Is 2008 an Olympic year?

Is it a leap year or something?, world cup maybe? I'm sure there's something important going on next year I just cant remember what it is!.....anyone know?

Anyway, I know some people are probably wondering how we're doing here so I'll tell you. We survived Christmas better than we had thought we would, the morning was hard but the afternoon was a bonus because we laughed loads, I honestly never thought I would be laughing this Christmas how amazing is that, someone was definitley smiling on us. The atmosphere in our house has been very peaceful and calm despite the hordes of visitors who I'm sure have that secret rota on the go again.

I'd like to take a moment to remember last New Year which was spent at the local with Chris, family and friends, it was a fabulous night and I'm so glad we made the effort to go. I wanted to post a pic but have had many pc problems recently and they've gone adrift for now.

I'll probably manage to see 2008 in, John definitley won't as he's working tomorrow and Mike says he's staying in.....yeah right!

Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy new year from us all.

Scrabble & Cards saves Christmas.

With 11 games of scrabble on the go on facebook I popped on and off all Christmas day and as we were having visitors late afternoon my cunning plan was to spring the board game on them. However it soon became apparent that concentration levels were not going to stretch to a word game due to much happy juice being swigged and they'd never beleive my words were proper one's anyway, only my scrabbulous buddies know such things.

So.....we opted for a game of cards, sounds dead easy doesn't it, well it wasn't. My lovely friend Eve was invited for dinner and was delivered to us along with precise instructions.


1) Give her a pint of water now.

2) Give her a pint of water in half an hour.

3) Give her dinner with a pint of water.

4) If 3 hours have elapsed since her arrival and all water has been drunk, she may have a small alcoholic drink followed by a pint of water.

5) Dont give her any more pink champagne, it goes to her head. (obvious)

6) 'Good luck'

We got through that bit and everything was going hunky dory, our visitors arrived and we all settled down to a game of new market which is a favourite of ours. Its not difficult to understand really providing you didnt spend the morning drinking pink champagne. We then realised we had no copper to play with so out came the cf collection box, we have no scruples in this house, we're scousers (exept my hubby).

The card game goes like this, all cards are dealt out exept one, this sits in the middle of the table and is called the horse, everyone puts 2p on the horse and 2p in the kitty...easy. An extra hand is dealt but left out of the game. The person with the lowest red card starts the game, lets say it was the 2 of diamonds then whoever has the 3 plays it you dont take turns you just bloody go if you have the next number and if it stops on you you then play your lowest black..........red then black then red..........2,3,4 etc. flippin heck it was such hard work.

I brought the drinks and we decided to have a well earned break but as my friend sipped hers her face crinkled and very quietly and calmly she said 'Sue you've given me a dirty glass it tastes greasy' I wouldnt do that but humoured her and went to make a fresh one. When I reached into the cupboard for the lime juice I realised I'd given her veg oil instead, well we were helpless I havent laughed that much for many many months it was brilliant. We ended the night playing snap which was about all we were capable of by then, I walked my friend home, played my moves on scrabulous and slept like a brick.

Thank you to everyone who sent messages through various channels and to the game players who have kept me busy over the last few days.

Much love to all.
x

Coconuts and of course....the tree (insert big wink)

First off coconuts will NOT be awarded in advance no matter how high you stick your hand up, if you're still reading in early Jan you'll get one, if not I'll have them all as I'm partial to a coconut.


The latest additions to the tree are:

A bracelet sent to Chris from my good buddy while he was still in hospital after transplant.

Our Lorraine, Chris's cousin sent a memento of a time in their younger years when they used to 'chill out' and put the world to rights.

Suzy one of Chris's bessy buddies brought a magnetic knife and fork, these were stolen from a restaurant where they were having a meal. It was an obsession, I have no end of salt and peppers, very long spoons, strangely shaped glasses etc.......

A mohican came via email from a mum who has also lost her son, her post on the cf forum some time ago touched me, I'd been about to go into 'nag' mode' and it stopped me in my tracks.

