tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82002219253574087932024-03-12T17:32:12.107-07:00Eidle TalesEiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-13042942268370300562011-12-01T17:18:00.000-08:002012-07-22T16:09:54.789-07:00Poor wee Charlie...!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the events from this Autumn was the discovery that our poor lickle rescue boy, Charlie, has Hip Dysplasia (HD</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've suspected all was not entirely well for a couple of months but gradually it got to the point where I was convinced I wasn't imagining him pretending to use his rear left leg, leaving a small space between it and the ground. And when he started to 'bunny-hop' when running, I knew what it was.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So we took him to the vet's and they x-rayed his hips.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't know what they used but my poor boy was VERY poorly indeed. I wouldn't have been at all surprised if he had gone to sleep and not woken, so poorly was he.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was confirmed and an anti-inflammatory was given, which made him even poorlier as it upset his tummy in a catastrophic way. So that was a no-goer.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He seemed to gradually get over it a little and was walking again, although he wasn't running around like the two year old he is and promptly put weight on.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We needed to alter his diet. The trouble is, he doesn't eat much to begin with. Neither dog will entertain dog-food, going without for 2-3 days rather than eat the stuff. We've thrown out pounds worth.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I thought I'd try raw beef mince - the human kind as I don't want the pet stuff in my fridge and I don't suppose they'd eat that either. Bingo! Raw mince is a winner but I'll have to add other stuff too. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then one day, he was clearly feeling more his own self and was chasing around after Lola. A joy to behold, I can tell you! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, Lola decided to jump on the couch and Charlie tried to follow and...crunch! Hip displaced. He screamed. We rushed him to the vet but there's nothing she can do. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It will keep doing this unless he has an operation where they remove the head of the femur! They don't replace it. Apparently, the muscles and tendons create a 'false' joint and dogs run around well on them. According to our vet. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once again, unfortunately, that's not what the internet and the library at the Liverpool University says. They say 40% work 'somewhat'. Very few, if any, are left without a pronounced limp which then compromises the other hip. The recovery is long and painful and intense nursing is required for at least six weeks. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then there is the almost continuous physiotherapy that I would have to learn and impart. This also hurts the poor animal.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I confess to being very confused as to what to do.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The poor lickle guy cant take anti-flimflams, won't take painkillers (Charlie can extricate them from anything we try to smuggle it into him in) and has all this ahead with the op. I really don't know what to do. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm inclined, at the minute, to just leave things as they are and just not let him run around too wildly. Apart from any other consideration, with a three year old and a ten month old to care for in the day, I just don't have the time to look after such a poorly dog if he has the op. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then there's the other risk. The one that dare not speak its name...... He's only a lickle Mini-Poo. He's not a tough dog. The x-ray nearly finished him. The op actually could.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, deliberations are ongoing....</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A little voice piped up "It's okay, I can look after."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now Ada has had a dog since before she was born and for a three year old, she is very good with them, taking no nonsense from them but still...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"You're going to look after Lola are you Hunni?" I affirmed with her.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"No," Ada told me, quite seriously, "barmy Granddad. Lola's easy.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nic still hasn't lived that down.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had builders in. Forgive me if I feel I don't need to expand on that short statement. Three weeks turned into three months and a whole heap of aggro. Enuff sed!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, I've missed a lot of my little anecdotes about the grandbabbies and family and I'll probably not remember a quarter of them either, but I shall try.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is at least one new little story about Ada under <b>Ada & Toby</b>'s tab and I hope to add more soon.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hugs</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">x</span></div>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-76116538678016448032011-03-19T02:50:00.000-07:002011-03-19T02:50:54.061-07:00My Family........and other animals!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was my gorgeous number three son, Robert's, birthday on Thursday - he was 30. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That is scary, but I got over the idea and we had our usual family meal along with his wife Dani, my other two sons, Matthew & Michael and their partners Jen and Raechel and my daughter Bev, her partner Antony and their two beautiful babies, Ada and Tobias.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This motley crew, along with my hubby Nic, me and the four dogs (Charlie, Lola, Izzy and Labrador Simba) had a lovely evening together - lots of nice food, some beer and wine and lots and lots of laughter!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Charlie, Izzy and Simba were all well behaved as were the two youngest members of the clan. Only Lola showed herself up with her puppy-ish excitement and interest in the newly-laid dining-table - something she's not come across before as until last week when we laid a new carpet in there, the conservatory/dining-room wasn't fit for eating in, having been the room the puppies were brought up in!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Everyone was there, standing around chatting and drinking and playing with the babies so I started to lay the dining-table with the last minute bits because the food was about ready.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lola was being a pain and jumping on the dining-table for a mooch every time I moved away from it, so every time she jumped up on the table, I took her back down with a firm 'No'.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After the fifteenth time, I was starting to lose a little of my legendary patience and when she jumped up yet again I bellowed 'DOWN!'</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">....and all of my children and their partners promptly sat down and stopped talking....!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If only they'd been so obedient when they lived at home......!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hugs</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">x</span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-91032993120893568212011-02-13T16:45:00.000-08:002011-02-13T16:45:16.141-08:00Tobias Updated 2011-02-13<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just a lickle update on Tobias!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We went to see him again today (...and his Mummy & Daddy of course...!) Ada was out visiting, so we had some time with him. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, he was asleep for most of our visit and awoke only when his belly called! Clearly he takes after my husband in more than looks! Oh yes, he has changed quite dramatically! LOL! He is the image of Nic now, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on if he gets the complete nose or not! (heheheheeh!)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh he is one handsome boy! You could not mistake him for a girl, pretty though he certainly now is!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, decide for yourself....!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gorgeous or what? And this was him hungry and about to ask - in no uncertain terms - for his dinner!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have more pics on my phone and I will endeavour to upload them in a few minutes.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">x</span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-46993319293476396012011-02-06T14:53:00.000-08:002011-02-06T14:58:47.101-08:00Charlie Chapter Two - His first holiday!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now when we booked our holiday dated the week after we acquired Charlie, clearly, we had no dog and no plans to get one so we had booked a week in a lovely Scottish cottage in Dumfries.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, it was also a 'No pet' cottage and much as Ingrid, the lovely owner of the cottage wanted to help us, she clearly couldn't as she was on the list as 'No pets' and if even one dog stayed then her dog-allergic customers would never be able to visit again. So we had a slight problem. It wasn't the only one!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Charlie also had a few behavioural problems.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had gleaned over the three visits from his previous owners that they had a fundamentally different perspective on training your dog than we have.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Charlie, amongst other things, at nine months of age (when we got his papers he was actually two months older than Jim and Joan thought he was so they'd REALLY bought a pup...!) had never been walked on a lead, just CARRIED!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They had adored him in their own way, but this had manifested itself as treating him as a baby. He was cuddled and pampered more than was good for him.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He had the most alarming separation anxiety! If I moved to the other side of the room, so did Charlie. If I went to the toilet, I had to let him in with me or he'd howl and scratch the door like he was digging for England! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He also pee'd EVERYWHERE! My poor Ada's toy box was washed out several times a day...but on the positive side, she did learn to put her toys away and close it!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Charlie thought if you put him in the garden by himself, it was some sort of punishment, so no 'performing' was done unless I went out with him, hail ,rain, <s>shine</s>...there was no shine... and pitch black! Which is okay, unless it's five o'clock on a wet and windy morning and you need the loo yourself!#</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His recall was non-existent. If you called his name he didn't even look at you. When he finally did look, he would come to within about four foot then stop.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He also had an unhealthy response to you wanting to take anything from him - especially the post - he tried to snatch it back - quite viciously! And then he'd cower. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now adding all this up the conclusion I came to was, here was an underexercised and understimulated, bored young dog. The post comes - excitement! Grab the post, owner chases - good game! Owner calls Charlie, Charlie comes, bearing shredded letters, Charlie gets a smack! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The end result is a confused little dog who is definitely not coming within arms length of someone who wants to hurt him - clever dog!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It took me a good few months to prove to Charlie that whatever he did, he would not be beaten, and we have indeed got there but I confess to being very tempted a couple of times!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The other thing was his other owners had him attached to them 24/7 but on a Saturday night 'only for four hours, just four hours a week we wanted' they told me bemoaning their servitude to this canine despot, they would put him in a cage. And leave the house to go to their social club.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They wondered why, when they came back, he was drenched in sweat and vomit and covered in his own faeces..... But they still did it every week!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Any wonder the poor dog has separation problems?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is this painting a picture? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now his other owners are very nice people, they would be horrified to think their actions were in any way cruel but they were, like a lot of peeps, just very ignorant and arrogant at the same time. They wouldn't dream of getting a book to tell them how to look after a puppy - they know how, it's only a dog.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Think again people.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So although we paid for Charlie, we did, in a way, rescue him!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway - the holiday!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our beautiful daughter, Beverley, has her faults like anyone but she's as kind and generous as the day is long. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'We'll have Charlie while you're on holiday Mum,' she said.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Are you sure Hunnibunch?' I asked, having just given her chapter and verse of Charlie's not-so-charming habits.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Yes,' she replied 'Izzy will keep him in check!'