AnneRichards

Snow again

2012-02-10T08:30:00.002Z

It was time to be serious about getting back to the gym but the weather gods saved me again. I awoke to several inches of snow on the ground, pulled my warm dressing gown on and settled down for a morning of doodling and messing about with paints.

Snow

2012-02-05T08:18:00.002Z

Before I went to bed last night, I looked out the window and could see that it was snowing, landing and staying. I had a good night because I think the snow on the pipes acted as extra insulation so they didn't freeze. I was going to go to the gym this morning but I don't want to walk in the snow. Unlike 1963 I don't have the kit anymore and besides, it's a good excuse not to go. The forecast is for continuing cold weather throughout the coming week so I guess there won't be a melt. I was going to go to London on Tuesday but that's out. It would appear that there is nothing for it but to get on with my de-cluttering. Also I have had another tax demand from the IRS and that always makes me anxious. I don't think they have closed Guantanamo Bay yet!

Day 3

2012-02-04T08:54:00.002Z

Very cold weather. Kathleen and I bundled up last evening and went to the Black Boy for dinner - her treat, god bless her. Got my come-upance when I got home. Radiators were cold and I couldn't get the heating boiler to come on. Very sad, very cold. Put in an emergency call to my plumber but by then it was after nine so I knew I wouldn't hear from him until this morning. Got my electric heater in the bedroom and snuggled down under two duvets. Plumber turned up at 8:30 this morning and diagnosed frozen pipes. He thawed everything out and got the heating going again. It is going to be another freezing night tonight so I may have to give one of my duvets to the pipes! Did I say something in my last two postings about loving being British. It reminds me of the first winter 62/63 that I spent here. It was even colder then but I had Ian lighting fires and loving every minute of it. In other words, I wasn't in charge. Also I was pregnant that winter and it was like having an internal heating device. And, I had my Canadian outdoor gear so whenever it got too cold in the house, I got dressed up and went outside to get warm. Gotta love this country - pipes on the outside of the house. Wish me luck tonight.

Day 2

2012-02-03T11:09:00.002Z

I celebrated my new status last evening with a few friends. We were supposed to be having a glass of wine, a toast to me and off they go but somehow it didn't turn out that way. They were still here at 10:30 having eaten everything in the house and drunk all my wine. It was a grand evening. I had such a good time celebrating my Britishness. I am very lucky to be here and to have wonderful friends.

BRITISH BRITISH BRITISH

2012-02-02T15:27:00.002Z

The title refers to ME. I have just had a call from the solicitor to tell me that my papers have come through. I am now one of you. I am so pleased. I will have my ceremony on 27th Feb at 3:30. Then I can apply for a British passport but in the meantime, I will set about changing my name by Deed Poll. It has finally happened. I can hardly believe it.

A great day

2012-01-15T17:07:00.002Z

Decided to go for another Artist's Date this morning. There was a piano concert at the Holywell Music Room and it was terrific. The guy played a Chopin ballade and a few Mazurkas. They were beautiful and he was brilliant. He finished up with Rachmaninoff which is always a crowd pleaser. I turned up and there was a queue but luckily I took my place by a man who told me that a woman up ahead had a spare ticket she was wanting to sell. I snapped it up and rejoined the queue. When I did, I realized that I was pushing in in front of the helpful man so I put on my best Canadian accent and apologized. He not only told me to stay put but gave me his spare program. I got a good seat where I could watch the hands. I learned this from Leo years ago to sit where you can see the keyboard. It's great going to concerts with Brits. They don't talk, fidget or rattle their programs. They just sit and listen. I was so delighted with the whole thing that I went to the bus stop via Blackwells and treated myself to a couple of Chopin CD's. Then the temptation hit to go to KFC for lunch but, fortunately, there were about 20 people waiting to buy bad food so I didn't stop. Got down to the bus stop and could see my bus which looked like it was about to leave so I waived and ran and the driver waited for me. Everything was going so well I wondered if I should buy a lottery ticket. I resisted. Came home to a salad lunch. Oh, forgot, I walked into town for the concert so exercise in addition to culture. God, I'm good.

A good Wednesday

2012-01-12T16:40:00.002Z

I did it all yesterday. It started with a walk to the gym followed by 40 min on the machines. I've given up on classes for the time being because they always want you to get on the floor and then get up again quickly and without providing help. With the machines I can go at my own pace. Home for a light lunch and into town to do my Artist's Date. There is a Graham Sutherland exhibition at MOMA which met the criteria. After this I popped into East and bought 3 tops on sale. My final stop was at the chiropodist to have a nasty thing dug out of the bottom of my foot. That done, I came home and enjoyed a quiet evening. If I carry on like this, I may even paint a picture one day.

In the front room

2012-01-08T17:50:00.002Z

Had my first dinner party since moving the tables to the front and the sofa and chairs to the back. A good time was had by me. I think the others enjoyed it as well. I shall get back in the swing of having people around. This morning I went to church! The new vicar at St. Andrews suggested I come as I had been telling him how much I like incense and paraphernalia. He issued the invitation with the following sentence, "Come to church on Sunday. It will be an event with smoke." I like his sense of humour but I reconfirmed the fact that I am not a Christian. Nice day today so I took a walk this afternoon. I was going to go down by the river but was too lazy to get in the car and go to the farm. I will try to get to the gym this week and watch my fruit and veg intake. It's a pity 5 a day doesn't mean 2 beers and 3 glasses of wine. Oh well.

Getting One's Comeuppance

2012-01-05T11:14:00.002Z

I have just limped back from my first gym visit of the year. I made no gym visits last year so this was a biggie. It was also shattering. It was supposed to be beginners Pilates but the teacher didn't show so another young, blond, fit person took over and treated us to an abs class. Now I know what abs stand for - ABJECT. I kept cramping up and being generally hopeless. I'm well aware of my state of fitness - 1 on a scale of 1-10 but even knowing that, I was horrified. I shall continue with it because I can't go on like this. The sweet young thing asked me about my cramps and when I told her that I have them everywhere, all the time, she said I should see someone. I think what she was saying was, "Don't come to the gym, go to the doctor." Pathetic. I am sticking to my 5 a day routine so perhaps with some decent food in me and a regime of activity, I might turn back into a human being.

O Canada

2012-01-03T19:38:00.002Z

My arm is sore from patting myself on the back. Jane suggested that making New Year's resolutions was a waste of time and I agree but she did say that one could have'intentions'. One of my intentions is to do a cultural thingy each week. Today was the day. I took myself all the way to Dulwich to see the exhibition of the Canadian painters, Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. This involved taking the coach to Victoria and then a train to West Dulwich and then a walk to the gallery. It was pouring with rain and the wind was howling but I was not deterred. I had decided to go and I am so glad I did. These Canucks are terrific. It was well worth the trip although I may do an Oxford event next week.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2012-01-02T18:48:00.002Z

I am not going to follow Alison's example and post daily but I will try to write more often. I spent New Year's Eve with Adam. We went to a party at Nancy's and then came back to my house and watched telly till midnight. We held hands for the countdown and expressed delight and amazement at the fireworks in London. Tonight is the Book Club - The City and the House. I'm off to Dulwich tomorrow to have a look at Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. All very Canadian.

Day 4

2011-12-26T19:27:00.001Z

Day 4

Starting to flag. I have discovered that, when it comes to groups of new people, I am a two-day person. Day 3 was Christmas and it went well. The management left a stocking on each person’s doorknob with a tangerine and some chocolates. I’ve eaten the chocolates. The tangerine will have to wait for a moment of conscience. I walked up to Hyde Park in the morning before lunch and flopped on my bed after lunch – too much champagne, wine and food.

We had a bus tour of London this morning. It wasn’t very good partly because you can’t see anything from a regular bus. The tour guide was about a C+. Then on to St Paul’s Cathedral. I did not climb to the whispering gallery but I enjoyed being in such a wonderful building. We came back at 4:30, just in time for a nap. Tonight is the disco.

