Eden House Update

Hanging off a cliff part 2

2012-01-14T13:08:00.000Z

Last week we tried using the cliffhanger literary device...

...and hopefully you literally left us hanging.

There is no official prompt this week. Just a continuation of last weeks story.

...and because I want to challenge you AGAIN...

What about if we do the conclusion in fifty words.

Yes.

Five zero.

Part 1

I was running as fast as I could the distance between us was getting further and further , I wanted to scream but nothing came out of my mouth . Why was this happening to me ?

Suddenly I saw the cliff in the distance what was I to do I had visions of hanging off a cliff with the coastguard coming to my rescue how would I explain myself to them?

I looked down at myself and saw that I was wearing a zebra costume and tutu indeed how would I explain myself suddenly I stopped I could hear that voice again.

Part 2
The one I first heard all those weeks ago on January 1st “ you will fail , you always do , you are useless “

I am going to prove them wrong , suddenly I wake up and realise It was a dream I had been running away from my birthday cake , time to get up and start again .

This is partialy true although I do not dream about it. Dieting is easy for slim people. It is easy for people with a strong will and it is easy if it becomes a way of life. I do not want to be on a permanent diet I want to set my life eating ways as totally healthy.
Ok I am off to see how others have completed their cliff hanger, please pop over here

Hanging off a cliff!

2012-01-08T11:58:00.000Z

THE PROMPT THIS WEEK IS: Hanging off a cliff! (Might as well be literal while we're attempting to use this literary device!)

WORD COUNT - Not to exceed 100 words plus the 4 words of the prompt. 104 words total.

STYLE OF WRITING - Any so long as you utilize a cliffhanger writing device to wrap your story up. Next week we'll do an additional 100 words for the rest of the story.

Hanging off a cliff!

I was running as fast as I could the distance between us was getting greater and greater, I wanted to scream but nothing came out of my mouth . Why was this happening to me ?

Suddenly I saw the cliff in the distance what was I to do I had visions of hanging off a cliff with the coastguard coming to my rescue how would I explain myself to them?

I looked down at myself and saw that I was wearing a zebra costume and tutu indeed how would I explain myself suddenly I stopped I could hear that voice again.

To Be Continued..........

Please come back next week for the final part of this cliff hanger if I survive that is .

Also please pop over to Jenny and see what other people have thought of.

Grandson, Grandparent Godmother..

2012-01-05T10:42:00.001Z

Grandson, Grandparent Godmother..

Ok Christmas is over and the new year has started . For me this is an exciting time firstly I have a wonderful Grandson Harry John born on 26th December.

Harry's Bunting

Secondly I am having a birthday and I am a grandparent ( does it get any more exciting?)

And finally I have a wonderful Godmother who this morning I received a gift from ( Oops it was a birthday present) I opened it as it looked like an ordinary package , I have been very good and put other cards on mantle until the day.

Ok in reverse order I received from Sylvia the most beautiful string ( 3 actually ) of pearls they fit perfectly . I have always wanted a set of pearls and these I will treasure and wear with pride .

Being a grandparent is such an honour its not like being a Mummie ( I Know spelt differently but this was how my Nana spelt it so I want to carry on the tradition) where you HAVE to be involved it is a role where you are invited into the lives of a family that is just starting out on the roller coaster of life called family.

I am looking forward to being there for the good times and the not so good ones .

I could have covered God, Grace and generally anything but these three sum life up for me at the moment the above ones go without saying .

That's it from me short and sweet but to the point .

Please see what other Alphabet Thursday contributors have added

Granma announcement meets Saturday Centus

2011-12-31T16:53:00.000Z

Ok It is Saturday Centus again.

THE PROMPT THIS WEEK IS: Resolution! Schmezolution!

WORD COUNT - Not to exceed 100 words plus the 2 words of the prompt. 102 words total.

STYLE OF WRITING - Any

ADDITIONAL PICTURES IF DESIRED

For me this is tricky as I am trying to do two things at once now as I am femail this should be easy peasy here goes.

Granma announcement meets Saturday Centus

Resolution! Schmezolution is easy for me I am going to be the best Granma I can, to Harry John Cook born on Boxing day at 10.01pm weighing in at 7lb 8oz.

Harry John Cook

I can’t promise not to spoil him with cuddles and unconditional love but I feel this will easier than saying I am going to loose weight, although I hope to do lots of walking with him .So who knows this time next year I may be a slimmer Granma thanks to the arrival of a grandson..

Please pop over to see Jenny and see what other readers have to offer.

And Happy new year to ALL my readers

Edenhouse's take on the theme

2011-12-17T13:19:00.000Z

Well it is Saturday Centus again and surprise surprise Jenny has given us a picture and ONLY 50 words . ( I read the instructions this week)

WORD COUNT - Not to exceed 50 words.

STYLE OF WRITING - Any

NO ADDITIONAL PICTURES

The regular restrictions apply: PG, no splitting of the prompt, play nicely and visit the other entries, any style or genre of writing you prefer.Ok these are the instructions from Jenny over at jenny matlock

So here goes this is the prompt

We had seen the tree at the Christmas market and I had commented how lovely it was. Unbeknown to me the friend I was with had bought it for me , luckily I took this picture before the house rabbit ate it.

Christmas 1- Cards

2011-12-15T10:53:00.002Z

Cards

Ok its that much anticipated time of the year , just in case you had not noticed it's Christmas.

Now I don't know about you but I love it every part yes even prepping the veg on Christmas eve.

For me a card conveys what Christmas is to me and for met it is just simply a :

A card with a dove on. I can't remember when I decided to just send dove cards.

But to me that is what I wish for everyone and that is PEACE.

Many cards are full of wonderful words related to the Christmas story

Others are baised on Father Christmas .

I love the variety I recieve.

Displaying the cards

Every year I arrange the cards differently

Having said that for the last few years I have used this mirror to display family cards ( and other precious items through the year)

So far I have a card from Liz and James and Chris & Gemma . The red cross stitched card was from Chris& Gemma last year so will come out each year.

The Cherish sign was from last year and sums up this special place in my home. The dove was from friends many years ago.

The white flowers were from my corsage at Chris and Gemma's wedding. The red roses from my Fathers funeral and the white lace cross, I got years ago but sadly can not remember where from .

Next I have a plain piece of card that goes close to the ceiling for all the landscape cards .

This year I am displaying the portrait cards on the stairs along with the chocolate countdown.

History of Cards

Christmas history at a glance is a great site that has lots of information about why we do what we do.

