BIG Breakfast.

What a fun day its been in my world today. It began at about 6-15am when my phone went cuckoo cuckoo, thats the noise it makes when I get a text, but I thought I was dreaming because it was Saturday and nobody in their right mind texts you at ridiculous o-clock on a Saturday - do they?? So I turned over and tried hard to get back into the fab dream I was having, it was something to do with watching the sun set from a luxury wooden hoose on legs, waves lapping an all that (your fault Sandy). Then it hit me, the text was real and it could be an emergency so I swung my legs out of the sea/bed and tried hard to focus. It was indeed an emergency.

We have a thing called the 'Mens breakfast' at our church, and they were short of a bod due to much throwingupness of a member of the team (pinched this word from Em's own language) could I please help out. I re-read the text, it was from my lovely friend Wend and decided I could do this in fact I went derr derit derr derr derit derr derr...thats the theme tune to the A team in case you didnt know.

I stumbled downstairs and put John in the picture, he said you can do this, made me a coffee and shoved me out of the door, bless him.

I loved it, we fed about 50 men and I got myself on the team for future BIG breakfasts, I also managed to pick up another job as kitchenlookerafterer once a month.....thanks Chris (big grin). Naturally we all had a mega big plate of everything once we finished so I did my mile swim this afternoon, followed by Tesco's where I purchased a massive cream cake..............perfect.

High 5 to Al, Chris, Wend & me and a massive (((HUG))) to Ian, hope you're feeling better chuck, have to say though my hash browns were particularly good (wink).

Do what I do, not what I say.

Ok this is only little but its a step in the right direction. Tonight at the Eastern dance class she split us into groups and told us to chose a leader who would direct the rest of the group in a bit of a routine. My group all thought this girl who'd been doing it for ages would be the natural choice, so we sort of pointed at her and said 'you'll do it', but she wouldnt. She said to me you do it so I said ok. Bear in mind here that I am always facing the opposite way to the class, but I said to myself right you if you have to do presentations in front of a whole class come September you better start right now. I was nervous....very nervous but I did it and do you know what it wasn't half as hard as I thought it would be.

I didnt get it totally right but I had a go.

I'm well pleased with myself tonight.

I shaved another 5 minutes off the mile swim today and did it in an hour but thats IT, I swam flat out without a break so I'm leaving it there otherwise it becomes hard work instead of leisure. The oyster's next and I'll do it on my own seeing as though Gilly hasn't taken up my challenge ;-)

I'm cheating on the dye your hair red one, Lorraine and I are wearing not quite red wigs for The Great Strides walk so thats that one done. I'm allowed to cheat because its my list and I'm the boss of it.

Learn to ride a motorbike was on my last list and I haven't done it yet, however A has offered the use of an offroad bike whenever I fancy having a go and I do, so as soon as the big yellow shiny thing seriously hits the sky I'm heading for a field somewhere and probably a ditch as well.

Other than that I'm reading many books lately, most recent being The Witch of Portabelo and Angels & Demons, I'm into Dan Brown at the moment and started The Da Vinci Code last night, as with anything I do I do it to the max so if I'm sitting I'm reading.

We're fast approaching the dreaded anniverssary but I'm doing good at the moment, I have a focus beyond the day which is a big positive and I have lots of things to do on my list yet.

Number 1 - Be a nurse.

I went for a sort of group interview tonight at college and guess what, I'm on the course woohoooooo! I have a one to one interview on the 15th of May to discuss my modules. No.1 on my list is underway and I'm a bit excited I tell ya.

Lists

My hubby must have been talking to his secretary about my 1-10 list and she said she’d like to see it as she also had one, she called it her quest to get things done before she forgot where she put her teeth. I sent her my list and said I’d be interested in reading hers as I love to see what other people would like to do or have already done.

She’s done the oysters (nasty little creatures she said), dyed her hair red, mowed the lawn in the rain (that was on my last list) and done the karaoke, she’s also done New York hailing a yellow taxi with a doughnut in one hand and cappuccino in the other, visited Rome and done Monte Carlo to see the racetrack and casino’s, to name just a few……brilliant.

Her new list includes visit The Great Wall of China, a rapid water ride, buy an Audi TT convertible, sleep with Brad Pitt and a helicopter ride (no sides like the army one’s) slightly more ambitious than my list but hey its great to have a plan.

I’m nicking Rome and adding it to mine because it keeps coming up, several of my friends have been and loved it and the book I’m reading just now is centred around The Vatican, I’ve also added go to a football match preferably a Liverpool home game as I’d love to be in the crowd in the Kop.

