News from Geoff and Caron...

Geoff's early racing exploits!!

2011-07-25T21:19:00.003+01:00

Gladioli in my garden ...

2010-08-15T13:54:00.002+01:00

I planted some gladioli bulbs in the spring. And have been waiting patiently ever since, first for signs of life to pop through the ground, then later on for buds, and finally, for flowers. My patience was rewarded this week when the first bud burst into bloom in marvelous bright orange.

What a show. It was a mixed bag ... so I have no idea what colour the other buds from other bulbs will be. I'm hoping for a variety.

Here are some pics of the first blooms.

2010-08-08T20:49:00.005+01:00

My lap quilt is growing slowly and I have now finishes all the boxes that I need for the quilt. I spent some time laying them out, looking at various combinations before finally deciding which box should go where.

Next step was to join all the boxes together with strips of the navy backing material. After that, I had to put in the cross pieces and finally edge the entire piece in navy.

This afternoon I put all the layer together, first pinning, then tacking them together. There is a special way of pinning and tacking - from the centre outwards, to avoid folds and pleats forming or the material creaping while you sew.

I have now completed the main machine stitched cross seams. I have the vertical seams to do still, and then all the filler seams. It is a slow process because each seam must be sewed from the centre to the edge - which means that each seam actually means two seams.

I hope to finish the cross seams soon. Then all that remains will be the edging (bias) around the edge of the quilt. Can't wait to finish!

Patchworking ...

2010-08-06T23:27:00.004+01:00

I went on a day patchworking course yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. There were just 7 ladies, including myself, which allowed us to have plenty of hands on help from the tutor, Mandy.

The aim of the course was to teach us the basics so that we can go ahead and make things independently. We learnt how to make basic 9x9 boxes, and in the afternoon, we learnt how to make a few more complicated 9x9 boxes. I managed to make 5 boxes of 3 different designs. Today, after my houserwork was done, I delightfully spent my time completing all the boxes I need for the lap quilt I want to make. I will need to buy the fabric to join the boxes together and edge the quilt. After that, I will need to do a little research to learn how to add the wadding and quilt the lot together.

In the photos above you can see the finished boxes. There are 20 in all, some with lovely names like: snowball, contrary wife, Tennessee, shoofly, Jacob's ladder, friendship star .. to name but a few.

Below is the cutting mat, rotary cutter and one of the strips I used to make patches. I will blog a picture of the quilt when it's finished.

Brands Hatch WTTC

2010-07-18T21:20:00.005+01:00

Geoff and I were fortunate to acquire 6 tickets to see the World Touring Car Championship, F2 race etc at Brands Hatch today. It was a great day out and I must admit that I enjoyed watching the races. No chance of me becoming a motor-head, but I did find myself getting quite envolved during races.

We witnessed ( although I must admit, via the giant screen) a spectacular crash during the SEAT race. Click here to see the crash on you tube. How eveyone got out of the way in time is absolutely amazing.

Here is a selection of the many photos we took today. Enjoy.

Greenwich via SA House

2010-07-13T21:48:00.005+01:00

Today Geoff and I went to London on a twofold mission. Firstly, we went up to SA House to try to find out why my passport is taking so long to arrive. I applied last year in June and am still waiting, despite plenty of attempts to follow up.
After much waiting around and the help of a very friendly lady, I have now re-applied and will need to get my marriage certificate legalised. Crazy, but true! Hopefully this attempt of an application does not take another year.
After this, Geoff and I went to Greenwich to take a quick look around as I will be going to the National Maritime Museum on a school trip on Thursday. I needed to 'scope the joint', as they say before I go with the children.
Geoff enjoyed what we saw, but we could really have done with a little more time. We also walked up the hill from the Museum to the Observatory. The panoramic picture at the top is the view from the observatory. Awesome view!

We rounded off a great day by dinner out and a movie - Shrek! Redonkulous, but true! It wasn't a cat-astrophe though! Lol!

Pottery Summer School - Day 4

2010-07-08T22:10:00.016+01:00

Today was the final day of my pottery course. I have so thoroughly enjoyed it. I am still buzzing with ideas of things to do and feel re-inspired to try harder through the next year of pottery.

Today we unpacked the gas glaze firing we monitored yesterday. The most exciting thing was to take out our glaze testers for the glazes we made on Monday. My gas and electric test strips were not too bad. The glaze has run slightly on both, but the colour worked well. It was not exciting enough to explore further for mass use, but I still feel good that I made a successful glaze! Above are the test strips - gas fired on the left, electric fired on the right.

Today we learnt to pack a bisque load for firing. I really got stuck in today and took the lead. The two men just stood around and wrung their hands .... while I worked it all out. Things have to be jiggled and re-placed until you get the maximum no. of items into the kiln without loading dangerously and risking pots. We were responsible for loading the back half of the kiln - you can see from the photo that you can pack items inside each other ... something you definitely can't do in a glaze firing!

My lovely little jugs are drying well and will be going into the next bisque firing. I have two bowls in this firing, will have to wait until next week to see how they come out.

The plate with the house and pathway design that I glazed on Tuesday came out of the gas kiln today and it looks lovely. You can just see it in the photo below. I will be lost without pottery tomorrow!

Pottery Summer School - Day 3

2010-07-07T15:39:00.003+01:00

Today was Day 3 of my week long pottery course. Wow, I so wish I could do this more often! What bliss - working with pots for hours each day.

Today we were responsible for firing the gas kiln. What a job it is. I will never again look at the pots on the shelf and not think back to the hours of monitoring the kiln. Each hour, the bricks on the top of the kiln have to be lifted to allow the flames to 'go wild' inside the kiln while they look desperately for oxygen to burn. As the air vents are all closed, the flames draw the oxygen and naturally occurring metals in the clay out of the pots. This creates some wonderful effect in the glazing. BUT, the flame, temp etc have to be carefully monitored. It's a balancing act between oxidizing (giving the flames oxygen to burn) and reducing (starving the fire of oxygen) during the firing.

Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to unpack this kiln and enjoy the oohs and aahs as we study the changes from powdery glaze to the finished product!

While we were checking and monitoring the kiln, we all got time to work on our projects. I finished off some jugs that I threw the other day. I tinkered and tried to create something special that I saw at the Aylesford show last weekend. The pictures above will give you an idea of what I did today.

Pottery Summer School

2010-07-06T18:36:00.004+01:00

This week I am on a pottery technician summer school course. We are learning how to make glazes, perform glaze tests, pack and fire kilns and other technical elements of pottery.

I so wish I could have my own studio. It is really the space that is preventing me from doing so . OK, another big stumbling block is the price. A good kiln will set me back a few thousand pounds ... and then there's the wheel and other goodies! But .... if only.

In the meantime, I will have to make do with pottery classes.

The technical side of the course does not take up all of our time. So, in between the bits that we have to do, we have plenty of time to 'potter' - hours of throwing, glazing and making! :-)

Here's a taste of what I've done today.

Lily

2010-07-02T19:55:00.003+01:00

The balmy warm weather has encouraged my lily to shoot into bloom. There are loads of buds on the plant and this is the first flower. I'm going to bring the pot indoors tomorrow - hope that will lengthen the life of these beautiful flowers. The plant only blooms once a year, so you have to make the most of it!

The weather for the weekend is looking promising. I hope to get out into my garden and have a good tidy up and prune some of the bushes and roses back a little.

I wonder how Geoff is doing in France?

Buckmore Park karting

2010-06-30T20:19:00.003+01:00

I haven't blogged for so long! i've decided that since I can now blog from my mobile, that I should do so more often. Geoff is off to Le Mans, France tomorrow to do a 24 hour karting race. Tonight he is racing in his monthly DJ event at Buckmore Park. Our house is full of half packed bags, karting gear and strung nerves. Although he did the race last year, this year he is doing it in his own kart as apposed to hire karts. They leave early tomorrow morning ... very early! I'll have the house to myself for 4 days...

Awards Evening for Geoff

2009-02-22T22:41:00.003+01:00

Last night Geoff and I went to the Buckmore Park Awards evening. Geoff went to receive his trophy for his team coming second in the Enduro Series run by DJ Motorsport.
He was 'well chuffed', as we say here!
We had a lovely evening and were fortunate to be seated next to a lovely couple who we chatted to for hours.
Geoff brought home another humongous trophy that we now have to find a home for - GROAN!

Our skiing trip to Les Deux Alpes

2009-02-13T13:08:00.006+01:00

I thought it was about time that I blogged again!

We had a fantastic holiday in France, skiing. We left it to the last minute to book our holiday, hoping to get a good deal. We were hoping that prices would really fall due to the economic climate, but the poor pound/euro exchange rate prevented really low prices. However, we did get a good deal.

We read all the reviews for our hotel and resort on the internet - some good and some not so good - and decided to go to Les Deux Alpes. We loved it!

It snowed the day we travelled, but there were no delays for us at all. Our only little hitch in our journey there was that we had to change coaches a half our from our village. The smaller coach we got onto was far too small and the luggage was piled up window high behind where Geoff and I were sitting. We would have been dead if there had been an accident! Also, we had to lug our luggage, ski bags, ski boots and ourselves (no mean feat, I tell you!) across a ankle deep slushy car park to get to the smaller coach. By the time we sat down, our feet were wet and cold! What made it all the more annoying is that we both had snow boots packed in our luggage!

Our hotel was more than comfortable and the food was absolutely wonderful. Our meals were included (except for lunch) and we were fed really well!

The hotel was a 5 min walk to the main lifts - so no bus journey each morning to get to the slopes, which is great! We had a supermarket right next door to the hotel too!

The skiing was fabulous. We were really lucky as we had 4 days of blue skies and sunshine! Two days were overcast and skiing was difficult in the poor visibility, but we had fresh snow to break the falls!

I only fell about 7 times the entire week - which is AMAZING for me! My most spectacular fall was on the first day when we went down a run that had not been graded by the piste basher! We hit some soft, deep powder (snow) and that slowed me down and the tips of my skiis dug in and I went arse over kettle, head first into the snow. I came up, having been buried up to my armpits, covered in snow from head to chest! Geoff was by this time on the edge of the run, on some compacted snow, doubled over with laughter. As I struggled to wade through this loose snow (up to my waist, I was!), his laughing became more accute and I struggled even more as I was beginning to weaken with laughter too! What fun! I came home with one (I repeat, ONE) bruise only!

Geoff managed to pull a muscle in his left calf during the week .... and is still suffering. The muscle is much better and he feels almost no discomfort at all, but ... he has swelling in that leg that just seems to be persisting. Last week I insisted he see the doctor, who then sent him to the DVT clinic at the hospital who took a history, measured and prodded the leg, did a blood test and pronounced him safe. Since then the swelling has not gone down, but we can feel secure that it is not DVT.

By the end of the holiday, I had managed two BLACK runs, the most difficult grade of run. They were by no means difficult blacks, but blacks none the less! I was well chuffed with myself!

We both had a lovely break and would go back to Les Deux Alpes again any day!

Enjoy the photos...

Remember ...

2008-11-09T14:26:00.003+01:00

My Boy Jack

"Have you news of my boy Jack?"

Not this tide.

"When d'you think that he'll come back?"

Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

"Has anyone else had word of him?"

Not this tide.

For what is sunk will hardly swim,

Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

"Oh, dear, what comfort can I find?"

None this tide,

Nor any tide,

Except he did not shame his kind -

Not even with that wind blowing, and that tide.

Then hold your head up all the more,

This tide,

And every tide;

Because he was the son you bore,

And gave to that wind blowing and that tide!

Rudyard Kipling

(in memory of his son, John [Jack])

Robert and Gemma's Wedding

2008-09-10T12:41:00.004+01:00

Tunnel Vision

2008-08-16T17:03:00.003+01:00

Thought I would share this little pic of our 'girl'. This tunnel was bought for her just after Christmas in the sales. She loves it. It is part of her mad dash route through the house. The route begins upstairs. She launches herself down the stairs at full tilt ... through the lounge via the tunnel, then into the dining room (the laminate flooring catches her each time) where she slides on into the kitchen. After this little 'run', she has a nibble from her food bowl before making the dash back to the start line upstairs!

Never a dull moment.

The tunnel is also a 'quiet' place when she feels like being with us, but unseen ... BLESS!

Tomatoes and Toilets

2008-08-15T14:09:00.006+01:00

Hello to you all! Thought I would update you onthe progress in our bathroom - and my tomato plants!
As you can see from the pictures I have posted, we now have the toilet and handbasin fitted. The tiling isn't finished yet, but we did the most important parts so that we could fit the toilet and basin before carrying on. It is wonderful to have a sink to clean my teeth over and a loo to pop to in the wee hours (no pun intended!). I am sure that when Geoff has another weekend free, we will continue with the tiling so that we can install the shower ... the next thing I long for - a hot shower! mmmm...

As you can see from the tomato plant pictures ... the have grown just a little since the last time I posted a pic about them! I now have a few tomatoes growing too! Can't wait to pick them and see if they are good to eat!

Other than this .... there is little else happening here. We are counting down till Robert and Gemma's wedding ... juts three weeks tomorrow! (6th September). Geoff is busy at work ... and is looking forward to being on duty at Notting Hill this year (NOT!). We are meeting up with the mother of G's Godson next week in London - will be great to spend an evening in the capital again. I always enjoy coming home by train from London. I think I will spend the morning browsing in M&S and other clothing department stores as I need to find a dress to wear to the wedding. (A suitable one that says 'step-mother of the groom' - yikes, scary!) I might finish the time I have on my own off with a visit to a museum or art gallery. As they are free now it is always a good way to spend a few hours in London.

For those of you abroad ... the weather - as we say here - is PANTS! We have had stormy days with high winds and lashing rain. Today, however, is lovely. This morning I hung out my washing and admired a cloudless blue sky! So folks - summer was on a Friday this year! Tomorrow we are forecast for more heavy rain - more to follow on Sunday. Groan!

Up with the tiles!

2008-07-31T17:30:00.004+01:00

Hello everyone. We got a little bogged down with everyday life and the bathroom came to a grinding halt for a while. Last week Geoff took the week off work and began to crack on again. Although there were many interruptions, delays and other things that needed doing too .... he managed to make a big jump forward again. As you can see from the pictures, the false wall against the wall with the window is now finished. The pipes are now all hidden and now we are tiling the bathroom. Geoff began the tiling with the false wall so that we could put the toilet and hand basin in as soon as the grouting of those tiles is completed.

