first one had a headache so he did, so I gave him Paracetamol.'

'Bravo Murphy lad, and the second one?' asks the doctor.

'The second one had indigestion and I gave him Gaviscon, so I did sir' says Murphy.

'Bravo, bravo! You're good at this and what about the third one?' asks the doctor.

'Sir, I was sitting here and suddenly the door flies open and a young gorgeous woman borsts in so she does. Like bolt outta the blue, she tears off her clothes, taking off everyting including her bra and her panties and lies down on the table, spreading her legs and shouts: 'HELP ME for the love of St Patrick! For five years I have not seen any man!''

'Tunderin' lard Jesus Murphy, what did you do?' asks the doctor.
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'I put drops in her eyes..'
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Many uses for a Vibrator


An elderly gentlemen had been living with his spinster daughter for some years. One day, upon returning home he heard an unusual whirring noise. Wandering around the first floor, he noticed that the noise seemed to be coming from somewhere upstairs.


He proceeded up the stairs to investigate. Walking around, he realized that the noise increased as he neared his daughters closed bedroom door. Whereupon he quickly open the door to make sure that everything was alright.


He was astonished by the sight of his daughter, stretched out naked on her bed with a vibrator violently shaking in her hand.

"Sylvie! What in tarnation is goin' on?" He shouted!

Sylvie, without hesitation replied: "Daddy, I have needs! Isn't it obvious? I know that I'm not going to find anybody to marry, so please leave me alone, and shut the door on your way out."

Somewhat chagrined, he retreated, and closed the door as he exited.

Not too many days later, his daughter returned home from doing some errands. When she entered the living room, she was surprised to hear an unusual whirring noise coming from somewhere.

As she walked around, she realized that the noise was coming from somewhere on the second floor. When she walked around the upstairs hall, she realized that the noise originated from behind her fathers closed bedroom door.

Throwing the door open, she was astonished to see her father, dressed in a tuxedo, with a glass of bourbon in one hand, and her vibrator violently shaking the other.

"Daddy! What in tarnation is goin' on?" She shouted!

Without hesitation, he replied "Sylvie, I have needs too! Isn't it obvious? I'm having a drink with my son-in-law! So please leave us alone, and shut the door on your way out."

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Archives:
2007: Fun Monday 13

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Not what I planned!

This is not my planned post for today. However when I saw Robin's post, I just had to show a picture of my own hallway to show her the similarities. Well on second thoughts maybe not so similar but we do both have diamond pattern on the wall, a polished handrail and white painted uprights on the banister!


The other thing I wanted to say is when I posted my recipe for Broccoli Lemon Chicken I somehow manage to omit the chicken stock from the recipe section. One eagle eye spotted the deliberate mistake after I mentioned stock in the method. I have now amended the post.
So thank you Laurie.

Archives:
2007: What a mess

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Monday, April 14, 2008

Fun Monday # 62 THE DOUBLE NICKEL 5&5 CHALLENGE


This week The Nekked Lizards give us THE DOUBLE NICKEL 5&5 FUN MONDAY Challenge. They say the rules are simple (however, they DO realize Swampy will be challenged to the max with this one!)

FIVE PICTURES - FIVE WORDS PER PICTURE.
Any 5 (FIVE) pictures, any subject, and any 5 (FIVE) words to describe and/or explain each picture. CAN YOU DO IT???..........I wonder!!!!!!


Can you brelieve this guy!!!!
He might have a point!


Whose Favourite fodder is Dandelions??



A chap has to try!
Playing with light on Aubrietia!

I don't know about you but I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone's photos!
Archives:
2007: Tortoise weigh in

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Sunday, April 13, 2008

Award.........and update from yesterday!

How about this for an award........

I'm not really sure that I merit this, but Jackie, The mother of this lot over at Mother's Pride has decided to pass on this award to me as I make her laugh. I can tell you I feel like the cat who got the cream~ so thank you Jackie.

It is to be passed on to those blogs which make me laugh, cry, think or sigh; so I am passing this on to just a few of the many I could have chosen.......

Alison RDH Mom your adoption series have taken me through all these emotions.

John you make me laugh with all the pub antics and you are a star for keeping me supplied with material for my Wednesday posts :)

Merle you always have lots of amusing little stories to bring a smile to anyone's face and, I know I've said it before, but Embee loves your blog!

Terri @ My4kids because I admire you and often sigh when I read about the struggle you sometimes have to get the best services for your children. Also I am feeling really sad for all the family issues you are having to deal with at the moment. Terri also a tooth abscess which is no fun at all.

Beccy gets one because I want to tempt her back to blogging but I don't think I will succeed at the moment (sigh)
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UPDATE ON YESTERDAY'S POST
I promised you a look into Sam's suitcase and this is what I found when I opened the lid!Now I wonder if there is anything that is not needed and can be got rid of....let me know Sam!!