The History of the Christmas Card

So how did it all begin?

A relatively recent phenomenon, the sending of commercially printed Christmas cards originated in London in 1843.

Previously, people had exchanged handwritten festive greetings. First in person, then via post.

John Calcott Horsley, a respected illustrator of the day, was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole, a wealthy British businessman. Cole wanted a card he could proudly send to friends and professional acquaintances to wish them a "merry Christmas".

The Cole Horsley Card

Sir Henry Cole was a prominent innovator in the 1800's. He modernised the British postal system, managed construction of the Albert Hall, arranged for the Great Exhibition in 1851, and oversaw the inauguration of the Victoria and Albert museum. Most of all, Cole sought to "beautify life", and in his spare time he ran an art shop on Bond Street, specialising in decorative objects for the home. In the summer of 1843 he commissioned Horsley to design an impressive card for that year's Christmas.

Horsley produced a triptych. Each of the two side panels depicted a good deed - clothing the naked and feeding the hungry. The centrepiece featured a party of adults and children, with plentiful food and drink (there was severe criticism from the British Temperance Movement). So the design proved controversial but the idea was shrewd as Cole had helped to introduce the Penny Post three years earlier.

This first Christmas card's inscription read: "merry Christmas and a happy new year to you". Merry was then a spiritual word meaning "blessed" as in "merry old England".

Of the original one thousand cards produced for Henry Cole, twelve exist today in private collections; in December 2005, one of these designs was auctioned for nearly £9000.

Neither man had any idea of the impact it would have on Britain and later in America. Even the early Christmas card manufacturers believed Christmas cards to be a vogue that would soon pass.

However, the Christmas card was destined to become an integral part of the season. By 1880 their manufacture was big business, creating previously unknown opportunities for artists, writers, printers and engravers.

Early British cards rarely showed winter or religious themes, instead favouring flowers, fairies and other fanciful designs that reminded the recipient of the approach of spring. Humorous and sentimental images of children and animals were popular, as were increasingly elaborate shapes, decorations and materials.

Cards continued to evolve throughout the 20th century with changing tastes and printing techniques. The World Wars brought cards with patriotic themes. Idiosyncratic "studio cards" with cartoon illustrations and sometimes risque humour caught on in the 1950's. Nostalgic, sentimental and religious images are once again popular, and reproductions of Victorian and Edwardian cards were easy to obtain.

From the beginning, Christmas cards have been avidly collected. Queen Mary amassed a large collection that is now housed in The British Museum.

This information is courtesy of

card-company

For me I read every card , nowadays people are sending e cards which are lovely as well and I love to receive those my favourite site is Jacquie lawson her cards are whimsical and full of character. There is an annual joining fee I was very fortunate to receive a gift for my birthday this year.

Next there are the personalised cards and for this I use Funky Pigeon again you pay for the individual card for a neighbour this year I photographed my Nativity scene that they made a stable for I hope they like it .

My next choice would be to buy Charity cards as hopefully a small portion of what I pay will help a good cause.

Finally

As I await the arrival of my first grandchild I look forward to years of handmade cards .

Must go now as the postman has been

Alphabet Thursday ......F

2011-12-14T21:02:00.000Z

Ok here we are again at Thursday already. or should I say Fursday ( ok I am struggling with F) .
Actually I am not that was a total fabrication of the facts. The obvious F for me is Faith but I have shared that alot on here, I could have shared about festivities and Father Christmas but its a wee bit too early for that so here goes.

For me there are two very important F words in my life and they are ......

and

Firstly I will share with you my family

Rebecca 26 married to Carl

Elizabeth 25 engaged to James

Christopher 23 married to Gemma and about to become a Daddy

Hannah 20 girlfriend to Tom

Adam 19 adopted into the family after his Mum died 3 years ago having been a part of our family all his life

So as you see I have an extensive family . Add into that AJ ( Aunty Jean ) and Robert my brother who has two daughters and two grandaughters

You might be getting the picture I have a large family. Well I do and I am very thankful for that .

Of course I have 4 cousins in America who between them have 8 children and they have a further 3 children .

So basically if I traced back to my maternal Grandparents

its like this My Grandparents had four daughters who between them had 6 children who went on to have 10 children, they went on to have 10 children ( + 1 on the way) and they are continuing the generations by so far having 3 children .

You lost or just bored?

Ok you may have picked up that family is important to me. This year saw the Deaths of both my Father and my Aunt, two Fabulous parents to their chuildren and grandchildren and in my Aunts case her great Grandchildren.

The miles keep us a part but thanks to

we can all keep intouch with each other.

Ok now onto FRIENDS

I read somewhere that friends is made up of just 7 letters and that you cant last 7 seconds without a friend.

I am not sure about 7 seconds but I certainly could not survive without my friends .

I have different friends for different times for instance if I had something to share with a Christian I would call up a different friend than if I wanted to share a piece of family news or work news .

I have friends who are like sisters and friends that are like a parent to me.

I have male and female friends thankfully I have been blessed with an fantastic group of friends who are basically the family that you choose.

I really do see these friends as family.

And I really hope that I am a good friend.

These two verses sum up friendship for me . Unlike my family who I have named I am not naming my friends because if they are reading this they will know hwo they are .

Last year I had to do a PSHE lesson at school about friendship and basically the children had to have the above and fill in people/friends in the circles for example the centre would be you and maybe one or two close family/friends that know all about you . Next would come another couple of people who would know a bit less and so on till the outter space would be aquaintences with whom you exchange pleasantries .

I found this a very usefull lesson even for me.

Oh by the way this F week has come to you curtesty of Jenny over at Alphabet Thursday please pop in and say hi she has a class full of people like me who come up with a way of filling our blog pages on a Thursday .

MM just realised could have added Festivities and figs one of which I like and the other is good for you.

Then of course there is Flapjacks to which I apply Like and good for you .

Bye for now see you next week with H .........

PS just had another fought how do people who we have never met link into friends? I have lotes of those frew the internet especially here in class.

Wednesday

2011-12-14T11:41:00.000Z

Well whats so special about wednesday?

Indeed we are half way through the week unless your'e in Dubai and other such countries whose weekends start on Friday as is the case with friends of mine who are relocating there next Tuesday.

The husband has gone dogs arrived today and their home in boxes will arrive ASAP.

Charlie and the girls leave on Tuesday.

I am excited for them but will seriously miss them.

This then lead me to thinking about a gift for them and I have come up with a couple of things but cant share until later as they may read my blogg ( not that they have time to ) .

