Great week!

Well it's that Sunday night, back to work feeling, but what a great week!  I've been off work this week (half term) and seem to have managed to do quite a lot in a relatively short time.  I had my lovely friend Clare Cox to stay on Monday and Tuesday - a treat indeed, since I haven't seen her for nearly 3 years!  We had a lovely catch up, lots of laughs, plenty of nice food and wine :-))  .  Haven't laughed so much in ages!  Was really a real tonic to see her.  We made a pact never to leave it 3 years again, and hopefully, all being well, will go down with T-bone in the New Year and have a weekend down in Somerset.

On Wednesday I went up to Wiltshire to see T-Bone and in the evening we went to see Sierra Hurtt doing her thing in The Vic in Swindon.  It was great to see her again.  She performed for an hour in the pub and was sounding really good.  We dragged her and Skeet , her guitarist, etc out for a meal afterwards, once we found somewhere serving food - and it was only 9.30 pm!

Back home Thursday morning, and then T-Bone joined me for a couple of days down here in Hampshire.  We found some blues to go and see on Thursday night, always lovely to see some music.  They were pretty good, although I didn't like the guy's voice and guitar style, but it was good to see anyway, and the double bass playing was really good! 

Friday evening I had a visit from my mate Merryn (more wine lol!).  Saturday I got to catch up with my sister  in Winchester and we had a really nice lunch and catch up, some shopping and then train home, before my mad mate Vicky came round for more wine and laughs in the evening.  Really good to see her again.

Today I have had to catch up with chores - HUGE ironing pile etc!! But in a minute I am off to Acoustic Night in Marlborough - always a pleasure and get to see T-Bone and friends perform in the Green Dragon.  It's a lovely pub, everyone is always very friendly, and I always enjoy going up.   It's going to be a great way to round off the week

Coxy and I

Sierra and Skeet at The Vic

60th Post Already???

I can't believe this is my 60th post since I started my little blog back in August - haha, I remember I stayed up til the sunrise getting it started and sorted out (T-Bone lol!)!  I must admit, it's been really nice to put some photos up - it's nice to have a showcase for pictures that you like, even if they are not that good, it's fun to post them somewhere!

I have really enjoyed reading T-Bones and Dancin's Blogs - keep posting!!!

And I have also recently discovered my 20 something nephew Pete's blog (he is now based in Mexico).  He probably thinks I'm far too old to have a blog and is hiddeously embarrassed to have his ancient auntie comment on his blog, but I just can't help myself!!

So I carry on with this meandering and rambling - one of these days I plan to write something interesting, but until then I will carry on with posting photos and mindless chatterings.

Happy blogging

Loadsalove
Claire xxx

Gerty Goat

T--Bone and Gerty ....... awww, Gerty just loves T-Bone doesn't she?

Sunset

Just loved the sunset last night - it was so beautiful.  Perfect end to a beautiful sunny day

Where Did That Year Go T-Bone!!



I can't believe it's a year ago today that I first met by darling T-Bone  I remember one of the first conversations we had was about Duke Special (as I like them) and he happened to mention he knew Chip the drummer .  He was convinced I would think it was a load of bull****, but I didn't think that, and offered to send T-Bone a CD of Duke Special music.  He said he'd like that, and gave me his address, on the understanding I didn't turn up and murder him in his bed !! So began our swapping of music, and a friendship which would take us places.

One year on, I just wanted to say thank you T-Bone, for an amazing year, happy and ecstatic times, mad daft times, lovely mellow times, loads of music and silliness and above all your amazing friendship which is at the root of it all.  I love your cheerfulness and positiveness, your enthusiasm for all sorts of great creative things such as photography, the countryside and music, I love your easy going and friendly nature, your caring and warm character and above all your daft side! Sometimes when life gets tough it can be hard to raise a smile, but I don't think you have ever failed to make me smile.  Love you always.

As a little momento from the last year,  I thought it might be nice to post a few pics from the last year (and I am sorry I have nicked some from your blog haha!!!!).

Thanks darling - here's to you!!!!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Haha, where it all started I think - I DID NOT WRITE THIS!!!! lol



The troll pics -Troll  and Monkey Man doing their thang - T-Bone sent this to me (painted by the wonderful Phil) last autumn - sooo funny!!

February - Laurel and Florit!!! - How mean!!!

March - My birthday card (again crafted by Phil) from T-Bone, awww, how could it not win my heart!!

March - The chicken jokes and pics continued

 

April - Walking on the farm,  just before the heavens opened  - walked in the village pub giggling away and soaked to the skin much to the amusement of everyone else!

May - Itchen Navigation Canal walk and a hot, hot hot weekend!

June - Taking the children to the beach in Sussex - ending with bbq on the beach, wot fun!

June - T-Bone greets Heidi the goat, now Gerty the goat, and now owned by T-Bone! Or does Gerty own T-Bone, I think that's probably more like it!

