The Babylonians knew how to party

The Babylonians were partying 4,000 years ago on New Years eve, then they continued to party for 11 days. But the reason for their grand bash, was to ready themselves for the planting season. And their resolutions were usually to pay back debt and give back farming implements they'd borrowed.
I like the idea of a party for farmers who are about to begin preparing the land and the soil and the seeds to plant.

Janus the god of change and transition and beginnings, looking forward and backwards.
January.
I like the idea we should balance our hopes for tomorrow with a keen awareness of what happened yesterday.
We look forward too much and not backwards enough, if we looked backwards more maybe we wouldn't fall of the resolution bandwagon so easily.

Tonight i am intending on being with a group of friends that I often see, here where I live.
One of us might remember to flick on a TV at 11.58pm for two minutes to hear a few of Big Ben's chimes, then we'll carry on playing a game or dancing or whatever we end up doing.

And if anyone gets serious or maudlin, they are going to get their head dunked in a bowl of leftover turkey soup....

The Year of the Rat is nearly upon us...
(well not quite, the Chinese New Year happens in February)

clock ticking...........

It’s here again. Another end to another year.

I must be getting older as the years seem to fly by now or is it just the fact I try to pack so much in to 365 days?

This year has been no exception. The most marked event was a change in career. A whole new world and culture to come to terms with, I think I am settling in ok now, just getting used to a lot less salary. A new phenomenon budgeting and no more ‘lets go and designer shop’ on a whim. Oh well it is out weighed by the fact I now work 9-5 Monday – Friday, no more 50 plus hour weeks, no more staying away at a moments notice, no more working into the early hours.

I had promised myself a night school course with my new found freedom, which I didn’t do. I couldn’t quite make up my mind what to do. Learning a new language or becoming proficient in French, German or Greek again were the favourites. I guess I have just enjoyed the freedom and being a Mum coming home and cooking tea (a novelty which I must confess is wearing off now)

My ‘er has had a culture shock too, Mum being at home and now at the age where she really would prefer I wasn’t but me as a Mum of a ‘er of that age certainly prefer it!!

I have made a decision about 2008, however, something I want to stick to.

It has come about because I now sit behind a desk all day now (the first time ever in my working career) and that brings with it …. & I hate to say it ……… some extra pounds.

14 to be précis. What a difference those 14 pounds have made and they have to go.

On the 7^th January I am joining a Yogalates class. I do confess I did have to look up what it is exactly and it seems it is a cross-breed evolution of Pilates and Yoga.

I am one of those people that has to join a class otherwise it won’t happen. I have a DVD shelf full of keep fit stuff. Cher, Tracy Shaw's Salsacise, Calanetics, Pump it up (nearly killed me!!!) to name a few and my Mum even found at a car boot sale a Green Goddess video ………….. noooooooo! There is just something so wrong about prancing around in you living room, breaking in to a sweat and being able to quit too easily because Corrie is about to start.

So for one hour a week I will be there in my joggers, focused and determined as long as they don’t interfere with my diet (I am happy with what I eat thank you).
It is a 9 week commitment so by Spring I shall be svelte like again.

That is one 2008 resolution.

The other is to do this (from a text my niece sent me)

Remember life is short, so break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that makes you smile.

Happy New Year

image from Prettybits.blogspot.com (thank you)

festive cheer

Well I survived the Christmas bash ....... only just. From the list of songs I remember 'Wake me up before you Go Go' , 'Fairy Tale of New York' and I did the mandatory 'New York, New York' arm in arm with many other suitably inebriated folk (like me), kicking my legs out in some sort of sequence. I had a great time it was fabulous catching up with the colleagues I no longer work with (I changed jobs this year to something completely different and I must confess I do miss my old chums. They are like my big brothers and I worked along side them for many years, plus they certainly know how to party)

So it is nearly upon us. I did the festive shop this morning. The supermarket was not as onerous as I thought, but hey they are are open 24/7 so plenty of time to spread the shopping out. The staff were very cheerful, can't say I would be with that never ending flow of trolley loads of food. The shoppers were also happy mostly at my expense though as I had the trolley from hell, wonky when it was full and a squeeky wheel to boot. The exception to the happy shoppers was the woman behind me in the queue who had a face like a slapped bottom as I struggled to pack my shopping (I have a damaged arm at the moment..... don't ask but it involved curtains, a window ledge and not taking care what I was doing .. a week and a half later it is still agony)

For me now the Christmas shop is firmly shut. No more pennies will pass through my fingers.
I need to do the big wrap & house tidy up for the family visiting Christmas day.

Off to see the Golden Compass on Christmas Eve. It is a bit of a tradition that we either go to the cinema or the theatre on Christmas Eve, then round to friends in the evening.
So.............................................

I would like to wish you all a great Christmas, peace and a healthy, adventurous 2008.

lets party

Well it is upon us the party season. In particular staff parties. That time of year that you let your hair down with the folk you spend more time day to day than you do with your family.
That time when you have to be sociable to those you would not wish to spend any time with at all let alone a time when the drink flows and you may not be able to 'button it' when inhibitions go.

I have read with interest Nurse Myras description of hers with the lesbian speed dating including a chaplain & a Dominican Nun, it is always an education visiting Gimcrack !!

Mr Woppit spent his office party day ducking and diving avoiding enforced Santa hat wearing, vinegar masquerading as wine (love that description) and the randy lady from accounts.

This week I am off on mine to Blackpool
My outfit has been chosen & I must say it is stunning.
It is at one of many hotels in Blackpool that do party nights. Quite a brilliant commercial decision by them as they would lie dormant in the winter months.
It costs £40 for evening meal, cabaret, disco, room and breakfast.

The best factor in this is after numerous glasses of whatever takes your fancy you just have to find your room (or someone else's if your room mate is busy!!) ..... no sitting in the cold waiting for taxis or contemplating the all night bus with other drunken nutters.