What else is special about Wednesday well it is the day my daughters were born , yes all three were born on a Wednesday now if I was clever I woud search the net and find out how many weeks old they are .

So here goes today

Rebecca is 1386 weeks old

Elizabeth is 1303 weeks old

Hannah is 1085 weeks old

and so as not to feel left out Christopher will be 1206 on Friday and Adam will be 1015 weeks on Saturday .

Now the exciting thing is I wonder when Baby cook will arrive.
At the moment Gemmas 26 weeks and 5 days pregnant.
I Find it interesting that for the first few days after being born a baby is aged in days then suddenly it becomes weeks and so on to months and years.

Well this really has been a pointless excersise that has probably bored you to death but his wasted a bit of time with me .

Edenhouse's take on Saturday Centus

2011-12-10T19:49:00.001Z

Having not taken part is Saturday Centus for a very long time I thought I would take a peak so last week I did just that but as usual I did not read the rules and apparently I was only supposed to use 16 words, ok I exceeded that but a tadge.

This week as usual I have 100 words to entertain you. The topic or starter this week is it doesn't have to be that way,so here goes.

It was Saturday morning we up bright and early, off to choose our Christmas tree.
Time for breakfast and some Christmas music to get us in the mood.
We arrived at the farm and were greeted by the owners like long lost friends a glass of sherry was offered and accepted.
Then to the important business of the day choosing the tree.
Too tall to short to fat to thin. “MM not enough up top” one voice called out.
It doesn't have to be that way I thought what’s wrong with artificial trees?
I would not dare suggest though we have only ever had real.

Hannah ready for her Works Christmas evening infront of THE perfect tree

Well that’s my story this week oh and by the way it is what happened today Hannah and I have had a lovely day getting ready for Christmas .If you go to see Jenny over at her blog you will be entertained by other people’s stories.

Alphabet Thursday .......E

2011-12-07T21:41:00.000Z

OK its that time of the week again, yet another round of Alphabet Thursday. This week we are on E .I f you would like to see what other people have offered please pop over and see Jenny at ALPHABET THURSDAY , she will make you feel very welcome.

OK what this week leaps out at me ?

Well I could talk about one of my wonderful children , Elizabeth but have been there had the comments , I could talk about my house called Eden House but that would mean taking photographs and its not tidy enough for that.

I could tell you about one of my favourite Christmas films but then that would spoil it for you , but I do recomend you watching it.

What about elephants ? they are the most wonderful animal on the plant ( in my opinion) and so mistreated by a minority of people.

The first time I saw and elephant for real was at London zoo when I was 9 I was amazed at their size still am really .

Of course I also love the song Nelly the Elephant and the film Dumbo.

And then of course you have the Elephant that flew Dumbo ( I know it begins with D)

And Finally Eggs

There can not be a more useful food than an egg.

Scrambled- AJ makes the best ever

Omelet

There are so many ways to serve this humble food and I am sure you the reader can come up with your own preferred way .

I have to say that this kind of egg is wonderful

Any way time to go and look at some of the other offerings.

16.... edenhouse

2011-12-03T12:35:00.000Z

Having not taken part is Saturday Centus for a very long time I thought I would take a peak so as usual I have 100 words to entertain you. The topic or starter this week is 16

So here goes.

Sixteen was not a birthday I enjoyed one little bit in fact it was the worst birthday ever.

My Mum was in hospital and I found out she was coming home to die, she had cancer. Back in 1979 I guess treatment was very different.

But guess what Its ok now yes I wish she was here of course I do but if she was here who is to say my journey on the road called life would be very different, and I would not change it now, I am about to become a grandmother due the day before my 49th birthday.

Well that’s my story in brief I am sorry but I have gone over 100 words by two please forgive me.

If you go to see Jenny over at her blog you will be entertained by other people’s stories.

Alphabet Thursday D is for ..........

2011-12-02T10:54:00.000Z

Decorations

Hurrah it is December this means that I can officially start listening to Christmas music and watch Christmas themed films ( oops watched some already)

But more importantly I can start to decorate the house .

This week I am only sharing one picture with you and that is of Moose.

Moose Joined our family last week, He originally was a much treasured gift from My Aunt Pat to her wonderful sister Jean . Back in 1995 AJ went to Spokane for Christmas and whilst out shopping with Aunt PAt she spotted moose and fell in love with him. Unfortunately they could not buy the display model and there were no more to be had.

Unbeknown to AJ Aunt Pat went and bought one after Christmas and Moose made the long journey to AJ intime for Christmas 1996, he has been swinging around on his parachute every Christmas since then .

Last week AJ gave him to me and he is now swinging in my window and was the first decoration I put up. I know he wont be with me for long as he has a special journey to make in the future but for now it feels that a little part of Aunt Pat is with me.

This willbe a very hard Christmas for my stateside family as the gather together to celebrate this special time for the first time without their Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother but I know as they decorate their houses there will be reminders around of the wonderful person that she was

I am linking my post to Jenny over .here please pop by and visit

1st Sunday in Advent

2011-11-27T12:37:00.000Z

Today is the first Sunday in Advent

But hang on my advent calendar does not start until December the 1st, so why is today Advent Sunday?

Well Advent is a time of preparation

The season of Advent - which this year starts on 27 November - marks the start of the Church calendar and traces the preparation of God's people for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Its symbols are the Tau ('T' cross) of anticipation, and the Advent Wreath, in which are placed five candles, which are lit one for each Sunday, and the last on Christmas Day. They symbolise mankind's journey from relative darkness to the Light that has come to enlighten all people - the Word, who is Christ. These symbols and themes, with hymns and other special music, together with the deep liturgical colours of the season, violet and blue, belong to the Church's ancient tradition, and help us engage our senses as well as our minds and hearts in preparation for the celebration of Christ's birth.

Church of England web page

This is doing the Facebook rounds at the moment and as today I particularly wanted to share about Advent it seemed appropriate to post on here I hope you enjoy it .

For the first time I have put my nativity up on Advent Sunday for some reason before I have always put it up on Dec 1st .

This the willow tree nativity and three wise men that my Dad gave me for Christmas and my birthday last year . I have given my beautiful old one to Chris and Gemma .
The simplicity of these are really special , I hope to collect the rest at some stage .

Well as I go and think about Advent I hope that this has been food for thought for you

And finally I received this in an email from a friend .

REMEMBER:

Jesus is Better than Santa

Santa lives at the North Pole.

JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh

JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year

JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies

JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited

JESUS stands at your door and knocks.. and then enters your heart.

