Sunday 31 March 2013

Day 22

It is Easter Sunday and I am having an easy Sunday dear Reader, had a nice Sunday roast for lunch cooked by the wonderful hubby and I was kind enough to sit through one of his choice of DVDs; it was some Arnold Schwarzenegger film called End of Days and he is now returning the favour by sitting through my Wonder Woman box set. Having a nice cup of tea and just thinking sometimes these days when we don't do much are the best days aren't they? Just taking the time to sit down and do nothing makes a nice change doesn't it? I think I will do this more often. I have discovered the best chocolate today though too. Forget Easter eggs this was a Lindt chocolate rabbit and it is the best chocolate I have ever tasted and I WANT more but everywhere is shut today. I will be buying them in bulk come tomorrow, just in case they are only available to buy around for Easter.

Well in a moment I will be a moving because Master L wants dropping off at Nando's (hope it is opened) to meet his friends, not long now until he is old enough to drive and he can drive me around for a change! I have never been to Nando's, I don't even know what the food is like there. Maybe it will take my mind off my craving for chocolate bunnies. But the look on my son's face if I told him I was staying to have something to eat. With me being 39 it isn't cool for mother and mates to mix. A no-go area in my teen's eyes. So I will have to discover what Nando's has to offer some other time. 

Hope you are having a nice and relaxing Easter Sunday too dear Reader and if you are now sat eating a chocolate bunny, spare a thought for me!



This is all that is left of mine!

Evening all x x x

Saturday 30 March 2013

Day 21

Well today I had no problem finding a chemist that was opened dear Reader, the problem I had was the service that I got at the chemist. I went into Boots and they did have the creams I use for my allergies. Before when I have got them from Boots they have been on a three for two offer. So as I was buying my cream I politely asked the girl on the till if they were still three for two and if so, I would have three. She then tells me that I cannot have hydrocortisone on three for two and that it is illegal for them to sell more than one of this cream. So I then explain to the girl that I have on several occasions bought hydrocortisone cream on the three for two offer. To which the girl said that they did not sell it on the three for two offer. So again I explained to her that I had done more than once got it on the special three for two offer. So what followed was three for two being said about 200 times in our exchange; then the debate of her telling me that I had not bought the cream on the special three for two offer and me saying that I did. She then offered to get the pharmacist to check and I said "okay...please do that." She then came back and she told me that the pharmacist would  be over in a moment. She then told me again that they never sell hydrocortisone on the special three for two offer at Boots. Then get this dear Reader she then said that perhaps I have been mistaken and got three other different products on a special three for two offer. When I only ever buy hydrocortisone cream! So then it went back and forth again dear Reader, it was like been stuck in a loop. She still was telling me that I could not have possibly have bought hydrocortisone on the special three for two offer. Then the lady on the next till said well perhaps it is just not on offer anymore!  But no the girl on the till was not going to back down and even though the pharmacist at this point had not still come over she was sticking to her guns that it had never been on a three for two offer. So really feeling like we could not get back into the 'I have, you haven't' loop again, so I just politely paid and walked out feeling really quite taken a back. I luckily found a receipt from Boots that shows that only last week I bought hydrocortisone on the special three for two offer! so I was able to check at 39 that I was not having my first senior moment!

Evening all x x x


Friday 29 March 2013

Day 20

Good Friday today dear Reader, Easter already is upon us and this year is flying by. So I spent this morning trying to find a chemist that was opened. Driving round from one to the next and they were all shut. So that was not a good Friday. In fact that was a waste of a perfectly good bank holiday. Today really feels like a Saturday doesn't it? I was hoping with the long weekend that the hubby would do some DIY jobs around the house. I have a list of jobs that need doing around the house. I find when I can't sleep that I make lists, and my DIY list is one that regularly gets stuff added to and the list is really long now (take note hubby). I myself tried DIY once with very bad results and all I was doing was putting a picture up.

I knew exactly where I wanted to put the picture and had got the hammer out to put the picture hook in the wall. At the time my son Master L was only four years old and was really into Bob the Builder and as soon as he saw me with the hammer, there he was with his hard hat on and his own toy hammer in his hand. So I began to put the picture hook up and Little L is beside me copying what I am doing; not fully concentrating now on what I am doing I give the hook one last hit and a flash and spark happens. "BLOODY HELL" I yell "Ruddy Hell" Little L copies. I had only gone and fused the lights. The downstairs hall light now no longer works. (Still after over ten years it still remains unfixed) My hubby now hides the hammer from me and all the tools in case I get the urge to DO-IT-MYSELF.

Evening all x x x

Thursday 28 March 2013

Day 19

Well I finally made it out of the house today dear Reader... well only to do the supermarket shopping, so nothing exciting really. I was in the queue at the check out when a lady who works at the supermarket said to me "do you want to go to till number two?" "Because there is no queue there" Well let me tell you reader I was about to discover exactly why there was no queue at till number two. "Do you want any help with your shopping?" The checkout girl politely asks me "no thank you" I answer equally polite. Well then dear Reader my shopping flew down the conveyor belt at an alarming speed that was impossible for me to keep up and pack without it piling up. She was so fast, it reminded me of my time in the student days during the summer holidays, spent working packing in a bubble bath factory. I kept thinking she will stop in a moment give me a chance to catch up, but no, she seemed to pick up her speed and it got faster and faster. I actually broke out in a sweat because I like to organise my shopping--you know tins in one bag toiletries in another etc. Well not to lose faith that I was not keeping up, my system went completely to pot. My usually nice and neatly packed shopping bags now looked like a mountain of mess. Stuff was getting squashed too, like when they have children from a variety of different clubs and activities packing your shopping to collect money for their charity bucket. I always say "no thank you" to these packers too, after the time it took me about three hours to work out what an unrecognised item of my shopping was after been squashed so much. It turned out to be a squashed Batten Berg. But I do always put money in their bucket so I am not a complete moaning minnie here! So back to that check out, I think in almost twenty years of doing my own food shopping I have never been through a till so fast. Make no wonder there was no queue there. I bet she has a reputation for destroying shopping with her fast moves and everyone avoids her and the till. Or maybe it is just due to just how fast she works that there is such a fast service at her till that there is no time ever for a queue to ever form. I felt like I had just been through a car wash, or I was going to get my speed on the Top Gear board! I would love to tell you, dear Reader that this speediness continued with me when I got home to put away the shopping, but no, I needed a nice cup of tea and a sit down when I got back. Then it took me over an hour to put all my miss-mashed shopping away. I just hope next week I remember to avoid till number two, because with another weeks practice training in, this check out girl is going to be at Olympic status and I don't fancy my chances or maybe next time when she asks if I want any help with my shopping I should say YES!