So ahead of the party on down I have complied the top 10 records that are compulsory on the dance floor at Blackpool
10. I will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
9. Love Shack - B52s
8. Band of Gold - Freda Payne (& you can guarantee many bands of gold have been removed!!)
7. Fairy tale of New York - The Pogues
6. Wake me up before you Go Go - Wham
5. Mustang sally - the Commitments
4. Disco Inferno - The Trammps
3. Time Warp - Rock Horror Show
2. New York - Frank Sinatra
1. Merry Christmas - Slade

We know how to party up North .... well after copious amounts of alcohol does it matter what they play as long as we have fun

london today......

How gorgeous is that December blue sky???

art, friendship & random get togethers

As I have said on here before Sunny & I have known each other forever. Seldom we get a chance to meet up but when we do the experience is legendary. I have never come across anyone (& I know Sunny says the same of me) who gets me laughing so much. The tears of laughter flow frequently.

One time which is indeed legendary, we met up in Wales for a girlie weekend. We decided to visit King Arthurs Labyrinth in Corris. So wearing our compulsory bright blue crash hats off we went. (yep this caused such hilarity because we looked bloody dreadful, but I challenge anyone to look good wearing one! All photographic evidence has ripped into tiny pieces!)

It is a tour that tells the magical tale of King Arthur. It takes you deep below the old Braich Goch Slate Mines in Wales. Telling the tale of Arthur, his adventures, all exciting yet somber in parts with cast figures displaying the scenes............

The finale is at a point that is in deep darkness and all you hear is this noise ...... I can only describe it, as it struck me that day, as a male doing 'that' scene from 'When Harry met Sally'.
Lots of grunting and deep throated aghhhing, that seemed to go on forever.

That was me gone. My shoulders started going up and down, I did my best to be composed, and Sunny realised what I was laughing at. Then I let out this enormous gfaw which echoed around the cavern way beneath the ground (I just couldn't hold it in any longer).
The lights went on and the narrator carried on to describe that in Athurian legend this was some chap (may have been Arthur but I was corpsing so much I didn't hear) who had been stabbed and the sound was him calling for help............ tears were rolling down my cheeks and I looked at Sunny and she was in the same state of hysterical laughter. Two naughty sniggering school girls surrounded by parents and their off spring....... yes a hasty retreat was called for

So when we hooked up for a 24 hour visit recently where we managed to get our photo done for the Charity Book on FMB it was not much different .. it was so much fun. Dressing up in my 'ers hairpieces and hats, bright lippy, lots of belly laughter and wicked humour (I know we had a rule out at one stage but best not go there!!!).
I for one was so glad we managed to meet up as I had visions of having to do something ever so complicated/clever, stitching images together and adding our avatar. It was so much easier just to take a few photos after a couple of glasses of wine and have loads fun to boot


The book is now published and we will be ordering a couple ... but I urge you all to get one as the ultimate is part of the proceeds to charity

real women

Both Sunny & I are pretty switched on independant women. Not always financially so ... peaks and troughs through the years as jobs and men have come and gone.
Most definitely, however, we know how to look after ourselves, we can shop unassisted, cook fabulous meals and even the odd DIY project doesn't phase us.
I recieved an e mail today which I have had before and yes it probably has done the rounds a few times but it does make me giggle. It is tips & hints from Delia Smith. I think when you read it you will know which side Sunny & I are on .......

Delia's Way ~ Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice-cream drips .
The Real Woman's Way ~ Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for God's sake. Whilst lying on the couch with your feet up watching a chick flick.

Delia's Way ~ To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
The Real Woman's Way ~ Buy small amounts of food at a time so they don't go off and it is a great excuse to spy cute men in the supermarket.

Delia's Way ~When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking tin, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.
The Real Woman's Way ~ Tescos' sell cakes. They even do decorated versions.

Delia's Way ~ If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a potato slice. The Real Woman's Way ~ If you over salt a dish while you are cooking, that's tough. Please repeat after me this motto: "I made it and you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes."

Delia's Way Cure for headaches ~ Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
The Real Woman's WayCure for headaches~ Take a lime, cut it in half and drop it in 8 ounces of vodka. Drink the vodka. You might still have the headache, but you wont care?

Delia's Way ~If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.
The Real Woman's Way ~ Isn't that what men are for?

Finally the most important tip

Delia's Way ~ Freeze leftover wine into ice cubes for future use in casseroles
The Real Woman's Way ~ left over wine???? Helllloooo ???????

what did you say???

The English language has evolved over the years as one would expect. Reading script from census returns back to 1841 is a difficult task at times and further back is near darned impossible. It is a great challenge and achievement when you finally make sense of who left what to who in old wills.
Today one of my biggest challenges is trying to decipher text messages (txt msgs) from my teen or when she sends my MSN messages when staying away. It is a complete new written language. It takes a good old while before I understand what they say. She teases me when I reply in full!! I fear for her written work at school unecessarily as I have checked it and it looks ok.... I have concluded that teens today are in fact bilingual.

So not to be left behind I bought a little book in a bargain book shop, it cost all of 49p so a good buy. It gives over 1000 abbreviations, emotions and meanings of txt spk... so I have been swatting up tonight ... here goes with a few ... I will put the answers down at the bottom of the page (no peeking!!)

(1)IYDKIDKWD
(2)JM2p
(3)CMIIW
(4)ILTUWotIWanWotIRLyRLyWan
(5) :~(~~~
(6) *^_^*
(7) +!
(8) -!
(9) KIT
(10) #-)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

(1)If you don't know I don't know who does
(2) Just my 2 penny-worth
(3) Correct me if I'm wrong
(4) I'll tell you what I want what I really really want (spice Girl revival!)
(5) I am moved to tears
(6) you are making me blush (???)
(7) Yes
(8) No
(9) Keep in touch
(10)we really have to get some sleep I can't go on partying all night every night

So it is GdntefrmMe, HvaGr8dy2mro :-) @}>-'-,--

wordy rice

I was sent this by my cousin. The site is giving away free rice through the United Nations (given that everyone likes rice that is? I know Sunny you are off it just now after being sick!)

