Day 83

I feel like I have spent all of today ironing, dear Reader, what happened was I was all ready to get going with the ironing and catch up on my Sky + when it was one of those days when the phone just has not stopped ringing which distracted me from the chore I was wanting to get out of the way before the weekend begins.

Getting into my new diet, after cutting out all the foods that affect my allergy, I could do with some more new and different foods to try at the moment I seem to be eating alot of things made out of potatos, white bread and a lot of oranges! So I need to look at more foods I can eat. I have bought some chicken and eggs. My skin is almost better now and that is the most important thing. 

Still waiting to hear back from the guy who is doing my kitchen. I am thinking of painting the walls before he does the work; or should I say I am thinking of asking the hubby to paint the wall before the work gets done! Or maybe I will have a go myself. It can't be that hard to run a roller over a wall can it? I think I will give it a go! I can't be allergic to paint-- surely not dear Reader!?

Evening all X X X

Day 82

Chocolate is one thing I can no longer eat dear Reader. The list of foods I have to avoid is very long and in my case it would seem that vegetables are bad for me as: peas, carrots, cabbage, sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach are all on the list of foods to avoid for my allergy.

I will not bore you with everything on the list, dear Reader, but I am happy to report that my skin is already improving a lot and hopefully now I can get things back under control.

I will have to experiment with some new foods. I can do this when I get my new oven. I had a quote for one today as it will need fitting in my units. I also went for a new sink and decided to have some new laminate flooring put down. Can't wait while it is all done. We have lived in this house almost fifteen years so it needs sprucing up a bit.

But back to the chocolate, dear Reader, I think it will be at Christmas I miss it the most. You know the boxes of celebrations, the tins of Roses? But on a positive note I will lose weight, dear Reader, without sweating it out at the gym!

Evening all x x x

Day 81

I had another strange dream last night, dear Reader, I dreamt that I lost a finger. Some how I had chopped half of my finger off and I did not notice until I found it in the kitchen sink! I then knew I had to get to the hospital and have my finger sewn back on. I was not in any rush either dear Reader. It was like it was an everyday thing chopping one's finger off. I knew I had to get to the hospital and that it was something I could not avoid. But I have a real fear of hospitals and I am very queasy so it was a horrible feeling. When I woke up this morning, dear Reader, the first thing I did was count all my fingers. I truly believed I would have half a digit missing.

I suppose this dream has come from the anxiety about my wedding ring. Because I do miss wearing it. I know I should not worry about such little things, but I cannot help myself. It is important that I rid myself of anything I am allergic to as the risk could be too great. 

On a happy note the hubby actually mentioned a new wedding ring and going to a jewellers to get one! He is a fantastic hubby and I just wish he had talked about it with earlier.

Also I now have a list (at last) of foods I have to avoid for my nickel allergy. Strangely dear Reader, almost all of them are in my diet and are what I have been drawn to eating. How odd is that dear Reader? But things should be a lot easier now. 

Well as long as I don't go and chop my finger off, that is!

Evening all x x x

Day 80

'Shopped 'til I dropped' today with my teenage daughter, dear Reader, I had to get coffee and I do not even drink coffee! But it is nice to spend some quality time with Miss C. I used to love going shopping with my Gran.

Anyway, we found a great shop that sells nickel free jewellery and I thought it would be funny for me to buy a funny ring for my wedding finger--as no mention of me getting a new wedding ring has been made. So I picked this lovely white one with strawberries all around it. Well, dear Reader, it went on the finger okay; but when it came to taking the ring off I could not get it off--it just would not budge. I was beginning to panic, I mean how sad would it have looked if a 39 year old woman is trying rings on her wedding finger and then gets one stuck. After nearly breaking my finger using that strong of a force at last it came off. A lucky escape that was. I did not buy the ring, although I may well have had to and that ring could have very well ended up being my wedding ring if it had been stuck.

Mr L did come with us at the start of our shopping trip which began with lunch in the all you can eat Chinese restaurant, but as soon as we had finished eating Mr L decided to go home on the bus. I think the thought of going in a lot of girly shops was not too appealing!

Mr L was some help on the walk into town; it was raining and I had brought a new umbrella from the pound shop. Handy, I thought, because it would fit in my handbag. Well I decided to try out the new brolly walking to town. Now the brolly is a shocking pink colour dear Reader and I have to be careful with brollies because they do have nickel on them. Well I was holding on to the black holder at the bottom of the brolly, when it started to wobbly. The holder was beginning to unscrew itsself from the holder. Until a gust of wind blew it completly off and the brolly flew back and hit Miss C, leaving me just holding the useless bottom bit you hold the brolly with. This is when Mr L was useful knowing that I could not touch the nickel; he spent the entire time walking to town, picking up my bright pink brolly and then fixing it for me. When we were almost at town we were so fed up that I decided just to bin the brolly and to buy a new one at the first shop we passed that sold brollies... which ironically was The Pound Shop!

Evening all x x x

Day 79

And what better way to start the Bank holiday Monday, dear Reader, than a trip to B&Q; even though I am still feeling ill with my allergy I made the effort to go to B&Q with the hubby. We bought a new kitchen cupboard to replace the gap that the old gas boiler had left on the wall when we had the new one put in last year.

We have being struggling for cupboard space for quite a while now. Largely down to the number of mugs I keep on buying. I do not know why I have a mug thing. I see a mug and just like it so I buy it. No idea why, it is not like we need any more--we must have over fifty by now. I have the same thing about stationery too. I love it. Pens, paper, note books etc. I can't get enough.

The hubby is just as bad, but with him it is the cartons you get from Chinese take-out-- he hordes these. Not to mention all the useless gadgets you accumulate after almost 20 years of marriage, for example, a rolling pin. Why have we got one? We never use one. My hubby loves cooking and cooks some wonderful things from scratch from his recipe books, but neither of us use a rolling pin.