Home tomorrow.

Day 2

2011-12-26T19:26:00.001Z

Day 2

I sat beside a nice chap on the coach to Somerset House and; when we arrived, he said, “Let’s walk up to Covent Garden and have coffee.” Sounded like a plan to me so off we went. By the time we got there, had coffee and walked back, it was time for lunch so I missed seeing pictures at the Courtauld. Oh well, it’s not as though I can’t get to London easily so I will put it on my list of upcoming cultural events. The new me in the New Year! Then it was off to the Royal Albert Hall for carols. It was a lovely concert which involved the audience standing up and singing the well known carols. I was sitting beside the coffee chap and when he started to sing, I thought, whoa, what’s going on here. Turns out he sings with the Bach choir in London. I kept my mouth shut after that. Back to the hotel, quick nap, dinner and an early night. I wasn’t sorry to find out that there wouldn’t be any games and quizzes until tomorrow.

Day 1

2011-12-26T19:24:00.000Z

Friday, December 23, 2011 6:26 PM

Day 1

I confess to being very anxious this morning while packing the bags and locking the doors. The bus arrived within a minute of my getting to the bus stop – good omen. The front seat was empty and waiting for me – good omen. It was a quick easy ride to London and I taxied from the bus stop to the hotel. Check in over, I went to my room. It’s a bog standard Marriott hotel room which suits me fine. There is a big bed, a big telly, a mini bar and a perfectly usable bathroom en suite. The first bad omen reared its head when I tried to connect to the Internet. This is doable but they charge a small fortune for the connection; i.e. £6 per hour or £15 for the day. Maybe this isn’t steep but it’s the first time I have stayed somewhere where the connection isn’t free. That usually means you have to go to their Internet room but I wouldn’t mind that. Anyway, if I want to be in touch with all of you, I have to pay for the privilege.

After I checked in, I realized I was starving so I went for a quickie lunch in the bar. A lady of senior years (my age it turned out) invited me to sit with her and I thought it would be churlish to refuse. She is another virgin Just You member so we had one of those getting to know you conversations. She was widowed last March so, sad but not rejected. I was getting a tad bored when another virgin turned up. There are 96 people in the group, not all virgins. We all met later for a drink and a run down of the exciting activities to come. The meals will be buffet style which I’m pleased about because I can stuff myself with the better items. I met another virgin at the get together meeting but this one was male so I guess virgin is the wrong word. We talked about our divorces. I suppose when you get 96 people together who range in age from 50 to 80, they are bound to have past relationships that need airing. Oh well, tomorrow we are off to Somerset House (Courtauld Institute) and carols at the Royal Albert Hall. Games and quizzes in the evening and then it will be Christmas day.

On the mend

2011-12-16T08:28:00.003Z

This fluey, rubbishy illness thing has gone on long enough. It has been a month now that I have been too pooped to pop so I finally went to the GP on Tuesday. Nothing 'on my chest' except two enormous overweight tits so I haven't got pneumonia. She sent me for a lung function test and it reflected my many years of smoking. Thank god I gave up 7.5 years ago. Then yesterday I had a session with the acupuncture lady. She stuck a few needles in me and, hey presto, I feel very much better today. So is it the codeine cough syrup or the unblocked chakras that are perking me up. Whatever, it feels good to feel good for a change. We are all going down to Brighton for Harry's birthday party tomorrow. The little soldier is 4 yrs old. We Skyped the other day. Brilliant.

Living in a civilised non violent country

2011-12-08T15:37:00.001Z

A father had his finger bitten off by another parent as a brawl erupted at a school nativity play in South Shields, Tyne and Wear. “One bit the finger off the other and spat the blood out like an animal.”

Can't wait for my citizenship to come through!

Changes

2011-12-08T11:27:00.003Z

Here I go again with a ten day lapse. I have been 'under the weather' and cosseting myself; ergo, no blog. Also not much to report. The excitement I have been experiencing includes a leaky toilet and a TV aerial connection problem. The leaky toilet was easily fixed (I won't bother with a photo) and the TV connection has also been dealt with. I moved the furniture in my front room to the back room and vice versa. This means tables up front and sofa and telly in the back. The house used to be that way when I bought it and was so for many years until I did a switch about four years ago. Now I'm back to plan A and I like it. The Gees and John T came by for Sunday lunch on the condition that they shift the furniture for me. Once shifted, we ate so we have dined up front and I think it will be good - closer to the kitchen. Then today a lady came from John Lewis to measure up the back room for curtains. I had switched to blinds a few years ago and they have not been a success so everything is going back to plan A. The curtains wont be ready until the end of January but when they are up, I will do a photo. Bye for now.

The boys

2011-11-28T10:44:00.003Z

I decided to bring Harry a very intellectual present this time. Ergo, drinking glasses.

Tom is too young for drinking glasses. He likes his bevvies in a bottle.

Weekend in Brighton

2011-11-28T10:31:00.002Z

We have a good system for my visits to Brighton. I drive down on Friday afternoon stopping at M&S food shop on the way. I pick up food for dinner - not exactly ready meals but definitely easy prep. The boys go to bed at 6 and 7. We eat at 8, half an hour of Corrie and we are in bed by 9. This is not only desirable, it is essential because Boy 1 is up at 6AM and doesn't understand the concept of a lie-in or even a slow start. He needs his cereal and he needs it NOW. I have to get it just right - the correct bowl, and the amount of cereal to put in it. He seems able to judge it by the flake. When we have cereal in bowl, I pour on the milk and it has to be blue milk (full fat). Then it is time for spoon choice. He has various coloured plastic spoons all of which have to be got out and lined up. Is this a pink spoon morning? green? yellow? Only Harry knows and only Harry chooses. I then slouch around with a cup of coffee while he wolfs down the cereal. We take a break then to build train tracks before coming back for toast. By then, Tom is awake and having his first pint of the day. All this early activity is nice for me because I then so appreciate my own schedule when I'm back at home.

20 Days

2011-11-22T11:10:00.002Z

That's how many days I haven't written my blog and I know you regulars are missing it! I haven't even finished the two watercolours I started on my last trip to Earnley. They are sitting in the shed/studio waiting for me to find the time to work on them. Ha Ha. That should read waiting for me to stop wasting time wool gathering and ruminating. My TV watching is all up to date it's just the writing and painting that suffer. Of course now I have the short day excuse. Don't ask me how that excuse works because I do have electricity. Anyway, I thought it was time to update this blog.

My back garden is covered in fallen leaves. The colour is a good red/orange/brown but they need to be removed and it is a big job. I could ruminate while I rake but luckily it's raining today. Also I have a couple of people coming for part of a lunch. This is a friend I met at BK and she and I and Kathleen are having lunch today - main course at Kathleen's followed by pudding at mine. Kathleen and I live next door to each other so we don't have to take a bus to get from fish pie to apple crumble.

I'm having dinner tonight with one of my local councillors. She has become a good friend. On Friday I go to Brighton for a weekend with the boys. Apparently Tom is mobile now so they have put him in a cage (a playpen) but Harry delights in announcing that it's time for Tom Tom to go in the cage. Harry will be four in about three weeks so he needs a birthday present. I suggested to his mother that I would buy him an electric car, the kind you ride in, but she vetoed this without a second thought. I'm disappointed because I always wanted one of those when I was a kid. Oh well.

Earnley again

2011-11-02T20:22:00.002Z

I had another excellent watercolour course at Earnley today. I had to go because the place is closing next month and I needed a final shot of bed, food and first rate course. The drawback was driving home this evening in the rain, the dark, the rush hour traffic and only a hazy sense of direction. Actually, I followed the route perfectly and arrived home at 7PM. Of course I was exhausted so I meandered down to the Dong Dong for a glass of wine and a plate of noodles. I love that place - cheap and friendly. Thank god it's not closing. I still resisted doing pictures of fairies and dragons and concentrated on the techniques. I'm working on two pictures, one of Rosie sitting on a lion and one of Harry jumping. I shall post them when they are finished.