I began the grouting today. It's a slow job ... especially when the grout I'm using is rubbish! Going to buy something else tomorrow. This stuff I am using is very gritty and dries so quickly and is very difficult to smooth between the tiles. It is meant to be for tile adhering and grouting, but Geoff and I have decided to get something that is specially for grouting as it might give us a better finish and be easier to use.

I am officially on holiday now and although we are not going away, I am pleased to have time to get things done at home and tidy up, iron etc. Got lots of ironing to do tonight. As I type, it's raining outside - perfect weather for watching tv and ironing!

A Throwing Success

2008-07-08T22:35:00.005+01:00

Ok, for those of you who don't know pottery terms .... throwing is what you do on a pottery wheel when you make an item. I have been so 'chuffed' with myself over the last 4 weeks or so as I have just 'taken off' with my throwing. I seem to have just made a leap in my confidence and my pots are the evidence of this! Here is one I made earlier .... (or last week to be more accurate!) The rim of this bowl is about 30cm in diameter.

Colour in my garden.

2008-06-19T12:30:00.004+01:00

I have had little time in my garden this spring/summer so far. I need to say that this is not by choice, but by nature's intervention. Typical weather .... always beautiful when I'm working and raining or cold or generally unsuitable when I'm at home! Despite little input on my part, there have been some lovely spectacles appearing in my garden. Not long after the daffodils flowered, the tulips I had planted in the autumn also flowered. They were of course not anywhere near as lovely as all the beds and beds of tulips we saw at Keukenhof on our visit, but they were mine! The tulips and daffs have long since died back, but some of the other late spring, early summer bulbs and bushes are now in flower and the garden is full of colour and scents.

Even Tizzie has ventured, for the first time ever!, right down to the bottom of her garden and sniffed everything. Although she was still very nervous, she had chosen to come out on her own and joing Geoff and I outside. We are chuffed at her growing confidence.

A few months back I planted some seeds and cultivated them on my kitchen windowsill. About a dozen germinated and I had to cover them with food trays to keep 'Little Paws Herself' from nibbling them! They survived my neglect and

Tizzie's nibbling and have now been planted in grow bags on the patio. I am hoping for large succulent tomatoes like the ones we had in Malta last year ... they had very few pips (stop laughing Mom!). I'll let you know how they do!

Bathing at home!

2008-06-02T15:22:00.006+01:00

Hi there everyone. We have been quite busy since we blogged last. Yep - we have a bath in our house now! Not a lot has happened since we got the bath in, but work has been quite busy for Geoff and that holds up the progress. The stud wall has been put up now, so the wall between our bedroom and the bathroom will be going up next. It is great to have a lovely bath in our own home ... after the ten days at the neighbours. I do miss my shower, :-( but that will be a while in coming as we have not even begun to tile the walls yet. To give you an idea of what things look like at the moment ... here are a few pics. As you can see, Tizzie is still enjoying the changes, in fact, she thinks the stud work is a jungle gym installed just for her!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-05-14T22:00:00.003+01:00

As you can tell from the slide show .. our house is a little manic at the moment! It is filthy, untidy, without washing facilities ... and barely liveable! But, we are keeping the long term picture in our minds ... that is ... a beautiful modern bathroom.

Since Friday, we have been beavering away at the task and both of us are dog tired. Until we have broken the back of the job, we will be showering at the neighbours ... thank God we have nice, friendly and understanding neighbours!

It will be several weeks unit the job is totally done (here I must stress that nagging will take place until said job is 100% complete as my Mr has a nack of leaving jobs 50% done!) .... but we are hoping to have at least a bath in by the weekend so that we can wash in our own home! What bliss. We plan to have ..... bubblebath .... something bubbly to drink in long stemmed glasses ... scented candles ... romantic music ... and time to relax ... I think we will draw the line and breaking a champagne bottle on the bow of the new bath, though!

Out with the old, Part 1

2008-04-30T16:56:00.005+01:00

Well, as I mentioned in earlier posts, we are going to redo our bathroom. A few weeks ago the bathroom suite arrived and is now in storage in Geoff's garage. (Something he is none to pleased about!) Although I sympathise with Geoff's annoyance at having the suite in his way ... secretly I am pleased as he is quite motivated to get the bathroom done so that he can have his space back! Hee hee! We all win!

This past weekend we began tearing out the old bathroom. That little job included the tiles, (toilet - which you already know is on our driveway - and will be staying there until it is fixed at the useless Peugeot dealer ... I wont say more now!!!!), basin, bath and shower mixer. So far we have done half of the tiles. Its a big job guys! We have to attempt to do this all in stages as we need to have the current bath in as long as possible - for the olfactory benefit of those we come in contact with, you understand!

Geoff has taken next week as annual leave and will get the job done - or so he tells me. I am praying he is right - otherwise I could be popping in to my neighbours each day to obliterate my BO.

Here are a few pics of the bathroom so far - more to follow as things progress.

A day in Amsterdam

2008-04-17T17:49:00.003+01:00

Here are a few pictures of our day in Amsterdam. We visited the Anne Frank house - very moving. I visited the museum when I was in Amsterdam in 1996, but it seemed totally different this time. Perhaps they have changed the displays since I was there last.
We also visited the Van Gogh museum. It was great to see so many of the paintings we have just heard about and seen prints of.
We also walked for hours! We worked out that night that we had spent 12 hours in town. Of that time, we only sat down to eat lunch, have tea and dinner that evening. In total, we had spent 9 hours walking. We were dead tired that night, and stiff! BUT it was great to see the canals, museums and thousands of bicycles!

Keukenhof Gardens

2008-04-15T16:59:00.011+01:00

Hi everyone! Geoff and I had a fabulous long weekend away. Our ferry was an hour late leaving port so we got to our hotel at 1am on Saturday morning only! We were on the road by 9:30am and at the gardens by midday. The weather held for us and we were able to walk around the gardens in partly cloudy conditions. The wind was cold, but we were wrapped up well. At around 4:30pm we left the gardens and drove into Amsterdam. We stayed at a B&B on the southern outskirts of the city and our drive there took only 30min. We had a catnap and then went out for dinner.
Here are two slide shows of our visit to the gardens. The first slide show is general pics of the gardens, the second one is just flowers! What a spectacular place!

The Cardmaker

2008-04-11T12:24:00.003+01:00

Hi there. Well, the other night, after my visit to the craft fair over the weekend, I decided to make a few things...

Guess who helped - or perhaps that should be hindered! Madam climbed right into my craft bag and remained there having a doze while I stamped, cut, pasted, embossed (and cursed occasionally!).

Geoff and I are off to Amsterdam this weekend as a late birthday/ anniversary treat. We could not go in March because of other commitments, besides ... Keukenhof Gardens are better in April! Tulips, here I come. I will post lots of pictures when we come back on Monday night.

Have a good weekend everyone!

April Snow

2008-04-06T14:37:00.004+01:00

I thought the saying was April showers! Well, apparently not in England this year. This is the second weekend we have had snow in the last fortnight! As you can see in the pictures, we have had about 3 inches of snow today so far ... and it's still snowing! It started at about 7:30 this morning and by the time we went to church at 10am, the cars were covered. I even managed to get a snowball down Geoff's front; neatly tucked between his jacket and collar! I thought it was hilarious, Geoff grumbled about a wet shirt and belly - hee hee! After church and a bite to eat at home, I built a snowman in the garden. Why ever not! All this snow and I did not see one child out making a snowman in their gardens! What a waste of fresh snow and fresh air!

The change in weather started yesterday. It was chilly in the morning, but the sun shone for most of the morning. By the evening, it was cold and a little wet. I went down to Rochester's Corn Exchange for a craft fair mid morning yesterday. I enjoyed it and spend three hours looking at crafty things, trying a few things out and bought a few things too! I am looking forward to being at home on school holiday these next two weeks as I feel re-inspired to get out my crafting boxes and try a few new tricks!

Sorry for the silence!

2008-03-26T21:26:00.006+01:00

Hello to everyone. Sorry we have been so quiet ... things have just been hectic and we have had lots on our minds.

We had our anniversary this weekend - 3 years of wedded bliss. And still going strong! We went to church in the am and then went out to dinner and a movie in the evening. It wasn't the most inspired outing, but to be honest, we were both happy to just have the time together and have a quiet moment out together. We had a lovely meal at Frankie and Bennie's not too far from home.

During the weekend, we visited B&Q and chose a new bathroom suite. Our current bathroom suite has had it. We have had to rip out the toilet upstairs as it no longer works (its complicated ...) - at least we have one downstairs! The basin is cracked and the cupboard its in is rotten, literally! The bath leaks - our lounge ceiling is testament to that!!! The shower is like standing under a dripping tap - not nice in the middle of winter! So ... a new suite has been ordered and paid for (thank goodness for plastic!) today. It should arrive in 5 weeks. Geoff has his work cut out for him! I will of course be lending a hand too - more tiling to come! We will have lots of pictures to blog then.

So ... we now have a loo downstairs and one on the front drive - I just hope no-one decides to use the one on the front drive!

Geoff is rotten with a cold - MAN FLU of course. So I'll be nursing at home tonight, folks!

My daffs...

2008-03-11T23:54:00.004+01:00

I can't recall if I blogged about planting daffodils next to the wall we finished in the summer...?

Anyway ... after completing the wall and leveling out the ground, I decided not to just plant grass seed to cover the bare earth, but to plant bulbs under the grass so that spring would show in the garden.

Well, that spring has finally arrived. My daffs began coming up about a month ago and have been in bloom for the last week or so. They have made a lovely show down the side of the wall. Eager beaver me ... I cut the lawn the other day - while it was still dry -ish! The daffs prevented me from mowing that side strip ... making the daffodils stand out even more. They are bright and cheerful and I love the way they announce the end of winter.

Not me, Mommy!

2008-03-09T14:15:00.007+01:00

"Hello Mommy! How was your day?"

"Tizzie, why are there pebbles all the way down the stairs? What have you been up to?"

"What pebbles, Mommy? OH! Those."

"Tizzie!!!??? What have you done?"

"ME?" Umm, think fast ... I can't think of anything .... no excuses come to mind - Oh *** I'm in trouble!

"Sorry Mommy. It was an accident. I won't do it again. Promise."

Skiing in La Plagne, France

2008-02-25T18:26:00.012+01:00

Well, we are back home again after our week away in the French Alps. We had a great week away and Geoff and I really enjoyed the skiing.

We left really early on Saturday morning - by early, I mean really early! We got up at 3am and left home by 3:50am. We had to be in Dover by 5am for our ferry crossing at 5:40am. We got there in time and were on the boat in good time. We were all feeling tired and half asleep, but by 8am (French time) we were in Calais and facing the 10 hour journey to the Alps.

The journey was uneventful for the most part. We hit heavy traffic about 2 hours from our final destination, so the journey ended up as 12 hours, rather than 10 hours. We arrived in Montelbert at 8pm. We were all tired, hungry and ratty by then. Then Geoff and I realised that we had no idea where the chalet was in the town! Both of us had assumed that the other had the details! Fortunately we were able to phone the owner and were soon unpacking the car and looking for somewhere to eat.

The next 6 days were fabulous skiing. We had 3 days of beautiful sunshine, blue skies and mild weather. The skiing conditions were great too. Compared to last year's icy sloped at Chamonix, it was a treat! Geoff, Christopher and I spend a lot of time skiing together and had a blast.

We were joined on the second day by Charlotte, a friend of Christopher. She is an experienced skier and spent 4 days with us at the chalet and on the slopes. Robert did not ski much. His girlfriend, Gemma, did not really take to skiing, so the two of them enjoyed the chalet and Montelbert instead.

So ... how's my skiing coming on? Great actually! Last year, I made some progress, but the icy conditions terrified me and we stuck to blue runs (the easiest ones). If I remember correctly, we only did one little red run. This year, I mastered all the blue runs we did and also managed (quite well actually) the red runs we did too. I doubt I will be rushing down any black runs soon, but at least I feel more confident in getting down runs without being terrified by the gradient of slopes.

We really enjoyed the chalet we had. It was right across the road from the ski area. We would go down to the basement each morning, unlock the ski locker, put on our boots and collect the skis. Then we would walk across the road and put our skis on at the ski lift and off we'd go! We were able to pop home for a drink or loo break whenever we wanted. What a pleasure!

The week came to and end, as all good things do and we drove home on Saturday again. We left at 9am after tidying and cleaning the chalet. The journey back was 11 hours. The traffic was heavy again for part of the journey. We arrived at the ferry terminal at 8pm and boarded the ferry almost straight away. We were all starving and had dinner on the ferry. Geoff and I unpacked the car and the roof box and then crashed into bed.

I picked little Tizzie up on Sunday morning and she was so glad to be home again yesterday. She has been purring and rubbing her chin on us ever since!

Now for the new term...

Daddy's little treasure

2008-02-08T18:52:00.001+01:00

I've had a day at home today. Work has been

busy since the term started and I have worked 4 days this week. (Well, actually 5 if you count housework!). I have cleaned, scrubbed, dusted, vacuumed and washed ... the house looks like a Chinese laundry, as the saying goes.

Little Tizzie has been following me about keeping me company as usual. She still hates the vacuum cleaner though, and hides when I use it. I cought her among the trophies at the top of the cupboard the other day and she posed for a pic. Also ... she now has the habbit of stretching out on the floor or bed when we come home - as if to say, "You may bow down and rub my belly!"

We have only this weekend to get ourselves ready for next weekends trip to France. I can't wait to ski again. This time we have rented a chalet appartment in Montelbert in La Plagne, which is a huge skiing area. The appartment looks ideal. It sleeps up to 7 and there will be 6 of us for most of the week. Both boys, Robert's girlfriend - Gemma, and Geoff and I will be travelling by car. The journey will take us more than 12 hours, but part of that will be the ferry crossing. Once we get to Calais, it is a 10 hour drive. We have purchase a top box for the car so that we will be able to put all the skiis and boots in the box. It has a locking mechanism with a funny wheel nut type key. Hopefully we will all fit in! Chris' friend will be flying and joining us in France. Geoff and I have never been on a group ski holiday together and this should be an interesting experience.

Geoff is busy rebuilding his trailer after a little disaster a couple of weeks back. He was on his way home after a race, he had just pulled onto the motorway from the slip road when he heard a grating sound and was overtaken by one of the mudguards from the trailer. He pulled over and on inspection, found that the axle had severed from the body of the trailer!!! Freaky or what! So ... for the past two weeks, he has been tinkering in the garage welding it back together. Of course he has stripped it totally and changed a few things so that it will be stronger. He is also building a top for the trailer so that the kart will be inside the trailer instead of being exposed to the elements on each trip. I am sure Geoff will blog a pic when he has finished the job!

