27/06/2010 by Aileen.

I was wide awake at 4am this morning, so had a cup of tea, a wander round the garden (and out the front by the canal - looking for otters) and improved on some shoes I made in Second Life.

As a consequence I overslept for Mass and drove there 15 minutes later than usual.

On the way I saw a young man in black limping along really badly. I turned back and as I pulled alongside him he collapsed in the grass verge, so I gave him a lift into Howden. He had been mugged at midnight in Hull and was trying the get to Howden where a friend was picking him up at the garage.

He said he had been to the police but they said they couldn’t do anything for him. Nice one.

Anyway, I dropped him off, went to Mass really late, and drove back that way after, but he had gone, so hopefully his friend had found him.

He had juice with him, and an inhaler, so hopefully he was ok. I offered him my tea in my water bottle, but didn’t think to offer him money.

I arrived at Mass just in time for the homily, which was good (except Fr Neville reads them) except for the bit where he said that Jesus wants us to come to Mass every Sunday to worship him. Erm. If he had wanted to be worshipped he would have left himself present in a beautiful jewel or something. You don’t worship bread - you eat it - for strength. And wine is for strength and enjoyment.

I think we go to Mass to be fed, so we can go out and feed others.

Anyway, just filled a dustbin lid with water as my little blackbird is really gaping.

And the lovely Acer that Don and Chris gave us for our 40th wedding anniversary is looking the worse for wear. I’ve just soaked it in water, and hope it is ok.

Holiday tomorrow, so today is washing, ironing, packing, etc. etc. etc.

Oh yes, and World Cup Englis match!

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25/06/2010 by Aileen.

It’s just too hot to do anything. No Creative Writing as it’s finitoed for the summer. Did some really leisurely housework (why does it always need doing!) and tried to read/study/surf the net, but just could not settle.

Sorted out shoes and undies.

In the afternoon I went up the Wolds in search of poppies. Ali wants me to give her two of my ‘nature’ photos with a reddish theme. Well, I have bluebells, daffodils, and multicoloured plants and butterflies, not to mention birds, but red??? I did find some poppies, and some autumnal leaves, but decided to go find some 2010 poppies. (I can drive now)

There was nothing up past Market Weighton, and I drove along lanes until I got past Londesborough, when lo and behold, a poppy field. With easy access too. I have worked on four of the photos, and will try to upload them here, but I might have to save them for web if this doesn’t happen automatically.

Tonight, Fr Neville has an ‘emergency’ meeting as the two nuns have retired from the parish and he needs to know who is doing what. (I think he wants rotas) I don’t want to go - I hate committee sort meetings, but he asked if I would.

Yesterdat John had the dentist in Hull so we had lunch in a coffee bar there and did some shopping. I’m really excited about our holiday next week. More so than Florida or any other recent holiday.

For the record, I missed Birding on Wed as I couldn’t drive. Norma rang yesterday offering to take me shopping, which was so kind of her, but day was already planned with John. Oh, and I have my embarrassing boil back. Is this what getting old is all about?

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24/06/2010 by Aileen.

Here are some of the photos from Spurn. Forgot to post them.

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23/06/2010 by Aileen.

I should have gone birding today, but still on tablets so was at home. I really missed going, but managed to do a lot at home. Well, not that much, I suppose, but I cut the front lawn and powered-washed the front paved bit.

John cleaned our bedroom carpet with the carpet cleaner, and I washed and vacuumed the bed side cabinets.

I actually watched a lot of the football, and had tears in my eyes when England won. My God!

Fiona’s granny has died at just a week away from her 103 birthday. She’s going to Ireland with her brother for the funeral. This sounds selfish, but I’m glad she’ll be with us on holiday in Centerparcs next week. 102+ is a great age.

Viewfinders went to Spurn on Monday evening, so I’ll put up a couple of photos at the end of this.

The only other thing to say is …. I’ve forgotten.

Oh yes, I have an OU assignment in the week after the holiday, so hope to get it in this week. It’s a 5 page website plus a report about it. I got the CMA (computer marked assignment) back and got 90%. Silly mistakes.

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21/06/2010 by Aileen.

…dawns fair and sunny. I’ved always loved Mondays, even when I was working. Probably because I loved teaching (until the  last few angst ridden years) Well, the last year was lovely. I had a super class and super parents, and I knew a rotten   challenging class was coming up. I decided to go on a high, and it was such a good decision.

Anyway, I had a lovely dream last night. I had a huge mansion with wonderful grounds that were slightly overrun and neglected, and I was doing them up with the help of my gardeners. It was all getting into shape wonderfully quickly.