My clever hubby had the new cupboard up in no time and we now have cupboard space. The new cupboard is all nice and tidy but now all the other cupboards have ended up in a mess. But that will wait for another day, it is after all the Bank Holiday!

Ring update--no mention yet. I did say 
"What do you think about my ring then?" And I did not get much of a reply, so I am really not sure it he wants me to get a replacement or if the hubby is just not bothered really. I just do not know!

(If you want to know what I am talking about I mentioned it im Day 78)

Evening all x x x

Day 78

Wheat or wedding ring? That is the question I have been asking myself all day, dear Reader, in light of my most recent allergic reaction. I have been trying really hard to find out what the trigger is. Now since removing my wedding ring, I have had less itching and I have spent the day reading--coated in good old fashioned calamine lotion and it seems to be working. The rash seems to be fading. I have avoided scratching all day and the only time I did itch was after my lunch and yes I ate something containing wheat. So I am still none the wiser, dear Reader!

A third suspect has also added itself into the arena... the tumble dryer. Could the dryer be causing one of my triggers (house dust mites) to fly around? Or could it be the change of temperature it creates in the room? Could it be all three suspects that are making me ill? I am going to find out.

The hubby does not seem that bothered to be honest that I am not wearing my wedding ring. He has made no mention of me upgrading to a new one. We were students when we meet and although my ring was £19.99 from Argos it still means a lot to me. Well I am actually on my second one after the first one broke and I had hoped for an upgrade but then I was bought the exact same ring. I have upgraded the hubby after his first ring broke. To be honest it is not about the cost of the ring. I would have happily gone on wearing my ring, but it is causing my recent reaction and I am 100 percent sure the ring does have nickel in it. I can't wear anything with nickel--even painted zips I react badly to so I think it will be the ring.

I don't think it is worrying the hubby at all if I was to go around without a wedding ring. I think that now I am aged 39 the hubby must think I am past men chatting me up when they see I am not wearing a ring. But I liked my wedding ring and I should have listened when they told me at the clinic that they thought it was one of the things I am reacting to. When I told them the story behind my ring the kind nurse said to me 
"I am sure due to the circumstances that your hubby will take you to buy a new ring." Well maybe it is because Formula One as been on all weekend, but there has been no mention about a new ring. So I suppose as soon as I look 'normal" enough to go out I will go buy myself a new one. Maybe men just don't know how sentimental things like our wedding rings mean to us. It does mean a lot to me and it is quite upsetting that I have had to take it off. I have even thought of having one tattooed on, but I think I will treat myself to a new one. Watch this space if the hubby mentions it...

Evening all x x x

Day 77

Another bank holiday weekend and another bad allergic reaction. I give up now I have no idea what is causing it. The only tests I have not had are food allergy ones, so it must be a food allergy. My prime suspect at the moment is wheat. So I am cutting out anything with wheat. I am just really fed up with it now, once I come of the steroids there it is once again. I am now looking at people on the television and thinking do they know how lucky they are just to have normal skin? Just to be able to get up on a morning and go about their business without itchy awful skin?

I get myself by, by thinking there are far worse things you could have, but when you have it for a long time allergies can bring you down. I hope to wake up every morning and for it to be gone. Some days I am fine, others I am running to get in the bath. Then people are so helpful telling you to go to the doctors, when what you need is support in finding out what your triggers are.

It is so easy not to scratch through the day but night times are the worse when you are sleeping and you scratch. It does not matter how short your nails are. The constant scratching will make them sharp and you wake up like you have been in a fight with a cat and clawed all over. The skin is sore then. It also causes bad bruising. It makes you irritable because it is so uncomfortable. I now am on a strong Anti H everyday but they don't seem to work.

I have tried to distract myself, by keeping myself busy, but nothing works. I obviously have a new trigger and until I find out what it is this problem is not going to go away without a fight; I intend to fight back good and hard.

Evening all x x x

Day 76

My little baby left school today, dear Reader, Well he is sixteen and 6 foot 3 so it is to be expected really. So Mr L has finished his schooling years... well until he returns to school for the sixth form in September. 

It does not seem all that long ago that I left school myself and I could not wait to leave school at sixteen. I wish now I had stayed on, but back then in 1990 I could not wait to leave. I should have tried harder with my exams too. I did really well up until the age of fifteen and I just gave up. Silly really I did resit my exams and passed so all worked out in the end. But back then in 1990 all that awaited me was a YTS...

My first job placement was working in a nursery.  It was before I resat my exams so it was a YTS placement. Only it was not a nursery it was a house and the lady in charge was basically a child minder. She was not the warmest of people. There was something a touch Victorian about her.  At sixteen I was terrified of her. It made me really unhappy at work. She would talk to me like I was something she had stepped in. She would shout and basically I was there to learn as a Nursery Assistant but in truth I was just cheap labour and worked like a mule. Apart from circle time, this woman would not do anything with the children. She never taught me anything. I learnt myself many times by when I had made a mistake and she yelled at me. 

I remember she was only suppose to have a certain number of children and when we were inspected she told me to take six children on my own to a theme park. So that she would not be over the numbers. So I just did it. Then there was the nursery-nurse there who you would have thought was helpful and a friend but it turned out she was two-faced running to the boss telling tales. She would talk about the boss behind her back and it made me uncomfortable so I would just smile politely and then she would say things about the boss and then run to the boss saying us young ones had said it. When it was her alone that was saying things.

