Blog virgin

This

2011-06-03T12:11:00.001Z

This, a 10 minute walk from home, and I didn't get ONE ticket. Time to book a holiday I think :-)

No Fly Zone

2010-04-19T10:05:00.008Z

Living, as I do, in Stratford and about 15 minutes from City airport and also being on the flight path for those long haul flights that come in low to follow the Thames at silly o'clock in the morning. I have enjoyed the peace and quiet of the skys.

I know it has caused problems for a lot of people, and for that I am sorry, but some of those long haul flights are louder than when they are taking off from Heathrow (Due to noise abatement proceedures, which do not apply over our side of London).

They'll be back today, but it has been nice.

My Birthday present & The legend of Poo Bridge

2010-04-12T14:27:00.004Z

Christine presented me with a photo album. On the front was a photo of me aged 14 months and as I opened it, there was a photo of my Mum and Dad with a little narration.

She had filled it with old photo's of me and friends along with little stories they had told her about me. One from my friend Sue cracked me up with laughter. Christine had decorated the photo of us with a ship in full sail. Many years ago I had gone on a boating holiday to the Norfolk Broads with Sue and her family, and as teenagers do, we had found an off license and smuggled a bottle of gin back to the boat. Needless to say we had both got very drunk, and as I climbed onto my bunk the curtain had opened and I swear I saw a ship with full sails just floating backwards and forwards and told her I was looking at a ghost ship!! Obviously it wasn't (although I have no idea WHAT it was but I did see something) and there it was in the album.

There were poems and photos of my grandchildren as babies and then a photo of a canal bridge along with a comment 'Poo bridge.....you can tell that story' So this is the story of Poo bridge. Its not pleasant but very funny.

THE LEGEND OF POO BRIDGE

I was with friends on our first ever canal boat holiday I have written about it here

On our last afternoon we had moored up by a pub and Christine (my friend)and I had decided to walk to the marina to get a paper. The marina was about a mile away along the canal and off we set. I suppose we were probably about 2/3rds of the way there when I was suddenly overcome by terrible stomach cramps and just knew I was not going to make it to the marina, I was desperate, and I am not going into detail, but surfice to say, deli belly had nothing on me that day. Luckily I shouted to my friend to keep a look out for boats and managed to find a little area tucked away by a canal bridge. I did the obvious and then asked my (usually) very efficient friend Christine 'Do you have a tissue on you?' She looked at me, felt in her pockets and replied 'no' So I am stuck there now are't I? So then I asked her 'Have you got anything on you to so I can wipe my ****?' Her reply was 'Well I have some bread to feed the ducks'.....................So I used the bread. Sorry ducks but I had no choice and if it is any consolation, the bread wasn't very fresh so left crumbs in rather uncomfortable places. So that bridge became 'poo bridge' and it is there in my album too which made me laugh even more.

Christine (My daughter) isn't working at the moment so she made the album and decorated it and I have to say, I laughted and cried. It has been made with lots of love and she has taken the trouble to contact a lot of my friends asking for stories and quotes and it is certainly the best present she has ever given me.

50!!

2010-04-09T08:25:00.010Z

I woke up to lots of cards and a few pressies! Then I got a call on my mobile from my grandchildren. I was so happy as along the canal I rarely had a signal but we had moored back at Tal-y-bont where the canal is high on an embankment. Kai was singing happy birthday, while Sian was crying because SHE wanted to speak to me first. I must admit, for one split second, I did wonder why I had decided to celebrate being 50 without them but then the cake came out.

As we had a few hours to kill until Christine, Sharon and LM arrived from Crewe (And what we didn't realise was that we would end up with a LOT more hours to kill)we decided to take a nice hike up the hill to Talybont reservoir On the way up I came across a lovely little villiage called Aber. It really was a delightful little place as you can see

It was raining on an off, but again the views were fantastic!!

We then went back to the boat and waited for my guests to arrive. Now, when I was arranging it with Sharon some weeks previously, she pointed out to me that there were 2 Talybonts (in actual fact, there are 5) so I established that I would be at Talybont on Usk and she duely booked the B & B. About 2pm I got a text to say they were running late as they had left late, then about 4pm my niece got a call from my daughter to tell her they were just coming into Talybont, so I stood on the tow path and waited for them to come along the road, there were no cars to be seen and then I could hear Elizabeth telling Christine to look out for the post office and it was obvious by the one way conversation that they couldn't see a post office, in fact, they could see the sea!!! They had gone to the wrong Talybont and were in the one close to Cardigan bay (hence the view of the sea!!) I have to admit, I was upset at first but then gradually began to see the funny side of it, because if it was going to happen to anyone, it would have to be Sharon!!

Eventually we went out for some dinner and caught up with them at their B & B at 9pm!! The poor things had been in the car for 9 hours, and as Sharon has some serious health issues, was a little stressed. But they said they had seen some of the most beautiful scenery, and as the rain stopped, seen a really lovely sunset along with most of Wales.

Christine presented me with her gift, and that deserves a blog of it's own. It made me cry, it made me laugh, and I have to say, was the best present any girl could give her Mum

Day 3 Last day of 49

2010-04-07T10:34:00.005Z

On Thursday we decided to leave Llangynidr and go up the canal a bit before turning around, we had aranged to meet my best friend Sharon, my daughter Christine and Sharon's daughter Linn Marie the following day to celebrate me 'not being 49 anymore' The views were fantastic and there wasn#t another boat in sight as we slipped over an aquaduct and turned into a turning point.............Where, we got stuck, Solid!!

We couldn't jump off as we were too far away from the bank, we couldn't pole off as trying to use the pole just resulted in the pole going about 18 inches into the mud! Which was also why we couldn't jump off into the water! We stood there for about 20 minutes when a group of teenagers came around the corner with the hugest back packs I have ever seen. They were on the Duke of Edinburgh scheme and how fantastic they were. They caught the back rope and heaved, and I do mean heaved until they managed to pull us around the way we had already been facing, it meant going to the next turning point and I had no idea if it was as bad as one we had already been jammed in, but we left them with a promise to gee up the others on the scheme who were behind them. About 5 minutes later we came across them having a rest and a fag!! Then immediately after them the turning point. Blink and you'd miss this one, but I turned in and got stuck when we were almost turned round. Again we couldn't pole off but The Duke of Edinburgh lots came to our rescue again and we were able to start our criuse back to Tal-y-bont.

It started to rain heavily but it was still beautiful, as you can see

Boating continued.

2010-03-31T10:25:00.007Z

Wednesday, it rained all day, but it wasn't windy and with good waterproofs who cared? I was about to do my first ever tunnel and OMG what a tunnel it was!!! The guy at the Marina had warned us that it sagged in the middle and sag it did, to the point that I steered the boat on my knees with my other friend squatted down beside me and the ladies at the front shouting LEFT! NO! NO! RIGHT!!! It was really funny, but only after we emerged from it. At one point I thought we had stopped, but you could see the opening either end and it was only 375 yards long. We emerged into the rain unscathed, with painful knees and big sighs of relief.

We cruised through 5 locks at Llangynidr one in a boat hire base, he had all his boats moored up and one was moored on the lock mooring which meant I had to hold the boat outside the lock and then got stuck in the silt!! The marina owner was very nice about it but I was so worried about bashing his boats I was a bit rude to him for mooring his boats at the lock!! He did make it up to me though, by jumping on and poling the boat off of a massive tree we had got wedged against.

We found a lovely mooring spot in Llangynidr amongst the trees. While we were cruising down a frog had jumped from the lock gate into our boat and was sitting quietly hidden in the hose reel, my niece took this picture. Finally I have found my prince!!

We took a look around the villiage. Sadly the villiage shop was almost empty, she was hanging on by the skin of her teeth but admitted she had a cash flow problem so couldn't stock the shop up fully. With the new boating season starting I hope she manages ok.

For our evening meal we went to the Coach and Horses,it would seem that Bollocky Bill had been there before us. As we ordered our dinner the rather distinguished looking landlord came to our table and began to recant this tale!

(Imagine strong Welsh accent with very good story telling skills)

'The tom tom drums were going. There is a boat full of women stuck in the mud! The cry went out!! Send out a rescue party!! 200 volunteers went in search of the women but they couldn't be found for they were here eating dinner'
We all laughed, surely a boat full of women isn't that unusual? The food was great though and so were the locals. He even lent us a torch to go back to the boat with as our boat didn't have one.

Brecon Boating Birthday Bonanza

2010-03-30T10:52:00.010Z

On Monday the 22nd of March we set off to not so sunny wales and picked up Delyth from Cambrian Cruisers. After a little run through Jonathon jumped off and we made our way to Brecon marina. There was only one lock on the way, but they have to be left empty with the bottom gates open, and as we were going up, it was twice the work. I got the boat in the lock and then we started to fill it up and we waited and waited and waited, silly us had forgotten the basic rule of lock operation! The bottom paddles were open slightly, once we sorted that out we were out in no time. Brecon is a lovely little town with a big population of Gurkha's and the marina has been refurbished with some lovely cottages for the elderly. That first evening we ordered a Chinese and I have to say, it was the best I have ever tasted! Lovely

This is the motley crew, taken as 2 pics because someone had to take a photo.

Being some of the first boats of the season there were quite a few shallow places and inevitably we kept getting grounded..........in front of the same boat. So picture this, there in the boat behind, is Mr Super experienced (Fondly named Bollocky Bill by one of the all female crew!!) sitting smugly by the tiller while the wife has to jump on and off and do a lot of the graft, dispensing his wise words like 'Oh just reverse when the front floats out' Or 'Aquaduct? What aquaduct?' All the time, watching us trying to pole ourselves off with this smug self satisfied look on his face because he wasn't stuck!! Eventually we got the hang of staying no matter what in the middle of the channel and actually caught him up at Tal-y-Bont on Usk where he kept the electrically operated lift bridge open for us.

Now we all know it rains in Wales, and it did, continually, but the views? Stunning, we would cruise around a tight little bend, and there were the most spectacular views of the brecon mountains. New lambs in the fields, woodpeckers, long tailed tits, wrens. It was magnificent. By the end of day two we moored at Tal-y-Bont on Usk. A pretty little place with a fantastic post office/store/cafe. Bollocky Bill had gone ahead..............

Off cruising

2010-03-19T10:37:00.005Z

Gosh it's been a long time since I blogged. My old manager took VR in July and I have been busy ever since.
Anyway I have been reading with envy about Akelamalu's lovely cruise and I am off on a cruise myself on Monday, but a cruise of a different kind.

No lovely Caribbean beaches (Or weather) for me but a weeks cruise along the Brecon and Monmouth canal with 3 friends and my niece. I'm 50 you see, my half century will be upon me next week and my daughter, best friend and her daughter will be meeting up with the boat in Talybont on Usk to help me celebrate my 'not 49 anymore' birthday! I am soo looking forward to the break and seeing the beautiful Welsh countryside, I am determined to take it easy and get off and look around properly. It's only 33 miles long, and I could get to the end and back but what would be the point of that?

So when I get back I will be uploading some pics so you can celebrate my 'Half Century' with me.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2009-12-21T14:21:00.002Z

Well it's been a bit of a hectic year for me. Old manager took voluntary redundancy, I now have my old old manager. No Comment! Christine got married at last. I moved back to London to look after my Dad and rented my house out in Crewe. So I would like to say MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE.

Things to look forward to in 2010
Being more settled.
Sister moving to Devon so I have somewhere else nice to visit in this country
Reaching my half century and spending a week on a narrowboat to celebrate with friends
Visiting the old boss in Spain
Winning the euromillions? Or is that a bit too much to ask?!!!

Enjoy all.

More wedding pics

2009-10-20T10:57:00.004Z

Here are some more

Wedding Bells

2009-10-20T08:57:00.003Z

Well there were no bells, but I have just come back from St Lucia where my one and only baby, Christine got married. I was so proud to give her away. Petrus's parents live in St Lucia so they organised a party for the Saturday after the wedding. Here are some pics for you

Very sad

2009-09-08T11:30:00.002Z

Yesterday, as I came through Stratford station, I noticed police stationed at the stairs stopping people from entering one of the platforms. The obvious sprung to mind and this was confirmed by an announcement telling people the west bound central line services were suspended due to a person under the train.