I have a busy weekend ahead: with a birthday meal with a friend and a 'Camp Pocono Ridge' friends get together in London...

Geoff's Karting Prize Giving Dinner

2008-02-03T22:23:00.000+01:00

On Friday night I almost sent my parent to tell them that I was in New Scotland Yard ... and not say why!

Alas, I didn't. BUT - I was indeed in 'the yard' - perfectly legally, I might add.

Geoff and I attended a go-karting prize giving dinner in the Peeler Restaurant. Security was tight - of course - and once we were inside, we had to wear our passes at all times.

The meal and evening was great fun. The guest speakers were 'The Hairy Bikers'. If you have never heard of them ... they are a couple of middle aged northerners who love riding their motorbikes, travelling and cooking. They have had several BBC programmes filmed combining all three! They were indeed a good laugh. We had a great night out in London and went home by train - getting home at about 12:30am.

Christmas holiday in the sun

2008-02-03T21:35:00.000+01:00

Geoff and I had a fantastic holiday in South Africa. We enjoyed the company of my family. it was fantastic to be away from the cold of the UK. Geoff learnt to windsurf - as you can see from the photographs! He got very wet and tired at first, but by the end of the week, he had mastered the art and was choofing across the river as dry as a bone!

Our flights to and from SA were extremely long with a long layover each way too. Although the airline was perfectly decent, the timings of the flights meant that we had long waits between flights and also could not get a connection each journey and had to stay in Johannesburg on our way there and back. So, unless we are luckier with flight times next time, I doubt that we will use the airline again.

Despite the long journeys, it was so fantastic to be at the Kleinemonde again from Christmas. The weather was not the best it could have been, but this holiday was more about spending time with family that soaking up the sun. I was so please to spend time with my Aunt Estelle and Uncle Roy. We were visited by some of my cousins, uncles and aunts which was fantastic too.

We were both sad to leave at the end of our holiday.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-21T11:14:00.000+01:00

Geoff and I (and Tizzie) would like to wish all our 'readers' a fabulous Christmas holiday. Whether you are staying home or travelling - stay safe and see you all in the new year.

We are having our family meal tonight and exchanging pressies, then tomorrow we make the journey to my parents for Christmas. Little Tizz is spending the two weeks in a cattery (I know, first Christmas and we are deserting her!). I already feel so guilty, but needs must. I know she will be well looked after ... and will be glad to see us in the new year too!

Last day of school ...

2007-12-18T23:23:00.000+01:00

Hi to everyone. Last week before Christmas, need I say more? I was at school for the last time this year ... I am officially on holiday from tomorrow. Schools close for the holiday tomorrow - or as the cartoon says, 'break up'!
I still have so much to do before we leave this weekend. Geoff is working such long hours that I will have to get the house ready and pack both our bags on my own. I don't begrudge doing it at all as my poor hubby is wearing thin from the workload at the moment, so this is my way of helping.
I will need his help getting the suitcases down from the loft though ... getting them down the loft stairs is no joke on your own.
There are so many little things that need doing - little things that just take so long at this time of year. Like collecting my engagement ring from the jewelers at the huge shopping complex in our county ... not a task that is a quick in and out job! I need to wangle my asthma prescription out of the chemist. Have been trying since last week -things are so complicated! The house needs cleaning ... and tidying ... paperwork filed ... and I have three days to do it all in! HELP!

At least I have decided what I will be taking with me to read this holiday. I am in the middle of The Sword and the Scimitar at the moment. It is a historical novel set during the 1500's and begins in Malta ... it was recommended to me by Char after Geoff and I returned from our holiday there. The story begins with the tragic separation of a brother and sister. The little boy is captured by an Arab slave ship and taken into slavery in north Africa. The sister remains in Malta to face the wrath of her parents... It will probably take me some time to finish as it has 760 pages!
Next on my holiday read will be the second Philip Pullman book from the Golden Compass trilogy. The Subtle Knife will be a great as I am chomping at the bit to find out what happens next.
Tomorrow I am going to visit one of my friends ... then get cracking on the list of things to do. I'll try to blog again before we go away.

Santa's little helper!

2007-12-12T17:28:00.000+01:00

So ... did you know that Santa has a new little helper this season? Yep, she's almost fully grown now and thinks she can help you with anything that secures your attention for more than a few seconds. Tizzy. Need I say more?

I am so pleased to say that I have almost finished our Christmas shopping, wrapping and labeling. Just those last two ... I know what they are going to be - I just need to find a quiet (! Get real!) moment to drive to a nearby town to get them. AND. THEN. I'LL. BE. DONE. (for this year anyway!)

As you can see from the photos, I had 'help' wrapping the gifts. My sticky-taping, paper-cutting, bow-tying, tag-writing and gift - garnishing were all meticulously checked by the little helper. Cat owners will know what I mean by the 'mad moment' - well Tizz had several while 'helping' me. I have since found ribbon and bits of wrapping paper scattered about the house.

Despite the 'help' I received, I managed to get the job done (except for those two!!!!) and pressies are neatly wrapped for 'consumption' on Christmas day ... or a few days earlier in our house this year.

Geoff and I are both counting down with great enthusiasm now as we will soon be making the long journey to visit my parents for Christmas this year. We have booked a meal out with the boys and Geoff's parent's the night before we leave so that we can have a Christmas meal together and open our pressies together. No sense waiting until the new year.

There is so much going on at this time of year. Parties, both festive and birthday, winding up at work for the holiday, shopping, writing cards (which I am in the middle of ...) that Geoff and I have to consult the calendar before making any arrangements.

The weather is bitter at the moment. We woke to thick frost in our garden and over our cars this morning. When I arrived home at lunchtime, the frost on the cars was still there ... and was there when I returned just before sunset this afternoon again. It's going to be a really cold night again with the temp well below zero. Brrrrr!

Kartmania

2007-11-25T18:37:00.000+01:00

Last Sunday, Geoff and I went to Coventry, near Birmingham, to attend a kart exhibition, called Kartmania. Geoff and I went last year too - some of you may remember the post!

We drove up in our 'new' car, which went very well. Kevin, Geoff's karting friend, came with us.

It poured with rain all day.

We wandered around the show, Geoff spoke to many people - gathering tips for his kart's set-up, etc. There were a few things that fascinated me too. One being the enormous luxurious RVs

they had there. Talk about a house on wheels! The two they had on display had two 'bedrooms' with double beds; a shower room (posher than my shower at home!); a toilet room; a kitchen with proper stove, little fridge and dinning area; a sitting room with posh leather seats AND Geoff's favourite part ... a workshop at the back with space to keep the go-kart! Yeh, you guessed, 'This would be great for touring to all the kart circuits and racing!'. I said that the day we buy one is the day I come to all the races! BUT, at £90 000, the chance of that happening are very slim, UNLESS we win the lottery!

One of the fun things Geoff did was take part in a timed challenge - changing a go-kart's front wheels. As you can see from the pictures, he had a good time doing it! He didn't beat the time, but wasn't too far down the list either.

Frosty!

2007-11-25T18:30:00.000+01:00

The weather has become a lot colder of late ... We have had some frosty mornings. Last week I managed to take my camera into the garden to snap a few pictures of the frost.

Great Uncle Ferdinand

2007-11-17T17:16:00.000+01:00

After my post last week, I felt inspired to do a little Internet research into how to track a war veteran or casualty. Eventually after much fruitless searches using my great uncle's name, I tried to find a society or institution who might be able to point me in the correct direction. I eventually found the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) who have listed all the commonwealth servicemen from all the wars. Using their site, I have found some information about Ferdinand.

This is what I know:

Rank - private
Regiment - South African Infantry
Age - 21
Date of death - 8th December 1917
Memorial - Thiepval Memorial, France

Finally I know where he is commemorated. I don't think he has a grave, or if he does, it is unmarked. I have found the Thiepval Memorial's website and you can view it by clicking the coloured text.

On Friday, It was Geoff's birthday. He had to work and then there was a farewell drinks get together for one of his colleagues. As he would have been home late and I had the day off, we decided that we would both go up to London by train and I would spent the day wandering around and then join him for lunch and after work.
After my research on the Internet, I was still not satisfied with the answers I had found and wanted to know more. I searched further and found the National Archives in Kew's website. I would be able to search further there to find out more about the fate of Ferdinand. Apparently servicemen's service records, which state how and where they were killed and in which battle, can be read at the National Archives on a CD Rom database. A stroke of luck meant that I happened to read about this CD Rom. It was also available at the Family Records Centre, London. This building is a 10min walk from Geoff's work.

Friday morning I was so enthusiastic about finding out more. Geoff has promised to take me to the Thiepval Memorial next year, possible even for their yearly ceremony in July and this has inspired me even more to find out all the information about Ferdinand.

However ... the database proved useless. I had read on the Internet that the database is not complete as about 60% of the service records were destroyed during the blitz on London during WW2. The documents are now known as the 'burned documents' as many of them are severely charred. It is however not the end of the tale as the records that have been entered into the CD Rom database are those servicemen with surnames beginning with A-C. So, Uncle Ferdinand's records could still be there, waiting to be added when they begin the H surnames! I will have to try again next year ... or whenever they get to the H's. I also want to find out from my family if anyone has any more information for me. For now ... it's a case pending further investigation.

Remembrance Sunday

2007-11-11T18:15:00.000+01:00

I must apologies for my lack of blogs lately. To be honest and admit that not a lot of interest has been happening and I have been thinking of what to blog. Today, however, was a special day and I took my camera out with us today just for the blog!

Geoff and I went to church this morning wearing our poppies. As our church service runs from 10:30am to 12 noon, we knew that we would be remembering those that have lost their lives in wars over the past century.

I always remember my Great Uncle Ferdinand who died during the First World War. He was a very young man when he left South Africa for Britain to join the allies. He died in a battle in France not long after joining. One day I would like to find out if he has a gravestone somewhere or if he is listed on a memorial stone somewhere. Perhaps someday I'll have the opportunity to visit the place he died.

After the church service, Geoff and I decided to walk down Rochester High Street and have lunch out. Geoff has been working every day since before Halloween, and we made the best of the first day we have had together. On our way to find somewhere for lunch, we took a detour past the war memorial and read some of the messages left.

As we began our walk to find a place for lunch, we walked through the Vine's Gardens where we had our wedding photos taken. Autumn is now firmly here and we are all donning coats and gloves these days. All but a few of the leaves have fallen from the trees. Although winter has it's bleak days, autumn and early winter can be quite beautiful when the leaves change colour and fall. I know we could never compare to the eastern coast of North America, but I still find it pretty here and have taken a few photos to share with you all.

Wake Up Calls...

2007-10-26T18:00:00.000+01:00

Well, like all cat owners know, a cat is better than any alarm clock. On form this morning, Tizzie was awake with the sun (thank God winter is arriving fast and it's no longer a 5:30 affair!). She also kept us awake while she romped and tore about the house until way after midnight! Mad thing ... Saw this You Tube 's 'skit' today and thought it perfect to illustrate our lives with Tizzie - well almost!

I Remember...

2007-10-23T17:07:00.000+01:00

I've been tagged by a friend, Char, to write this I Remember ... post. Unlike Char, I have an amazing memory of my early childhood - I'm not saying anything about my short term memory!

I remember ... loosing my precious bunny one evening and keeping my Mommy awake that night. Granny had to cover and patch my precious bunny (and post her back again) after she was found in a kicked up ball on the other side of the hedge!

I remember ... sitting on my father's cousin's knee and saying 'Aunty Blossom, why are you so fat?' To this day my parents still redden at the thought!

I remember ... when I was just a little thing, my father playing his guitar and singing 'This little frog a - courting went, ahumm...'

I remember ... sitting bolt upright while driving down the dark country roads on the way to Granny and Grandpa's farm hoping to see bunnies hopping out of the road and away from the beam of the headlights.

I remember ... my first day of school. I was scared and shy, but soon felt at home.

I remember ... the day my Granny died. And how my Dad put his arms around my Mom when he had to break the news to her.

I remember ... Grandpa laughing till his sides hurt ... once because my brother had managed to spin a ring pull from a can down 4 stories and onto the back of someones ear. The other time was when a mad motorbike rider who had annoyed everyone with his incessant revving ... lost control of a wheelie and rode straight into the river.

I remember ... picking avocado pears with Granny and Grandpa H after a lunch in the sun room!

I remember ... patching my brother's knees and elbows after his falls.

I remember ... learning to use money with Dad playing 'shop' using my little cash register.

I remember ... the day we almost lost my Mom.

I remember ... the first time I flew away from Africa - I still cry each time I leave or return!

I remember ... the first time I met my husband. I just knew he was the 'one'.

I remember ... each friend I have made. Some I don't see at all anymore, some are half the way around the world, some have died, some live close by - each one I treasure because they have helped me to become who I am today.

I remember ... what my parents taught me, what they showed me by example and most of all, the value of love and family.

Go Bokke, Go!

2007-10-17T16:29:00.000+01:00

I am sneaking this post in while my darling husband is still at work... Yep, at heart, I am still an SA girl- most especially when the Springboks or Proteas play international games! Having said that, you can imagine how interesting Saturday night is going to be in my house! I will be shouting for the Springboks, Geoff for the English Roses. I have threatened to fly my flag, quite literally I might add, in protest to the lack of support in our house for the Springboks. I was told that a red and white one would soon replace it. Roll on Saturday!

It has been rather a busy two weeks in our house. Geoff has been recuperating form a little operation last week and Tizzie has been recuperating from her little op too. She had her bits done last Friday and can no longer surprise us with any more naughty little fur balls. She seems to be taking it in her stride and has been dashing about like a mad thing since the day she came home. She has her stitches removed next week Monday - if she hasn't tugged them out by then.

Next week is half term. I cant wait for a little time to catch up on the ironing. How sad is that? A week off and I aspire to do ironing! But, as most of you ladies will know, if you don't do it, it piles up and attacks you as you walk by, HONEST! Well, mine does, but that may have something to do with the 'paws and claws' playing in the ironing basket.

For those of you abroad: The weather here has begun to turn wet. We have had plenty of wet and windy days since the beginning of the month. A dry day is greeted with excitement. We have turned our central heating on for a few hours at the beginning and end of the day, just to take the chill off the air. Another change - the clocks go back this weekend. So, anyone who phones me (says she ever hopefully), remember to check you clocks!

