02/10/2010 by Aileen.

Lovely day today. First tutorial in Sheffield, and it was good. Tutor is enthusiastic about children’s literature, and was very helpful. Lots of stuff about analysing the questions - what did each term mean. I intended to go to Meadowhall in the afternoon, but there were plenty of shops by the University, so I didn’t bother. I say I dislike cities, but I can take them in small doses, and Sheffield was quite buzzing. Going in to John Lewis’s made me nostalgic for Kingston on Thames, as part of the layout seemed identical. Bought another top and two woolly cardies,(that sounds old=fashioned, but they’re not) so that’s me set up for the winter. I ought to get rid of some old stuff, but I’m such a hoarder.

Oh and I bought a really good book on CSS (styling websites) The young lad in Waterstones asked if I was a student. I’m sure it must have been tongue in cheek. Anyway, I produced my NUS card and got 10% of £31. I’ve made great savings already, so it was £10 well spent.

I forgot to say that John bought me a Kindle for my birthday. I’ve downloaded several books to do with my OU course (just background reading) and they were all free. I’d never have bought them, partly because they would cost, partly cos they would take up room, and mostly cos I probably won’t read them anyway!

Anyway, watching Midsommer Murders with a glass of good red wine. Well happy.

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28/08/2010 by Aileen.

Everything arrived the other day, just as I was hoping. In fact, it wasn’t deep joy, as it was overload. I’ve spent all summer kicking my heels, and suddenly I have too much to take in at once. OU stuff, Dreamweaver, Lightroom CS5, plus all the paraphernalia that’s bundled with the Adobe package. Still, I’m a happy bunny.

We went into Hull on Friday, and that’s another thing I haven’t done all summer - gone anywhere busy. The traffic seemed so loud I thought all the exhaust pipes were broken. I got nostalgic about my childhood. I would go up Oxford Street, Regent Street, and tramp the whole length, going in to all (well not all) the shops. In Hull I was looking for a particular camera shop that had moved, and it was so quick to find. Hull is tiny. However, it is also lovely. I know all the jokes about ‘to Hull and back’ but it is clean, and the people are friendly. The only drawbacks are that the shops are tiny too, and there is no Pret a Manger.

Anyway, it’s Saturday morning and I’m raring to go. Bye bye, computer, I’m popping down to the shops, topping up the housework cutting the grass, cycling, getting ahead with my study, etc. etc. etc.

I said GOODBYE you temptress.

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26/08/2010 by Aileen.

Ooh I’m so excited. I’m expecting two parcels this week. Well one probably won’t come until next week, as it’s not meant to be dispatched til Friday, but I’m ever the optimist. This is the A363 Children’s Literature course from the OU. I managed to get hold of the two workbooks as pdf files, and I’ve ‘done’ Block One. Well, I haven’t done it in depth, but I’ve skimmed through. I can’t do it properly until I know what the TMA (tutor marked assignment) is, when I will read through with more purpose.

The other parcel is an Adobe package. After saying I wouldn’t upgrade from Element 6 as I don’t use many of the features, and wouldn’t want Dreamweaver as I like to do my own coding, I have ordered a bundle with these two in.

As I’m a student it was so much cheaper than it would be otherwise, and I fell! Mea Culpa.

There is a good possibility that the software will arrive this morning, so I daren’t have a shower in case I miss it.

Mind you, our postie is wonderful. So is the woman who delivers parcels. We met the latter three times in a row when we were out cycling last week, and she always has a cheery word. One day, she said she had returned a parcel to the post office as we weren’t in. She said she tried the door, and would have left in inside if it was open! How many places in England would that happen - that the odds are people’s doors are unlocked?

I usually leave ours unlocked if I’m just popping down to the shops,but then sometimes I think it might be just that day that a serial killer goes by and I come home to John’s hacked body, so I lock it.

Mmm. 9am. Where is that postie?

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19/04/2010 by Aileen.

We’re into Hull today. And it’s not ‘hell’ despite the heading. It’s just I don’t like shopping at the best of times. But John is having a fitting for a new wheelchair and we decided to avail ourselves of the time there to do some shopping.

