Long time no see

I haven't seen my mum's brother for about 10 years or more. We write, and talk on the phone, but just haven't been face to face. He and his wife and another couple came on holiday our way so this morning mum and I met them in their hotel and had coffee and a good chin wag. It is amazing the difference 10 years make when it's the difference between 70 and 80. But I guess the difference in me was probably just as noticeable to them. When I was much younger my uncle used to call in on his way home from work and we would have a cup of tea and discuss all sorts, including religion quite a lot. I think it is fair to say that he had a lot to do with setting me along my spiritual path. It's the third day running I have been up at 6:30 and out by 7:30 so was feeling very tired this afternoon. Hubby had gone shopping so I put a CD on and put my feet up on the settee, just for a few minutes you understand. I thought there was something wrong with the CD because it finished only a few minutes afterwards, then I realised there was something wrong with the clock as well. My afternoon has disappeared down a rift in the space time continuum.

A Funny Old Weekend

It's been a curate's egg of a weekend so, in accordance with my mission for this blog, I will only tell you about the parts which were excellent. Firstly, mending my crashed computer and making the decision to buy a new one before it happens again. Secondly, taking an hour out on Sunday afternoon to finish the book I am reading for the book group I have joined. It was sunny and hot and I sat in the garden and really felt my spiritual batteries being replenished. My little greenhouse now has some shading so the second lot of cuttings hopefully won't wither up and die (my fault entirely) Thirdly, listening to some good music. Janacek Glagolitic Mass. I buy CDs of things I haven't heard before in charity shops and this was a find. My musical tastes are very wide and it does depend on my mood so I don't always like things the first time I hear them and then change my mind if I give them another go, but this one was a hit first time. I've also been putting Radio 3 on in the car for a change and drove home on Friday to Choral Evensong from Chelmsford Cathedral. Think I need a bit of Alice Cooper today just to even thigs up a bit!

Sunday Stealing 27/09

I have to say I am struggling with this one as the person who wrote the meme is so not in my demographic or on my wavelength, but we'll give it a go

Sunday Stealing: A Fall Meme

It’s not really fall in until...
- OK, this doesn't actually make sense but I assume the word "in" wasn't meant to be there so my answer would be when the big spiders come out If the word "in " is meant to be there then my answer is until someone pushes you off the edge of the swimming pool

What did you need to do in the waning days of summer for it to feel complete?
- Get all the bulbs in and the cuttings done

A person I know was wrong for me but about whom I frequently thought after a break-up was...
- Oh for goodness sake, I've been married so long, I don't remember

If you could only attend one major sporting event what would it be?
- A Test Match between England and Australia (that's cricket) and actually it's the only sporting event that would tempt me

Assuming that you write an anonymous or partially anonymous blog, by what non-physically identifying characteristics might you be identified in a bar?
- I'm the one that doesn't go to bars

Most blogs cover some sort of niche – personal, political, dating, culinary, etc. What topic, if any, would you like to address on your blog but doesn’t fit into your niche?

- The assassination of good English

If you could manipulate the time space continuum and give as many as three pieces of advice to a younger version of yourself, what advice would you give and to what age of you?

- Age 12, Dad's right, you really will regret not learning to play the piano

Who among your friends do you really wish had a blog because their stories, or perspective on something ought to be shared?

- Quite a few

If you were to take an e-cation (vacation from the trappings of our electronic world,) and assuming that employment obligations would allow it, how long of a break could you take? What would you miss the most, the least?

- The only thing I would miss would be listening to music, and I mean proper music, otherwise, if there were trees and enough food and a safe place to sleep I don't think I would ever want to come back

On September 11th of this year, I attended a couple of parties and was somewhat conflicted by the fact that this ignoble anniversary shall pass with it being just another day in the eyes of many (and in some ways my own eyes as well.) Thoughts?

- What a good example of the assassination of the English language

How high are your walls? Who was the last person to scale them? What tools should would-be climbers have on their belt?
- We've got fences

The sexiest thing a man or a woman can say to you (or has said to you) is:
- That's for me to know and you to find out

Do I need another Blog?

