Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things I found on my way to the Castle! 1. It was a lovely Spring Day yesterday, so I went for a walk down to our castle........I went past the palm tree....... 3. Look at this amazing forsythia - what vibrant yellow against the sky! 3. Stopped to admire the glorious daffydowndillies........ok, all right, I'm getting to the castle [sigh] 4. Do you see this building? This is a school built in 1862. There were two doors; one for girls and one for boys....... 5. They even kindly carved the date over the doors so we would know... 6. Then I paused at the town pump. I don't think it's attached to the water supply though........ 7. [Oy! What about the castle!] 8. Be patient.......after the pump, I noticed this nestling in a wall. A water drinking fountain, erected to memorialise a Lt Hector MacLaine who, in 1880, died getting his troops fresh water........hmm....no water now.......... 9. And off away down the road I walked.....[What about this castle!?!]...and I found this wonderful old tree. Trunk all twisted, many branches lopped, but life still in the old husk! 10. And behind the tree, just around the corner......? 11. [Woohoo! A Castle!] Nope, not quite. Our lovely 12C church St Mary's. 12. And look at the impressive graveyard - you had to have some serious dosh to be buried like this.......... 13. [Come on - we want to see the Castle!!] OK, folks, here it is, Thornbury Castle! The building of Thornbury Castle, started in 1511 by Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, ended in 1521 when he was beheaded by Henry VIII. Buckingham's vast estates, including Thornbury, were confiscated by the King who stayed here with Anne Boleyn in 1535. Henry's daughter, Mary Tudor, lived here as a Princess and when she became Queen she returned the Castle to the descendants of the late Duke. Told you we had a castle [pokes out tongue]! Thursday Thirteen Blogroll All Thursday Thirteen participants can be seen on the Thursday Thirteen blogroll to your right and down a bit - go on...have a wee surf!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

cq

Wordless Wednesday

Scorpio

cq

Normal Service has resumed....

Well, as you can see, last night was a bad night in the Palace. Such is the curse of depression, sometimes you don't realise how bad you are.
On reflection, I was going to delete that post today. But the comments came rolling in, so I left it. Thank you for your kind comments :-)
This is not a 'warts and all' journal - this is supposed to be THERAPY! Sheesh!


Anyway, did you all see that lovely message Genuine left for me on the 'Shallow Hal' post? How sweet is that man? And the blogging community have outstripped the $240 by $33 - yep, a magnificent $273 was raised by your thoughtfulness! :-) So little Ben will be remembered with a magnificent plaque in the Memorial Garden at the Anschutz Cancer Centre. Does't it look peaceful in the picture? Somewhere family and friends can be close to those they can no longer see.
Rest in peace and tranquillity, Ben. You will be remembered the world over.

oh, and Superhero Genuine?? You are going on my blogroll - I'm proud to call you 'friend' too :-)

cq

Shallow Me

Shallow Hal is one of those films that I caught bits of here and there, but never saw the whole thing. Well, I just watched it all the way through.
Speaking as someone who has been big (tall, bigboned and overweight - d'uh, see photo!) all her life - I found Shallow Hal to be patronising in the extreme. I know the Farrelly Brothers meant well - but Gwyneth Paltrow in a fat suit is still Gwyneth Paltrow in a fat suit.
I know I am big (I was big as a child), I am the product of tall, well-built parents. I also know I am nice (or try to be). But I still see people's faces. Especially now I am older and 'cute' just doesn't hack it. So - anyway, I finished the film and was feeling particularly bitter.....

As I have been over the last couple of days, I popped in to see Genuine. See how the numbers are stacking up and how the dollar total is rising.....

WOW! Bloggers uniting have so far reached a staggering 211 comments in the 'Tears in Heaven' post! That's $211 Genuine is gonna donate to the Ben Steadman plaque. I emailed him yesterday about the rising total - and he was thrilled! Today his answer was 'excellent!'