Photos of the Fun Race as Promised

2007-10-06T00:15:00.000+01:00

As promised in my last post - here are the photos taken by professional photographer. These are the proofs on the photographers website.
That fantastically smart and stylish 'bib' I am wearing is a novice bib to tell the more experienced drivers to 'watch out, she doesn't know what she's doing!'. I thought that was great! Also, all the other drivers were told that if they break the rules (eg. overtaking under yellow flag conditions, shunting up the rear etc) by trying to take advantage of a novice, that they would be penalised more! I liked that too!
Got a busy weekend ahead of us. Lots of activities for both Geoff and I. I have the ladies breakfast at 8:30am Saturday morning .... so I'm off to bed right now.

A sportingly good day!

2007-09-30T21:09:00.000+01:00

Geoff and I have had a great sporting day! Geoff and Tizzie were up early - although for quite different reasons. Tiz, like usual, was hoping for another gourmet meal, Geoff was hoping for success in Japan. They both lucked out!

Lewis Hamilton won in the wet, extending his lead in the championship to Geoff's great delight! Tizzie was more than happy to keep him company. She alternate between keeping his lap warm and chasing the cars across the screen.

At 10am Geoff and I both headed for Buckmore Park for a family fun race. Geoff asked me weeks ago what I wanted to call our team. My suggestion was 'Lambs to the Slaughter', but it was rejected by Laura, the event manageress. She said our usual Lambstales was much nicer ...

Anyway, the race went well. There were 35 teams, making it a very busy circuit. Fortunately I did not have to start on the grid! That was Geoff's job. Together, we managed to get 8th place on the grid. By the end the first corner, Geoff had us at 5th! His usual manoeuvre again! We each had to complete two turns of 15 minutes each. I did much better than the last Fun Race and we came 10th by the checkered flag. We were 4th in class, missing a trophy by one position only. I was a little disappointed, as it would have been my first trophy!

There may be photos on the organiser's website later this week - if there are, I will blog some for you to enjoy (or laugh at!).

Then, of course, the BEST EVER result today: SA 64 : USA 15. Need I say more? Way to go SPRINGBOKS! Tizzie enjoyed watching the match with me!

Mommy's Roses ...

2007-09-20T22:21:00.000+01:00

Yesterday my Mommy picked some roses in her garden. She thought it would be nice to have a few in a vase on the diningroom table. She didn't know that I love rose petals!

She caught me being really naughty. I couldn't help it! The petals smelt so nice and they are such fun to chase around the diningroom floor too.

Mommy wasn't happy when she saw what my paws had done to the roses.

I tried to lie to her and say it wasn't me ... but I couldn't tidy up the evidence against me in time ... so instead, I just tried to look cute. I sort of got away with it this time ...

A job well finished!

2007-09-09T20:21:00.000+01:00

Geoff has worked hard today to finish the front porch roof. At last, after weather delays and shoulder operation delay, it is finally done! We have a completed roof. The ridge tiles were not easy to get straight - made especially difficult because they were not all exactly the same size! But, I think it looks great - all cemented down. All we have to do now is give the fascia board another coat of varnish (my job) and then fit the guttering (Geoff's job).

On another note, our little furry girly is now 5 months old! Can you believe it? She loves sitting on the windowsill in the lounge. Bless!

Once we were babes ...

2007-09-04T12:24:00.000+01:00

Geoff and I discovered an old photograph of Geoff and his sister, Sonia, while tidying up the other night. We are sorting through our cupboard in our room, making room for things that are cramped and getting rid of old and worn clothes. (Or ones that are just too small!) We thought we would show you all what we used to look like!

There is very little other news from our house. Geoff has been working long hours and has had few days off since we came back from our holiday. Yesterday was one of his rare days off and we replaced the guttering across the back of the kitchen. We also dug, shovelled and raked flat the area that was unearthed and disturbed while digging and building the foundations for our wall. I intend to plant lots of daffodils and then grass seed this week. Come spring, there should be grass growing with Daffodils flowering amid the grass. Usually the daffs have died off by the time it is dry enough to cut the lawn and the daffs don't suffer as a result! I'll blog a pic when Ive done my planting and again in the spring if it looks pretty!

I start work again at the end of this week. Can't believe it's the end of the summer holiday already.

A naughty teenager in the house!

2007-08-26T15:29:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone. Thought I would blog a few pics of Tizzie. We have taken lots of pics of her as she's growing up - they are only kittens once. Just as well too ... she's growing by the week and is looking more like an adult cat now. She's naughty too! She romps and plays in everything. My ironing basket is now totally unable to stand upright - she loves taking a running leap into it! Pity she didn't do the ironing while she's in it! Yesterday I had to glue down a torn piece of wallpaper that she had 'helped' from the wall ... *&!%$*

She's still such a cutie though! As you can see from the pics ... she loves to interfere while you're on the computer, try tapping away at the keyboard with a paw in your way, or ... reading the screen while she's plonked in front of it chasing the cursor!

Yet, she still loves a cuddle the way she did when she was just a wee kitty! As you can see, the love affair with her 'daddy' is still going strong! She did well at the cattery while we were away - no stress or bad behaviour. I think she was lonely though as she was extra cuddly for the first few days and just wanted a lap and a cuddle. God bless animals.

A Holiday in the Sunshine!

2007-08-20T19:38:00.000+01:00

I thought I would add photos and little anecdotes in categories, instead of writing a long bit to tell you each day's events. Let's face it, most of us just want to know the basics and see the pics from other people's holidays anyway! So here goes ...

Beautiful Valetta
Valetta is the capital city of Malta. The Grand Harbour is aptly names, as you can see from the pictures. The history of the city is amazing, long and interesting too. We spent an afternoon wandering the narrow streets and taking in the breathtaking views from various points in the little city.
One of the museums we went to had 'Faith', a Gloucester Gladiator. This is the only surviving of three planes: Faith, Hope and Charity, that were instrumental in fighting the Italians in WW2. Geoff's grandad was one of the mechanics that serviced and kept these planes running when he was in the RAF based in Malta.

The island of Gozo

We went on a day trip to the island of Gozo. Malta is made up of 5 islands, three of which are inhabited. Gozo is small, but produces much of the agricultural product of Malta. During our day on Gozo, we went into churches, went on a boat ride and relaxed in the sun at lunchtime.

Blue Grotto

The Blue Grotto are a series of natural caves dotted around the south eastern coastline. The water around and in these caves is crystal clear and the most amazing colour blue! In one cave, the water was over 10m deep and yet we could see the sandy bottom as clearly as the bottom of a clean swimming pool! We took a trip around these caves in a traditional Maltese boat - the eyes at the front come from the Phoenician culture and are seen as essential for good fortune out at sea!

Festa in Mosta

Malta is very much a Catholic country. They celebrate all the Catholic holy days and have a huge festa on that day. This means that the church is decorated - much trouble goes into this - and on the day of the festa, there are parades through the streets, the streets are packed with churchgoers. After the services, the celebrators eat out in the cafes and restaurants. There are also stalls selling all sorts of traditional foods and sweets. On the Wednesday of our holiday, the festa 'Feast of the Assumption' took place and we visited Mosta in the evening.

Mosta Church

On the evening of the Festa, we did not go into the church - it was still packed from the mass earlier in the evening and it seemed wrong to ogle through the church on a special day. Two days later, we visited the church again while on a day trip. The fact that the church is still standing is a miracle! During the second world war, the church was bombed. The bomb penetrated the dome during a service. The bomb came through the dome at an angle, hit the side wall, travelled down the wall and up the aisle of the church, coming to rest in front of the altar. Miraculously, it did not explode. Not a person in the church was even touched by the bomb or any of the debris from the broken dome! The dome was fixed, but to this day, one can still see the broken 'rose' in the dome ceiling. A replica of the bomb was donated to the church at the end of the war by the British. There are still miracles in this world!

Cruising around the island to Blue Lagoon

On our second last day in Malta, we took a cruise around Malta and Comino islands. We stopped for lunch in the Blue Lagoon on Comino. Comino has a population of 7. These seven people are the family that run the one and only hotel on the island. There are no roads or shops on the island. But there are lots of boats around! We enjoyed our lunch on board the ship and then went snorkeling around the lagoon. The water here was crystal clear too -despite the boat activity!

We were sad to leave Malta. We had a fantastic holiday there and would recommend it to anyone!

Malta Highlights ... watch this space

2007-08-18T17:28:00.000+01:00

We are home after a wonderful week in the Mediterranean island of Malta. There are lots of photos and anecdotes to share with you in the Malta post ... so keep checking the blog. I hope to have at least some Malta pics up by the end of the weekend.

To wet your appetites ...

This is the fishing village of Marsaxlokk.

Walking the wall

2007-08-10T16:31:00.000+01:00

By the end of Friday, we had completed the wall. It was, in the end, a large job well done. We haven't yet 'walked the wall' with the neighbours, but have also not yet had any complaints. (I hasten to add that there better not be any complaints, considering it took us all week AND we paid for it too!)
The garden is once again restored to its former tidy state, the patio is clean and I now also have a slightly longer washing line.
I have included some pics of the work in progress (since the last post), as well as the completed job.

Setting the boundaries

2007-08-06T20:04:00.000+01:00

Geoff's home! Today we began our long list of jobs that need doing around the house. We know we will never get to the end of the list before the end of the

week, but we soldier on anyway.
The big job of the week will be to replace the fence on the left with a wall ... and to knock down part of the wall that we already have. Using the bricks from the wall we knock down means that they have to be cleaned of old cement first.
After pulling downs the fence, Geoff began to dig a trench for some footings. Much sweat was lost during this task. The sun baked down on us today - better than rain, I guess. Shirts were taken off - well, Geoff's anyway!

By the end of the day, we had footings ready to dry for the night. We hope it does not rain.

While Geoff was digging and mixing, I was breaking down walls and cleaning brick that we will use again tomorrow. We will now have a open plan garden, rather that a patio separated from the garden by a wall. We have plans to redo the patio and extend it further into the garden, so the walls would have had to come down then anyway.

Tomorrow we will be extending the wall (that you can see in the above picture) to replace the fence we took down and heightening the existing wall. This will give us and our neighbours a safe and hopefully attractive boundary.

Gardening Day

2007-07-30T17:48:00.000+01:00

This morning early, before 7am, Robert arrived. He and Geoff left for the Lake District for a week of father and son hiking. That leaves Tizzie and I alone at home. We have had a busy day. Well, I have. Tizzie has been lazing in the sun for most of the day.

I have started all the chores that I want to get done during the summer. My first job was of course two loads of washing ... that's a given for any housewife.
After breakfast and a little play with Tizzie,
I went into the garden.

I have been wanting to re bark chip the beds after weeding them for ages. It took a while, but now the beds look great again.
While working around the pond this morning, I spotted our little fish. We have about half a dozen baby fish - varying in size from about a cm to an inch. They are still all black but will change as they get bigger. I think I spotted a white one too. Yesterday we took a bucket to Geoff's mum's. We have been nurturing a bucket of eggs for months now. We were not sure what they were, but thought they were fish. To our surprise, they turned out to be newts. As we have quite a few adults already, we offered them to Geoff's mum as she has been asking for some for ages. We watched them swim off in her large pond!

We have been bathed in glorious sunshine today - with the odd cloud, but who's complaining after months of rain!? The met office says we are in for a fortnight of good weather with healthy amounts of sunshine -yippee!

I will be able to get all I want done in the garden and also start things like painting the cupboard doors and so on outside in the sunshine! Another job I got done today was washing my car - inside and out! It took a while to vacuum all the rubbish from under the seats and car mats. What a job. Unlike sunny countries, this is a job you can only do when the weather is dry - unless you have a garage. (We have one, but it is not for cars - Geoff's words!). My gleaming, clean and fresh little car is now resting on the front drive.

Geoff and I booked a week away last night. We will be going to Malta in a couple of weeks. Tizzie is booked in to a cattery - confirmed today. Geoff and I found a good bargain and we have had lots of tips already from Geoff's mum and Tony - they went there a couple of years ago for a week too. We have their travel guide and I plan to use it to find out what the best things will be to see. Counting down the days...

Schools Out!

2007-07-25T15:21:00.000+01:00

With great delight, I can announce that I am now officially on holiday. Well, from school at least. The cleaning, tidying, ironing, cooking and other housewifely duties still need doing - some of them piled up and saved for the holidays too!

Today is the last day of school, but I had no work at any of my schools and was only too glad to turn my alarm to the off position last night - not that my little furry alarm or my hairy one don't still wake me early! Be it stubble or paw - it still beats the bleeping of an electronic reminder that another day is about to burst on you full force, ready or not ...

So - what lies ahead for the summer? I am about to start our 'jobs list' after blogging ... hopefully we will at least get through a few of the jobs before the end of my holiday and Geoff's planned time off. Here are a few of the jobs we have planned:

finish the tiles on the front porch

put in a flashing on the back porch

paint the faciaboard on the kitchen

clean the pond filter

sort paperwork and filing

finish painting the lounge (second coat)

fix the kitchen ceiling (I can dream, can't I?)

tidy the garden, re-chip the beds, prune the shrubs, again!

sort out my school files for the next year

clean the cars, inside and out

finish the plumbing in the little loo

paint the cupboards and ceiling in the little loo

etc etc etc

After attempting to do all this in limited time, we will also have some time to take a little vacation, as our American friends would say. Geoff and I are yet to decide where to go - but a late deal sounds good. Anywhere with sun (that rules out staying in the UK!!!) and pool/beach will do. Or, even a mountain in the background with easy walks and things to do. A week with my hubby and no duties, chores, work or responsibilities will be just great - AND SOME SUN!

More daily news: Tizzie just had her second visit to the vet - she has now had all her vaccinations for this year and has also been micro chipped. For those of you who don't know what I mean, they insert a little chip - the size of a grain of rice - under the skin behind the neck. Should the animal get lost, any vet, RSPCA or pet rescue ass. would be able to scan this chip and find out the owners details. Also, it makes it more difficult for people to steal a pet and then pass it off as their own at a vets. It is common practise here and costs a small one off fee, but the info is stored indefinitely.

Other Tizzie news: she slept on the bed all night last night - she just lay quietly between us at our feet and did not stir until this morning! She must have been shattered from all the playing and chasing about last night!

Just to mention: If any of my family or friends are on Facebook, I am now also a member - please look out for me and add me as a friend!

Twice what I bought!

2007-07-16T17:15:00.000+01:00

I thought I would share with you two pics of my kitty from this past week. She has now reached the milestone of being twice the weight she was when I first brought her home. She now weighs in at 1.5kg!

