30th September - View Challenge week and finishing off things!

I cannot believe that it is the last day of the month!
This week it was good to get Jennie back and to do her challenge view photos for September. I have promised myself to get my littleview  LO's up todate in Lucky Snapping album this week/month!!

So here is the back garden in sunshine wintered by peter and reluctantly me last week. Now I am pleased it is done!!

The poor willow tree get's a hair cut (short top and sides)every year and when all the leaves have gone then it gets a no 1 haircut!!

Some evening sky views from last week

and a photo from my birthday meal last Sat to finish of friends from last week

Only 8 of us instead of 10/12 this time!

28th September - Quote challenge on friendships and other photos

The before we went away we went to a really lovely 50th wedding anniversary celebration of an ex working colleague of Peter's. As we arrived photos were taken of every guest as they arrived and during the evening, we have just got these photos.
Here is my Best Friend for Life - Peter

 

 School Friends
 All though I didn't like school the best part were the friends I made. We were a gang, Judy who still lives in the town but sadly the last few years we haven't met up, I  always seemed to make the arrangements and decided to wait for her which has never happened. I met her aged 8yrs at brownies, 60 yrs ago! Sandra ,who lives in Essex, we still write letters at Christmas but really haven't seen each other since Judy's 60th Party, Gaye who I chat to on FB, she lives in Lincoln and I last met her also at Judy's 60th.

Sandra and Judy with our children in 1977

Pam left to go and live in Canada shortly after my 1st wedding and we still keep in touch. We have visited them a few times when they lived in Vancouver and in latter yers to Gabriola Island off Vancouver island

Pam and I cycling round Stanley Park, Vancouver 1990 

I met my best friend Monica in 6th form and we did everything together, the coffee bars, jazz clubs, parties and she was my chief bridesmaid in 1967 and Mark's Godmother in 1970 but when my 1st marriage broke up in 1978 we seemed to grow apart, she lives in  Bucks nr Slough. I tried writing to her a few years ago but I only get a Christmas card from her each year... Judy seems to have kept in touch though!

Andrew's friend Dave,Monica, Andrew, myself and Monica's boyfriend Dave All Godparents in 1970 

College friends

College is where I met my closest friends Sue, who also emigrated to Canada in BC (she died last year), Pat who lives in Somerset and Ann who lives in Bedforshire

Ann, Sue in middle and myself in the garden of our digs, (note knickers on the line!)

Pat, me and Ann at Peter and My wedding evening in 1985

All of us on Sue's first visit back to UK in 1969

Sue and I on her last visit to UK in 2008

Anne and I at my Silver Wedding in 2010

We really have kept in close contact and can pick up the phone and we are back to the friendship we had at 18yrs old. We try to met up at least 2-3 times a year

Work Friends

I still keep in touch with friends whom I worked with.  Jenn from when I taught at the local Secondary school. She went to live in Cyprus for 6 years so Peter and I spent 2 holidays a year visiting her and her family during that period and on returning to UK live very close to us in Hastings so we do meet up for coffee and chats regularly. She retired last year. Di took my teaching job in 1970 and we became friends from then, I went back to work with her in 1974 and then she had children so we used to met with husbands socially. She is Iain's Godmother.

Di and I at Iain's Christening

Carol was working in the school office when we became friends in 1968. She became my closest friend and supported me when my first marriage finished and then I supported her when her dear husband John committed suicide 3 yrs ago. The four of us used to take holidays together and still remained the best of friends, We  were both only children and John used to call me her sister!!

I do miss her very much now she has another man who she lives with mainly in Wiltshire, though she has kept her home here in Hastings

Aquaintances who become friends

Neighbours for coffee in the mornings became daily friends, especially Margaret who still lives next door but one from our old house. Parents of your children's friends can be come friends through PTA social events, we had a crowd whilst the children grew up were we went to parties and had meals at each other houses (we never went out for meals in those days! Another neighbour Inga and her husband John became close friends during my first marraige and have remained firm friends supporting me through my marriage break up and befriending Peter when he came into my life.