July - Having fun  in the New Forest with our respective children, lovely afternoon mucking about and general silliness

July - Avebury, and camping trip in Wiltshire .  Yes I managed to get T-Bone to sleep under canvas yayy!

August - Dartmoor holiday - Bellever Forest, what a wonderful afternoon that was!

August - T-Bone keeping me sane and cheered when Soph was in Hospital







Bella at the vets tonight

My poor cat Bella has been looking a bit under the weather since late Thursday and quite quiet.  By Saturday she really seemed to be staggering around, and also seems to have lost weight (nearly a kg) and condition, although actually seemed much happier in herself.   The vet has said that she thinks Bella may have a slipped disc!  This is apparently quite rare in cats.  Bella has taken to launching herself from the cat scratching post in the kitchen onto the worktops in recent weeks, so it is entirely possible she has slipped whilst "flying".  Poor Bella.  She has had some anti-inflammatories and already seems much more with it, but it's early days and I need to take her back to the vets in a week and then we will decide on more long term treatment.

I took a couple of photos of her at the vets - the children wanted to come too, as they worship Bella and she was very happy to have their company too.  She was so good in the car and so placid and sweet at the vets.  She really is a very sweet cat and I really hope she isn't in any pain.

Weekend

Beautiful drive up to Marlborough Friday night - got onto the A34 just as the sun was going down.  The sky was so beautiful, I haven't seen such a lovely sunset whilst driving along for a little while now, and it really gladdened my heart!  The subsequent muting of all the colours of the landscape were quite magical and a joy to behold!  Then, a little further on, around Hungerford, I was so lucky to see a mass flight of geese, not once, but three times.  It really was spectactular!  As T-bone said, they were probably on their way to migrate somewhere.  I just love the colours and sights of our landscape - never fails to make a big impression on me and quite often moves me hugely (like the geese).

Great night Friday night - meal out in T-Bone's village pub with loads of others - lots of drinking and laughing involved and of course music. Finally fell into bed at 4 am; although had to share bed space with a dog and his bone lol!  Felt a little bit worse for wear yesterday, but after a good sleep I feel a little bit more human today.

Quiet day today - I am going to read and hopefully finish my book (just reading the musings of Mark Radcliffe which I started when Soph was in hospital) which if achieved, will be the first book I have finished for a long time I am ashamed to say .... I have started loads and then get  given or buy another, and unless I get in the habbit of reading every day, other things get in the way (like itunes and music lol!) and the small time I have available just goes .. think I need to make a conscious decision to get to bed at a decent time so I am more fresh for work and read before sleep ... then I would have achieved two things - be better at work and read more!

Sophie's video

Found Sophie's preschool video the other day and shared with T-bone.  Wot a laff!  Shows my nearly teenager as a 3 year old.  Here are some stills from the video - cute!!

Awwwwwww

Found this photo the other day of my two - Jon would have been about four and a half and Sophie a few weeks old - remember the occasion as if it was yesterday. They both had very dark brown hair when they were born, which was quickly replaced by blonde - why does that happen, weird?!!!  They are still very close and although have brother and sister spats, they do enjoy each other's company and Jon especially is very good whenever Sophie is ill.  He even told me he helped clean up after she was sick at the weekend - can't think of many brothers who would do that!!

Off to the Hospital tomorrow

Well this week has been the house (and street) of the sick! I have had a sore throat and barely able to speak (a blessing to most I am sure!), and all stuffed up, my daughter has been sneezing for England and had bad asthma, then was sick at the weekend (thankfully all over her father this time rather than me!!) and my son has been hacking away too.  My neighbour and friend Brian next door, who I keep an eye on, has also had a heavy cold and been very unsteady on his feet and on Monday after being alerted by his daughter, I went in to find him sat on the stairs looking very pale, and slurring in his speech and generally not well at all. I called an ambulance and he went off to hospital, returning this evening.  We were supposed to be going to the Jazz Club tonight to see Georgie Fame, and for the second time in 10 years, we had to cancel! I think he is ok about it though.  I am sure he is happy to be home and reunited with his beloved pussycat. 

It was really weird him not being around the last couple of days and it made me realise how much I don't like him not being here!  He's like another dad to me and has been so kind to me over the years.  I know he likes coming round for a cup of tea, for a change of scene maybe, and a chance to chat about what ever is on his mind, or just get a plaster applied for a cut finger (bless!).   It's great that we have resumed going to the jazz club, and I know he really enjoys that.  T-bone has sorted out his record deck so that now plays through his hifi and sounds so much better.  He loves his music too - in particular jazz - even though he still claims to hate Miles Davis and in particular "Kind of Blue" - blasphemy!!!

Tomorrow I am off to Southampton General with Soph for her post-asthma Respiratory Consultant's appointment.  It will be interesting to hear if they can offer me any further advice or give her any more treatment.  I could really do with having cat and dog allergy tests for her too.  Poor old Sophie, she has had such a rough ride all her life; I just want her to keep well.  Asthma is such a horrible thing.