Archives:
2007: My Computer

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Saturday, April 12, 2008

Loft clearance...

The government are sponsoring a scheme to enable, particularly, the elderly population to insulate their homes better. However, when I was offered a free survey, I was still sceptical, you don't get something for nothing I said to the teenager (well that what she looked like to me) who knocked at the door. I might have been a bit intimidating with my scathing comments, as it seemed she couldn't get away fast enough. Anyway she left me with some information and I agreed someone could call me to discuss a visit. I didn't hear anything and promptly forgot about it.
Then to my surprise, a couple of weeks later, I got a call and booked a visit. The guy came on Thursday and although I could tell you this guy was what I call a smarmy salesman with his 'oh, this is terrible, I've never seen anything like this' I'll get to the crunch- because two member of the household are over 70 we get the work done absolutely free! Yes you did hear correctly I said FREE!! Then I thought about it and of course it's coming from taxes that I have paid over the years so it's not exactly free but good as!!!
All this guy's patter about the state of the current insulation was to no avail because as I pointed out, it doesn't matter, if it needs doing then that's what has to happen and it won't cost us a penny. He was clearly trying to paint a very bad picture to make me (had I been paying) feel compelled to have the work done, clearly what he does to those who do not get a full grant. The downside is the loft has to be completely cleared and they do not do this unless we pay some exorbitant fee. So I declined and said we would do it ourselves.
The conversation went something like this:

him "I can't do a proper survey with everything in the loft why don't you contact me again when it is clear". (me thinks "he is trying to wriggle out of this agreement, after all we would not be paying!)

me "how long before the work could be done"

him "Six week"

me "Six weeks, why that's plenty of time to clear everything out"

him "maybe you would like to discuss it with your husband and I will need the National Insurance number of one of the people who are over 70"

me interrupting him "my husband works better to a deadline~ and six weeks gives us plenty of time and don't worry about the NI number if I can't find it I can always ring my husband and get it (which I did in fact have to do)"

him (I felt a little reluctantly) "oh alright let's have another look and maybe I can manage to measure up for materials"

me "that sounds great" (smiling sweetly)

I was not impressed with the way he measured for material from the dimensions of the rooms below the loft. Sometimes the measure was hanging and in places he was going to ignore small areas of space ~ but I soon put him right!! I don't know about you but I get really mad when men assume woman know nothing (even when it's true~ which isn't often!)

Our kitchen has a separate loft area and that also needs to have the insulation replaced. Now one thing he did point out was that the original insulation had not been laid correctly between the joists. Now this was done when we first moved into the house nearly 22 years ago (prior to this no insulation and no dividing wall to the house next door!), and has not been effective for all that time~ no wonder our kitchen is always freezing!
The flat on the back of the house is fine as Embee replaced that roof insulation about four years ago, and is apparently the correct thickness.

With the six week deadline in mind......today we started the clearance~ below is one of the pictures I took from the top of the loft ladder. Most of the things you see in this picture belong to oldest daughter.
Below is the first carload we took to the rubbish dump!
Below is a suitcase belonging to Sam.........why am I showing this?
Well I want Sam to tell me if she can remember what interesting items are in this case and anyone else who fancies can also have a guess . I will show a picture of the contents tomorrow or maybe as part of my fun Monday post!!!

Beccy we haven't come to any of your things yet~ I know your teapots are up here somewhere!


Archives:
2007: British is Best Traditional English meal

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Friday, April 11, 2008

Broccoli Lemon Chicken

Today I am very busy so won't have much time for blogging. So here's one I prepared earlier....I thought I would let you drool or not over a meal I cooked last week taken from the 101 one-pot dishes

Recipe:
1 tbsp groundnut or sunflower oil
340g pack mini chicken breast fillets (sometimes called goujons)

2 garlic cloves sliced
2oog pack tender-stem broccoli (stems halved if very long)
200ml/7fl oz chicken stock
1 heaped tsp cornflour

1 tbsp clear honey or 2tsp golden caster sugar

grated zest of half lemon (and juice of 1 lemon)

large handful of roasted cashew nuts

Method:
Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok
Add chicken and fry 3-4 mins until golden. Remove from the pan and add the garlic and broccoli. Stir fry for a minute or so, then cover and cook 2 minutes more until almost tender (took longer).
2 Mix the stock, cornflour and honey or sugar well, then pour into pan and stir until thickened. Tip the chicken back into the pan and let it heat through, then add the lemon zest and juice and the cashew nuts. Stir,then serve straight away.
Takes 15-25 minutes
Serves 2 generously.
Remember the broccoli is 'al dente'.

Archives:
2007: Witty Wednesday 2

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