The first thing that struck me was a woman with a young child, arguing with a police officer insisting she had to get onto the platform as she had to get to Holborn. Some people really don't think, then as I walked out of the station. Bearing in mind my last blog. This

5 Rapid response amulance cars, one of them attached to the London Air Ambulance.
1 London Air Ambulance
1 Ordinary Ambulance
2 Fire Engines
4 Police cars

Sadly I read here that the person died but it made me so glad I live in a country where I only need medical insurance through choice.

People Of America

2009-08-17T08:15:00.004Z

People of America, please listen to your president and not the words of Daniel Hannan. This is a man who more than likely claims huge amounts of tax payers money and it quite capable of paying for private treatment and wouldn't know how the NHS is run if it jumped up and smacked him in the nose (Preferably with a baseball bat).

Our NHS service is wonderful, sometimes things go wrong, but the most important thing about our NHS is:

1. On entry to A & E I will never be assessed to make sure I have enough medical insurance coverage/Money to pay for treatment

2. If I am unfortunate enough to get a long term illness, I will not be refused treatment halfway through because my medical insurance company decide my needs are too expensive and long term to continue cover.

3. I will never get ripped off by an insurance company with high premiums who then start changing the terms of my policy to suit them and not me.

4. If I have a serious accident/heart attack/illness I know I will get the best medical care immediately without being judged on whether I have or have not.

5. I can see my GP on the same day I want to free of charge.

6. Most consultants who work for the NHS also work privately so apart from paying I would most likely see the same person

7. I also get a choice of hospitals

8. My salary is good, but premiums are so high, unless it was offered as a perk by my employer I could never afford to pay the premiums so would not get treatment.

Barak Obama is an enlightened man, who wants the best for everyone. Give him a chance and ignore over inflated egotistical Tories. The reason our NHS was in such a bad way was Conservative induced. Margaret Thatcher was a snob who forgot her working class background and so is Daniel Hannan. We are all human and no one deserves inferior treatment or refusal because they are unable to pay. And remember just because you pay, it doesn't mean things cannot go wrong or illnesses won't go misdiagnosed, paying never guarantees better service.

Birthday Boy

2009-08-11T14:06:00.002Z

I can't believe Kai was 6 yesterday! That has just flown by.

As a treat his Mum and Dad took him to the Arsenal stadium which he didn't know about. As it is around the corner from where I work he thought he was coming to see me. Bless, he got really excited when he saw the stadium and then when he found out he was going inside was even more thrilled.

He had his photo taken on his favorite players seat in the dressing room (Theo Walcott). Went into the directors box, took a look at the pitch (But no footie allowed)but what he did in the Arsenal shop was really lovely.

He got quite a lot of birthday money, so he went around the shop chosing things that he wanted. He got a ball, a hat, some sweets, a mug and water bottle and a bowl. Then he picked up a pink beany bear for his sister. Sadly it is an Arsenal bear and I must confess to having a preference for West Ham but he's only young isn't he?

It made me smile that he is starting to grow up to be a gentleman.

Wedding Dress

2009-08-11T10:47:00.003Z

My Daughter is getting married in St Lucia on October the 8th. At the beginning of the year she chose a wedding dress from Monsoon. They assured us they would have them all year...........

We went out wedding dress buying the other weekend and Monsoon had their sale on, there were a few wedding dresses but not the one she had chosen so we were advised to telephone the customer services to see if they could find us one, which is what I did.

The lady was very nice, read back the product code and description and said there were some units available and that it would be sent to us by post. Last Saturday, it came.

Have you ever bought a wedding dress for your daughter? It was a really exciting momnent for me, until I noticed it was actually an 18 x 18 inch jiffy bag. I wracked my brains trying to think if I had ordered anything else, but I hadn't. When I opened it, it was a wedding dress, wrapped in tissue paper, no hanger, no plastic hanging bag, shoved into the envelope, then horrors of horrors, I took it out and it wasn't the right dress!!! I was upset then angry and tried, without success, to contact the branch of Monsoon that had sent it.

Eventually, my daughter made contact with them and asked me to call them, where I spoke to a lady called Claire. She told me she had a dress in stock and that if I paid for it again she would send it to me and I could take the other one back to any Monsoon and get a refund.

Yesterday that came. In a much bigger jiffy bag along with a really lovely letter. It read:

Dear Mrs Ives
I am sorry for the inconvenience that you have been caused, I have packed the dress as carefully as I can along with it's padded hanger and wedding dress plastic cover.

I have taken the liberty of enclosing more tissue paper so that you can wrap it carefully and lovingly for its journey to St Lucia. I hope you have a great day.

Yours Sincerely
Claire Ralls

Well whoever Claire is, she certainly restored my faith in good customer service and I will be emailing Monsoon and telling them so. People are quick to complain but we never seem to praise much when praise is due do we? So I am going to praise Claire up to her employers and keep my fingers crossed that the dress fits!!!

Bye Bye

2009-07-31T15:41:00.003Z

Ahh my manager left today. She took Voluntary redundancy. I am going to miss her so much because she showed me what it was like having a good manager. Back to the old one now, oh what joy. Still I am a different person to the one he managed before and he could be in for a bit of a surprise.

So farewell Pauline, love you lots and I will be coming over to Spain so much you will end up barring me. I hope your retirement is everything that you want it to be. It's been 2 hours and I am missing you already. BIG KISSES XXX

Parking

2009-07-10T13:26:00.002Z

Resident parking in Newham never ceases to amaze me.

The street I live in, Albert Square, has resident parking. 8am to 6.30pm Monday to Saturday, Ash Road, the street that runs parallel is the same except for the top half which is Monday to Friday 10am to 12pm.

A few residents in Albert Square have had a brush with the refuse lorry and other lorries that go down there, because although the road is not narrow narrow, it is a bit too narrow to accomodate lorries and careless drivers. As a consequence to this some people park with their tyres on the kerb stones.

Over a year ago warnings were placed on the cars informing them that in the future, if they put their wheels on any part of the pavement, they would be ticketed. A few residents phoned the council and explained the problems with the lorries and were told that they would be ok to park on the kerb stone.

Yesterday I went outside to find a penalty notice on my dad's car that had the tyres on the kerbstone. It had been there for over 2 weeks parked in the same place yet on Wednesday they ticketed it and all the other days they didn't, so I phoned Laurence Courtney at the council who, despite his protests that he wasn't, was a jobs worth.
According to the highway code, parking is not allowed on the pavement. Despite neighbours having their tickets cancelled in the past because they were only on the kerbstone until he catagorically told me I could park on the kerb then I couldn't. He demanded to know who had told us that we could park on the kerb so that he could 'personally discipline them', well I couldn't tell him because it wasn't me who phoned. But I am angry, because I suspect, either a new warden went along the road on Wednesday or Mr Courtney is new to the job and should have found out what we had been told and then sent out warnings again. The inconsistencies drive me mad.

Divvy Tuesday

2009-07-06T13:45:00.003Z

I had the day off last Tuesday. I was meeting a friend. It was a boiling hot sunny day and as I was about to set off I saw my friends grandaughter.
My Car has air conditioning so I decided to turn the engine over and run the ac for a while. Usually I check that the car isn't in gear, on this divvy Tuesday, as I was distracted, I didn't! There I was chatting away, I reached into the car, inserted the key, turned the ignition and...................the car zoomed 3 feet forward and went BANG into the car parked in front of it. I felt sick, then a fool. I was parked in my street and the noise was horrendous. With trepidation, I got in the car reversed it back and to my amazement saw that the car I had hit didn't even have one little scratch. I looked at mine and the same. No damage. Phew. I did get my Dad and a friend to double check but luckily for me. No damage to either car.

I went off merrily to meet my friend we sat and had a nice meal. At the end of the meal I needed to 'powder my nose' so skipped off to the toilet. Entered the toilet and thought 'How funny, they have put a water feature in the toilet' It was a stainless steel water feature with water running down it.......but actually I was in the gents and it was the urinal! Luckily for me again, there were no men in attendance.

Tuesday was a definite 'head in the shed' day but it did make me laugh.

Update

2009-06-29T09:07:00.003Z

Well to the few people who read this blog. Apologies. I have been very remiss in blogging and I didn't realise people were interested.

Well work, since my last blog, the director for my department has had to resign 'with immediated effect due to personal reasons' I have seen them come and now I have seen another one go. Isn't that always the way? The vice chancellor decided to take early retirement with immediate effect but will continue to get paid until December. What a retirement package! Hope I get that one when I retire at almost 66 (Thats another blog!)

The situation is dire. All the Voluntary redundancies have been announced (My line manager is one of them) Now they are starting on the compulsory ones. With my line manager going I now have to report to my old one although I would rather chew my right arm off, but I did manage to keep the wolf from the telephonists door as they report to me. So I probably have a job for the 12-18 months.I have decided not to worry about what I can't control and stay put until they chuck me out!!

The good news is, I have tennants in my Crewe house who seem really nice so I am better off financially. My health is good. My mortgage is insured and the sun is shining. Oh and there is air conditioning in the office, so thats a bonus.

I spent the day with my grandchildren yesterday. My Dad and I took them out to lunch then over to Epping forest. Sian is now 19 months old spends the whole day running up and down or for some of that energy!

I love it over the forest and recently spent an open day at Copped Hall which I never realised was there. If you live in the area the next open day is 30th of August. My friend took me over there and the gardens are fantastic even if the house is still a building site.

Ok I promise to update more often Hello to everyone. Hope you are enjoying your summer.

Deleted

2009-04-16T14:03:00.003Z

Well we got the official news yesterday. EVERYONE in the telecoms department is to be 'deleted' in 2010! Quite where the expression 'deleted' came from is anyones guess, but I think it is nasty, impersonal and very rude.

Stranger still was the absense of the managers yesterday, one in particular was absent the whole of last week when the executive group announced the voluntary redundancy scheme and told us we would be told by our heads of departments what the plans were for our department. Well it looks like deletions all around in ISS. I can't quite name names but here is a clue to my distaste: Green Day

Anyone got a job for me?

Lovely Weekend

2009-04-14T08:59:00.005Z

Well I went to Crewe for the bank holiday weekend and stayed with Sharon It was so nice to be able to relax and enjoy the fab weather. I also met up with Les who was moored up at Nantwich on his boat, Valerie. He is a lovely man and was generous with his time and tea, although I did bribe him with a nice cake from Cheerbrooks Les is a seasoned boater now and it was nice to finally put a human being to a blog. A big thanks Les for providing the tea and letting me be nosy. Nice boat. Hope you get the curtains sorted out to your satisfaction. Probably see you again one of these days.

Sharon and I went to dinner one night, Saturday I think, and we found a nice pub but it was quite shocking to be one of only 6 customers. This recession is really biting. The food was delicious and cheap. So come on people, use your local just once a week because once it's gone it's gone. One pub we passed was actually closed!!

Lucky me that I went north (West) as the weather was glorious except for Friday, while the family suffered gloomy skys and rain in London.

It seemed a bit weird going to Crewe and staying at Sharons but my house is ready for renting now and although I went over and mowed the lawns and aired the place, I didn't see much of it and what I did see doesn't feel like mine anymore. Oh well.

Also took a drive out to this place here which is very new but going to be nice. Had a snack there and wiled away an hour looking at the boats.

I hope everyone had a nice Easter, now it's back to work for me!!