I knocked 5 minutes off my swim a mile time on Saturday, I did it in 1hour 5mins which I thought was a major achievement until I was reliably informed that the Olympic time was about 12 minutes….Hahahahahaha!!!!! One day eh, in my dreams.

Milestone

Woooohoooo!!

Our pool has been closed for 2 weeks down at the gym so I couldnt make a start on my mile thing, having heard it was now open I took off for a quick swim this morning. I got to 30 lengths fairly easily and decided to go for 40, on reaching 40 I felt ok so convinced myself 50 was do-able. At 50 (lengths not years as I'm 51) I wondered if I was being a bit ambitious/bonkers to try for 60 which is a mile just in case I didnt mention it. At 54 cramp reared its ugly head and the lifeguard glanced in my direction with a look of 'here we go I'm going to have to rescue that one' Oh bloody no you are not I thought. After a quick massage by myself not the lifeguard I was off and completed a mile in 1 hour 10 minutes....yippeeee.

I can tell right now that I probably wont be able to use my arms very much tomorrow but hey it was so worth it, thats No. 7 off the list.

Tricia

Like thousands of others around the world I have been following Tricia, Nate and Gwyneths journey. We heard last night that Tricia's 2nd tx call went ahead and as of now she is still in theatre. She needs our prayers right now.

www.cfhusband.blogspot.com

1 - 10 list review

Its been a while since I updated my list of things to do before I die, I've knocked a fair few off so I started a new one this afternoon and it goes like this.

1 - Be a nurse
2 - Drive a canal boat
3 - Eat an oyster (euk!! not looking forward to that one)
4 - Write a poem
5 - Speak in public (I'd rather do the oyster)
6 - Dye my hair red
7 - Swim a mile (thats 60 lengths)
8 - Get above 1400 in my scrabbulous rating
9 -
0 -

I'm calling the last one 0 because 10 made my list look untidy. Having knocked a fair few off lately I can't think of anything for 9 and 0 yet, but I will. Number one will be there for a while, four years in fact, I start the swim one tomorrow and hope to hit the 60 lengths within two weeks (I just love to set targets). Do Asda do oysters? if so I'll pop down there tomorrow and thats 3 gone. I've started my poem, be brutally honest should I consider sending it to be published, John's not sure.

Do you ever wonder why
We were'nt born in the sky
instead of on earth
Or walk on our hands
Face close to the turf
Why cars don't run on tracks
above the rooves
Or why we have feet
instead of hooves
and who decided........

I think its best to leave it open ended, gives it an air of mystery dont ya think.

Is rooves a proper word, I've been sitting here saying it over and over and it sounds very odd.

*wink*

B&B

Blogs....I now read so many that I barely have time to blog.
&
Brrrrrr!.... No walk this weekend..we don't do cold.

Warm hugs to all. Roll on summer.

Catch up

I'm a bit behind in the blogging world as I've been tied up with widgets and things, they're a piece of cake to some people but as soon as they see its me they instantly think to themselves quick mess it up before she thinks she's clever. I won though and I'll tell you about it after I've done a quick one about the walk last Saturday, ok I know its boring but I'm keeping a diary of where we walk and when just so we know see.

Saturday the 15th amble was a long one at another beach, not much to report except that John nearly got marooned due to his wanting to watch the tide fill in a little pool which became a big pool and then an ocean while he stared out to sea oblivious of the fact that he was about to drown......

Me on the rocks nearly at New Brighton ignoring the fact that John is stranded.

Now then back to the widget, thats the thing on the right hand side of the blog which say's Justgiving In memory of Chris Pearson. As the first anniversary of our saying goodbye to Chris approached we heard about The Great Strides walk through my friend Lorraine and decided it would be a good move to join her and her family in something positive at a time that could very easily be negative. It takes place on the 10th of May just one day after the dreaded anniversary and hopefully it will give me John and Mike a focus beyond the day.

Feel free to chuck a copper and a message on the justgiving page to help us raise as much as we can so that parents in the future don't have to say goodbye to their children as we and many others have had to.

Got a lump in my throat now so I'm going.

Boyzone's ' No matter what' done proper.

Well thats number 4 off the list, I finally plucked up the courage to get up and sing at a karaoke night eventhough I'm completley tone deaf. Why the hell I didnt just settle for mumbling quietly into the microphone is beyond me.....Oh Noooooo! if I'm going to knock something off my list I'm going to do it big time.

I burst into song well before the music started, then my arm threw itself into the air and I got louder and louder. The look on our Jul's face is one of pure shock as I continued to imagine I was a superstar....*groan*

The walk this week was hard work after a late night.