She is absolutely full of beans and is adored by both Geoff and I. All pet owners will know that each little animal has its own personality. Here is what makes Tizzie special.

She likes to eat...
a piece of Mummy's toast
cream cheese off the tip of a finger

Cheese puffs (Ooh, yes please!?)
a little nibble of sliced cheese
a little corner of biscuit

Favourite toys and games

A crinkly ball (like a Christmas decoration)
Tail tickler (a long feathery tail on the end of a stick)
Catnip mice (there are about 5 scattered around the house that I regularly have to rescue from under the sofa)
her tail
the bell from around my Easter Chocolate bunny
dead fronds from my plants
our toes and fingers
the tassels on the cushions
anything that moves, really.

Other little habits ...
She comes up every morning when the first person goes to make the tea (usually me!) - then she romps on the bed with the other person (usually Geoff).
At night, she stays in our bedroom until she has slept for a few hours then begins to play (and PURRRRR!!) - then one of us (usually me) takes her downstairs and shuts the lounge door.
She has started sitting on the windowsill watching the world go by.
If you sit down, you've invited her to cuddle up on your lap!
She only has the tiniest squeak of a voice - only heard when her food bowl is empty or your weight is on her tail/foot. Usually you only know she's speaking because her mouth opens! CUTE!
She has 'mad moments' at around 10pm each night - just coinciding nicely with bedtime!

All in all, she is a happy little family member and has made our house a happier home.

Welcome back to an old friend ...

2007-07-11T21:11:00.001+01:00

When I blogged on Sunday, I forgot to mention and post about Saturday too ... I received some photos today that I thought I would share.

Those of you who have read our blog from the beginning will remember that one of our first posts was to say farewell to my bridesmaid, Bronwyn. Bron moved to pastures green (and warmer...) last summer.

She has been in England since the 4th July visiting old friends and introducing new friends to England. 'The Clan' assembled on Saturday afternoon for a BBQ to catch up on old times. Many of our circle of friends were there including Yolande and the twins. Some of you may remember me mentioning a friend who was expecting twins ... they are now here, 6 weeks old and cute little things!

Le Tour de France visits Kent

2007-07-08T13:46:00.000+01:00

This morning we woke up really early for some unknown reason. Isn't that always the case though. When you can sleep in, you wake up early, and when you have to wake up early, you have to force yourself to keep your eyes open and get up!!!! Why is that?

Anyway, I went downstairs and fetched the little furbaby and this is how she cuddled up with us ...

(Ps I was actually awake when I took the photo on my phone.)

When we finally got up and dressed, I suggested we wander down to our local high street as the Tour de France was passing down the high street during the morning. We walked down because many of the streets around the high street were shut to traffic. After choosing our place to stand, we waited for about half an hour before the 'parade' of cars and 'adverts and wheels' came past. Then, after about an hour, the race leader came past - on his own, well, if you call being accompanied by cars, bikes, helicopters and cameramen being alone! In the blink of an eye, he was gone. Another 2 or 3 minutes later, a few more past us, then a further 5 or so minutes and the main pack went past. After waiting for the crowds to thin a little, we came home.

We are spoilt for choice today. There are three big sporting events taking place in England. The final of Wimbledon, the Tour de France and or course, Geoff's favourite, Formula1 at Silverstone. Guess what's playing on the tv right now ....

It's a small world after all!

2007-07-03T17:41:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I had one of those moments when the hairs on your arms rise and you feel overwhelmed by ...'that is just too weird'!

I work mostly privately, an agreement between me and the schools - no agents involved. But, for the odd day that I have no bookings, I also have an agency that I use. Through the year, I have spoken to my agent, James, regularly and we often have a chat about life in general. Recognising my accent, he once shared that he had lived in South Africa for 18 months with his then girlfriend.

Yesterday I had to call James back and we ended up chatting. He asked where I had lived in SA. I mentioned the list - he replied that he had also lived in Pretoria. We swapped suburb names - and here's the thing ..... He lived in Sunnyside too .... then we shared streets .... amazingly, he lived in Johnson Street too ..... then we spoke about where in the street - and yep, you guessed it - THE SAME BUILDING! His flat may have been at the front of the building, a floor above my parent's flat, but he had the same view of the Union Buildings and the rugby ground. I was and still am totally amazed at this co-incidence - even though we lived there 20 years apart! How awesome is that! We also shared our love of the wonderful Jacaranda trees ... (hence the pic, courtesy of the net)

On another note - I almost called this blog ' I hate cats' as I can't help but mention that Geoff has sent me two pictures of himself and our little Tizzie these past two days. She has been revelling in the fact that Geoff has had a day off and then started late today, so she has had company instead of being shut into her end of the house. Not that she's made use of the opportunity to run around! As you can see from the pictures, she loves to cuddle right up - literally!

I have managed to find a cattery for her for the week that Geoff and I hope to go away in the summer holiday. The price is reasonable and they came with a recommendation from a friend. I have also found Tizzie a vet - she has her first visit tomorrow. Hopefully she will be calm and OK with the visit. She is quite good about strangers visiting, so I don't expect any problems.

(PS - the pics were taken by Geoff using his mobile phone!)

On Track with Geoff

2007-06-26T17:05:00.001+01:00

Hello to everyone. Guess what ...!? Geoff has started blogging. As he regularly blags (talks in detail about each corner of the track ...) about his go-karting after events, I suggested last week that he start blogging his blag .... now he has an outlet for his race successes and failures as well as somewhere to post his engineering triumphs. I have added a link to this new blog page in the 'links' on the sidebar. He would just love some readers and would like some comments even more! Indulge him please.
On a general note, we are both fine. Both of us have been working hard lately - Geoff is enjoying his new 'job' and there are plenty of challenges and new opportunities for him. He is putting some of his 'calm head' skills to good use in the 'neighbourhood' where he works.
I have been very busy at schools - I have had a really good year the past school year and next year looks to be just as successful as I have already begun to receive offers of fixed days at some of my school for the next school year. I am not sure which days I will be where ... but offers are great!
Little Tizzie is doing marvelously! She has settled so well and is full of nonsense now. The word 'no!' can be heard frequently in our house now as she explores my potplants, the highest cupboards and Geoff's shins! She was a mere 790 grams two days after I brought her home. On Sunday, she weighed 1130 grams! So in two weeks, she has increased her body weight by roughly 50%. She has begun to dart in and out of rooms and pounces on anything that moves -be it pen, gravel from her litter tray (!!!???), one's fingers, toes, the cursor on the computer screen etc .... She loves a lap to cuddle on and an arm to chew! God bless babies - furry or otherwise!

On Display

2007-06-19T22:49:00.000+01:00

I thought I would blog a picture of two of my pots from my pottery class. I was about to collect and take home these two pots the other week when I saw a little note inside the pots - 'for display please'. They had been chosen for the display cabinet on the landing at the top of the stairs at the Education Centre.
Tonight, I went to class - up the stairs, and there they were! I know they are not the best pots in the world, but apparently, they were chosen for the unique effect I created with the glaze.
So there you have it - my first display goods! I am quite chuffed.

Happy Father's Day Dad

2007-06-17T13:39:00.001+01:00

It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father.

-Pope John XXIII
By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong.

-Charles Wadsworth
When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.

-Mark Twain

Dad, your wisdom has never been wasted on your children. Thank you for being such a fantastic role model and constant support to us.

xxx

Of course it's a VIRUS!

2007-06-15T16:31:00.000+01:00

'It's a Virus' has got to be the most annoying phrase in England. There are no other types of germs here! I have heard these words first hand again this week on a visit to the doctor yesterday. Afer a night of alternatingly throwing off the bedding and soaking the sheets (in sweat) and then later in shuddering and shivvering, covering myself in everything I could find in the bedroom ... I took my temperature at 5am. 38.8C. But that's ok ... the doctor told me I should only worry if 'at my age' it was 39C or beyond. (?Huh!) Apparently that extra .2C makes all the difference!

I was convinced I had tonsilitis, but alas, it is all the fault of the magic virus. I should continue taking my 'over the couter' ibuprofens and paracetamols .... and I should be just fine. Enough said.

So, two days in bed, lots of the 'prescribed' painkillers ... and I'm still feeling under the weather, although starting to slowly recover. Don't ask me to swallow anything too demanding though!

Geoff has been on a course all week. He has enjoyed it as it related directly to the new section he is on at work. It has been quite a 'hands on' kind of course and he has had to make presentations to the group etc. which he has enjoyed. He has gained some useful information and plenty of ideas that he can use to further his portfolio for promotion.

The other little member of our family is doing really well too. Tizzie is fast asleep in her basket (I didn't know that there are actually cats that use their baskets!!!!) as I type. She has become so much more confident in the past week. She is discovering new things to play with all the time and darts about the house like a mad thing before collapsing for a nap. She now has the run of the house when we are home, although she is still favouring the downstairs area. She loves to cuddle on a lap, and has learnt to jump into our laps and shoves her little face into any available hand for a stroke. She still purrs like a tractor, sometimes giving her location away by doing so when we are looking for her!

A purr-fect furrbaby!

2007-06-07T17:39:00.000+01:00

Tizzie is settling in well into our kitchen. She has slowly begun to accept us and doesn't run straight to the box when we enter the kitchen. Instead, if I sit on the kitchen floor, she will walk around and eventually come to me and rub herself along my leg. If I offer her my hand, she shoves her little face into it and rubs her cheeks along my hand. Bless her!

She is ravenously hungry, despite her round little belly! She must be growing! I am a little nervous of overfeeding her, so am trying to give her little often. So far, she is eating about 2 sachets of kitten food a day. The recommended amount (as per the box) is 2 to 3 sachets for a kitten under 4 months. Tizzie is exactly 2 months old today, she was born on the 7th April!

Towards the end of the evening last night, before Geoff came home, she began to play with one of her little catnip mice. She was booting it about with her paw and chasing after it. She has begun to play with a few of the things I have put into the kitchen for her, including empty toilet rolls!

Last night, on Geoff's return home, he took off his motorbike jacket and boots and tiptoed into the kitchen to say hello. Tizzie was a little nervous at first, but I lifted her into Geoff's arms and she purred at him while he stroked her. Instant friends. The words, 'I told you you'd like her!' came to mind, but I tried not to say them. I think we are all going to get on famously - or at least until she begins to sleep between us!

D(e Kitty) Day

2007-06-06T15:01:00.000+01:00

Kitty has finally arrived! I drove straight to her breeder's home after my morning at my regular Wednesday school. I arrived at about 12:30 and kitty was already in a little cage, waiting for her new 'mummy'. The breeder chatted to me for a short while and then removed kitty from the cage saying that kitty was a real purrer!

Kitty is as cute as I remember her. She has the bib of white I mentioned, and does indeed have white paws. In fact, each little paw looks like it has had the tip dipped in white paint! Her coat looks like it could be semi long - time will tell. We put kitty into her new carrier and I headed off to the car after parting with a sizeable wad of money.

The drive home was silent. Kitty did not stir, purr or meow. Once we arrived, I carried all my bags, school things and kitty indoors. Once in the lounge, I hurriedly opened the carrier door and swooped my little fur baby from her enclosure. She purred as I stroked and held her, then, quite suddenly she leaped from my arms. The large Masai warrior almost fell over and kitty escaped under the large leather chair! Welcome home!

After moving the chair and catching Kitty by the scruff of her pretty neck, I quickly put her back in the carrier with the door firmly shut! She's an escape artist, I mouthed to myself as I prepared the previously thought out safely cordoned off kitchen. With board across the doorway to the kitchen, I was able to release kitty from the carrier again. I gingerly opened the door ... kitty stared at me from the furthest point ... our eyes met, a little meow escaped her lips, a smile brightened mine.

As I type, kitty is comfortably resting at the back of a cardboard box. Just like a child, she is more fascinated by the box than the toy! She has walked the perimeter of her compound, sniffed, looked for possible hiding places and eaten some of her food - or should I say licked the jelly off the food! I will leave her be for a while so that she gets used to my smell and the new environment. Hopefully she will want to play and cuddle soon!

Geoff has not seen her yet, and will not do so until 10pm tonight as he is working overtime tonight.

I am not sure yet, but I think kitty will be called Tizzie. Geoff was dead against Saffie and kitty seamed to answer to Tizzie right away, so Tizzie it may be.... watch this space!

Asiatic Lily

2007-06-02T11:49:00.001+01:00

I thought I would blog this pic of my lily. I bought it and potted it a few weeks ago and it has been budding in its pot on the back patio. I have watched the buds turn from green to yellow over the past week, and this morning, suddenly and quite unexpectedly, there it was, in full bloom! I have brought it indoors to enjoy and prolong the flowering time.

Kitty still has no name, but we are working on it. Geoff still likes Tizzie, I quite like Saffy (sapphire), but a new name has popped up ... Taizie ... apparently a legendary princess who had beautiful blue eyes ... mmm!

Geoff is preparing is go-kart for tomorrow's 6 hour race. He has assembled a team, so each of them should do about an hour and a half. He'll be testing this afternoon with son Robert. That's the plan, anyway. Geoff is unhappy because the weather forecast has changed from showery and wet to warm and sunny! While we enjoy the warmth, he was hoping for a wet race - he's at his best then! Will let you know how the race goes.