I lasted a full year there. It all came to an end when I was off sick with suspected glandular fever. When I returned she was having another shouting match at me for having time off ( I had not ever had any time off and I even had all my holiday entitlement). When I had to have an operation she made me work up until it was fifteen minuites until my operation, just giving me enough time to get there. Something just snapped inside of me. I had put up with twelve months of her bullying and not said a word.I answered her back and stood up for myself and then I walked out. I never returned.

I did find another nursery, but it went from bad to worse when none of the staff talked to me there. I thought maybe I had been branded a trouble maker for walking out on my last job. But it turns out the horrid woman had said I had "Special needs" out of spite. she was no more than a bully. But I was glad to be out but I was in a nursery where no one spoke to me. They treated me like some kind of freak all because of what that woman said. Shocking really when they worked in a caring enviroment and they were doing a caring job and if I had special needs you would have thought I would have been with the best kind of people. I think too that it was down to being on the YTS and that did not get you any respect.  A Spanish exchange student worked there at the same time as me and the staff did not speak to her either. so we made friends. It turned out she was in my night school class where I was resitting my GCSE English. I was very surprised when the woman who ran that nursery did actually offer me a full time job when my YTS finished. It was the only time she talked to me. Mind you she was never there. She just use to pop in every now and again.

Looking back now. it is shocking how such horrid people can ever work with children, but they do. I was lucky enough to pass my exams and I got a place at college full-time doing the NNEB nursery course. Which was like a holiday after the last couple of years I had; but I think my bad experience had put me off and I no longer wanted to work in this field. Not a great start into working life. I have told my children if they are unhappy not to stay like I did, but to look for something else. I have also taught them that they do not have to put up with bullies and must not take it like I did. I have always encouraged them to get the best from their education and to work hard. I would hate to think of them going through what I did for those two years. 

I don't think YTS exisst any more now... I wonder why?

What about you, dear Reader, any work disasters?

Evening all x x x

Day 75

There is a mystery in my house today, dear Reader, it would seem that when I did my weekly shop Miss C's Magic Stars have disappeared somewhere between the supermarket and my house. Now Miss C did not come shopping with me this week, so it was my responsibility to bring her little treat home. Now I know they went in the trolley, but they are not on the receipt--what happened? Maybe they fell out of the trolley. Maybe I put them in the wrong trolley?! But Miss C is not a happy teen with me this evening, in fact we have a good sulk situation going on. I have gone through the shopping to try and find a suitable replacement, but she is not buying anything I have to offer. 

When you shop with Tesco's online their replacement items can be quite hilarious, they are nothing like what you would expect of a replacement item. You want either the same item, just a different brand or a very similar item. I once ordered a watermelon and they sent me a pineapple. Broccoli was replaced by a leek. Salami by a tin of hotdog sausages. I wonder who makes these decisions? Then it seemed to be one carrier bag for each item. I ended up with loads of carriers. Sometimes items that I had never ordered would be amongst my items. Interesting items like hair remover and wrinkle cream. When I called Tesco to let them know, worried that some poor person would have items missing from their shopping:
 "Keep them" they said. Hair remover... Wrinkle cream I know I am 39 but...

Evening all x x x

Day 74

It always amazes me, dear Reader, why on a Monday the gym is so busy and then by today it is always quiet. What is the cause of this Monday madness? Maybe over indulging on the food and wine over the weekend. But by Friday usually it is only me and the hubby in the gym. I wonder what makes Monday the most popular day at the gym. Why the start of the week why not end the week on a high or a treadmill?!

I have noticed that since my fall from the treadmill, I am a little nervous now of these moving monsters and I tread very carefully. In fact I would go as far as to say sometimes I avoid them opting for a pleasant row on a rowing machine or a nice cycle on the exercise bike. It is not like I need the walking, dear Reader, as I do quite a bit of walking. So I can give it a miss, but if you fall off your bike they tell you to get back on so I suppose it is the same for the treadmill--even if it does make you sweat with fear before you have even stepped on to do any sort of work out.

There is a guy at our gym who as an irritating habit of waving his hands up and down as he runs on the treadmill. He does a kind of Mexican wave. Spraying sweat everywhere as he raises his arms. It did take me a while, dear Reader, to work out why I was getting splatted with water every now and again. I was looking up at the ceiling puzzled. Then when I found out what was happening what do you do? Go up to said man and politely say 
"Excuse me, would you refrain from splattering your sweat in my direction." or 
"Keep your sweat to yourself" Maybe I will have the latter printed on a t-shirt.

Also another question about the gym, why do they have vending machines just outside the gym; packed with: chocolate, crisps, cola and other sugary fatty things? Surely a salad bar would be better.  You go in the gym and work out for two hours then get tempted by the lovely looking Galaxy in the vending machine and it is a waste of a work out, because you know everything you burnt off in the gym is in the Galaxy wrapper--ready for you to put back on the weight you have just lost. Next thing you know you have a taste for Galaxy so you pop them on your shopping list; eating more and more chocolate. I suppose if the vending machine does not drop your Galaxy you may just get away with putting back on the pounds by having a good thump and thrash around trying to get the machine to drop your chocolate.

Evening all x x x

Day 73

I have just seen the most amazing clip on the news, dear Reader, it was a woman being interviewed on the news about the devastation to her property by the tornado in Oklahoma and she thinks that her dog was killed in the tragedy... then suddenly her dog is spotted very much alive amongst all the piles of rubble. It is just a really touching moment and captured on film of the lady able to rescue and be reunited with her dog. Just a small glimmer of hope that came from such a tragic event.

Here is a link



It is amazing isn't it dear Reader?

Evening all x x x

Day 72

Have you ever fallen asleep in the middle of the day dear Reader? Only to have the strangest dream? This happened to me today. Whilst reading a really good book, I became very drowsy. I have to say this is nothing to do with the current book I am reading as it is really good, but perhaps it is down to today being the first day I have come off my steroid tablets.

