Saturday

Today has been a very busy and enjoyable day.

 

It started out being frustrating as I was going to help out at  a Health Mela in Chorley but I got lost

Of course I didn't take the address with me as thought I knew where I was going. After a few phone calls and asking for directions I finally made it, over 1/2 hr late. The positive from the negative is take your address with me

The intention was to help set up our stall but it was sorted when I got there.

Helen and Harriet were there and we had a lovely time talking to other groups and exchanging ideas and addresses.

 

We all had a henna pattern on our hands

It is the natural brown Henna not the Black that is dangerous.

 

I then decided I would like another pattern higher up my arm.

 

Helen brought me a cup cake stand that had been donated to the group

It needs over 40 cakes to fill it so that will be interesting.

I thought it would be nice to fill it for our coffee mornings. 

 

I have now packed and am ready to set off on our holiday tomorrow.

 

Friday

I've quite enjoyed blogging everyday again this week so I will keep it up as much as I can. I need to get back into taking photos while I am out and about as I had got out of that habit as well.
So once again Thanks for this week Lynne.

Today was reserved for getting ready for going away on Sunday but I have done a few other things as well. Claire rang me last night and asked if I would go with her to her interview at the Job Centre mid day today so I fitted that in with going to the supermarket for my gluten free shopping for next week. I've sorted most of my medication out and started to get my clothes packed. Unfortunately I can't finish the washing as the machine is playing up. It is stopping at the rinse cycle and we have had to put it on to rinse only, then when it was finished the door wouldn't open.

 

Roland trying to sort the machine out.

 

I could hear him banging the machine and I thought it was with some tool or other but he said it was his hand. He has managed to get the washing out but we have 2 more piles to do yet so it looks like a trip to one of the children

We are actually not due in Devon until Monday but we are going the day before so we can visit my sister in Craven Arms in Shropshire. We are taking some of the stuff we have been saving for her until she got a new place.

 

This is a cup my dad won in 1937 from a Poultry Association

 

Today I cleaned it as I am taking it to Marion so she can look to see if there is any information about the Association.

 

I also heard our local crafting shop is closing down soon and they are selling everything half price

so I had to go and have a look at what they had left - they have been winding down for a while.

Of course it was pouring with rain and I arrived home like a drowned rat.

Thursday

Today Catherine, Jayne, Amber and Baby Leo came to see us. I should have taken Cath to see them but I was so tired Jayne took Leo to work this morning so she could have the car and bring her mum here.

 

 

Amber and Leo enjoying cakes

 

Amber put makeup on as she was coming to see us!!!

 

It was the first thing she showed us when she walked in the door.

 

 

Leo is now walking

 

(even with a drink in his mouth)

although he still finds crawling easier

 

 New Hat

 

Our lovely Jayne

 

Something happened at the group yesterday which upset me

I was awake a lot in the night worrying about it.

Today I hope I've learned not to take things to heart so easily.

Wednesday

Busy day today. This morning I had my hair cut then went to the craft group this afternoon.

We had a demonstration of rag rug making

then had a go ourselves.

We were shown how to cut strips out of old clothes for the rags.

Unfortunately I have just given 2 bags of clothes to the Charity shop so I'll have to save some more.

 

This is my effort

I think I need a lot of practice

I took some photos of our mill going down. It is so sad

 

 

This evening I went with Helen to the AGM of the Preston Community Network.

A 5 minute business meeting then lots of natter, tea and goodies.

Another busy day - roll on the holidays.

 

Tuesday

                 

 

“Life is like a camera.

Just focus on what’s important,

Capture the good times,

Develop from the negatives

And if things don’t turn out 

- Take another shot”

               ~ Anonymous

 

 

What do they say about the plans of mice and men?

Well my plans to blog every day went pear shaped today

I've had a really bad stomach upset and didn't do anything interesting to write about

Seems to be OK now but it is 10pm so no photos today

 

 

 

It was lovely to talk to Lynne this morning. It's been a while since we spoke so it was lovely to catch up.

I was telling Lynne that I was getting out of the habit of blogging since I stopped doing it every day

so I'm going to have to try a daily blog at least for this week.

 

 

June quotation from Lynne

“Life is like a camera.

