31st Jan - GREEN and #31 YOURSELF

Green today and I have managed my personal challenge of finding different shades of green scarves/shawls.

#31 YOURSELF I decided instead of another photo of me to look at taking a photo of something that sums me up! so here is my laptop, kindle and phone that I use daily   On Wed at breakfast Peter watched me use all 3 during breakfast!! How sad was that?

We have had a great deal of condensation during the very cold spells this winter and our front windows go straight down to the ground and our new carpet. last month I found white mould on the carpet! Any way to eradicate the problem we have had the glass windows removed and PVC panels put in instead. When we saw the first panel put in we hated it but by tonight we are getting used to them now!

30th Jan - YELLOW and #30 DOWN

Just a very brief blog as I have been out all day with Peter until 6pm when we came home. We went to the cinema this afternoon in Eastbourne and saw Lincoln, not sure how I feel about it, a bit difficult to follow at times as I didn't understand the American politics and voting system and the complicated strategies!!
Tonight I have been out again to housegroup! A dry day with sunshine and a clear sky tonight!

YELLOW - more scarves!!

#30 DOWN, looking down at my feet in the well of our car, note how dirty the mat is!!

29th Jan Orange today #29 GROW

An awful wet and windy day with ray of sunshine with Xanthe today! A view (what view?) from our patio window, note the light is on!!

Xanthe had her rainbow dress on today

We went out late morning to toddlers gym and whoops into the puddle fell Xanthe!! Good job Nanny had another pair of tights!!

One of many photos I have taken of Xanthe and Grandad this lunchtime.

Now to our challenge this week. It was a challenge today finding an orange shawl but I did it is an evening 'cruise' one which is silky and orange and black.

#29 - GROW The amaryllis I planted on new year's day. You can see the rain on the kitchen window!

28th Jan RAINBOW week and # 28 THROUGH

This is week 5 for Lucky Snapping challenge 2013. This week Janice has taken us back to our 365 photo roots of a photo a day and set us this challenge.
She has used word RAINBOW and challenged us to find a photo daily with a colour a day.
So we can remember the colours she has used the mnemonic.....
RICHARD   red
OF              orange
YORK        yellow
GAVE        green
BATTLE   blue
IN              indigo
VAIN        purple

I love quotes and this one came to mind this morning!

"You whose day it is, get your rainbow colours and make it beautiful"  ~  Trad Nootka song

I am having another 'me' day today so spending a few mins of thought on this whilst I eat my breakfast and then plan a scrapping day doing a CJ called Olde Worlde. This is what I have started to do, about Peter's grandfather a fisherman in Hastings at the turn of the century and about the fishing fleet

#28 THROUGH the printer

So I have thought and I am going to challenge myself to take photos of my scarves / shawls each day
day 1 Mon - RED

27th Jan Very happy! #25 TOGETHER and #26 SUN

I am very happy today!!  I had a wonderful day yesterday with my oldest son Mark who celebrated "43 and not out"!  Think there will be a LO coming soon!! and then today is going well, an indulging in what I WANT day!

So yesterday I was invited to go with Mark to celebrate his birthday with his very close friends, I don't think their are many mothers who are also invited along. How lucky am I? he ws 43 yesterday, do I feel old.....NO!!
These friends make me so welcome, they are a lovely bunch. There were 15 of us from 1pm until 6pm at Balans, Old Compton St, London. Think I have blown my SW this week :(
 In case some of you don't know Mark is gay as are a few of his close friends. They are wonderful and caring crowd and here is a collage of the day, all taken on my phone!

# 26 was TOGETHER The other guy was David who was at Uni and shared a house with Mark when they were at Nottingham Uni 

So today the rain stops and out comes the lovely sunshine it makes me so happy even if I am not out. OK it is very windy but to see blue skies and the sun is glorious. How fortunate because today's FSM photo challenge is #27 SUN

Peter is out at his friend's house to watch his friend's team Brentford play Chelsea It was a 12 noon kick off so we went to church for the 9 am service which means I am home alone to play all day, so again happy!! He has also rung and cancelled dinner as he is eating there, even better! More play time!!

As you all know Joyjoy, [I know her as Joyce] has joined our challenge. Peter and I met her and her lovely husband Thadd on a cruise from Venice around the Greek islands in 2010. Since then we have corresponded mainly through FB until I gave her my blog addie in 2012 where she followed us all!