</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Izzy is Bev's Bichon Frise who is the most beguiling little dog on the planet - to humans! She's not nasty, or aggressive but she IS top dog and woe-betide any dog who differs!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With little alternative, Charlie's holiday arrangements were made and he stayed for the whole week, without too much incident. In fact, Bev was rather enamoured by the time we got back as Charlie had attached himself to her and had looked at her adoringly for the whole week ( and nibbled her feet...!).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Only one small hiccup. He ate their door.....</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over the weeks after we got back from Scotland, had Charlie not already had such a rotten start (puppy farm, pet supermarket, unsuitable elderly owners)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I may well have been tempted to find another home for him as his behaviour took a turn for the worse. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He seemed determined to scratch a hole in every carpet and door in the house, he peed on every corner in the house, he barked fit to bust at EVERYTHING, but worst of all his snapping got worse before it got better. Only the fact of his history and the realization that he was now in teen mode saved him. He could only get better.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then a light seemed to 'pop' on in his head and instantly it seemed, he became 'normal'! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His recall became ( with the help of a little grilled liver) the pride of the dog-walkers, showing up older dogs. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I then took a chance and called his bluff one day when he snarled at me as I removed the remains of a letter from his bared teeth. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I stuck my hand right in front of him and steeled myself in case I'd read him wrongly. No pain, he licked my hand and rolled over on his back! It was all noise and bluff. I was so pleased and relieved. I don't know what had done it, but he now brings the post to me and gives it to me!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then, a couple of weeks after our return, so about a month after we'd got him I had him booked in for neutering and Izzy came for a visit. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now Bev had wanted to breed Izzy as half of her partner's family wanted little Izzies but Izzy was very distainful of Charlie and gave him a go-along for nothing. Plus, Bev couldn't remember when Izzy's last season was and we told Bev that we couldn't stand the scenting any more and Charlie was having his little 'treasures' removed! Hey Presto, two days later Izzy is in heat and harrassing poor Charlie!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was sooo funny! Charlie was clearly shell-shocked and extremely confused! Was this the same Izzy who beat him up if he looked at one of her toys? Or if he had the cheek to eat something in his own house!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We didn't worry too much, reckoning that Charlie was still scared enough of Izzy to give her a wide berth but the day Nic was working in the kitchen and looked down to find two little faces peering up at him and walking sideways, we realized we were mistaken! After that, it was like living in a house of ill-repute! They were at it several times a day!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Considering Charlie was only ten months old, he knew EXACTLY what to do! LOL!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bev had tried to have Izzy mated before but the other little dog had no clue! Not Charlie! It was a shame to have him 'done' when we finally did a month later!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over the next two months, Izzy got bigger and bigger. Bev had been expecting maybe three pups but I had my own ideas! Izzy's belly hardly cleared the ground!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She was back to hating poor Charlie again so I had to make sure they weren't left too much alone and no chews or toys left out.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then on 3rd October Izzy produced no less than SIX beautiful babies!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/TU8lsNoRrOI/AAAAAAAADAw/gq5y5_bvNH0/s1600/Six+puppies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/TU8lsNoRrOI/AAAAAAAADAw/gq5y5_bvNH0/s320/Six+puppies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/TU8mP0IhwoI/AAAAAAAADA4/PbNIA0Mgeio/s1600/Puppies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/TU8mP0IhwoI/AAAAAAAADA4/PbNIA0Mgeio/s320/Puppies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">....and, of course, Lola!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/TU8lyRc_BQI/AAAAAAAADA0/M72Y9oWcmEM/s1600/Lickle+Lola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/TU8lyRc_BQI/AAAAAAAADA0/M72Y9oWcmEM/s320/Lickle+Lola.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">....the naughtiest of the lot!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another chapter later......!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hugs</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ei</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">x</span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-58951389208087248022011-02-06T04:57:00.000-08:002011-02-06T05:03:02.182-08:002011 arrives.....<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">....well, about five weeks ago anyway!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sorry I've not been around - had quite a busy autumn raising six puppies!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, of course, you won't know about Charlie either as I don't think I've mentioned him either. Roll back to June last year........</span><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <b>Charlie's story!</b></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Charlie</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/TU6PZbUSOLI/AAAAAAAADAs/U9lPzBugx8w/s1600/Champagne+Charlie+the+day+we+bought+him%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/TU6PZbUSOLI/AAAAAAAADAs/U9lPzBugx8w/s320/Champagne+Charlie+the+day+we+bought+him%2521.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you know, we lost my beloved Merlin the springer spaniel two and a half hears ago and I've been so destroyed ever since, I just couldn't consider taking another dog yet - it wouldn't be fair on the new dog. Besides, what would we get? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our usual way of rescuing a dog wasn't viable because we now have baby Ada to consider and you just don't know a rescued dog's history - even perfect Merlin was a bit 'sniffy' with kids because he's never 'had' one with us and he's had an 'incident with a younger member of the family' in his last home, which is how we'd got him.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But as time was marching on, it was affecting Nic. His blood-pressure, which is naturally lower than normal, shot up! Also, he piled on weight from not walking the dog regularly. He was missing giving his love and attention to a canine friend.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I realized I'd been selfish, only knowing how devastated I was feeling. Of course I knew Nic missed Merlie, but Nic's much more pragmatic than me and much less emotionally affected. That didn't mean he wasn't feeling it in other ways though.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So we started to look, tentatively, in the dogs homes and on the internet but nothing suitable presented itself.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One day, we popped to Asda with Ada and Izzy (daughter Bev's Bichon - we get her as a matched pair with Ada!) and as Nic was in the petshop and I was outside with baby & dog, I saw an advert in the window for a seven month old Miniature Poodle but he was £650.00! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Undeterred, I rang the number and asked the lady would she consider an offer, explaining what a great home we could give but how we're on a fixed income and only had a fraction of that figure to play with.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She threw an absolute hissy, which I won't go into detail here with, but suffice it to say, I apologized for upsetting her, ended the call and forgot all about the Poodle.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was due on the Saturday after this event, to attend a workshop at Dawn Bibby's place in Accrington. Suze Weinberg was in town! Just the lady I wanted to see!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I went to bed nice and early and promptly cricked my knee (...I know, I know...) whilst turning over in my sleep!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, in a foul mood, I had to ring my friend Aly, and explain why I couldn't make the workshop. My knee would never have made the 150 mile round trip and I was afraid I'd get stuck up there.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I put the hanset in the cradle, the phone rang under my hand!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A voice asked 'Have you been talking to my wife?' He sounded a bit miffed!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'I don't know, 'I replied cautiously, 'Who's your wife?!'</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'About the poodle!' OMG, I was in for another telling off...!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I admitted it was I and how I'd already apologized...but he interrupted my flow.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'We'll take the offer,' he said.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Oh!' says I. 'Hang on...does your wife know you're ringing me...?'</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'She's out shopping.'</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Well, you can't sell her dog without telling her - she'll kill you!'</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'She doesn't want him. He's not getting what he needs - you take him.'</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The chap, Jim now explained how it was all his fault.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They'd had a little Poodle, Pepi, for many years and his wife adored him. Pepi was her baby and she loved him like I loved my Merlin.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He'd gone blind early on and that seemed to make the bond even stronger as she saw to his every need. Then he died aged almost thirteen and she was devastated (...I know that feeling...!) </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So Jim, meaning well, had gone out and bought Charlie without her knowledge from a pet supermarket and paid £750.00 for the privilege! No wonder she'd freaked when I offered £200.00!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'When was this,' I enquired of him.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'A couple of months ago' he answered, 'about a week after Pepi died...'</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was sincerely sympathizing with the wife now. What an eedjit!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No wonder the poor woman couldn't bond with this poor lickle dog - she was still in mourning for her lost Pepi!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Okay, ' I said, 'when will your wife be home?'</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'In about an hour'</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Then we'll be around in about two hours time but I'm not taking him if your wife isn't there. You've fluffed up once you can't do the same thing in reverse to her.'</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All the way there I was saying to Nic 'Now we're not taking him today, even if you like him, understand? Every dog is appealing but we'll meet him and go away and if you still want him, we can come back tomorrow. Alright?' Nic agreed.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We got to the house and walked up the path and a little face appeared at the window.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'OMG! It's Izzy!' was my first thought but this was drowned out my Nics' very vocal 'We're having him!' 'Slow down Nicky-noo remember what we said...'</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Deaf ears...!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jim was a lovely man and we talked about dogs and stuff and Charlie ran round like a mad thing.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then Joan came home..... She clearly had no clue what Jim had been planning and a minor war broke out!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But, eventually, she calmed down and came to the assent that Charlie wasn't getting the love he should so we paid the pennies and took him home.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jim and Joan have visited him three times since and are very happy with where he is.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">...and that, is only the beginning of Charlie's adventures!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hugs</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ei</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">x</span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-60250756771722170022010-07-14T09:38:00.000-07:002010-07-14T09:46:56.044-07:00Bad Boys......<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Yesterday, Nic wanted to go to the garden centre to buy some plants, so we got ready, I washed and dressed two year old Ada in a pretty dress and put up her lovely silver-gilt hair in a pony-tail and matching slides - she looked adorable (...as always...!). </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >She behaved beautifully, smiling nicely at the nurseryman and answering his questions in her baby lisp (...well, 'wubbleyou' actually...) and speaking nicely to everyone.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >We got down to the ornamental bit and there were these bags of what looked like marbles in different colours (to put on the surface of your planters one assumes...) and I picked up a bag in a lovely eu-de-nil.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >'I like these, ' I said to no-one in particular. Then Ada points to a bag of much larger stones and a little voice pipes up '....yeah, but look at <span style="font-weight: bold;">those</span> bad boys....!'