Take 5 little boys .... and a laptop

I can not believe that it is already two weeks into the new year and I wish you all a belated ....

 HAPPY 2013 

... mine was a quiet one but then a few days later Emma and Steve and  the three boys came for a visit which was wonderful. (My next post will have more photos ...trust me.)
... but this is a shot of little Olly I really could not wait to post ...it seemed apt to use this (note his t-shirt)  as we had a little disaster.

 While clearing our large coffee table ... in order that the five grandsons could sit and eat their lunch together ... someone put the laptop on the floor with a mouse propping it open, as some charging or something, was going on.
Some how one of the five stood down on to it and smashed the screen. No-one could be blamed ...accidents happen but for Jay and I it was like loosing a limb ...we felt lost ... so  I decided to gather the pennies together and get a new one  ...after all it was old-ish in IT terms....and now a friend is looking into replacing the others screen ...cheaply, if we can wait ....of course we can ....it will mean no more fighting over computer time....I just need to get used to using this one.

At the moment we are eating our way through left over bits and pieces ...I always buy too much ...and I really thought I had cut back this time. Cheese is where I always get carried away ...I love the normal ones like Brie in all its variations and Camembert ...and Cheddar...plain and  with things added ...and Stilton ... and then the different ones too ....how about date and orange? ... and the European ones....well I managed to stop at 25 this year.
I love using the left overs ....the little bits grate up together  and make an amazing topping for Macaroni Cheese...tiny cubes of mixed cheeses, tossed into a green salad and cherry tomatoes, then dressed with balsamic makes a yummy lunch with a toasted bagel  and I shall post the recipe for my stilton and cauliflower soup later ....it only needs 3oz and is lighter than most.

I am having a crafting crisis at the moment ...do I really want to? ...and if so ... what? ....I so hope I resolve this and get my head in the right place ...I feel guilty for not doing anything as I have enough bits to play with, for at least the next ten years.

I will be back in a couple of days
Take Care xx

A Cat in A Hat

Hope you all had a great time over Xmas ..we were well enough to enjoy things but I have to say none of us ate as much as normal and there are lots of left overs .... and unopened cheeses. We had Bubble and Squeek to night ....yum ..aah.childhood memories. All  in all, we had a relaxed time and really enjoyed the food we had. Our poultry was chicken ...done the 'Nigella Lawson' way... basted in butter and maple syrup ....omg ...it is so suculant and tasty and is Vicki's speciallity.

I have totally lost track of the days ...they have sort of merged together so I was shocked to see that it was Thursday and I had missed yet another WOYWW ...in the New YearI hope to get back on track.
Here is Rusty wishing you seasons greetings.

 ...and a little glimpse into our Christmas

 and for those who wondered about Holly ...here she is ....

 She is growing fast and I think she will be taking after her grandfather who apparently is not at all the size of a Pygmy!!! The happier she is the softer her quills are ....she is a 'chocolate snowflake' as far as we can tell.

Take Care xx

Christmas is for Cats

It is Friday 21rst and we have fallen foul to a bug this week …I am feeling just under par with no energy …Vicki has barely left the loo but is now at last feeling a bit better but Jay has been being sick for about 24hours and Kris has now joined her. …Ok Robbie … are you just waiting for Xmas Day !!!!
We are so behind and have already had to cancel so many pre Xmas treats including a much longed for visit  from Steve and Emma, Ben Jake and Olly. I am so gutted but we cant take the risk of them catching anything from us . Last year their Christmas was ruined with a bug and Ben has still not gained all the weight he lost from his last tummy bug....they always hit him hard. I so hope they can get over to us soon after Christmas …it will be like a second Xmas as we were going to exchange presents tomorrow.

I am sorry I have been off the ball creatively this year but I hope to be back on track soon.
I  just want Christmas to go smoothly with no one being ill …and I will feel truly blessed. 
My other wishes are that it stops raining and the boiler keeps hanging on to life.

I wish all my Blogland friends
A very Happy Christmas and Wonderful New Year ….
…..would say 'prosperous' but that would be a miracle lol …

I also leave you with this shot of Barnaby ….good thing I heard a rustle before the bag was tied off.

