Dancing Queen

Friends??

2012-01-27T00:21:00.000-08:00

It was always touch and go as to whether Socx would accept Maia coming to live with us but yesterday in the office this is what we saw..

Probably difficult to see as both dogs are black and tan but Maia is asleep behind Socx.

One of the few times when there is peace in the household!

Maia

2012-01-22T15:07:00.000-08:00

Asleep on Dad

We have a new verb in our family, it is to be 'Maiaed'

Ready for action!!

Socx gets 'Maiaed' every day and so does the house! What this means is that our new puppy 'Maia' takes a delight in playing rather roughly with Socx. We found that she was hanging onto his fur as he tried to run away! She may only be 4" tall but she has a very large character.

Walking in her food bowl

The house of course has been 'Maiaed', with the inevitable wees and poos all over the place, mostly where we can step into them.......ah well.....all part of having a new puppy.

Maia will be 8 weeks old on 23 Jan so she has only had one jab and cannot walk out into the open. Still it is good for her to experience new things so I have rigged up a sling to carry her on our daily walks with Socx. My first attempt at a sling was not very good, the knitted material was too stretchy but this red scarf works a treat.

Ready for her walk/carry!!

I have had to make a harness for Maia as she is so small but she still manages to wriggle out of it (I do not know how!) On our walk today I suddenly found her making an escape from the sling and that was when I found that the harness was securely fixed to the sling but she was not in the harness! I may have to make adjustments to the harness.

Even being carried is very tiring

Late Christmas fun

2012-01-09T15:17:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday my nephew and his wife, Philip & Steph came to visit for the day bringing their 4 boys with them;

Felix, Isaac, Ethan and Archie.

Father Christmas had forgotten to deliver 4 late parcels to their home and asked me to give them to the boys on this visit.

The boys wanted me to 'gel their hair, this is the result on Archie the youngest

Archie's new hairstyle - cute

So we had a big Sunday lunch:

Yes, even boys eat!

Captain Cook with Ethan 'EE'

Macaroni cheese

Vegetable bake

Slow cooked lamb with roast veg

Mashed potato

Followed by:

Fruit trifle with ice cream

Followed by:

A walk at Smallbrook meadow, in Warminster, to feed the ducks and play in the park and give Socx a walk.

Testing the depth of the dipping pond

Daddy playing in the 'children's playpark'

Then Ellie started playing

I think Tom was making sure Ellie did not fall off, long way to the ground 6"

They are delightful boys, full of energy and they even made Socx tired, he slept very well that evening.

Yes OK I was tired too!! LOL

New Year !

2012-01-03T13:08:00.000-08:00

Well I have survived Christmas and New Year and I hope that the festive season was not too traumatic for too many people.

I always think of people who have no family, no cosy home to go to, no job................. well I am sure you know what I mean. Then it makes me grateful that I wake up each morning to a new day with a home, family, job, not a lot to grumble about in the grand scheme of things.

Still today got off to a bit of a rocky start, the alarm light failed to work and both David and I slept through the radio alarm even though it was on for an hour!
The dog had spent the night scratching at the door to be let back up to the bedroom where he likes to sleep. Then when I had a shower the drain was partially blocked and I nearly flooded the bathroom.
Then I looked out of the window to see that our front fence was being blown over and a side panel has also broken in the overnight storms.
Oh and the outside light bulb at the front of the house has gone again!!

So I will not grumble - it is just part of life!

Hope your 2012 gets off to a good start!! LOL

Newest member of our family!!

2011-12-29T01:17:00.000-08:00

David and I would like to welcome the newest member of our family

Meet Rhea

(Sorry it is a bad, blurry photo but she moves too fast)

Rhea is a Yorkshire Terrier, 5 weeks old so still with her mother Maggie.

She will be a companion to Socx our Jack Russell Terrier

She is named after Rhea a Titan Goddess married to Cronus (king of the Titans)

RHEA was the mother of the gods, and a goddess of female fertility, motherhood, and generation. Her name means "flow" and "ease."

She will be coming home to us on 15th Jan 2012 - I will keep you updated

Remember.....................

2011-12-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

The reason that I am posting this on my blog is because having talked to local people in Luxor, Egypt they believe that these FACTS are exaggerated...........................................