You have to stand in line to see Santa

JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap

JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?"

JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly

JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO

JESUS offers health, help and hope.

Santa says "You better not cry"

JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.

Santa's little helpers make toys

JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but

JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree

JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.

It's obvious there is really no comparison.

We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.

We need to put Christ back in Christmas.

Jesus is still the reason for the season.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T18:48:00.001Z

Well my stateside family are gathering today to celebrate Thanksgiving

Below is a brief idea of what Thanksgiving is for .

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26. As a federal and popular holiday in the U.S., Thanksgiving is one of the major holidays of the year. Together with Christmas and the New Year, Thanksgiving is a part of the broader holiday season.

The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated to give thanks to God for guiding them safely to the New World.The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days, providing enough food for 13 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans.The feast consisted of fish (cod, eels, and bass) and shellfish (clams, lobster, and mussels), wild fowl (ducks, geese, swans, and turkey), venison, berries and fruit, vegetables (peas, pumpkin, beetroot and possibly, wild or cultivated onion), harvest grains (barley and wheat), and the Three Sisters: beans, dried Indian maize or corn, and squash.The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating "thanksgivings"—days of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought.

Here in England we do not Celebrate Thanksgiving but I have to say there are many things I am very thankful to God for today.

Firstly friends of the family heard today that their daughters had got into school in Dubai.
Next is that AJ is nearly ready to move to her new home.
Then obviously I am very thankful that Gemma is doing well in her pregnancy in the next month we will be meeting baby Cook for the first time.
I am also Thankful that I have food on the table tonight and a roof over my head , it reminds me that there are so many people that do not have homes and are so poor that they can not feed themselves.

So I just want to say a hugeTHANK YOU to God for all the good things in my life
Happy Thanksgiving

I am linking this to Alphabet Thursday over here please pop in and say hi

Meet Me On Monday!!

2011-11-21T17:14:00.000Z

I have been reading this blog for ages but not bothered to do the Monday thing , decided today to change that so here goes.....
I have copy and pasted the blog owners own words to give you the idea of what I am on about

For those of you who are joining for the first time....Welcome! I post the questions on Sunday evening to give you time to get your post ready. I try to make the questions simple and fun! Its amazing how much we all have in common and yet are very different from each other. Lets get started! Enjoy!!!

Welcome to the 58th edition of

"Meet Me On Monday!"

Blogging is a funny thing...we tell our most intimate thoughts for all to read and yet most of the time I find myself sitting and wondering, "who is this person!?" I know them...but yet I don't know them! I want to know who the person is behind all those words so I thought of a great way for all of us to "meet" each other!
Every Sunday Never Growing Old will post five get to know you questions that you can copy and paste into your own Monday post and we can all learn a little more about each and every one of us!!

Questions:

1. I wish I had more time to _________?

2. What is your favorite kind of soup?

3. Where will you eat Thanksgiving dinner?

4. What is your favorite time of day?

5. Did you start Christmas shopping yet?

Ok I wish I had more time, this is tricky because technically I have all the time in the world as I recover from one surgery and wait for another one in January . I think really I need to have time to be patient .
I am so impatient but I do like the sign above.

The question as to what is my favourite soup would be easier if it was which one I like least that would be mushroom , I have to say any soup made by AJ my aunt is ok with me .

Ok well being English with Stateside family and friends I know when Thanksgiving is but we do not have a specific meal here. This year this year I will be eating at home with my youngest daughter and her boyfriend whi more often than not here on a Thursday.

My favourite time of day is anytime that my family is all together. This does not happen often but just occasionally we are all gathered and I love it. I guess the next time we are all in the same room together will be December 26th Boxing day here in the UK

We will be celebrating Christmas day all over again as my children are going to their other halves family or working.

I also love summer mornings when the world is quiet and I can sit in the garden with a cup of tea and maybe my bible study . ( not often enough )

This year I am thankfull to Amazon as I did nearly all my shopping last sunday and by Wednesday it was here awaiting the wrapping .

I also have sewing to do .

So thats the questions answered.

Now I am off to nevergrowingold to see what other people have answered this was fun I will be back

Saturday

2011-11-19T17:54:00.000Z

Well what a day , found out yesterday that I am not fit to return to work I know its for a good reason but I am well and truly P****d off.
I really was looking forward to going back and getting some routine back in my life before Christmas and then the back procedure in January.

Ok so what shall I do with myself ?

I have written the christmas cards , created the news letter, done the present shopping thanks to Amazon and have Nearly finished gift sewing.

I know I will play Rummikubs on Facebook . Ok I won two games now what ah there is my cousin on line next followed a ten minute type chat very good it was too .
Now what ok I know I can not put it off any longer .

I have been procrastinating about this room for MONTHS.

I usually do the desk and get overwhelmed but not today I have sifted emptied recycled thrown away and relocated items .

And I proudly present to you.....

So as you can see a great improvement I have tiedied the rest up as well just did not photograph.

Now have more for a car boot sale .

Now it is time for scrabble online

Happy weekend

C is for ......................

2011-11-16T22:06:00.000Z

Ok I am now on week C of Alphabet Thursday from Jenny over at alphabe-thursdays
It has been hard to decide what to focus on this time round , the most obvious is Christmas preperation , but I know that you American readers have to deal with Thanksgiving first.

Oh to heck with it Christmas it is . I love Christmas and to be honest I am the biggest kid around here.

Obviously Christmas is time for gifts and traditions , with each family having their own unique traditions.

From when our children were very young we used to go to church on Christmas eve, partly because we wanted to but also we were church wardens for a short while.

There was always a pillow present when the children went to bed funnily enough it was always new PJ's and still is to this day.

Christmas day was the usual stockings , breakfast, presents church food , presents and phone calls.

One of the children decided that we should putr candles on the cake and sing happy birthday to Jesus , and to be honest it feels the right thing to do.

A few years ago I had a thought that we all give and recieve presents at christmas, but how many people actually know Jesus.

If a non christian gives and recieves a present at this time its a bit like giving a present to a total stranger.

Please don't get me wrong I am not wanting to spouil everybodies enjoyment but please give a thought to the reason for the season

Please pop by and visit Jenny and see what other readers have been inspired to create

Bedtime bliss

2011-11-10T13:24:00.000Z

Jenny Matlock is now onto the letter B in this the fourth round of Alphabet Thursday.

And for me B could not Be Better in fact it is a Brilliant letter , Because I have had a new mattress for my Bed to help my beleaguered Back.