<br /><br />Nic and I nearly peed ourselves, as did the nurseryman and several customers.....<br />Hugs,<br />Ei<br />x.</span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-29422451253258510042010-05-27T16:49:00.000-07:002010-05-27T17:03:46.024-07:00Ada's trip to the swings with Granddad....<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Yesterday, Nic decided to take Ada to the swing park for an hour before her Mum came for her. Toddling accross to the playground corner of the park took ages as Ada decided to traverse this bit backwards and looking up to the sky. Fortunately, the park was relatively empty, any children having gone off for their tea!<br /><br />So having got to the swing park, Mrs Janocky says, quite sensibly, 'Can't go on slide Gandad - s'wet....' and so it was. It had been raining a little earlier. She proclaimed the same about the little roundabout but decided to chance the swing and the see-saw as 'Gandad' had his hanky with him!<br /><br />So they toddled, backwards again, home across the now all but empty park, the clouds starting to glower a bit when, suddenly, our little heroine stops dead and, head on one side and two little fingers pointing like a gun she says, 'I've got 'n'idea!' ....'Pick fowers for Nanny!' and I got half a dozen squashed little daisies which will appear, in all probablility, as shrivelled little 'spiders' in one of my projects!<br />You couldn't make it up.....<br /><br />Hugs,<br />Ei<br />x<br /></span></span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-22323420505299632562010-05-23T17:56:00.000-07:002010-05-23T18:01:23.293-07:00....I'm not immune either.......<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Oh my goodness!</span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I can't believe what I've just done - I think I must be ready for the funny farm!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;">Yesterday, I got two lovely chickens at a very reasonable price so split one for the barbecue we had for the kids yesterday and the other, I roasted in my Halogen oven (fab way of doing them!) which saves all the juices.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;">As usual, I saved the carcasses and skin etc and today boiled them up with the juices from the halogen, a few roughly chopped bits of past their best greens out of the fridge (onion, parsnip, carrots peppers) and a few bits of prunings of my woodier herbs (rosemary, lemon balm). </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;">The smell was heavenly! I thought I could make soup with half and freeze half as stock.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;">So, in the middle of watching a film in my craft-room (making a card of course...!), I popped down to the pressure-cooker, and switched it off and got all the equipment out - it's a messy procedure mashing the mush - then in the next break I went down to seive it off.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;">I took the pressure cooker to the draining-board to open it (it sometimes 'rushes' over the sides when you open it) and then promptly seived the lot down the sink and 'saved' the mush</span>! <img src="http://www.trimcraft.co.uk/forum/images/smilies/icon_e_surprised.gif" alt=":o" title="Surprised" /> <img src="http://www.trimcraft.co.uk/forum/images/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif" alt=":(" title="Sad" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.trimcraft.co.uk/forum/images/smilies/icon_e_confused.gif" alt=":?" title="Confused" /> <img src="http://www.trimcraft.co.uk/forum/images/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif" alt=":(" title="Sad" /> <img src="http://www.trimcraft.co.uk/forum/images/smilies/icon_cry.gif" alt=":cry:" title="Crying or Very Sad" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">Someone please tell me that you've done this too......</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">Worried hugs, </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">Ei</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">x</span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-61959149989648169132010-05-22T06:59:00.000-07:002010-07-03T07:34:01.902-07:00Nic's not perfect either (although he thinks he is...!)...<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"><span style="font-family:verdana;">My memory was jogged by something this week which reminded me of a time we were decorating ....ooooh...it must be nearly thirty years ago now...!<br /><br />Just to give a bit of background, Nic's a very private person...(Hi darling, you're on the web...!) and our houses since we were married, have been barricaded off from the outside world by layers of net curtains, lining curtains, big curtains etc. etc. because my gorgeous Hubby has it in his head that the world's Paperazzi have their telephoto lenses trained on that spot where the curtains <span style="font-style: italic;">just</span> part company a little and there's a<span style="font-style: italic;"> teeny tiny</span> chink...!<br /><br />He's quite obsessive about it and God forbid I should switch on a light before closing the curtains! You'd think we were still at war! 'People can look in!' is his warning!<br /><br />Well, clearly when you decorate, all curtains must come down or be ruined and on this occasion, the pole had come down too, but Nic's fertile imagination had gone to work and he got up and fixed a curtain so it was tucked into the brackets that hold the pole up.<br /><br />It was an elaborate affair with bits of other items tied around the brackets to secure the curtain.<br /><br />'You can put the light on now,' I was told, so I dutifully put on the centre light as the lamps had been put away.<br /><br />So we effected our night-time toilet routine and I was in bed reading when Nic got undressed.<br />It wasn't a big bedroom and the furniture was in strange positions because of the decorating, so there wasn't much room on either side of the bed.<br /><br />Nic undresses from the feet up so the last thing to come off is his shirt. He stood up and pulled the shirt open, as you do and just as his arms were fully outstretched before he slid it from his shoulders, he must have caught the curtain in it's elaborate fixings.<br /><br />They weren't elaborate enough, because the whole thing fell down, leaving him stark naked, arms wide open, right in front of the window with a light bulb shining above his head!<br /><br /><br />Any neighbours watching wouldn't have known whether to call the police or a priest.......<br /><br /><br />Hugs,<br />Ei<br />x<br /></span></span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-57983130396801812952010-05-15T01:28:00.000-07:002010-05-15T19:06:19.513-07:00Ada's Craft Tutorial<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"><span style="font-family:verdana;">My Ada just LOVES crafting!<br />Every day she asks to do 'stampy, Nanny!'....!<br /><br />She's amazingly good at it too!<br />Now, she <span style="font-weight: bold;">is</span> only two....I'm not saying she's re-creating the Sistine Chapel, but she can handle the equipment as well as, and shows the diligence of many an adult crafter! Well, why am I telling you this when I can show you?<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ada's Crafting Hour<br /></span>by Nanny</span></span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5ofrLWi9I/AAAAAAAABg4/7qj0T3oM2xc/s1600/1+Now+I+shall+do+this+ony+once....+25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 368px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5ofrLWi9I/AAAAAAAABg4/7qj0T3oM2xc/s400/1+Now+I+shall+do+this+ony+once....+25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471425490677304274" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Now, I shall say this only once, so pay attention...</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5ofRvRm3I/AAAAAAAABgw/8gOuXMoe2Ug/s1600/2+I%27ll+begin+with+the+nice+green+pen...+25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5ofRvRm3I/AAAAAAAABgw/8gOuXMoe2Ug/s400/2+I%27ll+begin+with+the+nice+green+pen...+25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471425483848653682" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >I'll begin with the green pen.....</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rwCoyGFI/AAAAAAAABlw/m13d91Cbuvk/s1600/4+Yes...these+tops+are+easy+to+get+off...25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rwCoyGFI/AAAAAAAABlw/m13d91Cbuvk/s400/4+Yes...these+tops+are+easy+to+get+off...25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471429070387550290" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Yes, these tops are quite easy to get off....</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5ofFmKwjI/AAAAAAAABgo/mrEFR8BkAcs/s1600/3....it%27s+most+important+you+take+notes%21+25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5ofFmKwjI/AAAAAAAABgo/mrEFR8BkAcs/s400/3....it%27s+most+important+you+take+notes%21+25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471425480589230642" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >It's most important you clean your fingers regularly...</span>.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rvwnfIPI/AAAAAAAABlo/r4VqTjZsPGE/s1600/5+I+really+like+the+orange+pen+too...%21+25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rvwnfIPI/AAAAAAAABlo/r4VqTjZsPGE/s400/5+I+really+like+the+orange+pen+too...%21+25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471429065550274802" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >I really like this orange pen too....Sakura are SUCH a good make...</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rv6Sc15I/AAAAAAAABlg/VEyxTPx2J1c/s1600/6++A+bit+of+red+pen+now...25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rv6Sc15I/AAAAAAAABlg/VEyxTPx2J1c/s400/6++A+bit+of+red+pen+now...25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471429068146399122" border="0" /></a> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >....a bit of red marker now.....</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rvr8ScZI/AAAAAAAABlY/nA4KlUZ19ic/s1600/7+Now+for+the+stamping...%21web+25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rvr8ScZI/AAAAAAAABlY/nA4KlUZ19ic/s400/7+Now+for+the+stamping...%21web+25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471429064295346578" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Now for my favourite...STAMPY NANNY....!</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-50fmQ377I/AAAAAAAABl4/ouFhx6kxH9s/s1600/28+I+think+I%27ll+select....this+one...+25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-50fmQ377I/AAAAAAAABl4/ouFhx6kxH9s/s400/28+I+think+I%27ll+select....this+one...+25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471438683497820082" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Hmmmm.........</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rPyj9VtI/AAAAAAAABlA/dQ8mJDmGHgw/s1600/8+Oh+yes%21+Lickle+yellow+ducky....I+like+that+one%21+25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rPyj9VtI/AAAAAAAABlA/dQ8mJDmGHgw/s400/8+Oh+yes%21+Lickle+yellow+ducky....I+like+that+one%21+25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471428516316534482" border="0" /></a> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Oh yes...lickle yellow ducky - I like him...!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rPto7s4I/AAAAAAAABk4/D5oncsZcMDY/s1600/9+...or+the+elephant....Hmmm...+25%25.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rPkvCK_I/AAAAAAAABkw/Mnz-6swEHCQ/s1600/10+II%27ll+just+make+sure+this+is+pressed+well+down+for+a+good+impression.....+25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rPkvCK_I/AAAAAAAABkw/Mnz-6swEHCQ/s400/10+II%27ll+just+make+sure+this+is+pressed+well+down+for+a+good+impression.....+25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471428512604892146" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >...I'll just make sure this is pressed well down....</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pYST3T6I/AAAAAAAABiI/RLAx3gJr-ys/s1600/28+I+think+I%27ll+select....this+one...+25%25.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rPto7s4I/AAAAAAAABk4/D5oncsZcMDY/s1600/9+...or+the+elephant....Hmmm...+25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rPto7s4I/AAAAAAAABk4/D5oncsZcMDY/s400/9+...or+the+elephant....Hmmm...+25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471428514995221378" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >...now for the elephant......</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rPZE-CzI/AAAAAAAABko/jZpQP4aaefc/s1600/11+Hmmm.+That+seems+to+be+going+well...+25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rPZE-CzI/AAAAAAAABko/jZpQP4aaefc/s400/11+Hmmm.+That+seems+to+be+going+well...+25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471428509475670834" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >...hmmmm...this seems to be going quite well....</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rAeCuPPI/AAAAAAAABkg/hThDXKz6IGE/s1600/11a+I+like+the+stamp+to+pad+technique...+25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rAeCuPPI/AAAAAAAABkg/hThDXKz6IGE/s400/11a+I+like+the+stamp+to+pad+technique...+25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471428253110385906" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >I like the stamp to pad technique best.....</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rAP_bp-I/AAAAAAAABkY/Q1NIaTqGO9E/s1600/11b+...it%27s+less+messy%21.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5rAP_bp-I/AAAAAAAABkY/Q1NIaTqGO9E/s400/11b+...it%27s+less+messy%21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471428249338488802" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >...It's less messy......</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5q_5rQs7I/AAAAAAAABkQ/mU4WC9e7zPM/s1600/12+Now+for+some+Bunnies....+25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5q_5rQs7I/AAAAAAAABkQ/mU4WC9e7zPM/s400/12+Now+for+some+Bunnies....+25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471428243348304818" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Love this bunny stamp.......</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5q_toriyI/AAAAAAAABkI/OFMnQ3NHOqU/s1600/13+Bunnies.