However, it also tests your understanding of words.......... as you can imagine I didn't do awfully well but have had a few goes so feel I have contributed something at least.

lear genius

Had a pottering Saturday at home today. Pottering usually means day dreaming into areas of my house that get little attention but hold nuggets of inspiration..... the loft - full of memories and crap but the kind of crap that can't be chucked out, the bookcase - full of books I have read but can't throw out. I had one attempt in August to sort it out but mañana struck.

The same happened today.

I came across a most fabulous book that I had rescued from Sunny at Easter. She had been donated by the local library a host of books that were headed for the incinerator (oh that makes the hairs stand up on my arms). Sunny had asked for these as part of an altered book project and I agreed to ferry her over in my car so she didn't have to put them in a wheelie case and trug them home across town.

Looking through the boxes I rescued a few books as they could not, in my mind, either be incinerated nor transformed into an altered form of art.

One of the books I am referring to is 'A Book of Bosh' Lyrics & Pros of Edward Lear chosen by Brian Alderson ...... sheer genius. (Bosh aka stuff & nonsense)

Lear was born in 1812 and for most of his life he was a serious painter & illustrator, including on his CV giving Queen Victoria drawing lessons. He wasn't a 'well' man suffering from grand mal but managed 76 years. But in his spare time he wrote some crazy stuff, his limericks are legendary 'The Owl & The Pussy Cat ' et al.

He was known to write to a friend that he would like the Prime Minister to appoint him 'Grand Peripatetic Ass and Boshproducing Luminary'.

I happened to think that maybe some Politicians today have been bestowed with that title today, although they wouldn't admit to it or even realise it.

Some Lear

dull still day in november

Managed to remember to grab my camera on the way out the door this morning (great feat on a Friday morning!!). It was a dull morning but still so I knew the perfect eye would be looking at me as I walked along the towpath. It looks better on a sunny day, I will have to wait for the Spring to see that again.

A kind of explanation

What is a visionary art?
Is this it, and if it isn't it certainly is a wonderous statement.

...creation sometimes pours into the spiritual eye the radiance of heaven...

Heaven is not to be read as the place where God lives and we may all end up sitting by his feet...read heaven as the place where everything is created and ended and was created again - no thing ever stays the same, nor does it end. Some sort of quantum physics and actual common sense in there, if you stretch your mind to it.

i'm going to rich..................

How opportune. My junk mail filter allowed this e mail through today. Without that error I wouldn't have been able to take up this fantastic business offer. What with Christmas coming up the extra cash will come in handy.
This offer came from a lovely lady called Nellie she obviously has had a hard time and so needs my input to help the awful dilemma she finds herself in. The way she has written the letter makes me feel I have known her forever!

Dearest,
My reason of contacting you is purely based on seeking your assistance. To tell you more about me, I am 21 years old and the only child of my late parents Mr and Mrs Charles Johnson and I am living here in Abidjan, the capital city of Cote d' Ivoire in West Africa.
I was a student at a university here studying mass communication but the sudden death of my father forced me to discontinue my studies because no one could sponsor my studies again. My mother died many years back when I was just four years old and since then I have been with my father and he took me so special.
His death was so sudden and was caused by food poisoning as the doctor said in his death certificate but we are suspecting one of my uncle who always travel with him any time he is making overseas trip as the person who planned his death, well only God knows the truth.

The issue now is that I want to move out of this country immediately to a more secure place where I will live for the rest of my life because since the death of my father, his brother's and other family relatives have all taken over all my late father's belongings including his business and houses and they don't even want to consider me because I am a girl and from their crude culture here, girls are not allowed to process anything from the family until they are married.

In my own case, my father was a business man who always export Cocoa to Europe and he made a lot of money from this business and own lot of properties and houses, his brothers have taken control of all these things and they can even kill me too if I should ask about them. For this reason, I don't want to be associated with them again. However, my father confided a secret to me before his death in a hospital here. He told me that he deposited a consignment in a security company here in Abidjan Cote D Ivoire, a box of trunk containing the sum of ($7.500.000). and no one knows about this, not even the security company because he registered the content of the box as family valuables

He also told me that he used my name (Miss Nellie Johnson) as the next of kin in depositing the trunk box containing the funds and also handed over the depository documents to me. He told me that it was because of his wealth that he was poisoned and that I should seek a trustworthy person in a country of my choice who could assist me to claim and invest this money.

Dear Beloved One, this is the main reason I contacted you. I want you to help me claim this consignment/trunk box (CASH) from the security company here in Abidjan Cote D Ivoire to your country and also help me to relocate to your country to continue my life over there.

This country is no longer safe for my continual stay because every day here I am living under the fear of those my late father's relatives. I am no longer living in my family house because they might try to kill me since they want to inherit all my late father's properties. I am now living in a guest house here and I want to move out of the country finally with this money and I need your help.
If you agree to help me, I will compensate you with 20% of the total sum and also you will manage these funds in any good investment while I will continue my studies and every income made will be shared between us. Thank you and I look forward to your positive response.

Consider this and get back to me as soon as possible.
Thank you so much
My Sincere regards,
Miss Nellie.

Not sure if the uncle's would accept a same sex wedding and me being divorced too....... it's a case of 'not on your Nellie' Nellie

Instead I will take Jose up on his offer 'find a sexoholic tonight'

hey there.

Want someone to sleep with living just a few minutes from you?
87% of members have already got some action with our system..

Best of all, it is completely free.

I have replied in my usual manner

say cheese.........................

Once again listening to some local radio whilst surfing radio stations sat in traffic (not sure which station now) I listened for a short while about how the North West of England is blessed with great agriculture and fresh produce. Something to do with the rich soil (this is true where I live as I can grow absolutely anything in my garden... its the slugs that put a stop to them blossoming!!! but that is another story)
The lady on the radio was raving about local cheeses. I must say I have a weakness for our crumbly yummy Lancashire cheese, as a kid I would to go to the cheese shop and buy a couple of ounces and eat it on the way home.