Have a happy festive season …. whether you are chilling on your own or coping with a huge family gathering ….or anything in between.

Take Care xx

OMG ...Xmas is nearly here ....am I ready ....NO

Sorry I have not been around  for a while ...not been in the zone at all ...cant believe it is so long ...not that I have been doing much. All I seem to do is write lists ...that dont get completed ...or get lost .. so I have to start again ...slightly non productive.
 Yesterday I managed to freeze away some of my special sausage rolls for Xmas munching ...lots of filling with thin short pastry encasing them...not forgetting a hint of apple ...yummy if I say so myself.

 Had to show you these photos ...this one is Jake Ben and Olly meeting Santa for the first time

 and Kris and Robbie ...they still believe ...although Kris is begining to ask questions!!!!

Lastly a blast from the past for me... a group of us at work in 1987 ish the manager Liz (grey suit and big grin) sent it through facebook. Those were such happy days. We worked in the 3rd biggest Department Store in the UK.
There were nearly 2000 staff in total counting office and the others behind the scenes ....and Christmas was the best .... for customers and staff alike. The grotto back then was magical  ...even parents fell under the spell ...I wish I had photos ...every year was different.
Sadly the company  had problems during the last decade and gradually the 40 odd stores closed ...finally the last...the flag ship and the largest (where I worked for 18 years) shut its doors this year ....150 years after they first opened. In its hayday it was the  best ever retail establishment ....it was what retailing was all about ...the customer ... but when they forgot that, the rot set in.
Good Bye Allders ...and especially Allders of Croydon.

We have increased our animal family ....by one little Pigmy Hedgehog ...who loves cats. She is called  Holly and I will tell you more and show pictures on a future post ....and yes I can hear you all mumbling 'Is she mad' ...but it was nothing to do with me ....she is Vicki's.

Take care xx

A Feline Fix ...and a photo from 1958

Hi ...Ellie here ..just look at these two lazy bones

 Maybe I can persuade them to play!!!!!






DONT YOU DARE .....says Rusty

And I thought  you would like a giggle

This is 'Mummy' way way back in 1958

She's the one with the bigest hair, face and body....back row...at the end.

....but dont tell her I said so.

Loads of Purrs to you out there. xx

WHO WILL YOU REMEMBER … Lest we forget ?… on Remembrance Sunday

For those of you who do not have this particular day in your country, here is some background.
Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day, is actually on the 11th day of the 11th month and the two minute silence that is held, is at 11am.
This was when WW1 ended and  was commemorated for the first time in 1919 as a mark of respect to all that had fallen throughout the Commonwealth. Remembrance Sunday is the second Sunday of November and this year they fall on the same day. Poppies tend to be worn from about the two weeks before …these represent those that have fallen and the idea came from the poem, 'In Flanders Fields'.This flower was adopted as the emblem in 1921 by Field Marshal Douglas Haig.... the money raised through the sales, goes to ex-servicemen that need help in some way or other, through the  British Legion.

When I was a child everything stopped for the two minutes …even cars in the street…and by then we were remembering those who fell in WWII and  all the other conflicts that followed but now sadly it is easy to miss that there is a  silence, as very little seems to halt. On the Sunday it is a different matter as, at all war memorials there will be a gathering,  wreaths and poppies laid and many more try to observe the silence on that day . I would have expected more homage to our dead nowadays rather than less, as so many have been lost since the first Falklands war and - many are still dieing, every day in the conflicts that still rage.

Over the past few years there are those that want to stop this day and the wearing of poppies …it is said they feel it  glorifies war and does not really apply anymore in our multicultural  country. I feel that our country is free to be multicultural because of those who gave their lives and this is not a glorification of war ... it is  a remembrance of those who died…rather like a funeral …but on a grand scale ..and every where at the same time making it more poignant.

A while back I created a LO to remember my mums ‘Love of her Life’….he was lost long before my  father was on the scene but never forgotten by her, so I choose to remember him.