GeneralEisenhower Warned Us.

It is a matter of history thatwhen the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight Eisenhower,found the victims of the death camps he ordered all possible photographs to betaken, and for the German people from surrounding villages to be usheredthrough the camps and even made to bury the dead.

He did this because he said in words to this effect:
'Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses - becausesomewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say that thisnever happened'

This week, the UK debated whether to remove The Holocaust from its schoolcurriculum because it 'offends' the Muslim population which claims it neveroccurred. It is not removed as yet.. However, this is a frightening portent ofthe fear that is gripping the world and how easily each country is giving intoit.

It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended...This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the, six millionJews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians, and 1,900 Catholic priestsWho were 'murdered, raped, burned, starved, beaten, experimented on andhumiliated' while many in the world looked the other way!

Now, more than ever, with Iran , among others, claiming the Holocaust to be'a myth,' it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets.

How many years will it be before the attack on the World Trade Center
'NEVER HAPPENED',

because it offends some Muslim???
FREEDOM ISN'T FREE...SOMEONE HAD TO PAY FOR IT!

What a shock !!

2011-12-01T08:22:00.001-08:00

Well good grief what a shock when we got back home from our holiday. I know that the youngsters like to 'enjoy themselves' whilst we are away (that much is given) but the drunken state and debauchery were staggering to behold..........................

Just look at these photos............................. need I say more???

Dinner with good friends

2011-11-14T13:52:00.001-08:00

I just had to post this photo taken on Saturday when David and I were lucky enough to have dinner with our good friends Michael and Sue with Lyn and Fraser.

Michael & Sue, Me, Fraser & Lyn

We had a wonderful evening with good food and even better conversation. Just for the occasion I wore a sari, a bit 'over the top' but great fun.

Thank you to Michael and Sue for such a wonderful evening.

Gardening Weekend

2011-10-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had a 'work party' arrive to help David and I with getting the 8 allotment beds ready for winter. Ellie and Tom agreed to give us a hand as long as there was plenty of tea and 'incentives' (mostly cake and scones, jam and cream).

Well thank goodness the weekend weather was fine, it would have been really horrible if it had been raining. We weeded all the beds and dug out all the roots. Several beds had loads of carrots, shallots and potatoes still growing that we had to remove before we could clear the weeds. I hasten to add we had only just acquired these beds as our neighbours felt the commitment to the allotment was too onerous, so they were not our weeds!!

We did manage to clear all the beds on the Saturday and get them all edged. Tom had great fun setting fire to the debris although at one point it did seem the flames would melt a plastic bin nearby.

On Sunday morning in between the rugby final and the football final we managed to mulch the beds with manure and cover them with black polythene. All of this would not have been possible without Tom and Ellie's help - thank you so much!

Now my back aches and I feel sore all over so thank goodness that is over, I have told David that is the last time I do the beds, he is on his own from now on!

The funniest thing was when our neighbour telephoned on Saturday evening to ask if we had managed to harvest any carrots before we prepared the beds, I replied that we did have some and would bring them round. Tom suggested that I take the veg round and then they would bring all the rest of the carrots. So I duly carried round a couple of plastic bags of potatoes, carrots and shallots - then about 30 seconds later Ellie and Tom appeared carrying 3 buckets of carrots and dumped them on the doorstep! Chris and Steve were not sure whether to laugh or cry! We must have harvested about 20 lbs of carrots! Carrot cake, carrot soup, carrot dips..... what else can you do with carrots?

Sahara Sisters Hafla 2011

2011-10-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

On 30 September this year the Sahara Sisters had their annual hafla (party) just for fun. We love to dance for pleasure and to entertain so our party reflects this and we have so many diverse dance styles from members of our group.

I danced 8 dances with 7 changes of costume and if you remember that Friday was a really hot day and my costumes actually stuck to me, Carole had to pull some of my outfits off me as they were so stuck! This year a colleague of mine, David Douglas, brought his mobile photo studio and did back stage shots of the performers. So I would get madly changed, rush down to the studio for shots in that outfit, then dash backstage ready to perform. I used a whole can of the cooling mist that evening!

We were really lucky to have some wonderful guest performers and I nabbed Carmen for a photo with me.