A further update

2011-10-23T09:10:00.002+01:00

I have been very good about giving up wheat and gluten for the past two weeks and unfortunately, it works. I feel much better and much perkier. I shall keep it up as best I can. Chloe and Charles are staying with me this week while the rest of the family go to Cornwall for the mid term break.

An update

2011-10-14T09:48:00.003+01:00

14 day detox - my energy level is chronically low so I decided to do something about my diet. I don't mean "dieting" although that would not go amiss. What I am doing for two weeks is not having wheat & gluten, no alcohol and no obvious sugar. I miss my bread. Gluten free bread is too awful and certainly doesn't lend itself to a nice ham sandwich. I have been doing it for five days and I think I feel better. I take a 30 min walk each day.

Courses - I have been going to a writing course on Tuesday evenings and I have given it up. It was so-o-o not working for me. I would come home exhausted and fed up so I withdrew yesterday. Just so I don't get lazy, I began a Photoshop course last night and it is great. Anything with a computer is the thing for me and I know I will be more than happy to do homework.
I'm wondering if courses are a bit like shopping for me; i.e. if I take a course, I can sit and listen to someone else talking about whatever it is instead of doing it myself. The shopping involves buying stuff for whatever new project takes my fancy instead of getting on with it!

Immigration - The forms are completed and with the solicitor who is handling the process. I decided to hire someone to do it with me so that it would be done right. I had an email from her yesterday asking me if I want to change my name before the application goes in or wait until it is done and change names in time for the new passport. I would like to change my name today but I don't want anything to hold up the citizenship process.

1970's tie dye dinner party

2011-10-08T12:42:00.003+01:00

In order to cope with a very large (wide) dining table, I made a tie dye tablecloth from a sheet. Such a flashback to the 70's when that particular craft form was everywhere. I invited eight friends, three from my art group, three outliers and Rachel and Charlie. Alison and Sian decreed that I must have a 1970's menu so here it is:

Before- cheese and pineapple hedgehog
crisps and dip
Starter - prawn cocktail with MarieRose sauce
Main - chicken Kiev
chips
a selection of frozen veg
Pudding - Black Forest Gateau
apple crumble

To ease the blandness of the menu, I had good wine.

The tablecloth

The guests

After all this wonderfulness, can a macrame plant holder be far behind?

The boys, The park, The engine

2011-10-03T11:29:00.003+01:00

Yes indeed, I had my weekend at the seaside with the family Williams.

It's a long way down. Did you mean for me to be here?

Child No.1 - I'm cool. I drink and swing
Child No.2 - This is the greatest thing since breast milk

I will always be faithful to Thomas, the engine, that is. The brother is a given.

Off to Brighton

2011-09-30T09:21:00.001+01:00

I am going down to Brighton today to spend a couple of days with the boys and, of course, their Mummies. I will have my camera and will post pictures when I get back.

Another course

2011-09-21T08:42:00.002+01:00

I decided it was time to get serious about doing some writing. It's all very well to say you do writing but the truth is that I never seem to get around to it. So, I started a writing course last evening and we've got the old phantasy thing going again. I told you about the art course. Well, I turn up at this place last night and realize that everyone else in the group is considerably younger than I and everything seems to revolve around Sci Fi. But, like the art group, I am going to stick with it to see what happens. Perhaps I can write a story in one course and illustrate it from the other!

My Monday evenings at BK continue. The meditation suits me and the discussion group is useful. I try to carry things I hear into daily life and sometimes I succeed.

I have been going along great with Flylady. My Zone this week is the kitchen.

Adam

2011-09-18T08:33:00.002+01:00

We are in the middle of an Adam style sleepover. We started off yesterday afternoon with a trip to the cinema to see the new Planet of the Apes film. The first half was pretty good (not great) but it then turned scary so we left. I told Adam he could choose our dining venue and, god love him, he picked KFC. It's my favourite fast food so we made the five mile drive down to the A40 service area and indulged ourselves. We got Krispy Kreme doughnuts (only one each) to bring home and treated ourselves while watching Madagascar which was way better than PofA. We were in bed by 9:30 and now we are up waiting for Starbucks to open so we can indulge in a little more self indulgence.

A True Brit

2011-09-12T16:43:00.003+01:00

Good news. I spoke to an immigration lawyer today and she tells me that my background, assets, family, and general and specific wonderfulness mean that I can apply to become naturalized and there should be no problem having it come through. I can get a British passport and, equally important, I can change my name. For those of you who don't already know, I will be Anne Richards when this happy day arrives.

Earnley

2011-09-06T09:05:00.002+01:00

I spent the weekend at Earnley Concourse. I was doing a course called Fantasy Art in Watercolour This was chosen on the basis of time - I wanted to be away this particular weekend and the word 'watercolour'. What I didn't take into account was the word 'fantasy'. I was thinking about daydreams and making stuff up. This is what it is but the emphasis was/is on faeries and dragons. Great wings and tails everywhere and sexy girls with long wispy curly hair twining around their scantily clad bodies. "Oh dear", I thought but I didn't give up. There were only two of us in the class plus the teacher. She was terrific and I learned a lot about watercolour techniques. The other student was an older man who had taken up painting when he retired ten years ago. The first task was to choose a picture from the many books that Sharon (teacher) had brought. Barry quickly found himself a dragon and this lady and got to work.

I was searching frantically for something that didn't have fire coming out of its mouth or big doe eyes and I came across THE RABBIT. I knew immediately that this was my picture.

I used Rabbit to learn about tracedown paper, masking fluid, salt technique and, most importantly, blending and blurring and outlining. It was a terrific weekend. I also bought some decent supplies. I used to assume that it was pretentious crap to go on about sable brushes. Not so. They are wonderful so I now have a set.

This is a partially finished picture by the tutor. She was using it to demonstrate various techniques.

By the way, we were told that we should always give our pictures names. Mine is called 'Redundancy'.

Rosie's Birthday Party

2011-08-31T18:54:00.002+01:00

The Jungle Cake

Today Rosie is four and I went to her house a for birthday tea party. Her mother made and decorated the cake. The woman is amazing and this is only round one. She will have her friends for a party on Sunday and mother will be mixing, baking and decorating yet again.

Flylady

2011-08-29T09:17:00.002+01:00

I have discovered a new 'get things done' guru. It is called Flylady and Alison told me about it. This is a follow-on in my feeble attempts to get organized and to get my life going smoothly. She, Alison, started me with 'Eat that Frog' which concentrates on defining the worst job you have on your list (I live with lists) and doing it first. I then moved on to 'Pomodoro' which is a 25 minute timer that you use when you have a long drawn out job; i.e. sorting the bookshelves or wardrobe. You set the timer and when it goes off, you can take a break for 5 or 10 minutes and then reset it and get back to work. The latest 'improve yourself' effort is called Flylady. You start off with a 28 day program of gradually getting things in order and keeping them that way. Day 1 was easy. It was called 'shine your sink'. The idea is that if you always have a clean shiny kitchen sink, you will feel good about yourself. Before I went to bed last night, I cleaned and polished my sink and I have to say that when I got up this morning, I did feel good not having to face dirty dishes. Day 2 (today) was to start the day by getting dressed. My usual routine is to sit at the computer in my nightwear drinking coffee and wasting time. Well, not today. I'm still wasting time but at least I'm showered and dressed whilst doing it. The Book Club is meeting at my house tonight so I have to be both tidy and intelligent. We are reading "Mother's Milk" by Edward St. Aubyn. I won't say here what I thought of it because I must save my opinions for the group.

My children and their spouses

2011-08-25T18:58:00.000+01:00

This was taken at my birthday party. They are my Super 8.

Where Am I?