So my eyes would not stay opened so I drifted off into dreamland, only to have a really weird dream. In my dream I had just had a new baby. The baby was really tiny and what was strange about my dream was that although the baby was new-born--it could talk and tell me if she needed a new nappy. She also said she liked her outfit and was very wise. So wise in fact that I left her alone while I went out to buy new nappies (something I would never do in real life). The house I was living in was a terraced house and it is not one I have ever been to before. The strange thing about the house was to get to the door you had to go up some very steep wooden steps and there was a lot of them steps too! When you climbed the steps to reach the door you could see upstairs into the bedroom through the window and on top of the wardrobe there were plies and piles of paper almost weighing the wardrobe down.

While out buying the nappies I bumped into my aunt, she looked younger than she is now and had her hair in a totally different style to her usual one. She was collecting money door to door from houses near to mine. I have no idea what she was collecting money for, it felt like something for the pools or debt collecting; something like that. I was pleased to see my aunt and said a warm hello and we exchanged pleasantries. As I turned to go actually thinking about my baby and hoping she had not come to any harm because I had left her on her own I asked my aunt if she wanted to come in for a coffee, she politely declined. So I made my way back up my steep steps home, hoping my baby would be okay.

I then woke up in a daze in the chair I had fallen asleep in, aching from the uncomfortable position I had ended up asleep in. It did take me a few moments too for me to reliase that I had not really just had a baby and that it was all a dream.

I wonder if dreams actually mean anything, dear Reader?  What is the point in us having them?

Evening all x x x

Day 71

I watched EuroVision last night, dear Reader, did you? I found most of the songs quite boring really. There was an entertaining and what I thought hysterical performance from Romania. The guy's attempt at singing falsetto had me laughing out loud and I just could not stop laughing. It does seem to take me a lot to laugh, so it was good fun just sitting and laughing; even if the poor chap was not trying to be funny. But it just really tickled me.

The presentation of the show was fantastic. The song the presenter did just before the scoring was like something from a Mel Brooks film. It was the best song of the night. The only song I thought was really good in the actual performance was Ireland. They were on last to perform and for me it was saving the best while last. But they did not win--Denmark did. I had to go to bed before finding out who the winner was, I just could not keep my eyes open any longer. So I can not even remember which song Denmark sang, or who performed it.

Bonnie Tyler flew the flag for the UK. But her song just did not match up to her popular 80s anthems and the hook that made her songs so great was well and truly missing. Graham Norton was on top form to offer witty comments and great commentary. But what I would have liked to have seen is ABBA reform, because it was in Sweden and EuroVision is what got their brilliant career started and was the pinnacle of their success. It would have been nice for them to celebrate, remember and acknowledge how it all began. But they become too big for that. Never forger where you started I say.

Evening all x x x

Day 70

The dreaded letter landed on my doormat today, dear Reader, it was the six monthly dental check. I have noticed as we get older time seems to speed up and get faster and faster. Christmas seems to soon come around again and unfortunately so do dental appointments and the much dreaded smear test. Much as I hate (well I think everyone does). I know how important it is to go and have them. But luckily I have another year to go before that is due. It was not too bad either the last time I had it done. I rang up my doctors and got an appointment just a couple of hours later on the very same day, dear Reader! So by the time I had had a bath and shower to freshen up and got to the doctors, it was all over and done with before I had even time to think about it. I like days like that.

When I was sixteen I had to have a cyst removed from my gums. The operation went very well and at the time I was living with my lovely gran. My gran went with me for my operation, which was done at my dental surgery in a special operating room they had there. I was awake throughout the operation and although it was not a pleasant experience, when it was finished and my gums were all stitched up I felt fine; well enough to walk with my gran the four doors down to the chemist to pick up my prescription.  Although the buildings were at one time old detached houses there really was not far to walk down the street to the chemist. We are talking only about one minute to walk from the dentist to the chemist. Anyway we went into the chemist and I am a bit of a queasy head. I can faint easily. Well I am a little tougher than I was ( I now can watch shows like CSI) I was only sixteen when I had this operation. So I started to feel faint. Fainting is awful isn't it? That awful feeling when you feel like you are not where you are and everything fades. Or when your eyes go black inside and you are aware but you can't see. I fainted right in the middle of the shop. Now some kind person must have thought it was most helpful if I returned to the dentist for a check to make sure everything was okay. The only thing was this kind person called a taxi for us. So I remember my gran was too polite to say well it is only four doors away and it may have been faster for us to walk back. No she got us in the taxi and the poor taxi driver never got out of first gear, he just set off and my gran said we are here. She paid the taxi driver and got me inside the dentist and everything was fine.

Another memorable fainting episode happened ages ago (I was about eight) on a school trip to Dewsbury Police Station. We were having the tour and we went in the incident room and there was a photo on the wall of a man with his head all gashed open. I will not go into more detail, dear Reader, just in case you are a fainter like me--but it was horrid. I was one moment stood there looking at this photo the next I had grey and black squiggly lines before my eyes and the next thing I know is I wake up feeling my feet being dragged on the floor. I am being pulled along by my class teacher and a police woman. I must have been fine after as I remained with my class and did not go to the hospital or home.

