11/12/2009 by Aileen.

REGULAR READERS of RAMBLINGS will know that I spend Mondays wearing myself out with moppin, dusting and vacuuming. Well this Monday I made the Christmas cake, which was such a major production for me I didn’t do any housework. At Viewfinders we did close-ups with a Christmas theme, but I forgot my tripod so the photos are rubbish.

On Tuesday I went to Donna Nook for the day.

Wednesday - we had the excitement of the ‘break-in’ through our garden into Colin’s. I also made twenty Christmas cards and wrote a Pantomime scene for Creative Writing.

Thursday - by coincidence we had our annual security check first thing, and then a police officer called about the break-in. I managed to do a little housework.

Today, we should have fun at Creative Writing. We each have to write a scene for Cinderella, and will put it together this morning. We then have our Christmas lunch, so John is coming along. It’s usually good pub grub at The Nag’s Head in Preston. (Village near Hedon!!!)

Bye all. Off to shower.

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26/10/2009 by Aileen.

I’m not a week  ahead with the OU, I’m dead on target. I must have lost a week somehow. Anyway, this week, Emil should finish our sitting room, going down to Stoke Mandeville to hear if John needs another op, (staying with M and F overnight) hoping to take pics of autumn colour.

On Saturday I’m going to Leeds Sculpture Park with some OU people I’ve never met, to take photos.

We’re having a portrait session at Viewfinders tonight, in ‘the style of an old master’. Think it’s going to be Hollywood type portraits. Should be fun.

Hope to do the last lawn mowing of the year, and prune the plum tree.

I also hope to finish my OU assignment and carry on developing church and photography websites. I’ve definitely learnt loads in the last year.

Thank God I seem to be pretty healthy, although I’m still getting short of breath and I burst a blood vessel in my eye again. I’m fed up of blood shot eyes.

Anyway, this morning is housework. Bye.

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01/09/2009 by Aileen.

You know how I feel about lovely shiny new Mondays? Well I get a similar buzz about new months. I just wish it was Monday too! Things are so good at the moment. John went to the doctors last week, and got the strength of his painkillers doubled. The difference this has made to him is amazing. He’s sleeping all (almost) through the night, which means he’s getting up earlier and doing lots.

He’s emptied all the drawers in his study and scrubbed them out. He’s sorted out all pens, biros etc. Most are going to the charity shop. He’s cleaned and repaired various Parkers and other good pens lying around. This has inspired me to do the same. Our desks are now things of beauty.

I sorted out my study and found so many notebooks. I must count them. Rubbishy reporters pads are now in the kitchen for writing shopping lists etc. I have so many lovely ones. I buy them if I am going on a course or something, use a few pages, and put them away. Anyway, most are stored together now, and I have a few out for various things. I bought the best one ever a few weeks ago. It’s a Paperblank from W H Smiths, with the theme ‘mystical horses’ on the cover. It has a flap to protect it. (I’ll post a piccy) This is for my new A363 Creative Writing course.

We’re expecting lots of things through the post this week. John ordered 4 different inks for our pens. (I chose two colours) He’s also ordered desk furniture for his study. I’m expecting my Open University stuff any day, and we’ve been waiting for weeks for Martin’s pressie to come from America. They are sending it out again, as it must have got lost first time round.I can’t say what it is, as it’s a surprise for Martin.

Fiona is doing really well. Baby’s heart beat is strong. She’s still feeling sick, but not constantly.

Liam and Kieran have been back at school for ages now. They both love it by the sound of things. And I can’t wait for my studying to recommence. As I said, happy new month.

I’ve noticed that I haven’t posted any pictures recently on the main website, so am off to remedy that now. Bye.

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24/08/2009 by Aileen.

I’ve been working on the Viewfinder’s website over the weekend. Then Paul gave me the details for the church website. So I’m all webbed out. Anyway it’s Monday, so it’s housework. Raining, so probably no gardening. Viewfinders tonight is in Howden, so very near me. Hope weather improves or it’ll be an evening in the pub.

Viewfinder’s site doesn’t come up straight away if you search. I think you have to put the full URL in

http://www.viewfinderphoto.co.uk

That reminds me- only half a bottle of wine and about four cups of coffee all week, in an attempt to lower my blood pressure. Coffee is the hardest thing to resist. I put some on after Mass yesterday (had two cups then) and ooooh the smell. Heaven.