Evening all x x x

Wednesday 27 March 2013

Day 18

Well it has just said on the news, dear Reader, that this snow might last until the middle of next month! Shocker. I can remember Easter being usually when the weather gets warmer, in fact I can remember some real scorcher days at Easter and dare I even say... days even wearing shorts and t-shirts!

Feeling a bit better today ,dear Reader,my eyes now look like two deflated balloons now the swelling as gone down. So it does take a while before they get back to normal. One of the things with this allergy is that you can bruise easily and you can often look like you have got two black eyes.  Good news I may be able to leave the house really soon, after spending time and getting bored on daytime telly; I found eBay most entertaining, so far buying: three handbags; ten DVDs; 32 CDS and a Womble lamp! Stir crazy I have been! PayPal is my best friend at the moment. I also went up in the loft to see if I could find some stuff to flog, could not find any of my own stuff, but found loads of the hubbie's stuff to put on!!! 

Anyway dear Reader, speaking of lofts, when a was around seven years old I used to go to my auntie's house a lot to play with my cousins. My aunt collected different glass bottles and she had them on display all the way up her staircase; they were beautifully displayed. One of my cousins was a little older than me and he decided that he wanted to explore the loft, but when he asked my aunt she told him he could not go up there because there was no flooring up there and it was not safe. So we all returned back to what we were doing, when all  of a sudden there was a mighty crash from upstairs  and the sound of clanking and breaking glass. We rushed to see what the noise was and there still falling like domino rally was my aunts bottles each falling and knocking the next one in line over until they reached the bottom of the stairs and that was not all dear Reader, at the top of the stairs hanging out of a big hole were two legs. My cousin had taken upon himself to go in the loft and fallen through the ceiling! "I TOLD YOU NOT TO GO UP THERE!" Yelled my aunt. And somewhere above the pair of legs a little voice came through "I was walking on my tippy-toes!" A neighbours ladder was quickly sought and my cousin was freed from his predicament and was luckily unhurt, the biggest casualty being the ceiling and my aunts collection of glass bottles.  Not long after my aunt took up collecting plates.

Evening all x x x

Tuesday 26 March 2013

Day 17

Not a good day at all today dear Reader. When I woke up this morning both my eyes had puffed up. This is one of the things as an allergy sufferer you have to put up with time to time. There is no cure for allergies. All you can do is find out your triggers and avoid and I had done this and all was going well, I think it is over six months now since I last had swollen puffy eyes. So not a good look at all and I am stuck in again. Good news though it seems to be going, so hopefully might not need to go to doctors. No gym again though either.

I think when the weather is warm again I might start going swimming again. I love swimming and it is a great way to keep fit. The only bad experience I had whilst swimming was when I was aged around nine. My Pa had taken me and my two younger brothers to Spenborough baths; I should have known things were not going to go well, when my younger brother's lips turned blue because the pool was that cold.  My Pa had given us his usual warning of not weeing in the pool or the water would turn bright green and everyone would know we had wee weed in the pool. I always imagined if we had done that not only the water would turn green but sirens and a spotlight would fall on us and we would be frog marched out of the pool in a walk of shame. Not that I would have ever taken a wee in the pool anyway, far too cold. Anyway back to the story dear Reader, well Spenborough baths just so happened to have a high board. You know the big one that the likes of Tom Daley dives from. Well it looked huge and I was so going to jump off right from the top. Up the steps I went climbing all the way to the top.  I confidently strode out on the platform... and then it happened, I don't know why, I think I must have looked down at some point and I just froze and dropped to my feet. I could not move.  All was still until I yelled "DDDDDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDD!" from the top of my lungs.  My pa appeared at the bottom of the high board arms out stretched "Come on jump" he said. I remember shouting back "I am stuck" I can't move"  So for the next five minutes it was "JUMP" and "no I can't" back and forth. No idea where my hunky life guard was to save me at this point. Anyway after finally accepting that I would not be jumping today, my Pa climbed up the steps and on to the platform to get me. Working his way through the now large queue of swimmers waiting to dive from the platform. He holds his arm out for me to grab and I just cannot do it. I am completely frozen. So he as no choice but to grab me and carry me down the steps. Which the whole experience was just as humiliating as if I had had a wee in that water and it had turned green...

Evening all x x x

Monday 25 March 2013

Day 16

Hello, dear Reader, well I am still feeling a bit yack, so I decided to make friends again today with my sofa and just rest. So I started the day doing some reading and although it is a really great book I am reading at the moment; because of whatever this illness I have got pretty soon I felt my eyelids getting heavy and I fell into a very deep sleep only to be awakened by Spook jumping up on me. Well it made me jump and when I jumped she jumped and as I opened my eyes poor Spook was flying over the coffee table. This I have to say dear Reader, was not from the force of myself being made to jump but the combined force of myself and the cat being startled together. No harm came to Spook who as cats do she landed on her feet and was soon jumping back up on  my ready made bed on the sofa and curling up on me to go to sleep. So she still loves me.

