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Another short post. Yesterday was a sad day, three years since the death of my Mother. My youngest sister and I went to the cemetery and planted some bulbs around her grave and also my Grandmother's. We both left flowers from our gardens on their graves and Dad's. I had some white snapdragon's and white alyssium and my sister had 'mums and cosmos. The cemetery is very old and has some of the oldest, largest trees in the city of London so the grounds were very beautiful with many trees still in coloured leaves. At home, yesterday and today has been very busy with leaf raking as I want to get as much done as possible before the heavy rains predicted for tomorrow. I have finally pulled a few remaining plants that were in flower in containers as I must get them washed and stored. However, I really hated pulling plants still in bloom. There were some large geraniums and a couple of begonias. I'd love to be able to overwinter them but I just do not have the light or window space. Were I ever to win a lottery ( first, I'd have to buy tickets!) , an ultimate indulgence would be to have a true conservatory. No indoor swimming pool for me or home theatre. A conservatory. I'm soon off to the stables and then tonight I'm going to the theatre with two of my sisters so will have to squeeze in some more leaf raking after riding. Take care all.0
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Hi Bracken, so sorry you had such a sad day yesterday. Your flowers sounded beautiful, are your bulbs to come up this or next year? I don't know how it feels to you, but it seems to have gone quickly since your Mum passed. I would have thought it was about 18 months if I had been asked. I am sure the older I become the quicker time is passing. Well done on the weight loss. I will have to look further into your diet plan. I am not really in the writing frame of mind at the moment. My Dr is keeping me hanging on for my mammogram and Pap smear results. I am quite concerned as I had to have repeat X-rays as I had a "dense" area showing in my mammogram x rays. So I am naturally quite concerned, but manyana seems to be the way here. They have told me I wil have them tomorrow now, but I have heard it all before.
Hope the weather predicted turns out not to be as bad for you.
Take care, BM x x0 -
Oh BM - its so hard not to worry when you are waiting for results like that. I hope all will be fine and that you get the results very soon.
And Bracken what a sad day but so nice to commemorate with a visit to the gravesides where you can put flowers even if its only for a short time before the weather starts to really bite. Its been unseasonably warm here (again) but today has been very wet and miserable. I'm still getting a few fleas despite all of the chemicals I've used to try to remove them. Its very disheartening and they are so unpleasant when you've been out all day and just want to relax and you find yourself running around the house with a spray trying to think where they might be hiding!
On Friday (as its half term) I'm taking my friends daughter on a Suffolk church visiting day which I am very much looking forward to although at present I am very busy at work so it all feels a bit far away, however, I have no other plans so I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend punctuated only by housework and cake baking....
take care crackers - I'll let you know if, against the odds, I manage to lose any weight this week
PB xx0 -
Hello Crackers. BM, very sorry to hear of your health worries. I do understand and waiting for results is unsettling, worse with a time delay and after a repeat procedure. I had to go to a lab to have blood drawn in preparation for my appointment with the cardiologist next week and even that has made me feel unsettled. It is understandable that you do not feel like posting much but as you can see, your fellow Crackers are thinking of you. In a previous post, it was mentioned about passing on our e-mail addresses. I would be happy to do so if someone would let me know what to do. PB, I'm sure the visit to the Suffolk church would be interesting and enjoyable. I have visited the Sanderstead Parish Church that my mother attended and where she was married. It is very old, dating from the 1200's. As I recall, the graveyard is now bisected by a roadway and the cemetery somewhat overgrown. As predicted we had a lot of rain yesterday, the remains of Hurricane Patricia. Today it is very windy and much colder and many leaves have fallen in my backyard. However, there is one large maple with brilliant yellow leaves that is directly outside the den in which I am writing and its branches are within about three feet of the window. I feel as if I could reach out and touch them. All month there have been many squirrels around gathering and storing food for the winter. In my neighbourhood, there are black, grey, and a pretty faun coloured squirrels. The chipmunk that lives under my front steps has been out and about. I have bought some peanuts in the shell which I will put out near his/her entrance under the steps. Soon I will begin putting out seed for the winter birds. This week however I still saw a couple of robins which should be on their way South! Must off and work more on my writing course as class is this evening and I also need to bundle up and do a walk with Nellie.0
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Hello Crackers. I see that you have been logging in consistently, BM, and hope that is a sign that you are at least feeling marginally better if not having really in the writing frame of mind, as you put it. When I last posted, I did not mention that one of my sisters treated self and another sister to a ticket to see a very good, in fact, exceptionally well done play, "Two Pianos, Four Hands." I don't know if anyone has seen it but it is quite extraordinary, both a play and a piano concert really. It was first developed by two Canadians in the '90's and has been produced in many countries including Britain. There is a lot about it on the internet. As a play, it is a kind of coming of age story about a boy who wants to become concert pianist and it traces his journey through his music training into young adulthood. There are only two actors and they play multiple roles and the set was two grand pianos and two projection screens- very simple. As it traces the boy's journey, there is very detailed, technical focus on the music lessons but even as someone completely unschooled in music, it was fascinating. Much of the music was played by both actor/ musicians at the same time and covered a wide range. The play is also very comic too. It really made for a lovely evening.