My most recent faint happened last year, just after my son Mr L had had an operation. Mr L now has two metal bars in his chest to correct pectus excavatum. He was very brave and he had just come back from his operation. So he had his own room and he was in a lot of discomfort as you are when you just come round from an operation. We got him settled and all had gone well.. When it happened it just came on really fast. I knew there was nothing I could do to stop myself from fainting. So I quickly sat on a chair. Luckily Mr L was sleeping and the only other person in the room was my hubby. So I turn to the hubby and told him 
"I'm going to faint.  I am just going to do it quietly on this chair [while I was talking everything was fading] Please don't get anyone, this is about Liam he has just had an op and the last thing I want is staff having to fuss around after me. I'm going. I'm going" I said. When I came too I was relieved to find myself still sitting on the chair and no one had noticed. Thankfully the hubby had and he asked if I was okay. So I thought I had got away with a nice smooth faint... until a few weeks later I was telling a close friend about my fainting, when the hubby pipes up:
"YOU DID NOT DO IT IN A NICE CALM WAY. YOU SLIDE STRAIGHT OFF THE CHAIR BANGING YOUR HEAD, I LIFTED YOU BACK ON THE CHAIR ONLY FOR YOU TO FALL OFF SIDEWAYS  BANGING YOUR HEAD AGAIN AND KNOCKING THINGS OVER!"

So I did not get away with it as smooth as I thought. But hey Liam never knew (until now) and neither did any of the nursing staff.

Do you have a fainting story, dear Reader? Please share.

Evening all x x x

Day 69

I went on my yearly visit to my grandparents grave today, dear Reader, it would have been my grandfather's birthday yesterday and my gran's birthday tomorrow. So once a year I made the journey on the train to Scarborough. It takes me three hours to get there and another 30 Minutes to get to the small pretty village church yard that they are buried in. So today I spent six hours on the train. The journey went fast and my ma gets on in Leeds so I do have company for half of the journey. We meet up with my ma's sisters (my aunts) and it turns what is a sad day into a nice get together.

I don't mind doing this at all, my grandparents were the best grandparents you could ever wish for--all of them were. I was lucky to have all my grandparents close in my life until the age of 18.When at this age I lost a grandparent from each of my ma and dad's side of the family. I was closest to my ma's mum and we only lost her a couple of years ago to cancer. I miss her everyday.

The worst thing about when people die is that they just disappear. I sometimes wish I was a medium like my father, wouldn't it just be nice, dear Reader just to have five more minutes with our loved ones? A chance to say goodbye. That is the hardest part too when you don't get the chance to say goodbye. If I could have a moment with my grandparents again I would say not only how much I loved them but thank you too. Because they cared and loved me and I know this in my heart everyday.

What would you say to a loved one that has passed, dear Reader?

If you have recently lost a loved one I think this song is a great comfort.

Day 68

Well I am feeling much better now, dear Reader, after my trip to the hospital yesterday. It is amazing how you can be healthy and the next thing bad things are sprung apon us. I still find it amazing how you can be fine and then suddenly out of nowhere your body starts being allergic to a lot of things. But all seems to be settling down now. I think it helps a lot if you have a good doctor too.

Mr L went to school today dressed as Woody from Toy Story. I have a picture of him dressed up as Woody just before he started school and now I have one of him dressed as Woody leaving school so mummy moment coming on, going to buy a frame to put both pictures side by side. I think that will look really nice. Might just stick copies of these photo to many of our local lamp posts when Mr L turns 18!

Well a busy day tomorrow as long train journey awaits...

Evening all x x x

Day 67

I am just back from the hospital, dear Reader, after having yet another allergic reaction. I did try to get in at my own doctors this morning; but I was told that all the appointments had been allocated for today and that I should call them back in the morning at 8.30 am. Well dear Reader I tried to hang on but the allergy was not having it, I was like a cat with fleas! So instead of doing what I usually do and go to A&E, but I decided to try the new 111 number that as replaced the NHS Direct old number. I have to say I got a very good service and I actually had my own GP actually call me back through using this service and he arranged my treatment at the hospital. So that I was seen and dealt with straight away. So it is well worth ringing if you need medical advice or help.

So I am back on the steroids, dear Reader, turns out when the hubby took the job on of painting my rings he had only decided to paint the inside. Thinking he was doing a good thing not letting the outside of my ring to go dull. Thoughtful I guess, but you and I know dear Reader that our skin comes in contact with the outside of the ring in particular the neighbouring fingers for starters. So I have an all over-body rash. My legs actually turned blue and I have bruises all the way up my legs. Luckily because of the excellent service I got from 111, my eyes did not puff and I don't look too bad.

I am looking forward to a good night sleep tonight... strike that, what am I thinking I am on steroids. Oh well I might get another book read and reviewed. The house cleaned, the ironing done and tomorrows dinner all prepared!

Evening all x x x

Day 66

I can never trust myself online shopping, dear Reader, I can get quite carried away on eBay buying many useless things. It is the thrill swiping in at the last moment, and you can find lots of amazing and wonderful things like handbags and Womble retro stuff! eBay is calm and I have never had any problems buying stuff of it... yes I have sometimes had problems when the stuff I did buy turns up and is not quite in the condition that the seller said it would be in. Or it has been a completely different item from the photograph the seller published, but that has not put me off the eBay experience. I could happily lose a good few hours on eBay. It is a great pass-time.

I also shop online when I order friends and family flowers. Usually I use ASDA. Well today things did not go too well with my order. Firstly when I was typing in the details I happened to luckily notice that it had changed the address door number to a different number. Quite pleased with myself for noticing this mistake I then went on to fill out my message. Then I checked through everything one more time, to make sure everything was correct and I then hit the process button. Nothing happened, dear Reader, so I tried again and again and again. Still nothing--it would not process it just kept me hanging on my order page. So I clicked again and nothing, so thinking that the fault must be my keyboard  I decided to experiment in my message box on the order page I was stuck on. So I click in the 'of in the lots of love' part of my message and I changed it to a if and it worked,--it was not my keyboard and all was working at my end. Phew I thought it wasn't my problem and at that exact moment in time for the page  then clicked on to the proceed page! The glitch had corrected itself, giving me no time to correct my 'if' back into 'of.' I looked anxiously to see if I could change it back in any way. An email address so I could point this out to someone or a phone number, but there was nothing. So my flowers would now be delivered with the following line 'Lots if love' to end the message.