Just how cold is it out there? So glad I did not go out today. My Ma lives in Yorkshire and the snow is really deep there. The snow is not too bad here at the moment. It is due to snow that I lost my front teeth, aged around eleven, on a self made sledge... well it was just a plank of wood if I am honest. I thought it would be really fun to sledge down some steps that had all been snowed over. I should at this point say dear Reader that there was a quite a lot of steps to that stairway and as I launched myself off from the very top I picked up quite a speed on my plank of wood. I travelled quite some distance, only coming to a halt when I smacked head first into a brick wall...hence why I lost my teeth. Then there is that awful feeling when you bang your head too. I don't remember why I did not go to the dentist/hospital straight away, because all my thirty-nine year old memory now remembers is that I went to school the next day and I was given cotton wool with TCP on it by the school nurse. I know after that my next lesson was French, because I can remember dear Reader that for the remainder of the school year my french book smelt of TCP. In fact sometime much later in my twenties when I first visited Paris I consciously thought in my mind that this great city would smell of TCP.

I am happy to say that not long after I did get my teeth fixed, and so at age eleven I had a teeth lift. Because my teeth actually ended up looking much better. Yes they were still big... even bigger looking aged eleven with my head not yet fully grown but they were better. Age eleven was a very accident prone year for me as that year I also broke my foot and ankle playing football of all things in a car park. I had gone to kick the ball and ended up kicking the curb or for my American friends sidewalk. My foot seemed to vibrate and hurt for a second then all seemed to be OK, until I put my foot down and it felt all funny underneath, like my bones had all been squashed together under my foot. I could not walk on the foot. But my Pa had done a first aid course back in 1971 and even though it was now 1985 he diagnosed a sprained ankle. So I spent the next couple of weeks hobbling around like this for the next two weeks before finally going to hospital and told I had actually broke my foot and ankle and I had what we call in Yorkshire a pot on (a cast). The story does not end there dear Reader, for I ended up with lots of time of school and this is when I discovered Wimbledon and I have had a fondness for tennis ever since. But as the weeks went on with my leg in a cast from toe to knee it started to get itchy, so I thought I had found the perfect scratcher with my twelve inch school ruler, which whenever my Ma had her back turned I would stop the itching by putting the plastic ruler down my cast to have a good scratch, all was well until one day the ruler snapped and broke whilst inside my cast. Well I did what any good eleven year old did at times like this. I said nothing, of course thinking I did not want to cause my mum an stress of having to tell me off for doing an incredibley stupid thing, so there the ruler stayed inside my cast stuck.  Until the day came for me to have the cast removed. The doctor used some device like a saw with a circle end to cut off my cast and as he cut it, up flew the ruler smacking him clean on the nose! And do you know what dear Reader? I never got my ruler back and it was a pretty pink one with holograms on it too. 

Evening all x x x

Sunday 24 March 2013

Day 15

Hello dear Reader. Today I am communicating with you from the comfort of being laid flat out on my sofa, for it would seem this is my first time poorly at age thirty-nine. So I am here stuck on my sofa with no energy to move for getting up, my family have kindly left the TV on for me but with no remote so I am stuck with Songs of Praise on mute; but on the bright side the subtitles are on so I can sing along with the hymns and because of the no sound I don't know just how out of tune I am with the hymns.

So I was feeling fine dear Reader and then suddenly I got a temperature, you know the bad one when you get the shivers and the shakes? Then you go hot. I got myself in a panic when I broke out in an full-body rash thinking I was having yet another allergic reaction. I knew I had not come in contact with any of my triggers or indeed tried anything new... then I remembered I had just started to drink strawberry smoothies so I was just about to get rid of my prime suspect when the temperature started. So I am guessing I have some virus and maybe it will be the flu. so anytime now I will have a runny nose and cold symptoms to contend with. Looks like I am stuck here on this here sofa too, I hate sitting still, I just cannot sit still for long. Already stuff is annoying me, the coffee table is too cluttered; the curtains need pulling on and I really need to turn Songs of Praise over. 

On the plus side I never need to have a sickie from work cos I can still read, you can always read and will most likely end up doing more work than I usually do! The hubby is in the kitchen cooking a home made curry, I dread to think what kind of mess the kitchen will end up in: the sink will be stained with curry; the tumble drier needs emptying and the work tops may not get a wipe down, but I must not complain as he is after all cooking me a hot curry to sweat out my phantom flu symptoms away before they even make an appearance. 

I am going to attempt to visit the bathroom in a minute. I expect towels will still be on the bathroom floor; a tap will be dripping up there and maybe the loo roll will need replacing. I have such an important job in this family keeping up with all these jobs that no one notices them getting done.  I am like a cleaning angel who prevents my family from mess and doing anything about mess.  But it has got me thinking been stuck here on this here sofa... firstly, we need a new sofa; secondly, that I need to give my teens more responsibility... I think for the hubby it is too late to save him... but for the kids I can and learn them to be helpful and have the ability to take care of stuff without me asking. Yes they need more responsibility, when I am better we will begin an intense training programme and I will learn them how to do chores. They need to know how to do this stuff.  I will turn my son into the perfect hubby then, he will know how to cook, clean, iron and pick towels up from the bathroom floor before I  am the BIG 40 dear Reader and even though my daughter has said she will never marry and instead would prefer to be a mad woman because she will live alone and have a hundred cats she will be learning these domestic skills too. But for now I will build up to getting off this sofa so I can turn over the telly.