2009-04-01T15:59:00.007Z

From akelamalu
1. Name something you use in the shower. Shampoo

2. Name a product for men. Nivea moisturiser

3. Name something people hate to find on their windshields. Squashed insects

4. Name something a man might buy before a date. Condoms

5. What is another word for blemish. Zit

6. Something you cook in the microwave. Porridge

7. Name a piece of furniture people need help moving. Sofa

8 Name a reason a younger man might like an older woman. They are looking for a sugar Mummy

9. Name something a dog does that embarrasses its owner. Farts

10.. Name a kind of test you cannot study for. Eye Test

11. Name something a boy scout gets a badge for. Who Knows?!

12 Name a phrase with the word home in it. Home is where the heart is

13. Name a sport where players lose teeth. Rugby

14. Name something a teacher can do to ruin a student's day. Give them homework

15. What is a way you can tell someone has been crying. Swollen eyes

16. Name a bird you wouldn't want to eat. A Blue Tit, they are so pretty

17. Name something someone would wear with a hole in it. Tights

18. Name something that gets smaller the more you use it. Lipstick

A Mystery

2009-03-25T11:38:00.004Z

Recently I sent off an application to my building society for permission to rent my property. Since my Mum died in October I have been spending more and more weekends with my Dad so decided the property could pay for itself.

I filled in the form with a great deal of care, getting important information from my P60 and sent it off. I noticed after a month or so I still hadn't heard a word from them, that is, until I went back to Crewe this last weekend to finish off emptying the place. There on the mat was a letter from the building society.

I opened it and inside was a letter thanking me for my application but explaining that I hadn't filled in section A of the form (The part I most definitely did as I had to find a p60 to do it) and enclosing another form. I looked at the form carefully.

Part A was the ONLY place that identified who I was and my address, so the mystery is this.

If I forgot to fill in that part of the form, how did the building society know who to write to to inform me that I hadn't?

Photo

2009-03-03T10:24:00.004Z

I spoke about Kay here. I had to publish this photo of her frollicking in the waves of Olu Deniz because this is how I will always remember her. It makes me smile and brings back memories of happier times. I really hope that's where she is now. Thanks to Mark, her son, for letting me have it.

All packed and ready to go

2009-02-25T16:15:00.003Z

Well that's it then, after this weekend the house will be all packed up and ready for renting. I did have a bit of a false start as the neighbours did say their parents wanted to rent it but then changed their minds and as I was cursing thin air asking whoever why were things made so difficult for me, out of the blue, a letting agent rang. One I had called a few months ago ringing as a courtesy call. So around she popped and it's now in the hands of an agent.

I often curse or ask questions to thin air, but that is the first time I have had such a quick response!!

I thought I would feel sad, but actually I didn't. I have got fed up with the travelling up every weekend and now I will have the time to go on some of the London walks I love so much. I love doing those in the summer and we once went on a ghost walk which was funny/spooky and good value for money.

Course I will be going up to see Sharonon a regular basis, so I will still be able to go to my beloved farm shops.

So here's to the next phase

Homeward bound

2009-02-13T14:28:00.004Z

Since my Mum died in October, I have been spending more time living at my Dads than going home to Crewe. This works for me mainly because I work in London anyway.

I had my house in Crewe up for sale for most of last year, in fact I put it on the market in March and up until I took it off the market in November I had ONE viewing. I have now made the decision to empty the house and rent it out unfurnished rather than keep paying the bills and not get there very often. So I am off next week to pack up my home and get it ready for renting.

Despite the fact that for the last 5 and a half years I have only really spent the weekends there and the odd week here and there on annual leave, I have loved living there. It is so different from London where I spend most of my time.1 minute across the road is the park (In fact in that photo you can SEE my house). 5 minutes and I am in the country. 10 Minutes and I can find a nice canal to stroll along. There are farm shops and ice cream farms, pubs to get nice cheap lunches and I am going to miss being able to just go there and chill.

Luckily I have my best friend Sharon literally around the corner from my house so I can still go up to Crewe and stay there with her, but it is going to be weird not being able to just put my key in the door.

So think of me next week, packing up boxes (in fact my whole life!) probably sobbing into my porridge.....

EGG on your (in) face

2009-02-05T12:53:00.003Z

I am the owner of an EGG credit card, I am one of life's naughty people that do not pay off the entire balance at the end of the month. But I am this month!! Oh yes

Anyone who reads this and knows or is an owner of an Egg credit card, I urge you please, to look at your emails and statements. Yesterday they emailed me to tell me that from March my interest rate will rise from 17.9% (Bad enough) to a whopping 21.9% (daylight robbery rate)

So Dear Egg, if you think I am paying to top up your coffers after your parent companies greedy dealers bought crap stocks to bump up their bonuses, you are mistaken. When the interest rates are at their lowest in history I am not going to be party to your profiteering and I hope you go bankrupt!

Let it snow

2009-02-03T14:33:00.005Z

Yesterday, we had, according to Boris Johnson 'Exceptional circumstances' with regards to the snow. I quote 'The right snow just the wrong quantity'

I woke up yesterday morning in London to about 5 inches of snow. I got up, showered and dressed and as I was doing so they announced on the radio that 'All London bus services had been suspended' Now I knew the trains would be up the creek but I have never ever seen the buses suspended after snow. NEVER! It was purely because the bus services were suspended that I couldn't get to work. I had the routes worked out in my head but couldn't get a bus.

Then later on in the afternoon, there was Boris telling the BBC that he thought he had done a brilliant job considering the exceptional circumstances. Well Boris, you didn't. Not even the war stopped London buses.

Oh and while I am on my high horse, how about a special mention to Camden council who shut the local parks for safety reasons!! Brilliant. Lets hope they have gritted the pavements because if the ones outside today are anything to go by they are far more dangerous than a walk in a snowy park.

P.S Can anyone please tell me why the councils no longer grit pavements?

How the mighty fall

2009-01-28T09:53:00.007Z

Oh how I laughed yesterday, a friend sent me a link to an old video. As a teenager I was in love with Gerry Shephard he was one of the lead singers with the Glitterband.

They were Gary's backing band but I loved him before they started out on their own and joined Gary's fan club to get information about his band. With a lot of determination, me and my best friend Sharon discovered where 3 of them lived, John Springate, Peter Phipps (Her favorite) and Gerry.

During the summer holidays, we would get a red bus rover and go all over London, one fine summers day we decided to go to south London and pay a visit to our hero's. Gerry lived in a house in Steatham with his Mum and Dad! I remember the name of the road to this day. Gleneldon Road! I was so excited and scared. I was 13 years old and about to meet my hero! In fact I was so scared that I made Sharon go and knock on the door.

After a minute or so the door was opened by his.....Mum!! Sharon politely asked if Gerry was in and she replied rather vaguely 'Oh no sorry, he has just popped up the shop to get me some toliet rolls'!!! Ha I crack up laughing about it now but then?!! TOILET ROLLS?!! GERRY? HE DIDN'T GO AND BUY TOILET ROLLS HE WAS GOD!!!!! I must admit I was crestfallen!

Still, not to be deterred, she assured us he would be back in a little while so we went down to the shops and hung around for a bit, and then went back. Sharon knocked again and this time he opened the door!! Oh wow!! But what did I do? I was so shy/scared/dappy I hid behind a bush until I was coaxed out!! LOL

Sharon was in love with Peter and she never did get to meet him, we went to his house too but he had left a little while earlier and all we did was wake his Mum up as she came to the door in her dressing gown! We did phone her too once and she invited Sharon around for tea as she was so thrilled that someone loved her Peter!!

A few years later we met Gerry and John again after a concert they were both very nice, but sadly Harvey (Who was driving the car Gerry was a passenger in) was too up his own bum to stop long enough to give us his autograph.

Those days are long gone but I do have a giggle about them with Sharon. Great memories!!

Thankyou

2009-01-27T13:45:00.003Z

I have never been one to go to my family in times of crisis, especially my parents. Recently I have been having a crisis which I was urged to talk to my Dad about. I tried to sort it out myself by other means but seemed to have been thwarted in all attemps (Another blog about that another time)

Finally I had no choice but to go and speak to my Dad. With my Mum recently dying the last thing I ever wanted to do was add stress and worry to his grieving process, but, he was a ROCK!! In fact he made the crisis simply seem like a blip, it even seems to have done something for him too by making him feel useful.

Thankyou Dad. Love you lots. You paid me a compliment by telling me you always thought of me as being pretty 'sorted' I am sorted now and I will be eternally grateful.

Little Miss Naughty

2009-01-22T15:11:00.002Z

I came across this a few months ago while I was having a clear out. This is Christine aged one with a friends son (They are still friends)Considering she will be 30 this year its quite an old picture. Don't you just LURVE the furniture?.........

One for Akelamalu

2009-01-21T09:56:00.005Z

I have been asked for a ghost story by Akelamalu This is true and I really can't explain it but here goes.

After the breakdown of my marriage I went with my daughter to live with my parents for about 2 years. At the time they were both working so used to leave the house about 7am in the morning leaving me and my daughter there until about 8am when I would take her to the childminder and go to work myself.

One morning I got myself and Christine ready and as I tried to open the front door I found I couldn't open it, at first I thought it had been double locked from outside by my Mum or Dad when they had left for work but discovered that actually the latch had been clicked up from the INSIDE. The only person capable of doing this was myself as Christine was about 2 foot tall and hadn't yet moved out of her cot although she did walk by then. I certainly hadn't done it. To be honest, at the time I thought it was strange but didn't give it much more thought.

2 days later, my parents went to work as usual, I pottered downstairs after getting ready letting Christine sleep on for a bit (I had a terrific childminder who lived opposite, who would take her in her PJ's and sort her out)I was sitting in the back living room reading the paper and heard a distinct click in the passage. Again I took no notice, its an old house prone to creaks clicks and bangs from time to time.

I went upstairs to get Christine out of bed and as I brought her down the stairs she got very aggitated and started crying 'Tell man to go away, tell man to go away' and was looking at the front door. I couldn't see anyone, but I stopped halfway down the stairs as by that time, she was trying to hide her face under my jumper and was getting very distressed and looking towards the front door and then trying to hide her face again. I must admit this icy feeling came up from my boots as I tried, really really tried, to see what she was seeing. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I tried to keep myself and her calm. I said loudly, 'Go away man, you are scaring my daughter' and then tried to coax her to have another look, eventually she looked around and then smiled and told me the man had gone. I took her to the back living room gathered our things got to the front door and the latch was up locking us in again!!!

That evening when I got home I spoke to my parents about it and my Dad being a total non believer in the paranormal poo pooed the very thought, but I went to the front door and had a quiet word. When Christine had calmed down she described a man with a 'hat like grandads' (A flat cap) bent with a stick and a grimace (She did these actions as she could only describe him simply)

Many years previously the house had been two flats and my Dads brother and wife had lived in the downstairs one which allowed them use of the cellar. My aunt would never go down the cellar as she maintained there was an old man down there. One day she came to visit and she explained that before they took the flat over it was lived in by Old Mr so and so (Sorry can't remember the name) when he died they got the flat and one day she went down the cellar to get coal and saw him picking through the coal himself. She fled up the stairs as she knew perfectly well he was dead!! She described him as wearing a flat cap and bent over with a walking stick. Because he didn't have any teeth when he smiled he looked quite scary.

There you have it, she described the same person that Christine had seen but I take comfort that at least he was smiling at her!! And after my quiet word, the door latch never did mysteriously put itself in the up position locking us in again!!!

Black Hole

2009-01-20T10:46:00.004Z

Mmmm, So the government is going to bail out the banks AGAIN with our and future generations taxes. In the meantime, the said banks will continue to hound (sometimes to death) ordinary Joe for a missed payment, whilst sitting on piles of hoarded money they were given in the first bail out and bleat that their assets are only worth 30 billion instead of the usual 70 billion. My heart bleeds, but only for ordinary Joe.

Bomb site

2009-01-15T15:37:00.003Z

Even though I was born in 1960 I still remember the bomb sites left over from the blitz of WWII. We had a really large one at the top of our turning, open to the elements with mountains of bricks and building rubble that, as little kids, we would clamber over and play games.

I look back and find that quite amusing. No health and safety in those days. My sister being 8 years older than me can remember personal things and effects being among all the rubble, but by the time I started playing on them most of that stuff had gone to be replaced by the locals unwanted rubbish. I was banned from playing there, quite obviously it was a dangerous place to play, but play there we did. Once I cut my knee very badly and went running to a friends Mum because my Mum would have given me a terrible telling off. We used to build camps or just root around in it.