Carol, Inga (wearing the same outfit she wore to our wedding 25yrs ago!) and I in 2010

We now have a group of 12 and each birthday we have a meal together, each couple except the birthday couple bring part of the meal and wine. Tonight is my birthday meal, it is the first Sat we can all be together, except Carol :( Photo tomorrow!!

Scrapping Friends

Before I finish this long blog!!  I mustn't forget some of the lovely peeps I have met since I started scrapping, there would be too many names to mention individually but one particualr group of ladies I have chatted to daily since we did 365 in 2007-8 We have all met up many times at Ally Pally and weekends and for the past 3 years we have a weekend retreat twice a year in Wilts, The group are now called the Crumblies on UKS

 In 2012

In 2013

26th September - back again and my challenge quote week!

I am deternied to catch up sohere I am blogging my challenge my quote is from Bruce Lee

" Love is like a friendship caught on fire"

I asked everyone to think and blog about friendships in their lives,
how did they occur?
why are they important in you life?
why have you lost some of your friends during your life?

During the week to take photos of what you have been doing and anything interesting.

Since I have blogged already today here are photos of what has happened since we got home from wet Cumbria!

Autumn seems to have arrived even though the days have been sunny and warm once the foggy mists have burnt off so yesterday we went PYO for our foreign friends it means Pick Your Own, here is our fruit, eating and cooking apples, raspberries, blackberries and plums. The tomatoes in the background are our own!

Like karen I am amazed at the berries this year from the rose bushes

 and we can always spy lovely cobwebs too!

Here is our Xanthe on Tuesday! Back to the normal routine except she is going to playgroup am from 9-12noon so Nanny has freetime LOL!!

Xanthe showing us the pizza she made at playgroup, it smelt lovely but I made her take it home for Mum and Dad!

In the afternoon Grandad started to cut the hedges and Xanthe thought she would help!

 and of course now 3 she thinks she is old enough to watch Peppa Pig on Nanny's Kindle LOL!

26th September - Catch up time again!!

Cannot believe the last time I blogged was my birthday last week in rainy Cumbria!!

We left Ullswater at 9am in dry weather with sun trying to come out...typical!!

As we drove south over the Dartford Crossing the blue skies appeared and warm sum..."hello sunshine!"

It was 3pm so we missed the rush hour traffic but going north through the tunnel was pretty busy!!

We were finally home by 4.30pm and glad to be south in warmer climes!!

Last week was Sept Nostalgia challenge from Kathi away herself in Washington USA. Hope she had a great week?
We were asked to reflect and recount our school day stories.

Sadly the older you are the more remote memories are , unless you have Alzheimer disease! I just know that my school days and college days I do not think of as the happiest days of my life, like Karen, Viv and Anne.

I remember starting in the Infants school  at 5yrs (now called Key Stage 1 or Reception class of a Primary school) We had to sleep/ rest on rush mats after lunch. Can you imagine 5yr olds doing that these days!!

My other memory is taking my 11+ at the age of 10 to pass to go to the grammar school. A very prestigious place to go to!! We had several exam papers to do and sat at desks apart which had ink wells and lids that lifted up! I failed my 11+ but because my Father was a teacher, he managed to get me into the local Grammar school where I felt I struggled in every year and didn't do well as O levels either.
I was a year above my age, we could since Oct was the cut off for Sec school and Collage/Uni and my birthday was Sept. Maybe I would have been more successful at a Secondary Modern, who knows!
I left after 1 year in the sixth form and took A level art which I passed the following summer.

My parents were determined that I would become a teacher and go to teacher training college.. I managed to get a place at 17 yrs to train to be a Domestic Science teacher, with no science except biology and the only maths was RSA arithmetic + 2 english papers, history, geography and art. how lucky was I ,since these days you need many more qualifications though I do question whether it makes you a better teacher!!