Evening all x x x

Saturday 23 March 2013

Day 14

Shopping in town today, and lets just talk about queue jumpers dear Reader... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
 aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!! There enough said!!!! Note to self avoid town on a Saturday unless you want to waste an all day in queues.  Love the way they look behind at you too and you can tell what they are thinking, like no one will notice if I just walk in front of all these daft people queueing and go straight to the checkout. If I had my way I would love to catch queue jumpers out by putting a big spotlight on them, and play music and present them with a queue jumpers' award and really keep them under the spotlight for as long as possible. Ha Ha.

My cat Spook is crazy, I swear she thinks she is a dog, dear Reader, she chases other cats and growls at them too. They never told us this in her adoption ad at the RSPCA. I think they pimp the cats up a bit and don't tell you the bad bits like that they bite or have a crazy chasing other cats obsession. Many a time dear Reader I am looking out the window and I see cats fleeing left, right and up the nearest tree in order to escape my cat Spook. There she goes chasing after them like a galloping horse and back she comes walking like John Wayne, because dear Reader, Spook is 12 years old! We adopted her 18th months ago and thought we were doing a good thing adopting an older cat. That it would be so easy, less energy than a kitten etc.  If she is sat on her usual spot by the window and a cat goes by she goes into full warrior cat mode hissing, spitting and growling. Maybe she is confused and thinks she is a tom cat, but I think she thinks she is a dog. I dare not think about getting another cat or kitten. I have heard those stories of people who have put two hamsters in a cage and the carnage they have found the next morning. I would like to point out that no harm comes to the cats Spook chases, she just chases them and if they stand up to her she just freezes and does not move. So underneath it all she is just a big softy. But no matter what her funny little ways are...I love my cat! Is she a one off or does your cat do the same or any other weird and wonderful thing?  

Evening all x x x










Friday 22 March 2013

Day 13

Howdy dear Reader, and what a day it has been snow, snow and more snow. So hard to believe Easter is almost here and that many times this time of the year the weather has actually been warm at Easter. So warm at times it as been short and t-shirt weather. I was so cold when I went out that I am seriously thinking of investing in a woolly warm hat. I am, after all, thirty-nine now so I could get away with wearing a hat for warmth and not for fashion I think. 

Managed to get through another book today in my never ending to read and review pile.  Nothing for it in this weather but to stay in and read and watch a good film too called the The Lady that Vanished, I had actually asked the hubby to Sky+ me the new version that was on TV this week but by chance the old version had been on this week too. So guess which one I got??? Yes the 1979 film, but it was actually quite good, fantastic cast it had too. I noticed it was made by Hammer Films. When my parents divorced in the 80's we use to go stay at my father's on a weekend and he would let us stay up late and watch Hammer Films. Now I know I do my Paranormal thing but believe you and me I am such a scaredy cat and do not like watching horror films. Well I can watch them from behind a cushion. But I enjoyed Hammer Films and recently when my Pa was sixty I bought him the Hammer Horror box set, because when I look back now they were happy times. My Pa now no longer lives near me, so I do not get to see him often but every time I watch a Hammer film I will think of him!! Ha ha.

 My brother Jay who is now actoooor used to have a thing about watching the Superman films in the 80's; the Christopher Reeves ones. It was ages until he had his own Superman costume so he use to improvise by asking us all to tie a towel round is neck for his cape. Well what as this to do with Hammer Horror films? I hear you say dear Reader. Well when Jay watched Superman 3, when it got to the bit were Superman turns bad and he fights himself, (if you have not seen Superman 3 oops I gave the plot away)  this use to frighten our Jay, who I better point out was only around three at the time. Better point this out dear Reader don't want you imagining a guy in his thirties running around with a towel as a cape on!! Ha  Ha. Well when this bit of the film came on our Jay would go into the kitchen and open the cupboard door and hide behind it until it was over.  He watched that film over and over again and each time he would go into kitchen and hide behind a cupboard door till it was over. It did not surprise me at all when he went into acting he use to know all the lines in that film, word for word. All the different parts too including all of Lois Lane's lines.  Speaking of brothers and Superheroes, my other brother when he was in primary school aged five asked to go to the toilet and he came back to the classroom dressed as Spider man! He must have had the costume on under his school uniform.  I bet my Ma got a, "Can we have a word Mrs T?" At the end of that school day!

So do you remember Hammer Horrors dear Reader? or did you have a favourite Superhero? Are you batty about Batman?  By the way mine was Wonder Woman and I spent a lot of the late 70's early 80's in a dizzy daze with all that spinning around in circles (only fans of Wonder Woman will get that). Drop me a comment in the box below and do share your superhero horror moments.

Evening all x x x

Thursday 21 March 2013

Day 12

Well dear Reader what started off to be a lovely spring morning, with washing out on the line turned into what has to be the coldest days so far. Do you think you feel the cold more as we get older? Cos my God dear Reader did I feel it today!  A pub has never looked so warm and cosy and inviting as it did today and I am lucky I can take my work with me anywhere! Had a real good run of brilliant books this year, which makes my job a lot easier. If you like reading please share what you are reading. I love to hear about a good or bad read.

Hubby is watching this interlude thingy on the Formula 1 channel and it is so boring, basically they are building a Williams car and they are all increased in speed  to music and it is on 32 minutes! I would much rather go back to that girl, her clown and chalk board thank you very much.