Well, yes, actually, I decided I did as I want to keep my crafting things seperate so if that's what you are here to see go to "Not Cute and Not Funny" courtesy of the link on the side there, just there, look, on the right, you need to scroll down a bit,that's it!

My Pride and Joy

A good gardening weekend. I planted about 120 bulbs, some in the garden and some in pots. This meant weeding and digging first and so I did it in easy bites, having a little lie down and reading an old "Saint" book in between. Also took about 150 cuttings from various plants and tucked them up in my new pride and joy, a little plastic greenhouse. I've been trying to find a good old fashioned cold frame but they seem to be horrendously expensive and I have a horror of broken glass so this seems like a good compromise. Any bets on what percentage will survive?
Now here's a positive thought. I had said that over the last couple of weeks I didn't do half the things I had planned, but this morning I thought "I did at least half the things I planned" and felt much better.
If you have been, thanks for reading

Sunday Stealing 19/09

Ha ha ha beat you all! (at least I had when I posted this, don't know how someone slipped in front of me!)

27. Do you prefer to sleep or eat?
Depends how tired or how hungry I am

28. Do you look like your mom or dad?
I'm a girl - guess

29. How long does it take you in the shower?
How long does what take?

30. Can you do the splits?
Not intentionally

31. What movie do you want to see right now?
The original "Solaris"


32. What did you do for New Year’s?
Not a lot

33. Do you think The Grudge was scary?
Never heard of it

34. Do you own a camera phone?
No

35. Was your mom a cheerleader?
No but she was a WREN

36. What’s the last letter of your middle name?
Officially I don't have a middle name

37. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
7 or 8

38. Do you like Care Bears?
No

39. What do you buy at the movies?
Never go

40. Do you know how to play poker?
Yes

41. Do you wear your seat belt?
Yes, it's illegal not to

42. What do you wear to sleep?
Not telling

43. Anything big ever happen in your hometown?
Sure

44. How many meals do you eat a day?
3 (ish)

45. Is your tongue pierced?
Certainly not

46. Do you always read MySpace bulletins?
Don't belong to MySpace

47. Do you like funny or serious people better?
No preference

48. Ever been to L.A.?
What? Luton Airport? No


49. Did you eat a cookie today?
No

50. Do you use cuss words in other languages?
Oui

51. Do you steal or pay for your music downloads?
Pay

52. Do you hate chocolate?
No

53. What do you and your parents fight about the most?
This question could upset those who no longer have their parents. Never fight with my mum, dad died a long time ago

54. Are you a gullible person?
Try me

55. Do you need a girlfriend to be happy?
Explain "girlfriend"

56. If you could have any job (assuming you have the skills) what what would it be?
Professional singer

57. Are you easy to get along with?
Yes

58. What is your favorite time of day?
Play time

SomComDiff Challenge

I've called this SomComDiff because I have discovered that SCD stands for some other inferior entertainment on television ! Why watch a lot of people who can't dance when you could be crafting! Anyway, this weeks challenge was another Moo card with the subject "metal" I've posted two as I wasn't sure if photos really counted so one is a photo of the huge copy of the Sutton Hoo helmet that hangs over the entrance to the exhibition hall and the other is a "GoldenWeb" made using one of my Fiskars texture plates of which I am inordinately fond.
Don't forget to join me again tomorrow for Sunday Stealing