Just focus on what’s important,

Capture the good times,

Develop from the negatives

And if things don’t turn out 

- Take another shot”

               ~ Anonymous

 

I really love this quote as even at my age I learn something daily and often have to try something again. to get it just right.

I'm going to concentrate on the good this week though

I love it when the family enjoy my baking
These are supposed to be for the grand children

 

 

This is what I made for Roland on Friday

Craig the kitchen fitter came and put these cupboards in on Friday
Can't use them yet as the shelf needs supporting before I put any weight on it.
I am going to put the pots in them that are in the loft at the moment.

.

 

 

 

 

 

The Service of others

Well Lynne, I've finally got to answer your challenge.

 

"The Best Way to Find Yourself is in the Service of Others"

 

Mahatma Gandhi 1869-1948

 

I have thought long and hard about this and believe that any mother works for the service of others then as your parents get older you carry on looking after then.

Grandmothers and great grandmothers do the same.

I think most of my life has been spent in the service of others, not intentionally, it just happened.

First through family then with the careers I chose.

When I left school I went to work for the NHS, first as a cadet nurse then into nursing training in Carlisle I didn't finish my training as I got pregnant with Shaun and at that time they suggested it would not be a good idea to train as a young mother.

 

As a cadet

the uniform was tan

 

As a Student Nurse

 

I moved from Carlisle to Preston when Shaun was 2 and Catherine was a baby.

There I trained to be a teacher at a mature training College in nearby Chorley

I decided to do this as I would be able to have holidays with the children.

It didn't take me long to find out teachers holidays were not holidays

 but a break from the classroom,time to plan and prepare for the next term. I bet you didn't know a head could call you into school at any time during holiday time if they wanted to and you had to go.

My mum and dad were thrilled when I started my training as they always wanted me to be a teacher and in the end all 3 of their daughter joined the profession.

 

My First teaching Post

This was the whole school

I am on the left of the photo standing next to the children 

 

 

 

 

Holidays 2

Today I thought I'd write about holidays with the children.

When the older children were young we very rarely went on holiday as a family. My first husband was a bricklayer and said summer was his busiest time for work. He didn't like family holidays anyway.
Once again Mum and Dad came to the rescue and took myself and the children away with them in their caravan. Mostly we visited the Llynn Peninsula and stayed near places with lovely names like Aberdarron, Whistling Sands and, I'm sure, PortIago. The children had a great time because mum and dad , having all the "facilities" including a shower tent, used to find sites on farmland so the children had all these fields to roam in. One time we were staying at a farm in June when it was Catherines birthday and she saw a calf being born on her birthday. She had made friends with the farmer and his wife and we only saw her when we were going to the beach.



 

 

When I married Roland, Shaun, Catherine and Claire had grown up and left home so we only had Jenny and Roly at home. I used to trawl different books I bought to find the cheapest holiday cottages we could find and went away every year and visited different areas each time. We had some brilliant holidays. This was before we were internet savvy.

 

A snapshot of some of our holidays

 

 

Our first holiday abroad

in Lanzarote

 

In Oxford with Kevin Whatley

when he was in Morse

 

In Exmouth?

 

Climbing Blencathera

 

Minehead

 Hereford overlooking the Golden Valley

Nostalgia Holidays

I decided today I would tell you a little about my childhood holidays.
I was very fortunate as a child as my parents took us on holiday every year.
When we were very young we went to Mablethorpe and Trusthorpe on the east coast in Lincolnshire. It wasn't very far away from where we lived in Derbyshire. We went with Nana and Granddad, Auntie Eileen and Uncle Stan and I suspect Grandad paid for the holidays as I don't think dad earned much in those days.

 

Mary and myself 

 I'm the older one

Marion with Auntie Eileen and Uncle Stan 

It was very sad because they never had children of their own.

 Marion with one of dads famous sand castles

Mum Dad Marion Mary and myself

Mary and I are in coats Nana bought us

She bought us new ones for Easter.

 Mum with her 3 girls

 

Mary and I in a park.

unfortunately I've no idea where it is.

 

Later, when we went up to Carlisle to a better job for my dad and as nana and granddad got older we went on holiday just with mum and dad.