2011-08-25T18:25:00.002+01:00

I seem to be checking Facebook these days. I don't write on it and I have been ignoring my blog. I am fed up with my laziness so here I am. Now, what to say? Summer is almost over. That was interesting and original. I'm cleaning my house and sorting my life and making room for the new me to express herself. I have taken up pottery. Sabina is teaching me. I will be sure to let you know how I am doing because I know you will be eagerly awaiting an update. I may even take a picture of one of my efforts.

I went to two films last week with the grandchildren - Super 8 with Adam & Chloe and Smurfs 3D with Rosie. I liked Smurfs better. Adam and I agreed that the alien in Super 8 was miscast and we thought there were weaknesses in the plot! Just so you don't think I have completely reverted to second childhood, I went to the Coffee Concert on Sunday and heard a super rendition of a Mozart clarinet quintet.

Coming down to earth

2011-07-17T18:17:00.002+01:00

Daniel, Michelle and Olivia left today at noon. I told her that I was going to miss her and she said, "It will be nice for you Grandma Anne because the house won't be so loud!" She is right about that but it is also very empty.

The party was nine days ago. I have pictures but I haven't sorted them yet. They will follow in next blog. It was a superb party. There was a bit of rain at the start but not for long and I had hired a marquee (that's English for tent) and we were protected as needed. We also had a bouncy castle for the children and two more gazebos; one for the bar and one for conversation. A lot of people came including all my children and their spouses and nine grandchildren. I even hired a photographer so I have excellent pictures and I could be in front of the camera. As the party wore on, the weak ones went home but the stalwarts stayed to dance. I had made a music ipod from the 60's and 70's. So good. I did do some clearing up on Sat & Sun but mostly I have been on lounge duty. Daniel was fantastic at helping me prepare the garden for the onslaught and Judith (my gardener) worked non stop on the flower beds until ten minutes before the first guests arrived. Darcy and Joe and Craig put up the gazebos. The caterer, bar tenders and wait staff turned up at 4 and started making the most wonderful hors d'oeuvres and preparing the glasses and the drinks. This was not a budget party but it was worth every penny because I didn't have to do anything except enjoy myself. I am very grateful to my family and friends for such a brilliant celebration.

Revving up for round two

2011-07-05T19:05:00.002+01:00

We came back from Ireland on Sunday evening. It was a great week and such a treat to travel with my little sister. I slouched around yesterday enjoying that 'back home' feeling. I have been good today getting things ready for the onslaught tomorrow. Eight family members are arriving on five different flights. Fortunately they are of an age to come up from Heathrow on the coach. It drops them off on the corner of my street and a three minute walk from my front door. Can't wait.

Seven Oh Oh

2011-06-29T08:46:00.002+01:00

I'm sitting up in bed this morning having my slow start with computer and coffee. One of the problems with travelling is that you are expected to get up and dressed and go down for breakfast and that is so not me. MJL (sister Jane) is going down for breakfast but I'm never hungry first thing so I decided to indulge myself as a birthday treat. She promises to bring back a banana and a croissant to keep me going till lunch. Of course it is unreal that I could be as old as I am. I'm considering making a few resolutions. You know 'first day of the rest of your life nonsense' but I will probably continue in my slothful way at least until the party and the visits are over. We are in Killkenny and will go to Kilarney today. Up to Galway on Friday and home on Sunday. I grab my chances to eavesdrop on the locals because I love the accent. We had a wonderful bus driver, tour guide in Dublin who had us laughing outloud. He should be a standup comedian and I told him so. The weather has been excellent so far - no rain.

Ireland

2011-06-27T17:53:00.002+01:00

Arrived safely last evening. Jane was already here so we had a few bevvies and a meal and lots of catching up and then off to bed. We went to the Guiness brewery today but passed up the free pint. We are out this evening to a singing thing then off to Kilkenny tomorrow.

Party

2011-06-21T09:20:00.002+01:00

Plans are well underway for the big party on the 8th. First I will be going to Ireland for a week with my sister to have a look at our roots, etc.

Alison and Harry were here last weekend and it was super to have the little man in residence. He continues to be wonderful. He and I slept in the same room so that I could get up in the morning with him and give Mummie Ali a bit of a lie in. 5 AM!! This in spite of the fact that the bedroom was in blackout like WW2. Of course there is always the possibility that I woke him up with my snoring.

Kindle

2011-06-14T08:22:00.002+01:00

I am very much enjoying reading on the Kindle. It was a good buy. I am reading The Memory of Love for the book club in July and the Kindle lets me make notes and highlights that I can refer back to (to which I can refer back)! It bothers me to put a preposition at the end of a sentence but it sounds so phony and ridiculous to switch the sentence around.

Early Birthday present

2011-06-12T09:52:00.002+01:00

I succumbed to the power of the electronic written word and bought myself a Kindle. It arrived yesterday and today I will get to know it and download my first book. I've been going back and forth about this and had the chance to use Sian's a couple of weeks ago. It doesn't mean I won't carry on collecting the real thing because they are so inexpensive at Amazon. Okay, I know I should be patronizing my local bookshops but I'm a techno-girl hence it is easy to click a mouse and a man turns up at the door a few days later with the book. I am trying out a few books at the moment to choose one for my turn at the book club in August. Any suggestions?

We have had a nice lot of rain overnight. This is good for the parched garden but not good for the clothes I left on the line.

Hiatus

2011-06-09T06:43:00.002+01:00

I have been sick with a bad cold, cough, sore chest, etc for a week and not felt like writing. Improved now. The snoopers have worked out very well. I can watch telly without sub titles and I found the book club more hearable last week. The big test will be at the next Headington Action meeting as I try to take the minutes. I had forgotten how loud birds can be.

The big party gets ever nearer and I don't seem to be in a panic yet. I have been writing and sending invitations this week. All I can say is that if everyone comes, it will be a large event. There will be a marquee, caterer, bouncy castle and lots of bevvies so what can possibly go wrong?? Of course I am hoping for nice weather but I can't count on it so I'm not worrying about it.

Snoopers

2011-05-25T08:41:00.002+01:00

I took the plunge last week and went for a hearing test. Needless to say I am faulty in the upper register like most older people. This can be helped by having hearing aids and I have decided to accept the inevitable. I probably wouldn't have bothered except for my job as minute secretary for Headington Action. Sitting in the middle of a fairly large room trying to make out what people are saying at a meeting has become difficult and I am embarrassed to ask people to repeat themselves all the time. Except for this activity I probably wouldn't have bothered because, living alone means there is no one on hand to irritate and I can use sub titles when I am watching the telly. Interestingly my three daughters response to this news has been entirely positive unlike their brother who was horrified. Alison says his reaction is because he can't stand the idea of having an 'old' mother but Jane thinks it is because I have been much more in the physical presence of the girls over the past few years so they are well aware of my dysfunction. Whatever the reason, I get the little thingies tomorrow and start the process of getting used to them. Unfortunately, the monthly meeting of HA is tonight so I won't have them for that. Are you wondering about the title line of this blog? No? Well I will tell you anyway. I realized that whereas there are two words for the item you place on your upper face when your sight is bad; i.e. glasses or spectacles, there is no similar word for hearing aids. I am working on a word to fill this gap. I have come up with three so far - snoopers- auricles – ear shots. I'm tending toward snoopers. I like auricle but it sounds like oracle and I'm not that. Any suggestions?

POModoro

2011-05-12T13:03:00.000+01:00

I have been using the pomodora technique since 10AM and have done two on studio clearing and two on paperwork. God, I am so pleased with myself. I'm going to have lunch now and then do a couple more, at least. I'm hot today.

7th Anniversary

2011-05-11T08:55:00.002+01:00

I looked at the calendar this morning and realized that seven years ago today, I smoked my last cigarette. I had tried a few times before to quit but always went back to it. There was nothing momentous about that date. I was in a hotel in New York and I couldn't be bothered going outside for a puff and I never went outside for a puff again (or inside either). I didn't smoke a whole lot but I was so addicted to the few I had each day that I don't think it occurred to me that it would last but it has.