Linda Jane said;

I couldn't find a picture of a blue mohican to send you, but you sent me an email with these words about Chris and instead of 'full nag mode' you emailed me and made me smile. 'The last few days he's had a bit of a rebellion against everything he has no control over, resulting in getting a mohican and dying it blue, booking a tattoo and staying out late with his mates'

Smiles have a way of doing the full circle and this one has.


Hiya Sandy,

I dont seem to be able to delete one of your posts, I'm not on my own pc and its being arsey, Good to hear you found some 'Lennons' as Chris called them, he also has a pair. I'll be looking out for something special for Matt's tree next year. Much love and many (((HUGS))) to you and everyone on the yahoo site. xxx

This pc also took some convincing that it could upload a pic, but it gave in eventually.

The tree.........




Many thanks to everyone for their comments on my blog and prayers for a peaceful Christmas for us, we're doing good here at the moment and the decision to not do Xmas in any commercial way has proved to be a well positive move.

Have a good un everyone.
Much love
x

Oh wow!

This tree thing is making us more smiley every day, we had a tree to tree decoration from the staff at the CTC in Liverpool as well as a fir cone from the cf nurse who was a star to Chris and still is to me. My friend who has also been our hairdresser for many many years wanted to send a photo which I am soooooo tempted to post (I have a copy of it on my pc but Mike would kill me if I did), but she couldn't find it. Instead she sent her very old scissors which have cut Chris's hair since he was about 2, she admitted that he was always a challenge as he gave her very precise instructions and woe betide her if she got it wrong.

Tonight Pam, our Mike's ex well surpassed me on the Blue Peter thing as she had handmade two brilliant decorations, one was a manga pic (Chris was very into drawing such things) and on it was written 'Dont cry because it is over, smile because it happened' and the other was a drawing of our Rodney the kitten he made me adopt and just says 'remember'

How brilliant all of this stuff is, I can honestly say I feel quite smiley tonight, I really do.

I'm probably going to bore any readers stupid from now until 2008 about this tree, so 100 points and a coconut if you're still reading on the 2nd of Jan.

The CHRISmas Tree.

We've always loved Christmas here, we're one of those family's who probably wildly overdo it in fact but we're not doing it this year as its far too painful to remember previous one's, so no cards, no pressys, none of the decorations from the attic and no huge credit card bill.....see, there's good and bad in everything.

The one concession we are making is a weeny tree. We asked family and Chris's friends to send something that reminded them of him to put on this weeny tree and its turned out to be a winner, its also made us smile at some of the things that have appeared.

Steve next door sent his weather vein which has two holes in it, apparently a confession was made to him by Lee Chris's mate....'that was me an Pee (Chris's nickname) with the air rifle' he said.

A fiver someone owed him.

Jessica rabbit (because he fancied her)

Much guinness stuff

Rupert (he collected the annuals)

A butterfly from me mum (she has a signed painting of one that Chris did for her)

A postcard of the Millenium bridge in Newcastle (my first excursion to see a mate after Chris's transplant)

I got all Blue Peterish and made a star out of straws and stuck a C in the middle as he always wiped his straw all over my face or in my hair after a calshake and he used sticky letters to put my name on my phones.

A string of kinder toys from Mike, they had an ongoing game of some sort with a massive kinder thing which involved more than I have room to write here.

A beany dog, this one involved the whole family and our good friend Eve it was similar to hide and seek but got silly.

A bit of wood stolen from a neighbours garden over the field, bloody hell that was some barbeque due to my Scottish friend shouting 'Mir wid' into the early hours of the morning and her and Chris haring off to nick it from Charlie's garden saying he'll never ever use the amount he's got stacked by his shed.

Homer Simpson from John because Chris reckoned his dad was Homers long lost twin.

There's a hat on the way as well, anyone who regularly reads my blog will be familiar with the significance of that one.

There's more to come and I will update later with a pic of the tree as I've had a few requests to post about it, meanwhile a massive 'Thank you' to Sandy for sharing this idea with me, I was dubious at first but its made us smile and that takes some doing just now.

Oli's doing well as well.....YAY!!!!!!!!!

Much love to all.
xxx