[checks tally] - $212! still it keeps rising!

And I am humbled. I was feeling so sorry for myself but what on earth is the matter with me! I have my life and my health. Genuine's family and the Steadman's are going through hell and I am worried about my LOOKS!! Jesus!

Maybe I'm not such a nice person after all. I look to people like Genuine, who are giants among men, and I feel small - and shallow..........like Hal.

$213 - soon we will match the price of the plaque with money left over!

cq

Sunday Treat

This is me and our new Great Nephew. I know, I don't look old enough to be a great aunt!

This was taken at his christening, and five minutes after the photo, he was sleeping soundly in my arms.

Make the most of this - pictures of me are few are and far between.

cq

Meme-meme-meme.....

A moment before the fun. Please visit Genuine. He and his family are supporting their neighbours after the death of their son and Genuine's childrens' best friend, Ben. For every comment on his blog, Genuine will donate $1 to a plaque in memory of Ben.

Laquet’s meme, nicked from Paddy who nicked it from Prydwen who nicked it from BellaBella who nicked it from .... this could go on and on and on!

Don't forget to put my name on the "theft line" when you half-inch this later on!!

How did you get the idea for your profile name? I manage a science fiction chat folder at work and we used to have monthly get togethers. All the serious bookish geeks stood at one end of the bar and all the Buffy/Star Trek fan geeks (including me!) stood at the other. When people talked about the social, we were referred to as the Crazies in the Corner, and I was dubbed Queen of the Crazies – craziequeen followed on naturally.

What song are you playing now, or wish you were playing? Piece by Piece, from the CD Piece by Piece by Katie Melua – gorgeous…buy it!

Has the death of a celebrity ever made you cry? When Eric Morecambe died I cried for days. Still the song ‘Bring me Sunshine’ makes me cry. And when Freddie Mercury died I cried for a week. Totally irrational.

What colour underwear are you wearing? [peeks] pink. And no - you can't all see....

Do you want a baby? There is nothing so soul destroying as wishing for something that can’t come true! I know!

What does your dad do for a living? He’s retired, but he was a geologist.

What does your mum do for a living? Also retired, she used to be a teacher. My parents are now retired in the wilds of Scotland.

What is/are your pet's name(s)? Pandora and Charlie.

What colour are your bed sheets? Blue and…….blue :-)

What are the last 3 digits of your phone number? On the landline, 935

What was the last concert you went to? Toughie, not been to any……..does Rocky Horror Show count? [squirts water pistol and throws rice]

Who was with you? Blind ‘date’ with some guy at work who had a spare ticket……..I was very worried when he turned up in full Frank N Furter gear, complete with fishnets and stilettos!! Mind you, that was nothing to me getting lost in the redlight district dressed as Magenta in an extraordinarily short dress, apron and stilettos!

What was the last film you watched? Just got home from The Inside Man. Impressive, but strange movie. Very ‘Spike Lee’ and an excellent vehicle for the magnificent Denzel. Strong casting and lots of misdirection.

Who do you dislike most at this moment? Tony Blair – duh!. Among people I know……..I am harbouring a long-standing intense dislike for someone who betrayed me last year. Be warned – I do not forgive betrayal easily, if at all!

What food do you crave right now? I am eating oranges like they are going out of fashion atm!

Did you dream last night? Nightmares lately – a bit stressed out in my new job.

What was the last TV show you watched? Boston Legal – with the magical Michael J Fox fighting his Parkinson’s to keep working. He’s amazing.

What is your fav piece of jewellery? Two simple bead bracelets made by my young goddaughter Boo, which I wear every day. I also wear a hematite bracelet with them. My everyday necklace is the Chinese symbol for Dragon.

What is to the left of you? The window!

What was the last thing you ate? A hot chocolate chip muffin with my coffee at the cinema – what a good idea on these cold days, although a tad pricey!