It got me to thinking about different cheeses I have sampled in my life time ( yes I know a bit sad but remember I was sat in rush hour traffic)
Can't do Camembert or Brie, it is the strong smells that comes from them. I am a Port Salut junkie though and I love it at Christmas when you can readily buy cheddar & other cheeses with cranberries, herbs, oranges and the like. As an adult I have learned to love Parmesan although it smells like sick!! Can't do Italian with out now.

There is one cheese that will never pass my lips again after a close encounter in Lac de Chalin, Jura region in France and that is Compte cheese. The smell and the taste is dreadful I couldn't believe how bad it was coming from such a beautiful part of France.

Maybe this postcard explains why?? Is that ectoplasm???

wordy stuff...........................

I am not particularly flamboyant with words but do admire those who are (thank goodness for on-line thesaurus's)

Tonight I received an email where someone one along the chain of e mails has taken the time out to rearrange words into different words.... clever but 'too much spare time on their hands' springs to mind

DORMITORY = DIRTY ROOM (can't make 'ers room out it though)

ASTRONOMER = MOON STARER (impressed)

DESPERATION = A ROPE ENDS IT (even betterer!)

THE EYES = THEY SEE (why couldn't I see that?)

GAUTENG = GET A GUN (had to look it up ... subtle)

THE MORSE CODE = HERE COME DOTS (dashed if I'd of got that?)

SLOT MACHINES = CASH LOST IN ME (wow how true)

ELECTION RESULTS = LIES - LET'S RECOUNT (surely not they are always honest!)

SNOOZE ALARMS = ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S (that should be on your snooze button)

A DECIMAL POINT = IM A DOT IN PLACE (clever)

THE EARTHQUAKES = THAT QUEER SHAKE (what can I say?)

ELEVEN PLUS TWO = TWELVE PLUS ONE (spooky)

MOTHER-IN-LAW = WOMAN HITLER (hee hee)

I am compelled now to come up with some.... will have to sleep on it (best I could get from that was a poor 'sheep wain o' tilt love')... yes I know time for bed

that moment of.............

My friends and some colleagues have an expression spawned from an experience I had once. The expression is ‘to have a Christie’s moment’ (It comes to mind today as a friend had one of them)

A few years ago now (& I can’t quite believe it was 4 years ago now) I had the absolute fortune to visit Bonham’s and Christie’s auction houses in a professional capacity.
Well to say I was excited at being able to visit these places of wonder and get paid for doing it would be an understatement.

Christie’s was breath taking. It was just before Christmas and the place was so tastefully decorated. The huge staircase was swathed in traditional greenery, I was heard to say WOW on more than one occasion.
We were shown to a room with fabulous painting and it was just how I had imagined it to be.

When business was done I asked what was being auctioned that day. I was told it was 19th Century European Art at 11.00 am.
Tentatively I asked if it would be ok to look around. Certainly, came the reply, but bear in mind the auction starts in an hour.

You have never seen someone throw papers into a briefcase so fast.

I was like a child in a sweetshop. The artwork was sensational and exquisite. I ‘ooed’ & ‘arred’ at every painting in detail, whilst my colleague trailed after me, hands in pockets!!

When I had done the tour I really wanted a catalogue of what I had seen because I realized that most of these beautiful pieces of art would never be seen by the likes of me again as they were destined for private collections (hey I think the cheapest was about £30,000)
I asked at reception whether there were any catalogues left for the auction?
The lady rooted around and said (in a really posh accent)
‘Yes we have just one left would you like it madam?’
‘Yes’ (in my best posh accent) I replied
‘Would you like a carrier bag?’
‘No, I will put it in my briefcase thank you’
‘That will be £20, how would you like to pay?’

And that is when it happened .............‘The Christie’s moment’

My brain was saying ‘with my hide’….. ‘HOW MUCH’………. ‘OMG’……….’you have to be kidding’ … ‘what the…’ and so on

My reply was, by all accounts very calm, professional and unrattled, I never flinched whilst my insides were screaming 'nooooooo wtf are you doing?'

‘by card and oh yes I think I will take your offer of a carrier bag’

As I mentioned the carrier bag my colleague exited stage left door as he was laughing so much!

So from this day forward, those moments when your inners are shouting NO & you can see your self as a cartoon character with bells and hammers going off it your head but your pride and face saving wins hands down that is the ‘Christie’s Moment’

p.s. on the bright side of life I now have my own private collection of fine art that 'only' cost me 20 quid :-)

More works less fire

Tonight Guy Fawkes was a black inky night, a few random fireworks and a bonfire, hot pumpkin soup, a crackling barbeque, and people sitting with scarfes and mulled wine....it was pitch black aside the fire. And the stars.

And how great it is to sit with people who look up and describe the formation of the constellations and name them, and everyone swivels their necks to find more patterns above.
And then i go home and listen to one of the most rewarding of bands...'The Jayhawks' (Rainy Day Music or Smile)...and listen to the words, and then sink into some satisfying warmth.

If Guy Fawkes was around today... would he have been described as a terrorist?

And why do people buy newspapapers? They don't tell news really do they, don't they sell misinformation...well in my opinion, for what thats worth

Fire Works

Re reading a recent entry about my dream - how about this:

When things come together in a way which is truly significant (like in a dream), the interface between the psyche and the world becomes apparent. In and out of sleep we are still a part of ourself. Its that in sleep our conscious self is hard to reach.

Are we not visited by 'messengers' when we dream and when we are awake?
In so many cultures the sleep part of life is as important as the awake bit.

And I've been reading more about the fantastic artist, visionary and poet William Blake.
His work illustrates the parallels between the vision of self transcendence and and Buddhist tradition's (meditation) .

We get so wrapped up by meaningless cotton wool, that we ignore the most crucial part of who we are.
Its good to look at the work of artists, or writers or explorers or scientits or musicians or all of us....just to keep getting perspectives.