Nowadays if that were to happen it would be immediately boarded off with huge notices proclaiming that it was a dangerous place for children to play. In fact, it wasn't until recently that it occurred to me that they were places where people had their homes bombed and where some may have died. I just took them for granted as they were always there. I never used to think about HOW or WHY they were there.

Eventually our favorite debris was cleared away and a new school was built there. My local primary school in fact. So the children continued to play on it and still do where the playground now is. There were lots of stories after the school was built about 'haunted toilets' a story that was doing the rounds even when my daughter attended there. Never saw a ghost, but did once witness along with another girl, the door handle going down,the door opening and then the door handle going back up and the door closing. There was a glass panel in the door and no one to be seen..............................

The uncertainty of it all

2009-01-14T14:46:00.009Z

To get to the point, my employer is in trouble. They owe a certain government department a shit load of money because someone on high has been cooking the books. Ordinarily, if it were a regular staff member that had 'made a mistake' we would all be subject to a witch hunt and the offending person dismissed. Because this 'mistake' has been made by the executive group they are not going to 'conduct a finger pointing exercise'. Mmmmm wonder why?

It would also seem, that because it has been written in their contracts, they have also received their performance related pay bonuses, unlike a few of the staff that were on a contract that gave them option days (A day off a month for a 45 minute lunch, instead of an hour) that 'perk' has been phased out but the performance related 'perk' can't possibly be!!!

We have a big union meeting coming up on Friday, thats going to be interesting, a lot of the attendees at the last one weren't even union members!! Strking is not going to do any good as we have all been put on alert to voluntary redundancy and then compulsory redundancy. Bet none of the executive group will be made redundant though. Oh well, whats the point in worrying, its only money after all and they do say the devil looks after his own.......
More on the issue here
http://www.thecasscrisis.blogspot.com/

And this is the other half of my family

2009-01-14T11:52:00.004Z

This is my sister Linda, BIL Ray, nephew Steven and niece Bertie taken at the same place. Poor Steve was the one who was supposed to get married, but didn't. Still he is young free and single now, so if there are any nice young ladies out there.....don't contact me!! He is doing very nicely for himself thankyou!!!

My Family

2009-01-14T11:35:00.003Z

Well this is a photo you won't see often. Here's me with my daughter Christine, SIL Petrus, Grandson Kai and Grandaughter Sian. It was taken on a weekend in Torquay when we were supposed to be attending a wedding. The wedding was cancelled but the weekend wasn't and all the 'guests' turned up anyway. A good time was had by all.

Lost and Found

2009-01-13T12:05:00.003Z

A few weeks back I lost one of a lovely pair of earrings that were brought back from Mauritius for me. I was gutted, mostly because I wasn't going to Mauritius any time soon to replace them!!

Anyway, this weekend I changed the bed linen and got out the clean bedding from the time before, put the cover on the quilt, closed the poppers, put the quilt on the bed, decided the far bottom corner needed straightening so flicked the quilt back and there, embedded in the frilly bit was a shiny ring.
On closer inspection, I discovered it was the missing earring, all nice and shiny after going through a thorough washing machine cycle. It had stayed where it was because when I had stripped the bed I had pulled the quilt cover inside out. So now I am going to have to find a way of putting the other one through a washing machine cycle as it is not as shiny as the lost/found one.

Shame really, it would have been nice to have a good reason to go to Mauritius.............

Friend Indeed

2009-01-12T14:14:00.010Z

It was Susie that first put me in touch with you. She told me you were very easy to talk to and indeed you were. Over the years we became friends. Turkey was our common interest.
My lasting memory of you is a day at Olu Deniz beach. The waves were coming in thick and fast and the sea was quite rough. What did you do? You grabbed my hand and together we ran towards the next wave which promptly took me off my feet and rolled me at the waters edge until I truely thought I was about to drown. I was gasping for air but that sea just kept rolling me over and over. Then for a split second it stopped and I managed to gasp some air and get my head out of the water, it was then that you lost your balance and fell on top of me so that the sea took me and rolled me around at the waters edge again. This time it didn't last long and when I managed to get to my feet I noticed about 4 men running towards us getting ready to rescue me. I was quite shaken up at the time but you thought it was hilarious. You decided it was time to run at the waves again, but this time you didn't notice the big one coming in and as you turned to run into the sea and then caught sight of the massive wave that was about to engulf you, you turned on your heels with a look of sheer horror and tried to run away from it. The look on your face was pure comedy as you tried to scrabble up the slope away from the wave then BOSH!!!!! It rose above your head and knocked you over. Luckily you were ok, but even you then decided the sea was getting too rough to run at the waves.

Throughout your life you have fought a lot of personal demons and bravely conquered them. Despite having days when you could have quite happily stayed in bed, you struggled out of it and got yourself a little voluntary job at a charity shop.

I don't think you ever lost your sense of fun. Always laughing at some ridiculous thing. You used to bop along to Groove Armada or your favorite ska records. You also gave very wise advise, always pointing out a different perspective.

I know that when you finally got your diagnosis you were terrified, but instead of giving in to your fear you laughed at the same ridiculous things. Only last week you were laughing at the fact that you had been given Ketamine (horse tranquiliser, as you referred to it) to control your pain and joked that you had always said you were built like a horse.

I am glad that I saw you for one final time, you had finally realised that so many people loved you for who you were. Once someone met you, you left a lasting impression which made people want to stay in touch with you.

A lot of people are going to miss you Kay. May you frollick in the waves of Olu Deniz forever.

Goodbye 2008

2008-12-15T10:34:00.004Z

Well I must say, I am not sad to see the back of that one!!!

It's not been the best year in my history but now it's time to move on. This year I have decided to find out 'who I really am'.

I loved my Mum, make no mistake, but she never was one to show affection and I know that nothing I ever did made her proud or met with her approval. As a consequence to that I spent most of my time playing things safe for fear of getting 'that' look, which considering I am almost 50 is a very sad state of affairs really. Strangely it has left me in a sort of limbo, I have spent so much of my life trying to be someone she wanted me to be instead of myself, I have no idea of 'myself' anymore.

If you were to ask me today what sort of a person I was, I would tell you very unconfident. God forbid that I have to go for a job interview, even asking the bank for some money instills the fear of god into me, but I want that to change. I have got to build my confidence in situations that have previously made me tremble with fear.

My first goal is to let people know when they have pissed me off instead of just smiling and saying it doesn't matter, because, quite frankly, it does! I feel there are some people close to me who are trying to take over where my Mum left off and although that may be a very paranoid view, it is a view that I have and its time to nip it in the bud. I am the master of my own destiny.

Also I have to get over this conflict within myself about my Mum. I am sure it is all part of the grieving process, because she could have been a lot worse Mother than some peoples and if my back was against the wall, she did help me. BUT one half of me misses her and the other doesn't think about her at all and its the not thinking about her at all that causes me a lot of guilt and distress.

In the latter years of her life she didn't do much except sit on the sofa day in and day out and let my Dad run around after her. She had all her faculties but the people 'outside' had a far different view of her than, we, her family had. So should I be distressed at not missing that side of her? Of course not, so that is lesson 1. for today. I can think these things about her and still love her and I don't have to miss her 'bad' ways and just accept thats how she was.

2008-12-12T16:15:00.001Z

Get this widget!

2008-12-12T16:12:00.001Z

More Cool New Christmas Graphics at NewGraphicMyspace.Com

Sad News

2008-11-04T11:59:00.003Z

I am very sad to say my Mum passed away on the 22nd of October. It was peaceful but obviously we all miss her. Newham general were brilliant to us as a family. So God Bless Mum, Safe Journey. xxx

Mum with Sian

Alive and Kicking

2008-10-16T13:24:00.002Z

A friend of mine recently told me that she occassionally pops over to my blog and that I haven't been blogging much at all. Like I didn't know!! Ha!

The truth is, there is a lot of things going on at the moment, family things which I don't want to bore people with and as this is probably not the most popular blog in the universe I have let things slide.

I must, though, sing the praises of the NHS. Until recently my Mum (82) , who is terminally ill, had been given quite a raw deal. It seemed that basically, she had been left at home to cope with dying without any medial intervention. The district nurse came in as and when, her GP was, and remains to be, utterly attrocious. I went to the GP way back in March and asked that she got a referral to MacMillan and was told that she would be referred when she was on her death bed. Wrong!!

A few weeks back my Mum was admitted to hospital with a chest infection. Quite frankly the word 'Newham General' conjours up all sorts of mental pictures for the residents of Newham, the first one being dirty and grotty. But I have to say that over the last few weeks of visiting I have seen a great improvement. It looks clean and the staff although busy, seem to take time with the patients. Better still, the social services and occupational therapist have swung into action to ensure she gets home as soon as possible with as much help as possible. Mum has been admitted to a lovely new ward where the facilities are great and with the help of my Dad she will be home soon. Better still the registrar has referred her to MacMillan so hopefully now we can get some practical help and bolster up my Mums confidence. Ultimately the end will come for her, but thankfully she will now not feel abandoned by the medical profession. So thanks Newham General, I eat my words, lets hope the GP takes note!!!

Update

2008-04-01T14:09:00.004Z

O.k O.k. Yes I have been very naughty, but I have been very busy, so here is a Sian update.

Baby with attitude

Sian And kai

2007-11-28T11:02:00.000Z

Here they are!! Sian and Kai

Hellooooooo Baby!!!

2007-11-26T11:09:00.000Z

Oh no photos yet, but my daughter had a little girl on Friday the 23rd of November. Sian Olivia Jane and she weighed in at a nice healthy 10lb 7oz!!! She is a whopper!!! Big fat cheeks, doesn't scream, and Mum, Dad, Kai and baby are all doing great!!! I am so happy, I got a Saggitarian instead of a Scorpio!!! (no offense to Scorio's mind)

In anticipation

2007-11-14T12:39:00.000Z

My daughter is having a baby!! It's due tomorrow, but we have had a few false starts. Oh the anticipation is driving me nuts!! Poor Kai is tearing his hair out as he waits to see his sister/brother. He has bought a teddy ready to take to the hospital and a Christmas present of a bib that plays Jingle Bells and a pair of sheep faced booties.

Poor Christine is HUGE, she has been suffering from sympathis pubis disfunction almost from 4 months. It is an instability in her pelvis caused by a big baby getting big quickly. Still the worst seems to be over after getting some physiotherapy from the Royal London and now that the baby's head has engaged. But ooooh how I want to see the little blighter!! Come on baby, come on. I know you are nicely cooked, now just hurry up and get here safely!!!

Another Blog

2007-11-14T11:57:00.000Z

Well it's been a while since my last blog. I could make all sorts of excuses, but I won't!

The week before last, I finally had a week on the canals. We decided to go a different route as Chester has got a bit monotonous! Anyway, we chugged out of Swanley marina, down Hurlston locks and away towards Market Drayton.

Day one started very dismally. There was low lying cloud, rain thundering on the roof and it was cold. I must admit, after having a week on the boat like this once before I really wasn't looking forward to it, but come 11.30am the rain stopped and we chugged our way to Audlem and whoa!! The sun shone it had warmed up and then it stayed that way ALL WEEK I mean it was the last week of October going into the first week of November!!

We then had lots of locks to go through to take us up the 90ft climb to Market Drayton. Sharon, not being as fit as she once was, helped teach Linda to steer so that she wouldn't have to do all the locks herself and took the boat into the locks as much as she could. During those locks, we met some really nice people. Sadly I didn't take their names (naughty me) but there was one guy in particular who was a great help, making locks ready for us after he had moored. The only clue I have to his identitly was he had a dog called Meg (an English sheep dog cross, rescued) and his wife was called Margaret. I did meet one American lady who asked me if I realised the principles of locking because we dared to stop for breakfast and she thought we were going to waste a lock full of water. Less said about her the better, except, I hope she had a nice journey home!!!

We got to Market Drayton by day 3, but because the Challenger boat owner had taken all the space we then had to go up 5 locks to turn then back down them again!! Oh well, such is life. Another nice gent at the top of those locks helped me turn Summer Breeze.

