Christmas 2013..........

This year Christmas, just came and went............  We visited my dad on 15th December, and stayed over and came home the next day.  We had a lovely lunch out on the Sunday, and we had breakfast with him.  Last Sunday 22nd we had lunch with Robert and Anneka which was also wonderful, then late afternoon Michael and Lizzie came, we opened a few presents too.  Michael and Lizzie were suppose to have lunch with us, but somehow and we all do it, they double booked themselves.  He was visiting his grandfather (my dad).  We all said it was more important he visit him.  My dad had made arrangements for another lunch out with them.  My dad is 82 years old and very active, but it is not a good idea to change arrangements with him but just to go with the flow, so we had breakfast with Michael  and Lizzie.  On the way to Bristol we were caught in the two hour traffic jam so we were an hour late.  We were at the front so the traffic was moving at a snails pace, on the way home the next day was another story, we were in the wind and rain.  When we were waiting a some traffic lights after we left the motorway we saw the lamp post rocking in the wind, and our car rocked from side to side, a very strange sensation.    

After a traditional lunch on Christmas day I fought my way into the Rose's tin.  The sticky-tape as I was trying to pull off just shredded in my fingers

 ..................... it took forever to get to the chocolates inside!

We had two tins of biscuits, one from Michael (top), and one from my friend Denise

And I had some vintage style presents too!

Merry Christmas

Advent Calendar - door 24

24th December

I would like to wish

MERRY CHRISTMAS

to everyone who reads my blog, and hello to my new followers.

23 December

22 December - door 22

22nd December

Asvent Calendar - door 21 ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,oh dear...............

21 December

Oh dear................I thought I had finished!  I have just found a pile of Christmas cards which should have been posted!  Now I am going to have to remember to buy stamps and post them and hope they arrive before Christmas.  I know I am not as organised as I usually am by this date, but this is ridiculous!  I have never forgotten to post Christmas cards before, and couple are for really special friends too!

20th December

Advent Calendar - door 19 ...........and breath..........!

19 December

Today is the first day I can sort of relax, I have yet to marzipan and ice a cake as part of a present for our lovely friends David and Jane, who we are seeing tomorrow evening, so Santa's helpers can take their present round.  We are going to have a fish and chip supper with them too.  Fish and Chips and Christmas cake............wonderful combination! They don't blog but I know this one gets read!

Last Saturday was Dee Dee's Vintage Fair at Trull, Somerset.  Alex took a couple of record players, a radio and some eighties hand-held games.  He sold the record within two seconds of putting said record onto the table.  I sold the Beehive knitting wool holder after the fair.  Right up to when we left for the fair about 7.30 am I was still knitting a doll's shoe.   We came home unpacked the car ready to go straight to my dads the following day.  We had a lovely Christmas lunch with him.  This week is not fairing much better in being busy.  

My friend Helen asked me if I would help her.  She had an enquiry about having these made.  Two days later they are off to their new home.  The pattern was very easy to understand and they actually didn't take very long at all.  The pattern can be found in this e-magazine.  The magazine is publish monthly, and is very interesting.

This is what happens when you don't put your glasses on to read cooking instructions!  Morrison's has some brussel sprouts for cooking in the bag 9p!  I mis-read the instructions, my fault should have put my glasses on.  Microwaved them for too long and voila - Brussel Sprout MUSH!  Didn't know you could burn things in the microwave.  I cooked them for 10minutes instead of five minutes.

Advent Calendar - door 18

18th December

Advent Calendar - door 17

17th December

16th December

Advent Calendar - door 15

15th December

Off to see my dad now, tell you all about the fair tomorrow

Advent Calendar - door 14

14 December

The day of the fair (see previous two posts)

Advent Calendar - door 13 and Fair

13 December

Tomorrow at the fair we are selling

Handmade

pre-loved

and restored and the tea trolly!

Advent Calendar - door 12 and a Fair

12 December

We will be at The Memorial Hall at Trull Taunton Somerset on Saturday 14th December if you can get along.....

Advent Calendar - door 11

11th December

Now I just know I am going to be made to look a fool!  I just know it!  Yesterday and a few times before yesterday my post didn't get published till late afternoon.  In the early days I started following my own blog, wasn't intentional I can assure you it just happened.  But it is handy to follow myself then I know my blog has been published.  But yesterday I published at about 7.45 am and then left the house for a husbands hospital appointment - it was just a check up and everything is fine, then we went shopping and after calling in at a friends house on the way home we didn't get back late afternoon, about four.  After sorting shopping etc, we turned on the computer, and when I checked other blog posts it said on mine published 'two hours ago'.  So I just thought I would let everyone know I actually publish the Advent Calendar throughout the twenty-four days before 9am.  Now I am going to hit the publish button, then I will add a footnote* at what time it actually gets published - and I bet anything it will be there now!  I have been in a looked to make sure the timer isn't on to publish on different times and days!