New Mattress

Made up bed

On Monday morning I was up not Bright just up, I stripped ( the bed) and Hannah moved the old mattress for me then it was time to wait . Brilliant the delivery van arrived and out popped my mattress that was very big .

I dutifully sign the paperwork and the mattress was placed in the hall. A friend popped in later and with Brut force moved the mattress to its final resting place ( for now at least) .

All I can add is that Monday night I was bathed and ready for bed as soon as was a decent time and I had a very comfortable night .

I must go now as I need to read some other contributors to Alphabet Thursday Bye Bye

Something from the weekend

2011-11-08T12:16:00.000Z

Last weekend deffinatley went off with a bang

I had a lovely morning with Hannah Chris and Gemma , popped into Market Drayton saw a new baby shop , perfect timing as grandchild is only weeks away.

Then it was off to see Becky and Carl who along with Mel and Linda had a brilliant evening with food drink and fireworks sat around their fire.

perfect ingredients

After a bit of a lie in it was time for breakfast yummy

This was followed by something I have been looking forward to for months

Got to relax surrounded by bubbles and reading a book.

followed by a quick trip to

for

After Becky and I doing each others hair and a sit down it was time to come home.

I quickly popped in to see Gemma and Chris as they had purchased some goodies for the baby

Then is was home supper and bed

What a lovely weekend

Latest news from the Cook family

2011-11-02T18:10:00.000Z

AJ entering her new home

Somewhere on the stairs is the stair where I sit

The garden watch this space all will be changing

Billy likes the view

And he likes the little wall

wedding stationary

Hannah did an amazing job making Christophers birthday cakes

And I know its nearly Christmas as my new dairy diary has arrived

Visitors pizza and cake

2011-10-25T18:34:00.000+01:00

Today is day 2 of the half term holiday .I had some lovely visitors today Ali & Naeem with Hani. Faris. and Zacky. And Suzie AKA Naine ( please forgive spelling)

Also Jo and Faye joined

Pizza Making

Finished results

Birthday cake for a special 10 year old

Faye and Jo

And finally I got to meet Zacki

A tiring day but great fun so lovely to see the next generation growing and to be part of it.

Something from the weekend

2011-10-24T18:45:00.000+01:00

Thumper searching for an apple core

Just had a very quiet weekend. Rugby final on Sunday well done All Blacks.

Saturday was a day for washing and a wonderful catch up with Kathe.

Also got a letter from Oswestry hospital asking me to go for pre op on 4th November .

Just think in January I will be a new women all thats needed then is a new man .

Looking forward to driving this week , friends visiting Tuesday , Wednesday and Thursday and then Friday its Christopher's birthday and we are off to watch the 3D scan and then partying the evening away .

This week

2011-10-21T15:34:00.000+01:00

This not my spine but similar to mine apparently

I was relieved that there is light at the end of the tunnel,

I was extremely pleased that I should be able to get rid of the catheter

I was not so impressed when they said I had the spine of a 70 year old, just glad I do not have the wrinkles to match.

The next thing I want to share (not literally) is this Chocolate web site.

I was very lucky and received chocolate from work today from Booja Booja all I can say is yummy and sorry AJ think they will all be gone before I see you.

The good thing is that they are gluten free as well.

My Favourite shop has just launched a web site. I cant rate it highly enough 10/10 all the way. It is so lovely having a shop that sells good quality gifts ranging in prices from £5.

The next place I want to share with you is .fordhallfarm a local farm that has the most amazing tea room. Tea room does not do it justice I had a brilliant lunch there go see for yourself

I have shared these places because I think it is so important to support local businesses.

I am also very happy that this week my wonderful cousin started a job in Spokane so deserved and such an answer to prayer.

well thats for this week off to sew.

Something from the weekend

2011-10-16T09:39:00.000+01:00

At the moment there is not really much difference between Monday to Friday or the weekend .
As I am starting my next week of post op recovery the one thing that has distinguished the two parts of the week has been the Rugby World cup.

I am amazed at how engrossed I have been into the games. I have made a startling discovery over the last couple of weeks tho. Any team I want to win looses. Firstly there was England and then yesterday Wales so today I am not voicing my hopes surfice to say the Haka is brilliant.

It seems as injuries are a great part of rugby and not just at the world cup level either. Yesterday Hannah had a call from Chris to collect him as he had injured his ankle playing the wonderful game.

After a quick trip to Shrewsbury A&E and an tubigrip and crutches it seems thankfully there is no break. A return visit on Tuesday will confirm the diagnosis.

A quick phone call from Liz to check on how to make cauliflower cheese and that really summed up my weekend .

Obviously I have the rest of Sunday to fill yet , but I am fairly sure that today will be filled with sewing christmas gifts.

I have to say I am really enjoying being creative in deciding and makiking gifts obviously I can't put pictures on as it would give the game away to any recipients who might pop by.

Well thats all folks time to catch up with the game

Alphabet Thursday Y is for...................

2011-10-06T09:00:00.000+01:00

Well here we are again with the penultimate challenge of the third round of alphabet Thursday.

I have not contributed recently as I have not had time to read other peoples contributions and did not want it to be a one way jorney.

Anyway here we go with Jenny over at Alphabet Thursday.

These are a few of my favourite Y things..................

A yo yo sums up life in some ways.

You get so far with something and then oops suddenly your being reelead in again. Now that is not always a bad thing especially in the world of dieting. But when it comes to designing something I get really miffed if I cant beyond a certain stage for example I am trying to sort my Christmas present ideas and cant find a pattern for one of them aaaagghhhh.

Yellow is my next Y offering , whilst it is not my favourite coulor it is a very restful colour and merits a mention here.

yum yums are next

Now I can honestly say I have never eaten these ( knowingly ) but I happen to know they are my sons favourites,

Yesterday

This is one of my favourite Beatles song

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is the future and today is a present.

If I was to choose a new name to call myself it would possibly be Yolanda, I particularly like what is shortened to Yo.

Yueltide

I have to say that this is one of my favourit times of the year, and I am looking forward to spending time blog surfing for ideas.

Well I guess this is the end of my y list.

OOO there is one more

ok not technically a Y word but phonetically it's perfect one

Please leave comments as I am stuck at home recuperating .

The latest news

2011-09-16T15:30:00.000+01:00

I know that there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour , 24 hours in a day etc etc , but could sombody please explain to me why the days and weeks are flying by.

It does not seem 5 minutes since Chris and Gemma got married, that was nearly 10 months ago and today as I type they are now around 16 weeks away from having their first child .