Who is your best friend of the opposite sex? It would be unfair to choose between: Aginoth is my ‘bruv’, Cyberkitten is my alter ego and Sleepypete is my Boy! So many nice men in my life - I am a lucky Crazie :-)

Who last MSN'd you? Cyberkitten.

Where is your significant other right now? Watching TV downstairs after a day tinkering in his garage.

Do you have a crush? Constantly! So many cute guys, so little time.....[chuckle] Is there one person (other than MB) who makes my heart go thud every time I see him? Yep.......no clues!

What is his/her name? Which one? [chuckle]

When was the last time you had your hair cut? Too long ago [makes mental note to make appointment] Thank you for reminding me!

Are you on any meds? Yes, Prozac, but not at the moment – I have been on them so long I am self-managing!

Do you have a mental disease? LMAO!!! Well, why do you think I am on Prozac! Actually, depression is an illness, not a ‘mental disease’. In fact, depression lasting more than 12 months is now classed as a disability in the UK.

What shirt are you wearing? Lovely thermal vests I bought for Bavaria and now wear all the time! They make fab long sleeved t-shirts and are cosy-warm!

Are you sexy? No – although I think I used to be [sob] I don't think I'm allowed to be a great aunt *and* sexy.....

What's your favourite store? Waterstone’s and WH Smiths. Anywhere with books and stationery……..mm...the smell of paper and ink........

Are you thirsty? Being a coffee addict, I am always thirsty.

Can you imagine yourself ever getting married? Not at this rate……but I yearn for a midnight wedding outdoors on a summer night, with flaming torches and stuff…….[you reading this, MB? eh? oi! MB!!]

Who's someone you haven't seen in a while and miss? Easy. My goddaughter Boo and her mother. I haven’t seen them for – oh god how long……..?……..4 years? Which is, obviously, why I wear her bracelets every day!

Where do you work? I could tell you, but then I would have to shoot you! [smiles sweetly]

So, which question are you going to answer for yourself in the comments?

And as Mar-see-ah is getting off lightly with Memes, I tag her.....and Dawn (if she hasn't done it.......and...um......Lazy Daisy!
Don't forget, if you want to steal - feel free, but remember the credit! :-)

cq

The Lost Dr Seuss Poem

cq

[click on the poem to open it in a bigger window - this is as big as blogger would allow!]

Wordless Wednesday

It's a loooooooooong week.......

btw - testing the new linkys thing, but it's coming out huge.......dunno why.......Uisce is promising to look into it......

cq

Tagged Again!

Tagged by my blogsistah Dawnie for this, and dared by Darren! How could I possibly refuse my sweet Dawn when she has made me Blog of The Month at Retarded Rugrat! :-) Go on over and say hello - she's an angel, honest :-)

Here, for Dawn, is a new A-Z of the Crazie One. [The comments in green are Dawn's - we're sooooo in toon........!]

Accent: Born in Devon, raised in Gloucestershire but oddly enough I have been accused of a London accent [waits while Mrs A falls off her chair]. When I am drunk I go broad Devon – cyberkitten thinks that is hilarious :-) When I am around my in-laws, I tend to take on a Barnsley accent (odd, as I have never lived in Yorkshire at all!)

Booze of Choice: I am very restrained now and mostly drink vodka pops (wkd or Smirnoff Ice) or plain old vodka and lemonade…….. but never anything with coke – I hate coke……..! And I am allergic to wine, especially white! As a young person I pretty much drank anything that was going around – including getting a terrible reputation for ‘minesweeping’; emptying other people’s glasses for them! I always saw it as an act of charity – saving them getting legless……

Chore I hate: The bins…….I hate doing the bins. Even working out which binmen are coming when is a chore these days in dear old England…..

Dog or Cat: Well, it goes without saying…..Cat! But I do like dogs. I like gun dogs, big, beefy, brawny and loyal dogs.