*Oh yes there we go - published more or less straight away!  Actually five minutes after I pressed the publish button at 8.25.

Advent Calendar - door 10

10th December

Advent Calendar - door 9

9th December

Advent Calendar - door 8

(sourced from pinterest)

8th December

Advent Calendar - door 7

(sourced from pinterest)

7th December 

Advent Calendar - door 6

(sourced from pinterest)

6th December

Advent Calendar - door 5

(Enid Blyton illustration sourced from pinterest)

5th December

Advent Calendar - door 4

(sourced from pinterest)

4th December

Advent Calendar - door 3

(Taken by Julie Caisey - March 2013)

The north wind doth blow and we shall have snow,

and what will the poor robin do then, poor thing?

He'll sit in a barn and keep himself warm,

and hide his head under his wing, poor thing.

3rd December

my mum taught me this rhyme when I was a little girl

Advent Calendar - door 2

(sourced from pinterest)

2nd December

Advent Calendar - door 1

(Sourced from pinterest)

1st December

See here and here if you would like to join in.................

My First Post From the New Computer

Not only a post here I have done a post here too........

Clever husband went on one of those forums, and a kind person helped us out with one specific problem, and after we 'liked' and thanked him a few days later he emailed again giving us a few more tips and guess what we have a computer now that looks very much like XP but is actually Windows 8.1.  I'm happy!

Well I was till one very chilly morning at the beginning of the week I found my new 100% wool gloves had been attacked by a moth!  The way they were put away, the moth nibbled through most of the fingers.

Does anyone have a natural remedy for keeping moths at bay?

Then I went to Tesco this morning to replace the brandy I had finished after about four years and to be ready for next years Christmas cake.  Everyday Value brandy just for cooking with, not only was quite expensive but, it now comes in a plastic bottle!!

Don't forget its the start of Advent tomorrow, not to late to join in.....

see here and here

Advent Calendar 2013

Thank you to those who have signed up for the Advent Calendar 2013.  I have listed you all on the sidebar below the picture of Father Christmas (please check your link works).  If you would like to copy and paste this picture to your blog that is fine, also if you would like to join in but you haven't yet that is fine too.  I will leave this open to anyone, just let me know you would like to join in.

Rules..........

1) You don't have to follow this blog if you would like to join in but would be rather nice if you were.....

2) Put a photo of something christmassy on your blog everyday from 1st to 24th December.  

This can be from the computer, You Tube, or your own personal pictures.

3) Have fun choosing pictures and go and see what others have put on.

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This is my first post from the new computer.  I got frustrated so I went and made a cup of tea.  Its the saving of  the photos that is frustrating me!  I just couldn't find this one, it wasn't where I put it.  I'll let you know how I get on when it doesn't take me two hours to download photographs!!!!

Advent!

Still blogging from old computer - but as I'm like a dog with a bone I will get is sussed.......  one day, but not today, loads to do, like finishing knitting for DIL,  I'll watch a film while I'm doing that this afterrnoon, altering curtains for son and DIL,  need floor space for that, so cleaner needs to be put round, and generally flitting from one thing to another this week as the Vintage Fair at Trull,  Taunton, Somerset is creeping upon me that is 14th December.

Today is Stir-up-Sunday!  I don't make puddings, but I make my Christmas Cake today, the fruit has been soaking for a week in brandy so plump juicy fruit to add to the mixture.

As from Tuesday 26th November it will be exactly four weeks to the big day, hasten to add Tuesday is our middle son's 32nd birthday, then for four months till 26th March next year we have two son's of the same age!

Next Sunday is 1st December which means we start opening doors on the advent calendar!  Do any of you remember Advent calenders without chocolate?  I used to love opening each door to see what the little picture that was hidden behind.  Chocolate Advent calenders were quite expensive in the sixties, that is if they even existed then!

Would anybody like to join Josie and I in posting a christmassy picture everyday from 1st December to 24th December on their blog as if it were an Advent calender.  It could be a wintry scene, it could be just a picture of a Christmas card, anything leading up to 24th December.  There are lots of Christmas pictures online, or it could be something from YouTube, or just a Christmas picture of your own  Go to my posts from last year see what I did............ Josie's are here, just follow the days through.......