My son Master L has decided he is now going in a limousine with friends and he has just told me now he needs the money for tomorrow. So excuse me while I pop to the ATM in my back garden dear Reader!  So I have to go out in the cold again. So I might as well make my self useful and get to the gym while I am out, it might warm me up a bit and burn of the pub grub and the chocolate muffin I have eaten. I have notice since hitting thirty-nine that the weight is getting harder to shift. So might have to knock the muffins on the head and reach for the stick of celery. Might be tempted to call at that nice little pub again after the gym. All that exercise is thirsty work!

Evening all x x x







Wednesday 20 March 2013

Day 11

Well dear Reader, my tumble dryer died and because it was from Comet and Comet is now no more, I thought I would buy a new one. What should have been a simple trip to Currys to purchase a new one turned out to be a family outing seeing as the word McDonald's was mentioned. Last month my washer broke down--nothing lasts anymore does it? Oh well we better find something more interesting to talk about.

Did you hear about Kate Moss reading Fifty Shades on the wireless?? OK OK Radio? What about that then? Just in case you don't know dear Reader, I work in the media currently in the booky world and I think Fifty Shades is not all that! I have read far more sauce when reviewing Mills & Boon. Have you read any of the Shades? I thought they were too repetitive and slightly dull like the colour grey to be honest. But good on the author for there is no doubt they are a huge success. But it doesn'tt beat classic literature like Lady Chatterley's Lover... which I happened to buy the Sean Bean DVD version of this classic from Pound Land no less. Well at least I hope that is what it is, because last November we bought a Star Trek DVD for the hubby from there. We all sat down to watch it and it was actually the cartoon Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer! Which for November was not too bad as it is near Christmas.  Anyway, just hope that no mistakes have been made with this one!!!

Evening all x x x

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Day 10

Well what about Corrie last night dear Reader?  That was really good television drama wasn't it? Loved the comedy the cleverness of the writers of Corrie that they can having us laughing out loud with the humour and good fun of the scenes of stripping in the Bistro to the dramatic effects of a raging fire in the Rovers. It was award winning writing and acting too. Just brilliant and we are all left on a cliff hanger until Wednesday. It is my son Master L who is the BIG Corrie fan in our family. I usually am going out to the gym when it is on so can take it or leave it, but I was so caught up in yesterday's episodes that I made a quick get-away to the gym between episodes in order for me to be near a TV screen for part two. I made it just in time and spent all thirty minutes pedalling on an exercise bike watching the drama unfold. Well done to all who worked on it. Fantastic stuff. 

Let's hope they replace the picture of Betty. So it looks like a brand new set for the Rovers then too. So glad it was looking outdated and I so wanted just to rip down the dreary wall paper, but not the brass though. My own grandmother had quite a collection of brass. Including the horse blinker hangings like they had in the Rovers. I only wish I had taken a picture of all her brass, because it was quite a remarkable collection. The walls were decorated with it, she even had Shields swords, an enormous kettle and a giant incense burner. Lots of little brass ornaments and anything else you could think of that is made of brass. I remember the Brasso coming out and it taking ages to clean and scrub up each piece of brass until it shone until you could see your face in it. I wonder what the appeal of it was to my grandmother. Sadly when someone passes you find that even aged thirty-nine that you have now many unanswered questions, Questions that you will now never know the answer to. When someone dies it is like they just disappear isn't it? There is always a part of your life missing. I was lucky to have her in my life for the first half and now I have to go on for the second part without her.  I am sure she is looking down on me from heaven... polishing her brass!!!

Evening all x x x

Monday 18 March 2013

Day 9

Well just call me the Domestic Goddess today dear Reader. I have not stopped all day. Multi-tasking mayhem  has been happening all day long here! A mountain of ironing and a catch up on Sky Plus because the hubby is having a meltdown over us running out of space on there (again) with all my crap as he puts it! Well not crap but really good TV for me. Dare I tell him that next month CBS are repeating Knots Landing everyday.  Now that will take up a lot of space and give him something really to stress over.  Now can I help at the moment that there is more programmes on at the moment aimed at my taste than his???  Wonder what would happen if we ran out of space? We haven't so far. Sky Plus to me is like opening Christmas presents at Christmas, because by the time I get to watch my own stuff, I have forgotten what I have taped  (Oh heck I used the taped word my teens keep telling me that word is now extinct as well as recorded and that it is now download).  The only problem with Sky today was that the remote is on the blink and not behaving its little self, when I am fast forwarding (hope we can still say that fast forwarding)  it ends up me fast forwarding through my programme when I am trying to skip the advertisements, or worse the ruddy thing says end of programme and I have to start fast forwarding through the start of the programme to where I was up to, again and this can become a loop dear Reader, a vicious circle of me fast forwarding and not been able to stop, then the Sky box stops it tells me I am at the end of the programme, only for me to fast forward again to find were I was, to then fast forward the advertisements and it not stopping and well you get the picture. You know them little surveys they do that say we spend so many days sleeping, so many days eating etc? I think my fast forwarding will now add up to a good amount of days now, but on a positive note,  we know one button that does work on the remote still.

Then this afternoon when Miss C my teenage daughter came home from school we baked cupcakes (Mum of the Year awards take note)  which were really lovely. Nice to spend some quality time with her too and have a conversation. You don't get much conversation from teens do you really at times?  

At thirty-nine too I have found the worse thing ever has happened. I never thought I would reach the age when I did not know what number one was in the charts (DA DA Dar play dramatic music ) there said it, admitted it. Every Sunday religiously there I would be with my cool Phillips Roller Radio/Cassette player and later my Woofer Ghettoblaster and would have my trigger happy finger over the pause button to tape my favourite tunes to blast out on the 268 school bus the following week. I knew every song, every group and what was in and out of the charts, Thanks to Dr Fox or Kid Jenson and now (DA DA DA) I have no idea who is number one! Don't get me wrong I like a lot of the new stuff like Pink, Katy Perry etc and I have been known to do a  Lady GAGA at the local karaoke but I no longer can keep up with what is number one. Bring back Top of the Pops and the Hit Parade, then I might actually know who everyone is at the Brits. So what is the current Number one dear Reader? I am off to embrace Google and find out!