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5q_toriyI/AAAAAAAABkI/OFMnQ3NHOqU/s400/13+Bunnies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471428240116255522" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qtgquAhI/AAAAAAAABkA/Q0dtkyIxMws/s1600/14+...that%27s+enough+bunnies+for+now....25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qtgquAhI/AAAAAAAABkA/Q0dtkyIxMws/s400/14+...that%27s+enough+bunnies+for+now....25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471427927397499410" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >...that's enough bunnies for now </span><br /><br /> <span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">....now for some brayering....</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qtYR4rTI/AAAAAAAABj4/3GbhFOpZSUA/s1600/15a+I+like+brayering+and+these+pads+are+quite+good.....JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qtYR4rTI/AAAAAAAABj4/3GbhFOpZSUA/s400/15a+I+like+brayering+and+these+pads+are+quite+good.....JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471427925145857330" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >....and these pads are quite good......</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qtM75txI/AAAAAAAABjw/5lRV8i7aGOo/s1600/16....transverse+brayering+-+my+fave...%21+25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qtM75txI/AAAAAAAABjw/5lRV8i7aGOo/s400/16....transverse+brayering+-+my+fave...%21+25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471427922100860690" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >......transverse brayering....</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qsyAMM8I/AAAAAAAABjo/bkpfeCHcBks/s1600/16a+A+bit+of+DTP+technique+now...25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qsyAMM8I/AAAAAAAABjo/bkpfeCHcBks/s400/16a+A+bit+of+DTP+technique+now...25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471427914871092162" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >...and a bit of DTP technique....</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qgeStl-I/AAAAAAAABjg/dQ0OVbN_RD8/s1600/17+I%27ll+just+brayer+with+a+bit+of+glitter+glue+then+I%27ll+add+me+glitter...25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qgeStl-I/AAAAAAAABjg/dQ0OVbN_RD8/s400/17+I%27ll+just+brayer+with+a+bit+of+glitter+glue+then+I%27ll+add+me+glitter...25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471427703421638626" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >....Brayering with glitter glue.....</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qgRlKrkI/AAAAAAAABjY/0AgdcBeqiSE/s1600/18+Nice+wormie+of+glitter+glue+there....25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qgRlKrkI/AAAAAAAABjY/0AgdcBeqiSE/s400/18+Nice+wormie+of+glitter+glue+there....25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471427700009381442" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >....nice wormie of glitter glue there....</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qgBTG4XI/AAAAAAAABjQ/UHAI3K10yX0/s1600/19+Just+giving+my+roller+a+good+clean....JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qgBTG4XI/AAAAAAAABjQ/UHAI3K10yX0/s400/19+Just+giving+my+roller+a+good+clean....JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471427695638667634" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Just giving my roller a good clean.....</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5p7XB4TlI/AAAAAAAABi4/SCSndQwaXt0/s1600/22....and+a+bit+more+glitter....jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5p7XB4TlI/AAAAAAAABi4/SCSndQwaXt0/s400/22....and+a+bit+more+glitter....jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471427065816829522" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Now for some bling...I DO so love bling.....</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qf2XHq-I/AAAAAAAABjI/rIzu68d0Uj4/s1600/20+Plenty+of+green+glitter....25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5qf2XHq-I/AAAAAAAABjI/rIzu68d0Uj4/s400/20+Plenty+of+green+glitter....25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471427692702706658" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >.........plenty of green glitter.........</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5p7XB4TlI/AAAAAAAABi4/SCSndQwaXt0/s1600/22....and+a+bit+more+glitter....jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5p7MRcQXI/AAAAAAAABiw/I1qhoFDDMS8/s1600/24+Oh,+quite+a+lot+of+the+glitter+falls+back+off,+doesn%27t+it...+25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5p7MRcQXI/AAAAAAAABiw/I1qhoFDDMS8/s400/24+Oh,+quite+a+lot+of+the+glitter+falls+back+off,+doesn%27t+it...+25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471427062929310066" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Okay, that's the glitter stuck on, although quite a lot drops off too...!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pZfN6hnI/AAAAAAAABiY/CNXshzVKtz8/s1600/26+...can%27t+quite+see+everything...25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pZfN6hnI/AAAAAAAABiY/CNXshzVKtz8/s400/26+...can%27t+quite+see+everything...25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471426483899238002" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Now for some SERIOUS bling... Oh I can't see everything in here...!</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pYxwmRdI/AAAAAAAABiQ/hibKHKH-loQ/s1600/27+Oh+blow+it+-+I%27ll+just+chuck+%27em+all+out...25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pYxwmRdI/AAAAAAAABiQ/hibKHKH-loQ/s400/27+Oh+blow+it+-+I%27ll+just+chuck+%27em+all+out...25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471426471696680402" border="0" /></a> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Blow it, I'll just tip it out.....</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5p62jmQcI/AAAAAAAABio/PVw3Vg9ssxo/s1600/24a+Now+which+ones+shall+I+choose....I+like+a+bit+of+sparkle...%2125%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5p62jmQcI/AAAAAAAABio/PVw3Vg9ssxo/s400/24a+Now+which+ones+shall+I+choose....I+like+a+bit+of+sparkle...%2125%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471427057099882946" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >...That's better...!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5p6rjkq4I/AAAAAAAABig/p30qnJ6G-6o/s1600/25+So+many+to+choose+from...25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5p6rjkq4I/AAAAAAAABig/p30qnJ6G-6o/s400/25+So+many+to+choose+from...25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471427054146988930" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >I like this one...! ....Ooooh a butterfly!</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pZfN6hnI/AAAAAAAABiY/CNXshzVKtz8/s1600/26+...can%27t+quite+see+everything...25%25.jpg"><br /></a> <a style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pYxwmRdI/AAAAAAAABiQ/hibKHKH-loQ/s1600/27+Oh+blow+it+-+I%27ll+just+chuck+%27em+all+out...25%25.jpg"><br /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >I really like this punch - I use it all the time....</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pYKA4l_I/AAAAAAAABiA/hDcIMWBQBYg/s1600/29+Nice+lickle+punch+this...25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pYKA4l_I/AAAAAAAABiA/hDcIMWBQBYg/s400/29+Nice+lickle+punch+this...25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471426461027571698" border="0" /></a> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" > .....butterflies again.........</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pIdV4KRI/AAAAAAAABh4/ek8Q-ii3eJ0/s1600/30+S%27easy+when+ya+know+how...25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pIdV4KRI/AAAAAAAABh4/ek8Q-ii3eJ0/s400/30+S%27easy+when+ya+know+how...25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471426191337990418" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" > .....where is it...?</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pH1ja0lI/AAAAAAAABho/aRf_OK45tkk/s1600/32+...or+they+won%27t+serve+you+well+in+the+future....25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pH1ja0lI/AAAAAAAABho/aRf_OK45tkk/s400/32+...or+they+won%27t+serve+you+well+in+the+future....25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471426180657369682" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Now I clean my stamps .......</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pIDNPB5I/AAAAAAAABhw/zXJephhGr2s/s1600/31You+have+to+clean+your+stamps+propely....25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pIDNPB5I/AAAAAAAABhw/zXJephhGr2s/s400/31You+have+to+clean+your+stamps+propely....25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471426184322418578" border="0" /></a> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" > ..................they last much longer that way...!</span> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pH1ja0lI/AAAAAAAABho/aRf_OK45tkk/s1600/32+...or+they+won%27t+serve+you+well+in+the+future....25%25.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pHsVch1I/AAAAAAAABhg/gBoO6sw_6e4/s1600/33+Here%27s+one+I+prepared+earlier...25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5pHsVch1I/AAAAAAAABhg/gBoO6sw_6e4/s400/33+Here%27s+one+I+prepared+earlier...25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471426178182842194" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Here's one I prepared earlier......</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5oxUbPgNI/AAAAAAAABhY/6DbGAHarHYk/s1600/34+Not+one+of+my+better+ones+but+the+perspective+is+good....25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5oxUbPgNI/AAAAAAAABhY/6DbGAHarHYk/s400/34+Not+one+of+my+better+ones+but+the+perspective+is+good....25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471425793807581394" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >....not one of my better ones....... ...............though the perspective's good.....</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5oxFAbAGI/AAAAAAAABhQ/YG1ezG1O7i4/s1600/35+I+made+it+for+you+Granddad...25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5oxFAbAGI/AAAAAAAABhQ/YG1ezG1O7i4/s400/35+I+made+it+for+you+Granddad...25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471425789668556898" border="0" /></a> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >...I made this one for you Granddad!</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5ow4Z5VYI/AAAAAAAABhI/yyf-rPnUZ6s/s1600/36+Ada%27s+birthday+card+for+Nic.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5ow4Z5VYI/AAAAAAAABhI/yyf-rPnUZ6s/s400/36+Ada%27s+birthday+card+for+Nic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471425786285741442" border="0" /></a> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" > ...........................Happy Birthday...!</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5owq9daFI/AAAAAAAABhA/0_YkJiysHuU/s1600/37+It%27s+a+masterpiece%21+25%25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5owq9daFI/AAAAAAAABhA/0_YkJiysHuU/s400/37+It%27s+a+masterpiece%21+25%25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471425782676809810" border="0" /></a> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" > It's a masterpiece!<br /><br /> Is she cute or what...?!</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5ofrLWi9I/AAAAAAAABg4/7qj0T3oM2xc/s1600/1+Now+I+shall+do+this+ony+once....+25%25.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5ofRvRm3I/AAAAAAAABgw/8gOuXMoe2Ug/s1600/2+I%27ll+begin+with+the+nice+green+pen...+25%25.jpg"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></span><br /></a><br /><a style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5ofFmKwjI/AAAAAAAABgo/mrEFR8BkAcs/s1600/3....it%27s+most+important+you+take+notes%21+25%25.jpg"> </a><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">Hugs</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">Ei</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">x</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGIJ1fsT4Ps/S-5fGO4OmkI/AAAAAAAABgY/U1DqmGbkL3k/s1600/7+Now+for+the+stamping...%21web+25%25.jpg"><br /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span></span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-25593643931623280762010-04-30T18:16:00.000-07:002010-04-30T19:06:19.233-07:00Ada's latest.....<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Ada is well into the terrible two's this week, despite only turning two a fortnight ago!<br />This week she has been what I would call a lickle imp! And I've only had her two days! LOL!<br /><br />Because of her parents' temporarily altered work arrangements, she came to me on Tuesday lunchtime and stayed with me until Wednesday teatime.<br /><br />She worked hard in the garden all Tuesday afternoon, watering the plants and counting the tadpoles and after having her tea and a lovely warm bath was in her jamas, ready for her to go to sleep. So we took Granddad to work in the car and she just managed to murmur 'Night Gandad' before she conked out in her baby seat!<br /><br />When we got home, I popped her into her cot whilst I stripped and made our bed (Ada often wakes in the night and comes into my bed after which I don't sleep!) and was surprised when by 1:30 am she hadn't moved so much as a muscle. She just quietly snored! So I went to bed and slept until 4:30 undisturbed! She then came in with me and, as per usual, kicked me to death for the remainder of the night! LOL!<br /><br />I've no idea how her parents go to work in the day if she's in their bed every night (...and she is...!) because I ached all over the next day! And talk about knackered!<br /><br />The next morning, we were in the garden again, this time watering the garden, playing on the see-saw and digging in the sandpit and in the afternoon it was time for Musical Minis.<br /><br />Musical Minis is a fab little kiddie group where tots from 5-6 months up to about four years play with musical instruments, learn nursery songs and rhymes and dance. For me, it's better than the gym! You try manhandling a two year old for an hour - it's knackering! Ada's no lightweight and I'm elderly! There's a very good reason why 57 year old women don't have babies....!<br /><br />After MM's, Ada usually nods off in the car but this week she didn't. She was awake all day and by 4:30pm she was getting to be a bit crotchety. When she was denied something she wanted, she started 'whingeing' as I call it, putting on a cry. So, as usual, I told her,...<br />" Okay Sweetie-pie, stop whingeing - you know that doesn't get you anything. Ask nicely and Nanny will see what we can do, but no more whingeing."<br /><br />Ada stomped off muttering under her breath and making a funny noise and when i asked "What are you doing now?" she replied defiantly<span style="font-weight: bold;"> "I's whingeing!"<br /><br /></span>I know you're not supposed to laugh but it took me so much by surprise I just burst out laughing! This actually had a good effect as Ada couldn't keep it up and burst into peals of laughter too! The pair of us were helpless for a good couple of minutes!