RAIN BEAUTIFUL RAIN

2011-05-07T08:24:00.002+01:00

I awoke to the sound of rain on the roof. Bliss. We've had none for about 6 weeks and the gardens are looking parched and sad. It is forecast to continue all day and more tomorrow.

Last Weekend

2011-05-05T07:24:00.003+01:00

The Brighton family came for the weekend. A wonderful time was had by me. I hope they did as well.

Thomas John Williams - this is Harry's little brother. He is three months old and a splendid chap.

Grandma has a turn feeding the baby. I don't get chances like this very often so I made the most of it.

I rescued a large stuffed lion from the tip and Rosie made good use of him. The flowers in her hair were woven together by Chloe from my garden. It's nice to have both a lion and a big sister.

EASTER

2011-04-29T09:20:00.003+01:00

Harry - Hat - Train

Jumping from a higher bed to a lower bed - the best game

The hunt is on

Who cares what the baskets look like as long as they have eggs in them

I can show you how to blow bubbles, Harry, cuz I'm really good at it

Charles V and the garden shed/studio

2011-04-22T12:25:00.002+01:00

The paint on my garden room was wearing thin so I hired young Charles to paint it during the Easter break. He did a wonderful job. He is wearing one of his dad's old overalls and there is no mistaking his 'Gee-ness'. This has got me moving in the direction of clearing and sorting all my artsy stuff and before you know it, I will be producing masterpieces. Well, maybe not masterpieces but I will enjoy splashing paint around. Stay tuned.

More Garden

2011-04-22T12:19:00.003+01:00

My garden is at its absolute best right now. The bluebells are glorious and many other plants are coming into bloom. The magnolia is finished but you saw that last time. We have had the driest April on record but I am holding off on the watering because I don't want to become a slave to the hosepipe and I don't want the garden to become artificially water dependent. Surely that has to be one of the advantages of living in England rather than southern California.

My garden

2011-04-06T12:54:00.002+01:00

I took these pictures this morning. It's a beautiful day. Spring has sprung.

Adam

2011-04-03T08:55:00.002+01:00

My little friend came over last evening to spend the night. I love having him here. He is good company even though he spends a good deal of the time on YouTube. He talks to the computer! We started the visit by going to KFC for supper. I haven't been there since the weight loss challenge started at the beginning of the year. I think I can excuse a quarterly visit.

Today is Mothering Sunday - Mother's Day in England. I'm going to the farm for tea. Ian and Judith are visiting at the moment so I'm having them here for lunch. I want them to see and admire my garden.

I feel the need to post some pictures but I need to take them first. Today is a good day to do that. Stay tuned.

The Best Volunteer Job

2011-03-25T08:45:00.004Z

I spent Wed and Thu lying in bed in a good cause. Brookes nursing school has volunteers come in for the day to act as patients so the students can be tested on their skills. I have had my blood pressure taken about 50 times. It actually got down to 116/62 by the end of Wednesday. It usually runs high normal so this was good. I have a natural slow respiration rate so when one of the students seemed concerned I told her I do meditation and can easily go into a trance and hardly breathe at all so she mustn't worry but she said she would report it to her mentor. They gave us coffee and tea breaks and lunch. Lots of nice people too.

Be sure to check Jane's blog for a picture of the Marathon Man.

Three weeks is too long

2011-03-22T08:30:00.002Z

I know, I have been very remiss with my blogging. It is partly due to not feeling very well and partly because I seem to go first to the WLC blog that I'm doing with my largish friends and relations. Anyway, here I am and I will start with a copy of the email I had this morning from Daniel. He ran the LA marathon on Sunday in pouring rain, gales and cold weather. What happened to LA? They should have come to Oxford. We had a beautiful day.

Hi Mum,
Thanks for the phone call yesterday. What a day! A rainstorm of Biblical proportions. I have never been so wet, so tired, and so cold as after I finished. But I feel pretty good today. There was a great moment when this Latino family was cheering at the road side. I think between Silver Lake and Hollywood. I had just run up two horrible hills downtown and was feeling pretty sorry for myself with 15 miles still to go. I had my name on my bib so I hear the Dad yelling, "Go Daniel, You Can Do It!" What an LA multicultural moment. Brought a tear to my eye and new resolve to my effort. The male cheerleaders and go-go dancers in West Hollywood didn't hurt either. Over 6,000 people didn't even finish so I am feeling pretty proud of my accomplishment, finishing a respectable 12,048. Not bad for a 46 year old geezer.
Talk to you soon.
Love,
Daniel

CONGRATULATIONS, WONDER BOY.

Illness strikes

2011-03-01T09:00:00.002Z

I seem to have a cold with heavy viral influence. I'm going to have a home day today except for one trip to the Acupuncturist. I have been visiting her every three weeks and she has done a power of good with my arthritic knee joint. She also made diet and exercise suggestions - the usual less fat and more walk. Went to the book club last night but I wasn't well enough to enjoy it.

The Ballerina

2011-02-21T08:02:00.002Z

Chloe danced in her ballet school production. I went with camera. I took pictures - small sample below. It was a wonderful show and she was excellent. I hadn't seen her for some time in full flower and up en pointe. What a beauty. She and her friends are off to Paris today for a three day holiday sans parents!

Brighton

2011-02-19T17:52:00.003Z

I went down to Brighton on Friday to see the baby who is now almost three weeks old and to do some family bonding. I picked Harry up from his nursery school and we went home together to see the little brother. Harry is doing very well with the interloper. See picture below for a big brother kiss. After tea, we put the boys to bed and had a delicious supper and a bottle of wine. We topped off the fun with a double bill of Corrie. I did my Grandma bit this morning and got up at six to spend quality time with Harry.

Thomas John at his best

I'm 19 Days old and they expect me to read the back of brochures

The Boys

2011-02-19T17:49:00.003Z

The Williams' Brothers

Family Bonding

2011-02-01T18:23:00.003Z

Thomas and Eastbourne Grandma
(sorry to be late with this one)

Thomas and Oxford Grandma

Mummy Sian and Harry

Alison and the boys

Thomas John Williams

Thomas John Williams

2011-01-31T15:52:00.002Z

The baby arrived this morning by C-section. Mother and son doing well. He weighed 7 lbs. I've been with Harry today so have not yet seen the new prince. I'll go tomorrow with camera and re-post. Alison has taken two pictures with her iphone and posted them on Facebook - Alison Williams

January

2011-01-25T08:30:00.002Z

We are almost finished with January. It has been a good month for me. My self improvement projects include
-continuing with meditation course
-acupuncture
-talk therapy - finished for the time being
-regular walking
-food intake reduction otherwise known as diet
-gardening
-SAD lamp

I decided I was fed up with being depressed so I would pull out all the stops for self help. Of course it is not a controlled trial but I'm not a scientist. So far my mix 'em up method is working and that's all that matters.

The ongoing WLC

2011-01-15T13:39:00.002Z

WLC stands for weight loss challenge. There are five of us in this group; all family and international. We have each logged a starting weight and we weigh in once a week on Friday mornings. We started on Jan 1 and plan to continue until the end of June. After two weeks, everyone is doing well but it is early days. I think the companionship will be a great help. We each have little tricks that we can share. Mine is to have a dinner party on Friday or Saturday evenings (after the weigh in) and throw caution to the wind then spend the rest of the week making up for the party and trying for a pound or two down.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELISABETH

2011-01-10T15:14:00.002Z

Although we were three weeks late, we celebrated Elisabeth's 96th birthday yesterday. We couldn't do it on the day because of the snow. Elisabeth is fantastic. She still works and maintains a busy schedule. She teaches Alexander Technique and was originally trained by Mr. Alexander himself. She is slim and energetic and puts me to shame. It is a privilege to have her as a friend.

