Scrapbooking

 

Today I decided to crack on with  the scrapbook I have planned to make for my eldest Grandson.

I realised the other day that I had to complete it before November next year when he will be 30!!

I belong to a Scrapbooking club and we meet once a month and based on the progress I have made over the past six months  I am not going to get the job done.

I have made five complete books for my other grand children and have almost completed a sixth for our youngest grand-daughter who will be 18 in 2019.

I also made one for our youngest son to mark his fiftieth birthday. As he is a guitarist I decided to make it in the shape of a guitar!!! Well this turned out to be quite a challenge but I succeeded in completing it. I have been searching my photos for a picture but can’t find one to share with you.

Here he is opening it!   You can just about make out the shape .                                                                     

The first one I made was a record of my visit to Canada when we went to Vancouver Island, then on the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Calgary. From there we flew to Moncton NB and on to Miramichi. We stayed with friends there and also had a weekend on PEI. We were following in the footsteps of William and Kate who were a few days ahead of us!!!

Then I decided I would make one for each of my grand children as they reached their 18th birthdays. My eldest Grandson had already passed this milestone hence the reason for celebrating his 30th with one.

Most of them have been 12 x 12 format but this one is  8 x 8 and you can get a glimpse of it in the picture at the top. Today I have managed 3 pages and planned a fourth.

Google chrome is refusing to work and windows 10 won’t share my photos!!! I’ll try to outwit it!! I’ll find a page from the most recent book I have almost completed!

Yay!! I managed it !!

I’ll be interested to hear from any Scrapbookers!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holidays

Whilst the talk is of holidays and busy motorways, airports etc fills the TV and radio news my heart is heavy with the knowledge that I don’t stand much chance of escaping from the day to day. I will have to remain here!!

Daughter has flown off to Spain with her husband. Eldest son and his wife are in Sri Lanka and second son will shortly be off to the Edinburgh festival with his Family.

at this very moment I am enduring endless Irish Folk music as my Husband delves into his ancient collection of discs and tapes which remind him of days gone by.                     ‘It’s a long way to Tipperary’  A song allegedly written for a 5 shilling bet in Staleybridge and taken up as a marching song by British Troops in the First World War.

This week we have been investigating the possibility of trading in his Accordion for a smaller model. this is because he has started to play it again and is finding it too heavy to manage. It is a lovely instrument, quite pristine and well cared for : a 72 bass Galotta, he bought it many years ago from a retired gentleman who was having a similar problem.

 

accordion

The nearest place I could find after an afternoon browsing the internet, was Birmingham a city in the Midlands about 80 plus miles from Peterborough UK where we live.

Only an hour and a half by road (traffic and road works permitting) but in my mind it might as well be the moon!!! Would it be worth the effort when it’s perfectly possible that he may change his mind about playing a new one or even forget how to!!!

Browsing through photos to find one to insert I was reminded of numerous holidays both here in UK and also far far away. we even managed to get away in the winter to warmer climes, on the Spanish island of Tenerife and then a couple of years we made it to Florida!

Our trip on the Rocky Mountaineer and then a stay with friends in Miramichi NB was a great one. I made a Scrapbook of the whole trip which also included a visit to Vancouver Island, staying with an old School Friend.

Our second visit to Canada was also great. We stayed with another friend, just outside Toronto. During that visit we made it to Niagara Falls and Niagara on the lake.

Next has to be our trips to Dubai. Our eldest son lives and works there so we see it from a different viewpoint, totally different from your regular tourist. My last visit was with my daughter and grand-daughter and the highlight of that one was the Burj Khalifa, tallest building in the World.

February or November are the best times to visit Dubai as the temperatures are good.

For many years, in fact 14 altogether, we spent a week in the Springtime on the beautiful island of Guernsey in the Channel Isles. We spent many a day rambling along the cliff walks, stopping for coffee at the various little cafes looking out to sea, or picnicking in a sunny spot.

 

It is good to have memories but they are not the same as actually being there!!!

Pictures are my own!

 

 

Strawberry Fields

As I ate my bowl of strawberries and Greek yogurt ( sorry i know it should be cream but Yogurt is supposedly more healthy), I was musing upon the title and wondering about the composer of the song ‘Strawberry fields forever.’

Attributed to Lennon and  MCCartney it was actually John Lennon’s childhood memories of playing in the garden of a Salvation Army children’s home as a small boy.

it sparked my memories of my own children when we lived in Kent, famous for the fruit grown there. Every year when the strawberry fields were bursting with fruit they were off to pick some. The local Farmer had a mini bus and all the youngsters would hope to get picked up and taken out to the Farm. They earned their summer pocket money.and learnt how to value it’s worth. My youngest son even earned enough to buy a bike!!

I’m not sure the current generation of teenagers would even consider such hard work, for that is what it is, or was then.

Strawberries and Cream is also synonymous with Tennis and Wimbledon here in the UK. First and second week in July we have the All England Championships and together with watching the Tennis  a Strawberry Tea is apparently ‘A must’!!

This year we have been sweltering in some incredible temperatures comparable to Dubai or California. It has even caused me to invest in a cooling fan without consulting my Husband I made a unilateral decision!! I am enjoying it’s cooling breeze even as I write. My Husband refuses to enjoy it !!! hey Ho!!