Essential Electronics: I SO want to say internet, but it’s got to be our Sky Plus satellite system. Now I just have to remember once when something is on, set the series link and it happily records the programme every week/day/month etc, meaning I can blog away and not miss any telly!!

Favorite Perfume: [White Musk from The Body Shop. I've loved that since I was a teenager and still love it now.] I’m with Dawnie on this one. Being allergic to most perfumes, I adore my White Musk and carry a bottle everywhere with me.

Gold or Silver: Gold has to be 24C and silver has to be pure. Allergies again……...

Hometown: I guess if it’s where I was raised, it would be Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. Now it’s the delightful town of Thornbury, also in Gloucestershire!!

Insomnia: [yawn] you wha…….??! Oh insomnia…yep – for years now. It’s a by-product of my depression, and is getting worse as I get older. Of course, having a large healthy kitten bounce on my chest at 4am doesn’t help much either….

Job Title: I have a new one now! [looks proud] I am an Assistant Health and Safety Advisor…….cool, eh?? :-)

Kids: Let’s not go there again….

Living Arrangments: A cosy three bed house with my MB (Much Beloved) and our two crazy felines.

Most Admired Trait: no idea – you’ll have to ask my Crazies……...

# of Sexual Partners: [polishes halo] two – ex-husband and MB.

Over Night Hospital stays: More than I care to remember.

Phobia: Mice (musophobia) rats (zemmiphobia) and even gerbils and hamsters (they don’t have proper names yet!)), clowns (coulrophobia), dentists (dentophobia), heights (acrophobia), and just when everything is lovely, I get agoraphobia…..!!

Quote: "In order to end the suffering of the people, to bring an end to their pain and agony, there is no option but resistance" Ahmad Shah Massoud (anti-Taliban Northern Alliance leader) 01 Sep 1953 – 09 Sep 2001

Religion: Christian Quaker, with a healthy respect for other faiths thrown in for good measure.

Siblings: 3 older, two brothers one sister – yep I’m the baby……..

Time I wake up: If Charlie or MB have anything to do with it; usually about 4am!!.

Unusual Skill: None that I can think of………..

Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: Spinach – yeuch!!

Worst Habit: [Hmmmm, I'm gonna say smoking. I really need to quit.] Me too, Dawnie. Sorry all.

Xrays: lots :-( Why is X always X-rays? How about a new X?
Xenophile or Xenophobia: Xenophile – I love meeting foreign people! :-)

Yummy Food I Can Make: Cheese Risotto. MB hates it, but I LOVE it [drool]

Zen Moment: Which one?? [snigger]

cq

A Poem

As is often the way, after much searching on the web I couldn’t find anything I could ‘borrow’ to use for this post, so I am writing myself...

[licks pencil]

My house is so quiet,
My life is full of peace,
There is no screaming
Or yelling at least.

No toys on the floor,
No marks on the walls,
My house is untouched
By toy trains or dolls.

Every day I yearn
For toys to pick up,
For tears to wipe
And small hands on a cup.

But I have on my mantel,
Pride of place today,
A card made especially
For me on Mother’s Day.

A box of chocolates
Came with the card
With silver ribbons
And hugs, oh so hard.

And today as if by magic
A pretty Spring basket appeared,
Full of beautiful flowers
Showing someone else cared.

Thank you Aginoths (Mr and Mrs), for my lovely card and Chocolates. An especial big hug to LMB for her wonderful sticking skills :-)

And SleepyPete - what to say? You are the son I never had, but the son I have always wished for. Thank you, my darling boy.

To those mothers who can't be with their children, and to those children who can't be with their mothers - Happy Mother's Day, UK-Style!

cq

Saturday Night

and where am I? Where indeed......?

At the Aginoths, of course. Babysitting while Aginoth and Mrs A go to the pictures for a long-overdue night out :-D

It was wonderful to see them together again. Due to the ward's closure for virus protection, they haven't seen each other for over a week. Before leaving for the cinema they sat close together, holding hands, seeming to defy the world to split them up again :-)

And waiting for me was an adorable card made by the children for their CQ, and a delicious box of choccies that I am going to relish tomorrow....