Kitty Countdown

2007-05-29T14:17:00.000+01:00

Hello to everyone. Well, my darling husband has finally given in and we are about to get a lovely little kitty to add to the family. We went to see her today at a breeder's home near Maidstone.
Kitty is a moggy, but has the colouring and body shape of a British blue. She looks similar to the kitty above, but her white bits are smaller - my kitty has a bib or white, and I think she has white paws. (I should have taken a picture) There were 10 little kitties to choose from, so my brain doesn't remember all the markings.
Kitty is just short of 7 weeks old and will need to stay where she is for another 10 days. I pick her up on Wednesday the 6th June. I am still not sure what we will call her ... Geoff and I have thrown about some names, but nothing has stuck yet!
Here are a few of the suggestions: Rosie (I lived with a girl who had a Rosie whom I loved!), Tizzie (Geoff's idea), Lily (also Geoff) and Lotus (over my dead body - Geoff's idea again!). I like Rosie and Tizzie the most - but we are very open to suggestions... please help us by giving us comments to this post.
Of course I am already prepared for Kitty's arrival - bed, litter tray, some toys, food etc are all waiting for her .... I am kitty proofing the house as I think of things that need to be covered or blocked for her protection while she is still so diddy.
There is very little other news from our side. Geoff has done several races this month - yep, I'm a karting widow! He raced yesterday, which was a bank holiday here, in the pouring rain. They came 3rd in class - another sodding trophy to dust! We have had lots of rain over the past 4 weeks or so ... good for the garden, not so great if you want to be out and about. Last week Monday I went on a school day trip with the Year 3 class I teach every Monday. We got there in the sunshine, but spent the entire morning in the rain. No shelter, no toilets, castle took only 20 people at a time (we had 120 people!), not a good day! This week is school holiday. I have plenty to do - esp if the weather stays dry.
Geoff starts his new job tomorrow. It is still in the same area, just a different section of staff. This new 'post' will allow him to collect the evidence he needs for that promotion he is after. The light duties after the operation last August meant that he was unable to put in for the promotions last month. He was disappointed, but there was little he could do about it. The next round will be in about 5 months. Hopefully by then he will have all the evidence he needs.
The boys are doing well. Robert has met a young lady and went on a date last week! Chris is still working at getting a better job, but is settled well into his new flat.
We had a BBQ for Geoff's mum and sister last weekend for their birthdays. We had almost the entire family around - only a niece short! We had a great time. The weather held and the BBQ was great.
Hope to hear from all of you in the comments section soon.

Roses

2007-05-10T16:29:00.000+01:00

I thought I would blog pics of my first roses this spring. All my rose bushes are in bud, some almost burdened down with them! Over the next few weeks, I should have plenty to look at. Here are the first two from my front 'garden' - just a little strip or border bed along the fence next to the block paving. Mom and Gran may remember the pink rose from their time with us. We have had a week of wind and some heavy rain - many are not happy and complaining. I however, am only too glad that my plants and newly re-seeded lawn are being watered by nature at last!

Hever Castle

2007-05-06T19:25:00.000+01:00

Geoff and I decided to treat outselves to a day out today as it is a long weekend this weekend. Monday is one of our Bank Holidays.
We decided to go to Hever Castle, which is about a 45 minute drive from our house. We arrived late morning and first took a walk around the magnificent gardens. As you can see from the slide show photos, the gardens were in bloom - except for the roses. The azaleas were amazing!
After walking the length of the formal gardens, we stopped at the restaurant and had a lovely lunch. After stuffing our faces, we went through the castle. Not much is in its original state as the castle was lived in over the centuries ... and has been changed and altered many times. The castle is most well known as the childhood home of Annne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife. Unfortunately for her, she fell out of favour with her spouse and her head fell into a basket after kissing a sword ... augh! The castle was also owned by the Astor family, who built the opulent and world famous Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York.
Upon exitting the castle, we took another walk around the back of the catle, along the river Eden, in the wilder part of the gardens. Tucked away in a corner is a water maze. The kids visiting had a great time getting wet while trying to get to the centre of the maze. Basically there were concrete blocks about a metre and a half by a metre. Some of these were fixed and 'safe' to step on, others were 'balanced' and any weight added to them would result in water spurting from between the blocks... you had to choose your block carefully and tread carefully. Of course Geoff and I looked for all the dry blocks and managed to get to the centre without getting wet...
We had a lovely day and we have decided that the next time we have family visiting, we might go back and have a fantastic picnic in the gardens.

Still potting

2007-05-03T17:09:00.000+01:00

I thought I would post some of my recent pottery successes. I am still enjoying my Tuesday classes and have made great progress on the wheel again. I think I am quickly getting to the stage I was at before I stopped pottery. It has taken a while for my hands to re-learn the tasks - the first few time I felt all thumbs!

I am trying to re-learn all the techniques I used to know - how to make lips, lids, cylinders, bowls etc. I have a few good things in the kilns at the moment and hope they come out well - will blog them if they do.

I had my hair cut today. Have been wearing it straight a lot more since I got my GHD for my birthday. As it was getting long and ratty, I have opted for a shorter more layered look. It is nice and light, should be great for the warmer months. I'll also be able to wear it down without having hair in my face.

What do you think? (I know it's not the best photo - had to take it myself on my phone ...)

Nora, the Piano Playing Cat!

2007-05-03T08:40:00.000+01:00

I was enthralled the first time I saw this video on UTube ... I have heard of cats who like to walk across the piano, but never seen a cat who actually looks like it enjoys playing the piano! Well, meet Nora ....
http://www.ravenswingstudio.com/docs/cats.html
Take a look!

Now if I could just convince Geoff to let me have a cat ...........

Frogs, Ferns and Birthday Parties

2007-04-29T19:57:00.000+01:00

A mixed post today of odds and ends. It has been a busy and stressful week in our household, hence little posting lately. Sorry.

Last weekend was rushed as well ... on Sunday I entered a family go-kart race with Geoff at Buckmore Park. The 'class' we entered was called 'family class' and one person had to be a novice. (That was me, of course!) We came 5th in class, despite having an abysmal cart. I felt pleased, I did not spin off, did not embarrass myself, did not come last and managed to improve my times by the end of the race AND beat all the other ladies that entered with their husbands. It was an hour long race done in 15 min slots. The race was continuous, meaning we had to call our partners in and do quick change overs ... all making it quite stressful if you have not done a race before. Geoff and I managed to work well and enjoyed it. I would race again under similar conditions (fun races, that is).

Our garden is showing signs of waking up after the winter ... I have mentioned our pond already. The frog spawn and fish eggs seam to have hatched, although neither Geoff or I have seen any 'little ones' about. The frogs have become more active, and in fact I have managed to snap a couple to blog.

This Friday night the adults in Geoff's family went out for a meal at 'The Tickled Trout' to celebrate Jonathan's birthday today (Sunday). We had a lovely time together and the food was great. Some of us even tried wild boar! I stuck to the simple fair - lamb!

Another busy week lies ahead for G and I. I am still working hard - schools are still calling me which is great. I have done well this school year and am pleased to make my contribution to our family income! It allows us to have the little extras that make life easier and more fun.

I am well please with my maidenhair furn at the moment. I have been nursing it since last year and have managed to encourage it to grow wildly. My extended family here are amazed by it, but it isn't even close to my aunt in Port Alfred's one!

Karting, hockey and engineering.

2007-04-18T15:23:00.000+01:00

Last week was an extremely busy week in our house. Despite my being on holiday, it seemed as though I was busier than ever!

Several things came at once towards the end of the week that made it an action packed long weekend. To start, we moved Christopher on Thursday to a smaller (but all his own) rented flat. He was delighted to be in his own place surrounded by his things by the end of Thursday. It was by no means an easy move as the estate agent from the previous property had made a mistake in their reference (looked up the wrong tenant!) and the bad report delayed the new lease agreement from being signed! After many a phone call ... and a few stressful moments, the problems was sorted and at the 11th hour (quite literally, I might add!), we put the final few items in the van and I deep washed the lounge carpet...

Friday was a practise day for Geoff at the go-kart track. After months of tinkering in the garage, crunch time had arrived. With a new 'Geoff-engineered' floating caliper, serviced engines, new seat, newly painted and straightened chassis and various other bits, it was time to test out the kart before Sunday's owner-driver race.

Geoff was a little disappointed with the kart at first, but after various little adjustments, things improved toward the end of the day. Good news given by the track mechanic was that it would take roughly 3 hours of solid driving to 'bed' the engines in again after the service. Lap times were not that great, but at least the new floating caliper that Geoff engineered for the brakes worked brilliantly.

On returning home, Geoff washed down the kart, packed away his tools and checked over my car. I packed, cleaned and prepared the house for an overnight lock up while we were up 'north'. Geoff had a hockey match in Corby on Saturday afternoon. We left home at about quarter past 8 on Friday night and arrived at our hotel at half past 11. By then we were both smashed (with exhaustion, that is!).

Saturday broke with mist in valleys. We had arranged to drive up to see Peter and Mary in Leicestershire. We took about an hour or so to get there and had a fantastic few hours catching up on family news and enjoying each other's company.

The hockey match was to take place in Corby, and we left Leicestershire at about noon. The hockey match began with the first half ending in quite an even score. However, the 'old' legs in Geoff's team soon tired and the youthful Corby team ran rings around them in the second half. The final score was something like 8-2. (I have to admit I stopped counting after about 6-2! Too demoralising!). A few moans were emitted by the 'old boys' who muttered about the old friend who 'stitched them up' when he spoke of arranging a friendly between two 'older' teams!

Anyway, it was a day out and everyone enjoyed the sunshine and social aspect.

Geoff and I had to make a speedy return home as G had a few hours of final tinkering to perform on the kart for Sunday's race. The race went better than Geoff had anticipated and they finished 6th out of 12 teams. The kart performed better than it had on the Friday's practise and allowed for a fairly good result. Geoff has plans to 'improve' the performance of the engines before the next race.

http://www.bayfordkarting.co.uk/content.php/112 Click here to look at the Bayford Meadows Circuit.

So ... there you have it! A busy long weekend. I am now back at work after the school holidays, Geoff is working nights this week. South Africa beat England at cricket (oops, that's all I'll say about that ...)... the fish have laid eggs - which we almost lost when we pulled some of the blanket weed out that is chocking the pond. Fortunately we spotted tiny little jelly like circles, containing tiny little developing fish. We put back some of the weed that the eggs were attached to. We hope to have some little fish soon.

Eggcelent Weekend

2007-04-09T16:59:00.000+01:00

I know it's eggstremely corny, but hey, it's Easter! Much chocolate has been eaten in our household - from gold bunnies to South African marshmallow Easter eggs!

Geoff has worked most of the weekend, with the eggsception of Friday, which we spent pottering around the house and garage. Geoff is working hard at re-assembling his go-kart for the upcoming race next weekend. I am trying to keep the house in order - as well as doing a bit of spring cleaning. Today I spent my time weeding the front and back garden, mowing the lawn, trimming the edges, pruning the roses and spraying them, doing washing and washing the windows round the back of the house (the window cleaner is allergic to the rear of our house and only ever does the front - huh!?)

The weather has been absolutely fantastic. We have had blue skies, plenty of sunshine and temperatures hugging the upper teens. They predict two weeks of this gorgeous weather, with next weekend breaking the 20C barrier! Roll on summer weather.

Spring has sprung in our garden as well. Last week we were watching frog spawn - at the beginning of the weekend, they all 'hatched' and are now at the mercy of the elements in our pond. Today, I have been watching games of 'cat and mouse' played out by the male and female fish! If all goes well, we should have some little fish soon. The newts are out too - I counted 7 the other day. I am yet to see any of our frogs, but I am sure they are about too. All this new life tells us that our pond is healthy and clearly a good home to be in right now.

Our home is on the back burner as far as progress goes ... Geoff has promised that when the go-kart is running again, that he will refocus his efforts on completing the WC. I in the mean time, have a little job to do for the cupboard in there too.
Yesterday I went to Jasmane's to have a BBQ, or should I say a braai as there were more SAfricans there than any other nationality. The food was great, the company was great and so was the weather. We are all eagerly awaiting the arrival of a few new little member to our group. Yolande is looking swell and the twins are due within the next few months.

Green Fingers

2007-03-31T23:46:00.000+01:00

I am a
Petunia

What Flower
Are You?

You are a tried and trusted friend who will be there for your friends when they need you. But you have a tendency to be nervous about doing things that go against the norm.

Easter holidays have arrived. I can't wait to put up the hanging basket, prune the roses and cut the lawn. Most of you in the southern hemisphere will laugh at that, thinking that you wish you could have 6 months a year where you did not have to do those chores ... well, let me tell you ... when you have had 4 months where you can't enjoy a cuppa in the garden, you may feel differently. I think I will take out the garden furniture this week and start to enjoy the milder weather we are having. The fish have woken up, we have frog spawn in the pond and the birds come to eat at the feeder every day.

Of course I have a list the length of King Kong's arm of other chores to do too .... but hopefully I will get some of the green jobs done too.

Geoff and I have very little other news to share ... life is full of the usual chores, bills and obligations, but we are both happy to be in good health and spirit.

2nd Anniversary

2007-03-25T15:03:00.000+01:00

Geoff and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary on Friday (23rd March). Geoff had the day off and pottered around at home and ran a few errands. I was at school, earning a crust...
We celebrated by going to dinner at one of our favourite restaurants ... 'Monsoon' in Chatham High Street. The food is great, the prices are reasonable and the staff are always friendly. I took a few pics on my mobile ... thought I would blog them ... yep, I'm eating again!
Thought I'd share the words from one of the cards I gave Geoff:

As her husband leant in for their anniversary kiss,
she got an overwhelming urge to utter those three special little words essential in any happy marriage .......

'Have you farted?'

It brought a laugh to both of us .... Marriage, hey!

All quiet on the home front ...

2007-03-17T13:14:00.000+01:00

Sorry to all my far flung family and friends! I have been rather lax lately in blogging. This is partly because there is little to blog about, and partly because I have been so busy at work.

Last week was of course my birthday - sorry no pictures!

As it was a Sunday, we went to church at 10:00 am as usual. I was on tea duty, and had to be there a little earlier to prepare the cups, kettles etc. It was also the minister and his wife's 40th wedding anniversary, and as a result, rather a special morning as we had cake and they renewed their vows. Come to think of it ... that was the only piece of cake I had! Boo hoo!

After tea, Geoff and I went over to his Mum's. We went out to lunch with Mum, Tony and Janevive. It was a great Sunday roast - made all the more special as I did not have to cook it. It was gone 4pm by the time we had finished lunch. Geoff and I were going to walk around the garden centre right next to the pub, but it was of course shut by then. Instead, we popped in to his sister's for a cuppa on our way home.

That was pretty much our day! My pressies included: GHD hairs straighteners (the best!) from hubby, flowers, chocolates, jewelery, a book on wheel throwing and card making goods. No cat yet ... I am still asking for one and trying to be patient about it ... maybe one day!The little WC is still pretty much as you saw it last. Geoff has cut the doors for the cupboard, but we have not had time to do any more. The tap has arrived, via e-bay, and so has the dinky electric 'under sink' water heater that will provide the hot water for the basin. Geoff is on night shift this week and that leaves him with precious little time to do anything other that work and try to sleep!

Flushed with Success

2007-02-25T21:46:00.000+01:00

I have a very proud husband tonight. Geoff has just finished installing the plumbing to the new toilet!

We have tried it and the verdict is SUCCESS!

Of course the hand basin has yet to be plumbed in, but after all, Rome wasn't built in a day, so why should our WC be!?