As we grow older tolerating the heat becomes a challenge. My feet and ankles seem to swell up every day as the temperature rises. cool spots are hard to find in the house, and cooking meals is not a pleasant task. Salads have become the order of the day. No doubt the Strawberry Harvest will be a bumper one.

The last really hot Summer I recall was in 2006 when we were still living in Kent but poised of the brink of a challenging move to Cambridgeshire. The house was full of boxes packed with many of our possessions, the rooms were looking bare, some of the furniture had been sold or given away and there wasn’t a lot to do but while away the hours in the garden with a good book. Of course I was 11 years younger then and a lot healthier than I am now!!!

we took a trip to Nottingham that year as we waited for a prospective buyer to make up their mind. Our second son and his family live there. They took us on a day trip to Lincoln and there we visited the Cathedral. Being further north and closer to the North Sea the weather was rather inhospitable that day!!! Not wet but rather chilly!!!

The Cathedral visit was an amazing experience with an exhibition of some very striking carvings.

it’s surprising how thinking about one thing can jog so many different memories! those of us who retain our memory should be truly grateful. Living with someone whose memory is fading is deeply challenging.

 

 

Too many hats

are you wearing too many hats? I definitely have too many.

I made a list of the one’s I seem to be forever popping on and it seemed rather long.

yesterday it was eleven today I had to add two more………no wonder I feel somewhat exhausted at times!

I got up today with a list of ‘to do’things in my head but suddenly it seemed like a mountain too high to climb. Which hat to put on first? I tried a few diversionary tactics like sitting down and e mailing my cousin, checking my e mails, looking at FB………..

So I finally got dressed and put on my Housekeeper’s hat, made the beds and vacuumed 3 rooms, put some washing out to dry and decided on the mid day meal. Whilst doing these tasks I determined I would then go down to a regular Coffee morning in the village , hopefully to engage in some interesting conversation.

this would also include a walk which I need to do everyday..luckily the weather is really balmy ,blue skies and a gentle breeze. A good crowd of friendly faces greeted me at St B’s hall. conversation ranged from theatre trips,family history,  poems by AA Milne,the news and several more topics. Several of the group remembered particularly the poems in A A Milne’s book When we were very Young and took to reciting them together……. I have just found a battered paperback copy on my shelves given to our youngest son by my beloved sister Mary (RIP) at Christmas in 1961!!

The King’s breakfast was one of my favourites. someone else remembered Halfway down the stairs.

I have just thought of another hat i could put on!  Raconteur! that would bring the total to fourteen.. Too many I think.  I will have to dispose of some of them.

Try making a list yourself!!

looking for a listening ear!

Some days I feel like Shirley Valentine….”hello wall”

Trying to broach a conversation when the only person around cannot seem to tune in to you is a tad frustrating!!

yesterday I ventured bravely on my own to a fantastic concert at the Royal Albert Hall.being a fan of a TV series entitled ‘Nashville’ I just had to get to see some of the cast

in concert and what a concert it was.

of course i returned home brimming with things to say about the different artists and the music but all to no avail…My husband of 58 years and a great country music fan has started to lose his memory and can no longer recall what he sees on TV can no longer share in my enthusiasm.

This morning my daughter called in unexpectedly and related her experiences of the weekend. She went to a family party and told us all about it over a cuppa. husband sat there apparently listening. Later when I made comments about this party he could not recall anything she had told us!!!! Some days I feel like a record stuck in the groove…constantly repeating myself.

Mid afternoon I went to the Library for a chat with the Librarian….I just had to talk to someone!!

Hospital

I set off this morning a whole hour before my appointment. (road works on the A15 were on my mind)

Of course I needn’t have worried…traffic was flowing fine and I reached the Hospital in plenty of time.

However…the Car park appeared to be full!! At 9.45????? then the entry barrier was up and no tickets were available. I had to drive almost to the exit before I found a space. ‘don’t panic ‘ I told myself ‘you have plenty of time’

Once inside the Hospital I began the trek to Cardiac Investigations……..a long corridor and then 2 flights of stairs  THE LIFTS WERE OUT OF ACTION.

Everyone who arrived at the desk was huffing and puffing…stairs are not good when you have a heart condition!!!! The receptionist said take a seat and get your breath back!!!

Twenty minutes after my appointment time ,my name was called. the procedure took 20 minutes and I was on my way…wondering how I was going to escape from the Car park without a ticket.

Arriving at the exit barrier I pressed the HELP button and lo and behold  up went the barrier…a result then and I hadn’t paid!!! a bit of a bonus after all the aggro.

By the time I got home I was ready for a cuppa but as I relaxed with one I opened my email only to discover a member of our extended family had sadly died in the early hours of this morning. My heart went out to my cousin, his wife. she will be distraught.

We never know from day to day what is going to crop up to bring either joy or sorrow. make the most of each day…………be thankful for many blessings!

Adult Grand children

Every now and then they decide to visit..but it has to be on their terms!!!

it’s Bank Holiday and they are up from the ‘smoke’

Can we fit you in between…………?

Just thought we’d pop over this morning………………………!!!

You are desperate to see them

What do you do? the midday meal is being prepared…it’s past coffee time

You cannot entertain and chat whilst your Husband frets that you need to be doing other things!!!

And yet..It’s nearly 4 months since you saw your Grandson:  you are torn…You suggest a few alternative times but this doesn’t fit in with their plans.

Hoping for the best you wait til after lunch…….and ring their parents….and Yes they are there

problem solved we can visit them!!!!!