<br /><br />Apparently, Bev told me later, when she and Antony were having a verbal play-fight the other night Ada shouted at them and told them to 'Stop whingeing'! She'd wondered where it had come from! LOL!<br /><br />More later!<br />Hugs,<br />Ei<br />x<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-32071545310157040032010-03-15T17:07:00.000-07:002010-03-25T02:06:50.505-07:00New Hard-drive Dock.....<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >....is fab, works fine!</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Mother's Day yesterday and all my lickle chicks came to see me (the best present of all!) and they cooked a fab meal between them!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Rob & Dani made the entree, Bruschetta with Brie, rocket and olive oil - gorgeous!</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" ><br />Michael cooked the main of chicken in a mustard, cream and sherry sauce, sugar-snap and mange tout peas and crushed potatoes........mmmmmmmm! Divine! </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" ><br />Matt was in charge of the dessert which, although it didn't quite go to plan as it didn't quite have time to set, was just scrummy! It was a kind of boozy trifle without the jelly!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >I'm afraid I ate rather too much altogether and paid in full with a very sore tum last night and this morning! Entirely my own fault, but I wouln't have missed it for the world!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >And yes, Matt did bring two of my three hard-drives with him (..he couldn't get the last one out in a hurry...) but guess which one is missing? You got it...the one with all my stuff on it!</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >Aaaaarrrgghhhh!<br /><br />Hugs,<br />Ei<br />x<br /><br />ps<br />When I told Matt, he looked a bit sheepish and informed me that it wouldn't work anyway because her was fairly certain that the last hard-drive is an IDE connection, not a SATA like the dock I've bought........<br />How to you spell a very loud scream....?<br /></span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-4708171251353829062010-03-12T07:37:00.000-08:002010-03-12T07:40:53.082-08:00Sorry not been writing much......<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"><span style="font-family:verdana;">....I can only tell you I've been crafting more and I'm still awaiting all my written stuff from off my old PC - it's still on it!<br />My number one son Matt is a computer whizz but still hasn't found the time to fix my old one's operating system to get my stuff off it so I've now bought a hard-drive 'dock' so let's see how long it takes him to remove the hard-drives from the old one so I can 'dock' the bu**ers!<br /><br />Then I'll be able to write again!<br /></span></span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-18588410590277015372010-03-12T06:26:00.000-08:002010-03-12T07:33:41.932-08:00Ada's following in Gt Nan's footsteps.....<span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">Ada's always been a funny little thing, from as soon as she'd mastered her first baby words.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">She wasn't especially quick, learning to talk, but it's becoming apparent that this was not because she couldn't - oh no! - it was because she was</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"> considering</span><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"> what to say.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">She treated words as disposable - she would say a word, quite clearly, but then it would never be heard again for months - like 'Well, I've done that one...what's next?'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">At 10 months she quite clearly said 'elephant' to her granddad - twice. But would she repeat it...?</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">Not on your life. All the usual words followed this pattern then she's start to retain a few she liked the sound of like 'pooh' and 'num-num' (her word at that time for food). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">She roped 'Daddy' into her collection and then 'Ganda', but the women in her life, Mummy & Nanny? No chance! Not for many months.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">She came out with the name for the woman who slaves for her all day, wiping little botty, clearing manure-filled nappies, creating lovely 'num-num' on demand and generally running round like an idiot - namely 'Nanna' on one sunny afternoon, sitting in the nursery reading her favourite nursery rhyme book. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"> At the time, she was attending a lovely little baby music group called 'Musical Minis' and she adored it, her favourite at the time being musical statues which she'd picked up immediately, complete with the two little fingers to the pursed little mouth saying 'shh..!' when the music stopped.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">So, it was only a little book, so I used to sing her the rhymes out of it twice and she used to crow with delight. Until this day. I'd just got to the beginning of the book again and little Ada, all of 14 months old, put her two little fingers of one hand to my mouth, the other hand to her ear wrinkled her little brow and said 'Nanna...Sshhhhhh!'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">A music critic at 14 months! I was thoroughly demoralized. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;">There was me thinking I was quite good at this mothering thing, having brought my own four up okay and dozens of other people's (I had been a registerd childminder in my younger, fitter days) and I had even been a singer before me lace broke and here it was, the truth, I'd given her a headache. Oh the ignominy!<br /><br />Time went on and dozens of funny things came up which I didn't have the forsight or memory to record - like her brief dalliance with a word which sounded a lot like another word because of her lisp but it was actually 'sit' as she was trying to train her dog (the dog, Izzy did as she was bidden too!) !<br /><br />A couple of weeks ago, we were on our way to 'Musical Minis' (yes, she still loves it!) and we were singing songs again (...I promise you she does usually like it...!)<br />and in the second verse of a little ditty i'd composed especially for her, Ada put up her two fingers in a 'Pax' gesture (..not the other one...!) and proclaimed<br />"Enough Nanny.......I'm busy" causing me to nearly choke with laughter.<br /><br />Later on that afternoon, back in her car-seat after her exertions in Musical Minis, she exclaimed 'I yawning, I tired, must need bo-boes...' and promptly snuggled down in her seat and dozed off! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">All babies are funny and cute to their grandparents, I know that, but nothing prepares you for the overwhelming tide of love that you are engulfed by and the only thing I can equate it to is falling in love - but better.<br /><br /> I've been told not all grandparents feel this way. All I can say to that is 'poor them', never to feel this rush of warm, protective and overpowering joy at the sight of your grandbaby, even at six o'clock on a winter's morning - it must be like going straight to hell but then, I don't supopose they realize what they're missing.<br /><br />I go to bed of an night-time knackered but with a huge smile on my face at the prospect of seeing my Ada again in a few hours time. It keeps me going.<br />It's like being a new Mum again...plus a bit of experience and minus the energy!<br />I love it!<br /><br /> </span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-4869281712633727732010-01-28T04:01:00.000-08:002010-01-28T04:05:45.401-08:00<span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">My team-mate from C.R.A.F.T, Jo, has very kindly, given my scribble blog an award!</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">How lovely is that?</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">Thank you Jo - I'm most touched and so glad you like my scribbles!</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">Hugs, </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">Ei</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">x</span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-39196788735894509152010-01-28T03:47:00.000-08:002010-02-24T18:28:16.358-08:00Nic Gets His Revenge....<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"><span style="font-family:verdana;">As I've previously mentioned, my Mum was always telephoning our house when Nic was asleep because she could never get to grips with his shift-work.<br /><br />When I was working full time and running a home and bringing up my four children as well as looking in on my Mum & Dad and having my elderly stroke-patient Auntie three times a week (...sound familiar ladies...?) as well as acting as roadie/manager for our number three son's rock-band, I was in bed late (...rock venues are open 'til the early hours...) and up early (...four kids to get up, washed, uniformed, breakfasted, homeworked, packed-lunched and to school) so Nic, on some shifts, would telephone me at 7:00am to make sure I'd not slept through the alarm.<br /><br />He telephoned one morning, full of the joys of spring with the announcement "...Come on you lazy lump, out of that pit.! The sun's shining, the birds are singing and all is well with the world...!" the answer to which was a very groggy and querilous "...but I only went to bed at half past two - I've only been asleep a couple of hours..."<br />"...now don't give me that, you were in bed early last night, I was there remember..."<br />"...no, honestly, I've only just gone to sleep...I'm too tired to get up yet...."<br /><br />And then the realization struck. My hapless OH had rung my mother at 7:00 am, an hour she hadn't experienced for very many years except in the aftermath of a party.......<br /><br />Ya have to chuckle, doncha...?<br /><br />Hugs,<br />Ei<br />x<br /></span></span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-87970370834825252822010-01-16T04:20:00.000-08:002010-01-28T03:43:58.262-08:00My Mum's Encyclopaedias<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Eileen/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Verdana Ref"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:536871559 0 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.MsoBlockText, li.MsoBlockText, div.MsoBlockText {margin-top:0cm; margin-right:5.1pt; margin-bottom:0cm; margin-left:56.1pt; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" class="MsoBlockText"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" class="MsoBlockText"><span style="font-size:100%;">My OH has always worked shifts, but my Mum could never get the hang of this and she’d phone at all the wrong times for different things.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" class="MsoBlockText"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">On night, he was in bed early as he was on early shift the following day and he was just drifting off when the phone went. I happened to be on the landing at the time so I shot in and picked up the phone from beside the bed , hoping he could ignore what I knew was going to be a call from my daft Mum.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">“I’m doing a wordsearch puzzle and I just can’t get it. Can you just go through these answers and say if they’re right or not?”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">”Okay, but be quick – Nic’s in bed and he’s on earlies in the morning.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">So she went through all the clues and she’d got them all right except for one.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">“So does that help?” I asked, sincerely hoping it had.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">“Actually, no, it’s made it worse, if anything. The shaded letters don’t make any sense to me, no matter how I juggle them.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">“Well we’ve established the answers are correct. What letters have you got?”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">“ O L O X O X B”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Try as I might, the only thing I could get from that was ‘OXBOLOX’ which to my knowledge went straight to video……</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Of course by now, Nic’s and I are wide awake trying to conjecture what was going on up on my Mum’s planet..</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">“Be prepared to go straight to your Mum’s as soon as I get home tomorrow – I want to see this puzzle!” announced my bog-eyed hubby.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">So we went straight round, with all the kids, the next day at 4:00pm.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">“Let’s see this puzzle Mum, “ said my OH.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">“Oh there’s a good prize and if I win it, I’ll give it to you,” says Mum, “it’s no good to me, it’s the Guinness book of science.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">As usual the telly was blaring, so I motioned for her to turn it down which, grudgingly, she did.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">“Why don’t you want it?” my OH stupidly asked.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">“Oh I have those…” she waved hr arm expansively in the direction of the ancient book-case in the corner of the room. Upon it, in their customary place, as they had been for all of my life, were the ‘Book of Knowledge’ encyclopaedias. “I‘ve got everything I need from those books…”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">“….except film-names…” I heard my eldest quip ‘soto voce’.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">“… go on, ask me something..!” she insisted.<span style="">
<br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><span style="">
<br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><span style=""> </span>No-one spoke, not wanting to be the one to cause the mayhem that was bound to follow.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Nic must have been feeling either brave or foolhardy whan he muttered “Okay, who discovered Australia?”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">The room went silent.<span style=""> </span>“Ooooh I know this, just give me a minute….”