Liz and James are just less than 8 months away from their wedding .

Hannah and Tom are in Turkey on the much talked about holiday .

And Becky and Carl are carrying on with their home renovations. Becky still producing fab cakes and Carl reining for Triathlons.

Before

Speaking of which here are some pics of the last one Carl and James took part on , we all went to support with a scrummy picnic.

After

The support team Tops designed by Liz, not sure where Gemma was

Garden Update

I can not beleive that Christmas is only 14 weeks away and already we are discussing who is doing what when.

Adam is again as I type at Manchester City college being interviewed for a course fingers crossed.

I had noticed ( how could I miss it ) that the front path was getting smaller

so after a number of days when I said" I am going to do it today "

last Saturday the rain held of and the sun shone

The results are as above.

I also phoned a number of friends and offered them grass seedlings , 4 friends now have the makings of a grasses bed

A sure sign of Autumn is that Hannah and Tom have dismantled the trampoline now for the grass to recover.

Summer staycation

2011-08-25T09:51:00.000+01:00

This Summer has been good . Ok the weather has not been hot and sunny all the time but neither has it rained for days on end.

I have been lucky to do a number of exciting things . so here goes .

A visit to my Godmother Sylvia

Blue Sky

Made a small simple Ironing board for crafting

Was reminded that I used to be SLIM

Carl & Becky with James and Liz

Thumper

I then had a visit to Liversedge to stay with Liz and James and Becky and Carl with Hannah Joining us on the wednesday.

This week I have gardened ( see previous blogs)
For the rest of the holiday I am visiting AJ and my brother today, Sunday I am going to see Becky and Carl for Carls birthday, then off to Oswestry I have not mentioned all the visits to and from friends for cups of tea and chat , and then it is back to school .
So as I think you will agree I have had a brilliant staycation

Well this is my take on the letter S for Alphabet Thursday. I am now heading over to visit Jenny and see what other people have offered for S this week .

Timber

2011-08-23T18:52:00.000+01:00

Tree surgeon AKA Tom

Going

After careful consideration the first cut was made

Going

GONE !!!!!

I never knew so much could fit in a pond sorry raised flower bed

The final aerial view

Now what to do with the stump

A toadstool of course

An everlasting ( until it rots ) reminder of the first tree I planted in the garden whose roots came from Manchester

Now to the flower beds

Spot the Difference

2011-08-22T20:42:00.000+01:00

Before

After

And no I don't mean the washing line!!!!

Alphabet Thursday from Eden House .Q is for......

2011-08-11T10:04:00.000+01:00

QUALITY NOT QUANTITY

Ok as some of you who know me I am overweight. ( working towards reducing it )

I am very much in favour of the above saying .

versus

I would quite happily eat a whole dairy milk bar but enjoy far more two squares of plain good quality chocolate.

and a glass of veuve clique is far prefferable to cheap cava

dont get me wrong I am NOT a snob and will quite happily drink Cava

and then we have cars

A porsche would be fantastic if money was no option but I am very happy with the quality of my corsa ( fingers crossed it passes the MOT today )

There is so many more comparrisons I could make but I thing you get the idea of where I am heading .

Life is about doing the best you can .

These last few days in the uk have shown that there is such a greed around . I Know there is great hardship around but I also know that some of my family survived the war and there was real hardship then with ration books .

Maybe if the world looked at quality as opposed to quantity it would be a better place .

And I don't mean buying the most expensive just the best we can.

I am sure there are better uses of the letter Q check out Jennys Blog here

Where is the year going ? Part one

2011-08-10T20:07:00.000+01:00

Ok I have been on summer holidays for nearly three weeks , that means I am nearly half way through the holidays aaaaaagggggggggggghhhhhhhhh

Well what have I done so far?
On the second Saturday I went to Navestock show in Essex I was staying with my God mother and we had a day out

Christine making sure the buggy was ok

Sylvia in the shade

Vintage caravan

Dogs in a dog buggy

Village was celebrating the fair

My plastascine never looked this good

Birthday girl

Clear blue sky

Moving on

2011-07-21T17:15:00.001+01:00

Well I am not moving but the year 6 children are.

Today they did their performance forthe school and their parents. What a talented bunch of children.

It took me back to when Becky, Liz and Chris left Primary school . The last song that they sung was this one below.

Even now if I hear it it makes me well up . Seeing the year sixes today reminded me again of how quickly our children do grow up.
And very soon we will have the next generation of Cooks. By Mid January we should have welcomed Chris and Gemma's first child into the family , I am so excited to meet him or her , to see what has been passed down through the generations.
They have been busy compiling a family tree going back 8 generations , just imagines the stories those generations could tell.

Well thats it for today just a bit of nostalga .

World War II school visit.

2011-07-19T17:39:00.000+01:00

Our reserved carriage

Captured German Airmen , we found his parachute in the grounds

Children digging for victory they all planted some peas.

There were stacks of luggage all over the platforms

Add caption

This train was used in the lion the witch and the wardrobe.

Every child had one of these agasmask and gas mask box

Ok not quite a glamourous look but not bad

This was where the lights were kept

Its amazing to think this train was once a bundle of scrap and how it has been retored

Kidderminster station

A selction of posters from the war.

Everything was so neat and clean what has happend ?

A great day was had by all adults and children. The children were basically renacting what would have happened when children were evacuted.

The Bible in 90 days day 2

2011-07-12T17:13:00.000+01:00

Ok how can two days be SO different yesterday I was up bright and early eager to read had a fab day this morning however I was awake loads in the night so tried to get on Twitter ( 6 hour time difference) no joy , alarm went of at 5.50 could not get out of bed. Went down read then went back to bed with a brew dozed and have had a rubbish day . Its at this point I am thinking WHY ? I know the answer but HELP .

The reading is progressing through Genesis and it is interesting to read it in context not just listening to a sermon from a part of the reading.

found this picture in Google for Genesis 17

Today I have chosen the word first . seems to me there were alot of firsts in todays verses.

Bible in 90 day challenge

2011-07-11T20:14:00.000+01:00

All I can say is I hope I have the same enthusiasm for the next 90 days. If I could on have one word to sum up Genesis 1-16 it would be creation .
This morning when the alarm went of I literally leapt out of bed eager to start. Made a brew and before I knew it I was on chapter 14 tea was cool and I was thirsty.

Every day I read I hope to have a word to sum up the passages today its CREATION pretty obvious for Genesis really

Update from this end

2011-07-10T13:42:00.001+01:00

Ok well its been a while since I last posted so here goes.