Christmas

2011-01-08T16:17:00.002Z

I missed out on Christmas and New Year but let me report that they were great, especially Christmas. We went to John and Pat in Eastbourne and they provided a wonderful Christmas day. I came home on the 27th. There had been a lot of snow in the couple of weeks before Christmas so I went to Brighton on the bus. It works quite well - coach from the corner of my street down to Gatwick and then a second coach from there to Brighton. The only drawback was not being able to take Harry's present and the case of wine for John and Pat. I will have to make a second trip to Eastbourne with the wine although I used some of it a couple of evenings ago for an excellent dinner party. The dinner was a great success although it threw me way off track for the weight loss challenge. I had decided that January would be a dry month but faced with the coq au vin and other yummy food plus having spent the day getting everything ready, I succumbed to the call of the grape. It was worth it. It is hard to beat Chateauneuf du Pape. I'm back on the wagon and the food deprivation thing again although I had Rosie round today and she begged for a trip to MacDonald's so I ended up eating chicken McNuggets. Whoops. I'll have to starve for the rest of the week. We do our weigh in on Friday morning so I have five days. I won the first week and I would like to keep up the good work.

Roger

2011-01-04T22:26:00.001Z

My friend Roger died today. I am very sad. I went to his house each week to read to him. I will miss him.

Harry's Birthday Weekend

2010-12-14T10:29:00.003Z

I picked Adam up on Friday afternoon and he spent the night with me. We drove down to Brighton on Saturday afternoon and went shopping for Harry's present. We had to take Harry with us so he could choose his own Thomas paraphernalia. That done, we crashed with pizza in front of the telly to watch XFactor. Next morning was party day. Adam, Harry and I went to the park to give the Mummies a chance to do party prep. We stopped on the way for some sustenance - see the boys enjoying their Baby Chinos.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Harry's cake was baked by Mummy Ali but the decorating was the skill and handiwork of Mummy Sian.
Needless to say, Harry was inundated with all things 'Thomas'. That would be The Tank Engine for those who aren't au fait with 3 yr olds.

The Wardrobe-Lion No-Witch Maybe

2010-12-04T10:11:00.005Z

I finally managed to get myself to Ikea to buy a wardrobe. It was so heavy and large that it had to be delivered even though it was in pieces. There it was, at my door on Tuesday but, because of the size and weight, it would need two people to get it upstairs and then to put it together. "On whom shall I confer this privilege?" I asked myself. As luck would have it, I had a phone call from John T that very day and I promised him lunch if he would come round to take on the heavy labour. He very kindly turned up yesterday and we got to work. I say 'we' advisedly because I did help. We were about half way through when we decided to break for lunch. Of course we had the obligatory couple of glasses of wine with the soup and cheese then got back to work. Well, he got back to work. I sat down and took pictures and giggled a lot. The job is done and it looks good (shut up, Alison you know I will never get over my infatuation with Ikea) and fits the space. I'm well pleased.

John hard at work

If you look at the mirror, you will see me sitting down taking the picture

God bless him. He did the lying on the floor bits

December is here

2010-12-01T08:15:00.003Z

24 days till Christmas. I'm looking forward to it this year for the first time in five years. I will be in Eastbourne with Pat and John (Sian's family). Rachel also invited me so I am feeling pretty good. It is literally freezing outside. We have snow on the ground; not enough for a snowman but at least I can drive. I'm taking Roger for a scan this morning so driving is essential. I'm still going down to his place once a week to read to him. I enjoy this so much. He always has the London Review of Books or the New York Review of Books and; as I don't subscribe to either, it is my chance for some high class reading. We read an article by Sheila Fitzpatrick on her visits to Russia during the Cold War and I wished I had had Jane with us to say the Russian words and to do a little explaining.

Diets

2010-11-21T13:24:00.002Z

I have been having a bit of trouble with my knee so I bought a book about the 7 Day Arthritis Diet. The first day is a fast and then gradually adding fruit and veg - you know, the usual rabbit food. But I thought it would be worth a try so I fasted on Friday and this meant, in addition to no food, no coffee; ditto for the 7 days. By Sat. evening I had a ferocious headache and then Leo invited me for dinner so, guess what? End of 7 day diet. Lots of coffee this morning - feel great. This morning I was surfing around the net and I stumbled upon the diet for me. See below.

Man loses weight eating sugary snacks
A nutrition expert has managed to lose nearly two stone in 10 weeks by just eating sugary snacks. How?

Apparently what he discovered during this research was that it is the calories that count not the type of food. (Do you think someone actually funded this research?) Anyway, I like his approach and I'm willing to give it a try. Today is the perfect day to start since I am having a friend and her friends around for a birthday supper for her. She is a celiac so I offered to make a gluten free birthday cake. The cake is baked and looks okay but the proof of the pudding is in the blah blah blah. Of course I have a fridge full of healthy food for the now defunct arthritis diet and I should eat that before I go out and stock up with cake, crisps, pizzas etc. I will post updates on this scientific investigation.

My first fire

2010-11-20T13:37:00.002Z

I had some people round for dinner on Wednesday and one of them offered to come a bit early to light a fire for me in my big old stone fireplace. I had the chimney swept two years ago but never took the next step; i.e. firelighting. I provided the wood and he set to work. Unfortunately, the chimney failed to draw properly and we soon had a room full of smoke. I opened the doors and waved a towel around but when the rest of the people arrived, they had to sit in a cold room watching a smoking fire. James rushed across the road to the Baptist Church and borrowed a fire extinguisher just in case. The one thing that worked perfectly was the fire alarm. In spite of this excitement, it was a great evening. We moved into the smoke free back room and enjoyed dinner.

Adam

2010-11-07T08:49:00.002Z

Adam came yesterday afternoon and spent the night. We usually go out for a film and a meal but he was all worn out from having been at a birthday party so we stayed home with the telly and some sausages. We are up and at it this morning although 'at it' in our case means cartoons for him and blogging for me. Apparently he had a better night last night by which I mean that he only had to leave my room once for a snoring interlude (me, not him). We took the battery out of the clock so he didn't have to listen to it ticking. When I am with him, I am reminded of what it used to be like when I had good hearing. We will get dressed pretty soon and hit Starbucks.

Down to earth after Halloween

2010-11-01T14:07:00.002Z

This is no trick. It is Sian with her treat.

The boy with his best girls

More Halloween

2010-11-01T14:04:00.000Z

Carving pumpkins is a hoot. Mummy Ali looking good as a witch!

Weekend in Brighton

2010-11-01T13:59:00.002Z

I love Halloween especially when there is a kid involved.

Sunday morning in bed with the Mummies (Grandma behind the camera)

Bicycle photo

2010-10-26T17:38:00.003+01:00

Very kind of you Alison to ask to see the bicycle photo. It's not perfect by any means but the background is suitably blurred and the cyclist is fairly clear. The idea is to give the effect of movement.

Photography class

2010-10-24T20:17:00.002+01:00

I am back from a day in London doing a photography class. When I woke up this morning at 7 and realized that I had to get up, I was cursisng myself. I was wrong. It turned out to be an excellent day. I'm finding aperture and fstop very confusing but I'm a little farther ahead than I was this time yesterday and; more importantly, I have the desire to go out to practice what I think I may have learned. We went out onto the streets of London and practiced panning shots, etc. How cool is that. I won't post the pictures I took because there are 137. Most are rubbish but a few not too bad. I think one panning shot of a bicycle is okay. Anyway, a good day was had by me.

Rachel's Birthday

2010-10-13T10:12:00.003+01:00

It was Rachel's birthday on Monday so we had a little tea party at the farm. I took a cake and there were presents and cards. The best card was from Chloe (see picture).

.