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">A few ‘ooh’s and ‘aaahs’ later is was clear she was struggling so I whispered “Captain Cook.” close to her ear, although everyone but her knew I’d done it.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">“…that’s it, I’ve remembered! CAPTAIN HOOK!” and she beamed a big triumphant smile.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">No-one could burst her bubble, so, rocking with suppressed giggles (kids too)<span style=""> </span>we tried to be polite.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">“I know all about religion too!” she continued.<span style=""> </span>“Jesus wasn’t the first Christian you know …”
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">This was wandering into dangerous territory. There was only so much laughter a person can suppress without having some sort of an epiphany….</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">“…when I was working and I travelled a lot there was always, in the drawer in the hotel rooms, this book written by a man called Gideon. I used to read it!” and she nodded to emphasize the fact.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Dad, seeing the hot water she was getting us into, tried to change the subject and brought up the subject of politics. In hindsight, possibly not the best subject at the time.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Nic & Dad bantered points of view about the Irish Question and Dad brought up my Mum’s sister who lived in America who used to pay ‘Irish Money’ and the debate was did that go towards the IRA for terrorism. Despite the subject matter, this banter wasn’t being taken entirely seriously as it was only meant to distract, which it did as Mum had gone back to watching ‘Hector’s House’ – funny in itself as it was a kiddies programme.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Then Dad said “There’s your Jean ….”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Mum instantly sat up, turned round and peered out of the window to the garden. “Where?”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Hubby and I just looked at each other and recognised matching panic in each other’s eyes….</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
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<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">How we managed to make our excuses and leave is beyond me! I only remember driving about 100 yards down the road and having to stop because I couldn’t see for the tears of laughter.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
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<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 5.1pt 0.0001pt 56.1pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Oh, and the movie title from the original puzzle? It was BATMAN!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;">My daft as a brush mother had not read the instructions properly. You were meant to shuffle the answers around on the grid until the title appeared in the greyed out boxes………..</span></span></span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-24849985210687983922010-01-16T03:52:00.000-08:002010-01-16T04:03:16.582-08:00Last Will<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Eileen/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Wingdings 2"; panose-1:5 2 1 2 1 5 7 7 7 7; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.MsoHeader, li.MsoHeader, div.MsoHeader {margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; tab-stops:center 207.65pt right 415.3pt; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.MsoTitle, li.MsoTitle, div.MsoTitle {margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center; line-height:200%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The wind howled and whistled down the chimney and under the doors of the dilapidated cottage.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Philomena Geraghty shivered in front of the coal fire she’d built, wishing she’d had gas-fires put in like her nephew was always urging her to do.<span style=""> </span>But it was so expensive.<span style=""> </span>At least it seemed so to her, the quotes he’d got for her and those, he’d said, were from a friend too.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p>He was so thoughtful, her Mark.<span style=""> </span>Always thinking of her and the ways in which he could improve her comfort, although she didn’t know what she would do with a<span style=""> </span>jacuzzi and had told him so.<span style=""> </span>He’d said it would be good for her bad back and was a snip at £300.00.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt; line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p><span style=""> </span>Philomena sighed.<span style=""> </span>He’d be around later to see her, she’d ask him then if his friend could still get those gas-fires cheap.<span style=""> </span>She had to say, things were much dearer than when she was a girl. <o:p></o:p>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt; line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt; line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">She remembered this coal fire being put in when the old<span style=""> </span>blacklead range was removed.<span style=""> </span>To be honest, she had preferred the range.<span style=""> </span>It was always warm and cosy and her mother kept it `banked up’, which she had tried to do innumerable times with this miserable coal-fire, without much success.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt; line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt; line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">She got up and made herself a cup of tea in the kitchen.<span style=""> </span>She had a new hob and oven, which Mark had insisted she bought for herself.<span style=""> </span>He’d noticed a smell of gas escaping from her old oven and nagged her until she let his friend bring the new hob and oven.<span style=""> </span>She’d also had to buy some new kitchen units to fit the oven and hob into.<span style=""> </span>The extra matching units didn’t cost much more and Mark said it would be better to have<span style=""> </span>a proper job done<span style=""> </span>-<span style=""> </span>much more hygienic.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt; line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt; line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">She filled her new white jug kettle and settled it back on its base.<span style=""> </span>She was thinking how different it was to her old kettle, which she’d boiled up on the old stove.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">When Mark arrived, he was doubtful if his friend could still get the fires as cheap as they’d been, but used the mobile phone he’d convinced her he needed so she could always contact him in the event of an emergency, to ring his friend about them. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>It turned out they would be £100 more than the originals but were a much better fire and would be installed that evening.<span style=""> </span>What’s more, his friend would bring a couple of fire-surrounds too. Cheap, naturally.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">That evening, when the fires and surrounds were installed, she sat in front of one enjoying the warmth.<span style=""> </span>She’d spent a lot of money on the cottage recently, although she still had enough of a nest egg to live on for the rest of her life.<span style=""> </span>And now she was warm too. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The bathroom and kitchen were both done, the new gas-fires installed in all the rooms, although she’d considered putting them in the bedrooms an extravagance, Mark had pointed out that she had to keep her bedroom aired otherwise she’d catch pneumonia and at her age<span style=""> </span>“we don’t want that do we?”.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>She thought how lucky she was that Mark looked after her.<span style=""> </span>She thought perhaps she should change her will.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>Leaving him this draughty old cottage and leaving the rest of her estate to the cat’s home was something she had decided on when he was a child because he’d seemed such a money-minded boy then.<span style=""> </span>She’d made him aware of the fact that he’d get no cash from an early age and it had seemed to work.<span style=""> </span>To a degree. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">He still came to see her every day and was careful of and concerned for her health and wellbeing.<span style=""> </span>Only last night he’d suggested new windows and doors to make the old cottage less draughty and she thought she would do them because, apparently, they were more secure too, having special locks on them and they were made of plastic, so she wouldn’t have to pay anyone to paint them anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Yes, she would have them done.<span style=""> </span>Mark’s friend said they’d be fitted in a day and the money saved in heating and maintenance would offset their considerable expense.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;">_______________
<br /><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>Two weeks later the windows arrived, but unfortunately too late for Philomena, who had fallen down the stairs one evening just after Mark had left the cottage, to lie unconscious o the lobby floor until the next day when he couldn’t raise a response on her phone.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>She died on her way to hospital murmuring something about a will but whatever it was would have to remain undone forever.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Two months late, Mark rubbed his hands in glee as he walked down the path to his new home.<span style=""> </span>The windows would be installed today.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>Oh, but he was such a crafty fellow!<span style=""> </span>He had always known the old girl would leave him the cottage, but no money with which to resurrect it from dereliction and so had embarked upon a programme of improvements whilst she was still alive.<span style=""> </span>He didn’t really begrudge the kitties the remainder<span style=""> </span>-<span style=""> </span>he didn’t think there’d be much left!<span style=""> </span>And good old Alfie, getting all the stuff dirt cheap and providing extortionately inflated billheads.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">If he’d paid the gas board to install the fires it would have cost nearly as much as the receipt Alfie had provided for Auntie Phil!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The windows were in by teatime and the new upvc front door looked really good.<span style=""> </span>Not only that, but it was instantly warmer, the howling gale from under the door having been stopped and the draughts from the elderly windows now having been eliminated.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>He was very pleased with himself.<span style=""> </span>The window fitters had done a very tidy job and he wouldn’t even have to re-decorate yet.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">He ate his tea in the now warm kitchen and then settled down on his sofa in front of the new gas fire and new television with a large glass of Auntie Phil’s vintage brandy.<span style=""> </span>Not that Auntie Phil liked brandy<span style=""> </span>- she didn’t actually drink, but he had told her it was ‘medicinal’ and she should keep it in for emergencies.<span style=""> </span>It would appear she’d never had one as the bottle was unopened.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>He chuckled with self-satisfaction.<span style=""> </span>It was warm and comfortable sitting in <b>his</b> cottage, on <b>his</b> sofa, drinking <b>his </b>brandy.<span style=""> </span>He was feeling distinctly drowsy and thought he’d have a little nap, sleep off the good food and drink that Auntie had kindly provided.<span style=""> </span>He could do whatever he wanted to do now.<span style=""> </span>He could come and go as he pleased, not like the bedsit.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;">___________________
<br /><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>It was three days later they found him.<span style=""> </span>Carbon monoxide poisoning.<span style=""> </span>Due to his death following hard on the heels of his Aunt’s the authorities mounted a detailed investigation into the cause of death.<span style=""> </span>In the course of the investigation, the cottage was checked over.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>“Bloody stupid people.<span style=""> </span>Fancy letting just anyone fit gas fires,”<span style=""> </span>Detective Inspector<span style=""> </span>Bob Walls said to his colleague, ”and the fires are faulty too. No doubt some villain sold them to the old duck, probably at an exorbitant price, and fitted them incorrectly too.<span style=""> </span>Shame her nephew didn’t notice.<span style=""> </span>I believe he was devoted to his Aunt and she left him this place.<span style=""> </span>Poor bugger!”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">D.I. Walls ran his finger over the seal of one of the new windows.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“It might not even have been fatal had the nephew not installed these new draughtproof windows.<span style=""> </span>No ventilation see?<span style=""> </span>The receipts we found were fakes, so we don’t even know who supplied and fitted the gas-fires.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>“So there’s no-one else in the frame then, Guv?”<span style=""> </span>O’Rourke asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">“A beneficiary you mean?”</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">Walls sniggered, “ Not unless you count forty-odd moggies at the cat’s home.</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">That’s where it reverts to on the nephew’s demise!”</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%; font-family: verdana; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" ><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-size:100%;" >___________________</span>______</span>
<br /></span><span style=";font-family:";" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-73558100929853293732010-01-16T03:45:00.000-08:002010-02-24T18:31:55.661-08:00The Taking<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:verdana;">Children’s laughter rang out across the school playground, mingling with the shouts of the boys playing football and the raised voices of juvenile dispute. The children milled around and eventually made their way out of the school gates, jostling and pushing.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Carl waited patiently, looking for the fair head of the child he was waiting for.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">He’d been waiting here each play and home time for weeks, trying to psyche himself up for what he knew he had to do. He knew it was wrong but still, he had to do it, couldn’t not do it.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Still no sign of the little girl with the golden hair. Carl bit his nails. What if she wasn’t in school today? He’d have to come back tomorrow if that was the case. One more day wouldn’t make any difference to him.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Carl made his way home to the squalid bedsit he rented. Well, he wouldn’t be here for long. He wasn’t anywhere for long and as soon as he got her, he’d be on the move again, preferably somewhere far away.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> The black and white portable t.v he’d picked up in a junk shop had quite a good picture and he had no difficulty at all in recognising himself on the news magazine programme that was on. He didn’t look like that now, however. A bottle of hair-dye, a razor and a pair of glasses seeing to that. He looked years older with his pate shaved and the glasses on, his remaining hair dyed grey.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> He hoped his trip to the school the next afternoon would produce a more satisfactory result than today’s He didn’t know how long it would be safe to be around here.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Carl switched off the t.v. and stretched out on the grubby bed. He might as well read one of his collection of special books. There was nothing on t.v. and it was better he stayed away from the pub - it would be dangerous for him to risk drinking even a little too much in his present frame of mind – he might do something rash. He knew where she lived, he had followed her home once and it wasn’t that far away from this place.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> He exhausted his supply of reading material and fell asleep on top of the covers until the cold, grey light of dawn intruded between his eyelids.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> He rose and drank coffee and ate some toast. He couldn’t face anything more substantial before a snatch. He would eat later, after he’d done what he had to do.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> He dwelt on what he was going to do today and felt a strange but familiar mix of excitement and nerves. He felt almost sick. He was always very nervous beforehand but this time it was worse than usual.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> He thought maybe it was time for him to give it up. It did seem to be starting to get to him a little too much, the looking over his shoulder all the time, the nervous tic at the sight of a police uniform. But he knew also, how good it would feel once he had the girl. Nothing could erase or beat that elation, but nothing.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> She wouldn’t be too much trouble to bundle into the car, she was quite a small girl for her age and he was quite confident there would be no problem on that score, provided he could find a nice quiet spot with no witnesses. Of course, once she was in his car, he’d be home and dry.