Evening all x x x

Sunday 17 March 2013

Day 8

Have you ever wondered, dear Reader, what the point of us having dreams is? What are dreams all about? I am not talking about dreams which are about hopes and aspirations for the future, I am talking about the dreams you have whilst you are asleep. Recently I have been having dreams, dreams that play out in my mind like films whilst I am asleep. They are so real, it is like I am really there. Dreams are something we cannot control and I wonder what is their purpose? Lately a lot of my dreams involve travel to the seaside. I did have a dream dictionary bought for me some years back that is supposed to infer your dreams. When I looked up travel it said "you are going on an emotional journey." Who writes this stuff? And how do they know all the answers anyway?  It is like horoscopes; how can each star sign and horoscope be the same for a lot of people?  But we still read them don't we, dear Reader.

I often wish I could control my dreaming and dream about my grandmother who passed away a couple of years ago.  It would be lovely just to see her again even if it were just a dream. It would be really good too if dreams could tell you what to do at times too, like be good at giving you advice or warnings when things are about to happen. I have met and worked with people who have claimed to have premonitions before tragic events, so I do believe it can happen.

We all have had nightmares too. What are they all about? I had a nightmare the other week, I dreamt my cat Spook was eaten by a mouse. Not a huge enormous mouse but a little tiny normal mouse.  But it was so real! Why would these random dreams just appear in your head like that? Have you noticed that even something as illogical as a tiny mouse eating a cat is in your dream is completely logical and accepted to be normal too. But in real life you just know that these things would never happen... or am I dreaming? 
 
Evening all x x x

Saturday 16 March 2013

Day 7

Well just when I thought it was safe to get back in the water, dear Reader, once again I am having an allergic reaction to my latest shampoo and conditioner. This is yet another one of my allergies. I seem to have acquired quite a lot of them now. Don't know how, if only it was as easy as collecting stamps. Strike that stamps are a bit boring, so we will say 'if only it was as easy as collecting something remarkably interesting.'

When I was about nine years old I used to have quite a few collections: rubbers was one; erases shaped like lots of different objects and that smelt nice; badges was another and many other useless things one could buy with pocket money... anyway where was I? Oh yes shampoo/conditioner. I am allergic to anything fragranced and another couple of ingredients that have exceptional long names. Why can't they make things simple? Actually Simple shampoo is not as simple as it implies because I am allergic to that too! Why give ingredients long and complicated names? Baby shampoos have perfume in so I can't use them either. The product I had been trying was Tea Tree, and it was going well, until I washed my hair yesterday morning and now my skin has reacted and I'm rashed to the colour of a red tomato... which for Comic Relief is the right look. I have tried liquid soaps, anything with the word natural in it and now I am out of ideas. We can put a man on the Moon but we can not make a decent shampoo for allergy sufferers.

If only I had attended chemistry lessons at school; I could have invented one, make millions and now be living on my own little island somewhere warm and exotic. But no, I am back studying the ingredients in shampoo and conditioner at my local supermarket.  There has got to be one shampoo out there that I can use. I have no idea why my body now thinks all of these solutions are going to harm me. When we all know it is atually doing me more harm not been able to wash my hair or indeed wear hairspray anymore! So wake up body and get with the programme. Awful when your body gets a mind of its own dear Reader, you have no control over it. I get by thinking there are far worse medical conditions to have than an allergy. Films always have an allergic reaction  joke in them don't they? Well I can tell you dear Reader if you have an allergy it is so not funny. But to the onlooker who sees you puff like a puffer fish and come out in hives it is. So here today starts my new mission to find myself a decent shampoo. Is there anybody out there that can help by recommending something? Have you got the same problem as me? I look forward to hearing your answers in the comments section below.

Evening all x x x

Friday 15 March 2013

Day 6

I want to take you back in time today, dear reader, back to when we only had three television channels. Well two really because let's face it back then if you were a child BBC 2 was boring wasn't it? Well apart from when they had the girl, the clown and the chalk board on right? Sitting there watching her for ages, willing her to move or just to do something would keep many of us children entertained for ages. Who was she and how did she get the gig? I can only hope she was paid royalties for repeats because she was always on wasn't she?  She and the clown are probably millionaires out of that one gig now living far away in some hot place. Bothered only now by the producers of Big Brother trying to get the clown to come out of retirement and embrace the world of reality TV.

Three channels... and my point to today's discussion? Well I have just found out today dear Reader that you can have lots of channels and still find nothing entertaining to watch. In other words, there is nothing on the television that, out of more channels than I can count that right now,  I still can't find anything to watch. So I change the channel from one to another, hoping something might grab my interest while I have an hour free to watch something at my leisure. Advertisements are no longer worth watching either, it is like they now know that most of us fast forward them so they just do not bother. Sometimes you can't tell what they are promoting and they know we are fed up of Mr Go Compare man but they still put him on and make jokes about it annoying us! We choose if we pay for Virgin or Sky but have no choice but to pay for the BBC with the television licence and have you ever thought that you hardly watch anything on the BBC anymore? So what will I do about it to make a change? Sit here and channel hop, that's what!