I am just so thankful I did not change the word for a rude one, to test my keyboard!

Evening all x x x

Day 65

I had a lot of fun with the author Carol E Wyer today on her book tour. Posting things online that we could find that are yellow.  I never knew just how many objects we had in this house that are yellow. I have to say, dear Reader this fun task took up most of my afternoon! But she is a good laugh Carol and her books are a fantastic read. It is also Carol and her books that inspired me to write this blog. 

Here is a link to the Facebook group I was on about dear Reader

It is nice to have a good laugh with friends. I love to laugh.  That is what I love about Carol's books too they make you laugh out loud. I love the title of her new book too 'How Not to Murder Your Grumpy. ' I have not read her new one yet. I can't wait, I know I will be in for a good read. The cover of Carol's new book is yellow which is the reason why for the yellow theme. It is so great to read a book that makes you smile and cheers you up too.

Here are the links to the reviews of Carol's books that I have read--they really are hilarious.

Speaking of reading I better get back to my huge to read and review pile.

Evening all x x x

http://nikkis-books4u.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/mini-skirts-and-laughter-lines-by-carol.html

http://nikkis-books4u.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/surfing-in-stilettos-by-carol-e-wyer.html

http://nikkis-books4u.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/i-would-like-to-welcome-very-special.html

 

Day 64

One thing I have noticed, dear Reader, is that aged thirty-nine if I am not careful  the weight can sneakily add itself to your hips, tum and bottom. I never had a problem with weight before until I reached the age of thirty and  I noticed that I could put weight on. I would just have to have looked at a packet of biscuits! Ha ha, it would be only a slight increase in weight. Not really a problem if I worked out and I could keep it at bay, but now as I approach the big 4-0 it could creep on even faster, but again my many trips to the gym seem to be working for now. 

Not that I have a problem with weight. I personally just like to keep as fit as I can because I think it does help with my allergy. It is just something I have noticed, even though I eat the same food, there is a difference to how my body responds to the food-from twenty to thirty--thirty-forty. There is probably some wonderful scientific explanation for my recent discovery. Maybe it is just natural, just as puberty is, for us ladies to end up slightly larger as we get older. So why do so may people try and fight it, with diets and fads?

I think women can look beautiful no matter what their size is. I see too many friends and family becoming down, because they have put on weight, but I do think that as long as you have your health that is the far more important. I gave up the biscuits and I go to the gym five times a week, but I still eat cake, chocolate and sweets and every weekend we get take-out, because if I was to give these foods up I think it would make me more miserable and unhappy than it would worrying about my weight!

Evening all x x x

Day 63

Well I spent the morning in a fancy dress shop, dear Reader, good fun it was too and I was not even looking for a costume for myself--but one for Mr L who is going to school on Thursday in fancy dress. He chose to be Woody from Toy Story. It is traditional for all Year 11s to wear fancy dress costumes on this date. Mr L leaves school the week after... well until he returns in September for sixth form. The time went by so fast. I might have a fancy dress party for my 40th.

Speaking of fancy dress shops and birthday parties, when I was eighteen, my grandparents put a party on for me at the local village pub. Imagine my surprise when during my party a six foot gorilla arrived. My gran had got me a kissogram from the local fancy dress shop, which was also a kissogram business too. He read a witty speech which even had reference to my grumbles about the newly introduced Poll Tax. He then asked me to unzip his suit and he came out of the gorilla suit in a very tiny loin cloth! He was a good looking guy but big muscles have never been my thing. It was good fun though and a wonderful surprise from my grandmother.

Now a week later I ended up in A&E after some minor ailment and guess who the nurse happened to be who was treating me? Yes, dear Reader, the gorilla from my birthday party! He was so embarrassed, or maybe worried having been caught moonlighting. But I would never say anything his loin cloth was in safe hands!

Evening all x

Day 62

I am watching Mary Queen of the High Street. With over one hundred shops closing a week, Mary Portas wants to revive Britain's failing high streets. I totally agree with her, something happened to our shopping centres and there was no warning; all our town and city centres became the same. The same shops, the same stock, very much the same pedestrianised lay out and the mall. I do applaud the pedestrian setting and the mall. Now it is not even worth going into the city, here in Warrington we have just the same shops as Liverpool and Manchester. We are even supposed to be getting Primark soon. 

But what happened to our small family businesses? Not the big chains of shops, but those little individual small shops. Why are there so many shops empty? If they are not getting people in them, why doesn't the council lower the rent? I would love to have a book shop, dear Reader, and dare I say maybe even a second hand book shop. Maybe in my little shop I would have a little Jackinory corner for authors to sit and promote their books and I would sell their books in my shop too. I also would have: tea, coffee, cake and other such fancy things. I would also have a space for authors to give talks about their books and maybe even run workshops.

BYWATER BOOK BITES it will be called and I will have an office in the back to work on my reviews; my agency work and promotion, taking on new authors and having a big filing cabinet and lots of lush stationary. Oh yes, dear Reader, I have big plans... but I first have to beat the pound and ninety-nine pence shops to claim my empty shop--they are taking over the WORLD!

Evening all x x x

Day 61

I am reading a fabulous book, dear Reader, it is all about fashion in the 1940s. It has some fantastic pictures  and basically it tells you the history of fashion. It's during the war time so it's all make do and mend. The book is called 'The 1940s Look: Recreating the Fashions, Hairstyles and Make-up of the Second World War.' By Mike Brown and I am so lucky to have a signed copy of the book. It reads more like a magazine than a book and it is full of really interesting information. I just wish that history lessons at school could have concentrated more on the little, simple things like this when it comes to history because it is fascinating ( I would have got an A if it had only been this interesting). Ha Ha.

