The Gallery this week is 'Outside My Front Door'
This is just up the road from my house.
I love our beautiful country and never want to be far from it.
I often sit here.
this to my left
7am:
I'm not one to say things I don't mean, I don't issue idle threats. If I say something I mean it. My daughter knows very well that Mum's No means No and Yes means Yes.
Over the past few months my husband has been having a fairly tough time of it and I have suffered an extrordinary amount of grumpiness. On Thursday I told him that I was not prepared to put up with it any longer; it was either the happy way or the highway!
I love my husband dearly and especially his fantastic way of making a massive effort to do something well once he has decided to do it and my word he has put some effort in this weekend.
Friday night we went out for a meal for our Anniversary. It should have been a lovely place with rave reviews and a price tag to match, but it was fairly naff and the service was dreadful.
Saturday he came out gardening with me, something he really doesn't enjoy but he mucked in. And Saturday night we tried again, we went to a different restaurant and had a wonderful evening.
Today he came dogskiing with me But...
...whilst I was out jet washing the trampoline of a winters worth of yuk, I looked through the window and he was ironing. This my dear friends I haven't seen him do in over 6 years!!!!!!!
To me this shows his commitment is as strong as it ever was and in a way I am sorry I shared my strength of feeling with him. It must have been heck of a shock to send him in the direction of the iron. It may be another 6 years before he comes into close contact with it again so I made sure I told him lots of times how much I appreciated it!
*follow the link on the picture for a treat
Read more...
I have been very tenacious for all of lent and not a drop has past my lips (except communion) and no chocolate at all (not even a Starbucks sprinkle) but for our Anniversary we are off out.
Sticky Finger's meme this week is Me (no, not me literally - oh, go read it!!!)
I found it really hard to find the photo that epitomises me - I appear to be a chameleon.
But what I did notice was that every time someone points a camera at me I have the desire to throw my arms up in the air (and it started at a very young age!)
Mass doesn't have to be boring
WifeOfBold set me thinking about genuine people. She is having playground problems similar to some I have experienced myself. You know...the playground mums who haven't mentally matured yet and get to play out all the teen-queen-bitch role all over again.
A Guide is honest, reliable and can be trusted.
A Guide is helpful and uses her time and abilities wisely.
A Guide faces challenges and learns from her experience.
A Guide is a good friend and a sister to all Guides.
A Guide is polite and considerate.
A Guide respects all living things and takes care of the world around her.
This says "Do not use after expiry date unless you're feeling really brave and have a stomach of steel"
There was much discussion in Lapland about Out of Date food and whether you eat it or not.
I like Marmite's advice. The possible side affects are pretty amusing too!!
Tara's Theme this week is Colours.
Flying the Guiding Colours.
What other Colours are there?!!
The Centenary Launch was a very special day.
Do you have some friends and some acquaintances?
I have a very small number of close friends. The people I really feel relaxed in their company, would choose to go on holiday with, will share my deepest secrets, hopes fears and know they will be supportive.
Being with one of these friends means so much to me, I treasure the days we have together, trips out, coffee chats. She lives in a different economic environment to me. I have to think a lot less than her about what I spend my money on or how much a day out costs.
Sometimes this makes it harder..I want to go out for a meal with her because I know it would be a lovely time. I would be happy to say "I'll pay" but she wouldn't be rapt about that, I think. I am a lazy tripper by nature, happier to be entertained from the results of an entrance fee and a cafe. So I have to think hard about picnic days, walks in parks, home craft days, hand made friendship presents and I reckon that makes me value her even more because what we come up with is usually great fun and very rewarding.
I also know she doesn't care about the size of my house, the newness of my car or the cut of my clothes. So I don't have to apologise for the car I drive, I can wear my comfy shoes and she won't judge me a jot.
It is easy to have acquaintances that fit the socioeconomic group you are in, to play 'keeping up with the Jones'' and have generally entertaining times but having a real true friend goes deeper than any money could ever go.
"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." Walter Winchell
I was reading a discussion about the origin of the word fucktard which interested me!
Admittedly, I started off fairly hard no f-word, no c-word...fine! How about a quick w4nk ?.. nope
How attached do you feel to people in the logs you read? These stories play themselves out, the lives of people we don't know but in some way feel attached to.
I have a confession to make ....... I'm a landlord.
However in my defense, I make a steady loss every year. By the time I've paid the mortgage, maintenance, tax etc etc the fine line is generally a wedge in my pocket.
I wonder how many tenants think that their landlord is just living it up on their hard earned rent and that any items in the house are just fair game for pilfering. With every tenant change I go in and redecorate and clean. I replace the light bulbs and put toilets rolls in (who wants to get to a house and find no loo roll?!) I believe that if they go into a clean, well kept house then they are more likely to leave it that way too and to be fair most tenants are good in return.
But today I opened the oven door to be greeted by the dirtiest, filthiest, most disgusting thing I have ever seen...the door glass could not be seen, the bottom was caked in yuk but the grill pan...oh my, the grill pan was 3 cm deep in solid, burnt on fat and gunk....euwwwwww
So I rolled up my sleeves and spent a charming day scrubbing away at somebody else's mess. Putting back up airing cupboard shelves that had been taken down (why on earth?!!), fixing the doors back to the built in appliances (again, why on earth?!), cleaning carpets, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning...but beyond all...oh that cooker!!!!!!!!!
I am sure the in the life of Riley I should be looking more like Marilyn than Amy!!!!!!!
I went to see a dietitian with a group of fellow exercisers last night. He's a lovely man but quite young with absolutely no concept of what it means to be rushing around after a family in the morning or to be on the edge of menopause with hormones fluctuating like a teenager!
"you should mix your own muesli in the morning, that way you can be sure of the exact balance of oats versus nuts and fruit, if it's premixed the balance is spoilt by settlement."
ahhhh, yes settlement....that's what my husband does in front of the TV of an evening, similar concept to the happy balance is spoilt if I try to stir him up.
"Also, porridge should also always be heated on the stove never in the microwave as we all know how bad the microwave is and it's only an extra 3 minutes to your day"
....all other ladies nod sagely....hmmmm, microwave=1 bowl, stove=more pots to wash up and in those extra 3 minutes I can throw food at the cats and cereal at the family!
"Chocolate craving is a matter of telling your body you don't need it and by not eating it the craving stops."
...now around me this is fighting talk...you clearly have never had premenstrual hormones hammering at you whilst the world around you falls apart. Nothing can satisfy craving for chocolate except chocolate. Chocolate is not simply mind over matter it is life and f'ing death...
Did I actually say any of this out loud? Nooooo, I nodded sagely with the others and took copious notes.
But I'm hormonal and into day 14 of my chocolate free lent, my body is screaming out for some of the hard stuff, only Lindt 85% would put this craving to bed, so I suspect much wailing and gnashing of teeth for a while yet!!!!
Today was one of those days when I know how lucky I am to live where I do. Today was Secondary School place allocation day.
The national bun fight to get your child into a good school.
I know it's a journey and a half when I want to go to London for the day, and the thrills of Manchester usually need a night away, shopping in Birmingham is a special pleasure and cow poo generally adores my wellies....
...but some time ago I filled out a form asking for a place to one of the best schools around here (it is a very good school nationally)...it's a formality...it's in catchment...it's in an area with falling headcount. I only put the one school down knowing that there was no need to do anything else and today the place was confirmed.....it was easy, with no stress at all.
I felt really sorry for the stressed out parents in the media, fighting for places at good schools.
Sometimes, for all it's downsides of being out of the city, village life has it's advantages and today I thanked my lucky stars.
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