boring.....

I have been reading blogs today, especially those of my friend and my husband, but also one or two others. They are so interesting and full of photos etc and mine is so bo..o..o..ring. So I have decided to liven it up by adding pictures and learning how to take photographs off my camera and put them onto my blog ( I can hear the exasperated sigh of my husband if he reads this...'I've shown her so many times and she STILL forgets!!') Oh well! Mind you, I have to remember to take photographs in the first place.
Last night I went to the pantomime to see Jack and the Beanstalk. I know that you usually go to the pantomime during the Christmas season, but our local amateur theatre always produces theirs in the dark days of January.
I absolutely love the pantomime - I can boo and hiss with the best! Where else would you see a man dressed as a woman in outrageous costumes, the young male role performed by a girl, slapstick comedy, the evil person and a good fairy? Wonderful!!
When I was teaching, I used to take the year 7 pupils to the panto at Christmas. We had a science teacher who was really strict with the pupils. She used to come with me and would hiss and boo, cheer and shout -the pupils were somewhat surprised and spent most of the first act watching her rather than the stage! Happy days!
Last night's performance was very good and the audience enjoyed it, although it was almost ruined by an over excited 7 year old on the front row, but the cast managed to shut him up!!
Well, back to mundane things, like perfecting an after dinner speech by next friday - not started yet, but all will be well.

Sunday 17th

Well, we finally made it to church this week and it was good to see everybody again.
It was my turn to take the little ones in Sunday School and our theme was saying thank you. It was fun to hear what the children really wanted to say thank you for -presents, biscuits, dinosaurs were mentioned as well as flowers, mummies and daddies!
It was a good session, I think.
It was also good to see Moses again. Moses is working for a Christian organisation called Careforce. He spent last year attached to our church working with the young children and young people most of the time. This year he is working in Edinburgh helping young people with drug and alcohol addiction, which he finds very interesting and rewarding. Moses himself is an incedible young man. He is Kenyan and his mother and father live in a village in the countryside. His mother still collects water and I think his father is a subsistence farmer. Moses went to a missionary school, walking 5 miles four times a day. At the age of 8, he was sent to live with a relative in Nairobi because he was bright and could be educated there. He now has a degree, I'm not sure what it is in, but he is working for Careforce for the moment, for very little money.
When I hear stories like his, I wonder what I have done with my own life. I've not been brave enough to even travel very far, although I am fascinated by other cultures. I despair when I hear about children living in poverty and without any chance of education, so why don't I do something practical?
On a lighter note, I have read Daniele's blog with her photos of Paris. I love the way she finds things to photograph that most people would walk past. Clever girl!
I must go now, my programme is on TV! - No,I'm NOT a telly addict....much!!

Saturday, 16th Sept

Another week has passed, full of snow, ice and slush! We've been complaining about it, of course - I don't know what we Brits would talk about if it wasn't for the weather! Then we hear about the terrible disaster in Haiti, and it puts your own moans and groans into some sort of perspective. Although the disaster is terrible, the true human spirit seems to come to the fore at these times - we hear about people just taking leave from their jobs to go and help, because they have skills or equipment which are needed. I just hope that the help is there after the initial input, because it takes such a long time for people to rebuild their lives and regain some sort of normality. It makes me feel so useless when all I can do is offer money.
Things are getting back to normal here as well - meetings have started up again and also my art class. I got a compliment from my tutor this week, so I was well 'chuffed' AND I actually finished a picture. I was so happy that I came home and painted a small watercolour for my sister's birthday. I know she'll like it - she better had!
Well, I must go now to do some shopping and have lunch out then come back and play with my beautiful little spaniel.

Saturday 9th Jan

It's Saturday again! It's cold and we still have a pile of icy snow outside our house. Yesterday, we cleared the drive as much as we could and managed to get the Clio to the top. It took ages to clear the drive and our lovely neighbour helped us. Of course, almost as soon as we'd cleared it, the snow started again. It's been off and on all day today, but not heavily. However, it's really cold now. We've had some enormous icicles which Kev photographed, no doubt to be seen on his blog!
I didn't sleep much last night as my arm gave me a lot of pain and I couldn't get comfortable. I think it must have been set off by the shovelling! Anyway, it's a bit better today, but I haven't done a lot in case it starts up again. This afternoon I had a go at my latest masterpiece! I started it earlier in the week. I found a picture of an Art Deco lady and decided to paint it in acrylic paint. I found it much harder than working in oils because the paint dried really quickly. I was disappointed with what I'd done, so I 'googled' some hints on using acrylics and tried again this afternoon. The background is looking much better, but Rembrandt I'm not! The problem is I have mislaid the copy of the picture I was doing and I can't find it again on the internet. What an idiot!
Kevin took Jasper out for a run on the school field. He's getting much better at coming back (Jasper!) and he loves the snow. I'm not sure that he loves all the little ice balls he gets in his feathers, his paws and his tail though.He must have had a really good run as he's fast asleep across my feet as I type.
I must make tea now - good old sausage and chips. Our butcher makes the tastiest sausage around - pork and black pepper- scrumptious!

