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Sunday 30 May 2010

Zen - Slothing Sunday Serenades...

A lazy Sunday and ten songs to entertain the eardrums.

1. Nickelback - Should've Listened
2. Hepburn - I Quit
3. Cary Brothers - Supposed To Be
4. Michael Buble - Summer Wind
5. Michael Jackson - Unbreakable
6. Red Hot Chili Peppers - She Looks To Me
7. Ray Quinn - Fly Me To The Moon
8. The Rolling Stones - Keys To Your Love
9. Frank Sinatra - Ol'Men River
10. The Beverley Sisters - Catch Me If You Can

Friday 28 May 2010

Diary - May 21st to 27th 2010

Diary – 21st to 27th May

This week has been about three things…
1. Searching for Compo amongst the cobbles and the cafes,
2. Losing interest in the week in excited anticipation of almost a week off work,
3. Old married folks? Us?

I haven’t really paid much attention to this week; in fact, other than a couple of days which were busy doing exciting things I can not for the life in me remember anything else. It’s shocking really. I’m not an old woman… I should be able to at least track back seven days!

Oh well, here is what I do remember…

Saturday was one of the hottest days of the year so far and once again found me in the Piece Hall. This time I didn’t have my book but instead my friend, our magazines, a delicious Goats cheese and caramelised onion sandwich and a tub of factor 30 sun cream. This week there were no weird and wonderful celebrations going on within those historical walls but while eating our Thornton’s Ice cream we did see the start of the TVR convention that was to be on the next day. Nice cars but then I always feel disappointed when you see the drivers and find then either to be old men wearing shorts, white socks and trainers or young men so in love with themselves that they actually make you feel tired.

Towards the end of the weekend I conned my parents into coming to Holmfirth with me, himself and the pooch. For those of you who don’t recognise the town’s name it was the location at which they filmed ‘The Last of the Summer Wine’. The cafĂ© is still there and running, the steps which Nora swept are still being climbed and the overall welcoming atmosphere has not been diminished. It is a lovely village, the day was scorching and the Fish and Chips we purchased were pretty good. Sometimes I forget that by living in Halifax I am surrounded by some wonderful places which through entertaining filming have been shared with others around the world.

It is the next three days that went by in a blur, most likely because I knew I was going to be off work come Thursday meaning my time was busily spent tying up my work so that it could easily be followed whilst I was away.

Thursday was the first day of my ‘holiday’ but more importantly our 4th wedding anniversary. Time has flown by so fast and, while I might not have enjoyed every minute of it, it has been entertaining. We started the day with a Norland walk with the Rohan complete with the treat of a big bacon, sausage and egg sandwich. Absolutely perfect! After we dropped the fuzz ball at her grandma’s we sped on to Huddersfield to the Cinema. After a pizza lunch, we bought our tickets and completed our ‘date’ with The Prince of Persia.

The film itself was a lot better than I had expected, not being a fan of Jake Gyllenhaal I was a little sceptical. But I loved it, everything about it was entertaining, everything about it that I had been dubious about held its own. Visually stunning, well acted (apart from Ben Kingsley’s beard), and with a storyline that was both interesting and well thought out. I recommend it.

Next week… will be all about injecting myself… eeek.

Wednesday 26 May 2010

Question: 14

In 25 minutes I have been married for 4 years... can I still fit into my wedding dress?

Sunday 23 May 2010

Photo - Sunday Sun

Me, the Rohan and the Laptop enjoying the hottest day of the year so far.

Diary - May 14th to 20th 2010

Diary – 14th to 20th May

This diary entry is my 100th post. Never thought I would keep this blog up long enough but slightly, and may be oddly, proud that I have.

So anyway…

This week has been about three things…
1. Getting used to the settling in nerves,
2. Turning back the clock and jiving with The Andrews Sisters,
3. Having a vivid dream every night of the week and not wanted to look too deeply into any of them.

I added some pictures earlier in the week but this is where I get to tell you about 1940s at Haworth. I love it; it’s the geek in me that feels humbled and happy to be joining in with the ridiculous. Haworth, the village, has a yearly schedule of strange little happening which you will no doubt read about here as the year goes by. 1940s is my favourite as, let’s admit it, who doesn’t love a man in uniform. The amount of people joining in is amazing as is the high level of memorabilia that people bring for the weekend. Tanks, land rovers, rations, newspapers, singing, dancing, a visit from a Winston Churchill, Brass Bands, bagpipes and even a flyover from a Hurricane. This years celebrations, like the ones before it, did not disappoint.

