it's my birthday!!

and it's been . . . not too bad!
. . . working birthday . . . but not too bad!
i was on last turn at the counter - the 'graveyard shift' as they call it - and so had some time to think about birthdays i have known
and then i thought maybe this would be a good time to record all the birthdays i could remember having
so this is likely to be very very boring
it just seemed like a good place to record it so that in years to come when i really am losing my marbles, i could read this and remember
but for everyone else . . . stop reading now . . . or read it and sleep . . .

1st birthday was in austria but can't remember it
2nd birthday, 3rd birthday can't remember
4th birthday was in austria again but still can't remember
5th birthday can't remember
6th birthday the only birthday i ever had at school - we had a tradition that the child having a birthday got to wear the special sash - but it was the last day of term and the teacher was far too busy - despite my almost constant reminders and nagging - what a little pain-in-the-neck i must have been!
7th birthday in austria again and yet again i can't remember what we did that day
8th birthday my grandparents had gone on their hols so my parents took us round to their house so we could decorate their kitchen - oh joy!!!
9th birthday in austria - but this time i can remember - dad and i sittting gazing across the valley and chatting - nice!
10th birthday can't actually remember the birthday but i know we were on our hols - in the midlands!! - exciting places like mansfield, rugby and retford!! - wow!!

11th birthday on hols again - this time we went to south wales - pontypridd, usk and tintern - and we never booked anywhere - just turned up in a town and tried to find somewhere - and lord!! the peculiar, awful b and bs we did stay in!! - so although i'm not sure exactly where we were i'm sure it was somewhere truly grotty

12th birthday - back to austria again - on my birthday eric and i went swimming with some other children at a local gravel pit - i remember it being a lot of fun

13th birthday was a saturday we travelled down to bournemouth for our annual hols - bournemouth!! i ask you!!

14th birthday stayed at home reading in the garden

15th birthday clothes shopping

16th birthday shopping for last minute things for my hols in zurich - then at just before midnight setting off with o and g and eric for gatwick - this was exciting!! - my first hols travelling by myself - made even better by the fact that there was no-one to meet me and i had to find my own way to the zefferrer's apartment

17th birthday - helen's parents had taken the 3 younger sisters on holiday and had agreed that frances, leslie and i could stay in their house to keep helen company - we thought it was great to be 'independent' (lol) and on my birthday all 4 of us went to visit o and g - we had a lovely lunch and good time - and i remember leslie saying how enjoyable it was and how she wished birthdays were as much fun in her home!

18th birthday helen came to 'tea' at my house and in the evening o and g and boogs and i went to see 'the sound of music' at the carlton

19th birthday i vaguely remeber it being a sunday but all else lost in the mists of time

20th birthday the second monday in my first job - very boring - went to see 'ned kelly' in the evening with boogs

21st birthday work again - i was living in the ywca by now - dinner at mill way with o and g, eric and jane and boogs - it rained almost all day

22nd birthday eric and jane gave me a card which said 'happy birthday on the last birthday before you get married' - we married 6 weeks and 2 days later

23rd birthday hassle over getting our car fixed! - it was a honda s800 which could only be mended at a specialist garage - what a nuisance!!

24th birthday this was a nice one - o and g celebrated their silver wedding anniversary with a party at their house - it was a lovely party - everyone enjoyed themselves - and they had even had little birthday cakes made specially for me and for uncle les whose 60th birthday had been the day before

25th birthday a sunday - we were just about to move to lincolnshire and o and g came for lunch - although we were rushing around getting ready for this 'special' visit, boogs managed to completely forget that it was my birthday until o and g arrived! he never forgot it again!

26th birthday one of the best! boogs took me out on his 'round' - it was a beautiful sunny day and we seemed to be laughing all day long!

27th birthday everyone seemed to give me book tokens this birthday - great!!! went into spalding and bought loads!!

28th birthday can't remember

29th birthday another good one! i was just pregnant with stella, it was late night opening at the library and whilst we were having the special birthday dinner boogs had made, frances phoned to wish me a happy birthday and also to tell me she was expecting their first baby (christopher) in november!!