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Once again, somehow my writing has been posted so this is a continuation of the above. Yesterday I was quite pleased to return a top I had bought in August, not worn, for a size smaller. It is a 3/4 sleeve, simple neck, piece in a paisley pattern, with lots of golds, ivory, copper, and black. I seldom wear printed patterns but this took my fancy and its simple design seems flattering. I rode my horse with my friend and did a small jump four times so that was satisfying too. Then Nellie and I went for a good walk. Sometimes the small things make for a good day.
My back yard is quite full of leaves and I can see Nellie out the window. She has two balls. Her favourite is the most beat up volleyball one could imagine. It is half deflated and very grungy but the amount she plays with it is amazing and of course, whenever I'm in the yard she brings it to me to throw. When I let her out before bedtime, when I go to bring her in, I always hear her pushing one of those balls (the other is a soccer ball) around in the dark even. She has endless energy.
PB, congrats on recent and continued weight loss. I must leave off now. Regards.0 -
Hi Ladies, hope you had a good weekend. Congratulations to you both on your weight losses and lower dress sizes! Very inspiring. I am practically hysterical waiting for these results. I am so angry it is taking so Long. It is purely down to the greed of the Consultant I see. I am going to tell him when he eventually calls me that if he saw just 1 patient less, or even God forbid 2 in a morning session, he would have the time to properly deal with the results and phone calls to patients that are required. Instead all I am hearing when I ring them is his receptions bleating,"oh such a busy clinic, he is so busy all the time". They say this as if it is great he has no time for a patient once he has had the thousands of dollars we pay him for his consultations and tests. Grrrr, I could shake him!
Ok, that is my rant over, sorry to be so miserable on a Monday morning!
I have not told anyone other than OH and yourselves all this, the Crackers really are my haven when I have needed friends or just to share. Even though we are "just" cyber friends, I would love you to know this friendship means such a lot to me.
Take care all, MITM, hope you are having a wonderful time x x
BM x x0 -
Oh dear BM you are really in a pickle. If only people in this country (who frequently whine about having to wait for information without the massive price tag) could hear your story. I really feel for you though - so terrifying not knowing and really it would take him two minutes to talk to you. His poor receptionists are probably too embarrassed by him for words and hate telling patients that they have to wait - they are often put in the most difficult position by the doctor.
Bracken good to hear you are riding again too - Nellie's antics are lovely too - is she walking with you properly now without doing an abrupt stop? I do hope so.
I have had a quiet but enjoyable weekend with a trip out with Zoe to Lavenham and Long MElford church on Friday - we met a lovely Australian couple who had traced their roots back to Suffolk in the 16th Century and were fascinated by the church and the history of the wool trade in the area - their ancestors had gone to Australia as sheep farmers.
Saturday was a housework kind of day but I also made my Christmas cake, a ginger cake and some vanilla cupcakes before going down to see the horses. Both of the latter have been given away. Harley had been hunting so was very bright. Yesterday it was church for All Saints day and then on to my parents where I tried to sort out their finances a bit. Made some progress and saved them some money but its so frustrating - I tried to see if they were entitled to some income support (as they have very little money) but unfortunately, they are just outside the limit (by about £10 a week!). So back to work this morning and its the first day back for children after the half term and will be busy - a thick fog has descended on what seems to be the entire country although it's very unseasonably warm).
Take care all.