So in a dream, what are we dreaming about: is it ourself or is it of wishes or realities or is of messengers from others.
I met a man in my dream and I hope I meet him, he was offering a gift, some sort of truth.

madam do you want to buy a watch?

I am afraid it is junk spammy again that has spurred me on.

I recall when I was very small an image of a trilby wearing chap stopping my Mum in the street in Liverpool and saying 'Madam do you want to buy a watch?'
He opened his camel coat (thank goodness he wasn't a flasher) and had a display of watches hanging on the inside the coat.
Of course my mother dismissed him and we moved on quickly. I asked about it and was told he was a 'Spiv'.

Spiv's were many during & following the Second World War where chaps were out to earn a buck or 2, an underground economy where they could supply whatever was on demand... silk stockings, tobacco, sugar ... in fact any commodity that was in demand but in short supply.


Today the Spiv's provide a similar service but for counterfeit designer gear generally at a fraction of the genuine article price because of the consumer society we have become. They are alive and well and have mastered the art of the internet.
From Jodie Chang I received an email noted ' a Gift that will impress anyone'

I have replied in my usual manner

i'm dreaming of a ................?

Last week after Sunny & I had been awarded Blog of the Day, I rang Sunny to tell her the news and also to encourage her to post .
As you can see it hasn’t worked yet …… but I will persist (I know you will be reading this later Sunny lol)

Inevitably our conversation drifted away from the accolade bestowed on us to other matters that had occurred since we last spoke…….. art exhibitions, slight indiscretions and hysterical happenings/observations which left us both speechless laughing on either end of the phone.

One thing that Sunny did mention was she had had this dream a couple of nights previous.
She told me she had dreamt about this really handsome man and although she awoke during the dream her mind went right back to it. ‘he was so lovely’
I asked was the man like a smart suited Pearce Bronsan type and you had a feeling of peace, calm and kindness?
She replied ‘yes, it was just like that how did you know?’
I replied’ because I had the same dream a few nights ago and the feeling has stayed with me!’

Now I am as skeptical as the next person but this occurrence has me baffled. We live 150 miles away from each other and speak about once a week on the phone, in fact it had been 10 days since we had last been in contact.
So how come we had the same dream and what does it mean??

The subject of dreams and their meanings have had folk ferreting around for almost back to the beginning of time it would seem.
I surfed about a bit but got lost in the interwoven interweave.
Then I remembered I have an old book called ‘Everybody’s Book of Fate and Fortune’ aka in our house the book of ‘Spells’. Published C1930s.

The book has a variety of weird and wonderful items listed phrenology, graphology, numerology, chirognomy, cartomancy, Oracle de Napoleon and so on.
Listed under ‘Magic and the sub-sciences’ is Oneiromancy… what dreams mean.

It states ‘ there are dreams caused by some excitation of body or mind, by some stomachic derangement, by brooding or bodily ailments.
But the only type of dream that can be counted for Oneiromancy is the one that has no root cause in any of the above, which is so vivid it stirs us up on waking and in the right mind, we find it impossible to shake it off.’

Right so the dreams we had fit the bill so a chance for analysis… off to the dictionary of dreams contained I the book of ‘Spells’

I quickly realized that the list contained subjects that shall I say state the obvious:-

CAKE- family gathering or a pleasant surprise
CEMETERY- you will hear of a death
HANGMAN – You will get bad news
BRIGAND – suffer financial loss
DOCTOR – possibility of slight illness
FRIEND ABROAD – you will be going on an unexpected journey
RAT –someone is working against you under the guise of friendship
A FULL BAG – prosperity and happiness
ASPHYXIA – possible respiratory problems
BLOOD – you maybe involved in an accident

Then the complete contradiction in terms:-
CRIME/ SHIPWRECK/MURDER –complete success for your plans (huh??)
GAIETY – you will soon have reason to grieve
TO FOLLOW ONE’S OWN FUNERAL – Great and lasting success
COFFIN – Great happiness is coming to you
CONDEMNED TO DEATH – rapid advance in fortunes

Then the ‘how on earth do they reckon that???’
HANGED PERSON – very pleasant surprise
DRUNKEN FRIEND- great success & material well-being
CATERPILLAR – some important secret will be revealed
DARNED STOCKING – your greatest pleasure will be in the family circle
CHILBLAINS – you will be your own worse enemy
JAUNDICE – unexpected wealth

& the school boy/ girl snigger factors ones
BREASTS- you are about to receive an abundance of good things.
DOLL- you are going to have a pleasant time
WEATHER COCK- failure to decide could prevent success
RIDING- success in an important undertaking

Needless to say I have not found the meaning of our ‘smart, handsome, kind, warm, man’ in this quest, so it alas remains unanswered.

I mentioned this to my ‘er and she told me that she dreamed about a family union and her long lost grandfather was a transvestite!!!!! That wasn’t in the book either!!!!

treat or what will you do???

Well it is getting to that time of year again. The clocks go back… yes an extra hour in bed tomorrow. It is lighter in the mornings but it goes dark earlier. Don't like the travelling home from work in the dark. Central heating is switched on at tea-time (must remember to set the clock for it to come on before I get up brrrr). Time to swap the summer wardrobe with winter woolies (it is nice to be reunited with old warm friends… but equally as nice to be reunited come Spring with old skimpy t-shirt friends)

But I am in despair, as Halloween is on the horizon. Yes I know it is an age old tradition of:-


All-hallow-even, as it is the eve of ‘All Hallows’ day’ also which is now known as All Saints’ day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions, until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints' Day from May13 to November 1.. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. Liturgically, the Church traditionally celebrated that day as the Vigil of All Saints, and, until 1970, a day of fasting as well. Like other vigils, it was celebrated on the previous day if it fell on a Sunday, although secular celebrations of the holiday remained on the 31st. The Vigil was suppressed in 1955, but was later restored in the post-Vatican II calendar.