Home

2010-10-09T20:16:00.002+01:00

I have been back in Oxford ten days now and very glad to be home. The trip was excellent but it is always nice to be in one's own bed. The weather here suits me. I left LA in temp of 109F and got off the plane at Heathrow to 59F. What a relief. I went to Brighton my first weekend to see the girls and Harry. They are all wonderful. Harry loves his suitcase on wheels (see Alison's blog). I have started two evening classes; one on Critical Reading which I'm enjoying and one on Meditation which I love. Otherwise it is the usual round of family, friends and neighbours and that suits me. I had gotten away from the dinner party thing but I'm going to get back into that again. I like to cook and I like to see people. The days get shorter and the clocks go back in three weeks. It suits me. Judith and I will be putting the garden to sleep for winter. Because I have several large trees, this involves a lot of raking and composting of leaves. But then there is a break of several months and that's good too. I was going to post some pictures from Brighton but I seem to have permanently deleted them from the Big Mac. I was having trouble with it and I thought that possibly having 10,000 pictures on it might be the cause of the slowdown. Apparently not but by the time I had it sorted, I had precipitously dumped my photos. Ugh. Most of them are backed up on a hard drive so all is not lost. Adam is having a sleepover with me tonight. I'm glad to have bought the MacNugget because I have something to write on while he is playing games on the Big Mac. He and the Gee family are going to London tomorrow to get Chloe settled in for a week of work experience. She will spend Monday to Friday working at a PR firm in central London, staying with her godfather in Hampstead. I thought I felt old when my baby turned 40 in September but this is worse. She is a grandchild and not even my oldest grandchild. Oh well.

Catch Up 2

2010-10-03T16:24:00.005+01:00

On the day before I left Burbank, I invited the Hacking/Jacoys and Darcy and Joe for Sunday lunch. Here are a few pictures.

Olivia has started dressing for Halloween already. She plans on being a witch but she is obsessed with the Wizard of Oz so I couldn't resist a Dorothy wig.

Daddy reads a bedtime story to his little girl.

Catch Up 1-Daniel's new school

2010-09-30T14:19:00.002+01:00

I went to Daniel's school to look around and to meet a few teachers. They couldn't say enough good things about our boy. I was swelled up with pride but couldn't resist saying that it was a pleasure to be coming to see Daniel at a Middle School where he was in charge, not in trouble.

The Principal Dr. Hacking at his desk and by the anchor

A music class - about 70 kids mostly playing stringed instruments. This is one hell of a school!

Resolutions

2010-09-16T17:17:00.002+01:00

You may remember a few months ago, Alison posted that she had 40 things to accomplish before her 40th birthday on 4th Sept. I have a big birthday coming up next year (70) so I thought I would do the same thing. Jane pointed out that finding 70 things to do would be mighty difficult so she suggested I settle for 7. That would be one for each decade. I will make a list (suggestions welcome) and post it when I get a chance.

Capitol Reef

2010-09-14T21:40:00.004+01:00

The white cliffs of Dover have competition from the red mountains of Utah

Jane smelling a tree at Craig's behest (I guess they're still in love!)

We left on Friday afternoon for the four hour drive to C R. The closer we got, the more impressive was the scenery. I had brought my proper big camera and enjoyed picture taking. I was only sorry that I didn't have a better grasp of F stops and all that stuff. We stayed in a motel and Jane had booked two rooms, one for her and Craig and one for me and the children. I put a stop to that immediately. I couldn't inflict my snoring/sleep apnea gasping on the poor little things so I got a room of my own. Everyone was happy. The weekend was excellent; beautiful weather and scenery to die for. Sunday afternoon saw us back in SLC.

I went to see Kathryn on Monday. It was a marathon session but lots was accomplished. Jane and Catherine and I went to the nail shop for mani/pedi. My nails look better than they have in months if not years. Ryan is coming for dinner tonight.

Burbank

2010-09-08T13:19:00.003+01:00

Here I am. Travelled all day yesterday without incident and arrived at Daniel and Michelle's at 4:30PM. I'm now travelling Economy class having lost my Travel Agent but it wasn't too bad. I had an aisle seat in the front row of the 'cattle car' which meant more leg room and no one in front of me putting their seat back in my lap. I came supplied with IPod, laptop, books and a magazine and I also watched a really bad movie (The Backup Plan). The food wasn't too dreadful and, being Economy, I was spared the task of making a menu choice. I brought my own roasted, salted pecans to enjoy with my diet coke. All in all, pretty good. I had arranged to take the Super Shuttle from the airport to Daniel's house and that also worked well. I'm going to Salt Lake City on Thursday and really looking forward to seeing Jane & Co.

Olivia is cute as a button. I will post pictures later. She talks a blue streak. It's a toss up which parent she gets that from. Probably both. She looks much older than her three years.

It is now 5:30AM. Of course I'm awake but I might snooze a bit more before I get up properly. I brought my latest toy (MacBook) with me. It's great. Now I have Big Mac at home and Mac Nugget for travel.

Brighton Pictures

2010-09-05T11:18:00.003+01:00

Harry on the rope walk

Spent 24 hours in Brighton with Harry so Mummy Ali and Mummy Sian could go away for the weekend (Pat came on Saturday to do the second 24 hours. The girls don't think either of us could manage 48. Actually, I have to confess to feeling quite tired when I got back to Oxford. I spent the evening watching Wallander and eating a huge plate of my home grown vegetables which were delicious. I haven't got to the tomatoes yet; I may have to give them to Judith. Also, I've given up on the courgettes. I don't like them so she can have those as well. I'm hoping that when I get back from America there will be lots of carrots, onions and beetroot. I love beetroot. I don't have any lettuce but I think I will give it a go next year.

I'm off to LA on Tuesday. I'll be taking the MacNugget with me so I plan to keep blogging. I will be home at the end of September.

Rosie's Birthday Party

2010-09-02T08:18:00.002+01:00

Pretty in Pink

Everything has to be pink - my dress, my presents, my cake, everything

My grandma gave me a ballet outfit (I'm starting lessons soon) and Mummy helps me to put on the gear

Check it out - I'm going to wash my face before my first ballet lesson!

Mummy made my birthday cake (I helped)

Blowing out the candles is the best part

Modern World

2010-09-01T08:43:00.003+01:00

Smug driver vindicated as SatNav confirms his usual route

An Isle of Wight resident was reportedly feeling particularly smug this week after the purchase of a Satellite Navigation system confirmed to him that all the routes he normally takes are exactly the one his Global Positioning system would recommend if he didn’t already know exactly where he was going.
Matthew Gratton, became the latest to feel the 21st century emotion of ‘SatNavisfaction’ when his newly acquired Garmin Nuvi 265, with a 3.5″ touch screen and pre-loaded UK and Western Europe maps, not only directed him to his destination, the business park outside Ventnor where he works, but also chose the exact same route that he normally uses.

I'm jealous. I wish I had a SatNav. Seriously, I've been lost a few times around cities in heavy traffic and it's a nightmare. Also my silly side would enjoy driving my usual routes to check with Ms SN. Do you think I might have too much time on my hands?

2010-08-27T20:18:00.000+01:00

Pyramids

2010-08-21T13:16:00.000+01:00

Check it out

2010-08-20T10:22:00.001+01:00

I have been hard at it sorting and hurling and here is the result so far. I'm going to leave this room for now and get to work on the shed/studio. My garden has that end of summer look. I mowed the meadow this week and I have been harvesting beans and courgettes. I even used a large bulbous courgette to make a chocolate cake. It was very successful and a talking point when I had people to dinner on Wednesday evening.

Whooppee

2010-08-12T20:38:00.002+01:00

My new Macbook arrived this morning and I am writing on it. It is going to be so wonderful. It already is. Adam is here with me this evening for an overnight. He is playing games on Big Mac and I am enjoying myself on Little Mac. We went to see Dogs and Cats in 3D this afternoon and followed up with a meal at Dong Dong. Tomorrow morning we will have coffee at Starbucks with Zoe and then back to the farm for a driving lesson with Chloe. It's all go.