Speaking of history at school, my first history lesson at high school was completely taken up by the teacher going on about her name. She went on and on the whole one hour and ten minutes that the lesson lasted. I had not got a clue what she was on about. But she told the class that, she would never make fun of our names and so she would expect respect with hers. She had wrote her name on the black board MRS YEHAR. But no one had commented on her name or said anything.  We all whispered as we could not see anything funny about her name or the way she pronounced it.

Still puzzled and completely confused, I set out to find my older and wiser cousin. I told her we had just spent an entire history lesson listening to the teacher go on about her name and we had not got a clue what she was talking about or referring to. My much wiser cousin said to me: "
she just does not want you to do this..." She then galloped up and down like she was on a horse holding a lasso and shouted "YEE-HAW!"

Now we were innocent first years who had no idea... until that teacher put the idea in our heads!

Evening all x x x

Day 60

Sixty days of being thirty-nine, dear Reader! Mr L has taken himself to the theatre. Well he has gone on a school trip this evening to see Blood Brothers. I love the theatre, the hubby doesn't so don't get to go much. I love musicals too. Nothing like seeing them live, when the music starts and the hair on the back of your neck stands on end. So I really hope Mr L enjoys himself and gets the bug, so I can take him to the theatre with me. I was watching Mrs Brown's Boys yesterday and that looks a really good show to watch live, it is filmed in front of an audience so would not mind going to see that too and my Strictly Come Dancing.

I know people pay a lot of money for concert tickets, like to see Take That and I got to meet and greet Mr Gary Barlow for free! All that money and he would have been just a dot in the distance. A dancing dot! Ha Ha. But seriously I like concerts too.  We do get some good performances at our local theatre and some BIG stars too and some ex BIG stars Ha Ha.

So I think I will stick on my Grease DVD and make myself a Pot Noodle!

Evening all x x x

Day 59

I am in search of a fancy dress costume today, dear Reader, Mr L leaves school in a few weeks and it is tradition that on the last day they wear fancy dress. So I am in search of a fancy dress shop as my home- made creations apparently are not prestigious enough for such a noble event. I can understand now at sixteen that Mr L wants to decide his own costume. He has an embarrassing  back collection of photos from when he was a child in costumes I sent him to the annual Tumble Tots Christmas party. My favourite being the Noddy outfit his grandfather made him complete with a little bell on the hat.

Speaking of Noddy, I had a dream about Noddy the other night. How weird is that dear Reader? Well what had happened was that before going to bed I had looked to put Spook the cat out, and she was nowhere to be seen, so I presumed she was out. Only for her to come out of her hiding place when we were all tucked up in bed and decided to explore all the rooms upstairs. So all we would have heard is her little bell on her collar ringing as she had a nosey around, which must have carried the noise to me subconsciously as I slept... causing me to dream about Noddy. I would love to put one of those little cameras on her to see just what she gets up to and then I may also find out were she was hiding. That would make fantastic reality television too, dear Reader. If she is not out she sleeps downstairs, so she pulled a crafty one, ending up upstairs and  in my bed. She growled if the hubby turned over or moved and making herself quite comfy on the bed, whilst leaving me to dream about: Noddy; Big Ears and that bloody bell!

Evening all x x x

Day 58

Hottest day so far, dear Reader, it was hot! It is summer here at last or should that be will the summer weather last? But for today the sunshine was here. I think the surprise change in the weather caught a lot of people out this morning, as we went for a nice walk to town lots of people had made the mistake of opting for warmer clothes early this morning and now they looked hot as they hurried on their way. Not such a problem for me, as when I got up the sun was out the sky was blue. So I wore my fresh summer clothes. I am taking no chances as soon as that sun's out they are going on, because who knows when we will have sunshine again the way the weather is going. But the hot weather as been a bonus that it as fallen on a Bank Holiday.

Miss C is baking again in the kitchen, cooking up another delicious delight for us. Yesterday it was lawn mowers going today it is BBQs. Who wants to cook when the weather is so great, dear Reader, so we will add to the BBQ smog. Mr L then as got us all in the habit of when we eat Al Fresco, that we all play a board game after in the garden. Which usually is Trivial Pursuits or some other brainy game to wear the junk food off. Which I do enjoy sitting in the garden if it is hot, but if there is the slightest breeze that is me inside. I hate a draft. I can't stand air conditioning either. But no breeze here today so I will survive.

Evening all x x x

Day 57

Bank Holiday weekend, dear Reader, and the lawn mowers are all going outside. It'a not too bad on the weather front and it is suppose to be very hot tomorrow. If it is we will be blowing the dust off the barbeque and giving it a warm up tomorrow. I was hoping the hubby would crack on and do a few of those DIY jobs around the house this weekend that are starting to niggle away at me. But I can't complain he did do the gardens adding to the hum of lawn mowers.

Finally I have almost finished my Wonder Woman box sets. I never knew they had only made three series of this fantastic show. Such a short spell in a career for an actress but still it is what the great Lynda Carter will be remembered for. My teens are not impressed though, they would much rather watch Britain's Got Talent. They don't know what they are missing. Might go on to watch the Incredible Hulk, now from the 70s. Remember that sad music in that, dear Reader. Never really watched it properly when I was a child. I found it was too scary so I use to hide behind the sofa. So it will be interesting to see what it is like. But before that I have my Juliet Bravo box sets to get back to. I think I am on series four now. Great to watch old television shows from my childhood. Juliet Bravo has a great theme too:




Bank holiday and box sets. I know how to live for the the long weekend!