Evening all x x

Thursday 14 March 2013

Day 5

So we have a new Pope and I guessed his name right too on my facebook page, might just find I have the gift at thirty-nine. The gift is what my family call the psychic abilities that some members of my family have. My father Terry Tasker is a well known medium who you can find at The Spiritual Association Of Great Britain in Belgravia London. My grand-mother had the gift and her father before her and so it goes back generations. So yes I should have been the one who was next in line, but it seems to have missed me so far. Well I have had one or two things happen that I can't explain but nothing special really. My father can hear and see spirit people and he says the film Ghost is the nearest it comes to show what it is like. Now I am not saying he is like Whoopi Goldberg in that movie. Who was brilliant for her comical performance, I mean what it is like for the spirit people!!

So quite an interesting upbringing I had with my dad, (to quote from Six Sense) seeing dead people. In fact quite a interesting upbringing all round on the religious front, my mum was in the Salvation Army. (Oh and my best friend was Catholic) My parents divorced in 1985 not due to religious differences though but due to by then they were driving each other round the bend!! Just kidding they actually have stayed very good friends.

Now were was I reader, oh yes interesting upbringing between the two churches. I remember been involved in Salvation Army activities such as Singing company and being a Junior soldier. I also attended their youth clubs and Brownies. In Batley, now oddly enough my father was president at Batley Spiritualist church when we were growing up and that was not far from the Salvation Army. I loved my father's little church which was in a little house in Batley. I loved the service there too and everyone was really friendly. After service people would stay for a cup of tea and a natter. I divided my time and childhood between the two churches. But I liked the spiritualist one the best. You just never knew what would happen during a service. By that I don't mean chandeliers shaking and a breaking or things going bump. It is not like that, I mean with the people attending or the medium who is taking the chair. Just people. People are so interesting, I love people watching. Two things I was taught when I learnt the craft of acting, one do as much theatre as you can for experience and two people watch. You learn so much people watching. Interesting people would come through the doors at my father's church.... I am talking the living ones! I think what my own, some would say strange religious background as made me see that there is good in all religions and you can take good things from each one. I may not have the gift but I do have an interest in the paranormal and do research and investigate things to do with paranormal. It as made me very open minded.  But if I do see a ghost dear reader you will be first to know! 

Evening all x x x

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Day 4

When cleaning the house today, I have noticed by age thirty-nine you have by collected  a lot of stuff. Stuff that you have gathered over the years, stuff you will never use again but keep anyway. Recently with my allergy to nickel I made the decision to get rid of all my clothes, shoes, handbags in my wardrobes that had nickel on them. My allergy is that bad that I puff and look like I have done ten rounds in the boxing ring and hell that look did not match my clothes anyway! I thought it would be really hard to do this as I love my clothes, but instead I found it quite liberating. I was also surprised just how many items in my wardrobes had nickel on them and just how I never actually wore any of the anyway, but kept them for memories sake. A dress from a party, clothes I had wore when I worked in and was on television. Clothes from college. Yes college! Things that did not even fit me anymore. Why do we keep things. We become attached to things, thinks stuff that does not matter.  So I made another decision I bagged up all the clothes, bags shoes and donated them to a local cancer charity shop (all eight bags) and the plan was to only keep things I need.  I then did have to go out to buy clothes to replace the ones I could not wear anymore and guess what???? I soon had stuff again lots of stuff that I don't know if I will wear...

Evening all x


Tuesday 12 March 2013

Day 3

My son is in year 11 and now in year 11 they have a prom. I was wondering what ever happened to the school disco? Now it is a suit, a three course meal in a posh hotel,limos and official photos. We had a record player, the school hall and Tip-Top drinks. You know soft drink cartons with a straw? Now you remember! So when did the American style prom come into fashion in our schools? I know my teen had a prom at the end of his primary school days, personally I think he deserved a medal to get through the primary school he attended. It does make me sad that his experience of primary school is not the happy-go-lucky time I had at my own primary school. 

Anyway back to the school disco, we could bring in our own records. I remember most of us had Wham, Culture Club and Duran Duran and someone brought in Meatloaf 'Bat out of Hell'. Well it did so happen that our teacher was a massive Meatloaf fan and that is all she played all night. Even showing us kids how to do headbanging. Cries of "Please Miss can we have Wham on now?" went by ignored and we were drowned out by the noise. The so called album had not even belonged to the girl who brought it in, she had borrowed it from her mother. I doubt very much if I had borrowed from my own mother's record collection that they would have been played, I think even teachers back in the eighties had better taste than liking Cliff Richard records!

Evening all x x

Monday 11 March 2013

Day 2

My lovely hubby had surprised me with taking the day off work so we could spend the day together.  Shopping and a nice lunch and a film followed. Romantic setting in the snow too... well if it wasn't so cold anyway!

Gym later to work that lunch off. Gyms I discovered a couple of weeks ago can be very bad for your health. I attend a local gym four times a week and this one particular time, I had just arrived at the gym, spotted a treadmill not in use. Well as soon as I stepped on the treadmill I knew I was in BIG trouble... Some idiot at left it on :0 Just as soon as my foot went on that treadmill I was thrown of my feet and before I knew it I was flat on my face. I was battered and bruised and so cross. Who would leave a treadmill on??? How did they get off it running??? Why had I not seen it moving??? Call Sherlock Holmes. Anyway no broken bones luckily. So gyms can be seriously bad for your health... Just saying.

I can not drink alcohol with my allergies, so my tipple as been Diet Cola since I hung up my wine rack. (I know how to live don't I) But I feel my love affair with this beverage to be coming to an end. I do not drink loads of the stuff. Just a few cans a week and lately I have noticed that either my clothes are shrinking in the wash or I may have had a slight expansion on the waist line. So I think it as to be the Diet Coke. Diet gone more like. So I will be toning it down and out. Anyone else noticed Diet Coke makes you put weight on???

Oh well it is back to the books for me tomorrow. Got a lot of books to work through for review. But first a catch up with friends and then the gym after Nikki 0 Treadmill1.