As dad worked in Horticulture the summer was extremely busy for him so our holidays were always at Whit week. We went away without fail and usually to the South coast. 

The weather always seemed to be good then.

 

 

 

We went to Folkstone, where mum came from.

 

I remember travelling on the Romney, Hythe and Dimchurch railway

 

And this one was at a caravan somewhere near Chichester

 

 

 



Relax

Wow Anne, It's not been a good week for relaxing, but I have managed to do a little.
The worst thing about it is I forgot to take photos on the most important days.

Saturday 8th I went to Goldborne Scrappers for the first time. I really enjoyed the day. Kath picked me up and gave me a lift there and back. We met Jackie, Sian and her mum and Leannie. and we had a good natter.
Sunday I went to pick up Nikki, Jo and Sian and brought them here. We had a picnic in the garden then went on the park to the play area.
Jayne turned up later with Amber and baby Leo and it was lovely to see them all playing together.
I just can't believe I forgot to take photos.

Group committee meeting on Monday, another on Wednesday and a meal on Thursday.

Tuesday was sewing. Janet is going to help me alter the suit I wore for Roly and Louises wedding as it is too big for me now. I want to wear it at Jayne and Leos wedding in September. She also popped in on Friday morning to look at my new machine and we tried the embroidery unit. We tried a dragon which would look lovely on the pocket of a top. The machine tells you which colours to use but I can see me changing the colours advised to fit in with my colour schemes.

My friend Brenda came for the afternoon and we went to look at Botany Bay in Chorley, an old mill that has been converted into a shopping centre for independent retailers. There were lots of things there that I can buy for token Christmas presents so I will be going back again nearer Christmas time.

So I have been enjoying lots of things but I can't say I was exactly relaxing.

Saturday and Sunday I have caught up with my relaxing, (basically doing nothing)
Today Roly, Louise and Oliver came round for Fathers day and Louise is OK but tired.

We had a scare last weekend as Louise was in a great deal of pain and she had to go to the hospital and stayed in for a few days. She has seen a physiotherapist about her back and they have given some crutches if the pain gets as bad again but they discovered that she is losing  the fluid in the womb so she is going back every 2 days to be monitored. It seems to be OK at the moment but she is seeing the specialist on Thursday who may decide she must have the caesarean before the 36 weeks they had originally planned.

The garden is beautiful at the moment

Look how much the carrots have grown.
I need to thin them out

 

 

I just can't believe it is nearly 3 weeks since I last blogged and as the time is moving on I am finding it more difficult to sit down and start. So before I completely chicken out I thought I had better get on with it.

I'm sorry Kathi and Lynn I missed your weeks as I can imagine how hard it is to create your challenge. I will be catching up with those tomorrow.

Quite a lot has happened since I last blogged. As well as the days spent with the ME group I have spent the Bank Holiday weekend with friends up in Gretna and been to have my final (thank goodness) gastroscopy. As well as that the weather is now warm enough to enjoy being the garden.

The weekend away was lovely. I travelled up to Carlisle on the train on Friday (leaving Roland at home) and was met there by my friend Jen and hubby Dougy.
The next day we travelled, again on the train, to Newcastle to go to the Theatre to see "Woman in Black". We had lunch in a café near the theatre but when we left the café we were sent back inside by the police as there was a demo. The processions were diverted down a side street along the side of the café and some members were banging on the windows so hard we thought they might break them. It was frightening. We were also anxious about not getting to the theatre on time but fortunately we made it. We found that this was a ghost story so it was a very interesting day out.
I stayed with Jen until Monday as the trains were disrupted on the Sunday for repairs on the line.

On Wednesday that week I went for ANOTHER gastroscopy fortunately this time the doctor removed the last large stone. He couldn't assure me this would not happen again.
That day I missed a craft day run by my friend Marion from NI but she did come down to see me that evening and we had a really good catch up.

We are also having our conservatory made into an extension of our living room so we have had builders and an architect visiting us. We live in a timber framed house which was built in the 1960s so we have decided to have the cladding removed and have some new insulation put in the walls. The plastic cladding will then be replaced with bricks. We hope it will be started mid July.

 

Our meal after the theatre

 

 

A snapshot of our garden this week

 and look at my carrots.