View over Parkgate Marshes, there's a hill on that horizon called Moel Famau, we'll climb that sometime soon.

Hope alls good with everyone.

Helsby Hill. Part 2.

First I must warn any readers of this blog that its in danger of becoming an anorak type diary and might bore you sometime soon. I make no apologies for this though, in fact I activley promote the anorakness of getting a good pair of sturdy boots on and walking in the great outdoors.....

John doesn't do dogs that guard farms and I dont do moo cows so our walks are a wee bit fraught sometimes, like the time we took off on a 5 mile one. 10 miles later, having had to detour because of canine's bovine's and the odd nasty goose we were lost and it was lashing down with rain AND we were in a field full of some crop that was taller than us. Not the very best walk we've had so on Saturday I suggested a hill instead, surely we wouldnt meet many cows, I knew there were no farms because it was too steep and when did you last see a goose wandering on a big hill......sorted. The wind however could be a problem but we decided to brave it anyway.

Half way up clinging to a bush on the cliff edge.
John first to the summit.
Me and my sis on the top dangerously close to beeing blown off.
Steve John and Julie (coffee time) Note our Jul found a hanger for bag.
View over the Mersey estuary.

Throwing a bit of history in google says Helsby Hill is an ancient viking hill fort.....I'm well impressed that I can see a viking thing out of my bedroom window.

Helsby Hill

We might climb it today.........

Wales

Aaaaahhhhh!!

I've had the great pleasure of spending a girls day in with nibbles, gorgeous wee butties, heavenly chocs and a massive glass of Shiraz whilst taking in wonderful scenery and laughing heniously at anything and everything. The main ingredient for this fab day was people as is so often the case. We don't need a limo a flash restaurant or loads of dosh to spend on clothes to make us feel uplifted or positive just some damn good company and a field full of sheep to stare at.

What makes it even better is having a good old moan competition, there's no better therapy than seeing if you can out moan your buddies and then end up laughing loads, it dilutes the things that are peeing you off and makes them seem less important. Another essential when girls get together is a man who appears periodically with coffee or wine and does his best to appear interested by muttering suggestions about how to improve one's life and is told to get back in his cubby hole. I loved him to bits, he was soooooo placid and did as he was told with a bit of a wry smile on his face.

I like Wales and I think I'll live there sometime, its definitley going in my toolbox along with the people I spent the day with.





The food.

The sheep.

Brilliant!!!

Dog blog

This beach walk we're doing is becoming a habit but there was something missing, hubby decided we needed a dog, dogs and walks go together nicely. You can reflect better when throwing a stick and seeing the pure joy in the dogs face when they retreive it and trot back. They grin massively when they fool you into thinking they're going to drop it, oh no! its not that easy, you have to beg and get covered in dog spit as you try to wrestle it out of their mouth until they finally give in and allow you to think you won....well you didnt they just humour you.

Anyway we borrowed our neighbours dog yesterday, she's a cracker her name is Bess and she has one blue eye and one brown eye. It was magic, so magic in fact that I had a spiffing idea.

We could charge people a vast sum of money (a bit less than kennels do) to look after their dogs while they're on holiday and then we could have a totally different set up running alongside, sort of 'Rent a dog' for a walk on the beach or through the forest, we'd charge for this service as well, double yer money. Brilliant!

Little yappy things - £5 per hour

Middle size mongrels - £7 per hour

Massive ego boosters - £10 per hour

Bess insisting I take a well earned rest on the rocks, Oh yeah note the 'pink' earmuffs sent to me by a good buddy because beaches make me deaf and I hear waves in my ears for days afterwards....not any more though.

Get some canine therapy, I thoroughly recommend it.

Thanks folks for agreeing that the NHS made a grave error in not hiring me, they did ring me at twenty past twelve last night when they found out who I was but I told them, no second chances......sorry.

I took the bull by the horns today and went to the local college to enquire about being a nurse. The man/boy was excellent, I said I was interested in doing nursing but wondered if I was too old, he smiled and said 'No you are not too old' but you dont know how old I am I said 'I dont need to ask the question' he replied. I liked that answer. As he was about to begin I said to him I'm deaf, but before I could say the other words which were at the moment he started to speak with a rubber mouth so that I could lip read. Blimey I should have interrupted there and then but I didnt and I have no idea why I decided to indulge his obvious talent for conveying words through lip shapes, I just appreciate it when people make that extra bit effort with anything and can't resist so I left it as it was and stared at his lips, paused, then answered with a smile.