For starters I am sure you have noticed my new layout. I love changing the layout depending on the season or celebration leelou-blogs has a great web site and I am allways able to find a free template.
I have also spent time trying to organise the most followed blogs into categories this still needs work.

Work is coming to an end for this academic year and I am looking forward to a 6 week holiday.

The dictionary deffinition of holiday is:
period of leisure: a period of time free from work or usual activity and given over to leisure and enjoyment

So this does not mean I will be going and slumbering in the sun somewhere exotic. For me this means spending a week with my God mother is Essex , A week with my daughter Liz in Leeds. A few days with AJ , some time in the garden, loft and general house sorting . I also hope to fit a day or too in Oswestry with James and Susie plus a visit to Manchester . And yes I am hoping that fuel prices PLUMMET
I also want to fit in sewing projects so will be packing my sewing stuff and taking with me on my week long visits.
I will also be looking into the portfolio I need to create for the playwork Diploma.
And anything else that crops up.
This would all be made perfect if there was good weather but to be honest being with special people is the most important thing.

An exciting challenge I am starting tomorrow is

I came accross this idea whilst looking at .momstoolbox if interested take a peak.

I am making no promises just going to do my best .

Family news

I guess the most exciting event of the year so far is that Christopher and Gemma are expecting their first child and my first Grandchild. The baby is due on January 6th . According the app I have downloaded the baby is at present the size of a lemon.

We are on a countdown to Elizabeth and James's wedding on May 19th

Becky and Carl have made great leaps and bounds in their garden due to the combined talents of AJ and Mel & Linda.

Hannah and Tom are progressing nicely on their chosen careers paths.

And Adam is sunning himself on Spain
SO as you can see busy busy busy .

Saturday centus from Eden House

2011-06-25T12:50:00.000+01:00

Eden House

England

Dear John ,

just writing to say I am so sorry that I did not comment on Saturday Centus last week been having problems with Google. I hope to do better this week.

From

Tracy

P.S John is really everyone who took part last week

This is for saturday Centus pop by and see the rest

Fathers Day

2011-06-19T11:54:00.001+01:00

Today I can not celebrate Fathers day with my Dad as he is no longer with us .

What I can do is remember and celebrate the man he was.

A man who was a wonderful “Beauty Grandad”

A father who like a good port improved with age

A man who was a passionate Newcastle United fan

A man who knew that God was there

A man with a twinkle in his eye especially when surrounded by his grandchildren

Sadly he will not get to meet his much awaited Great grand Children the first who will join us sometime around new year.

But this baby will know about Beauty Grandad.

So I say to your memory I love you and your memory will live on through the generations

Me and My Dad

My Dad Central to us all

Beauty Grandad and his amazing Grandchildren

I can't buy you any presents but if I could it would probably be a poster like this .Obviously with your name in

A can or two of beer

A trip to your favourite pub

and the dreaded

A whole weeks worth of course

and finally

Not forgetting

Happy Fathers Day Dad love you so much

Saturday centus from Eden House

2011-06-18T11:57:00.000+01:00

Ok its been a long time since I contributed to this Meme . I had decided that as much as I loved it I was not able to give enough time to read and reply to everyone.
Decided that this week I was going to have another go.

Ok for anyone reading for the firat time pop over to Jenny and see what others have come up with

"...within the stone..."

I will use attempt to use 100 word count including the prompt in RED this prompt. I can use these three words PLUS up to an additional 100 words to tell my story in any style I choose.

Here goes ..........

Within the stone there is a new life ready to grow, not a human life but a tree . It is a mystery at the moment will it produce fruit?

I have no idea but I will plant it and nurture it in the hope in years to come I will have my own fruit tree.

A fruit tree that I will be able to say that with God’s help I grew .

I will not spray with chemicals just watch it as it becomes fruitful and reflect on whether I am fruitful or not . A long process that needs patience.

2011-06-09T17:35:00.000+01:00

Sometimes you read something and think oh wow thats good aother times you read something and thing wow what a brave person, Well I have just read this blog about a 15 year old called Alice. She has written a bucket list ( one of my fav films) as she has terminal cancer. She is not asking for money but just wanted to share her experience with her friends since Monday her blog has had ove six thousand people add as followers.

One of her wishes is that everyone will offer to be a bonemarrow donor.
it's amazing how one so young can want something so grown up.
Anyway just a short blog

Makeover

2011-06-04T21:34:00.000+01:00

Today Becky and Carl arrived to redecorate my bedroom. Since Ian left I have been wanting to make my bedroom my own. I have made small changes but today it was unrecognisable as my bedroom.

Yesterday I took down all the shelving over the bed, filled holes and tidied and emptied the room.

A number of years ago when my bedroom was last decorated I designed this pattern and it worked but over the years it has got grubby and needed updating.

Firstly the squares had to have a quick coat of paint on

Becky was boss she kept us on task

Carl was chief roller. They have this fab paint roller from Dulux no spills brilliant.

Some of you may remember our student Ponmille well she was keen to help despite not being able to let go of her mobile ( cell) phone

While I straightened the girls went out and bought some accessories

This shelving is now home to my teddy collection and smellies especially Bath and Body Works

The four squares were new today and the picture on the left is one called the Helper.

The TV is sat on a chest of draws made by my Grandad years and years ago

All I need now is a new set of bedding but that will have to wait. Also Becky and I are swapping beds I only need a small one now.

Thanks Kids Love it

alphabet Thursday G is for GREEN Eden House

2011-06-01T21:01:00.001+01:00

Firstly I would like to say a big thank you for people who left comments last week and secondly I am so sorry I did not reply to many , My Aunt died on Saturday morning UK time and needless to say I have not spent much time on here.

G is for GREEN

Washing has to be done and my preference if Persil.

Home grown lettuce , well home nutured I bought mini plants

Green Spade waiting for me to use

various home grown from seed herbs

A lovely slug free Hosta

Rickety garden furniture that needs repainting

A weed AKA plant growing in wrong place

Green apples ( zero points on Weight watchers )

Scales for working out points on Weight Watchers

Trisha a plant from my Aunt

My Moss covered Hedgehog bird bath

This was just a quick trip around to show you some green.

I promise I will visit you this week Please feel free to pop over to Jenny and see what else is on offer .

Have a great week

Must Not for Get that

GOD IS GOOD

F is for Family Tree from Edenhouse

2011-05-25T19:56:00.001+01:00

This week for F there were a number of F's I could have chosen Faith, future, food to name a few.