This correlates with Real Life (The Outer World!) Mondays, I work like billio to sort out the house. I have two extra reasons to do so today.

1. Last week I was dizzy so did little round the house

2. Next week we’re off on holiday, and I want to come back to a ‘perfect’ house.

So this is a week of dusting, cleaning, dieting, shopping. Oh hell, I’ve just remembered, it’s Church Cleaning tomorrow.

Actually I won’t be able to do it. John is driving me everywhere as I’m still on ‘dizziness’ tablets, and I think he has a client tomorrow morning. Also, I can’t really expect him to drive me for that. The church will have to cope for a week without me. Sheila does it with me, but her older sister is really ill, and I don’t think she can make it either.

Oh I am rambling on this morning. I’ll just post a piccy of a whitethroat with spider that I took on a wobbly walk round the local Nature Trail last week. Then I’ll start some dizzy dusting.

Oops. I’ve already posted it. Here is another piccy. A wren this time, and I don’t think I’ve posted it before.

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16/06/2010 by Aileen.

Well, yesterday I wasn’t too bad, but today I jumped out of bed to get ready for Birding, and it all came back with a vengeance. Norma was going to pick me up as I can’t drive, but I had to cancel her, and it’s just as well, as I’ve been feeling dizzy most of the day. It’s a shame, as we were going to a new place, and afterwards Norma and I were going to visit a former birder who is really ill and is having respite care at the moment. He and his wife are so brave. We’ve watched Steve get weaker over the year (some wasting  muscular disease I think)

Anyway, yesterday I was well enough to go for a walk, and spent a lovely couple of hours in the morning up at the Newport Nature Trail, yards from our house. Saw bullfinches, whitethroats, avocets, song thrushes and the usual suspects. Here are some photos from there and from our garden.

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14/06/2010 by Aileen.

Working backwards… I got really dizzy yesterday. I was fine at Mass, went to the dump afterwards, attended (for a few minutes) the Newport Nature Trail opening. Michael Flowers was there in an official capacity to point out the nature, and I said he could pop in for a cuppa afterwards. The event was rained off early, so Michael called and we had a cuppa, then I started tidying a high-up cupboard. I was up and down like a yoyo, and got really dizzy afterwards. I don’t know how I finished cooking the roast. Anyway, I was fine if I sat still, but felt sick, and staggered a bit if I moved.

This morning (yes, I am working backwards in a minute)  I was still dizzy. I staggered on putting out the wheely bin, and thought if anyone say me they’d think I was drunk. Anyway, I got an appt at the doctors (John drove me) and the doctor thinks it’s benign poitional vertigo. I could have treatment there, which would probably make me sick (making me move around in various positions to relocate some ’stones’ in the ear canal) or have tablets and see if they worked. I was very brave and asked the doc what she recommended. Luckily she said the tablets. Anyway, I’m much better this evening, but I can’t drink or drive for 3 weeks while I’m on the tabs. This takes in the holiday, which is a bit of a bummer.

Working backwards… oh I can’t go through everything in detail.

Friday. Good creative writing session.

Thursday. Sheffield with John to sort out new wheelchair. Then lunch in Meadowhall. It’s the most enormous shopping precinct I’ve ever been in.

Wednesday. Birding. Lovely fresh morning, although not really summery.

Tuesday. Think I did housework.

Monday working backwards to Friday evening. Trudie and Al here for the weekend. Weather was really good and we had a barbecue, played Scrabble, caught up on the news from OLI (Our Lady Immaculate, Tolworth) It’s amazing how many people we know there are aging and unwell. Alright, John and I are no  spring chickens, and I’ve got this balance problem at the moment, but on the whole we are so healthy.

Balance problem!  That reminds me. My tablets are for ear infections, but also for anxiety, and mental problems. Oh well. I should be well and truly sorted after three weeks.

It’s Ali’s 40th birthday today. I feel bad that we haven’t sent  her a pressie. (Sent two cards) We just don’t know what to buy her. We haven’t bought Martin’s pressie either (he was 42 a fortnight ago, the day before Alexander’s christening) It’s so difficult in this affluent age and country. And yes, I know there’s a recession, but in this family we are fortunate enough to be to buy something if we need it (or as Ali corrected us, if we want it)

Oh dear, Catholic guilt is setting in. Maybe I ought to double up my tablets.(or give a donation to a worthy cause)

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04/06/2010 by Aileen.

It seems wrong to write trivia after the awful events in Whitehaven the other day. But what can I say about it?It’s unbelievable, especially as Derrick Bird was meant to be so ‘normal.’ He doesn’t seem to fit the usual profile of a killer. Well, I suppose we all have our dark sides, and sometimes they are very deeply buried.The more they are unacknowledged the more they can get out of control when they do emerge.