30th birthday a sunday - stella was 5 months old and a delightful baby - o and g came for lunch - we were house hunting and went to look at a school house somewhere north of holbeach

31st birthday we had recently moved into rose cottage and i had even more recently sent off my specimen to confirm that i was expecting another baby - it took ages in those days - and even longer because i had to wait an extra day as everywhere was closed to celebrate the charles and diana wedding - i was exhausted and went to bed early on my birthday that year and missed the pre-nuptial fireworks

32nd birthday boogs was working in rickmansworth and i was living miles from anywhere with stella (2 and a bit) and frankie (4 months) - we were trying to sell the house so i suppose i was looking after the children and packing - can't remember the actual day

33rd birthday all four of us went for a picnic in the country - beautiful day and very enjoyable

34th birthday can't remember

35th birthday a saturday - boogs and i went to odi and brian's house for dinner - this was to celebrate odi and i having the same birthday - odi was 28 though!

36th birthday sunday - odi and brian came the night before for dinner - eric and jane were staying with us - a wonderful and hilarious night!

37th birthday monday - another one lost in the mists of time - i do know that eric jane odi and brian all came for dinner around that time to clebrate together

38th birthday no recollection at all of the actual day - but we celebrated on the saturday - a fantastic 'australian barbie' at our house - everybody came in some form of fancy dress - boogs had constructed a shelter under the apple tree and that's where we all sat during a torrential rainstorm - marvellous party!!

39th birthday no idea!!

40th birthday a friday - joanne came over with francesca (about 4 months) - had a good day - frankie having a lovely time playing with francesca - stella returned from guide camp in the late afternoon and chas and pauline came round in the evening

41st birthday a saturday - not sure about the day itself - the following day boogs and fran set off for winchelsea for their hols and on monday 29th stella and i flew out to zurich with o in order to celebrate switzerland's 700th birthday on 1 august

42nd birthday ??

43rd birthday i think we were on our hols in winchelsea

44th birthday on our hols in winchelsea - we spent my birthday at sissinghurst - lovely day!!l

45th birthday everyone was out bar me - boogs at work, frankie with a friend and stella was in basle - kathy phoned in the afternoon - to talk about staying at our house over camp i think it was!

46th birthday another one i can't remember

47th birthday we were having the kitchen alterations done so it was all fairly chaotic

48th birthday boogs had recently had an op for his throat cancer and i think he was still in hospital at this point

49th birthday took the day off work - stella and rich were home from uni, boogs just about recovered and looking for work again - fran and i went to battlers green for afternoon tea

50th birthday at work - i found the cash office all decorated with ribbons etc when i arrived and i had to wear a badge all day to let the customers know i was 50 - boogs and i had had a joint party a couple of weeks before

51st birthday had the day off work and relaxed at home - went for a drink in croxley in the evening with boogs, stella and fran

52nd birthday a saturday stella and rich came to stay - had a barbecue in the evening with celia, noel, rachael, brian and the haywards

53rd birthday sunday - boogs was in watford hospital determined to live life to the full while he could - he had organised one of the staff to go out and get me a card and then got all the ward to sign it

54th birthday fran arrived home from hols in ibiza at 6.00 a.m., trisha popped round at 6.45 a.m. and eric arrived at 7.00!! coffee in the kitchen!! work - but it could have been worse

55th birthday at work - quite a good day considering

56th birthday today!! work again! i don't know why i go to work on my birthday - i must be mad - next year will be different!!

13.29 today!!!

. . . is the time cat's and david's baby finally made his appearance!!!

a 9lb 6 oz little boy whom they are calling freddy (or freddie??)

we are all thrilled!! including everyone in the P & T team!! we were in a meeting when eric phoned me and they were all just as excited as i was!!

after eric called i found it difficult to concentrate, so left a little early and nipped round to jackie's to congratulate/shout hoorah/jump about etc

both james and imy were there - and we all (with ruth) sat in the garden and drank a celebratory mug of tea!!!

i am looking forward to seeing him!!! (my first-ever great-nephew!!)

what is 'success'?

a question prompted by a co-worker who quoted jeremy clarkson as saying that all those who have dreadful school reports tend to be 'very successful' in later life

she then enlarged on this thought and i find that i disagree with her apparent definition of 'successful'

it would seem that for many, success is quantified by measurable achievements, high earnings and by material possessions

i would say it is being able to do a job (paid or unpaid) that one is happy doing and realising a sense of satisfaction in what ever one has done to make the world a better place for others

and a p.s. : we are all still waiting for cat's baby to be born!!

lynn and mick's party . . .