It would be lovely if lots of people can join in........... Just leave a comment and I will list you all next week who are joining in.

First post............on new computer.............

...............well actually NO!  Don't ask, but I do comment from new computer  I am hoping I can eventually post from new computer.  At the moment I haven't worked out how to take photos from camera, cannot write letters or copy and paste onto a plain page because it doesn't come with microsoft works word processor.  Anyway enough complaining we will get there eventually, one of the comments was that I needed a teenager..........haven't got one of those, but we do have a thrity-two year old son who writes apps for a living so he'll have to do...........

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Now my blog post.  I consider myself an experienced knitter and can tackle most patterns and the more difficult the better, but this pattern has defeated me.  I probably am reading it wrong, and it is actually quite straightforward and very easy but do any of you lovely knitters understand this pattern.  I hope I have enlarged it enough for you to read.  

Please, please can anyone help me as I would love to knit it for my new grand-daughter due at the end of January.  It is only the cardigan I am doing not the hat or bootees.  Many thanks in anticipation.  

You can either email me or leave a comment - or both!

(click on pictures to get closer look)

Three days later.........

I'm back - phew!  My clever, clever husband has installed windows 8.1.  OK it did take three days but we are here, although he couldn't get my blog, that was ME!  Mind you I didn't think I would ever see it again......  I did it but he did the rest and I can send and receive emails too, that took longer than it should have but we're there!

Our old computer, died in a spectacular fashion this morning too, poor thing, it was more or less a year ago it crashed before but we did a re-boot then, this time not so sure we think it has gone the to great computer place in the sky!  We were surprised it lasted as long as it did too.  Alex put my two main programmes in to this computer which went in very easily, but now I just hope they work, and I can do my work from the external drive we had on the old computer.

In three days I have altered two large velvet door curtains for our son and wife for their new house.  I just split one up the middle and shortened it for the door and the other was made into two curtains, one of which was easy but the other I to add piece each side to make wider.  I have also started three baby cardigans which needs sewing up, they are for our new grand-daughter due in January.

We do like the computer but it does use time, we don't miss it when we go and stay with my  dad.  We don't miss it when we are out, but when we are in the house it has to be on and working!

Next task is to re-learn how to take photos from the camera to the computer.  The last programme we had I could do that with my eyes shut!   Oh well at least I can blog!

All I want to do is my blog!

No photos again, because the camera and computer aren't speaking, because this ten year old computer is all bunged up!  We escaped last Thursday to the big town and went Christmas shopping, and came home with a new computer for us instead!  We now have a Windows-8  computer. Does anyone know anything about Windows 8? I can't get my emails to run as they have abandoned Outlook Explorer apparently. All hints and tips will be greatly received!  We have a desktop computer not a laptop.

The Computer and the Camera have had an Argument!

Please pop over to Life at Blue Anchor Bay  where Jacqueline is celebrating a Coastal Christmas.  Jacqueline has gathered together lots of unusual summery gifts to blow away the cold winter blues.  Lovely things with links to where you can find other items.  Please, please take a look.

My camera and the computer seem to have had an argument, we are finding it very difficult to download photos.  We actually think its the computers fault, its bunged up.  We are not sure with what it is bunged up with but we need to delete files..........  Our computer is very old by computer standards but we love our computer.  It is circa 2003 so as you see quite old!  We are hoping to get the problem solved over the weekend.  But in the meantime please pop over to see Jacqueline's blog.

Remembering Rememberance

The eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month.  Every year this day is remembered.  As a child (ages between 5 and 11 years 1960 to 1967) I remember we always stopped what we were doing in class and observed the two minute silence.  It was explained to us why we did it.  I don't remember doing it while I was at my senior school or college, or even in my early years at work, I did though in my fashion. We certainly never observed the day unless the eleventh of November fell on a Sunday.  Brownies and Guides we were on parade.  I don't think the actual day was observed properly again until about fifteen years ago.  I remember being in places like Woolworths or Tesco, and announcement being made, we will  be observing the two minute silence, you would hear little children chattering, but that didn't matter, but to hear adults chattering that did!  I used to observe the time in my way in my early years at work, and my boss once snapped his fingers and said get on with your work, what are you doing day-dreaming! Obviously he didn't understand.  When I stopped work to have children, I would always stop if I was watching television or listening to the radio, because they observed it at the BBC on the actual day, and still do.