The children are in bed and Aginoth has left the laptop signed in for me :-)

You know, I seem to spend more time on feline blogs than human ones at the moment. My cats, Pandora and Charlie, get more visits than me these days and there is an endless stream of catblogs starting up. Finnegan and Buddy's e-party pulled in 568 comments on one post - is that a record, I ask myself..... Perhaps I should try that here in the Palace! :-)

cq

A Little Whine With That, My Dear?

This weekend it's Mother's Day.

Limp posies given by a child
Spilt coffee on a tray
All with love so meek and mild
For a darling mother

Bursting giggles behind the door
Rustling paper surprise
Children with so much and more
For a loving mother

Remember the selfless love
No matter night or day
Inspiration from above
Instilled in a mother

This was a poem in our local rag to celebrate Mothering Sunday. Isn't it adorable?

I have sent my Mother a card. I have posted her a gift which I know she will love - because she asked for it ages ago and doesn't know she's getting it.

I hate Mothering Sunday for selfish reasons. I hate Mothering Sunday because there are no children to tell me how much they love me being their mum, to bring me a sloppy breakfast, to make me cards and pick me posies.

And there never will be.

I know there are a lot of Mommy Bloggers out there, I have many on my own blog roll.
To them I wish a sparkling Mother's Day full of love and laughter, sweet smelling flowers and cards that say what hearts can't.

I have been involved with five families now. The first ones are now in their 20s and 30s. The current ones are my Aginothlings, 5 and under. They have all loved me in a special way, but not as a child loves a mother. They have all painted pictures for me, hugged me and cuddled with me, but sooner or later I hand them back to their real mother.

Mother's Day? Nothing to celebrate here........

cq

Flower art (c) David Rudd

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things Things I remember about Turning Teen in the 70's! 1. Music - We had Abba, Queen, Sweet, T-Rex, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple.....and Jasper Carrott! :-) 2. TV - Ah, I used to love the The Wombles! Orinoco (the chap sleeping on the front page of this link) was my favourite - and I knew all the words to 'Underground Overground, Wombling Free!' Morecambe and Wise on a Saturday night, The Good Life, Vision On, The Banana Splits, The Doubledeckers, Multicoloured Swapshop, The Waltons....good stuff! 3. Rule breaking - as new Teens, we were breaking all the rules. We were so brazen. We loitered (sometimes with alcohol) we shoplifted (not me, too much of a wimp!). Having your ears pierced was really a bit wild! Sneaking off after school to the local public convenience to change out of school uniform and into jeans. Dating older 'men', by the time I was 15, I had dated two grown men and two soldiers from a local base - but I never ever.........you know.....!! 4. Radio - the glory days of Dave Lee Travis (DLT aka The Hairy Cornflake!), Alan 'Fluff' Freeman, and listening to Paul Gambaccini under the covers late at night! Also in this section is my first portable radio and my first ever record player, both in my bedroom, thanks to my doting stepdad! :-) 5. Grass - nope, not the lawn kind, the unlawful kind. No really heavy drugs in my circle, grass was the narcotic of choice. I can still remember sitting in a lad's basement with about four friends, the sweet smell of marijuana in the air and Hendrix on the record player.........(see No 3!) 6. First drink - first serious session was when I was 12, and my dad bought me cider at a local bar. I was stopped by the police walking home! And I got barred from my first pub for being D&D at 15. (see No 3!) 7. Swimming - I still love swimming, but in Cheltenham we were spoilt with this fabulous outdoor pool! In fact, I enjoyed spending so much time there that at 13 I was casually employed as a lifeguard. I don't like indoor pools and still promise myself a return visit some sunny Summer afternoon..... 8. Cycling - I cycled everywhere as a teen, with my trusty bike and my cycle lock. Religious meeting, school, stables, friends, music lessons.... 9. Holidays - I had some fab holidays as a child/teen. Quaker Camp, Summer School at Friends School, Saffron Walden, and PGL. All wonderfully Enid Blyton holidays! And no family.....(well, apart from my siblings at Camp!) 10. My Big Brother - Big brother A (not to be confused with Aginoth who isn't actually blood!) was my hero as a child. He took me to senior school on my first day, he rode me places on his bike (sitting precariously on his luggage rack), he was (and still is!) very tall, very handsome and utterly charming. My second brother was also tall and handsome and all my girlfriends were in love with my big brothers. 11. CB radio - in my early teens CB (citizen band) radio was all the rage, albeit illegal. I remember one fun evening we were in a friends car with the CB on and we were chased by the police through all these little Cotswold villages! 12. Food - before all this silliness with food, and my emerging vegetarianism at 20yrs, we had a very simple yet delicious diet. After swimming on Friday we would be fed up with delicious eggy bread. I used to love lamb hearts (makes me gag now, mind!), we used to fight over the biggest and make pea shooters out of the valves! And a pint of milk each a day, to promote strong bones and healthy bodies. One of my mum's specialities was golabki (pronounced gawumkee), a Polish recipe for stuffed cabbage leaves. I loved Kobassa sausages and toast on a Sunday morning. And the reason behind this Polish food - my stepdad from Poland. My mother is still a WAY better cook than I will ever be, despite her doubts. 13. Disco - remember that wonderful disco music? The flashing lights, the girls and boys trying to look cool? I used to LOVE discos (I still do, but they are disappearing fast). I spent hours in my room practising disco steps from Pan's People and then would eagerly wait for a chance to show them off. In fact, I have Pan's People to thank for winning a disco-dancing competition and getting to dance with the disco hunk :-) Thursday Thirteen Blogroll All Thursday Thirteen participants can be seen on the Thursday Thirteen blogroll to your right and down a bit - go on...have a wee surf!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