I had a funny turn in the York Designer Centre on Friday. Just dizzy - no pain like the previous week - but I was scared. I think it’s just like my mum used to get with bright lights. A sort of painless migraine. Poor John had hoped to look at clothes and buy some chocolate, but we had to go home. He thinks it’s a nefarious plan on my part!

Anyway, I’m just putting off the housework. Bye.

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27/07/2009 by Aileen.

This is the first ‘normal’ Monday I seem to have had for ages. Last Monday was the ‘I Felt Like Crying’ post, the week before we were on holiday, and I can’t remember before that.

Anyway, Kieran and Liam had been staying with Martin and Fiona for the week, and M and F returned them very late on Saturday night. (1.15 am) (They had been to Fiona’s brother’s new baby’s christening.) I overslept, so couldn’t go to Mass, but I was wondering whether to skip it anyway, as M and F didn’t have very long with us. We had roast chicken, with kale and runner beans from the garden and then M and F set back down for Oxford while we took the grandchildren up to Penrith so Ai and Eric could pick them up from there.

Over the Pennines (A66) we got stuck behind two ‘abnormal loads’. John just couldn’t overtake them before the end of the dual carriage way. Well, there was a narrow strip of road with lorries coming towards us. The biggest oncoming lorry pulled right in to the verge and stopped. The first abnormal load lorry missed it, but the second one scraped all along the side of the stationary vehicle. Oh dear. The sound! And the big flecks of white plastic that went swirling round the road! My camera was at my feet in my bag. If only I had had it in my lap. What a photo!

So today, it’s tidy up the mess in the kitchen and do my ‘normal Monday’ whip around everything in the house. I might do some gardening as I seem to have the bug again, but it’s a bit chilly!!!

Then, this evening it’s Viewfinders. We’re going into York. Should be good.

If I don’t do any gardening I’m going to set up a picture gallery on my secret website.  Oh, and I have another commission from Redemptorist Publications for some children’s Sunday leaflets, so might have a go at them.

Bye, world. See ya.

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11/07/2009 by Aileen.

We’re off to the Swinton for a few days, to celebrate John’s 70th, but he is paying I should be rushing round tidying the house up for the neighbour, but no, here I am prevaricating. I’ve just made a thank you card too, for Jim, who lent me £20 yesterday when I found myself 20 miles from home with no money and very little petrol. This double dactyl (Google it!)  tells the story!

Heckety peckety

Aileen B Urquharty

Travelled to Hedon

Without any purse.

Gentleman Jiminy

Characteristic’lly

Came to her rescue

Before it got worse.

Anyway, must sort out house. Will have to leave the garden.Ironing and packing to be done. Hey it’s only a couple of hours away. I could come back each night to change!

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06/07/2009 by Aileen.

6am on a lovely sunny Monday morning. We haven’t done much since the granchildren left. On Saturday I just got the sitting room back to normal so I could relax in it. Can’t relax surrounded by mess. I had a row with John as he was doing nowt to help. Right, he’s going back to 20 hour bed rest, but it’s what he doesn’t do in the four hours up that was getting to me. (At least, my projection of what he was going to not do, based on previous experience) When he’s done this before he spends the daylight hours in bed, and gets up for the telly in the evening. I thought this was a waste of his life (yes, I know it’s nothing to do with me) and had a row about how he was going to use the time usefully. Anyway, it’s sorted now

I always chill on a Sunday, being a day of rest. Great idea, God. I didn’t watch the tennis. Not interested.I mostly set up an opening page for a pretend new website. Well, there will be a website, but the template is already in place. What it is - our parish website hasn’t been updated for about ten months, when Father Neville arrived, and I eventually had to courage to approach the man who set it up and asked if he wanted help with it, or could I take it over. He is really busy and asked if I could take it over, so I am just waiting for the password so I can get into it and change it. Father Neville is quite happy about it.

I forgot that the site will have to be radically changed, as Fr Neville has two churches to look after, and  all their information will have to be available too. So quite a lot of work. But hey, it’s play!

The other church related thing is that Fr Neville has asked me to be one of the Child Protection Officers. Barbara is going to be the other one.

