Hi All,
I'm sooooo sorry that I have not had time to blog recently. The last few weeks have been rather full with Christmas preparation and also my number three child. Unfortunately my daughter has had a few issues with her pregnancy and given us all cause for concern. We were not sure whether she was going to be admitted to hospital on Christmas Eve. Anyway all is well and she was allowed home and has been able to come to Leicester to spend time with the rest of her family. It's looking as if the child she is carrying is not going to be small and is growing at rather a fast rate. So no tiny baby clothes will be needed! The baby is due 22nd January and could end up weighing 11lb!
But now it is time for me to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a great new year.
Wednesday 24 December 2014
Tuesday 16 December 2014
Christmas Chaos
Every year I say I must not get to December and have everything to do. But it still happens and I don't know what changes in December but everyday seems just that bit shorter and the job list never ending. Trouble is I do not particularly like doing Christmas things in November, for me it has to be a December activity, Now in theory I like Christmas but I just wish I had more time to enjoy Christmas and the preparation of it. But slowly I am getting there. The cards have at long last been written and posted. The decorations went up at the beginning of December. Just when I think I have finished buying presents another one appears on the list that I somehow forgot about. I have started to prepare and freeze meals for the festive week. Menus planned and this weekend sees a big spring clean or should say winter clean before the family arrive.
So jobs to do: couple more presies to buy, cake to marzipan and ice, more food prep, big clean and finally bedrooms sorted and beds made read for the family.
As I get older I like the way traditions are being set and one of the more recent ones has been a meal that my dad organises for my sister and family along side with Mr P and myself. Last Saturday we all met up at his home in order to travel together to his local village pub.
Oh golly I am going to have to apologise for no pictures. My laptop is driving me mad. It has been playing me up and just after some kind person spent ages getting it sorted it still decides to do its own thing. It decided to reject moxilla firefox as my browser. Refused to let me use my pictures without having to do each individual one in a very long winded way. So I gave up and used internet explorer. Then a few days ago the laptop refused to let me do anything until I installed windows 8.1. Managed to get used to all the new settings and set up the sites I use often. Today it has just done an update, gave me NO browser until I opted for one and then totally changed internet explorer. Aaaaaaargh - I do not need this now!
Oh well I'm giving up. No pictures to show you our lovely meal and time together. I think I'd better get on with getting ready for work and stop trying to understand my laptop. Hope your week is going to plan and your Christmas prep is going well. Thinking about it the first Christmas had problems too! Mary being 9 months pregnant and having to make a long journey and then when she arrives no where to stay! Perhaps things haven't changed much.
So jobs to do: couple more presies to buy, cake to marzipan and ice, more food prep, big clean and finally bedrooms sorted and beds made read for the family.
As I get older I like the way traditions are being set and one of the more recent ones has been a meal that my dad organises for my sister and family along side with Mr P and myself. Last Saturday we all met up at his home in order to travel together to his local village pub.
Oh golly I am going to have to apologise for no pictures. My laptop is driving me mad. It has been playing me up and just after some kind person spent ages getting it sorted it still decides to do its own thing. It decided to reject moxilla firefox as my browser. Refused to let me use my pictures without having to do each individual one in a very long winded way. So I gave up and used internet explorer. Then a few days ago the laptop refused to let me do anything until I installed windows 8.1. Managed to get used to all the new settings and set up the sites I use often. Today it has just done an update, gave me NO browser until I opted for one and then totally changed internet explorer. Aaaaaaargh - I do not need this now!
Oh well I'm giving up. No pictures to show you our lovely meal and time together. I think I'd better get on with getting ready for work and stop trying to understand my laptop. Hope your week is going to plan and your Christmas prep is going well. Thinking about it the first Christmas had problems too! Mary being 9 months pregnant and having to make a long journey and then when she arrives no where to stay! Perhaps things haven't changed much.
Friday 12 December 2014
Surprises
Life is just full of surprises some good and some not so good.