Thank you Wikipedia

I figure they changed the date from May (light nights, Spring in the air, everything anew & fresh) to almost November (dark nights, damp & frosty) for ‘fear factor’ only.

What would be scarier for children and old folk than a knock on the door in spring or on the onset of winter nights? It is a USA import as I remember photos from my American cousins being sent over some 30 odd years ago. They were dressed as ‘goules’ knocking at doors, when we had no idea what that was all about.

I have never allowed my ‘er to take part in the ‘knocking on’ for ‘treats’
1. it is tantamount to begging
2. it may upset/disturb folk
3. who knows what weirdo’s door you may knock upon

Instead we have a really good laugh doing the British traditional stuff. We dunk apples in the washing up bowl (always a good weeze). Tie up apples from the doorframe and try to catch them with our teeth & make indescribable jellies with quite awful content which is akin to dunking apples, hands not required!!. I have relented to sculpturing pumpkins and displaying them in the window with tea lights (which does take a hell of a lot of effort particularly when the kids get bored and you have 4 to do)
This is far easier and a bit of fun

Anyway before any one calls me a 'kill joy' I found myself getting prepared last week.

I took advantage of the 2-4-1 (mmm? 2-4-1 a reminder I have another birthday coming up) offers on Halloween suggested treats for the cold callers. Unfortunately I hadn’t factored in my ‘ers half term and swarms of ‘ers frequenting our abode whilst I was out toiling. So they have all gone!

So it will have to be now plan B…………………………….
Call in the professional door openers

And if that fails Plan C ……………………….. Play Snog the Goule…. It usually deters others !!!

blog of the day

Oh I have just noticed that our blog has been given Blog of the Day status by those lovely people at Fuel My Blog .

Not only that but my random comment on the "win something random from my cupboard 5"
won out of all the great entries.

What a fabulous end to a busy day..... thank you so much you are wonderful.

If possible could you donate some money this time and not wait for No 6 ??

I wonder if this accolade will now encourage Sunny (my partner in crime on here) to post who has been very tardy since here & here & here
She has a good excuse though she is mid exhibition and others on the horizon ... in fact she has been so busy since the summer


Once again many thanks :-)

more spammy stuff

Well my junk mail filter has failed me tonight !
I received this lovely email from Fernande Ayers saying 'Here's that stuff, from Chelsea'

I have cast my mind back into the darkest depths of memory (oh there are things that turned up that should be kept in Pandoras Box! lol) and.... no .... can't recall for the life of me a Fernande in Chelsea. Hey I live about 200 miles away from there.

Anyway Fernande tells me

Hey, how are you? I wanted to advise you about something unbelievable, something that you truly need to know about. I'll get straight to the reason behind this email. It is unfortunate that recent research shows that on average less than twenty five percent of all women can obtain a climax from engaging in intercourse alone. Therefore a majority of female partners are left ultimately dissatisfied. You may think that you are rocking her bedroom world but if the truth needs to be told, you probably don't at all! Not to worry though, we have a toy you will love.Take a peek:

oooo a toy! Is it a fluffy one like on the Generation Game? or is it a new generation one like a Wii?

Either way I have told Ferndi in no uncertain words I will not be requiring his or her services/equipment as I am of that age where I can have a toy(boy) of my own .. & batteries are not included or indeed actually needed !! :-)

in-car entertainment

I normally don’t drive into work because basically the traffic is rubbish in Manchester. I figured today, however, as is half term the traffic would be better …. and so it was. 20 minutes door to door!
Alas though not the case tonight. My journey took 1 hour 15 minutes to travel just 10 miles!

So Charlie & I sat on the M602 car park and listened to Hero Enrique Ig 3 times (thinking wow this is ace but repetitive music playing of one track isn’t that healthy)

Turned on the radio, got blasted by some indescribable track on Radio One (ah yes ‘er was in the car on Sunday) flicked through a few more channels… Galaxy, Classic, Smooth (hovered there for a while .. bit of Barry White) and stumbled upon BBC Radio Manchester. I recognize that voice I thought?
It was Terry Christian. I wondered what had happened to him… ...well he is alive and well on tea-time local radio.

Thought I would hang around and see what he was chatting about.

Within minutes he had me smiling and then laughing out loud…. It was getting dark by now so I don’t think anyone noticed.
His topic was - songs that you were taught to sing as a little kid at junior school (in the 60s aged 5 –11 years).

There was the first introduction to the French Language with Alloutte. (which apparently put a lot of folk going to France… I always thought it was ‘jaunty Allouetta, Allouetta jaunty plume aray’…… )

Alouette, gentille Alouette Alouette je te plumerai Alouette, gentille Alouette Alouette je te plumerai Je te plumerai la tête Je te plumerai la tête Et la tête, et la tête Alouette, Alouette O-o-o-o-oh Alouette, gentille Alouette Alouette je te plumerai
Alouette, gentille Alouette Alouette je te plumerai Alouette, gentille Alouette Alouette je te plumerai Je te plumerai le nez Je te plumerai le nez Et le nez, et le nez

Roughly translated as

Lark, nice Alouette Lark I will pluck you Alouette, nice Alouette Lark I will pluck you I will pluck you the head I will pluck you the head And the head, and the head Alouette, Alouette O-o-o-o-oh Alouette, nice Alouette Lark I will pluck you Lark, nice Alouette Lark I will pluck you Alouette, nice Alouette Lark I will pluck you I will pluck you the nose I will pluck you the nose And the nose, and the nose

& Frere Jaques… where we would be split up and sing the lines out of sync from each other.

10 Green Bottles Hanging on the Wall – great for counting down but what a darned awful boring song. ‘Tom Tom the Pipers son’, who stole a pig and got a beating. Pussy in the Well … naughty boys trying drown a cat. Oh of course the favourite Ring, a Ring o’ Roses about the black plague.