A lovely day

My plan for doing lots of work at home while I could forget about office work for a couple of weeks have not quite gone according to said plan and so yesterday I made the decision to stop trying and have a couple of days rest. As we don't travel far we decided to go to Sutton Hoo (I may or may not have achieved a hyperlink at this point) which is somewhere we go a lot. Hubby can borrow a motorised buggy as pushing a wheelchair round there would be well nigh impossible and it's somewhere that we both find very restful when the school holidays are over and we are no longer in danger of being mown down by screaming kids. Mind you, in term time you can get caught by the occasional crocodile. Anyway, we got there for an early lunch and then went for a walk and I found a place to sit and try and sketch a bit while H sat and read The Week and took my photo on the sly. The sun was very bright and hot but pleasingly tempered by the light wind, it was quiet enough to hear birds singing and the trees did that thing they do in the breeze. The first time we went there it was a dull damp day and quie spooky as there was no one else there but now it is a bit more popular I doubt we will catch that atmosphere again easily. No matter, it is still a calm and serene place to go. I have been for a walk through the woods (buggy not up to that path so he has to go and have another cup of tea) but didn't today. So we both sat on the veranda with tea and cake and people watched for a while. I forgot to go in the second hand book shop this time - might leave a few Book Crossing books next time I am there.
Then to cap it all I came home and found two new followers on my blog - what more could a girl want!

SCD Challenge

This is the first time i've tried one of these challenges. The challenge was a Moo card with the theme "Circles" Now all I have to do is work out how to do the link.

Dawdling

Went for a long walk today along the cycle track that goes all the way to Tesco's (and back again)This follows an old farm track for part of the way and so there are some really nice bits of hedgerow that look very old and a few huge trees, plus all sorts of wildflowers and birds. We saw a sparrow hawk being mobbed and a lot of blackbirds and some cheeky cockney sparrers (I suppose they are Suffolk Sparrows here)and we dawdled. Frankly the world would be a better place for a bit more dawdling.

Sunday Stealing 13/09

One day I'm going to do a meme myself. The SS site will tell you all about this.

Sunday Stealing: One Long Meme (Part One)

1. The phone rings. Who will it to be?
My mother

2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?
Yes, at my supermarket you have to put a £ in to take it but I would anyway

3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener?
Depends on who I'm with. I hope I am a good listener for people who need someone to listen to them

4. Do you take compliments well?
I hope so

5. Do you play Sudoku?
No and it really annoys me when people don't get it that it's nothing to do with maths

6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive?
Probably

7. Did you ever go to camp as a kid?
No, nor as an adult

8. What was your favorite game as a kid?
Playing cards with my dad

9. If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew she was married, would you?
Would I what?

10. Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than you?
I'm married to him

11. Do you like to pursue or be pursued?
Not applicable

12. Use three words to describe yourself?
Loyal, curious, menopausal

13. Do any songs make you cry?
Yes, there's one by Alison Moyet that I can't bear to listen to, I had to get rid of the CD it was on. Can't remember the title bit it says "Who will shelter me"

14. Are you continuing your education?
Yes, learn something new every day

15. Do you know how to shoot a gun?
Yes, a shot gun at least. And I can hit things too! Clay pigeons that is

16. Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth?
Yes, for a passport about 40 years ago

17. How often do you read books?
Every day

18. Do you think more about the past, present or future?
Don't think any one predominates

19. What is your favorite children’s book?
Moomintrolls

20.What color are your eyes?
Mud

21. How tall are you?
5ft 4ins and a bit

22. Where is your dream house located?
In a clearing in the forest

23. If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you grabbed?
My toughdrive portable hard disk

24. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden?
What's Olive Garden?

25. Where was the furthest place you traveled today?
Day's not over yet but probably 8 minute walk to church

26. Do you like mustard?
German yes, French and English no

The best laid plans....

I had every intention of writing something here everyday; something happy, uplifting or thought provoking, but always positive. I don't know about you, but it has had an effect on me. I have been feeling so happy, uplifted and positive that I decided to have a real blitz on all sorts of de-cluttering, filing and general sorting jobs and as a consequence haven't had time to sit and provoke thought. Will try to do better. By the way. I don't think I really have had 11,000 visitors in the last 48 hours, the spring's gone on my counter!

If you don't like spiders........

I wrote about the autumn garden spiders a while ago and getting them to cut bits of leaf out of their webs. The little ones are getting bigger now and several lurk in my tomatoes. This picture is of a spider that turned up a couple of years ago in my last garden. It is a wasp spider (bet you can't guess why ho ho) She made a beautiful nest for a big paper ball a bit like a nigella seed head and guarded it well until the cold snap that came. We moved that year so I don't know if another one turned up next year.