We can at least use the toilet ... no more running upstairs now. The cupboard will be finished soon ... and Geoff will continue to work a little tomorrow as he has a day off.

WC Progress

2007-02-18T22:35:00.000+01:00

I thought I would blog a pic of the progress Geoff has made today in the little loo. I have finished my job of grouting the walls - took ages, but looks great, I think.

Geoff has built the frame for the cupboard, which will have sliding doors when it is finished. He ran out of MDF and the doors are on hold till another day. The bits of MDF you do see where the sliding doors will go are not the right dimensions, but give an idea of what it will look like. The toilet is not yet attached and we still need to plumb the water to the cistern. We will be tiling the top and side of the cupboard and I plan to paint the sliding doors and ceiling. Am not yet sure how ... but have a few ideas in mind to make it a little different - perhaps a sponged blue theme to look like the sky ...

As you can see, the little WC will be small and compact - strictly no Aunt Blossoms in here! Any large bummed ladies (or gents) will become wedged ... Geoff says at least we can slide the cupboard door forward for a little more bum room!

Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T23:01:00.000+01:00

I have the most wonderful husband in the world! Last night at bedtime, Geoff presented me with a huge box of chocolates and a little devil that says 'I love you' when you press it's tummy. I received my card this morning. I wasn't really expecting to do much for Valentine's Day as we had decided earlier in the week to not go out tonight, but rather go out for our wedding anniversary next month.
The gifts were so unexpected that I was really touched. I had already decided to cook Geoff a great meal with some of his favourite things for Valentine's Day dinner. He was at work all day today - I am of course on school holiday, so had the house to myself and all the time I needed to cook up a storm.

After I had been to the supermarket, cleaned downstairs - which I might add was no small job after all the tile adhesive got splattered and walked through the dining room when we were working earlier in the week - I cooked some of Geoff's favourite things.

After fetching Geoff from the station, I banned him from the dining room while I made the final preparations. Here's the menu:

Starters

Stuffed mushrooms
Crispy rolls

Main Course

Rack of lamb with roast potatoes, chantenay carrots and Brussel sprouts

Desert

Milk Tart (Geoff's favourite)

chocolates

Tea and coffee

I've added a few pics of our meal.

Tiling

2007-02-12T10:52:00.000+01:00

Yesterday morning we decided to spend the day at home getting something done. We are still trying to get the 'little toilet under the stairs' finished, so that seemed a good task to work on. We began the tiling of the walls. No small task as the walls are not that straight (old houses!) and as a result of all the odd little angles, much cutting needed to be done.
Geoff and I got into our usual rhythm ... he cuts, I muck and stick. We have almost finished the job - a few tiles along the right hand bottom still need to be put on, but that is the easier half of the wall to do.
Just in case my father, or anyone with a keen eye notices, we have indeed got tiles along the bottom left wall that are not aligned with the back wall - FEAR not! Those tiles will be inside a cupboard - we have tiled it so that the back of the cupboard will not be dusty, but they will not be seen and did not need to match the rest of the room.
We still have a long way to go in there, but by making little steps like we did yesterday, we will get there in the end. One of these days, I won't have to run upstairs during ad breaks!
I will no doubt be doing my part of the job this week - the grouting of all these tiles. That should keep me busy for a morning. Soon we will be able to attach the basin and connect the toilet to the water supply. All those jobs have to wait until the tiling is finished.
Sorry we have been so quiet of late. We have not really had any news worth blogging. Geoff is back on full duties next week - back to his shifts as well. I am on school holiday this week, but am now booked to cover 2 days in one of my regular schools until the end of the school year (July). This now brings my regular days to two and a half. Good for the bank account! I will have two free days, Thursdays and Friday, for other schools and also the agency to fight over! I may even get a day or two off every now and then!

Murphy's Law!

2007-01-25T17:39:00.000+01:00

Of course we would have snow here in England the week we return from holiday! Better yet - they've had snow in Chamonix since we left too!

Once again England battled to cope with the few centimetres of snow that has fallen over the past few days. Wednesday morning we woke to find that the street and cars were covered in a thin layer of snow. During the morning we had several spells of snow falling, but by lunchtime it was mostly melted. Today we have had several more spells of falling snow, some quite thick, but the ground is too warm and wet and it has all melted.

Geoff was most disappointed with my blog of our holiday as I forgot to mention how well his car went. After spending some sums of money on it before Christmas, it went a treat and has run very economically too! The only little down side was that while parked outside the hotel in a quiet side street, someone has whacked off the driver side mirror!!! We suspect it may have been the 'bin lorry' as the damage seems to have been inflicted from above... Geoff is now trying to find and buy one on e-bay.

Another piece of news from Geoff: he has seen his consultant orthopaedic surgeon today and has now been fully singed off! He is fit and the shoulder is now considered by all to be healed. Next week Geoff has to attend some training for a day or two before he can return to full duties. He will remain in the office until 20th February to complete the job he has been assigned to do, and then will return to his shift pattern again. I will no doubt find the house quite empty at times as I have become used to having him at home during the evenings and weekends!

The Scenic Route Home...

2007-01-21T21:48:00.000+01:00

We were in no rush to leave on Saturday morning. We knew we had two days to get home and intended to enjoy the countryside as we wound our way across France to Calais. We had to clean our studio before handing back the keys. We were done by 10am. We had to hand in our lift passes, pick up our photograph and stop for mid morning tea, coffee and croissants. We were on the road by 11am-ish.

We had decided to avoid the tolls roads this time and take a more interesting route back. We punched in instructions into TomTom and 'Jane' (it's voice) told us which way to go. We drove down some interesting little roads and cut throughs, but it was a beautiful drive. Geoff loved the mountain passes and winding roads ... grinning like a boy as he threw me from side to side - no, I'm just kidding - but he did enjoy the drive too!

Our route took us down and out of the mountains into the valleys further down. We skirted the border between France and Switzerland and eventually passed through Geneva, Switzerland, and out the other side into France again. We had to show our passports to enter Switzerland, but it was merely a formality.

Here are a few pics of a waterfall in France and the view from France back down the mountain into Geneva ...

Fondue for Two

2007-01-20T20:44:00.000+01:00

Friday night we treated ourselves to a meal out. I was thrilled to see that an Alpine food speciality is Fondues. I convinced Geoff to share a fondue for two with me. They brought us half a cow (or so it seamed!) and we cooked away for the next hour or so! It was fab. Even Geoff enjoyed it!

Piste Off!

2007-01-19T12:45:00.000+01:00

Day one of skiing began late as we had lift passes to arrange, groceries to buy, maps to read etc. We were out by lunchtime, headed for Le Tour ski area of Chamonix ... and I was on my arse shortly after that!

This winter has been very mild across Europe - which is not good for snow. Although most of the slopes are at about 2000m, the snow that had fallen the week before we arrived had become rather packed down, sometimes even melted and refrozen - all resulting in icy conditions.

Geoff is a good skier and can handle conditions like that well, but as this was my second skiing trip, I really battled to get to grips with the feeling of skiing on snow which felt so different from what I had experienced in Colorado.

By the end of the first day, I had begun to wonder if I really could ski at the end of our last skiing holiday. I was exhausted and covered in the most awful bruises!

We had our photo taken by a local professional that first day - before we even went down the first slope ...

Day two - Monday - I could hardly get out of bed. Geoff thought it was very funny! After moving about a bit, the muscles warmed up and we headed for Brevent, another of the Chamonix ski areas. Once again, I struggled down the slopes, wondering if I could ever master this again. Geoff went off just after lunch, leaving me to enjoy the view while having a cuppa while he skied some of the more difficult slopes. The weather was brilliant for skiing. The sun was out - we had to wear suncream! We were both wearing t-shirts under our jackets - and sunglasses, no hats or thermal tops!

The following day, we returned to Brevent. Both Geoff and I felt stiff and tired that day, so did not spend the entire day on the slopes. We repeated some of the runs we had done the day before. Geoff was happy to stay with me as he was not feeling his best.

I finally began to feel as though I could master a blue run ... the slopes (or individual runs are classed by difficulty from green, then blue, then red, then black). Although I was so stiff that it was difficult, I began to look forward to the days ahead as I could see the progress I could make by the end of the week.

On returning to Chamonix, which was in the valley surrounded by mountains, I took a walk around in daylight. Here is a taster of what it looked like. You will see the lack of snow in the town itself.

Wednesday was a good skiing day. We returned to Le Tour where we had been on the first day. We skied all of the blue runs and despite the conditions still being icy, I managed to ski down several of the slopes without falling at all! The weather was beginning to change - the wind was vicious that day and we had to pull out our fleeces and hats to keep warm. That night the rain began...

Thursday was a dreadful day for any skier. Rain! We tried a new area, called Grand Montets. It was windy and as we climbed upwards in the cable car, the rain turned to sleet. We hoped that it would be snow on the pistes, but unfortunately, more sleet with the odd bit of snow continued to fall. We tried a few runs, but it was windy and horrible and we got so wet that it was simply not pleasant. We returned to our studio and enjoyed an afternoon reading and playing Yahtzee.

Friday morning we were disappointed to find out that almost all the lifts, gondolas and cable cars up the mountains were closed as a result of high winds. The only area open was Grand Montets, where we had been the day before. The place was packed! Every skier and boarder had to head there. We waited at least half an hours to get onto the chair lift to take us up the mountain. I must say that we were extremely lucky as I read a report on returning home that that same chairlift broke down later on, the staff had to evacuate people on the chairlift using a yellow digger's bucket!

In the meantime, we had a fantastic day's skiing. The conditions were not brilliant - the cloud was very low - and engulfed the runs at times, leaving you unable to see where to go ... a bit scary. The rain had stopped and there was a sprinkling of fresh snow from the night before. Geoff and I did all the blue runs we could, Geoff even convinced me down a red - and I managed it quite well even though I did topple over once. Here are some pics from Grand Montets.

Up and Away

2007-01-13T12:24:00.000+01:00

We were up at 3am to pack the car and make an early getaway for Dover and the ferry port. By 4am we were already on the motorway. An uneventful journey to Dover for a departure by P&O at 5:40am. We had high winds the previous week here in England and that day proved to start the same way - so a little choppy, but not too bad. Geoff was fine, but I had to put my head down and close my eyes for a large part of the journey! By the time we drove off the ferry, I was back to a more human colour.

Our new TomTom sat nav worked brilliantly and we made excellent headway across France. We stayed on the main auto routes, which were toll roads. It cost us over €60 in tolls, but the roads were clear of traffic and a pleasure to drive on. This route may not have been interesting or scenic, but we had a long way to go and wanted to get to Chamonix before nightfall.

After many hours of driving, we arrived in Chamonix at roughly 5:30pm. We would have been able to arrive at the hotel at that time if we had had correct directions and addresses, but alas, 30 minutes later, we were still circling Chamonix! By 6 however, we had the location and keys to our little studio flat.

It was functional and had all we needed. We were able to cook for ourselves for the week and make sandwiches for lunch, which saved us a fortune. Here are a few pics of the place.

Double Trouble

2007-01-09T12:07:00.000+01:00

I have spent the last week pottering at home. Work has been non-existent as expected the first week back at school. I have quite a few bookings for later this month and into February, so I am sure that things will pick up again.

While at home I have been getting ready for our skiing trip! Yippee! The thermal underwear and ski equipment is out and the clothing is spread out on the guest room double bed in preparation for packing. If I don't get Geoff's things out - it will be done in a rush the night before and needed items will be left at home! There are a lot of extra things to take on a skiing holiday that you don't usually pack for a regular hol. Like:

thermal underwear, ski socks, ski goggles, sunglasses, scarves, masks, hats, salopettes, ski jacket, suncream (I kid you not - snow suntan is not pretty! You look like a badger!) AND that is without the ski boots, which are heavy, skis themselves and of course your poles! Then of course you have to have regular clothes for the evenings and travel. Fortunately, we will be driving in Geoff's car, so there is plenty of room for all the equipment and food too. We have a self catered apartment and will try to eat healthily and not spend too much money eating out. Ski resorts are notoriously expensive as they kind of have a captive audience. We found this out in Colorado - eating out was twice (sometimes even more) expensive than it was in Florida!

The pic at the top is OBVIOUSLY not ski equipment! A friend of mine has just recently told us that she is expecting twins! So I decided to get the old knitters out and with my mother-in-law's help, have managed to clatter together a set of booties. By the fourth one I had the pattern down pat! Thank God she's not having triplets! I have now begun the little cardigans ...

Proud Aunty

2006-12-31T17:22:00.000+01:00

I would like to introduce my nephews, Jayden (almost 3) and Bradley (almost 5). This was taken on Christmas Day at my brother's family home in Tanzania.

Aren't they gorgeous!?

Wed'ze Skis

2006-12-28T22:55:00.000+01:00

As promised, I have blogged a picture of my new skis. They came wrapped with this gift tag:

'My darling wife ... I hope you never 'slope off' and this keeps you from going over the edge. Ho Ho Ho.'

Cheeky husband or what!?

If any of you have the patience to get past the introduction, I have added the link for the wed'ze website. (Mine are called Wed'ze limited Panther.)

http://www.wedze.com/

Our Christmas Day

2006-12-27T13:00:00.000+01:00

Christmas Eve found Geoff and I tidying and preparing for the family. Pressies were wrapped and put under the tree, table was set, lounge tidied etc.

We went to pick the boys up at their mum's at around 10pm.

At 11:15pm Geoff, Robert and I went to church for the midnight service. It was quiet at church this year - I think many people were away.
We finally all got to bed around 1am ... already Christmas Day.

Christmas morning we woke up early. I had to put the turkey in the oven at 8am so that it would be ready by lunchtime. I must admit to going back to bed with breakfast for the hubby.
When we finally surfaced, there was plenty to do to get the Christmas dinner on the table!

At noon Mum, Tony and Janevive arrived and we ate soon after. Turkey, Brussels, roast potatoes, carrots, roasted parsnips, stuffing balls, cranberry sauce (home made!), Christmas pud etc ... it went down well and was most tasty.

After a lovely meal, we sat down to open some of our pressies ...

After tidying up a little and having pud ... we headed over to Jonathan and Nikki's to visit and exchange pressies there too. Little Sophie was in awe of her new doll's house that grandma and grandad gave her! Jonathan enjoyed playing with his new Christmas train to go around his tree! The rest of us tried not to fall asleep...

Two Days to Go ...