Evening all x x x

Day 56

Today I spent the day getting rid of clutter, dear Reader. Through my work with books I get a lot of books that every so often I have to put lots into storage in the garage. I hate to part with any of my books so this is the perfect way to store them and not have a cluttered house. All books that have been personally sent to me by authors and publishing companies--and especially the signed ones, do remain in the house on a special book case. I do treasure all books that are personally sent and would never part with them.

I have not had much chance to do a lot of reading over the past few days. Lots of things just have been going on. I do try not to keep my authors waiting too long for their reviews, but I do not like to rush or take my enjoyment out of reading by letting it just become a conveyor belt of reading so to speak. I like to do it at a nice pace--whilst working through my to read pile at this steady pace. Most authors are really patient and wait. Occasionally you do get the odd one that can but pressure on you. But all books are read in order that I get them apart from those publishing companies I am contracted to do one book a month for. The other side of my job is to promote the book and author and I really enjoy this part of the job too. And of course I get to meet with some interesting and fascinating people, many who become good friends.

So the bookcases have all been refreshed. I do own a Kindle, which will help with the book storage problem, but I do still like the touch and feel and ownership of a hard copy book. But the Kindle is also more handy for carrying around. Which do you prefer, dear Reader, Kindle or a book?

Evening all x x x

Day 55

It is always nice to have a change from the old routine, isn't it, dear Reader? Today was one of those days for me as I had a day off. I spent a nice day with the Hubby, we had a nice lunch together in a nice restaurant and had a nice long walk. The car went in the garage for its MOT and it passed, so it now looks like this car will reach ten years with us after all.

I have got myself hooked on the Knots Landing re-runs. I have never seen Knots Landing before... well only when I was ill off school in the eighties and it was on during the day time, but to be honest I had no interest in it back then; it was just exciting being able to have my pillow and duvet on the downstairs sofa. I have not already got enough to watch and catch up with on Sky Plus, without me getting adddicted to another old soap. I mean what will be next, The Love Boat?! Have they invented a device,yet, dear Reader where you can download your Sky Plus on to your phone and watch it from your mobile? That would be fantastic and save time too.

Mind you, I would probably fill Sky Plus up even more and have the hubby panic once again, because we are down to 2%!

Evening all x x x

Day 54

Bear with me, dear Reader, the Hubby has just decided to make a bacon butty and has stunk the house out with the smell of the bacon cooking. I was good and decided to have two custard doughnuts instead of the unhealthier bacon butty. Why is it that everything that tastes so good is so bad for us?

The car is in for its MOT tomorrow. She is in her make or break tie because she is nine years old now, so might be a time for a new one if she needs a lot of work. We have had this car that long that we have totally missed having a CD player in the car and it will be one of the MP3 player things. If that is what they still call them. A device that you can connect your phones etc into to play your music. You know what I mean dear Reader. You have probably got one in your car! 

We have never been ones for updating our car every year. The car only gets replaced when it is on it's last legs, or should that be wheels. So tomorrow we shall be without a car. But that is no problem to an enjoyable rambler like me.

What would your dream car be, dear Reader? Mine would be to have a new push bike as my choice of transport. There are some ACE (as we use to say in the 1980s) bikes out there at the moment. Of course with my nickel allergy the bell would have to go. I noticed a local pub has a bike club, that enter a lot of bike riding events for charity. So I would like to do that. Not that I have had much luck with bikes (see Day 1).

I am now noticing things on the car, that I have never noticed before too. Like the extremely long scratch on one side of her. How did that get there?  And the dent in the rear bumper. It is funny how you no longer notice things isn't it. It does not seem that long ago she was all sparkling new and still had the covers on the seats as we drove her home from the garage.

Mr L will be learning to drive this September. when he hits the big 1-7. I wonder what his first car will be. First cars--that is another subject. What was your first car dear Reader? 

Evening all x x x

Day 53

Well the steroids have kicked in, dear Reader, I was like a hamster in a wheel at the gym yesterday on the exercise bikes. I bet I could have give young Bradley Wiggins a run for his money. But I would technically have been doing a Lance Armstrong.

A bit of sunshine too and the people all hit the gym, it was packed. No chance of claiming a treadmill or a treadmill claiming me (See Day 2).  Yes a bit of sunshine and everyone reaches for their trackies and trainers. I could have gone on and on exercising with these steroids and still had the energy to clean the house from top to toe. It is killing me now having to sit still here. I feel I could do cartwheels around the room. I am typing ten to the dozen here too. Would have done much better at school at my typing words for minute. Do they still do that, dear Reader? Time how fast people can type. No idea why we were actually still using type writers this was the late eighties and computers were around.

I think the middle-age thing could be kicking in, dear Reader. For I have discovered I like organ music. I guess that it has always been there. I mean I have always been a big fan of The Phantom of The Opera and that has a lot of organ type music. My new found love affair with organ music actually started as I was driving home from the gym. The station that I flicked onto was playing some really fast organ music and I got right into it. Soon I was listening every week. (Shame it is not on everyday) It reminds me when my grandparents had a chalet next to the spa in Scarborough and organ music was played a lot in this open air theatre. Where a lot of older people would sit in deck chairs tapping toes in time with the music. Well I want to be one of those toe tappers now, dear Reader!

We did have toy organs when we were children before we moved on to the more cooler Yamaha keyboards. I think I will add that to my 'Things to do Before I am Forty' list. LEARN TO PLAY THE ORGAN! It just so happens that my step-mum plays so I think I will give her a call. Then I think I will take my organ on the road and hit the working men's clubs playing all the recent hits and some golden oldies and end with requests. Don't laugh, dear Reader, it is as good as Gary Barlow started out! :)





Evening all x x x