Tuesday 31 December 2013

Day 299

New Years Eve, dear Reader. It would always be between Christmas and the New Year that growing up we would go visit my grandparents. We would always travel to Scarborough where my grandparents lived by train. I would always have my walkman with me for the journey. In fact back then I permanently had my walkman on anytime anyplace, anyway. The journey would take us about a hour and half from where we lived on the train to get to Scarborough station. Now when ever I listen to Nik Kersahw's album The Riddle I am transported back to those train journeys, as for a while it was the only cassette I had to play on my walkman.

My grandparents loved Christmas and always made it special. All the family would meet at their house. Spare chairs would be taken out of the shed and put around the dining table so we could all squeeze in. There was always plenty to eat. I have to say that it was not only my grandparents that made a big thing about Christmas but my parents did too. My dad would always trim the house with bright trimmings hung from the ceiling and mum would buy a lot of presents at Christmas. We got loads and loads of presents when we were children at Christmas time. People thought we were spoilt. Not through the year just at Christmas we were!

When we would arrive at my grandparents house as soon as the door opened the dogs would run to greet you, making a real fuss of you. There was a lot of love from my grandparents and it always felt a safe environment to be in and was filled with a lot of love. Back then in the 1980's I thought these Christmas get togethers would last forever, not knowing how fast the clock was ticking, and that for me then the time spent with my grandparents was precious and to treasure every moment. All the extended family filled that house and we had the best of times.

For today those days are over. Those family times now gone, but happy memories remain. Ironically for two people who simple adored spending time with family at Christmas, and who both really loved Christmas, both my grandparents passed away at this time of  year. But I do not choose to make it make me feel sad at this time of the year, knowing this would never be what my grandparents would want, instead I choose to continue their tradition and make a big thing of Christmas. and to make it as special for my family as they did for me.

When I got older I moved away from my family and due to bad weather it was impossible to drive to North Yorkshire at this time of year. So we had to miss out on a visits. We often did try hard to drive but North Yorkshire snow is a difficult task to get through. I feel at this time sometimes my family may have been disappointed with me and felt that I had let them down. But with two small children back then it was simply too dangerous to risk driving over the motorway and when we did risk it for me and the husband it was a really scary driving experience at times.

So I do wish I could have lived nearer. I do wish we had not ended up so far away, but I also know I did my best to get there when I could. I also know if people have not experienced the drive for themselves how they would not understand just how dangerous it gets. Living where we do now you have to cross the motorway over the Pennines and that is the worst part of the journey.

But when we did make it we would have such a good time and my grandma always bought presents that she knew you would like and she put a lot of thought into those gifts. I miss those times so much now and if I am ever lucky to be a grandma I hope that I will be just like mine.

Evening all x x x

Friday 27 December 2013

Day 295

Happy Christmas! Dear Reader, sorry I have not been around for a while. I have been busy starting my new treatment to have my Immune System switched off. So things health wise should improve a lot for me, with the only downside is how long can I fly solo without an Immune System? I have bought plenty of soup and even invested in a woolly hat! All to help when out in the cold weather, so I don't get a cold, which to me now would be a big thing and could make me really ill. I have to have my bloods and blood pressure done once a week too. Blood pressure and a high heart rate are side effects of the tablets. So it is important I avoid stress too.

Now back to Christmas. Did you have a good one dear Reader? We did. A nice quiet Christmas at home after last year shenanigans! Never again! Was no need for that at all. But I guess lots of people experience that sort of thing at Christmas. So a lovely quiet Christmas, with some nice presents exchanged and time spent with my own little family.

Did you watch the Queen's Speech, Dear Reader? I thought what she said made a lot of sense, alot of her speech matched my year too, when she talked about the man stuck in in plaster and not able to go out. I too have been stuck in ill most of the year too. In fact I think today it is a year since I started to feel really ill. And she is right, our Queen! It does make you reflect on life and it makes you think about life a lot. I think it changes you for the better. It is like a learning curve and you learn what is important and to give priority to and what should be left and is not worth worrying about. I am also grateful to do the job I do and that it is reading as without my books I do not know what and how I would have filled my time.