Sunday Stealing 06/09

Sunday Stealing: The Random Dozen Meme

1. When you go to Wowmart, what one thing do you get every single time, besides a funky-wheeled squeaking cart full of frustration?

If you mean Tesco (Wowmart sounds much more exciting) then a headache and a carton of orange juice

2. What is something that people are currently “into” that you just don’t get or appreciate?

Reality television

3. What is something that really hoists your sail that other people might feel “ho-hum” about?

Babylon 5

4. Favorite song to sing in the shower or car?

Much too difficult to choose one song from my extensive repetoire

5. A really great salad must have this ingredient:

Those little bits of crunchy onion

6. What advice in a nutshell would you give to new bloggers?

Never forget your mother might read it

7. What was the alternate name that your parents almost named you? Do you wish they had chosen it instead of the one they gave you?

My mum was convinced I was going to be a boy and I was going to be called Mark. She decided on Janine when she found out I was a girl but thought people might think it was too posh so she changed it to Janet. Think I'm quite happy with that.

8. What in your life are you waiting for?

My premium bond to come up

9. You get a package in the mail. What is it, and who is it from?

Probably a book I've ordered from amazon

10. Today–what song represents you?

I heard that Nina Simone thing yesterday "Feeling good", not sure if that's the title but it'll do

11. What is one thing that blogging has taught you about yourself?

As I resolved only to think nice thoughts on this blog it has taught me to think of something positive about every day

12. How are you going to (or how did you) choose the clothes you’re wearing today?
What do they say about you in general or specifically how you’re feeling today?

Layers. It's my age dear!

Ladies who lunch #1

When I was doing a proper job in the 1980s lunch was part of the package. In those days there was an almost bottomless petty cash box and I was expected to take out and be taken out by diverse bank managers, estate agents, the occasional barrister, property developers and the like. As a then single girl it was very useful as I didn't have to cook when I got home but it did mean being nice to people that I might not have otherwise chosen to spend time with (except that barrister, he was gorgeous) Now I have the infinitly more pleasant experience of only spending my occasional lunches out with people who I have chosen and, strange though it may seem, who have chosen me.
Today was my second lunch with she of the random ramblings. We were going to go to Arlingtons again but they were very full so we went back to a little place (positively bijou, my dear) that I had seen earlier and graced them with our presence instead. RR knows how to do the thingy with the link, I must find out how myself sometime, so you will have to visit her blog (see right) to get there but it was called Morgans and is in Arcade Street. Two hours fled by and we learned some more about each other and smiled sweetly at the two ladies who were running the joint as we interrupted their tea when we left.
When I got home it was to find that my new printer had arrived with its promise of hours of fun and frolics trying to get it installed. In fact all seems to have gone well so I can start playing with that tomorrow after Sunday Stealing.

Secret Garden Part 2

Here are some more photos of the lovely garden at the place where I work. Please respect my copyright in them. When I get permission I will post a few that show some of the paintings that are hanging in this open air gallery but if you come to the shop and buy a newspaper you can go and sit there yourself

PHEW!

Been working hard and not felt like sitting at the computer when I got home but now I have a whole 18 days before I go back down the mine - what bliss. Look out for some more photos of the Secret Garden tomorrow

Secret Garden Part one

I'm working some extra hours this week so I can take a break next week. So for once I took a proper lunch break and ate my sandwiches in the garden of the place where I work. It's a very old building with a very old garden. The bosses mum has been doing it up and then someone suggested that the art gallery could overflow there in the summer. I don't know why I haven't been out there for a while but it blew me away. If I ever feel like packing in this job the garden and access to it might just change my mind. I am going to tantalise you with just one photo for now but there will be more and they are worth it i promise. There was a baby blackbird there but having surveyed me with that serious look that baby birds have, and not moved as I walked round it, it got camera shy so I'll try again tomorrow. You see, there are silver linings everywhere if you take the trouble to look.