A new year, a new way of life

Well I started the month weighing 14 stone and am now 13 stone 10 ½ lb, just think what I would have lost if I hadn’t eaten several pound of chocolate and several packets of Pringles!

 

 

 

Kate as some fantastic photos of ice over on her site, and we are supposed to be having snow again, but I won’t hold my breath; it has gone very cold though so you never know. My little fingers were blue by the time I had finished cleaning the windows this morning.

 

 

Here you go have a go at this one.

What the House Test Says About You

You consider yourself important, but no more important than anyone else. You love attention, but you don’t feel like you deserve more of it than anyone else.You can’t stand community oriented people and annoying “buy local” campaigns. You prefer to live the best life possible, and that doesn’t really involve many other people.You are creative, expressive, and bright. You are always in the middle of some amazing project. You look attractive, but mostly because your rely on your natural good looks to get by. You are moved by the most simple of things. You can find pleasure from a small, perfect moment.

Be Happy

I found this on Belleek’s site, so I thought it would be nice to join in.

Simple.

I took this photo back in 2007, we had been for a drive in the Elan Valley and the mist had started to come in. It was so quiet and peaceful.

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On Thursday we went to hubby’s son’s, (my number 1 step-son) graduation. He got a BSc with honours. We had a lovely day, all the pomp and ceremony, the music and after we went for a meal. The only bit I didn’t like was having to have my photo taken, they make you stand in the most unnatural way, I just know I am going to look like something that has escaped from somewhere!

Be Happy

Your Refrigerator Says You Are a Somewhat Adventurous Eater

You like to be surrounded by things you love. You aren’t exactly greedy, but you can be materialistic at times.You are a very thrifty person. You don’t like to waste money… or food. You don’t tend to be a very adventurous person, but you do surprise everyone now and then. You have a bit of a wild side. You are responsible, together, and mature. You act like an adult, even when you don’t feel like it. You are likely to be married – and very busy.

Be Happy

Conversation between hubby and me yesterday morning.

Me. Do you know Fern Britton gets £700.000 for sitting on a settee and talking to people, I could do that.

Hubby. You couldn’t keep your mouth shut, you wouldn’t last very long. It would make good telly though.

 

 

 

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This was on Daisy’s site so I thought I would give it ago

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Do you like blue cheese? Yes, yes, yes
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? .NO
3. Do you own a gun? What in the UK? NO.
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? What’s Sonic?
5. Do you get nervous before going to the doctor? Sometimes
6. What do you think of hot dogs? I liked them when I was little, but now I have taste!
7. Favorite Christmas song? Anything to do with Christmas is fine by me.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Tea skimmed milk no sugar
9. Can you do push ups? Ha Ha Ha NO
10. Do you have a piggy bank? No, but I have a bottle for pennies.
11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? All of it
12. Favorite hobby? Cooking, walking and gardening, oh and reading, blogging, eating, I could go on.

13. Favorite city? Don’t like cities, too many people
14. Do you have A.D.D.? NO
15. What’s one trait that you hate about yourself? Opening my mouth before engaging my brain
16. Middle name? Patricia
17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. What a stupid question I am thinking about this list. I wonder what time number 1 will be home I want my tea. I could eat some fruit.
18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday. Bread, milk, eggs
19. Grossest movie you’ve seen? Eden Lake
20. Current worry right now? Will I ever get another job, do I want a job?
21. Oldest person you know IN PERSON (and not just by name)? My dad
22. Favorite place to be? Anywhere that is quiet
23. How did you bring in the New Year? A sleep in bed, how sad is that?
24. Where would you like to go? Too many places to name.
25. What shirt are you wearing? A red brown jumper
26. Can you whistle? NO
27. How old are you? 48
28. Would you be a pirate? NO.
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? What ever comes into my head
30. Favorite girl’s name? I don’t have one.
31. Favorite boy’s name? I don’t have one.
32. What’s in your pocket right now? Nothing
33. Last thing that made you laugh? The cat’s plying in the garden this morning
34. What soap do you use? Whatever Bodywash  is cheapest
35. Worst injury you’ve ever had? I have had that many it’s hard to pick!
36. Do you love where you live?NO.
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? 3 working and two spare
38. Who is your loudest friend? My sister is the loudest person I know
39. How many dogs or cats do you have? none
40. Does someone have a crush on you? I am far too old for that
41. Do you have a crush on someone? See above
42. What is your favorite book? Too hard to answer
43. What is your favorite candy? Green and Blacks chocolate
44. What is your favorite sports team? Don’t like sport.
45. What song do you want played at your funeral? I shall have to think about that one.
46. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Getting a drink of water.
47. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? It’s 4.45 time to get going
48. What will be the first thing you do when you get home from work? Get home from work, I am at home.
49. Least favorite movie star? Dustin Hoffman
50. Most favorite movie star? Too many to list

Be Happy

On Sunday after reading in the local paper that a buzzard had been spotted in Haden Hill Park we decided to go and have a look. We had never been to Haden Hill Park before, which seems a bit daft now given that it is only just up the road, well a 15 minute drive anyway.

There’s a big old house which opens in February and some lovely gardens and ponds and a haunted wood. We didn’t see the lady Eleanor or the monk, perhaps the sight of us was too much for them.

After our stroll around the park we went into the Corngreaves Nature Conservation Area, which isn’t one of the prettiest we have seen and the river at the bottom is full of rubbish, so I can’t image there being much wild life in it. But again we are back to this area being in the middle of a housing estate, so people used it as a dumping ground and children just vandalise it.