 John McKelvie aged 27 is ‘buried’ in France at Prefailles along with many of his comrades …members of 98th  Squadron. Aparently he has a head stone and he was on the list of those that boarded the Lancastria. This was sent to help with the evacuation of those still traped in France, after the huge evacuation of Operation Dynamo better known as The Dunkirk Evacuation. This rescue  centered around St Nazaire.  I read somewhere that the soldiers were displeased that the airmen were some of the first on board… safe and warm below deck, they must have thought…but when  the attack occured, were probably in the line of one of the direct hits.... with little hope of survival.
Well that is some of what I have discovered …all Mum knew was that his dog tags were washed up at St Nazaire,that  there was a memorial entry to him there and it was assumed he had been on the Lancastria as a fellow serviceman reported to John's family later, that he was seen running towards the ship.

 This is the War Memorial in Methil, Fife ....his home town …where also he is remembered.
It was originally errected to honour those who died in the WWI  and later the WWII names were added  to the sides . I thought it was fitting to show the view from the memorial space too.

  

 I also discovered recently that he had not been shot down before his evacuation by the fated Lancastria but that the squadron had been stationed in France from about April 1940. It was a volunteer reserve  squadron and remained a training squadron preparing the airmen who were to be  then transferred to other squadrons. They had as yet, never flown on a mission themselves, just trained those who did. As far as I know neither his family or Mum knew the details of his service … all Mum knew was he  was training men and was recently promoted to sergeant … but she thought it was at an air field in England. I also don’t know whether he had served in another squadron and then been transferred to the 98th to be an instructor, as she seemed positive he had served as a rear gunner. I am glad Mum never new any of the other details about the sinking including the fact that the ship sank in 20 mins to the sound of  those on board singing ’Roll out the barrel’ …and …‘There always be an England . Over 6000 were on board … only 2500 survived … and what angers me is that Operation Ariel and the sinking of the Lancastria are rarely, if ever, mentioned.

Take Care xx 

UPDATE ..To day is Remeberance Sunday ..I explained a tiny bit about it to the boys as I felt they would take in what they wanted to and I was amazed that Kris wanted to watch the laying of wreaths on TV ...he stood in silence for the whole two mins .... impressive for a 5 year old and.   even Robbie sat quietly with only a couple of utterences. 
We managed to mix the Xmas cake too ...early this morning ....and lick the spoon ....in the words of Kris  ...'awsome'.

Halloween ...and why I hate Fireworks.

These were two of the pumkins carved by Vicki and the boys ....the had so much fun ....would you believe that someone stole the baby one that was  in the mouth of the other.

 Not wanting to waste the insides, Vicki baked Pumkin Flap Jacks ....so yummy ... and froze the remainder for later use. Robbie and Kris love 'Trick or Treating' ...and I had loads of  scarey kiddies calling while they were out.

 Vicki and our friend Caz were very brave ...they let Kris paint their faces ...Jay came home a little late so missed the painting part ...I feel she was secretly quite glad lol

This week is rushing by ....yesterday was Halloween ....no ...wait .... this is Saturday already and fireworks have already been shattering the eardrums since last night. I have to admit I am a bit of a kill joy around the 5th. I wish they were banned for the saftey of animals and children...and the others who think its fun to do stupid things with them and waste NHS time and money.
 Big displays are thought to be the answer but I dont like them either ...fine for teens but I still remember the hour of panic when I lost my son aged about seven. One minute he was holding my hand , then he was gone ...I couldn't move as it was so packed ...everyone said 'Dont worry he will be at the lost tent' but it fell on deaf ears. After an agonizing hour I rushed to the tent ...he was not there ...my heart sank ... like a stone into the pit of my stomach ....I turned to stare at the thinning crowd ...in the distance a man and boy walked hand in hand towards me ...the boy frantically waving ...it was him ....big smile across his face ...not a care in the world.
Apparently he had made his way to the front ... near the music control desk ....he had been  sat up on a pillar by the fellow, to watch the display ...best view ever. The man appologised for not taking him to the tent as soon as he was found but he couldn't get there and Steve was enjoying himself so much and not worried at all.
 I didnt know what to do ...hug him or shout at him  ....Steve that is, not the man....needless to say it was the last display we went to....until they were teenagers and went on their own.

Hope you have a great Fire Works Night ...which ever night you choose ...and which ever way you celebrate it. 

Ignore me .... I'm just a grumpy old ****
Take Care xx