Last Sunday I had my first surprise. As I was driving along the London Road I looked in my rear mirror, like you are supposed to do, and I found myself having to look several times. As what I saw was this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't worry I didn't take this picture whilst driving, my daughter was with me! I think he must have come from the Santa fun run for charity.
Don't think I had any surprises on Monday. Tuesday was the works meal, at lunch time. Now the food was nothing to get excited about. In fact I doubt whether there was any genuine fresh food on the plate! Supposed to have been a Christmas dinner but I think it was a chemical mix of food that look like a turkey dinner! Went outside to collect my bike to go to my next clinic and had a nasty surprise! Arghhhhhhhhhh! Someone had stolen my saddle! Now that would have been very painful to try and ride. Fortunately my very kind manager did some amazing tricks with her car seats and got my bike and belongings in before I had managed to finish a call to the bike shop. She chauffeured me to the bike shop to get a replacement - at an ouch price of £46! Then she took me to my clinic. I amazingly managed to arrive just a few minutes late.
Tuesday evening's surprise was from one of my daughter's to say she's not well. Also that the baby she's carrying is getting a move on and is measuring a few weeks bigger. So it's a good job I've ordered the wool to crochet a blanket. Baby is due 24th January but maybe sooner. I'd better get a move on!
Wednesday I had a phone call from the police. Number four surprise and perhaps number five surprise. Firstly that they even bothered to call me back after reporting the theft. Secondly was the content of the conversation which went like this. "How have you been getting on with your investigations?" My response was something like "urgh?" "Well we don't want to be duplicating the work!" Apparently the police thought I might have been to the pub where the theft had happened and watched the ctv footage. Was I supposed to go and find the thieves and arrest them?
Thursday's surprise was watching the chickens. With their new house comes a door that opens and shuts automatically according to how light or dark it is. Well this morning I watched them barge out whilst the door was trying to open - just like small children, inpatient to wait for it to fully open! It was so funny to watch.
Lets see what the weekend has to offer?
Last Sunday I had my first surprise. As I was driving along the London Road I looked in my rear mirror, like you are supposed to do, and I found myself having to look several times. As what I saw was this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't worry I didn't take this picture whilst driving, my daughter was with me! I think he must have come from the Santa fun run for charity.
Don't think I had any surprises on Monday. Tuesday was the works meal, at lunch time. Now the food was nothing to get excited about. In fact I doubt whether there was any genuine fresh food on the plate! Supposed to have been a Christmas dinner but I think it was a chemical mix of food that look like a turkey dinner! Went outside to collect my bike to go to my next clinic and had a nasty surprise! Arghhhhhhhhhh! Someone had stolen my saddle! Now that would have been very painful to try and ride. Fortunately my very kind manager did some amazing tricks with her car seats and got my bike and belongings in before I had managed to finish a call to the bike shop. She chauffeured me to the bike shop to get a replacement - at an ouch price of £46! Then she took me to my clinic. I amazingly managed to arrive just a few minutes late.
Tuesday evening's surprise was from one of my daughter's to say she's not well. Also that the baby she's carrying is getting a move on and is measuring a few weeks bigger. So it's a good job I've ordered the wool to crochet a blanket. Baby is due 24th January but maybe sooner. I'd better get a move on!
Wednesday I had a phone call from the police. Number four surprise and perhaps number five surprise. Firstly that they even bothered to call me back after reporting the theft. Secondly was the content of the conversation which went like this. "How have you been getting on with your investigations?" My response was something like "urgh?" "Well we don't want to be duplicating the work!" Apparently the police thought I might have been to the pub where the theft had happened and watched the ctv footage. Was I supposed to go and find the thieves and arrest them?
Thursday's surprise was watching the chickens. With their new house comes a door that opens and shuts automatically according to how light or dark it is. Well this morning I watched them barge out whilst the door was trying to open - just like small children, inpatient to wait for it to fully open! It was so funny to watch.
Lets see what the weekend has to offer?