Old men smiled as memories flowed and young men listened intently knowing that in a few more years these memories will be legendary tales once heard but now through the cruelty of age forced to be spoken only by the next generation. Will Britain, now only ever be glorious in remembrance?

Sunday was a day of vegetation, which involved a Sunday roast at my parent’s house, followed by far too many sweets and a rerun of Baby Boom. I always feel that Sunday should be family day and once I have children I intend to fully instate it. Until they hit teenage years of course, I remember myself what a bind it was when there was a boy to be chasing and adventures to be had. Oh the memories, ha ha.

I watched two films of note this week. The first was ‘All About Steve’, a silly instalment from Sandra Bullock which was exceptionally good fun despite the storyline being amusingly ridiculous. The other was ‘Sherlock Holmes’ and unfortunately I fell asleep so I can’t really tell you much about it; other than Robert Downey Jr has been working out and I still cant stand Jude Law no matter what role he is playing. I will have my prejudices, alas.

I finally got to see pictures of the baby that my first love had, or rather his girlfriend had, he might be a doctor but I don’t think he is involved with any scientific miracles just yet. And he is adorable, much like his father. He will make the pair of them proud and I wish their family unit well.

Other than that the week flew by in dull fashion. The nerves are kicking in about the twenty-eighth!

Next week… it’s going to be scorching so I envisage a layer of Factor 30.

Wednesday 19 May 2010

Musings (okay and Photo) - Howarth 1940s Weekend (15th June 2010)

This weekend I went to the annual 1940s Weekend which takes place in Haworth, the home of the Brontes, a town only 12 miles from my own. This is a celebration that takes place encouraging people to dress in costume, bring along their memorabilia, sing, dance and generally have an excellent time.

Here are just a couple of photographs that I took on the Saturday.

An excellent sign - getting into the spirit of things.

The Main Street (left) showing the amount of people joining in and two Ladies in Costume (right)

An 'American' soldier and his 1940s(ish) attired pooch and 'Guarding the Town'

An excellent example of how much fun we had on the day.

The weekend also included Dance', Winston Churchill's infamous speech, ration packs, The Andrews Sisters and a Hurricane Fly Over. It is humbling how much everyone joins in and recognises the efforts made by our troops both then and now.

There was even a real wedding complete with 1940s costumes and a reception consisting only of rations and love.

I found out on Monday that it is possible to rent costumes on the day from the Bronte Parsonage, where you can also get your hair and make up done to look the part.

Next year... next year I am going to jump right into the mix and finally have the courage to pull on my uniform. :)

Monday 17 May 2010

Photo - Rohan Enjoying Haworth

My beautiful little Rohan taking in the craziness of the 1940's from the vantage point of Daddy's shoulder.

Saturday 15 May 2010

Diary - May 7th to 13th 2010

Diary - 7th to 13th May

This week has been about three things…
1. A very full weekend indeed,
2. Being trained, and trained so well that I completed months of work in two hours,
3. Getting flustered and realising a crush is still a crush.

Saturday was full of filmtastic fun.

After taking the bus, very old school, to Huddersfield we trekked around the town to the Odeon Cinema. First up we watched ‘The Last Song’; based on a Nicholas Sparks novel and as expected a steady watch with a lake of tears at the end. Miley Cyrus did herself proud as did Greg Kinnear as the ailing father. It wasn’t a bold and action packed couple of hours but I definitely came out wanting to read the book.

After a lunch of make your own pizza and cookie dough ice cream we headed back into the darkness for ‘The Back Up Plan’. Now I have to admit this film could have been absolutely awful and I wouldn’t have noticed; the second Alex O’Loughlin is on screen I don’t really pay attention to anything else. Bit of a crazed fan really though not on a stalker level. I can’t afford stalking on my wages. :) The film was entertaining in a typical fluffy Jennifer Lopez way and surprisingly the two of them worked well together. She was much more believable with Alex O than Ralph F. Anyway as a package I liked it and will probably purchase the DVD. My friend hated it, “It was full of the two things I hate most in the world… pets and kids”. I know what you are thinking, I own a dog and an IVF schedule, and so I agree she couldn’t have been more insensitive. Tut.