On the subject of Summer Breeze. She is showing her age a bit now. Every day, not only did we have to grease the prop (essential) ,but also had to fill her engine with at least a litre and a half of water and keep the revs low, hence, we were always being passed by other boats. One in particular, too fast. He dragged our front end towards him, while we wobbled about on the waves he had made. Luckily I know where reverse is so there wasn't a collision!!!

Course, after climbing 27 locks, we had to go back down them again and Linda worked like a Trojan. She has my lock wheeler of the century award!!!

Well done Linda!!!

Anyway, on Halloween, we made it back to Audlem and decided to stay the night. The local pub, The Shroppie Fly had a halloween night for the local kids in the pub, so the evening cost us a fortune (treating) and we did have some banging on the boat after dark. Ooooh, it was really scarey. We also met Jan and Simon on a Challenger boat at Audlem and helped clear up their flooded loo. Nice couple, maybe we will see them again sometime!

All in all we had a nice break. Sharons pump didn't charge very well, but that was put right by the lovely Christine who runs the craft shop next to the Shroppie Fly. I am now looking for crew, so if anyone would like to share narrowboat holiday?...............................................

YEE HAR!!!!

2007-10-09T16:56:00.000Z

Oh yes!!! 3 weeks and counting, then it's off on a narrowboat holiday with Sharon and another friend for a week. I don't care if it rains I am waterproofed up! I am so looking forward to it as it's been 2 years since my last one. I am only hoping Christine doesn't give birth while I am on it as 4 mph doesn't bode well for rushing back! (She won't be with me thankfully!) We plan to go up the Shroppie the other way towards Wolverhampton, haven't done that route before. Lots of locks but hey, I could do with the exercise. So if anyone sees me on 'Summer Breeze' Please shout and say Hello!!

Going to School in Style

2007-10-01T10:02:00.000Z

I was having a chat with my friend Susan the other week. I have been friends with her since I was old enough to play in the street!! 3 years old!! She is 3 years older than me but we used to go to the same primary school.

Her Mum had a friend 'Uncle Harry' He was a chauffeur for someone and occassionally he would pop in early in the morning for a quick cuppa.

One morning he offered us a lift to school. I remember this car as being very big, but as I was probably very small I thought maybe my memory deceived me, so thats why I started chatting to Sue about it.

A quick phone call to her Mum established that Harry drove a Bentley Princess in his occupation as a chauffeur, so in all probability, the car WAS big. It had leather seats and was very shiney and well kept. (As you would expect!)

We had a right old laugh imagining what we must have looked like, pulling up at this old 2 story, East London school in a Bentley! Then 'Uncle Harry' would get out in his smart uniform, open the door for us and give a little nod as we climbed out and made our way into the play ground.

Oh Yeah

2007-09-11T15:09:00.000Z

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6988521.stm

That is definitely worth a blog. At last the Brits have stood up for what they believe in and that stupid EU has abandoned it's insistence on a metric way of life!!!

Now does anyone else have any more suggestions about any other stupid rules and regulations they have imposed on us that we can totally ignore?

No one minds a suggestion, but when a group of unelected nit wits come along and TELL us what to do then that's where I draw the line.

Where for art me?

2007-08-30T14:33:00.000Z

Well Knowley, THAT is a good question. I don't know where the time has gone............I'm here.

Work has been horrendously busy but I am happy to say, it has slowed down and in 2 weeks I am off to Norway with that Sharon type person then a few weeks after that we are going on a Narrowboat for a week.

I have had a week off as Kai and Christine came and stayed with me for a week during Kai's nursery closure and....oh yes I am going to be a nanny again in November. I don't have a clue what Christine is having except it is likely to be large. She looks fit to burst already and still has 2 and a half months to go. It is due the week after we come back off the narrowboat, I am hoping it won't come sooner as being on a narrowboat is hardly condusive to getting back to London in an emergency!!! I hope all my bloggy friends are well and I promise I will start bloggin again very soon.

If you want to grass your Nan up, find a policeman

2007-06-14T10:35:00.000Z

Yesterday, Kai came up to work with his Mum to have lunch with me. While we were in the cafe, I took him to the toilet and in the process of washing his hands, accidently sqirted soap in his eyes. Well! He didn't cry, but he asked me 'Are you going to tell my Mum what you did?' 'Are you going to tell the people in work what you did?' Wicked Nanny eh?

Anyway, on the the train going home, he informed me, he was going to tell a policeman what I had done to him! Evil Nanny had squirted soap in his eyes! Boy was I in trouble? We got off the train, I looked around. My local train station is usually full of police, but there wasn't a copper in sight. I could breathe a sigh of relief.

We walked through the shopping centre, out the other side, along the road towards Christines flat and there, I bumped into a guy I used to go to school with. He was in my class. We stopped and chatted and then I remembered! He was a policeman! So I said to Kai 'Kai, Nick is a policeman. Are you going to tell him what I did to you? Kai looked at me, then looked at his Mum, then back to Nick and said 'My Mum hit me in the face with her elbow!!' Thank god I thought (tongue in cheek, of course) He had grassed Mum up and not me!! Nick enquired if it was an accident and Kai admitted that it was, so we all had a chuckle and went our separate ways.

As we were walking along, Christine asked if he really was a policeman as he had been wearing a suit. So I smiled and told her 'Yes, in actual fact, he is the commander for the whole Metropolitan police in the borough'

So the moral of this story? If you are going to get grassed up by your Grandson, make sure it is done whith style and go straight to the top!!

Smoking Ban

2007-06-07T15:02:00.000Z

I am writing this blog as a SMOKER! Yes I smoke, I know it doesn't do me any good and I should give it up, and one day I probably will, but not yet.

On the 1st of July England goes non smoking. No smoking in enclosed public spaces............Pubs, Restaurants, night-clubs, hotels.......

Are you waiting for me to complain about it? Go on about my 'rights' as a smoker? Cos if you are, then you may as well stop reading now.

I am positively looking forward to it. The truth is, when I start rolling a cigarette, I am embarrassed. It is a truely filthy habit, and my attitude is: It's my right to smoke, but not to inflict that on other people. I am sick of hearing smokers asking: 'What about my right to smoke?' Surely they can see that their right to smoke is more harmful than that of a non smoker?

I would like to think I am a considerate smoker. I would never just light up in a non smokers house, I try to dispose of my butts in a bin (unlit of course). I accept I have a very unsociable habit and just wish other smokers, would take a deep breath and admit it too.

I will smoke less when I go out. The positive of that is, it will be better for my health and better for my pocket.

I would just like to say though, please don't quote me on how much smokers cost the NHS (About 2 billion) unless you want to quote along side, the revenue the government receive from tobacco (About 10 billion) And no, I am not using that as an arguement to smoke in public enclosed spaces.

Stiff Upper Lip

2007-06-05T14:18:00.000Z

Laugh? Well I had to last night. Watching Big Brother.

On first appearances Lesley wasn't really my cup of tea, but after being persuaded by Big Brother to rethink her decision to leave the house she went to the bedroom, squatted beside her bed, put her head under the quilt and started to snivel. Finally Emily noticed her and went up to her, the conversation then went like this:

Emily: Lesley, I didn't see you there
Lesley: Sniff, snivel, snivel
Emily: Are you alright?
Lesley (In stiff upper lip tradition) Yes Thankyou
Emily: What are you doing down there? Are you o.k?
Lesley: Yes. Thankyou, I am just sniffing my mattress

I know it doesn't sound funny! And maybe I was just in a silly mood last night, but I cracked up laughing. Next time I am caught crying, I will try that one!!

Long Time No Blog

2007-05-30T14:42:00.000Z

Have I been busy or have I been busy? I haven't blogged for ages!! Hooray!! I hear you say.

Update on the work thing. I went for an interview for my own job and funnily enough, I got it. I was then sent a contract offering me LESS money and the loss of 12 option days. Hahem!! (And if you watch Catherine Tate you will know what I said next!!) Seems HR forgot I was on protected salary. Still they then made me a better offer of MORE money and the loss of 12 option days holiday so I decided to take it!!

Since then, I have worked my bloody socks even more and realise I should have pressed for more financial gain. Still never mind, I have the job title and thats what is important.

Anyway peeps, how are you all? I have been looking at your blogs even if I didn't write one and I have been thinking of you all. I hope you are all well.

I am off now for a few days so I will look forward to any comments when I get back. Good or bad, I don't care..................................

Tagged again

2007-04-17T14:49:00.000Z

KnowleyPowley http://new-gold-dream.blogspot.com/ has tagged me. I put my birth date (26th of March) in Wikepedia and came up with these

3 Events
1. Richard The Lionheart fatally wounded
2. Auschwitz took in it's first female prisoners
3. Jonas Salk announced his Polio Vaccine

2 Birthdays
1. Diana Ross 1944
2. Teddy Prendergast 1950

1 Death
Noel Coward

1 Holiday
Bangladesh independence day

Now I suppose I will have to tag someone else won't I? Caroline, GO, Akelamelu.

Typical Man

2007-04-16T15:00:00.000Z

I have had my Grandson staying with me all week. We have been to the zoo, been over the park, gone to see narrowboats and had lunch in the pub. In all we have had a jolly good time but by Thursday the novelty was wearing off.

He's a right little chatterbox is Kai, he talks for England. He always has a 'Nan what is...........' Or 'Nan, why is............' So there we are on Thursday going around Morrisons. He is singing 'Lets all go to Tesco's where my Mum buys her best clothes' Then the questions start. By the time I got to the check out, I was frazzled so I told him
'Kai, I am going to change my name!!' He looked at me quite puzzled and asked 'What are you going to change it to?' so I told him. 'Anything but Nan then you won't be able to asked non stop questions and I won't have to answer to Nan! He looked at me and said 'Tell me what your new name is then' so I told him 'NO!'. That's when he turned into a typical man, he looked at me really sad and said ' Oh I won't be able to ask you for a cuddle then'

Did I melt? Of course I did, how could I get grumpy at that? So I kept my name and once he realised I wasn't about to change it the questions started again 'Nan what is......' 'Nan why is........'

AGHHHHHH!!!

OH NOOOOO!!!!

2007-04-04T09:37:00.000Z

OH NOOOOO!!!
I Missed it. Marbella Belles!! I was tired I woke up to Whatserface telling the others she is going to have another Baybee!!! What did I miss? Will someone please tell me?!!!!!

Hopping mad or the tale of the drilled waterpipe

2007-04-03T15:12:00.000Z

In November, the 18th to be precise, my friends partner, Richard decided to do me a good deed and put a blind up for me. I had had new windows fitted and needed to change the blind.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, R drilled through a central heating pipe, conveniently placed, by Barratts, in the wall and NOT in the corner where it should have been. Water started spraying everywhere. Like a true trooper, R kept his finger on the pipe while I ran around like a blue arsed fly trying to get the central heating off and turn taps on to empty the water tank, as at that time, I had no idea what pipe it was!

I phoned British Gas, they came out, it was chargeable, but I didn't care as my insurance company assured me I was covered for accidental damage. BG came, hammered a hole in the plasterboard and fixed the leak. Well done British Gas. I was left with a hole behind the curtain measuring about 12" in length and 4" in width.

The insurance company asked if I would like them to send someone to look at the structural damage, which I agreed to as I didn't have a portfolio of workmen to call upon. But basically, I thought, easy peasy, bit of plasterboard, bit of paint. Sorted.

So move on a MONTH now and eventually someone turned up from the building consortium to look at the damage. I have an open plan front room, so he looked at the hole in the wall, looked at the paint, then went upstairs and measured the landing.................

Christmas came and went, then New Year came and went, my Dads birthday (1st of February), my sisters birthday (14th of February) came and went. Then I received a letter from the insurance company asking how I thought they had dealt with my claim. So I told them. They had acted superbly, but to date I was still waiting for the building consortium to contact me about a start date..............

Eventually, 5 weeks ago, the building consortium telephoned me. They wanted to start the work. I would be sent a schedule of works and someone would contact me in 3 days to arrange a start date. The schedule has arrived. For a hole 12" x 4" they are going to paint the ceiling all the walls in the living room, plus the landing because I have an open plan room. I'm not complaining about that, it seems ridiculous when they can just patch it, but Hey, I can do with redecorating.