Wednesday 10 December 2014
Shrewsbury Madness
It's that wonderful time of year when my two daughters and myself meet up at my sister's home outside Shrewsbury for a stay overnight before the big shop. My sister and brother-in-law are very generous and put us all up for the night. They then feed us a wonderful three course meal, supply us with wine and followed by a lovely laze on their most comfortable settee in front of an open fire. Such a special time to catch up on all our news and have some special time with my sister and her family. This was the 4th time of doing this and it is becoming a precious tradition.
The next morning we are fed breakfast and then sent on our merry way to Shrewsbury. This year is slightly different as my one daughters is pregnant with her second child and having some health issues which affects her ability to walk far. So I managed to hire a wheelchair from the red cross for her. Now I nor my other daughter have had experience of pushing a wheelchair far or around shops. It certainly is an eye opener. Most people are kind and help as much as they can but there were a few who grumbled and treated us as people not entitled to be out shopping. Discovered it was fine to be around the large shopping malls and easy to push the wheelchair but getting around the cute individual shops outside the malls were a nightmare. Most of them had steps to negotiate and small doors. Then inside the shops there were displays that meant it was rather difficult to squeeze by without sending things flying. We eventually came up with the idea that we pushed my daughter to the shop door, she then got out and climbed the step inside the shop, and then we half folded the wheelchair and left it somewhere inside the shop not blocking peoples way. We gave up trying to push her around the inside of the shops. Needless to say we did not buy so much this year but we did have lots of fun trying to push the chair up and down the hills. Lunch was had at the indoor market at the Birds Nest Café. This is a fantastic café doing all home cooked food. Absolutely yummy.
The indoor market is great, full of life and diversity. I noticed that there was also a fish restaurant which looked divine and a Chinese restaurant as well as all the wonderful stalls.
If you are ever in this area then do visit this market - I think it's the best I've ever seen in the UK. Shrewsbury is a lovely old town and the shops have lots of character and looked so festive.
After lunch we decided it was time to head to THE dress shop. This is somewhere that sells clothes from lots of different stores at reasonable prices. Tara Clothing - they only seem to have a facebook page.
Well us three girlies had such fun trying on the clothes. The assistants were so helpful saying what looked good and bad. Also quite a few of the clothes were these new fashion one size fits all so we could try each others clothes on. We all came away with some new clothes. Then onto the last shop as time was running out - Listers. They sell lots of lovely things for your home and the aisles were wide enough for the wheelchair. We bought a few more gifts from here(could have spent lots more money) and then headed back UP HILL, with all the bags, to the car park.
Our two cars were virtually the only ones left! I did check what time the car park closed but I guess by 6.15pm most people had gone home! We had a great day and I was so pleased that we had the wheelchair as it meant my daughter could share the day with us. Thanks to my sister and family for their hospitality and thanks to the Britsh Red Cross Society for enabling us to have a wheelchair and have this special girlie day.
The next morning we are fed breakfast and then sent on our merry way to Shrewsbury. This year is slightly different as my one daughters is pregnant with her second child and having some health issues which affects her ability to walk far. So I managed to hire a wheelchair from the red cross for her. Now I nor my other daughter have had experience of pushing a wheelchair far or around shops. It certainly is an eye opener. Most people are kind and help as much as they can but there were a few who grumbled and treated us as people not entitled to be out shopping. Discovered it was fine to be around the large shopping malls and easy to push the wheelchair but getting around the cute individual shops outside the malls were a nightmare. Most of them had steps to negotiate and small doors. Then inside the shops there were displays that meant it was rather difficult to squeeze by without sending things flying. We eventually came up with the idea that we pushed my daughter to the shop door, she then got out and climbed the step inside the shop, and then we half folded the wheelchair and left it somewhere inside the shop not blocking peoples way. We gave up trying to push her around the inside of the shops. Needless to say we did not buy so much this year but we did have lots of fun trying to push the chair up and down the hills. Lunch was had at the indoor market at the Birds Nest Café. This is a fantastic café doing all home cooked food. Absolutely yummy.
The indoor market is great, full of life and diversity. I noticed that there was also a fish restaurant which looked divine and a Chinese restaurant as well as all the wonderful stalls.