Here are some photos of us on the cruise. I am thrilled she has joined us and about to embark on a new life as she retires....who knows hopefully she might become a scrapper too LOL!!

Peter, Thadd and I

 Lovely Thadd "I am a hugger" is what he said when we met him, he is and such a warm and caring man, Joyce you have a diamond there!

All 4 of us together at the end of the cruise 

I sincerely hope we we met them again in real life xx

So today is the end of my week. I was very nervous ofhosting the week but thrilled you all continued to blog and how interesting it was to read all your views, now I need to think how I record this week, as a LO or a photo and journalling, when I do I will link and post it.

Looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.

25th January Catch up #23, #24 and #25

#23 ELECTRIC on a fence nr our house

#24 STRIPES our wood furniture close up

#25 LANDSCAPE dusk over the Fraser River nr Harrison Hot Springs Nov 2012

Sorry I have been AWOL these last 2 days especially as this was my week's challenge but it was a couple of really busy days.
Keeping Busy Yes I do seem to have busy days when I think I have time to myself and then all of a sudden phone calls and family or friends want things or or for me to do something!! Even when I am home I am busy on the computer, cooking, sewing and reading and of course I scrap most days too!!

Do I get what I want? I have thought hard about this. At first I thought no because there are things that I want and cannot afford such as another long distance holiday, a new car, expensive clothes, ipad, etc....but these are luxuries that won't make me any happier will they? But yes I do get what I want in many ways, I might ask Peter if I/we can do something and he 9 times out of 10 he agrees. The things he won't do is DIY and I also have to wait a long time sometimes for him to do something I have asked him to do. He hates lists so I often have to ask him several times to do something and I guess if I am honest at times it sadly becomes a nag!
Another confession....I am not always happy and yesterday was an example...I had a horrible evening. I went on a different day and time to SW weigh in and found I had lost NOTHING...and I had tried so hard last week and feel more comfortable in my clothes too. Anyway Peter was out  so I came home and drowned my sorrows in red wine. He wasn't happy with me either!! Anyway today is another day and I have 3 days til weigh in on Monday!

Any way lovely to see there are some blogs and photos to read, I had a peep online on my kindle whilst in bed this morning!

22nd Jan -snow going and Xanthe day #22 -corners

FSM photo a day #corner ...my corner cutters

So today is the question,  what makes me happy?

My faith in God, my belief in eternal life.

My husband Peter...sometimes LOL!!

My family...sometimes!

My cosy home especially my bedroom, [my shangri la!]

Being in the company of close friends

Eating good food

Eating out

Cooking for people

Reading really gripping books

Sunny hot weather and being on the beach or in my garden

Holidays anywhere

A day of scrapping with no interruptions

Buying new stash!!

Watching good programmes on TV

Buying clothes

Treating myself to things I have wanted when I have saved for them

Hearing people's good luck

I asked Peter the same question, this is what he said

Being healthy

Participating in sports, especially bowls and fishing

Watching football,

Days out with me

Going to work some morning for 3 hours

Being quiet all on his own

Are you happy for no reason? unlike Anne NO!! I would like to say yes but sadly no and Peter says a definitely no!

So tonight I too will leave you with no more photos today to spend a night watching TV.

  

21st Jan -week 4 Quotation and #~21 What you do

Week 4 of Lucky Snapping is my week and it is a Quotation

“There are 3 things that a child can teach an adult
To be happy for no reason
To be always be busy doing something
And to know how to demand – with all one’s might- what one wants” ~ Paulo Coelho

I have decided to start my week with the LO I did today for the weekly challenge on UKS. Suzy who is joining us this year for this challenge, set the LO challenge today.

She gave us a sketch to follow, we had to use paint or ink on the LO, some stitching and a quote/poem.

I was totally out of my comfort zone painting on the cardstock!! My sewing machine didn't work, I found the plug incorrectly wired by my colourblind Husband last year! Anyway here it is with one child who definitely knows what she wants and is determined to get it if she can!! 

More tomorrow on myself!

I didn't go out today as the pavements were really icy but as the day progressed there is a thaw. I spent the day apart from scrapping cooking some yummy SW speedy lentil soup and Homity pie which is a glorified cheese and potato pie with leeks, peas, onion, eggs and cheese in the mixture and then baked!