cq

Hospital and Real Life Update

Good news! It appears the consultant is happy with Aginoth :-)

He seems confident of a Friday release - so no more resident loon :-)

I am currently babysitting for Mrs Aginoth so she can get out and do some proper work - and interact with adults! But I'm on the clunky computer, 'cos the laptop isn't signed in.

LMD still fights me every opportunity......but she's cutting back on the screaming - although I was greeted with a dismal wail as I walked in :-(
It just means she gets carried a lot - not something she objects to [wink] but makes me earn my money.......

...oh hang on, I don't get paid for this......

:-)

It's worth it - every non-penny........

cq

Update

So - how am I doing on those VITAL tasks.......??

Still to do;

write to my mum

organise her mother's day present - CHECK

write to my insurance company - CHECK

write a letter on a Health and Safety assessment I performed yesterday for my new job - CHECK

and a new addition.........

Buy Charlie and Pandora's Secret Paw gifts to send to America (such fun - humour me!) - CHECK

Do you see the one I haven't done yet, children?! :-O

And in answer to questions:

my back is improving steadily, although it does have setbacks. I am still on my painkillers.

My new job is proving a challenge and I wouldn't wish today (day 2) on my worst enemy.......I'll tell you more when I'm feeling more positive.

Oh, and before I collapse into bed........go on over and say hello to my sweet friend Le Laquet. Poor Jo has been taken into hospital herself, after being so concerned about Aginoth. Wish her well, my blogbuddies.

cq

Hospital

Well, I went again...............bleedin' depressing place - poor old Aginoth.

In order to visit Aginoth I have to wear the latest in high fashion; the blue plastic apron and latex gloves. I hate the gloves, by the time I take them off my hands are wringing wet....

This is barrier protection, however I am puzzled as to who is protected from what in this ludicrous garb. I'm certainly not protected, as today I sat on his bed and I kiss him goodbye every day. He's not protected because I am still traipsing Bristol grime into the hospital, apron or no apron.......and an apron doesn't stop airborne viruses. ah well....[shrug]

You wanna see more of Aginoth?