So I do hope everything will be back to normal soon!

Networking - You've Been Tagged!

Just for a bit of fun (thanks Dancin Fool!) .... give this a go - learn something new about a fellow blogger.! Read and answer the following and paste on your page and then let me know you have answered it.

For those new to tag lists/ memes this is how it works. Below I have posted a list of ten questions for you to answer with instructions for taking part. I will visit your blog and leave you a comment inviting you to take part and including a link back to this post. If you would like to take part all you have to do is create a post copying over the instructions and questions, including your answers, and then pass it on in the same way to 5 new Bloggers, whether Bloggers you know or new ones you find. Then come back here and tell me your list is up so I can visit and read it!


So, this is the bit to copy if you are going to take part, copy all text within the speech marks:


"Instructions: Copy these instructions and the questions into a new post, post it with your answers, visit 5 new or known Bloggers and leave them a comment with a link to your relevant post inviting them to take part, and then return to the Blogger who invited you to take part and leave them a comment letting them know your post is up.


1.  If you could have super powers what would they be and what would you do with them? (Please feel free to be selfish, you do not have to save the world!)

2.  Were you to find your self stranded on an island with a CD player...it could happen...what would your top 10 bloggers island discs be?

3.  If you were a smell what would it be?

4.  What bird would you most like to be?

5.  If you were a bird who's head would you poo on?

6.  Are there any foods that your body craves?

7.  What's your favourite time of year?

8.  What's your favourite time of day?

9.  If a rest is as good as a change which would you choose?

10.  If you could have a dinner party and invite any 10 people from the past or present who would they be? (Living or deceased.)

My answers:

1.  If you could have super powers what would they be and what would you do with them? (Please feel free to be selfish, you do not have to save the world!)
Understand people's minds/know whether someone was telling the truth or not for sure!

2. Were you to find your self stranded on an island with a CD player...it could happen...what would your top 10 bloggers island discs be?
 In no particular order - Nick Drake - Bryter Later;
                                        Pink Floyd - Dark Side of The Moon;
                                        Eric Clapton - Reptile;
                                        Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now;
                                        Duke Special - Songs From The Deep Forest;
                                        The Divine Comedy - Regeneration; 
                                        Corinne Bailey-Rae - Corinne Bailey Rae;
                                        Charlie Hayden & Pat Metheny - Under A Misourri Sky
                                        Cinematic Orchestra - Live at The Barbican
                                        Beth Rowley - Little Dreamer
                                        Boz Scaggs - Greatest Hits Live
                                        Beatles - White Album
                                        Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks
                                        Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
                                        Minal - On A Planet (well it goes without saying ........)

Ok that's 15!! Can't take anymore  away haha!!!! 

3.  If you were a smell what would it be?
Freshly cooked bread

4.  What bird would you most like to be?
Buzzard - flying high over Dartmoor

5.  If you were a bird who's head would you poo on?
Simon Cowell for popularising crap music

6.  Are there any foods that your body craves?
At the moment - ice cream for my sore throat.  On a more regular basis it would have to be marmite

7.  What's your favourite time of year?
Spring - especially after the clocks go forward and we have our first light evening, bliss!

8.  What's your favourite time of day?
Bedtime!!  Oh and just before the sun starts to go down and there are beautiful long shadows and the light is beautiful.  Just makes everything look so magical.

9.   If a rest is as good as a change which would you choose?
Rest

10.  If you could have a dinner party and invite any 10 people from the past or present who would they be? (Living or deceased.)
Eric Morecambe; Spike Milligan; Michael Palin, Jude Law - for eye candy :-); Rolf Harris; David Bellamy; Antonio Gaudi: Cezanne; Alexander Fleming (so I could thank him); and Delia Smith who could help out in the kitchen!  Don't want any boring politicians or people who would droan on and on - ok it seems to be mainly men, shame that, how did that happen lol!  If I am having a dinner party I want to be entertained and cheered up by some good comedians and a couple of interesting people thrown in too. I'm not too sure how well I would get on with Delia, she looks a bit fierce, but I am sure she would give the gravy a stir if I was busy!



I have tagged: http://twoknightsandmaidens.blogspot.com/, http://tbonetravis.blogspot.com/ and http://olliebitsandbobsblog.blogspot.com/


 However if you come across this post and want to take part please do! The more the merrier. Remember it is a bit of fun, you don't have to do it but its a great way to meet some new Bloggers! Enjoy!                                       
                                        
                                      

Farewell, adieu

I will be deleting my little blog; it's been fun and I have enjoyed the experience.

It's allowed me to express my creative side and be the person I am.

I think, perhaps, in retrospect, self expression isn't my forte or has done me any favours, so have decided to call it a day on Blogger
Claire