I returned to work about twenty years ago, my first job on my return was in a small local post office, I remember Helen my boss put a notice on the counter window saying this post office will be observing the two minutes silence there was only three of us Helen, her husband and me but we observed the silence.  In later years Helen and her husband divorced and a a couple of years later Helen had a new partner.  That particular morning the notice went up and post office which had a queue mostly elderly getting their pensions - in the days of  books with dockets in!  Helen and I stopped and the queue stopped, the young mum with two young children put her finger to her lips as the little child spoke.  Then when work resumed again and the queue died down, Helen's new partner came to the counter and asked quizzically what was that all about........ I couldn't believe what he had just asked!  I was stunned, shocked someone not knowing........  Helen made some excuse, but quite honestly it was no excuse, she was just making excuses for him.  (He didn't know what the Mary Celeste was either.)  I asked if he went to school...........

My second job was in a craft shop.  I observed the silence as I used to in my own way, then after a while I was beginning to open the shop and spending the mornings on my own until the owners came in at lunchtime. The November before I left work, before the shop was sold I sorted all the cross-stitch kits out.  The stand was directly opposite the door quite prominent.  So I sorted the kits putting the ones with poppies on on the front, and to fill up the spaces anything with bright red on.  The stand stood like that till the shop was sold at the end on November.  One customer even complimented us on our little show of poppies, the bosses didn't notice about the stand until it was pointed out to them, I took the compliment quietly as they had thought the other two staff had done as they were always sorting and tidying.

I will be observing the hour again today whilst doing my chores and listening to radio.

I did a post about my grandfathers

“The Soldier,” by Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) 

If I should die, think only this of me: 

That there’s some corner of a foreign field 

That is forever England. There shall be 

In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; 

A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, 

Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam, 

A body of England’s, breathing English air, 

Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. 

And think, this heart, all evil shed away, 

A pulse in the Eternal mind, no less 

Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given, 

Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; 

And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness, 

In hearts at peace, under an English heaven. 

(1914) 

Rememberance - I am proud of these three men

I mentioned a few posts back I am tracing my family tree.  Stories that I heard mentioned as a child have come to the fore.  Stories I heard but never took much notice of at the time and wished I had taken more notice of.  

William Prentice

The picture of the gentleman above is my dad's dad.  In my research of my family tree he is my 'skeleton in the cupboard'.  He also came back from the the war.  He came back from WW2.  He was at Dunkirk (1940).  He swam to the Royal Daffodil, a ferry boat which although had taken a direct hit from a bomb but had saved 8000 troops.  He was a Regimental Sergeant Major, and has a medal for Gallantry.  I never knew him either, I think I had met him a few times, but I wasn't very old when I had met him.  He in died 1972, I was  sixteen.

My great-grandfather, George William Greaves, whose medals I show on my 11th November posts

The medals were given to every solider who fought in WW1

He was a horse driver, he never did anything heroic, he came back, but he came back a broken man.  Although he lived till he was eighty years old, I never knew him he died before I was born.  I once heard a story that his own children walked on the other side of the road because he was drunk in the gutter.  No soldier then talked of what actually went on.  No counselling existed then, it was the 'stiff upper lip' and all that.   

(Elaine has a post of what happened to the WW1 horses - very heartbreaking)

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George William Greaves' son-in-law was my grandfather Albert Sullivan.

You can read about Albert here

He was in the Home Guard.

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I don't agree with war, I don't like confrontation, but these three men had a job to do, and I am proud of them. 

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~ My Skeleton in the Cupboard ~ 

William Prentice, my grandfather.  I couldn't find him anywhere on any genealogical site.  It was as if he didn't exist!  I sent for his birth certificate.  He was born to a servant called Florence in September 1900, I will leave you dear readers to decide as to what may have happened...................

Flowers and Makes!

I previously mentioned I had got rid of loads of books and magazines on freecycle.  On the off chance the other day I emailed the same lady who came the first time if she would like the last few magazines and books.  She was happy to take the books, she turned up on my doorstep in the pouring rain with these beautiful Dahlias as a thank you for the books.

Whilst shopping in Morrison's the other day, I was wondering aimlessly whilst Alex went to have a look on the bargain stall, he came towards me with this in his arms.  A three foot Orchid.  Reduced from £10 to the grand some of 20p - yes you read it correctly twenty pence!

The makes are here and there are few more items in my shop