John and I spent a very pleasant day in Whitehaven. Twice I think. Once was with Ali, Eric and  Liam. (Kieran was a tiny bump in Ali’s tummy. It rained like mad, and we have a photo of us getting soaked. We also went on a steam engine. (I think this was Whitehaven!)

The time I do remember well was when John and I were having a few days at The Fat Lamb in Cumbria.

http://www.fatlamb.co.uk/

We went to Whitehaven for the day and I tripped up on the cobbled pier. I was so busy saving my camera that I broke my ankle and ended up in casualty. I had to have a tetanus injection, and the thought of it nearly made me faint. Anyway I survived.

The next day we went to St Bee’s, and there was a group of men driving sports cars on to the promenade. They were from that motoring programme cum magazine (forget the name - the one with The Hamster in) I took a photo of John next to a very snazzy yellow sports car. Not digital, so I won’t scan it in and  publish it.

Lo and behold, when we got back to The Fat Lamb the men were staying there. We watched them as one drove down the country lane while the others followed with the photographer, shooting arty pictures. We bought the magazine when it came out and keep it as a souvenir.

Back to the present. Trudie and Al are coming for the weekend. I already have a casserole on, and it’s only 9.15. Feeling very virtuous. Think we’ll have a barbecue tomorrow, and a roast on Sunday, so that’s the food taken care of. Except for the puds. I don’t do puds. Johyn can do a fresh fruit salad, I’ll buy a gateau, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll stew some rhubarb from the garden. Crumble and Pie are beyond me.

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01/06/2010 by Aileen.

So long since I’ve posted. I’ve just been too busy I suppose. Chris and Nigel came to stay, Ali,Eric and kids came for a couple of nights, and then we all went south  for Alexander’s baptism.

So where do I start?

Let’s do it chronologically. I’ve known Chris since the late 60s. We were in St Matthias parish in Worcester Park, Surrey, then Chris moved to Tolworth. Lo and behold - we followed.

Chris is an incredibly kind person who has looked after various people for the last few years, and she and Nigel have only just now been able to come up and see us in Yorkshire now that her father and father-in-law are dead.

We had a great time catching up on the gossip.

We had a great meal at The Pipe and Glass in South Dalton.

http://www.pipeandglass.co.uk/about.php

We also had a great game of Scrabble. Well, it wasn’t really great, as the board didn’t open up much, but we enjoyed it anyway. Chris won and I came last.

We had a day on our own (washing sheets etc) when Ali rang to say she was coming down on the Thursday so the kids weren’t too long in the car on consecutive days.

Once again, a good time was had by all. I didn’t want to miss my Creative Writing on Friday morning, so rudely went!

There was a broken down lorry on my route, and I got there half an hour late.

However, this wasn’t the worst thing. As I was driving along I was thinking that, barring technical reasons (like not getting my work in on time) I should have a degree this year. I was idly thinking of what could go wrog when I suddenly thought, Hell (or worse) I didn’t attach my commentary to my story. This would mean I fail as both parts are necessary.

Anyway, as soon as I got home I rang my tutor, and he got back straight away - I had attached the commentary.

So. Barring technicalities I should have a degree by the end of the year. (Sounds big-headed, but I won’t fail the story.)

Anyway, on Saturday we all drove down to Oxford. We stayed in the Premier Inn in rooms opposite one another. We tried to book a meal in a nearby pub, but both ones we tried were full, so we stayed in The Beefeaters attached to the Premier Inn. Martin joined us, and we all enjoyed our meals. It was Martin’s birthday, but the next day’s celebration took precedence. (Fiona stayed at home with her parents and Alexander.)

The next day we had Alexander’s baptism. There were so many people there. 41 kids plus all the adults. But the priest commented afterwards how well everybody behaved. Well, both sides of the family are Catholics, so we all know the routine! Some of the friends were from Martin’s and Fiona’s Catholic secondary schools, but a lot of the new friends weren’t.

After the baptism we all went to the village hall at Hutton-cum-Studdley. This was an inspired choice. There is a great adventure playground and lots of grass all around, so the kids could run around. (Some adults too!)

Sarah, M and F’s neighbour, did the catering. She’s doing a meal for David Cameron and 80 friends next week, so she’s good. The food was lovely.

As an aside, I have to mention the birds. There were two red kites wheeling over the hall earlier in the afternoon, and there was a little bluetit who had laid eggs in a cigarette disposal unit outside, and the poor little thing was run ragged feeding her offspring. There only seemed to be one parent.

Time to put up some photos.

Bye.

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