. . . was fun!

yesterday evening: drove up with pauline and chas after a roasting day, much of it spent in the garden, to a lovely and relaxing garden party - mick had set up a 'stage' at the end of their plot and sang and played both by himself and also with jodie

it was great to see him looking so good again and to hear him blasting out all the good old 60s, 70s and 80s numbers he does so well - he really seemed in great form and after all his performing still appeared to be relatively untired!!

lots of very pleasant guests including nick and tracy with both holli and the new baby who is adorable

the rest of the week has been fairly busy:

excitement at janine's over her honeymoon plans on wednesday afternoon

reading group on wednesday evening at alison's

lunch with carol on thursday

drink in the essex thursday evening with pauline

and then fran and alex arrived friday evening to stay for the week-end

. . . and still no news of cat's and david's baby - which is 8 days overdue now - i hope that is my next posting!!

julia and nathan's wedding . . .

. . . was lovely!

julia looked drop dead gorgeous and the whole wedding party looked entirely stunning!!

the mass was beautiful and the reception venue (a magnificent edwardian hotel on newquay headland) an absolute delight

sat with a super group of people for lunch (totally delicious!! - yumm!!) and thoroughly enjoyed the speeches - they were all wonderful - and nathan's was an absolute hoot!!

the evening recption was a disco with some quite amazing solos from some of the younger (and also some of the older, braver!!) guests

such a wonderful atmosphere - it was a fabulous and truly memorable day!!

an invitation . . .

. . . arrived this morning for anna and ricky's wedding in september (the wedding where kezia will be a flower girl). this was such a lovely surprise - i am excited already!!

other news:

went to cwl 'independence day supper' yesterday evening - which was good fun though i'm not too sure we should be celebrating these colonials gaining their 'freedom'!!!

man came this morning to mend my gas fire - it has NEVER worked properly since we've had it and now it is PERFECT!!! hoorah!!

had a coffee with cat and david - cat still looking in excellent shape - though i think the baby still has at least a week to go - but what do i know? (g and i have a £1 bet on - g thinks it will be a girl so i'm going for 'boy' - watch this space folks!!)

stella has initiated a brilliant on-line calendar for the family to use - well done stelpsie!!

. . . and it's been raining - but at least the lawn is greening up nicely!!

brilliant weekend

had another fantastic week-end!
saturday:

collected cat and whizzed over to the scotsbridge and were soon joined by peter and lorna and then frankie and alex and shortly after that stella, rich and the pies arrived. we were meeting to celebrate g's 86th birthday - he and o with eric and janey fetched up not long after us. the meal and setting were lovely and afterwards we went outside to the little children's play area for kezia and jago to have a run around. it's always great when we get together - i really love my family - they are such good fun and they make me laugh so much!! everyone dispersed around mid afternoon and i took o and g home. g really enjoyed this birthday!!

arrived back in watford early evening and joined stella rich and the pies and frankie and alex at the st. ants barbecue disco - another great get-together! - met up with a number of people whom i haven't seen much of since i left there 8 years ago - good atmosphere and more tasty food!!

sunday:

would have been boog's 56th birthday so had the early mass for him - and stella and clara came too - clara very good - of course!!

mary and kevin had their engagement party in the afternoon - at jackie's house - it was a beautiful day - very hot - but nice to be able to sit out in the garden and chat and watch the little ones playing - jackie had just bought a really super sand pit for them all and it was great watching them. mary and kevin looked very smart and seemed very happy. it was a lovely party - and i stayed later than i had intended considering it was work the next day!!

today:

spent almost all morning on the counter!! but had the afternoon off as leave - too hot to do very much so mostly sat in garden reading and enjoying the sunshine while it lasts

the weather:

gad it's hot!! - hotter than the caribbean i'm sure!! if there wasn't a hose-pipe ban i'd be standing under the sprinkler right now!!

this week . . .

. . . has been good so far!!

Tuesday: our book group had been invited to an 'event' at Watford Library - a talk and reading of extracts from her latest novel, 'The Alchemist's Daughter', by local author, Katherine McMahon. I was interested to hear how she researches for her books and was intrigued by the heroine - based on a seventeenth centry French woman who, unusually for those times, was a scientist - searching for the elixor life. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening as Kate is an excellent speaker and was hugely entertaining. I didn't buy the book though - a fact I rather regret now. Back to Anne's for coffee and chat in the garden - a good evening!!