Now then because I have no qualifications......yep none, not a oner I'm doing an access course which lasts 1 year and is intensive. I then go on to do a degree which is luckily at my local Uni in Chester. Sounds good doesn't it. I have never visualised myself gaining a degree, why? well for reasons I'm not going to go into here my school days were not the favourite bit of my life and I left just before I was invited to go. I did try the entrance exam for nursing just after leaving school but failed on the maths, they said to come back and try again because I only just failed but I walked into an office job then a dental nurse job then another very good office job. Then I got married and lived in a creepy flat where the landlady floated about in chiffon stole peoples washing off the line and there were also strange circles in the garden so we decided it was time to save for a mortgage and five years later we had our Mike. Chris followed two years later and I embarked on my big stay at home. The rest is history.

I've told John and Mike I'll need an occasional kick up the rear and some encouragement the rest is up to me.

The man/boy never did ask my real age and for once I hope he didnt think I was a lot younger than I am because I'll be well gutted now if I am too old.

Much love to all.

Edit of last post.

That'll teach me not to tell the world my news until it IS actually news.

Got up this morning and logged on to fill in last couple of details on the application form and they'd emailed me sometime in the night to say they were about to close the vacancy so submit your application NOW. I was asleep for goodness sake. Its closed now so I missed it, do the NHS usually email you during the night to say we see you have started to fill in an application....blah blah blah, bit Big Brotherish if you ask me.

Well they missed their chance.

Scary!!!

I've got a massive grin on my face but I'm a tad nervous as well. I have just applied for a proper job, the first proper job since..........agrhhhh!!!! since I was 25. I've worked on and off all my life but I've been hired without a proper interview and have always worked on the understanding that if Chris got ill I would disappear and reappear when he was better. I don't regret this one bit, it worked well, but now its time for me to get back in there and do a real job.

When I looked at the person specific (list of do you haves) I had them all even though I've been effectively out of the proper job thing for many years, stuff like basic computer course, food health & hygene, caring for people with challenging behaviour, use of fire extinguishers, COSHH and life experience, as I read down the list I got well excited, I had most things on there......arghhhh! I could do this and hell even if I dont get it at least I get a go at the interview thing.

Can you tell I'm a bit nervous, deeeeeeep breath.

As per my instructions to myself I've been in the toolbox and have been very busy lately, so busy I haven't had time to update the old blog.

We did a return visit to the beach last Saturday and our Julie (my sis) got stuck in sinking sand, she laughed loads as she disappeared before our eyes, we ignored her for a while but turned back when she went horizontal. I so should have got a pic at this point and I momentarily thought....should I help with the rescue or take a pic, it was a hard decision as I like to capture the moment but I quite like my sis and she was fast disappearing so I shoved me camera in me pocket lent a hand and took a pic of the 'after effect'

I can now balance on the ball at the gym and do the 'Basil' walk fantabulously and the treadmill is easy peasy now because I've been on it every single day. I even have one of them Ipod holder things that go on your upper arm, its not that I'm trying to keep up with the latest fad or anything its because I used to tuck it down the back of my leggings but during the treadmill bit mine always ends up working its way to my ankles. Have you ever tried retreiving an Ipod while running on an elastic band its not a pretty sight.

Eastern dance class is back up and running and although I'm still rubbish at it I at least look the part now with my beeeeeutiful blue satin skirt, here's a pic of me and Wend looking like we take it seriously....yeah right!

Yesterday we went to a different beach but the tide was coming in dangerously quick so we opted for a country walk, the map said there was a public waterfall and dungeon on the route and as we're all a bit gory and curious we rubbed our hands with glee. Twenty miles later we were still searching for the damn dungeon until a kind man pointed out that it was that slight hollow in the rock that we'd passed many times saying....hahahaha! that can't be it.

Today I didnt miss church, I sang really really loud in monotone but nobody seems to mind cos they're a lovely bunch and this tool is definitley staying in my box.

Work in progress.

An absolutley hugely massive thank you to you all for your comments, I find it hard to accept that I'm not superwoman so that last post was me saying to myself its ok not to be sometimes. We live and learn don't we, as old and wise as we like to think we are we still have some way to go, 'A work in progress' is the best way to describe it I think.

Anyway, I've been in the toolbox and used some this week and I've also got a couple of new one's lined up so the wave is receding and the next blog should be a bit of an easier read.

In the meantime can I ask you to keep Tricia, Nate and Gwyneth in your thoughts and if you do pray please say one for them as they are on an incredibly hard journey just now. This is a link to Nate's blog.

http://cfhusband.blogspot.com/

Much love to all.