WHAT I am absolutely SEETHING, FURIOUS, HOPPING MAD, LIVID about is the fact that they have still not phoned me to arrange a start date. C'mon guys, it is almost 5 MONTHS since R made a hole. What's more, I now know why my insurance is sooo bloody expensive.

Mind you, it might make a nice feature, sort of industrial looking

Water

2007-04-03T13:48:00.000Z

I have been reading akelamalu's blog http://akelamalu.blogspot.com/ and decided to put these pictures up of water as I love em!!

Marbella Bollox!!!

2007-03-28T13:49:00.000Z

My god, I watched the T.V last night. Marbella Belles! Belles? I think not. Listen I can swear like a fish wife at times, but that woman, er whatserface, well she can put me to shame. I have to watch it in open mouthed wonder at a bunch of women who are so far up their own arses I am surprised they haven't disappeared!!

One was complaining last night that the love of her life had left her for 'a 53 year old grandmother' mmmmm shouldn't that TELL you something about yourself? Or should it? So what if she was 53, so what if she was a grandmother? Looks like he still left you his BMW and the ability to pay £300 for a pair of Jimmy Choos. I have never seen such a bunch of materialistic old slappers in my life, the problem is, it is compulsive viewing for me.

I watch them because it makes me feel good about myself, despite being a size 20 and not nearly as well groomed as they are. I am glad I have to scrimp for a living, and am a 47 year old grandmother!!

Watch it and enjoy the exploits of

Whatserface
Just hands over ' TheBaybeee' to LinLin the au-pair. How sad she can't enjoy the lovely little boy. She has a cream dog to match her cream rug. Lets hope it doesn't piss on it then!! Come to think of it, lets hope Lin Lin doesn't let 'The Baybee' piss on the rug either or she will have to get someone to change the colour scheme for her! Oh and why does she use fake tan on her face while living in Marbella? She already has more wrinkles than my 80 year old mother anyway, so she can't use sun damage as an excuse.

Thingy
Beauty salon owner, she lost '2 good men to friends'. Couldn't have been that good then eh? Her current boyfriend bought her a real Gucci diamond bracelet and guess what? She didn't realise it was real or so expensive, but despite that 'She has earned everyone of those diamonds' How? Pray do tell......................

Stringy
6ft 2 inches of ....what? Asked a friend last night why she brought another friend along who got so drunk she was experiencing a 'Falaraki' moment, sent her packing in a taxi then did the same thing herself later. 'Works' as a cosmetic surgery co-ordinator and quite honestly, if looks are so important to her, should take advantage of the staff discounts!

Ohhhh I can't wait for next week!!!! Tuesdays 10pm ITV1 Meowwwwww!!

Pet Hates on a scale of 1-10

2007-03-28T10:23:00.000Z

1. People who say they are going to do something, then don't! 10

2. Waking up to washing up 8

3. Unmade beds 6

4. People who pick food off my plate without being offered 10

5. Someone hogging the T.V remote in MY house 9

6. B.O on the tube 5

7. People who sit on a seat (Usually in a public place) but use the
seat to put their feet on and park their bums on the back 10

8. Driving with fog lamps on when it is not foggy 7

9. People who won't let you off a train/bus first 4

10. Tailgaters in the middle lane of a motorway
(there is a 3rd lane to overtake) 10

HAPPY RED NOSE DAY

2007-03-08T13:27:00.000Z

Bath? No Thanks

2007-03-05T13:57:00.000Z

Well my shower blew up!! It was panic stations for a while as my lodger was on her own and it had tripped the RCD circuit, still with a little coaxing, she finally got the electricity back on so she could watch T.V

Then I had the problem of finding someone to fit a new one. I had managed to get a decent shower in Argos, but working in London and living in Crewe at weekends, I haven't got a portfolio of workmen. So I turned to the yellow pages. I tried quite a few numbers, quite frankly if they didn't answer the phone then I didn't leave a message. I eventually got an answer from a guy who didn't seem all that enthused about working on a weekend, but I left my number and forgot about it.

Saturday passed and no call. I had to have a bath!!! I hate baths, in fact it has been years since I have had one. So I asked a neighbour if they could recommend someone and got a number from them. Then Sunday the phone rang. It was the reluctant electrician I had rung earlier in the week. Could he pop over and take a look? So I said yes.

Well after getting lost twice, he turned up, took a look, asked to see the new shower then asked if I would like it fitted immediately? Yes please, I said, How Much? I was expecting a lot of money, it was Sunday after all........... His answer? £30 !!! So long as it was straight forward, which it was! I now have a new working shower, and although I took the mans number I didn't take his company name. He is going to get my business again. What a nice change to meet a genuine workman who does a good job. So if you are living in the Crewe area and want a sparks feel free to contact me.....

Deed Done

2007-03-01T16:42:00.000Z

So that's it, my job has been advertised on the web page. Internal only, the only consession that the union managed to get for me. I have looked at it and then compared it to another job also advertised, they are both at the same grade but one is for a team leader (Fancy name for a supervisor) and mine is assistant manager. Seems the only thing I will gain from it is an appropriate job title.

Mostly what will happen when/if I apply is the loss of 12 option days holiday. I am seriously asking myself if it is worth it? The money stays the same assuming they will push my salary up the spine points, I won't get any back pay for the time I have been doing the role and quite frankly I am very dispondent. I feel I have been conned.

Still I have updated my CV I have loaded it on the job sites and if anyone would like to offer me a job, I will consider it!!! Travel would be nice, meeting people would be nice. Any reasonable offers considered.................................................Gis a job!!!

Back in the land of the living

2007-02-20T16:37:00.000Z

Here I am, back amongst the ranks of the working class. I went back to work yesterday!!

I never thought I would say it, but I am glad to be back at work. I have missed my colleagues and even the work. That 3 months has just whizzed by, zoom, gone. Or as Knowley would say, blink!

No more Jeremy Kyle or This morning for me, no more laying in bed till 9am.

I am so happy. Mmmmmmm Wonder if I will feel like it this time next week. Hahahahahahahahaha

The Evil in Me

2007-02-11T17:12:00.000Z

I was going to call this post something else, I was, in actual fact going to title it with the name of a certain person who (did) mightily piss me off, but I decided to be a good girl and let bygones be bygones. Although not before I perpetrated some psychological warfare.

I was invited to stay somewhere in January. You know about that. The fact is, this person actively encouraged me to spend a large amount of money to buy a ticket to travel, which I did. Then just a few days before Christmas, stopped all contact with me. DEAD!! Changed the contact phone number, but not before telling me they were not alright, but offering no further explaination. So along with the aggravation of having an unexpected 12 inch scar, plus the hassle work were presenting me with, I had to sit all through Christmas pretending I was having a great time, while actually I was stressing about whether or not that person was sick, dead whatever!

Anyway, as my travel date got closer, I began to get calls from people who had been told I was going for a visit by this person, and it began to dawn on me, they were getting worried about my visit. Was I or wasn't I going? Gradually as all my cylinders started kicking in, I thought it would be good fun to let them think I still was!! I thoroughly enjoyed a nice natty game of mind chess, because even if they weren't bothered I enjoyed myself terrorising them.

Anyway RI, I would just like you to know. I know how much you have stressed and fretted about getting a visit from me because a certain friend has told me. So now I can tell you. I wasn't there. I saved my money and spent it on doing something important instead, I didn't lose the money you see. All my cynlinders are firing now and I feel great, no longer am I vunerable and guess what? Those calls from friends produced a terrific surprise, I discovered just who my friends were and I will be visiting them.......................................soon, so don't stop looking over your shoulder quite just yet!!!

Oh and for those that know and love me, please believe me when I tell you, I don't actually do this at the drop of a hat. It takes a lot to push me to do what I have done and it bloody well made me feel sooooooo much better.

What a difference

2007-01-08T13:01:00.000Z

Well what a difference a few weeks make. I was really really low over Christmas. As a previous blog will tell you, I had something happen which was just the straw that broke the camels back.

Today, I feel really up and positive. I can look back over the last few weeks and see that there was too much for me to be dealing with at one time. Also I am going away, getting out of my own environment and now have something to look forward to.

I have been out with Sharon J bending her ear and she has helped me get things into perspective. I have terrified a good friend of mine, but she is O.K. now. Sorry maties, and Thanks!!

So time to move on. I am going to start with the job sites!!!

Update on the Work thing

2006-12-27T17:50:00.000Z

I wasn't going to blog about this until all had been resolved, but with me being off sick until at least the middle of February I thought what the hell.

Sometime back I put in for a regrade at work. My official job title is Telecoms Supervisor, but for the last 2 years, I have taken on lots more resposibility and assist the Telephone Services manager, which in my book, makes me an assistant Telephone Services manager.

So, what happened? Well HR decided they were going to look at everyones salary grade and decided I needed to be downgraded to pay scale 4 (same as the senior telephonist) instead of the 5 I was on. Oh that was alright, they said, I was salary protected! Which I was. Trouble was when I appealed and told them that my actual job was NOTHING like the description for telephone supervisor, I was told I would have to apply for a regrade.

Well last February my manager and me did just that. After going backwards and forwards to her manager and him adding MORE work to the description and then the director finally approving it, off it went to HR.

Finally, after returning from Grenada, my manager sat me down and told me the news!!!

HR had approved the job description!!
HR had approved the job title change!!!

But HR had deemed it a new vacancy and it was going to be advertised and I would have to apply for the job with anyone else who wanted it!
I must admit. I cried.

Then hear the rest!

The salary was set at pay scale 5 - The same salary I was on, but with an increment a year after I started the job, assuming I got it!

I would have to sign a new contract which would NOT include 12 'option' days holiday- Which I WAS prepared to give up

As it was a new post, there would be no back pay for all the time I have been doing it- Assuming I get the job!!

So basically is it worth applying for? Wouldn't I just be better off looking for a job that will incorporate my new skills and pay me a proper salary? What happens to my current job, if I apply and DON'T get it?
To add insult to injury, a person doing an equivilent job, who had his salary downgraded to a 4, got his reinstated to a grade 5 when he appealed, whats more, he had a job title and description change and DIDN'T have to apply for his job!!!

Maybe they are trying to tell me something?
Maybe being off sick is giving me too much time to think.

So I have the union looking at it now. I will let you know. Can anyone give me a job please?!!!
:-)

Four Things Me Me

2006-12-23T23:21:00.000Z

Ha I have been tagged. Am I sad or what?

Four jobs I have had
1. Data input clerk
2. Bar Maid
3. Telephone supervisor
4. Assist Telephone services manager

Two places I have lived (Sorry)
1. London
2. Crewe

Four favorites foods
1. Chicken Biryani
2. Smoked salmon fillets
3. Spaghetti with Pesto sauce
4. Roast lamb with cauliflower, cabbage, mashed parsnips and roast potatoes

Four movies I could watch over and over
1. LayerCake
2. Shirley Valentine
3. Railway Children
4. Jason and the Argonauts

Four TV Shows I watch
1. Casualty
2. Catherine Tait
3. CSI
4. Dr Who

Four Places I have visited
1. Turkey
2. Norway
3. St Lucia/Jamaica/Grenada
4. Kefalonia

Four places I want to visit
1. Thailand
2. Crete
3. Florence
4. Canada

Four Websites I visit when I am able
1. Hotmail
2. My Blog and associated bloggers
3. XL.com
4. Any canal/narrowboat sites

No tags from me, I know it is the rules, but it's Christmas.

Things I need to get better at

2006-12-23T22:52:00.000Z

1. Saying goodbye to people. Even if there is a remote chance I will see them again. Not people I see on a regular basis, but people I meet and get to know and like

2. Crying in front of others. I would rather lock myself in a toilet

3. Telling someone that they have hurt my feelings

4. Asking for help

5. Ironing as soon as I get it and not wait until the day before a holiday!

6. Not being surprised at human nature and taking it personally

7. Starting conversations with people I don't know

8. Speaking in public

9. Exercising

10. Sticking to my guns I am sooooo easily persuaded!!

I am not tagging anyone. Ha! Fat chance over the Christmas period. Sad as I am, I am taking advantage of having a computer in the house while I babysit Kai!!! If you want to do it, feel free.