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />He spent the day making preparations, packing his few things into his holdall. He’d leave the t.v. for the next tenant, it might draw attention if he was spotted carrying it and he planned the route to his next stop.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> He’d have to be careful to clean the flat thoroughly – including the t.v – and to remove all traces of the girl from the car afterwards, otherwise a police spot-check could cause him serious problems.<br /><br /> <br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> The girl came out of school a little late today, which suited his purposes as there were fewer people around.<br /><br />He saw her take leave of her friend, who went off in the opposite direction, and heard the call their goodbyes. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />“’night Jane,” he’d heard her call to her friend.<br /><br />“See you tomorrow Tess,” the dark girl had called back.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Carl smiled. He liked the name Tess. His gran’s name was Therese, but his granddad had always shortened it to Tess.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Following her in the car was easy, although he’d get rid of that at the first opportunity too, just in case it was seen. He was sick of driving bangers, but you couldn’t afford to dump a good car.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> He saw his opportunity ahead. There was a pillar-box on a deserted part of the road, so he parked up, leaving the engine running and the passenger door open. He intended standing by the post-box with some envelopes in his hand, so he’d look like he was posting letters and when she walked by, he’d grab her, put the pad of chloroform over her face and bundle her in. It would take seconds. He’d done similar enough times now to have it off to a fine art.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> It went exactly to plan, except he thought he’d been spotted by an old woman looking out of her window but she wouldn’t have seen much even had she been looking, so smoothly it went.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> It took about two and a half hours to reach their destination. Time for the final and, to him, best part of it. He stopped the car in a clearing in a wood and got out. He got out and went to the passenger side where he opened the door and lifted out the still sleeping form of the child. He carried her deeper into the wood where there was another car waiting. a woman stood anxiously smoking a cigarette. As soon as she saw them she stubbed out the cigarette and hurried towards them.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> “You got her!” Excitement sparkled in her eyes, “I didn’t think you’d do it!”</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />“It took a while, but yes, as you see, I got her. I just hope your husband never finds either of us. I think he’ll be quite peeved when he finds his daughter gone!” Carl looked at the sleeping child, taking in the bruised legs and a fading yellow mark on the girl’s forehead. “He’s still hitting her then.”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> “Not any more,” Tess’s mother took her daughter into her arms and kissed her tenderly on the bruised forehead, “ No, not any more.”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> “Where will you go?” Carl asked.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">“Oh, don’t worry. I’ve got it all planned out. We’ve got tickets on a ferry to Ireland in an hour. He’ll not find us. What about you?”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">“I think I just completed my last case of abduction. I can’t do it forever and my face is getting known now too. I was on telly last night! Not much good for a so-called private detective!” They both laughed nervously.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> “We’d better go. We’ll miss the ferry.”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> “She’s a beautiful child. I hope you find peace in Ireland.”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> “Thank you again Carl. You’ve been a good friend to us. If you ever come to Ireland, come and see us.”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Carl looked at her with longing. “How will I find you Cathy? You don’t know where you’re going yourself.”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> She shifted the child’s weight on to her other shoulder and said slowly, “You could always come with us.”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Carl grinned a slow grin. “I’ve always had a soft spot for the Irish</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" >....."</span></span>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-39386136302595210442010-01-16T03:22:00.000-08:002010-01-16T03:44:01.803-08:00Model Girl<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><div style="text-align: left;"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Eileen/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Wingdings 2"; panose-1:5 2 1 2 1 5 7 7 7 7; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.MsoHeader, li.MsoHeader, div.MsoHeader {margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; tab-stops:center 207.65pt right 415.3pt; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.MsoFooter, li.MsoFooter, div.MsoFooter {margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; tab-stops:center 207.65pt right 415.3pt; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.MsoTitle, li.MsoTitle, div.MsoTitle {margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:0cm; margin-left:36.85pt; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center; line-height:200%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:bold; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;} p.MsoBodyTextIndent, li.MsoBodyTextIndent, div.MsoBodyTextIndent {margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:0cm; margin-left:36.85pt; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify; line-height:200%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --></style><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:10pt;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-size:100%;" >Ray<span style="font-size:130%;"> was fed up.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:130%;" > </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">His girlfriend had packed him in, his best mate was away on holiday with his own bird and his mum had taken up with a door-to-door salesman from Gobowen.</span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p style="font-family: verdana;"></o:p></span></span></span> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Not that he had anything against door-to-door salesmen, or Gobowen for that matter, but his mum used to cook and clean for him, and she didn’t now.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.85pt; line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">He sat in his armchair in front of the T.V with an open can of beans and sausage and a spoon .<span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Well, he liked cold beans.<span style=""> </span>And it saved on the washing up.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The game-show on the telly was even more inane than he remembered.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">He didn’t usually watch T.V -<span style=""> </span>he’d usually had more interesting things to do with his ex than watch T.V.<span style=""> </span>-<span style=""> </span>and he hadn’t seen this show for years.<span style=""> </span>Now her remembered why.<span style=""> </span>It was awful.<span style=""> </span>Except for those “Lolly Dollies”, those gorgeous girls who posed and pirouetted throughout the show, handing bundles of fake cash around.<span style=""> </span>He had the sound turned off.Their legs were just as long and their outfits just as skimpy without it.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>“Wouldn’t mind an evening in with that one!” Ray lusted to himself.<span style=""> </span>Being on his own didn’t suit his constitution at all.<span style=""> </span>He wondered how priests managed.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Then his thoughts wandered to the new lass who’d started at his factory the week before.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Ray hadn’t managed to speak to her yet, partly because until two days ago he’d been half of a pair and Patsy would have killed him stone dead, and partly because the opportunity hadn’t yet arisen.<span style=""> </span>He resolved to create an opportunity the next day.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>As it turned out, he was out of luck.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>“You’re jokin’ mate!”<span style=""> </span>Tommy Stiffin laughed out loud, “you and young Shelly?<span style=""> </span>No chance mate!<span style=""> </span>She’s right partic’lar.”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>“Just because she blew you out doesn’t make her particular, Tommy.<span style=""> </span>It just means she isn’t into bestiality.<span style=""> </span>She probably prefers someone who can trace their family tree <b style="">back</b> to the apes, instead of forward to them.”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">“Aye, well, you can laugh, Raymond mate, but she’s way out of your league.”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>“She’s not been out with any of the lads off the shopfloor,”<span style=""> </span>young Martin piped up, “an’ rumour has it that she even blew out the M.D. hisself!”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>“Well that puts the top-hat on it!”<span style=""> </span>Tommy shrugged.<span style=""> </span>“If Mr.All Teeth and Tan can’t get into her knickers, then you’ve no chance Raymond lad.<span style=""> </span>Tenner says so.”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>At that, Ray’s ears pricked up.<span style=""> </span>Next to a pretty girl, he couldn’t resist a bet.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>“You are on Tom.<span style=""> </span>Tenner says I’ll have her knickers off by the end of the month.”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>“...the end of the month...?”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>“...well, it was you who said she had class!” Ray grinned.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-size:130%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> ______________________
<br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:130%;"> <o:p></o:p>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">A fortnight later and Ray was rubbing his hands with glee. He’d managed to talk to her two days after the bet was placed but hadn’t wanted to frighten her off by rushing things and so had gone very easy with her.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">He’d given her the `broken-hearted and off women’ routine and she’d swallowed it hook, line and sinker.<span style=""> </span>What’s more she’d opened up to him to a surprising extent.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>He should have guessed it by her appearance really.<span style=""> </span>Tall, red-gold hair, huge hazel eyes and endless, shapely legs.<span style=""> </span>She’d told him she was interested in modelling.<span style=""> </span>She’d done quite a bit of it by the sounds of it, but truth to tell, he hadn’t really listened to her droning on.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>Her body was superb, but what a voice!<span style=""> </span>She had the most boring monotone he’d ever heard, but that was okay.<span style=""> </span>You didn’t listen to the wind in the chimney when you had your poker in the hearth!</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>“Well Raymond,”<span style=""> </span>a big hand smacked him on the shoulder.<span style=""> </span>“You won that tenner yet?<span style=""> </span>Time is running by, you know.”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>“Very soon Tom lad,”<span style=""> </span>Ray’s tone was confident, “very soon indeed!<span style=""> </span>She’s taking me with her on a modelling session and it sounds very promising!”<span style=""> </span>Ray winked and smiled a mischievous smile.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>“Cor!” Young Martin was impressed.<span style=""> </span>“I’ve read about them modelling sessions in the Sunday Star an’ they can get quite steamy!<span style=""> </span>Gaggin’ for it, them model girls!”<span style=""> </span></span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>Suddenly noticing the way both older men were looking at him, Martin put his tongue away, stopped drooling and continued, “or so I’ve read , anyway.”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>Tommy shook his head, “I have to hand it to you Raymond, I never thought you’d get even this far with yon lass.<span style=""> </span>But you still haven’t won the bet.”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>“There’s always tomorrow night though, Tom.<span style=""> </span>There’s always tomorrow night.”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> ____________________
<br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Ray had arranged to meet Shelly outside the hall where the modelling session was booked.<span style=""> </span>No point in travelling halfway across town to pick her up.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>When he got to the address, he was surprised to find a modest community centre type hall.<span style=""> </span>But he supposed they rented out rooms to anyone for a fee and this seemed to borne out by a swarm of young bumble-bees in tap shoes who nearly had him off his feet on their way into a dress rehearsal.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">He waited outside for ten minutes and was about to give up and leave when a bus pulled up at the stop and disgorged the object of his lust.<span style=""> </span>At least, he thought it was Shelly.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">She was wearing old jeans and a sloppy-joe<span style=""> </span>jumper, complete with paint splashes, a pair of wire-rimmed glasses and not a scrap of make-up.<span style=""> </span>Her hair was pulled back into a scrunch and she was carrying a huge vanity case.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>Ah well, he supposed she had all her stuff in the case, but he didn’t see any clothes or costumes and the bag wasn’t big enough for those.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">His mind lit up!<span style=""> </span>Perhaps it was nude modelling!<span style=""> </span>Yes, he’d read all about that!<span style=""> </span>The girls wore their loosest, sloppiest clothes so not to leave unwanted marks on their delicate skin.<span style=""> </span>His grin was as wide as a sunrise!</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">“Oh hullo Ray,” Shelly’s monotone belied her smile.<span style=""> </span>She seemed glad to see him.<span style=""> </span>I’m sorry I’m a bit late, a bus was off, so I missed my connection.”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">“That’s okay.<span style=""> </span>Better late than never.”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>“That’s what I like about you Ray, you’re so easy-going.<span style=""> </span>There’s no pressure from you.<span style=""> </span>Honest, some of the blokes I meet have only one thing on their mind.<span style=""> </span>It’s nice just to relax and be myself for a change.”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>They made their way to a small room down one of the passages and Ray was taken aback when there were about eight or nine other people there too.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>“Come on Ray,” urged Shelly, “grab that table close to the front.<span style=""> </span>You might even want to join in you know.<span style=""> </span>A lot of people don’t know they’re artistic until they try.”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>Ray was beginning to wonder what kind of orgy he’d let himself in for . “Oh no.<span style=""> </span>I don’t think...”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">“Go on!<span style=""> </span>I’d bet you’d be really good. You’ve such sensitive fingers, I bet you’d get the best out of the models.”<span style=""> </span></span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Shelly heaved her case up on to the table and started emptying the contents.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Brushes, palettes of colour, small boxes of shredded paper poking out of them.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I can see you’ve nothing with you so you can borrow anything of mine you need and you can always buy stuff from Bryan very cheaply...”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>By this time Ray was totally confused.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">“I modelled this last week and Bryan said it was very good for an amateur.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Ray was looking down on a small, half-painted metal figure of a dragon being assailed by<span style=""> </span>even smaller man-like creatures.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">“I haven’t quite got the hang of the Orcs yet, but Bryan says my modelling has great potential.”</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Ray knew just how the dragon felt.