John doesn’t need an excuse to buy, and I do want a couple of things. MaybeI’ll a new jacket/cardy for the spring, new bra, stretchy trousers in a larger size than normal.

That brings me to my second point. I’m not losing any weight. I’ve been trying the eat what I like and exercise it off system, but obviously like too much and exercise too little.

So I’m going to down the food and up the exercise.  When I say ‘down the food’ you know what I mean!

It’s a shame cos I feel like treating John to a slap up lunch somewhere, but spending money on a salad seems a waste.

Oh, just looking at a news video of the icelandic cloud of volcanic ash. It’s spectacular, but I’m so sorry for the people who are stranded all over the place. Not so sorry for the airlines, but of course it is ordinary employees who will suffer. So I am sorry for them.

Last week I read about a solar powered aeroplane.  This would be a fabulous idea to develop. The link is French cos I like to keep up with the news and French at the same time by having this kids’ site on RSS. (copy and paste it)

http://www.lesclesjunior.com/rubriques/monde/le-mot-du-jour-avion/premier-vol-d2019un-avion-solaire?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LesClesDeLactualiteJunior+%281+jour+1+actu+!+Le+mot+du+jour%29

Bye all.

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08/10/2009 by Aileen.

All went well at the Breast Clinic yesterday. So glad I didn’t ask to go to Royal Marsden, Carshalton, where I was operated on before. The Castle Hill section is friendly and efficient, and SOOOOO much nearer. Anyway, nothing suspicious, the bleeding is probably due to the car accident. I’m gonig back in three months as a precaution.

I wasn’t going to put in a claim after the accident, as I’m glad to be alive, and don’t believe in the litigation culture we live in. However, I was stiff and in pain for three weeks after the accident, and I had that funny turn a week later when the doctor gave me an ECG, and I’ve been worried about my breast for nearly a fortnight now.

The shortness of breath that is being investigated is not to do with the accident. I’ve noticed it for months.

Anyway, slight setback with the decorating. Emil was so apologetic, but he’s had to go to Bulgaria on business, and will be away for a few days. He said he wouldn’t have started the room if he had known. We have another living room, but the TV point is in the out-of-action room. We don’t really miss TV, but John watched a video on his Mac last night. I’m working hard on the websites I maintain. There’s a lot of history and pictures to put on to the church one.

I seem to have a lot of fiddly things to do at the moment, mostly on the computer.

Finish two Look assignments for Redemptorist publications

Produce an application form for First Communion parents in the parish

Polish up my Friday creative writing assignment

Produce a bit of work for the Day School on Saturday (tutor wants it tomorrow)

Prepare Children’s Liturgy for Sunday

I also want to produce a sort of job description for the children’s liturgy as we are getting two new helpers, and as one of the Safeguarding Officers I think we need this. Must check with Barbara.

And I have to go to Argos in Goole for lights. We (John) looked everywhere on the internet, and we’ve (both) looked round shops, but Argos has our favourites. Cheap too!

But I really must Carpe the Diem. I often miss photo opportunity because of my favourite word (banana manana). Yesterday it was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and decided to wait until the evening, and go up on the Wolds for some sunset pictures. What happens? It clouds over.

I AM NOT GOING TO MISS AUTUMN TREE PICTURES THIS YEAR!

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21/09/2009 by Aileen.

John’s taking me shopping as it’s my birthday on Wednesday. 65 years young. I was in Hull on Friday for a haircut, and don’t feel like going there again. I suppose we could go to Leeds. Trouble is I don’t want or need anything. Well, maybe a macro lens, but I need to research that, and it prolly wouldn’t be available in the shops. I would like a set of tea, coffee, sugar, bread and biscuit containers, but that’s for the house. I’ve looked all over Hull and the York Designer Centre, and can’t find what I want. I think Ikea might be the best choice. I wonder where we’ll end up?

I’m thinking of the Third World now. Fancy wanting matching containers for food. In some countries they are just glad to get food. I could go on. The problem seems insurmountable.

I paid over £50 for my hair at Tony and Guys on Friday. Do I really need to do this? Then again, Nick, the manager, has a lovely wife and little girl. If daft people like me didn’t support his salon he’d be out of a job, and so would all his staff. Economics is so complicated. So is ethics. (Or should that be so are economics and ethics?) Oh everything is complicated today.Even what I want for my birthday.