These are his arms, fully creamed up in dithranol. It has an air of deja vue, cos this is what he looked like last time he was in hospital...... and doncha just LOVE those apricot jammies :-( If you want a birds eye view of his ward - check his blog....

OK, go on - you wanna see this 300 year old hospital, doncha?? Here it is, built in 1735........still waiting for a decent refurb too!

Austere, ain't it? looks like an asylum.....

and next door? oh look, a University building.......cor, imagine the moolah that went into that beauty..........

Isn't life unfair........??

cq

Busy Busy

My days and evenings have been taken up lately with closing down my job and hospital visiting.

As I am not being replaced (for the moment) in the team, I have been working long days at the office, delegating work, sorting out what needs to be done and what can wait. It hasn't helped that the stupid computer system at work has been up and down like a fiddler's elbow all week. Most of the stuff I should have done just didn't get done, as it was held on the most fragile server that was down for the best part of my last week! But I managed to mostly clear the decks before the dreaded 'presentation'. I like my boss, really I do, and I adore the girl who put together the meat of my leaving presentation (lots of fun things I had done in the team - including crashing an expensive wedding! :-O) - but the boss didn't use any of that, and I was quite disappointed with his speech. But it's all over now, I have another gorgeous bunch of flowers, some of my favourite munchie choccies and an adorable 'Good Luck' teddy :-)

My evenings have been a blur of dashing to the hospital then dashing home and cooking and cleaning; or on other days dashing home to cook and clean then dashing off to the hospital! Poor old Aginoth! There is a bug going round the wards and his ward is now shut. You can only visit if you are 100% bug free. So his family (who are suffering with a stomach bug in turns!) can't visit. So I have been lengthening my visiting times to try and cover the gap - but there's nothing like seeing your own family! :-(
In fact. I have just come back from there now from the afternoon visiting to give myself the evening off. I have delivered nice Walkers Sensations crisps to supplement his terrible meals, a stack of DVDs, a Saturday Guardian which should give him plenty of reading material(!) and a book for him to plan family trips when he finally is mobile again! I am taking in all the messages sent to me, and some emails others have sent. There's some funny stuff in his Grin Room Folder now! Thank you all very much for sending your messages and wishes :-)

Still to do;

write to my mum -

organise her mother's day present - CHECK

write to my insurance company -

write a letter on a Health and Safety assessment I performed yesterday for my new job - CHECK

This is my way of making sure I do these vital tasks!

Busy busy..........

Oh, and I know my blog has been a little fragile lately, but it all seems to be working fine now [crosses fingers]

Update: I have picked up another Silver Medal at the BlogOlympics Training Camp 3 - woo hoo to me!

OK - vacuum the upstairs and it's off back to the hospital!

cq

Audience Participation Tuesday

Not, not a new blogging phenonomononon........thingy.......

This is a special event, aimed at lifting the spirits of our blogger friend, Aginoth. He is in hospital undergoing nasty treatment with chemicals to try and control (and hopefully cure!) his psoriasis.

Tucked away in his bed in the miserable ward, surrounded by old men who should be in Geriatric not Dermatology, deprived of decent food and missing his wife and family, Aginoth is sad today. Actually, he's sad most days at the moment, but he's an upbeat kinda guy on the whole!

I was driving home from the hospital wondering how I could help. He can moblog (within reason) and he can pick up emails (size permitting) on his mobile, but with such a small connection he's very limited.

Bingo! Why don't I get all our Blog Buddies involved!!

E-Mail me messages for Aginoth!!