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left;font-family:verdana;">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><span style="font-size:12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); text-align: left;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" > </span></span><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-56446327522244864652010-01-08T11:18:00.000-08:002010-01-08T11:26:26.899-08:00To Warm the Fishermen<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">The salt wind sent the clouds scudding across the sky in a joyful dance that belied the greyness of the March morning, the seagull’s cries adding to the impression of a lively highland fling or a manic ceilidh, their whoops and calls seeming to encourage the fluffy cumulus in their journey to goodness knew where.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> Every now and again the sun would attempt to peep our between the layers of mist and for a few moments it’s rays would be a welcome warmth upon the fishermen in the harbour and the schoolchildren in the playground for their morning break.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> All of this was, of course, completely lost on Beth, who had parted from her lover the month before. She did not notice the clouds, or the gull’s cry. The sun was wasting his efforts upon her, she would never be warm again, she thought.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> Rob had been so loved. Was </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">still</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> loved. It was not something which could be switched off like a light that was no longer required. And he had loved her. He had. She had known that for a certainty. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> What she could not understand was why it all had to change. She was still the same person, she had not changed, so why? For the millionth time she asked herself why, not knowing how to cut the question from her brain.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> As she sat on her capstan on the harbour wall, she looked out to sea, watching the subtle changes of hue but not really seeing. Seeing only his face, the sea-grey of his eyes in the water and the hue of his hair in the dark sand in front of the rock-pools. Everything reminded her of him.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> Well, now she was going to have to try and forget him, although for the life of her, she didn’t know how to. She couldn’t even begin to imagine her life without him, such an integral part was he. The tears welled up in her eyes again. She was mildly surprised - she thought she’d wept all her allotted personal brine. Her misery was absolute and terrible.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> All her memories of her life with Rob now played over again in her mind, like some faulty video. Not all of her memories were ecstatically happy - nobody’s were – but the majority she could honestly say were the best times of her life.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> The times they went to the mainland, perhaps to a bowling alley, the time Rob had been fooling around and got his finger stuck in the bowling-ball and fell full stretch along the lane, the ball still firmly attached to his finger! Her smile was involuntary.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">She remembered frequent trips into the surrounding countryside to watch the birds through binoculars from a hide. She personally didn’t know a plover from a wagtail but treasured these times because she was with Rob and he loved to regale her with the differing character of each species.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">There were sad times too. When Rob’s grandmother had died, it was Beth who had comforted and supported him through his grief, she who had visited the grave with flowers every Sunday. She had thought it had brought them closer.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> “How wrong could a person be?” she thought.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> They had holidayed together, walked together, swum together, made love. The list was endless, to the point where Beth no longer knew where she finished and he began. There had been no seams.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> There were now. He had become distant and restless very gradually, so she had difficulty in pinpointing where it had begun. There was nothing to latch onto, just a niggling change in attitude, something she could neither describe or define. An almost imperceptible detachment.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> Then one day, he just left. He just said he was sorry, left the village, the island to go, she knew not where or why or for how long.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> And here she was, just over a month later, and still no more resigned to his leaving than the day he left. She could not imagine a time when she would be. He had been - </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">was - </span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> the love of her life and now he was gone.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> She had considered ending it all one dark, desperate hour before dawn, but she was not of a theatrical temperament and even in the depths of her despair, still had some thought for her parents.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> A few drops of rain were trying to fall, without much success, but Beth was unaware. So engrossed in her thoughts she was that she didn’t notice the ginger tom from the post-office stalk off in a huff when she did not respond to his insistent miaowing and rubbing against her legs which usually brought him affection and ear-rubs if not food.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> The white horses were becoming wilder out on the surf, a sure sign that a storm was imminent, the gulls giving their agreement by disappearing somewhere one by one to shelter.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> Soon Beth was alone, still sitting on her capstan on the sea wall, appearing to watch the sea whilst actually seeing nothing but her memories.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> The sun finally gave up the ghost and went home, leaving centre stage to the rising wind and growing squall, whipping and spraying, blowing and pounding the little boats in the harbour about like corks.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> The sky glowered darkly behind the purplish clouds as if to match Beth’s mood and her duffle-coat was starting to lose the fight with the, by now, heavy rain.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">Beth still did not notice.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> So immersed in her misery was Beth that when the hand came upon her shoulder, she very nearly ended up in the harbour and when she realised it was Rob’s hand she was not sure whether to finish the job off and take them both in.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> Her hesitation took the moment and she allowed him to take her by the hand and lead her away from the now raging waves.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> He led her to her home and her mother, taking in her condition instantly, marched her upstairs to be dried and changed.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> Much later, in the cosy front room of her mother’s cottage, steaming mug of hot chocolate in hand, they talked.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> The firelight was warm and friendly, glinting off her grandmother’s brasses, the coals occasionally hissing and sending a spark into the waiting arms of the fireguard.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> As a child, she had loved to look into the heart of the fire, seeing pictures therein. She could remain engrossed for hours, her grandmother bringing her out of her reverie to set the table or go on an errand. So it was now.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> She looked into the coals as Rob talked, tried to explain why he had done what he had. She had listened to how he had become stifled, suffocated, very gradually and, like her he had no description for the feeling, just an increasing certainty that he had to get away, right away.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">He was sorry that he could give her no explanation at the time but he didn’t have one himself to give. It was only in retrospect, in his self-imposed banishment that it gradually came to him what had caused his need to be apart from her.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> They had both been born and brought up in the confines of this small village on the island , had gone to the same village school and neither of them had ever left the island except for the odd holiday and once Rob had had to stay as a patient in the hospital on the mainland when his appendix wound became infected.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> They had been ‘going out’ since they knew not when as, like everything else, the transition from friend to more had been virtually seamless; they had been as good as married practically all their lives. And it had got to the point where the next step was marriage proper and he had realised that they had never really been apart.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> He had become confused and had had to get away from the island, from the village, from Beth.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> He had thought and pondered and been thoroughly miserable. He loved her, he had never doubted that for a moment, but was that enough? Or was it the right kind of love? Or was it just habit? He had to go away to find out. He had found out. He could not live without her. A month had been too long. Could she understand and forgive him? He’d had to be sure for her sake as much as his.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> Beth watched the fire-pictures with a peaceful detachment. She heard Rob’s words. She understood now what he had felt and why he had gone and she would gratefully sink into his arms as she knew he would reach for her soon.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> But forgive? She did not know. Yes she did. She would forgive this man anything, she had always known that, but not yet. Not yet.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#6666CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> She knew what she must do. And when she came back, they would start again. She looked away from the fire and out of the window to see the storm was abating and a timid sun was once again trying to wrestle his way between the clouds. To warm the fishermen.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"> </span></span></span></p>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-40997156378287820752010-01-08T11:12:00.000-08:002010-01-23T14:44:57.329-08:00Lost & Found<p class="MsoTitle" style="text-align: left; line-height: 200%; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);" align="left"><span style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"></span></span></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family: verdana;">Winnie sighed at the thought of her regular walk to the post-office to pick up her giro. It was quite a step, but with God’s good help, she’d get there yet again.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <br />Winnie was only fifty-eight and as fit as most middle-aged women but for the last few months she’d been suffering from a harmless but painful condition in the heel of her left foot, which made it very difficult for her to walk any distance. </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> A spur, the doctor had called it and gave her some cream that did nothing at all to relieve the pain. She’d go to the chiropodist next week, perhaps he’d be able to fix it.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />As she walked along the road, she let her mind wander as she disregarded the pain in her foot. She’d just read the morning paper. By! The world was getting to be a wicked place!<br /><br />Jesus had His work cut out with the people these days. She made a mental note to add to her prayer list the muggers of the elderly woman she’d just read about, because they needed help. Bad people who did these things needed prayers as much as the victims, because only Jesus God could help them. She knew that.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />She got to the post-office and picked up her Giro. She looked around her, wary about who was watching her pick up her paltry few pounds. You couldn’t be too careful these days and she’d already decided what her plan of action would be, should she ever be unfortunate to attract the attention of a mugger.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Winnie was prepared. <br /><br /><br />In the end she’d decided money wasn’t important enough to get hurt over. Not these days. Not since she’d discovered Jesus God. Once upon a time, money was the be all and end all of everything to her and she had spent most of her time and considerable talents pursuing it.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">She shook her head as she remembered how clever she had thought herself in those days. She had been very good at her job and had thought that that was enough. But that was before she had been saved. Now anything left at the end of the week went into the church collection.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">She left the post-office and as she made her way down the road, she noticed a young man walking a little way behind her. It made her uneasy. As quickly as her foot allowed, she crossed over the road and sure enough, he followed her.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />A car passed slowly and stopped a little way ahead. She looked to see if there was anyone around, but there was no-one.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />It was all over in seconds. The young man ran past her, knocking her off balance. She grabbed at him to save herself and there was a brief struggle before she fell, heavily, to the ground. He’d got her bag and jumped into the waiting car before she could even look up. Then they were gone.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />She picked herself up, thankful she wasn’t seriously hurt, just a bit bruised and made her way home.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />Back in her flat, she made herself a cup of tea and sat down to consider what had happened. The police would catch no-one - she didn’t even get a good look at him.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />Winnie wondered what the young man would think when he opened her nearly empty bag. She never carried anything of any real value in her bag, it was more out of habit and something to do with her hands that she carried it. </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />Taking her purse and other items out of the deep inside pocket of her coat, she wished she could be a fly on the wall wherever the muggers were.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />She would love to see them go through her bag to find nothing more interesting than a packet of tissues, a bag of mint imperials and a well-thumbed bible. And the note. Yes, she had been prepared. Just in case it ever happened to her, she had written a note to her would-be muggers and kept it, always, in her bag.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />She sorted through the other items on the table and opened a black leather wallet. Nearly two hundred pounds in cash, driver’s license, membership to some gym or other. Silly boy! Fancy taking I.D on a job! Obviously not a professional thief like she had once been then! Still, the money would go to a good cause, the old lady who’d been mugged and others like her.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />Winnie’s church had taken up her suggestion and started a fund for them. And they would pray for the muggers, like her friends had prayed for her when she was the best `dipper’ in the county. Nothing like a poacher turned gamekeeper for results!</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />She patted her old `lifting’ coat with the deep inside pockets and smiled.<br /><br /><br /><br /> ___________________________<br /></span></span> <p class="MsoTitle" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt; line-height: 200%;" align="left"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-family:verdana;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></p>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200221925357408793.post-74082846956628413882010-01-08T11:10:00.000-08:002010-01-08T11:11:55.800-08:00<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">Ode To Good Neighbours.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">One of life’s most precious gifts</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">Is that of loving friends,</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">And you are both so very kind</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">It’s easy to depend </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); ">Upon your friendship and your care</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">Which you give so selflessly</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">When you are needed, you are there</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">To help, unfailingly.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; color: rgb(102, 102, 204); ">You aren’t just neighbours, ..... & .....,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">You ‘re nearly family</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">Over the years you’ve always been</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">So very kind to me</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">When times have been less than good</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">You’ve been there ...... & .......</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">And I want to tell you finally</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;">How much your friendship means.</span></span></span></div>Eiglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01588023862867881851noreply@blogger.com0