PB xxx0 -
A quick pop-in. Good to read these posts but oh, I do feel for you, BM, with your on-going waiting. And I can assure you that your cyber friendship is equally important to me, as is that of the other Crackers. PB, yes Nellie is walking much better again although she does have the odd moment of attempted refusal but I have found the recommended turning her in a circle usually helps. We too are having unusually warm weather here at the moment and the whole week is predicted to be very warm, with a high of 20C. Sunday was warm but the outside ring was very wet so riding was indoors. Two of my nieces came out for a ride and Briar quickly got quite hot so I had to back off the amount we could do. I hope to ride outdoors tomorrow. Today was more leaf raking in the beautiful weather but I made time for a walk with Nellie and also did a 30 minute bike ride.
Must off again. Regards.0 -
Hooray!! Finally, finally received my Long awaited phone call. The excellent news is the mass was benign. To be honest I didn't really hear much after that as I was in a bit of a knot! It is a calcified dense mass which means it will be monitored, but such good news after a dreadful wait. I was cross with myself later that I didn't tell him how angry I felt at the wait, but my mouth was dry, sweaty palms and could practically hear my own heartbeat! I really am such a wimp. You would think after over 20 years as a nurse I would be better prepared for things like this, but no, I was a quivering wreck! Weirdly my worry was more that if anything was to happen to me now, my Daughter is pregnant and would be needing me. So it would be wrong of me to leave her now. I also quite ridiculously thought of all the crochet projects I wanted to try and wouldn't be able too!
I taught myself to crochet before the summer and have been hopelessly addicted since! It has helped me so much. I have done quite a few projects and have amassed a yarn stash to rival any wool store0 -
Oh Dear! The second half of my Long email has disappeared! I don't have time now unfortunately to rewrite it, but would like to reiterate my heartfelt thanks to you both for the support you have shown me these past weeks. I am eternally grateful.
Take care, love and beast wishes, BM x x0 -
So glad to hear your news BM - what a relief. I don't blame you for hearing and thinking nothing else at that point!
Big day tomorrow so early bed I think with a good book!
take care crackers
PB xx0 -
Good morning Crackers!
Well it's yet another truly miserable, grey, wet day here in the south of England - grey in Austria just does not compare, remind me never, ever to complain again!! And of course it's glorious and sunny in Austria....
I've been here 13 days feels much longer and I've another 2 weeks.... My parents left for sunnier shores 2 days ago. Alone as the daughter is at college, I've cleaned their house from top to bottom. My mother was once so very house proud but because she refuses reading glasses (she takes her specs off to read) from my own experience I don't think you're aware of the dust, if I have my contact lenses in and I put on my reading glasses I suddenly see it everywhere! She's oblivious at least that's my excuse for her! I've also noticed how very unfit she is which really worries me and she is over weight but did mention she's going on a diet after her holiday. There is a limited bus service where they live (and my father really should give up driving) but my mother cannot walk up the hill they live on or walk to catch a more frequent service because it involves a 15 minute flat walk. she's only 73. Our little trips to London must absolutely exhaust her as there's always lots of walking along the Thames. We went up overnight during half term and went on the tour of the Globe theatre as the daughter has a Shakespeare play next year to study. I have been on it before but this guide was a very amusing young lady; four hundred years ago big bottoms, the wider and fatter were all the fashion - so it would appear we've come full circle when I look around!
I met up with an old friend yesterday and I was very shocked at her appearance, she's always been plump and attractive but now she was a huge blob and looked as my daughter describes a lot of people 'rough'. She blames the menopause for the bloat (her eyes were sunken) but I know she drinks daily and has coffee out every day with a massive pastry which has to be one of the worse habits everyone seems to do here. Fortunately my mother doesn't like coffee! We have always had coffee houses in Austria but you rarely see anyone eating anything sweet until the afternoon in my nearest town. When my brother stayed overnight to take my parents to the airport his chubby, double chinned son had just celebrated his 9th birthday and he described the celebrations that had lasted the whole of half term week the treats, presents and endless eating out must have amounted to a thousand pounds and I thought you are crazy! Living up my mountain I'm becoming like a goat in my way of thinking I cannot stand all this excessive everything.
Talking of excess my first week here in the UK I scoffed too many hot cross buns as per usual! And what with our trip to London I ended up gaining 2 pounds.... However the buns are now on my banned list alongside milk chocolate and crisps as I'm determined I am going to hit my target weight on the nose with no 0.4 this Christmas!