Wednesday: my 'day off' but had to go in to work to attend a Health and Safety meeting (never mind - bumps up the 'flexi-time!!). Called in on Cat and David afterwards for tea and cakes. Cat seems very happy and relaxed and she showed me the baby's room and all the 'bits'. It's beautiful!! Aaahhh!!

Today: has been REALLY good. Can't put my finger on WHY exactly. Received confirmation of my room booking for Julia's and Nathan's wedding and sent e-mail to book a place to stay for David and Becky's. All these weddings!! And then I heard that Kezia is to be a flower girl for Anna and Ricky's wedding in September. How lovely!!!

fabulous!!!

. . . is the only way to describe this week-end!
from:
picking lizzie up at the junction
to
coffee and croissants in the kitchen
and . . .
the drive to chelmsford
and . . .
getting lost! (thanks lizzie but no surprise there)
and . . .
the fantastic luncheon to celebrate helen and geoff's pearl wedding anniverary
along with . . .
a marvellous get-together with lovely friends
and . . .
speeches, laughs, drinks, tea and cakes and relaxing at the ivy hill
and . . .
erics amazing weskit
and . . .
nipping round to helen and geoff's this morning for coffee, juice and crossaints
and . . .
popping round to cat and david's on arrival back in watford
and then finally:
dropping lizzie off for the train to falmouth
. . . it doesn't get much better than that!

i have been to austria . . .

. . . with o and g and janey and eric . . .

we all had a wonderful time . . .

we stayed in the best gasthoff in the world

we drove to berg to visit anni and lois - and had a meal and a walk round the village

went up klippitzturl in a chair lift - nippy round the knees!

revisited st paul - and looked lovingly and nostalgically at the 'swim bad' and walked round the monastery and the little chapel at josefsberg

went to mass in st margarethen

visited with lots and lots of relatives including 5 out of 6 of the cousins, 2 of whom i hadn't seen since 1962!!

. . . and we ate cake . . .

busy!!

no blogging for almost a week - been so busy!

tuesday - women's group at monica's. mainly chatting and looking at photos: liz brought the ones of michael's passing out parade and ball and monica had ones of her visit to margaret and jim in washington - lovely jolly evening

wednesday - reading group at karen's. we had read 'atomised' by michel houellebecque. i had read this on hols in devon and almost gave up several times - it was DIRE!!! - but in the end (at the 'epilogue') realised why it had needed to be so dreadful - it was all a sort of propaganda. i was the only one who thought so, however, so maybe i got the wrong end of the stick after all!! I gave it 1 out of 10, Tassa gave it 2 and everyone else gave it 0!! not a popular choice then!!

catherine - went into school to do some govs work. saw cat who is v large now - looking very well and eager for the start of her maternity leave so she can have a rest for a few weeks

saturday - svp quiz night at church - jackie invited me on thursday to be part of their team and then liz phoned on friday also trying to get a team together. svp quizes are always great fun and this was no exception - and liz's team won!! - drat!!

gardening - apart from cutting the grass a few times, i had done nothing in the garden so far this year. inspired by a trip to homebase on saturday (only went to get some sturdy bags for the grass clippings) have been weeding, edging, digging and planting for a couple of hours every day - and have not only enjoyed myself but the garden really does looks a lot better. perhaps it isn't as difficult as i always thought it was!!

nothing better to do?

last week at work, tracey asked us all if we knew the answer to a puzzle she had found in the paper:

if a farmer has 11 sheep, 10 cows and 20 chickens, how many goats does he have?

the answer was 11

based on: 3 animals for every consonant and 1 animal for every vowel

as the granddaughter of a very successful farmer, i would ask what agriculturalist worth his salt would employ a method of animal husbandry like that?

and what would happen if you had a platypus and wanted some more?

or a hippopotamus??

the mind boggles!!

boring and uneventful!

strange week, really: because it was so boring and uneventful!

work was truly tedious, despite the fact that there were only 3 days of it!

no evening outings - though that did mean i could spend time on the computer and managed to add a number of people to our family tree

frankie has not been well - though i think it is only due to extreme tiredness - but it meant she didn't pop over at all and i missed her! shall be glad when she and alex find a flat together as it will be much easier to visit with them then!

yesterday (week-end! - yay!!) i went up to o and g's arriving early and staying until almost dark. they were both very well - g sporting a slight tan from having sat out in the garden for much of the previous afternoon. we spent ages looking at the print-out of our family tree - he was so delighted to learn of his grt- and grt-grt grandfather and families - it's very exciting putting all the pieces of the jig-saw together - and interesting to note that the family have lived in watford for generations (i always thought we were gypsies!!)

we went to evening mass, picking up a friend on the way (and another one on the way back), got back and had tea and a chat. and then dad got his 'box' out and we looked at old photos and documents of family for a while and then i came home.

today - have a fair bit to do housework-wise and bits of paperwork that needs sorting - and then this evening eric is coming and we're going out for a meal at the southern cross - hoorah!!!

not boring or uneventful at all!!

sausages but NO pies!