Oh what about the Sea Shanties -What Shall we do with the Drunken Sailor - Some great lines as - Way hay and up she rises!! Put him in the scuppers with a hose pipe on him! Hoist him up to the topsail yardarm! Make him clean out all the spit-kids.

But what had me laughing was Soldier Soldier will you marry me?
A warning to all girlies in the 18th century not to be taken in by passing soldiers.

Soldier, soldier won't you marry me
With your musket, fife and drum
Oh no sweet girl I cannot marry you
For I have no coat to put on
So off she went to her grandfathers chest
And she brought him a coat of the very very best
And she brought him a coat of the very very best
And the soldier put it on

& as Terry so eloquently put it

‘When she got it out of her grandfather’s chest it probably smelled of wee and he put it on’

It was probably a ‘had to be there moment’ but it did amused me (hey I was going stir crazy!)

Thanks Terry you made the journey pass more pleasantly than I had first imagined.

Needless say it is back on the cattle truck to work tomorrow

english not so abroad

I have been rooting tonight through photos. It is a thing akin to my sorting books... I never get that far!

I have heaps of old photos that I know not where the places are and think 'why on earth have I kept this?'

Not so this one.

A couple of years ago me, my 'er and my Mum went to stay at my brother's in Kent and we went for a day out in Deal.

Mum being in her 70s had to have some home comforts.............. a seat, a brollie and something to read whilst Me & 'er messed about on the beach.

I looked back at my Mum whilst hunting for fossils and interesting stones and laughed, I so had to take this photo....

There is not a soul about and there she is happily reading her magazine in comfort .................

It is a classic for me

i'm going

You may remember this month I posted a piece about a Giant girl and an Elephant.

The link was sent to me by my cousin and he has come up trumps again (thank you CK)

As you may know or may not know, depending which part of this planet or indeed which part of the UK you live in, Liverpool was voted City of Culture for 2008.

Now being a Liverpool lass from birth and way back in one part of my family history to C1795 I am so very pleased about this.

I love my birthplace, it is heaped with history (some of it is not so sweet with the slave trade but as those higher up the pecking order have said 'we are sorry' but at the end of the day we can not carry the hair shirt of our ancestors, we can only do what we think is right at the time of our existence on this planet and we learn as we go along....... I often wonder how we will be judged when we are no more..............)

But I do love Liverpool with a passion as a city, it is my roots (I am trying to embrace the changes however!! some of which I will be so positive about but find a bit foreboding )

.

My cousin sent me link this weekend about 2008 and it's plans to celebrate the accolade it has been given :-

"Commissioned by Liverpool Culture Company for European Capital of Culture 2008. In May 2006 something incredible happened in London. For four days the city stopped in its tracks and marvelled at the sight of a gigantic wooden elephant, and a little-girl giant in a green dress. A million people jammed the streets, astonished at the scale and beauty of the spectacular Sultan’s Elephant . Now Artichoke, the company that brought that event to London, is planning a magical new show, created specially for Liverpool 2008. The precise details are a closely-guarded secret, but what’s certain is that it will be huge in scale and utterly unlike anything seen in Liverpool before: an unforgettable piece of live theatre, played out against the landmarks of a great city. Will you find it? Register now for updates and you just might...www.willyoufindit.co.uk ."

There is loads going on in 2008 and the the new magical event is scheduled for 26th - 28th September 2008

Just to say I will be going .. want to join me?

perfect eye

I may or may not have mentioned that in my life each day brings something new.

If I have or haven't it doesn't really matter.

Today as I walked to work on my route along the Irwell I met a colleague. We were chit chatting about the usual 'did you have a good weekend?' 'Oh how soon does Monday come?' 'What have you got on this week' etc etc

As we were chatting (along the tow path along the banks of the river) I stopped dead in my tracks.

The Irwell was still and the bridge was reflecting what I saw was a perfect eye shape into the water.

I said 'oh wow', my colleague said 'WHAT?'

I said 'there ... look... a perfect eye!'

'What? Where?'

So I pointed and said 'There!'

His eyes lit up and he said 'gosh you know I would have never ever have seen that'

Unfortunately I don't carry my camera to work (and I won't for a while as I dropped it and it is damaged .. sob) but here are a few internet images that visualise something similar. But when 'my precious' is repaired I hope I will be able take one of my 'perfect eye'

spammy stuff

Have just been looking at my Statcount searches.
Suddenly (and not for the first time) I have flurry of searches for BIDEX FINANCE.... it is a junk e-spam post I highlighted some time ago. The searches on Stat span from Canada through the US across various routes to Bulgaria and other former Eastern Block now accepted in the EU member States (worrying to say the least!). Now the Q is.... who is the genuine person who like me gets this crap, unsolicited mail and who is the scammer looking where it has gone ??
If it is the latter then my original message still applies ...... Go F yourself U Wker .. if it is the former I suggest you do the same as me and reply in a similar pattern.
I hate to rant/get on the soap box but sometimes it is OH SO necessary
btw Bidex et al my spam filter doesn't allow low life to enter anymore .. so there

an afternoon to remember

As I have mentioned before I was fortunate enough to see the premier of The Pianist at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry earlier this year as part of the Manchester International Festival.
I am now on the Festival e - mailing list and those lovely people have sent me the latest newsletter today. In it they have announced that The Pianist will be broadcast on Radio 4.
If you do nothing else this year I would recommend you tune in, lie back in your comfy chair, relax, close your eyes and throughly enjoy the experience of this masterpiece.

Quoted from the Festival e - mail
Radio 4 will be broadcasting The Pianist which premiered at this year's Festival, on Saturday 20 October at 2.30pm – 3.30pm. The Pianist, based on the memoirs of Wladyslaw Spzilman, received outstanding reviews and is narrated by actor Peter Guinness, with the music of Chopin played by concert pianist Mikhail Rudy. 'A potent tale of triumph over tragedy…recommended'˜˜˜˜ The Times

magically random

bowled over

Today I went on a specific shopping visit to the Lowry Outlet stores (it was a specific shopping list.. brother and niece's birthday presents, ever so focused). Got our timing right as Man U were playing Wigan at home (12.30 ish kick off) so avoided the traffic travelling in successfully albeit we had to park on the 7th floor!)