BM - I hope you've now recovered from your shocking treatment are you off to Bali shortly? You certainly deserve a relaxing break free from worry. PB/Bracken - well done on the weight loss/dress sizes. I discovered my 'loose' cords which I left here last winter are now 'baggy' cords and the once 'tight' cords are my new 'loose' pair! I'm attending on my last night here the daughter's GCSE/prize winners presentation, fortunately as I have very few smart clothes I'm at the right end of my 1/2 stone allowance so my UK size 10 wool, tight fitting trousers currently fit like a glove no breathing in needed or fear of splitting!! However the shoes I wear with them I can't keep on, my feet appear to have got slimmer also!! Of course 2 more weeks in the UK I can still get into trouble but knowing I only have those trousers should keep me on the straight and narrow!
Well I'm going to head out and burn some calories sweeping the drive which is covered in leaves.
Be good Crackers!0 -
Hello Crackers - just a quick pop in before I get dressed to go out for the evening to a bonfire party - I don't think we'll be having the bonfire as its blowing a hoolley - but Maria has, as usual, cooked enough to feed a small army - there will be about a dozen of us.....
The rain has, finally, blown away so it is at least dry and the fireworks can be position well. I've had a lovely weekend so far with a ride on Harley yesterday afternoon in the forest (rather wet and muddy and because its so very warm (17 degrees even now!!!!!) he needed a hose down when we got home. I've been up and groomed him this afternoon which was lovely - he is looking very well. I spent the morning doing the housework but Oh MITM perhaps you could come here and sort my house work out? I am absolutely rubbish at it. Nowhere looks any better. I washed the kitchen floor but because its been so wet everytime the cats come in they leave a trail of dirty paws across it.
I went to a friends house for snax and scrabble last night too which was very pleasant although I was inveigled into a glass of fizz royale and a slice of toast and peanut butter (the bread was home made lovely, but moreish). Need to be steady tonight but have been very active so hopefully won't do too much damage. Its Remembrance Sunday tomorrow of course so off to church. Can't find my 2nd poppy so may need to get one tomorrow as well.
Well take care all
PB xx0 -
Good afternoon, I am back from a wonderful time in Bali, luckily the airport was open for us to fly. Unfortunately though we witnessed so many Australians who were stranded there due to volcanic ash. I hope they are all sorted now. I have had a wobbly few days due to my bloods but am back up now and am hoping to be well enough tomorrow to restart my indoor walking with the Jessica Smith DVD. I am looking forward to it as I am so unhappy with my weight at the moment. To lose just 5lb before Christmas would be so good psychologically for me that I hope it will encourage me to do even better in the New Year. I am sure it will be a good Christmas for us Crackers weight wise!
I apologise for not reading through the missed posts yet, I wanted to touch base and say I am back and ready to shift some of this weight!
Hope this mail finds you all well, take care, BM x x0 -
Hello Crackers. I'm here after a bit of an absence due to some kind of a cold or 'bug' which has quite drained me for a number of days. I'm starting to feel better and yesterday tried to get back to exercise though not at my regular rate. We too have had exceptionally warm weather, lots of sun, including yesterday. I was able to do a twenty minute bike ride and then took Nellie for a walk though not our usual length. Today I'll go to the stable and ride my horse, even if I do mainly walking. This particular bug has involved periods of intense sneezing. It is almost amusing how Nellie reacts. She moves away from me and starts barking loudly, as if she doesn't know me. It would be funny if my head were not feeling as if it could almost explode!
BM, so good to hear that your mass was benign. But what a lot of emotional turmoil you were put through. Your trip to Bali seems to have come at the right time and glad to hear you had a lovely time. Getting back to your indoor walking should help you feel better and your goal of losing five pounds is very realistic. There is still enough time before Christmas that you may lose more than that. I have returned to my fall/winter addiction of scarf knitting. I have been working on infinity scarves which everyone seems to like here. I have completed four (finally one for self) and am half finished another so hope to have at least four for Christmas presents. As usual, I am doing simple knitting but am very pleased with the various good wools I have chosen.
PB, glad that you are doing some riding. The ride through the forest sounds lovely. Is it a national park or Trust land that you use? Our Remembrance Day services are important here. I have often gone to services in my village or neighbouring towns but this year I stayed at home and watched the service from Ottawa. I don't feel right if I don't in some way mark the day. A lot was made here this year of John McRae's poem, "In Flanders Field" which is usually read or sung at any service. It is 100 years since the poem was written and I do think it is a beautiful, though heartrending piece.
