Finished At Last

I seem to have been knitting these socks for ages. They were started in November and I only finished them last week.

I went off them a bit whilst knitting them as I'm not keen on the yarn, it splits really easily and it's dyed in such a way that the shading makes the socks look odd.

As I'm addicted to socks I've now started another pair. I really like this yarn, it's really soft and I like the patterning.

I don't think this pair will take quite as long as the last ones did.

Chocolate Rewards

I had a paper bag posted through my letterbox. "What's so exciting about that?" I hear you cry. Well, the paper bag promised a reward of chocolate in return for completing an online questionaire.

The questionaire itself was very straightforward and didn't take very long to complete. At the end I was given a number which I had to enter on a card which I found inside the paper bag.

The following day, I had to leave the bag and card on the doorstep, and when I looked inside the bag later in the day, it had been filled with a bag of Thorntons Continental chocolates, just in time for the weekend.

I'm waiting for all the spam which the questionaire generates now, but I think Thorntons Continentals are worth it.

Bowling

Last year, I ordered some days out vouchers though Tesco Clubcard Rewards as we were going to take a trip on the West Somerset Steam Railway whilst we were on holiday. Unfortunately, we never got round to it, and a couple of weeks ago I came across the vouchers and realised that they expired at the end of January.

I checked on the Clubcard Rewards website to see what options I had and found that they could be used for Tenpin Bowling in York.

It's hard finding things to do as a family when there's a boy of nearly sixteen and a girl of twelve. Neither can agree on what they want to do. Daniel's now at the age where he'd rather be doing anything else rather than going out with his family anyway, but bowling is one thing which we can all enjoy as a family.

As you can see, Daniel won the first game. I was winning the second game until Mick bowled a strike on his last go, hmphhh.

Eleanor won the last game. I tried to get some action shots but it was so dark, I've never been to a bowling alley before which is so poorly lit.

I always exchange my Tesco vouchers for rewards vouchers, they used to be worth four times their value but it's recently been reduced to three times their value. It's still a good deal though and there's something for everyone. I buy my Gardener's World subscription this way at a greatly reduced cost.

Birthday Celebrations

My dad is the youngest of four siblings and today is my dad's elder brother's 80th birthday.

My uncle has three sons and they decided it would be a nice surprise to have a get together at a local golf club to celebrate his birthday, and arranged it for yesterday.

There were people there who my uncle hadn't seen for many years, and he was totally overwhelmed, but it was such an enjoyable day.

We had a carvery, and there was a free bar for all guests, my cousins certainly did my uncle proud.

There used to be many family get togethers for weddings and christenings, but as the family have grown up it seems that we only meet up for funerals these days, so it was really lovely to see everyone under more pleasurable circumstances.

I have to say thank you to Eleanor as I took these photos from her camera, for some unknown reason mine stayed in my bag.

Hospital Visiting

We got some very sad news this week that Eleanor's friend has got Leukaemia. She's in hospital at the moment and has just started chemotherapy. It's going to be a long haul for her, the treatment lasts for two years.

Eleanor wanted to visit her in hospital, which we did last night. She is very upbeat at the moment, considering, but I'm sure there'll be some hard days ahead.

We got our thinking caps on for some gifts we could take as I'm sure a twelve year old would prefer something else other than grapes.

I suggested some crafty things and stuff which will occupy her whilst she's in hospital.

A jigsaw, an Easter card making kit, a cross stitch kit and a scraperfoil kit. I'm sure she'll appreciate having something to do.

A teenage mag for her to keep up with the latest gossip.

Smarties and Skittles are much nicer than grapes.

There was also the obligatory teddy bear which girls seem to always give their friends as presents, I forgot to take a photo of that, but Eleanor's friend loved it.

After suffering with my own health, I never take the health of my children for granted, but something like this still makes you appreciate how lucky you are.

My First Award

I've been given a few awards on my other blog, The Good Life, and now this blog has received it's very first one. It's the stylish blogger award and I've been given it by bears footprints. I'm over the moon with it so thank you very much.