Decisions Decisions

2006-12-23T21:32:00.000Z

Well we are hurling towards Christmas and I am hurting a bit both Physically and mentally.

I cannot go into to detail here, but I have been let down by someone and the worst of it is, I have spent 2 nights stressing that they are alright at a time when I need it least because they have not been honest with me. Still I have put my mind at rest by at least checking with their local hospital, so they won't be able to use that as an excuse.

I am meant to go and see them, and have spent quite a bit of money in travel expenses. I can add to that expense by saying F*** it and getting some accommodation, after all, they are not the only reason to visit and there are people in the area who I can also go and see. I am not worried about being on my own. After being fussed over, the thought of being on my own for a few weeks is quite nice.

On the other hand, I am being a bit negative at the moment and think, supposing I get bored? I must admit, after being single for so long I am very happy with my own company and can chill with a book, music and TV. I certainly do not have a problem getting about and do possess a full driving license. Maybe I should use it as a spring board to travel the world and see how I get on!!!!

Mostly it will depend on how I feel physically. I am still in occassional severe pain and am quite exhausted. In fact, when I mentioned to my doctor how exhausted I felt she looked at me as if I were mad for even questioning it!! I lay the blame squarely on my friends who have had the same operation keyhole and told me I would be up and about after 3 weeks!! Yeah right!!!! :-)

So should I stay or should I go

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzNuF2QD-mI

Over to you....................

Merry Christmas

2006-12-20T16:14:00.000Z

Hi People.
I am just blogging to say I hope you all have a great Christmas and prosperous New Year.

I am quite well, still having some pain as the muscles knit, and the down side is wider hips as I am unable to walk as fast and as far as usual.

Sharon J, bless her cottons, brought me to London at the weekend so I will be here until the 4th of January. I am spending Christmas day with Christine, Petrus and Kai and then boxing day with my Mum and Dad.

I am looking forward to the New Year, sadly I cannot reveal why publicly but those of you who know Sharon can email her and she will tell you!!!

Have a great one everyone and I will be back in 2007

Hi Everyone!!!

2006-12-04T13:26:00.000Z

Helloooooo all, thanks for all your best wishes, it was really lovely of you all. I was at Sharons and she showed them to me and I was really really chuffed. Thanks.

Well I have a bloody HUGE scar, but on a positive note, I am far too fat to wear a bikini so it doesn't really matter. What matters, is the blasted Gall Bladder is gone and I am under strict instructions NOT to return to work until I have seen the consultant which will be on the 16th of March so I have plenty of time off work. I would say yippee, but I know that after Christmas I will probably get bored. Still I will be able to drive by then, so I will spend a lot of time at the garden centre's. I found some on the way to Tatton Park this year that I wanted to have a nosey at.

I would like to say a special public ta, to Sharon J, R, Barbara, Linda, and Christine for making me sit down or just generally running around after me.

Speak to you all soon.

Hot date destination

2006-11-19T16:03:00.000Z

Ok Guys, I know Sharon J has told you to watch out for this. I found it hilarious.

One day, on holiday, Kim and I got back to our room to a message from reception.
'Scotty came to see you and has left his number'
Kim and I looked at each other, as we hadn't a clue who Scotty was.
Kim phoned the reception, and as she was talking. I heard her ask, 'Oh was he an old guy?'
The penny dropped. On the flight over, we had got talking to an elderly gentleman in the seat in front. He was Grenadian and spent six months in the UK and six months in Grenada as he has retired from the UK. He was a lovely old gent, so we telephoned him and made a date to meet for breakfast the next morning.

The next morning, Scotty duely arrived and off we went for a Caribbean breakfast. While we were sitting eating he suddenly came onto Kim BIG STYLE!!! He turned from lovely old gent into letchy old codger!! But I must admit that he was funny with it.

After being told by Kim that she had a boyfriend and was in fact planning to get married in September, he then turned his attentions to me!!! (Story of my life guys, always second best!!! LOL)

He asked me if I would like to go out with him for the day and that he would phone 'Miss Rosalyn' to see if she had two tickets for the bus.

I politely asked him where it was he was thinking of taking me, thinking that it might be a nice island trip, or a visit to the local rum or cocoa plantation. He leant forward and said.
'To a funeral'

I didn't know what to say, so I repeated 'A Funeral?' He nodded, he was going to take me to a funeral.

I just burst out laughing. I told him I had no intention of going to a funeral whilst on holiday, even though I knew they were a right old knees up in the Caribbean.

So there you have it. That was my hot date destination. Now I am going to tag Sharon J, Knowleypowley, Caroline and Gentleman Oracle to tell me their outrageous date destinations.

Away again

2006-11-14T15:53:00.000Z

Peeps
I am off air for a few weeks from today. I am sure that Sharon J will keep you posted or at least let me use her comp when I am up and about. Speak to you soon. Love you all xxx

It's official

2006-11-14T11:37:00.000Z

Well guys, take a look at this
http://pinkpyjamas.wordpress.com/

She says I am uneducated so I must be mustn't I?

I say, she should go back to the mental hospital she has obviously escaped from.

Poor Mr Pink Pyjamas

Mi Hacienda - Grenada

2006-11-13T16:54:00.000Z

Well people I am back and I am soooo depressed. I rarely want to return to a country as I would like to travel everywhere, but I could go back again and again and again.

The people are so generous and friendly. The night life is not rocking, but I am quite happy to chill out with a book and enjoy an evening out for a meal and a drink.

My travel companion, Kim, is different. She likes to rave until the wee hours, so in that respect she was a little bored.

One day, we were at the beach and we got talking to these two older Grenadian women, Pat and Brenda. Kim was moaning about the fact that there didn't seem much to do, so they offered to come and collect us the next day and take us to brunch at a place called Mi Hacienda.

Brenda's husband used to be a great trade unionist and politician and she had class, she had been friends since childhood with a lady called Merle who had retired back from the U.K. It was her restaurant/hotel/spa that Pat and Brenda took us to. The place was truely beautiful, all chrystal glasses white linen and silver cutlery and as Kim and I walked in, there was a steel band playing. The view, as you can see, from the veranda was spectacular.

I am an East London girl and in all my life I have never been to such a lovely restaurant. We were wined and dined, the steel band played and we were treated like royalty. Kim and I were a little worried, but I had brought my credit card as a precaution. Once the meal was over, we offered Brenda and Pat some money towards the cost and were told, no, it was their treat. In fact, Brenda had got Merle to open the place for us. I have never received such hospitality and friendship in a Caribbean country and we could not thank them enough. They were all true real ladies and I especially thank the English couple who ran the restaurant for Merle, as they worked very hard to make us feel welcome.

I called Pat yesterday, and she was so happy to hear from me, she told me, that as long as she was alive, I would always be welcome to stay at her house if I ever visit the island again. That is something I will definitely do.

Pat and Brenda, if you ever read this. Thankyou, Thankyou Thankyou, you gave Kim and I the most memorable day. For as long as I live I will not forget the great company and the generosity you showed us. As the Grenadians say. 'See you in a while'

A present for everyone else

2006-11-13T14:29:00.000Z

Blue skies and little fluffy clouds. Nice thoughts and greetings

Sharon. Yours is in my rucksack!!!

A special Present for Pink Pyjama's

2006-11-13T14:24:00.000Z

Pinky
This one is an extra special present for you. It comes from a sustainable source, is environmentally friendly and is a great source of income for the indigenous population.
Instructions on use.

Put it in your mouth, take a great big suck, inhale and feel the happy thoughts flood your senses.
Guaranteed not to cause carbon emissions.

Presents for everyone!!!

2006-11-13T14:15:00.000Z

Caroline this is for you

Knowley , this is for you GO This is for you

Hi Guys

2006-11-02T16:20:00.000Z

Here I am blogging from Grenada. Yes Pinky pj's I am being totally selfish and lazing under a palm tree, and if you think this country is full of poor people let me tell you, I am the one being exploited!! They sure know how to turn a dollar here!!

The Grenadians are fatastic people, Grenada is absolutely beautiful. I am being a good girl and not shaking my booty too much. Ha Ha Ha

Miss you all without exception (I like a challenge) I will be back soon with some gorgeous photo's and maybe even a gorgeous husband! LOL

I'll be back!!

2006-10-24T16:53:00.000Z

See y'all in a few weeks. I am off on Thursday to sunnier climes and today is my last day at work.

Caroline
I have crossed everything for you!!!

Pete, GO
Keep writing so I have lots to read when I get back.

Carol xxx

Speeches

2006-10-23T14:17:00.000Z

Oh lord, Christine has booked her wedding reception venue and she has asked me to give her away as her Dad is not invited!!

I know it is not the norm for a brides mother to give her away, but as I brought her up alone and she has asked it will be a great honour. I have no problem with it at all, but will I have to do a speech?

That thought fills me with terror. I hate speaking to a crowd, when I am nervous I do not smile. I am terrified people will think I am an old dragon. What do I say? I know I have to welcome everyone, tell the odd embarrassing story, welcome Petrus to the family. I really don't know if I can do it.

Well, I will do it, but I don't want to make a pig ear of it. I want it to be amusing and witty and SHORT.

I have 18 months to think of something and 18 months to stress about it.

I once went to an award ceremony and the group we were with asked me to do a little acceptance speech. At the very last minute I bottled out, I won't be able to do that will I?

Oh gawd. Help!!!!

Nanny weekend

2006-10-20T15:48:00.000Z

Tagged

2006-10-20T11:58:00.000Z

I have been tagged by Caroline to list 5 little known things about me. I haven't found this easy as I am a very open person and assume people know most things about me, but here goes.

1. I have survived an abusive marriage.

2. I have a dolphin tattoo, done on my left shoulder when I was 35 and it took me a year to tell my Mum

3. I used to be a competition swimmer

4. When I was a lot younger I took speed regularly, but a bad experience scared me from doing it again

5. Despite my bold manner, I am actually quite shy. This sometimes comes across as being miserable and or stuck up

Blog of note

2006-10-19T14:10:00.000Z

http://section24unitedkingdom.spaces.live.com/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c02_owner=1

Found this Policemans Blog. His last post had me in stitches. Go and have a look.

Coming to work

2006-10-19T10:40:00.000Z

Coming to work this morning, in Holloway Road, the police had cordoned off the road.

There was a huge fire in a flat above one of the shops there. There was thick smoke everywhere. The fire brigade and police were in attendance and I had to cross the road to get past it and to work.

On the other side of the road, I had to pick my way through people standing there taking photo's with their mobile phones. One cyclist stopped purposely to do just that!

I know there is money to be made. During the London bombings the BBC were urging people caught up in it to send in their mobile phone photo's. Well I am sorry, but I think that is mercenary. If I had been unlucky enough to have been caught up on a bombed train/bus/platform, the last thing I would have done, is get my bloody mobile phone out to take a picture!!

As it was, I worked across the road from Aldgate station and just listening to the constant sound of sirens and helicopters flying backwards and forwards to the Royal London hospital was bad enough. Not once, out of respect for any dead people, did I even consider going out there with my mobile phone/camera.

But I suppose, that fire was news worthy.

Later, I went out for breakfast and noticed an ambulance up there. I really hope no-one died.

Books

2006-10-19T09:35:00.000Z

I love books. I favour a particular genre but mostly I will read anything, so long as it grips me from the beginning.

I am reading one at the moment. I won't name it or the author. Surfice to say, it has huge poster advertisements on the London Tube. It started off really well, but now I have had to put it down.

One of the characters, a big tough policeman who has spent his 40 odd years avoiding relationships because he just doesn't want one, has now met a suspect, kind of taken her on one date and thinks he is falling in love with her! Am I unromantic? I can understand he might lust after her because he thinks she is very attractive, but fall in love with her?

It has killed all credibility for me now and I have just skimmed the pages and put it down.

I do write occassionally, but I get embarrassed about people reading what I write so I usually just bin it. I am in no position to critisize anyone's writing, but I do wish authors would make it a little more realistic.

