19/06/2008 by Aileen.

I’ve been really reluctant to write lately. Don’t know why.

Had a good day last Friday when I met my creative writing colleagues at Burton Agnes. It was raining so we spent a long time over coffee when we met at 11am, then dispersed to look round the house. It’s a lovely size to look around. Quite often I feel weak and sick looking round castles etc. and need to sit down or go out into the fresh air. This place was fascinating and had some wonderful furniture, artefacts and paintings. We met for lunch at 1pm and after that the sun came out, so I spent ages snapping the gardens and going for a walk in the woods. A couple of the photos are on my website.

Sunday was sad, as Éamonn announced that he was leaving the parish for another one. The priest from the next parish is taking our one under his mantle. Will have to write about this in my secret blog!

On Tuesday evening I went to the talk on the sacraments by Fr Michael. Really good. I am going to buy a book/books by Huebsch when I have googled him and seen what he has written. (Fr Michael gave us a handout which was simple and profound at the same time - and in modern language.)

Birding on Wednesday was quite good. Saw lots of waders. I prefer little woodland birds, but the avocets are lovely. We saw a swan carrying cygnets on her back. Norma came back for lunch and brought some delcious homemade chocolate biscuits. I had ONE after Slimming World and John’s nearly scoffed the lot.I lost half a pound, which was disappointing as I put on the same amount last week. My fault for eating every scrap of the pork crackling on Sunday (plus fish and chips one day and some alcohol a couple of nights.)

As all the hard copy photos are now sorted I have been sorting and tagging (and deleting) my digital collection. Must add some to my web (and label the family according to Norma.)

Well, that’s a very uninspiring post, maybe they all are. But it’s a good record of my life for future years. I have written (much more searching) journals, but cannot read my writing. Let’s hope the kids can’t when I’m dead and gone.

Posted in blogs, birds, slimming, church, website | Print | No Comments »

08/06/2008 by Aileen.

I’ve been looking at other people’s blogs and if they have a cat it seems that it is almost mandatory to say it’s crazy. We have three cats and none of them are crazy.

Ellie is very beautiful except that she carelessly lost her tail. She is a longhaired tabby with the sweetest expression, but she is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. If she is locked in a room she thinks she’s a rabbit and tries to burrow her way out. She used to have an even more beautful brother, called Abe. (Well they were Abelard and Eloise actually) Abe was a smoky grey colour and the most beautiful cat in the world. When he was about 8 months he came running in one day in great distress. I ruosed to Jshed him to the vets but he died as we got there. We think he had been hit by a car as he had internal injuries. He was a real little baby and used to ‘paddle’ into my lap. He was definitely ‘my’ cat as opposed to John’s.

After he died I used to see Ellie sitting in the garden looking around. I was sure she was looking for her big brother, so I went out and bought two more kittens. (Well more like rats - they were skinny little tortoiseshells.) We called them Sugar and Spice.

Sugar is a timid little thing although she is marginally braver than Spice. If people with gentle voices are visiting, like Trudie and Al, she will venture out before too long.

I’m sure no one believes we have a pair of tortoiseshells, as Spice NEVER comes out when we have visitors. But what she lacks in bravery she makes up in brains. She is so interested in John’s Scottish History studying, and at night she cuddles up to John in bed and practices her reading.You can see her working things out and would speak to us in English but probably doesn’t want to shock us.

So none of them are crazy, but they are such wonderful individuals. Watch this space for a picture or three. Most of my photos are on my main computer, and it is HOT in the conservatory so I’m not going out there now. Not for anyone. Bye bye.

Posted in cats, blogs | Print | No Comments »

07/06/2008 by Aileen.

I’ve just written in my other blog as I have been feeling bored and am at a loose end. (Don’t know if I mentioned it but I have started another blog to be nasty in)

Anyway, it must be very therapeutic as I feel fine now, and am about to go out shopping. Will have to take car as I am going to local garden centre as well. I cut and strimmed all four lawns (get me - they’re only small) and planted up 2 hanging baskets, planted 6 tomato plants and 2 peppers this week. I previously planted onions and potatoes and find some potatoes are sprouting near one of the compost bins.

Because we have four strips of grass I have named them.

• front lawn
• top lawn
• cherry orchard (it has a plum tree in it)
• wild flower meadow (I let it go wild when we first moved in)

Posted in shopping, blogs, gardening | Print | No Comments »

04/06/2008 by Aileen.

Oh I do love my life so much. We had a wonderful morning’s birding, seeing turtle doves and many little passerines. Also a few butterflies. It was really warm. I love the sun beating on my face/back.

Against my principles I went to Tescos on the way home and stocked up on odds and ends. Some things I just can’t get locally.

J and I spent time on the garden in the afternoon. I planted 6 tomatoes and 2 peppers and finally planted up 2 hanging baskets. John cleaned the patio which gets filthy with the ducks.

Then at Slimming World I found I lost 3lbs (although it only counteracts the 2 and a half pounds I put on last week.)

It is a ‘balmy’ evening. We have just come in from the garden and have the french windows open. Telly’s just gone on as J likes The Bill. I’m happy to write my blog and surf the web.

I can’t remember if I said, but I started a secret blog. I’ve written about someone I had ‘issues’ with in my last parish. I felt bad writing negative things about a church community, as it is a bad advert for religion, but not many people will stumble upon it. It will be interesting to compare the two blogs eventually, and see my dark side next to my persona. ‘Will the real Aileen please stand up!’

Posted in blogs, gardening, slimming, church | Print | No Comments »

31/05/2008 by Aileen.

It’s Saturday morning, and I’m really well again. I was ‘nearly’ better yesterday, but had a couple of queazy spells in the morning. I did everything slowly!

I started a new, anonymous blog yesterday, as in this one I am so polite and well-behaved. I just don’t want to upset anyone. In this new blog I can say exactly what I want about who I want. It will be interesting to see my dark side!

So far I’ve put in two posts, and they are both harmless. I’m just in a good mood and love the whole world. Oh well. That can change!

Today’s plans …

shopping at village butchers and local farm shop
prepare another square on veg. patch for green beans
plant up 2 hanging baskets
prepare 1st Communion session for tomorrw
enjoy

Posted in blogs, health | Print | No Comments »

01/03/2008 by Aileen.

I had a very caring comment from an Elaine Williams after my last posting on bereavement and looked at her site. I recommend it to anyone who has recently been bereaved, or has had bad news about their health. The site is

http://www.ajourneywelltaken.com/

Reading her blog made me wonder why I blog. Her’s is so obviously useful both to herself and to others. I’ve read other ‘blogs with a purpose’. Now Michael Flowers, who leads a group of us birdwatching each week, has a blog.

http://eybirdwatching.blogspot.com/

I don’t really have a purpose. I’m partly writing because I just love writing. I don’t even think of anyone reading it.

At the same time, I think ‘I’d better not put such and such in, in case so and so reads it and is upset.’ So it ends up as the inconsequential twitterings of a silver surfer. Oh well! That’s why it’s called SeriousLight! I can’t believe all the hits I’ve had since I started. Who are you all?

Posted in blogs, life/death | Print | No Comments »