Brighton Pictures

2010-08-10T18:25:00.002+01:00

I went down on Friday afternoon. We had an early night because the boy has been waking up between five and six so the Mummies were exhausted and I always like an early night. Anyway, next day was Gay Pride in Brighton so we all walked into town to see the throng. There were lots of excellent costumes. I wanted to go to the Apple Store so I left Alison and Harry heading for the parade. In retrospect, I wish I had gone with them. The Apple Store was super crowded but I did corner a salesgirl long enough to ask if there was any point in buying a Macbook from them for £999 when I could get one from Amazon for £881. I came away satisfied that it would be fine to go with Amazon and that leaves me with £119 to put toward the Applecare Plan. I have one with my big IMac and I have made good use of it. I want the Macbook for travelling and taking to the studio or to bed with me. How sad is that! Sleeping with something called Mac which isn't a burger or a Scotsman! I put in my order today so hope to have the new toy in a couple of days. My next self indulgent item will be an A3 printer.

I have been working on the home sorting, sifting and hurling process and it is going quite well. My plan is to have my whole life in perfect order by the time I go to California. Then when I come back, I will turn into a productive, move ahead kind of girl. Oh well, I can dream. I will go to Brighton on the 3rd Sept for an overnight with Harry. The 4th is Alison's birthday (the big 40) and she and Sian want to go away for the weekend to a spa. I'm going to do the Friday night and Pat (Sian's Mum) will do Saturday night. Strangely enough, they don't want to take Harry with them. By the way, for anyone who doesn't know, Sian is pregnant; baby due in February. We are all thrilled.

Weekend in Brighton

2010-08-10T18:18:00.002+01:00

Pictures

Making biscuits with Grandma

Mowing the lawn with Mummy Sian

You think I'm a wild and crazy two year old but I'm really an intellectual

Life in the Garden

2010-07-29T08:43:00.003+01:00

I bought a bird table last month with the idea of putting out seed to attract my feathered friends. It is placed outside the window where I sit to waste time on my computer. I can compute, I can bird watch, all from the same chair. Brilliant. I thought I would get cute little birds but instead, it's pigeons all the way. Okay, they are birds and they need to eat. I noticed two of them having what looked like a real dust up. I assumed they were fighting over me or at least my bird seed. I mentioned this to my next door neighbour who knows everything about birds. She tells me that when it looks like they are fighting, they are actually courting. How like life! It appears that my high class restaurant has turned into a cheap motel.

Taking turns with the food

Getting it on

Back to reality

2010-07-24T14:37:00.003+01:00

This is my best birthday present. I got it from my grandson, Sam. Thank you, sweetheart. It is perfect.

I'm home now and have been for almost a week. Paris is behind me and real life is grabbing hold. I have a plan for the New Me. I will spend my mornings walking briskly, sorting and clearing and either painting or writing. Okay, stop laughing and pay attention. The plan is to turn the shed into a studio and become an artist. I know I have no talent but I like messing about with paints and crafts and I'm going to do it. The writing bit is also problematic but I have a few things in my files that I can resurrect and work on before true inspiration hits. I also want to get serious about my camera. It is a beautiful SLR Canon. I have owned it for two years and I still use it on automatic. The only adjustment I make is the 'flash off' setting when I am in a museum. In spite of my failings, I have lovely pictures and they could be much better.

One last Paris post

2010-07-23T10:11:00.003+01:00

This was my favourite painting of the trip - go figure!

More pictures

2010-07-23T09:45:00.003+01:00

Housekeeping on the lily pad pond at Giverney

From the sublime to the ridiculous? I don't think so. I love the Pompidou

The garden at Versailles

Enjoying lunch at a French restaurant

Pictures from France

2010-07-22T08:53:00.004+01:00

The Group

Paris from the top of the Pompidou Centre

One of the many cathedrals

Paris and the Seine

2010-07-19T15:04:00.002+01:00

I got back late last night and am spending today enjoying being home. It was a wonderful trip. Those Impressionists know how to paint although for me, Post Impressionism and some Modern Art has a greater impact. We spent the first three days in Paris. Unfortunately, it was 90F and about 90 humidity. Combined with lots of walking, this was hard going for me. I knew I was out of shape but I hadn't registered that I had become a slob. Now I know and, of course, my plan is to do something about it. Later.

No one else was interested in modern art so I took myself off to the Pompidou which I loved. Many people consider it a blot on the Paris landscape, a load of pipes! Well, there are lots of round metal bits sticking out but they are colourful and interesting. I wouldn't want the whole of Paris to look like the Pompidou but it pleases me that the Pompidou looks like the Pompidou. Also, the escalator system on the outside of the building is good and works well. Going to the top provides an increasingly panoramic view of the city. I spent most of my time on the fifth floor; the permanent exhibition. All the great ones are here - Braque, Derain, Matisse, Chagall, Kandinsky, etc. and, of course, the greatest, Picasso. I have another offbeat favourite, Chaim Soutine. He uses wonderful colours and that quirky rippling style. I discovered a new painter (new to me) called Sonia Delauney. And then there was Francis Picabia. A strange bloke, obviously angry but I was interested to see his work because I had discovered him many many years ago in a cookbook by Alice B Toklas (Gertrude Stein's girlfriend) which described how to cook eggs a la Francis Picabia. They were delicious but I have to wonder if this was because he used about 1/2 lb of butter for 6 eggs.

We started the cruise in Paris and went down the river to the Normandy beaches to have a look at Omaha Beach and the American cemetery. Obviously this was very sad. Things cheered up with a side trip to Bayeux to take a look at the tapestry. This is a marvellous piece of work but I became a bit fed up with the pro William spin. I've always been a Harold fan and I think he got a raw deal. He and his troops had to run all the way up to York to deal with some very nasty Vikings and then turn around to run back down to the south for the major battle with W the C. The tapestry makes a big deal about Harold swearing to allow William to be king of England after the death of Edward but if you look closely, there are a couple of blokes with spears pointing at him whilst he takes the oath.

We also went to Rouen to visit the spot where Joan of Arc was burnt and to see the Cathedral. The local museum had an exhibit of 11 of Monet's paintings of the Cathedral in all lights. It was fascinating to see them side by side. We stopped also at Honfleur and we watched the Bastille Day fireworks from the upper deck of the boat. Another high point of the tour was the trip to Giverney; a garden to die for. The lily pads in the pond were good but the garden even better. I think I understand now where Judith got her inspiration for the plan of my garden. Now, if only I could paint!

We finished up back in Paris and said our farewells on Sunday morning. Most of our group were flying back to Los Angeles so they were up for an early start. I made new friends some of whom I will see when I am in LA in September. But I have to say I was thrilled not to be facing an 11 hour flight after a tiring week. Being a tourist is not for the faint hearted. Anyway, I love Oxford and am lucky to be living here.

Brighton Pictures

2010-07-02T09:09:00.003+01:00

I'm not a fairy but I love their cakes

In the pub with Mummy Ali

I'm holding the coolest salad servers which Mummy Sian gave to Grandma for her birthday

Birthday (mine)

2010-07-02T08:40:00.002+01:00

It was my birthday on Tuesday but I celebrated last weekend in Brighton. I went down on Saturday and the wonderful girls took me out for a meal in the evening. I had a lie in on Sunday and then we went to Lewis for lunch at a pub. John and Pat met us there and a good time was had by all. Harry was his usual sparkling excellent self. He helped his Mum decorate fairy cakes for my tea time birthday party on Sunday. His decorating style is to put icing on the top of the cake, add sprinkles and then eat it off. This provides him with an opportunity to start over on the same cake. We slouched about on Sunday evening watching a film. I left on Monday morning because I had to be back in time to make myself a birthday cake for the book club on Monday evening. It was at my house and we had read The Bell by Iris Murdock. Most of us had read it years ago. The rereading gave us a chance to bring a more mature insight into the discussion. None of us had remembered the strong homosexual plot. All I remembered was pulling the bell out of the water. I made an old fashioned checker cake and everyone sang Happy Birthday. I am lucky to live where I do, surrounded by good friends. The next day was my actual birthday but I was a bit hung over so I limited myself to reading to Roger which is always a great pleasure.