So £130 later (spent £25 on Bro and nothing on niece as nothing inspired us) ... yes I had the 'er with me hence the £100 excess... I managed to get a T-shirt, 2 new bras and a pair of knickers in this though..................to avoid the match out spilling we wandered into the Lowry Art bit to see the 'Up North' exhibition. Didn't bother with the permanent Lowry exhibition as it was pointed out to me by the 'er 'Mum I have seen that 100 times' .
What I hadn't realised was there was an exhibition by Harold Riley.
Riley is a Salford lad, a friend of L.S. Lowry as well as him being a distinguished portrait painter of famous folk, he also took some amazing images in the 60s/70s of inner city Salford with mostly a box brownie

There were some great images of the back to back terraced houses and kids doing what they do best .. ...making the most of their environment & above all making it fun. (a wigwam on the path out side the front door, a cart made out of pram wheels, girls dressing up in their Mums shoes and children playing in what was once a Jewish grave yard but was now their back yard)

One of the most moving images for me was a very old lady that sat at her front door waiting for the kids to finish school and she would offer a sweet to them as they passed by her door. This was obviously the only interaction that this kind old lady had in her day and it meant so much to her in her life. She also reminded me of my Nana in the way she was dressed in her round rimmed glasses, wrinkled thick tights, slippers and patterned pinny.

The images eloquently told of the poverty of Salford then .. the unmaintained houses but with much pride in 'cleaning/stoning the step', if you didn't do this then you were deemed to be scruffy. I always thought this was a Liverpool thing (from my up bringing) but have realised now it is much wider than just my family tales.

Also what struck me hard today was the amount of money I had just spent and how easy I have life in comparison ... I & especially my 'er are so lucky

making an exhibition of .....

Well Sunny has persuaded me and others into doing a roving exhibition capturing a specific, yet fluid theme, across the UK.
So far there are 10 people signed up (inc me & herself but apparently there is more interest in the wings).

The idea is that each artist secures a venue in their area to display the exhibition and her parting shot before she jetted off to Portugal was 'You realise that you will be responsible for the exhibition in your area which means you will have to house all the artwork whilst it is on the move when it is up by you !'

Oh my goodness what a responsibility I will have to find space to secure 10+ artists work (safely).
She has her end of the deal sorted and we have a brilliant venue at the Courtyard, Hereford booked in 2009. Enquiries have been made in London and up here at the Lowry (although nothing has been finalised)

I am in a bit of a panic (did I say a bit? I mean a HUGE panic) as the other folk involved in this venture are actually real artists, 3 x painters, 3 x illustrators, 1 x photographer, 1 x poet & 1 x writer (ok 70s isn't either) I am down as 'mixed media' which thankfully gives me a free reign

I have promised myself tomorrow a planning day for this exhibition. I have an idea which I have already drafted out but is a bit complicated to follow so I need to re think and simplify it but it is along the lines of some altered books I did a while ago in relation to the Spanish Civil War... it is a bit like cutting and sticking stuff but with a certain amount of thought and mind process/story involved

i'm the mom

t-shirts we love them

I have just spotted that on fuelmyblog there is a competition and Sunny & I are in the top 100. I am truely amazed as we only got this together to collaborate over life and thought stuff and I must say Sunny has been very tardy about posting todate (she said on the phone the other night she has forgotten her log in, thankfully I kept a record for her, as requested.. she is useless but I will let her off as she has the mind of an artist not a blogger ... as yet!)

So I (on behalf us both ...... although Sunny is currently sunning herself somewhere in Portugal at her sisters place!) am staking our claim in the competition

I have no illusion that we will win the $500 but if we did I would let Sunny have it to further her art projects... & if we got a T-shirt then it would have to be a fair fight with neutral judges :-)

the great british public

Now I am a great people watcher. I love nothing better than sitting in a café with a cappuchino and watching the world go by. Not much chance on many days due to a hectic work schedule and running a home/raising an ‘er & now a puppy!
But the great British public never fail to amaze me during my chaotic days.

Daily I am shoved and pushed on the commuter trains by people and I must say mostly males who obviously have not been taught any manners by their mothers (come on chaps we will all get on the train so lets not use brawn over brain everyday it is not attractive! you just appear to be a right Tw*t with your headphones on and free newspaper in hand!)

Today I had to shop for my ‘er in my lunch hour (which became a 2 hour lunch time due to meeting up with old colleagues for a chat en route and what is it with me I get stopped all the time to be asked directions… I must have ‘Ask me coz I have Manchester A – Z’ tattooed on my forehead??)

I had to go to Primark for gloves, tights, new school jumper etc. I stood for 40 minutes in a queue to be served. As I waited I observed the till operators (bearing in mind at one time I was a manager of a High Street retailer). To say they were slow would be an understatement (they would have been sacked in my day). There was no urgency in their trying to get the queue down, I have never seen a garment folded soooooooo slowly. They were glum and totally oblivious to the hoards of people waiting to get served.
When it was my turn I said something like ‘ oh you must have had such a busy day, I hope you got your lunchbreak? ' This was met with absolutely NOTHING..... not a smile, not a word just an automaton who carried on at a snail pace to deliver my purchase.
What is that about?? Lets just say I won't be in a hurry to shop there for a while!

But rest assured my faith was reinstated later. On my return home I need to go to the council tip with my old sofa (which I had disected with a saw on Sunday). I parked up and I asked a chap standing next to one of the skips which one I should put it in. He replied ‘this one’ and proceeded to unload my car of all the debris with me. I had bags of foam and bits in carrier bags. He said we have recycling bags that are better than that and off he went & came back with a pile of brilliant recycling bags which he placed in the boot of my car. He was happy and chatty and he made me smile.

So Thank You so much Recycling Man you were the star in my day :-)