Anyway, all you romantics out there. Leave me a message and prove me wrong. Restore my faith in human nature and tell me your love at first sight stories and then maybe I will pick the book up again and finish it.

School

2006-10-18T14:17:00.000Z

I was readiung a post at Gentlemanoracle http://www.blogger.com/profile/31284248 and it reminded me of my school days.

As people who have read my posts before will know, I didn't really spend much time there. But there are 2 really good things to come out of school.
1. Meeting Sharon
2. Standing up to bullies

Sharon you know about, but the bullies you don't.

I passed my 11+ and opted to go to a grammar school. It was out of the area of my primary school so made me a target for the class bullies who had all come from the same primary school in the same area as the grammar school.

The main 2 culprits, J & D used to love making my life a misery and for a long time I took it, until one momentous Geography lesson.

I was sitting in the class, I had put up with the usual verbal abuse, but then J, who was sitting behind me, decided she was going to dig me in the back. Unfortunately she dug me right in between some vertabrae in my spine and it HURT like hell.

Now I have never really been violent, there have been some occassions when I have lashed out and this was one of them. To this day, I see it all in slow motion.

I stood up, swung around and socked J with the back of my fist. I REALLY put my shoulder into it. The look of horror on her face as she realised what was coming and couldn't stop it, was actually very satisfying. As my fist connected with her cheek, her head flew back against the wall behind her and she got a resounding crack both from my fist and the wall! I then told her very calmly never to touch me again. I sat down and continued with the lesson.

I am sure the teacher was aware of what was going on because he never said a word and just carried on teaching after the event. From that day onwards, J & D never bullied me again.

To my shame, they actually bullied another girl out of the class, and when we were sat down by the headmistress and asked to write names down on a piece of paper if we knew who the bullies were. I didn't. The truth was, I had never seen her being bullied, but it was obvious who had been doing it as they were the only 2 in the class who did the bullying.

I often wonder what happened to those two. They did try to be my friend afterwards, but I was friends with Sharon who was in another class, so didn't bother with them. Strangely I never did tell my parents, although I did tell my Dad many years later and he was amazed that I had not told him at the time.

I am sure, that if they do remember, they are probably quite ashamed of what they did then. Hopefully, as adults, they are nicer people.

It all turns out right in the end

2006-10-18T11:13:00.000Z

I brought my daughter up more or less single handed. I left my husband when she was 6 months old as it was better and safer to bring her up alone. When she reached the tender age of 1 year, after much nagging from my mother, I went out and got myself a job.

Just as a little by line to that. How things have changed. I remember ringing one company who were looking for trainee recruitment consultants who told me they would not consider me as I had a young baby!! Imagine being told THAT nowadays eh?

Eventually, I was offered an interview at a company my brother-in-law worked for. They were a major stock broking company in the days before they teamed up with the big banks and lost their identities. I started off there working in the data inputting section with a great bunch of girls and eventually moved over to their switchboard as it offered a regular ending time. In the data input section I would have to stay until the last deal was input and sometimes that wasn't practical having a young child at home.

That job was EVERYTHING to me. It paid excellent money for it's day, I got summer and Christmas bonuses. In fact, when I finally got my own flat, it carpeted and furnished the whole place and left me enough over to have holidays. Those were the days. The 80's. Yuppies, lots of money about and stock broker bonuses.

Gradually though, things started to change. We were bought out by a big High street bank and we moved to better premises and after the initial 'loyalty bonus' we didn't receive such good ones anymore.

The rot set in after an ex partner of the company was put in charge of our department. He had come from the American department and was basically put there to pasture until his well paid retirement. He started off by sacking the supervisor after some made up misdemeanor. By then I was the senior telephonist and as the assistant supervisor was off with a pregnancy related illness I was suddenly in charge of this huge switchroom. I must admit, now I wouldn't bat and eyelid, but then, I felt totally out of my depth, and just carried on as best I could.

We had a temp there. I will call her Lin, she lived in cloud cuckoo land but was one of those people who came across really normal. Looking back she was a right psycho. She was truely awful. She would tell one girl another had said something about her and then tell the other girl that the first girl had said something about her. They were all lies and she got away with it! Then to cap it off we got a new supervisor who had blagged her way into the company without knowing a thing and she was just as bad!! I will call her Frances.

One day, Frances came towards me, screaming at me that she 'Didn't want me as a senior telephonist and while she was there, I never would be!!' All in front of the other staff. Very unprofessional and I honestly had no idea what it was I had supposed to have done!! The other girls looked at me with mouthes open and I just shrugged, I needed the job, I hadn't been paid any extra to do the seniors role, so what the hell.

In those days I was quite submissive, but I decided to just go along with it and see what happened. I did a permanent 8-4 shift, it suited me, but again Frances came over and demanded I tell her what my shift preference was. I knew she was trying to goad me, so I told I would do whatever suited her. She started to get flustered and asked me again. Again I told her whatever suited her I would do. As I was now an ordinary telephonst an 8-4 was fine or I would get on the rota. I finished the sentence quite sweetly by saying 'You are the supervisor, you decide'. Secretly I was laughing because it made her furious. She had come over trying to pick a fight (I later discovered it was something else she could get me sacked for)and I had made her decide, but because she had come from her other job without any supervisory experience, she didn't know what to do and the previous incident just showed she had no sense at all. A good manager DOES NOT chew off staff in public.

Well to cut a long story short, I was called into the office one day and the partner in charge was there along with a personnel officer and they sacked me!! The reasons they sacked me we all cooked up by Lin and Frances, except for one reason which I had a valid excuse for and it was hardly a misconduct offence anyway! I was devastated, but more so, I was ashamed. The shame of being SACKED was awful. I am not perfect, but I hadn't done anything near to a sackable offence. During the interview, the personnel officer offered to find me another job with a different company and then they paid me LOTS of money to go quietly. Guilt. They knew it was an illegal dismissal and so did I, but I still felt SHAME!!!

I didn't know what to do with myself. My parents were great and I had money. But I still felt no-one would ever employ me again. I am not good at white lies, especially at interviews, so I found myself being honest. Even after ACAS stepped in (They intervene before a case goes to a tribunal, and I had started proceedings) and we reached an amicable agreement, I was still penalised for telling the truth so in the end I was forced to tell a lie at subsequent interviews!!!
(Oh and for any potential blackmailers out there. My current manager is WELL AWARE of this story)

But what happened then? Well I found another job at another company. Was made supervisor and to this day, even though I eventually had to move on from there as they were shutting the site, I still regard it as the best job I ever had!! The people were great, my social life took off. I had my first and only case of unrequited love (One day I will blog about that).

As for Lin and Frances, they eventually got the sack themselves. Frances had to go temping under a different name. Lin went to prison for something or another, and I survived.

Another Classic

2006-10-17T15:55:00.000Z

I am sure Sharon has blogged this but I will too.

Many years back, when I used to visit Sharon in Norway, the hi-lite of our week was the Drammen taxi queue, after getting quite drunk at Park dancing we would stagger off to the taxi queue in Drammen town square and join the large crowd of people. They were usually really good fun and we always found someone to talk to.

One evening Sharon and I joined this rather large queue and as usual started to chat to people. Among them, was a couple along with the boyfriends friend. The girl asked me in quite broken English if I liked Norway and I said, yes, I loved it and I was going to marry a Norwegian so that I could stay there! I was rather drunk and happy you see. She turned and pointed to her boyfriends friend and said:
'Why don't you marry him, he is very good cock!' I looked at her with this silly grin and asked her to repeat it. Again she said:
'You can marry my boyfriends friend, he is very good cock'
At this point I doubled over in hysterics, turned to Sharon and asked her to ask in Norwegian what the girl was saying. Sharon asked and was told in Norwegian, she was offering her boyfriends friends services as he was a very good COOK!!

Sharon then had to explained to her what she had actually said to me!!
Oh we did laugh at the mis-pronounciation, to me it was an all time classic!!

I never did find out if he was or wasn't, because quite soon we were at the front of the queue and a taxi arrived. Funnily enough, as we climbed in, all these little voices started chiming. 'I'll marry you' 'No, I'll marry you!!!' Alas I don't think it was my exceptional good looks, more likely it was the fact that finally, we had got a taxi!

crap shag

2006-10-17T12:22:00.000Z

I don't know why I thought of it, but I was walking to the station this morning and I started thinking about my holidays last year to Jamaica.

I was musing about how a word can mean totally different things to different cultures.

As is apt to happen in Jamaica, we were befriended by some of the local men, and one guy in particular, Donald. He took a shine to one of our party and one evening offered to show us a bar we had heard about. We were walking down the street and he asked me if I had a cigarette.

I know it is a disgusting habit, but I do smoke and I smoke roll ups, so I offered to roll him one.
I duely rolled him a cigarette and gave it to him. He smoked it and then about 5 minutes after smoking it, he turned to me and said
'Carol, I didn't like that shag you gave me, I am not going to ask for another'

What could I say? At first I was a bit dumb struck and then I realised 'shag' is what they call rolling tobacco!! All my friends and I cracked up laughing and we then had to explain to Donald what 'shag' meant in England. I am happy to say, he found it funny too!!

Eastenders

2006-10-16T15:04:00.000Z

I have just come from Les's blog and there is a mention there of Eastenders, so I thought I would do this little blog.

My parents live in Albert Square. It is in Stratford, East london and is not a square at all, more like an L shape. There used to be a pub on the corner (Now flats) and when I was a child it was called the Albert House.

During the early days of Eastenders (BBC, far too often!) there would be all sorts of people walking aimlessly around gazing at the houses, they were mostly foreigners and seemed to be looking for Dot Cotton and Pauline Fowler!! One Spanish girl got really upset when I told her it was filmed in a studio. My parents have been on the telly for a BBC documentary called 'The real Eastenders' and the last publican to own the pub as a pub, renamed it......... The Queen Vic!
(That's original, don't you think?!!)

It's mostly little old terrace houses, with some bigger Victorian ones and a few newer ones as it got bombed during the war. It is nothing like Eastenders on the T.V, mainly because the T.V version doesn't have that many ethnic characters in it! It is now the home to Pakistani's, afro Caribbeans, Africans, Indians and lots of Eastern Europeans. Real life. So BBC Take note.

I still live there Monday to Friday so kept my GP in London. When I was admitted to Leighton Hospital in Crewe, I had to give the address I was registered at with my GP. It caused great hilarity along with my cockney accent to the nursing staff, who informed me there was a woman from Coronation Street along the ward!!

I don't watch Eastenders at all these days, mainly because I live in the REAL Albert Square and the T.V version bores and disappoints me.

Mind you, I do look a bit like Pat..............................................

Countdown

2006-10-12T15:10:00.000Z

Oh 2 weeks to go!!! And this is where I will be!
http://grenadaphotoalbum.com/displayimage.php?album=3&pos=64

Seeing Plenty of these
http://grenadaphotoalbum.com/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=2

Doing lots of this
http://grenadaphotoalbum.com/displayimage.php?album=13&pos=47

And This
http://grenadaphotoalbum.com/displayimage.php?album=23&pos=77

I am hoping to see lots of these
http://grenadaphotoalbum.com/displayimage.php?album=23&pos=9

Hopefully I won't see any of these
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/images/2061_2.jpg

But I don't mind these
http://grenadaphotoalbum.com/displayimage.php?album=23&pos=16

And for the first time in my life I am going to go with these.
http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/index.jsp

And I just know my big bum is gonna get me in trouble !!!

One for Sharon

2006-10-11T16:17:00.000Z

Aw and not forgetting you love!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shUG57MFPTs

One for Knowley.

2006-10-11T16:02:00.000Z

Pete
If you like both these versions, as I do, it makes interesting viewing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v06j-lqh9CY

My top 10 albums in my collection

2006-10-11T13:03:00.000Z

Mezzanine - Massive Attack

The man who sold the world - David Bowie

Play - Moby

Leftism - Leftfield

Debut - Bjork

MCMXD AD - Enigma

X and Y - Coldplay

Joshua Tree - U2

New Gold Dream - Simple Minds

Strange Cargo Vol 3 - William Orbit