Sunday saw me in Leeds wandering between a strange boat pub and the university building that was housing the first LS INK Tattoo Convention. The £15 entrance fee was ridiculous considering that inside were only 5 tattooing stalls, 3 pierces, 2 clothes stalls and some sort of noise coming from a staging area hidden somewhere near the bar. It was good to watch all the tattooing and to see all the designs that I would never have but still the price was a lot for very little. I took my camera with me in anticipation of capturing something entertaining but it only came out of my bag for ten minutes and that was while my sister in law got inked. I have posted the photos in a previous blog. Apparently there is a convention in Doncaster over the summer… might ask what will be there this time before I hand over my Queens.

In the middle of the week I had a training day, a whole day learning a new system so that I can devise timetables and get them up loaded. It wasn’t as difficult as I expected, the system is relatively easy which is surprising for a workplace that insists on making processes as convoluted as possible. The strange part of the day was that HE was there, sitting next to me, unsettling me, no doubt doing it on purpose. I really need to get a grip on my reactions; I am a married woman not a fourteen year old girl with a crush. There is so much more that I could write here but I guess I will have to keep this to myself.

My final exam was Thursday 5.30 – 8.30 in the evening. A red hot room, a power surge that turned of all the lights and the computers loosing twenty minutes of solid typing… yet I think that it went okay. Time will tell.

Next week… I will be in Haworth as the turn back the clocks to 1940!

Friday 14 May 2010

Question: 13

Someone commented today that I smile a lot... should I have asked if it was a problem?

Thursday 13 May 2010

Lyrics - Escaping in a lyrical fashion...

I think Daughtry understood me completely when they sang...

I open my lungs to breathe in forgiveness and love
Haunting me now reminders of how I used to be
And on down the road my troubles are sure to follow
Looking out of the window, the hell if I know where I will go
So I'll just keep on driving...

Wednesday 12 May 2010

Photo - Inking it up at LSINK

Over the weekend I went to a Tattoo Convention in Leeds, LSINK it was called. I will detail more information about the escapades in my diary this week but in the meantime I thought I might add a couple of photographs that I took on the day.

My sister in law was the only one out of our little group to get ink done on the day. She decided to have a previous tattoo, one she hated, redone with something better. Covering up though means going bigger and darker.

Here are some photos of what she had done.

This is my sister in law, dreads (currently purple and pink) and the spitting image of her twin… my husband.

This is her with the tattooist. A man from the LAB13 studio in Sheffield.

This is the tattoo… not yet finished, many more hours of work to be done, but coming along nicely.

Ouch.

Sunday 9 May 2010

Musing - Beating the Recession

We are in a recession and it’s not just the UK, the whole world is feeling that straits are dire.

Companies both local and far are being forced to advertise and cold call hundreds in the hope of getting just one job, sale or contract.

The amount of calls, leaflets and random knocks on the door to my own house have increased and while I know they have no other option, and I feel their plight, I still feel that little bit irritated. I am in recession too… I don’t have the spare funds to be funding others.

And of course I then feel guilty for feeling irritated and then I feel confused at it all.

Recession it would seem hits the sense of humour as well as the wallet.

Then this week I received a leaflet, a business card of such stuck under my car windscreen wiper, that made me chuckle.


I never considered that a clairvoyant might need a little help to reel in the clients; especially not one that is so ‘world renowned’. I suppose I thought his spiritual guides would be feeding him racing tips or at the very least he would have anticipated the market crash and kept his money in his shoe box (the one passed down from generation to generation) under his bed.

When you read his card you can see how multi-talented he is, how many problems he can solve but strangely… not his own.

Hmm.

As impressed as I am by his card, I don’t think I will be ringing but then I guess he will already know that.

Saturday 8 May 2010

Diary - April 30th to May 6th 2010

Diary – 30th Apr to 6th May

This week has been about three things…
1. Being chewed, spat and stomped on – resulting in a bad back,
2. Working the entire three day weekend,
3. Whoop whoop getting my exams results.

People find it really easy to be evil to me. I don’t know why. Okay it’s most likely because I am easy going and generally even tempered and they figure that I will just shrug my shoulders and let them get away with it. Mostly I do, usually because I don’t care enough to bother. Friday I was spoken to and treated so appallingly by someone senior to me that I was left reeling for days. The conclusion is that I am no longer going to be a push over, a ranting board or a vent for anger brought on by someone else. I am going to say, ‘Oi, Back Off!’ and point a finger as I speak. Yeah! Strength here I come. Admittedly if it is the same senior person mentioned above I might still be quaking so don’t expect too much Boudicca yet.