Family coming this weekend to help me celebrate. That’s all six of them, plus the half that’s going to be born in February. We should have a great time.

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26/06/2009 by Aileen.

Yesterday was a really really good day.So varied. I got up without knowing the time but because I wanted to. It was 7am so that was fine.

After our muesli I marzipanned John’s cake. I discovered it shouldn’t be iced for at least a day, so that was fine too.

Made carrot and coriander soup minus the fresh coriander as I have learnt to my cost it turns the soup green. Put in some coriander seeds and will add fresh herb later. Fine.

Cut all grass except front so it would be short for Saturday. It hardly needed cutting so was easy. Fine.

Strimmed and halfmooned all relevant bits. Not much to do. Fine.

Made John’s card. Wrapped second pressie. Fine.

Watered bits of garden I am taking care of (Veg and herbs) Fine.

One bad bit - I had planted some colourful petunias or something. And I strimmed the heads off. Not so fine.

In the evening Andrew (Viewfinders) had a photo exhibition of his Everest trek in a Hull wine bar. (No, the trek really wasin Nepal) Was really too busy to stay long, but it was good. Great photos, and he had a good crowd there. Fine.

Brought home takeaway chilli burgers and chips from local pizza bar. Had interesting chat with the two men who run it about where we come from. Fine.

Nice meal with a good red wine, watching Trial and Retribution and I actually concenrated. Fine.

Ali rang. Also chatting to FIona in the morning. Fine.

Finally got round to looking at the requirements for Dig Phot final assignment, and it’s not too bad. Have put possible photos into a file and earmarked the questions I like the look of. Fine.

Today is action stations. To Tip. To Charity shop. Last minute fresh food shopping. Turning ‘Swinton’ into a bedroom.Cut John’s hair. Tidy house. Martin and Fiona, Ali and Eric and the kids are coming this evening. Kev and Mags, Don and Chris, coming tomorrow.

Fine. Fine. Fine.

Just hope the weather stays fine and we can eat outside. Twelve sitting down.

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28/09/2008 by Aileen.

The news is there’s no news. He asked if he could have an op. to sew up the larger of the wounds, but Derry said, although he is a surgeon he would prefer it to heal naturally. John was under the impression that if he had an op. there would be twelve days in bed until the stitches dissolved, then he could start sitting up, and be home in three weeks. Derry explained with an op. it wouldn’t be three weeks, it would be five or six. When John asked how long he would take to heal naturally Derry said there was nothing certain in medicine and wouldn’t be pinned down. So - no news. John’s cheerful. There are six men in the ward although patients come and go. John has been in the longest. There’s lots of banter and they all have their computers and mobiles. Which makes me wonder why other hospitals ban mobiles. Is it so they can get income from the firms who provide phones at exorbitant rates?

I’ve put on 4 lbs over the weeks as I’m just sitting around, so have decided to walk briskly for 20 mins every day (and stop eating Fiona’s delicious food in the evening when I’ve already eaten at the hospital) I’ve also decided to get up earlier and do something with my mornings.

As I missed my Birding class on Wednesday I went for a long walk with camera and bins that day, and saw

dunnock, chaffinch, blue tit, long tailed tit, blackbird, goldcrest,

crow, jackdaw, magpie,greenwoodpecker.

On driving over to Stoke Mandeville I saw a red kite, but that’s an almost daily occurrence.

Forgot to mention my birthday meal. We were shown to a table by a waiter, but a few minutes later he hurried over and asked us to go to a better one - the owner hadn’t realised who the booking had been for.That felt good. Food was absolutely delicious. The place was The White Hart at Fyield. They have just got into The Good Food guide that week after being open three years. I thoroughly recommend it.

For my birthday M and F got me some handcrafted red beads and earrings and took me out for the meal. Ali and family got me a fleece for birding,  SongsWithout Words (Classic FM ) and Talking Heads (Alan Bennet) CD. John got me a plant, and said to go shopping.