Now I have to reveal seven facts about me which you don't already know, so here they are.


1) When my dad went to register my birth, he only gave me a first name. My middle name is added to my birth certificate and the birth register at a later date after I was baptised.


2) I have a phobia of cockroaches. It's so bad that the first time Mick and I went abroad on holiday together, before we were married, he got so fed up with me panicking about them that he told me he was getting us a flight home and was never going abroad on holiday with me again, though he didn't and he did.


3) I have to have a vitabin b12 injection every three months for the rest of my life. This has come about after having the part of my bowel which absorbs this vitamin removed when I had bowel cancer.


4) I hated being pregnant. I think it was because I suffered from terrible morning sickness right the way through both pregnancies, however, I loved giving birth.


5) I hate wearing shoes. I go straight from wearing boots in winter to mules or flip flops in spring.


6) We often used to go for trips and days out to Bridlington when I was a child and I took my first steps there, on the beach to be exact.


7) I'm from a large extended family. My mum had five brothers and five sisters and my dad has two brothers and a sister. Consequently, I've got over thirty cousins.


Now that's enough about me. I now have to nominate fifteen blogs to receive this award, so in no particular order:-


Heart Shaped
Eight by Six Gardening Blog
Florence & Mary
This Yorkshire Life
Fizz Pop Bang Blog
Sofa Flying
Postcards from the P.P.
Mrs Nesbitt's Space
I Should Have Listened To My Mother
The Stash Basket
Tales from a Cottage Garden
Hookin' with LaaLaa
Kelly's Recipes For Life
Damn, Knit & Blast It
Little Cotton Rabbits


I know that many of you choose not to receive awards, however, I just wanted to let you know that I enjoy reading your blogs. Don't feel under any pressure to accept it if you do not wish to do so.

Thank you once again to bears footprints for bestowing this award up on me, and thank you to all my readers, new and old, for returning to read more. I still get a thrill every time I see a new comment.

Poor Archie

Archie spent the day at the vet's yesterday and came home missing a couple of things. Let's just say that we won't be hearing the patter of tiny feet.

He was very groggy after his anaesthetic and slept for most of the evening, but did keep giving out a pained cry every so often, only to be expected, he'll be very sore.

He had to have a collar on at bedtime to stop him licking or biting his stitches, he wasn't very happy but it'll do the trick.

He's more himself today, though he still keeps having a little cry, and he hates the collar. He doesn't have the stitches out until next Friday so he's got to wear it for a while yet.

All That Glitters Is Not Gold

Only in this case, it is.

In March, Mick's auntie and uncle will be celebrating their golden wedding anniversary, that's fifty years of marriage. I remembered reading The Stash Basket blog and thinking what a great idea it was to create a hamper full of all things gold as a golden wedding anniversary gift, so this is what I'm going to do.

I've already started buying a few things.

Box of Terry's All Gold chocolates, Gold biscuits and golden vegetable savoury rice.

Gold coffee and Gold Label tea.

Gold chocolate coins.



I've got a whole shopping list full of gold items yet to collect so it should be a decent sized hamper. I hope they like it.

Upstairs Downstairs and Downton Abbey

I remember watching Upstairs Downstairs, a period drama set in the first part of the 20th century, when I was a child. It's a programme about the daily life of a family living in a large townhouse, and their servants.

The BBC revived this drama over Christmas with a new cast and a new storyline, and I thought I would watch out of curiosity if nothing else.

Another period drama which has been shown this weekend is Downton Abbey. I had wanted to watch this the first time it had been shown but somehow missed it. The seven episodes were repeated over Saturday, Sunday and Monday and I thoroughly enjoyed watching. It's all set to return to our screens again in Autumn.
It's reported that Downton Abbey won hands down in the ratings war. I hope the BBC will recommission another series of Upstairs Downstairs in 2011 and not let this put them off, as I for one will enjoy watching both of these wonderful series.