Jokes, stories, pictures, messages - let your imaginations loose! Then I will print them off and take them in to him. He can read your messages, laugh at your awful (but funny!) jokes, and enjoy your stories. He can keep them and read them again and again. Let's turn his grim room into a Grin Room!
And don't forget Mrs A, nip on over to our juggling mother and give her BlogLuuuurve :-)

I know I haven't been around much, but with the job move imminent (meaning long days closing down my current post!) and Aginoth in hospital, I am not getting much chance to blog atm!

cq

Monday Memory

How about this for a Monday Memory? A *future* memory! :-)

Tonight my Line Manager took me out for dinner to say 'goodbye and thankyou'. We took a couple of girls from the office that I particularly wanted to treat, K and N.
My Line Manager greeted me at her hotel with this gorgeous bouquet of flowers - in my fave colours too!

They are now in my equally gorgeous purple glass vase :-)

And K and N presented me with the most thoughtful present......see?

It's a scrapbook, started by them with the sweetest opening page. Pretty cat stickers, lovely bold colours, a little presentation (the pale green bit) based on an office award certificate (very clever!) and the girls have written in it too! I'm going to fill that book, and treasure it.

We went to the Siam Harbourside in Bristol, as it was my treat and I LOVE Thai food! (ps thanks Aginoths for introducing me to Thai!) The Siam is fantastic. The food was generous portions and SO delicious, the delicate flavours of the Thai recipes came through with no harsh overtones that you get with Chinese food.

I had my usual :-) Battered vegetables with sweet chilli dipping sauce, followed by vegetable sweet and sour. For pudding I had the most un-Thai chocolate ice-cream dessert with cream and chocolate sauce and chocolate covering..........[dribble]...oops -sorry! :-)

Topped off with a delicious Russian coffee (thanks for driving, K - that coffee was something to behold!). The waitress trundled out a little trolley, complete with dozens of bottles of booze, coffee, cream and a little burner! She heated the alcohol in the glass (in my case vodka), spooning it around until the whole glass burned blue. Then she added coffee and cream, and served it. Then she heated more alcohol in a metal spoon until it was alight, and poured the burning alcohol into the coffee, making a stream of blue fire into this amazing drink :-) WOW! And it was delicious, to boot!! Strong coffee with a bite of pure alcohol on the back of the throat....

So, a wonderful evening with three delightful young ladies, joking, story-telling and much laughter.

This is my Monday Memory for this week - a future memory!

cq

Hospital Visiting.......

Yup, with Aginoth back in hospital and Mrs A juggling visiting, three boisterous kids and a household to run, I am hospital visiting again :-)

I confess: I am a bad visitor - although I remembered Aggie's newspaper, I forgot to smuggle in various chocolatey items.........[bad cq] This, I hasten to add will be remedied next time I visit.

Aginoth is currently on steroids and petroleum jelly to ease his inflamed psoriasis before he gets 'The Treatment', and he is looking a lot better. His patches (as seen in those shocking pictures on his blog) are not so 'angry' as they were and he is a lot more comfortable (relatively, of course!). His face gets special creams and has cleared up lovely - I went in today and saw my sweet good-looking friend smiling at me :-)
But the itching is still driving him bonkers.......

Mind you, with RCA there as well we made lots of plans for October!

Wouldn't be surprised if he gets a reputation in that ward - I think all his visitors are female at the moment; Mrs A, me, RCA and Nanny A. I think he needs some Men to visit to balance things out! Mind you, it means he gets lots of hugs :-) Always a good thing when you are poorly, hugs!
And when you're 'young' a reputation for having lots of females at your beck and call doesn't hurt :-)

Oh, that reminds me, I promised to blog this gem!

While chatting, I caught sight of his hospital tag and it reminded me he has a big birthday this year. This year my young friend is going to be 36 [waits for laughter to subside]
Which means he is now in the '36-45' age bracket on questionnaires.
It also means he is no longer in the Britney Spears age bracket, but has been promoted to the Denzel Washington age bracket (I tried to say the Dick Van Dyke bracket - but I got THAT look! [chuckle])

Anyone get the idea I am glad he is feeling a little better in himself? :-)

cq