As a, no doubt, result of all the tension of Friday I developed a bad back. The pain and stiffness was akin to having a pole stuck up my arse. Sitting made me look ninety, as did rising, and sleeping was a lack lustre affair as every time I turned I woke in agony. In the end I got out the Radox and soaked for an hour in the bath. Getting in and out was not a pretty or speedy mission but it worked wonders. It also gave me time to cultivate a steamy shower scene for two characters I am working on. It took me about five days to feel like I could stand for more that fifteen minutes without personifying the Tin Man but I am in working order again. Phew. I suppose I didn’t really need to tell you my bad back story but this week has been so sloooooow I needed some filler.

In fact this week has just been so ridiculously dull I am going to bullet it:
- Had lunch with a friend who moaned for the whole time we were together
- I went to Ikea with the folks so they could get some plates
- I vegetated while working out retention and achievement statistics
- I got a new boss to replace the other new boss that lasted three days (bets are on)
- Watched Avatar
- Got up at four on Tuesday to take the husband to work
- Watched Blind Dating with Chris Pine
- I did my presentation again. HE was there, looking right at me, I wish I could read his mind. Grrr.
- Looked for a new living room carpet
- Ate too much crap

I did get my exam results back from last week and I passed with flying colours. Distinction in fact. Next exam on the 13th of May but as this is open book I am not as stressed about it.

And that’s it. I did warn you.

Next week.,, I go to a Tattoo Convention about which I am slightly scared.

Sunday 2 May 2010

Diary - April 23rd to 29th 2010

Diary – 23rd to 29th Apr

This week has been about three things…
1. Knights and Dragons and all that jazz,
2. Another addition arriving and wow his hands are big,
3. Stress.

As I mentioned last week I was ‘forced’ to move desks on Friday. I boxed up my things, again, and made an effort to be positive about moving to a desk with such a tiny amount of space around it that, which ever way I turn in my chair, I hit my arm / knee / head on something. It will be nice to have more people to talk to but at the same time I will miss my morning ritual of Sassy Curmudgeon and Heatworld. I will also miss the window and that certain person I could lock eyes on through it. The boss that I also got, the NASA one, left after three days. Shocker. Sarcasm.

I forgot to mention last week that I sent an email to the author Ian Sansom, enquiring about whether or not he was planning to publish more novels in his Mobile Library series. I never expected a reply, it was fun just to send it, but Friday morning I checked my emails and he had replied! A lovely reply too! With my email I had ‘made his day’ and because of it if I ever found myself in Belfast he ‘owed me a pint of Guinness’. This email amused me for days and as my week was horrific it has been my life line.

Saturday again saw my new ritual of Sun, coffee and a book. It also saw me with a hair cut and an amused expression as I came across the St. George’s Fun Day. I have posted photographs earlier in my blog. It was all a bit naff but fun all that same. I swear my town gets more like Stars Hollow as the years go by. Or maybe as the time goes by I, with increased age and amusement, view everything in a whole new cynically bemused light?

My bridesmaid, Rachel, had her little boy this week (24th) and they have decided to call him Thomas. No middle name, always a shame really but their choice I suppose. He was a dinky 5lbs 11oz so not so much the chubba after all. I have seen a couple of photographs so far, not the boy in the flesh, and he looks very cute and very quiet with the biggest hands I have ever seen on a new born. He’ll grow into them I’m sure… either that or he is destined to play Piano. I will report back when I have first hand knowledge of our latest boy. I was thinking about it actually; out of my group of friends and our siblings we have so far produced four offspring and they are all boys! Louis, Oscar, George and Thomas. I figure it is up to me and Samantha (Sam) to level it out with a couple of chicks.

I also had my first exam for my technical certificate and it was a lot harder than I had expected. Forty multiple choice questions which sounds easy but when each question has two answers that are perfect it gets a little difficult. I should get my results next week, I honestly have no idea how it went. Usually I know but not this time; plus I had forgotten to wear my lucky socks so that is making me nervous to start with ha ha.

The theme of this week has been ‘Stacy is a Pawn lets mess her about’ but I am still too upset / tired / bewildered to talk about it fully. Let me just say I am not impressed.

Next week… actually I daren’t even think about next week, how awful is that? :(

Saturday 1 May 2010

Photo - Heather In My Garden


A lovely bush of Heather in my garden - the pink is a shock amongst all the old stone.
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