2006-12-23T13:36:00.000+01:00

The Christmas weekend has arrived and we are doing our last few jobs around the house before festivities begin.
Geoff had a half day yesterday and called me up at lunchtime to tell me to pick him up at the Greenhithe station instead of here in Strood. We then braved the M25 traffic and got across through the tunnel so that we could shop at Lakeside. We fortunately, did not need to go to the shopping centre, but to one of the satellite shops, Decathlon, which is a huge sports store. I chose my Christmas present - a brand new pair of skis! They are a new type of short ski, specifically designed for beginners. Because they are so much shorter than standard skis, they are really easy to turn and handle. Apparently they are not as stable at speed - but hey - that does not worry me as speed is something I tend to avoid!
I will blog a pic of them when I have officially been allowed to open and 'play' with them on Christmas Day. Geoff and I also bought ourselves a pair of snow boots each as they were less than £10 each (bargain!) and will be ideal for walking around the village in Chamonix. I longed for a pair last winter when we were in Colorado as my trainers were always wet from the snow ...
We also spent some time in IKEA, more to avoid the evening rush hour home than anything else. But ... one cannot visit IKEA without having their meatballs for dinner and buying at least some kind of bargain ... so a cake slice, 3 little throw rugs, a plant pot, plastic bookends, and some tinsel for next year later ... we came home.
After a quick 'are you home?' call, we visited some old friends of Geoff's for tea and a chat.

This morning we picked up Geoff's car - almost fixed now. It has passed its MOT, but still needs the new radiator. Geoff may do this himself if he has the time. He has spend the morning doing a check on my car - cleaned the engine with his power washer and found some loose screws - no wonder there was an oil smell!!! Should be better now.

Geoff was most pleased on Thursday as he had now been told that he will be staying in the office he is in now until he returns to full duties. Personnel were not pleased with the arrangements that were made and Geoff was informed that he was to remain in his post till further notice! He is chuffed to bits.

Fo(r)g-et it!

2006-12-21T11:46:00.000+01:00

Hello all. We have been encased in thick fog for the past few days. The airports of the UK have been ground to a halt and we have been cocooned in our homes with the heating firmly on for the past few days too. Temperatures have finally reflected the season - Winter! - and we have had to scrape the ice from the windscreens before going out.
Christmas shopping is almost done in our house - just one more little thing I have to get. I also need to buy the turkey and some fresh veggies - the Brussel sprouts and parsnips, milk and fresh bread and then we are set for the festive weekend. We are having Mum and Tony as well as the two boys for Christmas Day.
Geoff has finally lost the battle to remain in the office where he has been for the past few months - seems his old boss wants him back and has made it impossible for personnel the say 'no' this time. I nearly lost him to a dreary 'front desk' on Christmas and Boxing Day, but fortunately, Geoff managed to talk his way out of that one ... but the inevitable front counter is awaiting him after New Year. We are not amused!!!
We are desperately trying to get Geoff's car up to scratch before our trip to Chamonix mid January. After some expensive accelerator cable replacing, suspension fixing and failed MOT test, we had to send it to a specialist garage to have the diagnostics checked as it was suspected that one of the sensors to do with emissions needed replacing. This morning Geoff and I set off in the fog and freezing air by bike bbbbrrrrr ... to pick the car up and drive it back to the first garage to have the MOT test repeated. Unfortunately the brakes and radiator may need replacing/fixing too now! BUT after all this, we will have a reliable car again.
As Geoff now goes to work by bike we only need two cars over the weekends, and also a larger and more powerful car to tow trailers etc ... we can't really justify spending a fortune buying a new car to replace Geoff's, but could not continue with things the way they were as the car was continually not reliable. It has taken some money and time, but I think we have finally sussed why it has been faulty for so long. Cars hey, great when they work ...
Geoff has just called me with the great news that his physiotherapist has said he does not need to see him anymore. He is really pleased with the strength and stability of the shoulder and says Geoff can pretty much do anything now - just to be careful. Geoff is pleased to bits!

Out with the old ...

2006-12-15T10:56:00.000+01:00

Some of you may remember one of my blog posts in August that mentioned the fire at our local clothing store, Matalan. It was badly damaged and has been closed ever since. Over the last week or so, there has been a lot of activity at the site as they begin to demolish the store. Once the outer layer had been removed, I was amazed to see how much damage there really was.

Apparently the store will be rebuilt, which is good news. We haven't been told any news on when the store will re-open, but I am sure that it will be quite a while yet!

Christmas Cheer!

2006-12-11T20:41:00.000+01:00

If you feel like getting ready for Christmas is getting you down ... take heart - you're better off than the poor old snowman!

A Trip to London

2006-12-10T22:34:00.000+01:00

Geoff and I took a trip up to London today to see the London Kart Show. We drove up to Greenwich and parked the car in a quiet side street and then took the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) which is linked to the London Underground, to Custom House station which was right at the ExCell exhibition centre.

Geoff had a wonderful 4 hours or so wandering around looking at everything from numerous types of go-karts, to tools and tyres. I enjoyed it too, but must admit that by hour 3 my feet were sore and I was ready for something to eat and a seat to park on!

Here are a few pictures from the Kart Show.

After leaving the Kart Show, we decided to go and see the Christmas lights in Oxford Street. We walked from Bond Street tube station to Leicester Square and ejoyed the lights and bussle along the way. It was really busy for a Sunday evening! It was raining lightly and by the time we got to Leicester Square, we were both cold and hungry. We treated ourselves to a great burger at Chiquito's Restaurant. After the meal we made our way back to Greenwich and the car. We got home at around 8pm.

Here are some of the lights along the way ...

Christmas Shopping

2006-12-05T18:00:00.000+01:00

Geoff and I have almost finished our Christmas shopping. Instead of coming all the way home on the train last night, I picked Geoff up at Greenhithe, which is near to Bluewater. We spent a couple of hours wandering around and got a few pressies for family.

We strolled through the Apple shop and played on the new iPods and Apple computers. This picture was taken by one of their 'set-ups' - an apple computer running with photo software and a digital camera set up to take a pic of whoever was at the station. We took this pic of ourselves and then were able to email it to our home computer! I love the sepia effect.

I put up the Christmas tree this past weekend. I know I was a few days earlier than the 5th December, but I know that this next weekend will be a particularly busy one with birthday parties in the family as well as a Christmas party for the 'oldies' at the church. I haven't wrapped any of the presents yet, but school closes early this year in Kent, on the 15th, so I will have plenty of time to do jobs like that.

For those of you not in the UK, it has been very windy and wet over the past few weeks and Geoff and I were commenting on the fact that so few houses have Christmas lights up so far. I am sure that things will change over the next few weeks. Speaking of decorating houses - Geoff and I went to see the movie 'Deck the Halls' last week and I doubt we will be doing anything similar to our house - EVER!

I have had a quiet week so far - having both Monday and today off. Yesterday I went to B&Q and bought the paint to paint the lower half of our lounge walls. I have almost got around the lounge - just the alcove behind the TV needs to be done and behind the radiator- Geoff will need to help me to move the TV table and loosen the radiator too. I need to go around and do a second coat, but that I will do after schools close. The colour looks good and is much better than the orange we had. The paint colour is Walnut and is a dark beige colour. We will paint the top half of the walls an off white too - it needs refreshing badly - hand prints and the usual wear and tear has left it a big grubby. I also plan to carry the colour scheme through to the dining room, painting over the current pink orange in here. I would blog a pic, but to be honest, there is very little of the lower half of the wall showing around the lounge ...

Geoff has just bought us a 'self drive' ski holiday to the French Alps on e-bay. He bought it for a laughable price. We will drive through France (me using my new passport - yippee!), to Chamonix which I understand is in the foothills of Mont Blanc. It all sounds great - Geoff will be very careful - taking no risks this year as he needs to nurse the shoulder still. Fortunately, being with me means that we will be doing 'Sunday Drive' skiing as apposed to 'hell for leather down the slopes' skiing!!!

I hope that you are all well and look forward to comments soon!

She's gone Pott(er)y!

2006-11-08T21:59:00.001+01:00

I thought I would post these pics of the first 'produce' from my pottery classes. I have been attending classes at the Adult Education Centre in Rochester on Tuesday evenings. I have not made that much so far - the classes are only two hours long and it seems to fly by. Also, with such a long time since I 'potted' last, I have had to re-learn simple things like glazing and so on.

I have really enjoyed it so far - and am now beginning to go back onto the wheel again. I feel all fingers and thumbs still, but I am sure that with continued practice, I will improve and be bringing home jugs, mugs and bowls soon. I hope to make a few knick-knacks for Christmas presents this year!

The little oddities I have made so far are (from top left to right):

a used teabag holder - got tired of the tea drop trail to the compost bin!, a funky fish who will live at the edge of the pond and lastly, a simple 'tray' made using a plaster mold.

Geoff and I are both getting better - we were both rotten with a nasty cold last week. We have just begun going back to the gym again after a long break. We were unable to do much while Geoff was recovering from his surgery. Now that he has more movement and strength in the shoulder, we can finally begin to use the gym again. We have begun swimming to get back into the swing of things - and we are both so pleased because Geoff is now able to complete several lengths of the pool in different strokes without pain. I might add that this was something he would not or could not do before the operation as he complained of pain in the shoulder!

It wont be long before we begin to return upstairs to the weights and exercise equipment.

I had a wonderful item in the post today ... My new British passport!!!! Finally! It is a new biometric passport and has a chip and antennae on the back page - all very futuristic! There are quite a few new security upgrades to make passports less easy to forge. Geoff and I are looking forward to travelling in Europe soon AND to travel as Mr and Mrs L. for the FIRST time ever! We have decided that we are going to 'buy' a joint Christmas present this year - a trip to Europe - perhaps Paris (Geoff has never been and I would love to go again). We will most likely only take this trip in January, but it is something to look forward to.

Sorry we have been so quiet on the blog - but to be honest, not a lot has happened lately worth writing about! I will attempt to blog again soon.

Men and Women - poles apart!

2006-10-22T17:42:00.000+01:00

We are both well. Geoff is at work 30 hours at the moment, soon to be the full 40. He had an appointment at the orthopaedic surgeon this week for a follow up - all was well and the consultant was happy with Geoff's progress. He wishes to see G at the end of January again - I am sure that will be the last check-up. Geoff is still attending physio once a fortnight, with plenty of exercises to complete in between sessions. We bought him a set of dumbbells this past week to assist in those lifting exercises.

I am enjoying my first weekend of the school holiday. We have just a week off now and then the term to Christmas begins. I have now completed 5 weeks with the little Reception class (4 and 5 year olds) and although it has been hard work and tiring, I have enjoyed it. It is also a good bonus for the bank balance, which I might add looks a little depleted at this time of year - September and October are lean months with nothing at all in September and little in October! This has been a good start to my financial year. I am not sure whether I will be going back to the class as the teacher may or may not be ready to return to work. I will keep you all updated.

I had this email sent to me this past week. Both Geoff and I were in fits of laughter at it ... I'll let you all decide if it suits anyone in your household...

HOW TO SHOWER LIKE A WOMAN

Take off clothes and place them sectioned in the laundry basket according to lights and darks. Walk to bathroom wearing long dressing gown.
If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas.
Look at your womanly physique in the mirror - make mental note to do more sit-ups/leg-lifts etc.
Get in the shower.
Use face cloth, arm cloth, leg cloth, long loofah, wide loofah and pumice stone.
Wash your hair once with cucumber and sage shampoo with 43 added vitamins.
Wash your hair again to make sure it is clean.
Condition your hair with conditioner enhanced with grapefruit and mint.
Wash your face with crushed apricot facial scrub for 10 minutes until red.
Wash entire rest of body with ginger nut and jaffa cake body wash.
Rinse conditioner off hair.
Shave armpits and legs.
Turn off shower.
Squeegee off all wet surfaces in shower.
Spray mould spots with tile cleaner.
Get out of shower.
Dry with towel the size of a small country.
Wrap hair in a super absorbent towel.
Return to bedroom wearing long dressing gown and the hand towel on head.
If you see your husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas.

HOW TO SHOWER LIKE A MAN

Take off clothes while sitting on the edge of the bed and leave in a pile on the floor.
Walk naked to the bathroom If you see your wife along the way, shake willy at her making the "woo-woo" sound.
Look at your manly physique in the mirror.
Admire the size of your willy and scratch your bum.
Get in the shower.
Wash your face.
Wash your armpits.
Blow your nose in your hands and let the water rinse it off.
Fart and laugh at how loud it sounds in the shower.
Spend majority of time washing privates and surrounding area.
Wash your bum, leaving those coarse bum hairs stuck on the soap.
Wash your hair.
Make a Shampoo Mohawk.
Wee.
Rinse off and get out of shower.
Partially dry off.
Fail to notice water on floor because curtain was hanging out of bath the whole time.
Admire willy size in mirror again.
Leave shower curtain open, wet mat on floor, light and fan on.
If you pass wife, pull off towel, shake willy at her and make the "woo-woo" sound again.
Throw wet towel on bed.

I KNOW YOU'RE LAUGHING NOW BECAUSE MOST OF IT IS TRUE! ! ! ! !

Busy Days

2006-10-08T19:33:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone! Sorry we have been so quiet lately. I guess you could say that we have just been busy lately.

Geoff and I are both back at work at the moment, I am working full time for 6 weeks to cover a teacher who has had an opperation. Geoff is now back at work part time - 20 hours this week. He is doing well. The shoulder is getting stronger by the week, but he still needs to be careful and look after himself. He is on light duties for the next 3 months. This will be reviewed at the end of the 3 months and things will change only if his shoulder is stable at that time. He is glad to be back at work and feels part of the world again. He catches the train in the morning: I drop him off on my way to work and pick him up early evening.

This past week I had to dress up for work as it was book week. As I am in a class of 4 to 5 year olds, I decided to go as some-one they would know - Wendy from Bob the Builder! I donned hard hat, a tool belt (provided by the hubby) and clothing similar to Wendy's. The kids loved it. There were some really good outfits - lots of Peter Pans, Lucy from Narnia, Tiggers, Tracy Beakers, even Cruella de Ville ... and many more.

The weather has turned decidedly autumnal here and we have had plenty of wet and windy days. We are preparing ourselves for the winter months and have now put away our garden furniture, cut the grass for the last time (Lord, I hope so anyway!), taken out our winter woolies and so on.

Robert, Geoff's youngest son, begins his first full time job tomorrow. He will be working for the county in the pensions department. He is looking forward to earning 'real' money and becoming independent.

Geoff has been tinkerying in the garrage in his fantastic marigolds ... thought I'd add a pic for all of you to enjoy.