#21 what I do...[now I am retired ] Here is a collage of the speedy soup I made today!

20th Jan - A snow day #20 Something I saw

Well today is the end of week 3 Lucky snapping Challenge 2013. Thank you Kathi for hosting this week, it certainly made me look back didn't it!! I am now quaking in my 'slippers' tonight wondering how you will interpret my challenge tomorrow,  week 4! and trying to decide how to put this week's nostalgia into my album. maybe a LO of one photo as Kathi has suggested.

I was going to find a photo from the snow in 1963 as the programme on BBC1 caused a lot of chat in a SG on UKS about memories and how old they were or not!! but I am downstairs with my computer and it would mean finding the photo and scanning it so I have decided not to.

It has snowed fine snow all day andhas left us with about 2" of snow. Not much but being a hilly town and we are on the outskirt of the town (and our road hasn't been gritted) the buses stopped early on and there has been very little traffic. most schools seem to be closed tomorrow too.

The bus stuck couldn't go back or forward and right opposite our garages

The view this morning

and later this afternoon 

So what did we do today?  Well this morning we cleared 1/3 of our loft and the spare room is now full of boxes to sort  and carrier bags of holiday brochures to throw out, but needs looking at first!
I then went into my craft room and did the House Challenge for Jan from the given sketch, rather plain and simple but another LO for my 2012 holiday album and 30pts for my team!

We were in Madeira on a taxi tour and suddenly we found ourselves dressing up for a photo shoot!!

Then I finished the Anita M's class DLO from Thursday using yummy BoBunny Blitzen papers.

In between time I cooked a roast chicken lunch and then made a SW frittata for supper which we have just eaten and watched some TVwhilst scrapping. Peter on the other hand has done nothing since the loft and washing up except watch TV and is 'stir crazy'!!

It looks like a cold night with snow falling again and may have some more tomorrow too!!

19th Jan - # day 19- Delicous

Well thank you for all your lovely comments on my week of Nostalgia, new beginnings. I really didn't realise I could talk about the past like I have but I suppose meeting Peter was the best thing that has happened in my life!

Anyway a day off today. Snow??? Yes we have a bit but not much but bitterly cold and waiting for the SE to be hit by snow tomorrow????

#19 Delicious This was my dinner tonight, steak with SW peppercorn sauce and SW chips all free!! Love it, my syns tonight were the red wine :)

We are tucked up snug now waiting to watch the Danish political series on BBC4 Borgen, give it a try

18th Jan - We got married...d# 18 SHADOW

Today we waited for the snow to arrive, we finally got some powdery flurries and tonight must have 2mm LOL!!
# 18 photo - SHADOW no sun and grey day, I had to use a lamp tonight. I am holding a CD!

So to continue with my story
We got back together in time to go on the booze run to France, Here we are in Boulogne, I am holding the wheels to put all the boxes on when we get to the supermarket! Iain at 8yrs took the photo!! It was quite an experience for Peter a non drinker!!

So he finally asked me to marry him during dancing after a meal for friends at my house.....He had discussed it with my friend Carol as the ate the meal and she said "go for it"!!! I didn't say yes but said I would think about it and tell him the following week. Well I turned up at his house the following week with a red rose in a vase to say yes. I wanted to get married fairly quickly before we had our holiday, as we had planned to go away that Aug.   Peter wanted to wait until October, so of course it became a larger wedding with quite a few guests but at least it was our wedding, not the wedding I had with my first husband which my mother and father planned and arranged, with their friends and just a few of  ours!!

Before I show you our wedding, this is specially for Jo (who rang me earlier, wanting to know when I was blogging!!) This was Peter's first wedding to Phyl (her Mum and Dad )in 1960. In Feb 2010 it would have been their Golden WA

Here we are at 40 and 50 yrs in Oct 1985 we had a lunch for close friends at my (our) house and then an evening dinner dance with same and more friends. It was a wonderful day.

and here we all are playing happy families for the weekend!! Jo chose black with a touch of red!! and just look at her brothers face!! They were 17 and 20 yrs. my sons were 9 and 15yrs.