We wore very old fashioned uniforms of a square neck navy tunic and square neck long sleeved white blouse in winter with a grey beret with our outer coat/mac also navy. In summer we wore a blue gingham dress with white collars or white piping on the edges of neck and sleeve and ....a summer boater on our head. The beret and boater had to be worn leaving school until we reached our home!!

Even at collage in 1963 we had rules about our clothes, trousers were not allowed until 1965 when we had a new Principal. We had to be in hall by 10pm Sun - Thurs and Fri and Sat we were allowed out til 11pm and 2 weekends away each term! how different college and Uni life is now eh!!

Sadly I have googled for photos but I seem to have none though I do recall seeing school photos they must be in the loft not seen for a long time!!

17th September Rain and birthday!

Today I am a year nearer another big 0 :( Only 2 more years !!
So birthday girl in rain and cold did some retail therapy with Peter in Windermere and Kendal and actually ate cake with coffee!! I did share with Peter and ate a bit of his scone too!!

Here we are first thing this am on our way out via the Tourist Info!

In Penrith I saw this shop, how old fashion is this Drapers,Costumers, Milleners shop11

On our way home it had stopped raining and a little blue sky appeared. Time for a photo shoot 

Hoping tomorrow will be dry and Peter can go fishing and then maybe pm we can go for a walk!!

16th September holiday

Well here we are in Patterdale again. Sadly we don't think the weather will be so kind to us as last year:(

We arrived in Preston yesterday and met Viv and Roland for a meal in the pub next to our Premier Inn

It was lovely to meet them again, but gosh how cold it was and wet too, us southerners are not used to this weather, though we had read the weather forecast and we are expecting this horrible weather this week!!

Today we thought we would go to Kendal. After a wonderful breakfast at Premier Inn we arrived in kendal to find the British Cycle race was travelling today through Cumbria. We would have loved to stay and watch it but all roads in and out of the town would be closed from 1 - 5pm, so we left and through driving rain arrived at our hotel. here are some photos of our drive through the stuggle pass to the Kirkstone pass through the car window!

Still beautiful though moody. Hopefully we will do a walk tomorrow but def not in driving rain!!!

14th September - Nicknames and letter N

Nearly packed and most of summer clothes ironing done, a bit more pm and then vaccing through and washing kitchen floor, like to leave house spick and span! Joy asked where we are going...'up north' to Cumbria seeing viv and Roland tomorrow night.  The weather forecast is pretty bad, rain, gales maybe and decidedly cooler than here!!

OK back to nicknames.  The boys father used to call my eldest son Mark - Markie Sharkie!!! I have no idea why!

and N for New Forest and New Milton where my step daughter and kids went. They came back last night and came this am to show us these photos.  Here are a few photos of them fishing there! Amie was only there to pose with fish!

14th September - Nickname and letter L,V, E and R challenge

Peter's name among friends, footballers and workmates is of course MITCH!! Some people call him Pete but to me he is Peter!
I am babysitting tonight Xanthe and Zac. Peter is at choir and joining me for our dinner at 9pm, I am already hungry!! Kids have been fed and watered and Xanthe is on my kindle for the first time looking at peepa pig and ceebies apps!! Will have to wean her off in a moment and bath and bed.  Zac has eaten and now in his room hooked on his laptop which closes via parental control at 8pm, should be interesting when he emerges from his room!!

So lets continue to do some of the photos for letters from SILVER LININGS

L for ladies Tresses Orchid (Spiranthes Spiralis)  in my friend's lawn yearly at this time of the year. So called   because the stem looks like braided or plaited hair.

V for Venice in 2010

E for ENJOY scrapping (last Sun crop)

R  for rosehips

Must think of the next 2 letter tomorrow and tell you my oldest son's nickname before we go on holiday, excited about meeting Viv and Roland on Sunday :)