Stella Rich and the pies were going to come down for the holiday week-end but then they all caught a flu-type bug and were unable to make it - happily they are all on the mend now and are planning to visit for James's confirmation later this month

Prior to this, though, I had invited Jackie and Ruth for a family barbecue on Sunday afternoon. We missed S and co but had a good time anyway. It was rather too chilly to cook and eat outside, so we weedily stayed inside and had our sausos, beans and burgers in the warm. Tsk! Can just imagine what Boogs would have said to that!!!

Haven't done an awful lot today - couldn't seem to get started on anything - what a waste of a bank holiday - drrrr!!

family tree

Last Wednesday in a moment of boredom, i logged onto the genes reunited site. I had been half-heartedly meaning to do this for aeons but felt defeated before even starting, thinking it would be a mammoth, impossible task. I had previously been to the registry place in London and also Bushey Museum and found some info there but didn't really know where to go next, and had more-or-less given up at that stage.

Imagine my surprize! I found some names which seemed to tie up with the dates I had and, alongside them, names of people who had them in their tree already. All I had to do was mail these people! So I did and they really were most helpful, mailing me back with info and then allowing me to look at their trees. One of them (the daughter of a third cousin never even dreamed of before!) has info on my grt-grandfather: where born, siblings, where lived, his ancestors etc; and all I had known previously was his name and date of death. So many 'gaps' are being filled - its like a jig-saw puzzle.

I am only hoping that I will be able to to return the favour and help fill some of their gaps.

I am now busily filling in our tree and can hardly wait to print it all out and show g!!

and speaking of 'worlds' . . .

g used to have an autograph book from his army days and one of the entries read:

the world is like a mirror
relecting what you do
and if your face is smiling
it smiles right back at you

someone ought to tell m!!

stupid expressions - ii

what is all this business with 'worlds'?
i've seen 'office world', 'pc world', 'world of fish' (!!) and the never-to-be-forgotten
'OLDE PINE WORLDE' which stella and i once spotted in ashton-under-lyne!
but on sunday in sheffield . . .
i saw . . .
'fireplace world' !!!
isn't that hell?

sausages and pies

saturday was 'annual parish camp reunion' in lees wood. we were lucky and had beautiful weather: warm and sunny. not too many people came but those who did thoroughly enjoyed themselves and it was good to chat and relax amongst the trees in the sun. about 10 of us remained for late afternoon sausages, burgers and beans on the barbie. home soon after 7 and an early night for an early start tomorrow.

sunday - seemed to spend almost all of it driving: to sheffield, then derby, then asbhy, back to derby, on to sheffield and then home - almost 500 miles all told. whilst stella, rich and clara were at motorpoint, i took kezia and jago to visit with janey and eric where they had lunch and then fed the fish. as we drove away, kezia said, 'thank you very much, avie. i had a good time' - what a polite child!!

was exhausted and almost falling asleep driving back down the m1 so decided to stop for a coffee at watford gap - place was heaving with football supporters from the west ham game - it always seems slightly ludicrous: and the mock footie kits are so hideous - and they never seem to fit!!! don't know why these people don't save their money for something that looks good on them!! and why don't they just stay at home and wait to hear the result after its happened? impatience i call it!!

stupid expressions - i

"mustn't grumble"
i should think not indeed!!
a full blown rant is much better - good for the body and the soul, a good rant is!!

robin hood, prince of thieves

i taped this the other night when it was on and have watched it over a couple of evenings

it's very funny - which i hadn't expected - so am glad i did tape it so i can look at it again

and of course it has the wonderful Alan Rickman playing the part of the evil sherriff of Nottingham - what a gem!!

also i couldn't help recalling the story of the bride who had asked for the 'theme tune from robin hood' for her walk down the aisle . . . . and instead of 'i will always love you', the organist played 'robin hood, robin hood, riding through the glen'!!!

hee hee!!