We took them all out the following day to a pub for a meal before we went away for a few days, it was a total disaster! Jo used to call me "the wicked step mother" to her friends at work (she didn't know I knew that for a long time!!) I like to think I am her replacement Mum and her best friend ...at times!! :)

25 years on we are now definitely a family. Jo not only has one brother but 3 brothers and is very close to my sons these days

17th Jan Dear John.....Day 17 READY

So tonight Dear Step daughter Jo rings me to say....."You haven't blogged yet and...." Woops she is reading my blog about me and her Dad LOL!!  " hurry up we are all waiting" !!!

So Peter is out and I know the letter is somewhere....but can I find it?  Anyway in rummaging  I am amazed at the photos and things he has kept in his work bag and his bedside table. Many photos and Jo he still has your Mum's passport!!! (should he have given it in????)
This must have been you and Dad...when??

Anyway I digress,  Here is the Dear John letter and the actual letter!  OK Jo getting there!!

Peter and I had been seeing each other during the summer, he was very keen to see me and when I was decorating the dining room of my house he wanted to help me. I suddenly went into a panic bout how close we were getting and how I had really made great strides in being able to do things as a single parent. The big things like taking control of finances, insurances, and finally buying quite big things alone, also being able to run a house, keep a garden under control and finally DIY all on my one!

So one day I wrote this ;letter which he still keeps bless him!

The last lines say " Please try and understand that I have made a life for myself without anyone else and at the moment that is how I want it"  Mrs Independent me!!

Well apparently the story goes, that after receiving this letter, he went down the road to his close footie friend Dave and within an hour Dave booked him a holiday in September to Austria to the village Hippach nr Mayerhoffen..

In Ocober I was missing him and contacted him to go at Oct half term for a day trip to France...the booze run. That was the real beginning of us getting together, getting married the following year (in Oct 1985) and winning over his daughter and son  (hard work LOL!)....the wedding to follow tomorrow!

So tomorrow we must all expect snow? Here are the skies today.  These clouds have hovered over the channel and the west all day and tonight were black!!

Photo for FSM today was READY I had a scrapping class this am and here I am ready for the class a Christmas LO. photo tomorrow xx

16th Jan New Beginings at 40! - Day 16 - two things

I would have never thought that I could write daily about memories of the past.   I am very much a person who lives for now and would have said recalling the past was difficult ....well dementia hasn't arrived yet!!

I laid in bed last night recalling all the new beginnings for me that I can recall.
Starting at a Grammar school at 10+ (my birthday being Sept 17th and the cut of was 1st Oct not 31st Aug in those days), starting at college at 17+, starting teaching at 20+, getting married at 21, becoming a mother at 24, becoming single and a Mum of 2 young boys at 34, meeting Peter and becoming a step Mum when I got married again at 4, .new jobs (which I did) and retirement at 55.

So today will be the story of how Peter and I met and the 'dear John' letter he had!
My ex husband was a football referee as was Peter. One Sat in summer I took Iain my youngest son to meet his Dad as he was spending the weekend with him. He was refing at a town boys football tournament with other referees. As I walked down the path Peter who I only vaguely knew was walking towards me. We stopped to chat and I said how sorry I was to hear his wife had died the year before. being me I then talked about being alone and not much fun and invited him to pop in for a cup of tea if he was passing to visit his cousins in the village also lived in (they were friends of mine so I already knew about Peter, his wife's illness from myloid leukeamia and her death).

A week later I had a phone call but he didn't want a cuppa but to take me out to the pub for a drink.

I found out when we were married, that he tossed a coin to take me or his late wife's best friend (who lived opposite) out...I won!! He also tells the story that he had thought I would have a sherry and I asked for a whisky with dry ginger.(my drink out at in that period). Well I had finished that one before he was half way through his half pint of lime and soda. I ended up with 3 whiskies to his one drink!! he has never forgotten and it was mentioned at our Silver WA!!

A photo taken by hisdaughter sitting on the stairs to talk to me privately!!

 At a party together in 1984. I wore contact lenses then!

We courted, (do you like that old fashioned word?) from April- July when I decided he was too keen and I wrote a 'dear John' letter to him.........and that story I will leave until tomorrow!

#16 Two things - Xanthe's hair clips which stay at Nanny's house!

Finished my WC before Sunday!!

I used new stash Bo bunny Powder Mountain 10pts, followed the sketch 10pts and 5 blue stars/ flakes across  the page 10pts so my team the dizzy dots gets 30pts this week