I have chosen Family tree .

My family is very special to me , not just my own children and parents and grandparents , but my Aunts , Jean is Shropshire and Trish or Aunty Pat as I have always called her who lives in Spokane Wa .there is another Aunt Irene but she has chosen to have no contact with me thats fine.

As I write this I am sadly waiting for a phone call to tell me that Trish has died. Trish has been fighting Ovarian cancer for 13 years .

Her family are so important to me as Trish has been a second mum to me since my own mother died when I was 16.

Trish is married to Chuck and they have 4 children Kathe, Jerry, Lori and Jack who between them have 8 children and have given their mother 3 great grandchildren .

Then there is AJ who I have posted about on here before , she now lives in shropshire and its great to have her nearby .

.I have one brother who has two daughtera and two grandaughters.

Then there is my own Family :

Rebecca who is 26 and Married to Carl , Elizabeth 24 and engaged to James , Christopher 22 married to Gemma and last but not least Hannah who has a fab boyfriend called Tom.

And one day I hope to be a grandmother who knows what God has planned .

All I know is that right now this family is about to lose the most amazing member of it .

And without her I would not be the person I am .

I am taking part in Alphabet Thursday over with Jenny please pop by to see what else is on offer

Birthday time

2011-05-22T17:40:00.001+01:00

Rebecca Beryl Eileen Taylor is now 26

Hannah & Tom

The cake was made by Hannah , we were watching a cake program a few weeks ago and Hannah decided that this was how she wanted Becky's cake to be.

It is made of six batches of cake mix loads of icing and decorated with hand made hearts and butterflies. It tasted yummy.

Sadly the journey to Becky & Carl caused it to slope a bit.

From this angle its much straighter

Gemma number one daughter in Law

pressie time

Cake maker and sister

How on earth do I cut a cone cake?

Shame Liz and James could not make it but we did all have a great time.

Alphabet Thursday from Eden house E is for Exquisite

2011-05-19T12:48:00.000+01:00

Well it's Thursday again and that means only one thing time to take a letter and make something that other people might find interesting.

I hope I am not dissapointing .
I have chosen the word EXQUISITE

[ik-skwiz-it, ek-skwi-zit] Show IPA

–adjective

1. of special beauty or charm, or rare and appealing excellence, as a face, a flower, coloring, music, or poetry.

2. extraordinarily fine or admirable; consummate: exquisite weather.

3. intense; acute, or keen, as pleasure or pain.

Thats it off to see the rest of the class now to see if Jenny has done any marking

D is for Divorce

2011-05-12T15:39:00.000+01:00

Well any day now I will recieve a piece of paper signed and sealed by a judge telling me that Iam now divorced.

What a topic for Alphabet Thursday, but is where I am at so seemed perfect to share it with you.

For those that know I have been married for

Duration calculation results

From and including: Saturday, 1 December 1984

To, but not including : Thursday, 12 May 2011

It is 9658 days from the start date to the end date, but not including the end date

Or 26 years, 5 months, 11 days excluding the end date

Alternative time units

9658 days can be converted to one of these units:

•834,451,200 seconds

•13,907,520 minutes

•231,792 hours

•1379 weeks (rounded down)

Technically I should calculate the end of the marriage on the day he left so that gives me

From and including: Saturday, 1 December 1984

To, but not including : Friday, 28 August 2009

It is 9036 days from the start date to the end date, but not including the end date

24 years, 8 months, 27 days excluding the end date

Alternative time units

9036 days can be converted to one of these units:

•780,710,400 seconds

•13,011,840 minutes

•216,864 hours

•1290 weeks (rounded down)

so as you can see I gave it a good go and whilst I am not perfect , having countless affairs is not the way to treat your wife.

anyway I am not unhappy about this situation , don't get me wrong I would still rather be happily married but I am worth more than that .

So any day now I will be able to say I am middle aged and single.

Ok thats it the end and new start.

If you want to read more offerings pop over to Alphabet Thursday and see Jenny

Alphabet Thurday C is for Cates Cousins

2011-05-06T09:53:00.000+01:00

These are my fab four cousins Jerry and Jack on the right and Lori Myself and Kathe on the left . The only person missing in this gathering is my brother Robert.

I could put pictures up of their Children and grandchildren but this is enough for me .

I dont get to see them often as they live in Spokane Washington. Having said that I have just had the privelage of spending two weeks them and it was good to get to know them in a different away.

That is my contribution to Alphabet Thursday this week if you want to read more contributions then pop over to Jenny at Alphabet Thursday .

All change

2011-05-01T18:43:00.000+01:00

Long ago there was a garden that was just a lawn. There were no flower beds or trees, no table or chairs and certainly nothing of any interest.

Gradually this was changed and is now a garden that whilst being overgrown in part and certainly not tame is a thing to me of beauty.

It is the first garden that I have designed from scratch, infact there is a plan imn my Alan Titchmarch book from before we even saw the house detailing what was needed.

One of these things was a pond a koi one and a wild life one. Over the years I have cleaned out the wild life one but sadly had an ongoing battle with a pond weed.

These were taken after Liz and I spent a whole day ripping it all out and starting again

Yesterday I decided that it had to go.

Thanks to a neighbour who had a skip of soil ( new conservatory) I was able to fill in having stabbed the liner then top off with bark and plant up this new area

Sadly there will be no more frogspawn photos or blooming water lillies. Instead I will post of repositioned Hostas, Maple and new purchased lavendar and lobelia.

So hopefully I will just have to do battle with strong rooted grass

Blooming brilliant bunny and Book .Alphabet Thursday

2011-04-29T09:34:00.000+01:00

Over at alphabet Thursday we are on the letter B which for me is Brilliant .

I have come back from my trip to see my brilliantly brave aunt in USA to come back to a garden in bloom a bunny in the sink , bunting at school and a book in my brain.
over grown pond ready to be filled in for new garden,.

Fabulous lilac

wonderful wisteria

more lilac

Bunny in the sink

Bunnting at school for our Royal wedding street party

A brilliant idea for work

And Bunny in the sink again.

And last but not least the book in my brain.

I picked this up at Walmart last week , it was one of those books that when you read the blurb it grips you.

Well I started it whilst waiting for my plane home and by the time I got home it was finished. And whilst I am no authority on wtiting book reveiws I woul;d deffinatley recomend this one. it is about a four year olds trip to heaven

Well thats me B'd out so I am off to read some more contibutors to Alphabet Thursday please pop by . Alphabet Thursday