Evening all x x


Sunday 10 March 2013

Day 1

Well today it is my 39th Birthday how did that happen? I still feel like it was only 1988 yesterday! I woke up this morning to a good start, no dead leg. Was lucky to get lots of gifts, including some great DVDs to watch. I have a lovely hubby and teen kids.

Already friends and family are asking about my 40th but I am not going to miss out on being 39.  Today also happens to be Mother's Day. My children are now sixteen and fourteen and it does not seem to be all that long ago they were babies. I did not get chance to spend today with my own mother, but hope  that she had a nice day and that those she spend her day with spoilt her. I learnt something today too, never dwell on people who are unkind to us, because it takes the focus off those who really need our time and for us to think about them. Well that is the polite way of putting it anyway!

I watched a DVD today while I was responding to the many birthday wishes I got on social networking sites. The Wrestler it was called and it is about (for those who have not seen it) an ageing wrestler has to think of retiring. Got me thinking that at 39 now my legwarmers will have to be well and truly hung up. Dancers too don't make it into their forties, (dancing that is, don't mean all us dancing types drop dead or anything likewise) and are are expected to quit. Even for us people who are only in the choir and background. I shall now have to safe my dance moves for family weddings and get together. (Oh if you could see the look on my teens faces right now)  I love dancing, so if that what it takes to dance then so be it!  We also watched Bridesmaids. I was a bridesmaid twice aged 7 once for my aunt and the second for Charles and Di... no not the real Charles and Di, we made a children's version for Yorkshire Television back in 1981 and I was a bridesmaid. I would love to say it was my classical trained actor skills that got me the job... but to be honest I think it was due to my aunt getting wed the same year and that my mother could provide two bridesmaid dressers only worn the once. I got to meet the late and great Richard Whiteley and get a look round the Emmerdale Farm (as it was known then) set. Am I too old to be a bridesmaid now? I will put that on my to do list.

Now going back to the to do list, some people do a to do list before they are an age with a zero on. I suppose one of the things on mine mine should have been driving but I like my bicycle to be honest. My love affair with push bikes came at an early age. Now imagine a flash back to like 1979 and I am around five years old. We went to visit an aunt and uncle and cousins and boy did I have a lot of cousins! Their garden was like Toys R Us. I picked up a two wheeler and managed to teach myself how to ride the thing. Things were going great. I felt good. I then decide to show everyone just how good I am, so I have everyone watching and away I go until... one of my flared trouser legs gets caught up in the chain and at the turn of the pedal they rip all the way up the leg and I am now stuck to the bike.  And me and my push bikes over the years have been inseparable since. So I was thinking of maybe buying a new one. Up grading. But I will never wear flares again!

So as day 1 of being 39 comes to an end I enjoyed a nice meal out at Pizza Hut with my family. (Teens Choice) and I even got a birthday cake. No 39 candles though we don't want to spoil the taste so a simple 3 and a 9 was enough. I actually had nice conversation with my hubby and teens, due to the wifi or what-ever it -is- called not working so it was good. I am now looking forward to unwinding and having a nice relaxing evening with my hubby... oh hang on scrap that its Top Gear night. Or Dad Gear as it is called in our house. So I will sign of now dear readers or reader cos I must have one. Please let me just have one or I am talking to myself. Please dear reader chat to me and tell me about your own views on age 39.  Or indeed getting older. I will go now to find some way of keeping myself entertained. I wonder if i can still do the splits? Only one way to find out.  So I will sign off now to go see. Evening all x x x

All spellings and typos are my own so please don't share them :)

Saturday 9 March 2013

Well Tomorrow is the BIG Day!



Tomorrow being March 10th, I am about to turn thirty-nine and I have decided forget the BIG 40, 39 is the age we should celebrate. I think age 39 gets over looked and is not seen as been significant, so I am going to delight you all readers in inviting you to spend a year with me in my 39th year. What will the year hold out for me?



I have yet to notice any change regarding me now approaching middle-age than when I was a teen. Although my body might disagree with this observation slightly! Yes I am now drawn to tweed and cotton clothes but I promise you this is only regarding my recent findings that I am allergic to nickel!!!  How do my two teens aged sixteen and fourteen see me? Old?? My hubby of twenty years also turns thirty-nine this year so is it any different for men at thirty-nine than women? This dear reader is something we will learn and I hope to learn more about myself and how woman are perceived out there in the big old world. 




Well on the eve of being thirty-nine I still do not know what I want to be when I grow up. I still feel the same inside when I was twelve. Will I wake up tomorrow and feel all grown up and responsible? Will I finally find stability in my working life instead of flipping from one thing to another?  Well if it is anything like this morning I will wake with nothing more than a dead leg. First time that as ever happened. Is that a sign that I am indeed getting older. That horrible feeling of pins and needles as the feeling in your leg comes back. Is this what I have to look forward to? Also I noticed in town today the people selling the film company love film.com no longer stop me to ask me to sign up for films. Can they sense I am about to turn thirty-nine and think I am now too old to watch the latest film??? Then if this is the case why are they suddenly remaking all my favourite classic 80's film such as Hairspray, Footloose and Fame they better just leave Grease alone that is all I am saying!!!! Oh and now I am almost thirty-nine I will say I love Grease 2 too. Yes someone as to right!!!! Well I do! Songs too are being rerecorded but hey it is good when your teens think you are cool knowing all the latest words to their latest iTunes whatsits.




Oh well I better get to bed as tomorrow is day 1 of being 39 and as it will be a Sunday no post... great start!!!  So will be back to give you a full report of day 1 of being 39!!!!



All typos belong to me and are not to be copied in any way...