And no we didn’t see a Buzzard

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I have just finished reading a series of books by Sophie Kinsella called Shopaholic (and then the title). Becky Brandon, (as she is at the start of the series) is a shopaholic and is always in debt, (and she a financial adviser), but always manages to find ways to get out of it. She lives in her own little dream world and no matter what always comes out on top. Through out the books, she becomes a TV host but loses the job, goes to live in America, comes back, finds out she has a sister, gets married, (two wedding planed for the same day, both hers, you need to read it), and has a baby. Every page had me in giggles, the one I like best was when she brought a lottery ticket. Convinced it was the winning ticket she started mentally spending the money that would be left after she had paid off the bank loans, over drafts and store cards, and then could not believe it when her numbers didn’t come out. She knew she had the winning ticket.

Very funny books, worth a read.

Be Happy

On Saturday morning we went for a walk around Leasowes Park because a report in the local paper said that restoration was finished. Well they got that wrong, it’s no further on than the last time we went back in December and the pathways are still closed off. Still we still had a nice walk.

I saw three good films over the weekend, Kidulthood with Noel Clark, (yes from Dr.Who). A gritty film about a group of teenage kids caught up in violence, sex and drugs. The film starts with a young girl committing suicide and the story is set in the day after. Violent and lots of bad language, but a good film.

Revenger’s Tragedy with Christopher Eccleston and Eddie Izzard, Number 1 told me to think Hamlet meets Clockwork Orange for this one and he was right. It is a fantastic film. See it at once.

Shallow Grave, this is a few years old now staring Christopher Eccleston, Kerry Fox and a very young baby faced Ewan McGregor. This is a familiar story, bad man dies, good people find the bad mans bad money and take it. It is also a bit of ‘the worm turns’ story. I will say no more.

I enjoyed all three, and it’s amazing but Christopher hasn’t aged a bit.

Happy new year to all in the Chinese community

Be Happy

On the news today 2 million out of work and only ½ million jobs available. Women are hardest hit this time as it is retail and the caring professions that are going to the wall. My first reaction was what hopes do I have of getting back into work! Then after giving it a bit of thought maybe it’s not so bad. Yes it will be hard but having a mom at home with the kids may be a good thing; it may help people to see that family life is important. Sometimes I feel we have lost the way, while I understand some families need two wages to meet their bills, others need two wages to fuel their life style, which is not the same thing. Children will have to learn that ‘ask can have’ is not an option, families will have to learn to ‘make do and mend’ and make days out simpler. There’s nothing drives me mad like listening to parents saying ‘I don’t know what to do with the children in school holidays, everything costs so much’ A picnic and trip to the park costs next to nothing, and here’s a thought why not play with them. I have got off the point a bit here, its hard yes but ‘you cut your cloth.’

Next some council’s are trialling ‘Pay to throw’ in which they weigh the rubbish in your bin and charge you accordingly. I can see lots of draw backs with this, like people putting rubbish in other people’s bins, fly-tipping and let’s face it enough of that goes on now. It wouldn’t bother me, we recycle quite a lot, and I wonder would we get a rebate on our council tax? But it will be hard for big families, or people who live in flats who don’t have room to store recycled rubbish.
If you pay to throw how’s it going?

Talking about council tax, it’s rumoured to be going up by 3 ½ %, we are still waiting to hear how much our water is going up.

And on that note I will leave you with this…

You Are Not a Pack Rat

You’re not a pack rat – and there’s probably no rats in your home. You have a living style that’s totally minimalist. You’re definitely not attached to stuff.

Be happy

A conspiracy theory, don’t you? I love the way they make you go ‘oooh fancy’ ha ha. No, come on you have to admit some of them are really good, yes I know you can find a conspiracy in anything if you look. Still they are fun and so there is yet another one.

Be Happy

It’s a big day today; Barack Obama is going to become president of America. It’s one of those ‘Where were you moments’ a point in history, the first ever Black president of the U.S.A, its so exciting.

I had some very strange dreams again last night. In the first hubby and I were in a boat. This boat wasn’t much bigger than a row boat but we had loads of luggage on it. We were sailing down a river at the bottom of what I thought was the Grand Cannon, (yes I know there’s no water at the bottom of the Grand Cannon, but it was my dream). Then a big foot, (car) came charging down a slop and we had to leave our boat and run to get out of its way. I was then back at home and all the rooms of the house were full of junk.

That dream finished and I drifted into the next one, which went like this

I had a big hole in my shoulder with what looked like an orange ball inside it. As I pulled the sides of the hole apart the ball rose, so I got hubby to catch it and pull it out. It came out with a load a sticky orange goo.

You Are 70% Thankful

You are a very thankful person – for both the big and little things in life. Your optimism is powerful. Getting through hard times is fairly easy for you.

And remember If you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, get up and turn it on yourself.

Be Happy

We have had a weekend of walking which was nice. Saturday we went to Woodgate valley County Park, which is set in the middle of a housing estate so as you can image it’s not well kept. It is a circular walk of a mile up one side of a stream and down the other. A lot of the grassland was underwater and there was rubbish everywhere. The toilets in the visitors centre weren’t much better either. It’s not somewhere I will rush to again.

Sunday we headed for Cannock Chase to walk the Forestry Commission Healthy Heart Walk. This is a circular walk of a mile with sculptures dotted along the way, some done by local school children which are changed and some by artists which are permanent. They have some very good ones and a sweet little secret path in-between some trees. If you follow it you come to a tree with a washing line between two of the branches and on this there are tiny shirts. In the tree trunk are little doors and windows, it’s where the elves live. There is also a lovely bit of woodland put to one side where children are invited to go and build a den, it’s a very child friendly walk I took loads of pictures so I will just put a couple on.

We then went for a short walk, that turned into a long walk over the Chase, you could walk forever it’s lovely.

more pics

Be Happy