MITM, it was lovely of you to post whilst in England and clearly very busy- that house cleaning should have helped keep you on track diet/exercise wise. I hope you enjoyed the awards ceremony- the satisfaction of seeing your daughter rewarded for all her hard work and satisfaction of feeling good with how you could dress must have made for a very nice occasion.
Here, the news is still dominated by the dreadful events in Paris. I have a friend in Paris- my cousin's (former) wife. Ironically the day of the attacks, I read an e-mail from her but it had been sent several days previously and had escaped my notice. She was leaving for a few days in England where one of her children and his family lives. I have tried phoning her but have not yet made contact. I'm sure she is fine but I am interested to hear how she has been affected by these events.
Hoping this finds all well. Regards.0 -
Hi Crackers - lovely to hear from you Bracken and sounding so upbeat too. To answer your question, the forest is owned by the government and is a heathland/forest mix so quite an unusual habitat for England. It was devastated in 1987 when we had a major storm here and all of the trees were blown down but has now fully recovered so it is beautiful = especially at this time of the year when a lot of trees are shedding. They do plant a lot of conifers too so there is always green. On my last ride (which was last Sat) my naughty pony carted me in the forest. We aren't quite sure what spooked him but luckily he pulls up quickly enough and we were only a long straight clear path with no low hanging branches so no harm done. It was quite funny as I could hear Maria yelling for me to sit up and pull - which of course I was already doing. He never does it malignantly so you can't stay cross with him long. It transpired that he had done it the day before with Maria's mum Hilda though so we need to do something to try to get him to be less quick to run. After he got past Maria and Butler he obviously decided that the lions would go for them though and agreed to stop!
Its been quite a week at work too as it was my 6 month probation meeting the previous week and I also had two nights of music so late nights and lots of tension. On Wed evening I went to a rehearsal for a tv recording which is happening next week for a programme called Songs of Praise. The filming which will be done on Thurs/Fri will be used throughout the year on different programmes. I can only go to the Thursday recording though.
I'm going to Ely Cathedral today with my friend Margaret so very much looking forward to that. Finally don't be amazed - I've done the majority of my Christmas shopping!!!!
Well take care Crackers - speak soon
PB xxx0 -
A very enjoyable post from you, PB. even if it does recount your trials while riding. It brought to mind many, many years ago when I was hunting my first horse, a 17 plus hands Clyde-thoroughbred cross (I did not deliberately seek out such a large horse!) and for some times he regularly took hold and I regularly was in tears or changing horses with the barn owner's daughter who would ride my horse and I'd take her more reliable one. I also remember being told to sit up and take hold (as if I weren't already trying!) . We tried all manner of bits and head gear. Finally just a kimberwick bit. I can still remember the feeling of the first time I had to use it as he started taking hold and feeling him roll back underneath me, just like power breaks. It felt like magic to be in control. The thing was that with that bit I seldom had to exert much pressure with it- he just seemed to respect it. Yet other bits we tried were to no avail. I remember trying a Pelham at home in a ring and it lasted just minutes as he started running backwards. How lucky you are to have that forest area; it sounds so lovely.
Your choir must be very good to be used on different programmes.
I envy you finishing your Christmas shopping. I have made a start but not finished. I am starting to take out some Christmas decorations as I find if I don't get them out fairly early I end up thinking there is no point in bothering. This weekend I will put up my little lighted ceramic village which I always find cheery in the late November gloom. I have put a new runner on my harvest table- it is in rich tones of dark red, green and brown on a cream background, with pine cones, holly, and ivy. I have a Spode Christmas tree runner that I will use later but I like this one as it is seasonal but not too Christmasy. A cold day here today. Yesterday was quite pleasant and Nellie and I had a good walk. I had wanted to do a bit of a bike ride but again we had very high winds and I dislike biking in the wind. I am planning to go to the stable but not sure how much riding will be done with the cold.0 -
Evening Crackers!
I am back, got home to Austria yesterday. Sadly no time at present to linger longer, as there is so much to do and I am just about to start a schlip shift/weekend... however I did step on the scales of course on my return this morning and was thrilled to see I'm at TARGET no 0.4/0.8 over it says 133.00 YAY!! Of course now the hard work begins, staying there in the run up to Christmas! Hope to be back again on Monday until then.
Be good Crackers!0 -
Ooh, two cups of tea worth of lovely posts! Welcome back MITM. The "gang" is together again0