If you are ever in this area then do visit this market - I think it's the best I've ever seen in the UK. Shrewsbury is a lovely old town and the shops have lots of character and looked so festive.
After lunch we decided it was time to head to THE dress shop. This is somewhere that sells clothes from lots of different stores at reasonable prices. Tara Clothing - they only seem to have a facebook page.
Well us three girlies had such fun trying on the clothes. The assistants were so helpful saying what looked good and bad. Also quite a few of the clothes were these new fashion one size fits all so we could try each others clothes on. We all came away with some new clothes. Then onto the last shop as time was running out - Listers. They sell lots of lovely things for your home and the aisles were wide enough for the wheelchair. We bought a few more gifts from here(could have spent lots more money) and then headed back UP HILL, with all the bags, to the car park.
Our two cars were virtually the only ones left! I did check what time the car park closed but I guess by 6.15pm most people had gone home! We had a great day and I was so pleased that we had the wheelchair as it meant my daughter could share the day with us. Thanks to my sister and family for their hospitality and thanks to the Britsh Red Cross Society for enabling us to have a wheelchair and have this special girlie day.
Tuesday 2 December 2014
Robins
I just love robins. I'm not sure why? Maybe it is to do with their lovely red breast, or maybe it's the way they just pop up and look so pretty and cute! Sorry I'm being rather silly but I do like robins. Yesterday I was on the phone to a friend when I saw a robin in the garden. Somehow an old empty ice cream tub had blown into the garden and had filled up with rain water. This robin decided to make the most of this opportunity by taking a bath. It was such fun to watch. My friend suggested I took some pictures and here they are. Note I was still talking on the phone whilst taking the photographs! Amazing how women can multi task!
Also for me robins remind me of Christmas. I like to think they only appear at this time of year!
Also for me robins remind me of Christmas. I like to think they only appear at this time of year!
Allo Allo and The Messiah
Last week started the Christmas season off for Mr P and myself. We both love going to local amateur theatre productions and our favourite is one in the village of Kibworth. Kibworth Theatre Company were performing Kibworth Allo Allo. Now it maybe you've never heard of this play - well it was a wonderful tv series. There were actually 85 episodes of Allo Allo.
Here is Renee the owner of the café in the play. Apparently he grew a moustache for the performance.
Here he is complete with moustache and with his wife Edith.
The seating area for the audience was set out as if we were customers in Renee's café.
It was a great evening, so funny and a great start to the Christmas celebrations.
Saturday was the day of the performance of Handels Messiah by the Leicester Bach Choir, whom I sing with. The afternoon was the rehearsal with the orchestra and soloists Katie Trethewey, Cathy Bell, Julian Forbes and James Oldfield.
Our conductor is Richard Laing and he is just so talented. I have no idea how he begins to conduct the choir, orchestra and soloists at the same time. The Bach Choir is very fortunate to have him. The Messiah is a long piece of music and by the time we finished the performance I was absolutely exhausted, but very happy - it had been a magical experience. It was great when the audience stood up for the Hallelujah Chorus. In fact the church was completely full - it had been a sell out. Wonderful, wonderful evening. If you like singing then I can really recommend joining a choir.
Here is Renee the owner of the café in the play. Apparently he grew a moustache for the performance.
Here he is complete with moustache and with his wife Edith.
The seating area for the audience was set out as if we were customers in Renee's café.
It was a great evening, so funny and a great start to the Christmas celebrations.
Saturday was the day of the performance of Handels Messiah by the Leicester Bach Choir, whom I sing with. The afternoon was the rehearsal with the orchestra and soloists Katie Trethewey, Cathy Bell, Julian Forbes and James Oldfield.
Our conductor is Richard Laing and he is just so talented. I have no idea how he begins to conduct the choir, orchestra and soloists at the same time. The Bach Choir is very fortunate to have him. The Messiah is a long piece of music and by the time we finished the performance I was absolutely exhausted, but very happy - it had been a magical experience. It was great when the audience stood up for the Hallelujah Chorus. In fact the church was completely full - it had been a sell out. Wonderful, wonderful evening. If you like singing then I can really recommend joining a choir.
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