Post Christmas

I was so busy before Christmas that I didn't know what to do with myself. I had to prepare a Carol Sevice for our County Trefoil groups, another for the WI and a nativity for the Sunday School to do in church. Everything went well, thankfully, especially the Nativity. I was so worried about that, but the children were fantastic and even the donkey behaved! .. Yes, we had a real donkey to bring Mary into church!
Christmas was lovely. Ours always starts with a dinner dance on the Saturday before and that went well. We had to collect Jasper from kennels on the Sunday, in the middle of a snow storm. We made it home OK and then battened down the hatches. My sister made it on Christmas Eve luckily. She has been a bit worried about her car and was worried about breaking down in the bad weather. On Christmas Day we went out for our dinner to a little tea rooms in the next village. It was wonderful! The attention to detail was outstanding and the food was scrumptious .....and no washing up!! Brenda stayed until the Tuesday and then went home and within a few a hours had ordered a new car! Talk about biting the bullet!
We had a few friends round for New Year's Eve which was nice. We all prepared a different course for the meal - I was hoping to get the cheese board, but no such luck!! Since then, we have not been out much as we have had a lot of snow - about 40cms. The only member of the family who is really enjoying all the snow is Jasper the spaniel, despite getting ice balls in his paws and feathers!
I've been really lazy since the New Year - the days just seem to pass by. Today we took the cards and decorations away, so that's something. Tomorrow, I must tackle my tax return. I've never done one before, so I'm a bit apprehensive about doing it. It would be lovely if they found out that they owed me lots of money, but I don't think they will. I've also got to write an after dinner speech before February and I have no inspiration..or jokes..!
Well, enough for today. I'm off to watch TV!

Sunday 25th October

What a wet and windy day today! The clocks went back last night, so we had an extra hour in bed - the best place to be on a day like today. So, I managed to get up and shower and went to church. Our vicar was away and we had a really old man taking his place. he was very slow at everything and, although he had a beautiful speaking voice, I couldn't actually hear him speaking very well, despite the microphones. Never mind, we sang some good hymns!
This afternoon I tried to tidy the back bedroom and sort out some clothes for the charity collection tomorrow. Many of our charities now post a plastic bag for you to fill and coleect it again a few days later. Unfortunately, in some areas, other people have been collecting the bags and making money for themselves. Sometimes it's a sad old world. Anyway, I can almost see my desk top and even the bed!!!!! A couple of hours tomorrow should do it and then I start on the shelves.
I'm in the middle of making a costume for kev to wear at halloween. It looks awful at the moment, but will look Ok when I've finished - I hope. It's only a bit of fun, after all. My Frankenstein head looks good now I've finished it - at least jasper thinks it's scary. Talking of that little monster, he's just drawn blood on my leg - he was catching one of his toys and missed and caught my leg. He's asleep at my feet now and that's how I like it.
I've also been looking at the work of my friend's son. It's called Hippolyte and Jeremie and is so good. We have some pictures of pigs that he drew for us when he was only 14 or 15 and we love them. I wish I could draw half as well.
Anyway, time for coffee so I'll close now.

22nd October

Well it's been a beautiful week this week - bright autumn sunshine and the trees are so gorgeous. Last Saturday we went for a drive into Derbyshire. We bought a picture in an exhibition a few weeks ago and we went to pick it up. Not that it's on the wall yet, but will be this weekend....I hope! Then we have the garage to sort out - what a job!
Jasper's good - still ripping paper etc.but generally improving. He began his Kennel Club Good Citizen bronze award on Tuesday night and did quite well for a little fella. Whether he'll pass at the end I don't know - here's hoping.
I've been into Manchester today visiting a member of our Trefoil Guild. She's just had her 80th birthday but fell at home last week and broke her hip. She's had surgery this week and looked better than I expected, but I would think that she'll see some changes in her life. She lives alone and her family are in Australia so I don't know whether she'll go into sheltered housing or whether some support will be put in place for her. She's a grand lady - feisty and full of fun. her mind is sharper than mine (not hard) and she tells some wonderful stories.
Guides is closed for 2 weeks as the hall is being used. Last week we took them swimming in Stockport, but the pool was being used.So we went to the pictures to see 'Up' the new Disney film. I don't usually like animated films but this was really good. I'm not a great cinema fan, so if I enjoyed it, it must be good!!
Well I shall have a cuppa now and then try to get Kevin to try on his costume for Hallowe'en!! A sight to be seen, I think.