On Friday I went shopping in Oxford. Bought some grey size 10 jeans (yes, for me!) and they do fit but I mustn’t put on any more weight. Also got a grey t-shirt and a grey woollen top. All Mand S Per Una range. Must have been in quite a grey mood.

Off to Mass soon, then in to see my Beloved.

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07/09/2008 by Aileen.

Well, it’s been quite hectic this weekend. Even sitting at a bedsite is tiring.

Anyway, I’m on  my own at M and F’s. Fiona went to Cornwall for the weekend with her Bookclub. As it was the summer holidays they decided to read Anna Karenina, but at least two of them didn’t, so before they left on Friday they were ringing up the video shop for the DVD!

Martin went to a birthday party back in Surbiton last night and stayed there overnight.

I went that direction too, but we couldn’t go together. I went to Epsom in the afternoon to Kevin’s. Our cousin Iris was over from Australia. I haven’t met her since her dad’s funeral in ‘91 and we didn’t have much time for personal chat then. She is great fun. So is Mick her husband.  She filled in a few details about her parents’ background and personality that we didn’t know. Oo-er!

Before meeting her I stopped at Kingston and went to John Lewis. Bought a cover for my lovely new Ipod Touch, but although the  assistant assured me it had a protective screen I didn’t realise it was one of those flimsy stick-on plastic sheets. Might have to exchange it for a wallet, but they were bulkier (obviously).

When parking the car I saw a woman I thought I knew. An hour later she was sitting at the next table to me in John Lewis’s café. I could only think she was one of the First Communion parents I’ve met over the years. She had an attractive teenage girl with her. Then I (rather cleverly) looked at the man they were with. It was Tim Sheehan, the deputy head of OLI school. After finishing my skimpy salad, roll and coffee (£8.99) I spoke to them. Tim is now head. It was good seeing them. I had been thinking of calling on someone in the area while I was there, but I always seem to turn up ininvited to Trudy’s. Chris needs about 6 month’s notice so I counted her out. Tricia has retired to Cornwall, and I don’t really know any one else well enough to land on unannounced. I didn’t even call in at the presbytery, as unless Anthony Charlton was there I would porbably be confronted with strangers.

I had to miss my photography group’s exhibition at Skidby this weekend. I could have worked it out to be home, but with Iris over from Australia I decided family came first. I wasn’t even going to exhibit anything, as I haven’t been attending for ages, and had done nothing to help prepare for the exhibition. Kate persuaded me to contribute and kept me in touch my taking a photo of my board. It will be here for 3 weeks.

http://www.orange.co.uk/mms

Id is                                                 t0qyw47yy

Password is                                     vy3he1

Anyway, I only saw John for about three hours last night, and I was a bit niggly with him as I was really tired. He had asked me to buy a little radio with earphones and we were trying to set up some preset stations, but he will not follow instructions and was expecting me to do it. Also, we’re both going a bit deaf and the ward tv was blaring. I must admit he is much more reasonable than I am. He could rationalise why he was niggly, and could also apologise. I was just niggly.

Anyway, I came back to M and F’s to an empty house, and went to bed without going on Second Life! I did, however, access my A215 (Creative Writing) materials which are now online, and made a start with that.

Am now feeling really refreshed with a glass of orange, coffee and toast. Will go to 11am Mass at Headingley, on to John, then back to Yorkshire to pick up post (OUstuff???) cut grass, make a fuss of cats, potter etc.

Wow. What a long post. Wonder who will read to the end?

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04/07/2008 by Aileen.

John resigned himself to being gappy and we went to Sandhills where he was suitably impressed by everything on sale. In the café he had a full English breakfast while I had a tuna jacket (again - but this one was lovely - better than the Debenham’s one) I thought he would never get through all that food, but I watched longingly as it all went down his throat, ending with the two sausages.

We bought two padded meal trays, a plastic lined picnic blanket, food, a bonsai tree (for J’s study area) and two little books for Liam and Kieran.

I don’t know why we call it J’s study area. He’s supposed to be doing a counselling course but hasn’t started it yet. Spends his time playing cards there, or watching things on e-bay. He says he has no intention of buying - he just likes watching interesting items and seeing how much thy go for eventually. Daft I call it. Second Life is much more sensible

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