So now with all this thinking and reading, dear Reader, I am hoping that I am now more wiser and intelligent! 

Evening all x x x

Saturday 21 December 2013

Day 289

Well it is almost here, dear Reader, CHRISTMAS! So my much a waited appointment with the specialist is now only days away. I have been putting quite a gallery of pictures together on my gadget thingy of my skin at its worse, so the specialist can zoom in and have a good look. So hopefully he will not need to examine me then. Quite handy these gadget things are they not?

I wonder if Santa will bring me another gadget thingy for Christmas this year? I would be happy with some Wonder Woman slippers actually! I cannot work anything with a touch screen anyway, much to the entertainment of my teens, who find it highly amusing and entertaining watching me struggle with such a device and the mayhem I cause like deleting loads of my friends of my social media accounts by accident.

I only use my Kindle to  read books... I know it can do a lot more wonderful and fascinating things but I do not know how. I will have to be adventurous and have a play to see just what else it can do. But with loads of books to read and review it is finding the time and if I a honest I just do not dare risk loosing all the books I have on there, as I know this would be the most likeliest thing I would do.

So all the presents are wrapped. The turkey is in the freezer and... I know I have forgot something... But what? I have got the crackers and champagne... But I cannot think what it is I have forgot? I even tried that storing reminders to myself in my gadgets but I never set them right to go off and remind me.

What were we talking about dear Reader?

Evening all x x x


Tuesday 17 December 2013

Day 285

It's the most wonderful time of the year dear Reader, Christmas time! I love it! The run up to Christmas; the putting the tree up; the Christmas decorations; the Christmas shopping and everything! 

I love watching Christmas films too and I have discovered this great channel on Sky for Christmas films called Christmas/24.

And now with only days away to my appointment with the specialist. I am on my way to getting the best Christmas present ever... my health back! Although I am about to have my immune system switched off to improve my health. I am really looking forward to been much healthier next year and to actually be able to do simple things like going out more and getting back into life.

 Been stuck in watching my Christmas films, I have noticed a pattern to plots to these Christmas films, they always have a hidden meaning and you can count on a Christmas films to make you feel good! Most of the plots involve things like people who hold a grudge, even when they themselves have not behaved in an appropriate way and have expected people to forget their mistakes they cannot do the same themselves for other people. Or business type people finding out what the more important things in life are. And it all turns out for the better at the end!!! I love them!

Evening all x x x






Evening all x x x


Sunday 8 December 2013

Day 276



Well it was the invasion of Primark bags in our town centre yesterday. We now have our very own Primark store. Newly opened this week. All you could see in the crowds of Christmas shoppers was Primark bags. Nearly everyone had one, two or even ten of these brown paper bags. Town was heaving already with Christmas shoppers and the grand new opening of Primark I think made town even busier. It was packed!

We usually walk into town but we had decided to take the car. Now parking was difficult, there was no parking spaces anywhere and now on the local retail park you can only park there if you are only shopping at the retail park or you risk being fined one hundred pounds! Why they do not just have a parking charge like ASDA I don't know. 

Almost giving up on the parking and by now been prepared to head back home with the car and to walk back into town luckily at the last moment we found a space. But next time I am walking, dear Reader. It was like going on a mountain expedition! Pushing through the crowds and tackling the queues! I did not even make it into the famous store as the image of sardines packed in a tin came to mind!

Evening all x x x

Sunday 1 December 2013

Day 269

Growing up in the 1980's there was some amazing films to come out like the Star Wars film Return of the Jedi and Rocky and ET. Now ET was one of the most popular films and the town I lived in had plenty of pirate videos. Which is how I first came to see ET.

We all packed into my Aunts house and we were all excited to be seeing ET. So the film was put on and it was very dark--so dark in fact you could hardly see what was happening. It was so dark that when the TV metre ran out and needed another fifty pence it took us all ages to realise!!!!

Evening all x x x