Anyway, back to today. Housework this morning. (John has to be up as he has a client) Maybe some gardening. Website ‘revision’ here and there. It’s frightening how much I have forgotten.

Viewfinders tonight. (Oh, and I think I’ll be doing a website for them too!) We’re going to a farm to photo two Alvis cars whatever they are.Ooh, I might get a good shot for my OU panel.

I’ve seen Trudie’s panel and her photos are really lovely. Very imaginative.

Well, breakfast nearly finished. Time to meditate, then Action Stations.

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12/06/2009 by Aileen.

Monday. Housework done to my usual standards (!) Enjoyable evening in old part of Hull taking photos. What was sad was that a policeman stopped me and asked if I’d seen a ‘poorly’ woman wrapped in a duvet. She was a heroine addict. Police and ambulance crew were looking down all the cobbled ’staithes’ (long narrow alleyways leading to the river) One ambulance man said she was probably in the river by now. Here is a photo from the evening.

I can’t remember Tuesday. Oh dear. Oh yes, I did some gardening.Pulled up three bags full of weeds!

Wednesday. Lovely morning birdwatching, and Norma came back for lunch. We had extended views of a barn owl at the birding location, and saw a heron being mobbed by crows back here. Here are a couple of photos from the morning.

 John was on a course on Wednesday and Thursday. About Transactional Analysis, which is a model for how people interact with each other. We can be seen as child, parent or adult. He really enjoyed it, and I’m hoping his body clock will get back to normal now. He isn’t up yet, but it’s before 9am, and he has two clients later, so he will have to get up. Three days of being awake during the day should help. He had slept quite well for the last two nights, although his pain does wake him up a lot.

I caught up with my OU Photography course yesterday. Also went to the dump, the library and Morrisons. ALso made jewellery on Second Life.

Today, I must go into Hull (outskirts) for Communion presents for the three girls I prepared. Their communion is on Sunday. I also need printer ink, as my black has run out, and I have NO spare colours in the house at all. I hardly print anything out, trying to be green, but did some photos of the ‘communion’ girls recently. ALso, the camera club meet in a pub after Monday’s excursion, and the idea is to share photos. I could bring my laptop along, but it’s an enormous beast, chosen ’specially for it’s large monitor.

Anyway, shall I go wake John up? Nah. Let him sleep.

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11/05/2009 by Aileen.

Oh I love Monday mornings. Always have. Even when I was working. There again I loved teaching until the last couple of years.

Anyway, I didn’t wake up until 8 this morning, and I’ve just had my muesli while looking at photos on Flickr. (All T189 related) It’s 8.45 now, and I really must turn off the pooter.

Plans this week -

• Housework today
• 15 minutes gardening every day
• 15 minutes exercise evey day
• Finish TMA (tutor marked assignment) by Friday
• Birding
• Creative Writing
• Might go to Church meeting on Thursday evening

Gardening is getting imperative, and I hope to do much more than 15 minutes a day. The nettles are back with a vengeance, and thistles are attacking now.

I’ve decided there are some things I CAN and WILL do.  They are keeping the grass short, strimming, half-mooning the edges, keeping the paths weedfree and having no stray rubbish (plastic pots etc) floating around.

This is working at the moment, but I really want to plant up containers this week and have another go and sowing some seeds, as the last lot all died on me through lack of watering. All except the green beans, which are long and straggly and something’s been eating the leaves (not slugs - too high up)  so I might redo them too.

Oh and John wants the photo on his website updated, so I’ll do another piccie of him. This week’s assignment for T189 is take two photos of something/someone we love, so this kill two birds with one stone.

Now, Aileen, stop prevaricating. The house awaits your loving attention.

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06/12/2008 by Aileen.

Got up to a really messy sitting room just now. Mars bar wrappers, empty wine glasses, note books and scraps of paper. But I felt good about it. They were the souvenirs of a really pleasant evening. John said the meal wasn’t one of my better efforts, and followed it with the observation that it would be worse if he had said it WAS one of my better efforts.

(I had tried to bread some haddock and fry, and the crumbs wouldn’t stick and the haddock broke up in the pan.) Chips were rather overdone too! Still, we scoffed the lot!

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