Vanessa & Carmen
Ideal Images Ltd

What was really amazing was we had well over 200 people in the audience! About 60 of those were dancers which means we had over 140 ordinary members of the public come to our Hafla, that is what I mean when I say that the Sahara Sisters dance for enjoyment.

Corsley Show 2011 Update!

2011-09-19T00:39:00.000-07:00

At last I have a photo of my costume that I danced in at the Corsley Show!

This was the first time that I have worn this outfit since I bought it in Cairo this year!!

It did make rather a splash at the show when I walked around the site! LOL I do love to dress up and this is the ultimate!

I am so lucky to be able to dance with such a wonderful group of ladies, they have fun and dance for enjoyment and that is the true origin of belly dance.

The lady behind me is Helen, she is so talented having devised the choreography for several of our dances - thank you Helen.

Corsley Show - Bank Holiday Monday

2011-09-01T05:03:00.000-07:00

Wow another Corsley Show has been and gone and I am still tired (totally shattered actually) but overall it was a good show and lots of people seemed to enjoy themselves.

Debbie & Mike Green

I usually spend the whole day in the Horticulture and Craft tent processing the judging of the entries and this year we had over 985 items entered into 196 classes and each class can record a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and highly commended - no way can we do that by hand so Mike Green and I use 2 laptops linked together to put the results on a database that he has created, just the sort of geeky stuff that I like doing. Well we did have some fun this year, the generator was surging so badly that Mike's A3 printer started to 'smoke' and both the power lines to the laptops got fried!! Now at this point I should have been panicking but I knew I had a spare power line at home and once that was retrieved all went well................................Well then the public got let into the tent and the queries started about who won what with how many points!!!! Enough said.

Sahara Sisters

I was so pleased that some of the Sahara Sisters visited the show and danced throughout the day and I did manage to have a dance with them. The SS had set up 2 gazeebos and linked them together, one was used for changing and the other to shelter from the wind, it was a bit chill at times as the show site is quite high up and exposed. I changed into my pink performance dress and went for a walk around the showground to drum up support. (When I have a photo I will upload it). We had a good crowd watching us dance and them some of the public joined us for a free dance. Good fun.

It takes a committee of 8 just to run the Horticulture and Craft Tent with all the planning that is needed. The marquee went up last Thursday and was finally ready by lunchtime on Sunday, Show Day, Monday and the tent was cleared by 6pm! The de-construction is just so fast and all we were left with was 4 tables and assorted chairs ready for our meal before we go home. Lynn Mills and her family kindly provided the main course and with help we have a wonderful get-together at the end of the day.

So we cracked open the champagne last night and celebrated a successful show! Planning for 2012 starts on October 24th the next meeting!

Dinner in Temple

2011-07-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

On Saturday evening David, myself and Socx were invited to dinner by our good friends Dee and Mike.

Yes Socx was included in the invitation to dinner and had a grand evening with 4 other dogs, Buddy, Libby, Fern and a delightful Jack Russell bitch called Prudence, known to all as Pru.

Greetings were made on arrival with some of the pack getting so excited they had to rush out into the garden for a wee.

Dinner was taken in the kitchen in strict 'doggy' rotation with Libby being first and as visiting dog Socx was served last. On the menu was spaghetti with non-meat burgers and sun blushed tomatoes piled on top of a dog biscuit crust. Chef was gratified to find that all bowls were licked clean and checked by all dogs to ensure nothing remained.
Dessert was 'doggy chocolate drops' this is where Socx excelled showing off his various tricks including one that Dee has taught him of dancing on his hind legs.

Socx was enamoured of Pru and spent a considerable part of the evening bothering her to the point where Pru went to sleep on the back of the settee out of the way of Socx.

I should also say that David and I had a wonderful time with Dee and Mike, our dinner was excellent and the conversation flowed. I only hope we did not outstay our welcome as we were rather late home!!

Pru asleep out of Socx's reach

Summer Break

2011-07-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

David, Socx and I have just returned from our Summer Break. We took a 'staycation' in Dorset, my home county. The weather was indifferent but not bad and certainly did not spoil our plans at all - we had no plans!

On the Monday when it really was raining hard we did not feel at all guilty about having an afternoon nap in the car overlooking the beach, followed by tea and cake followed by another nap, even the dog just slept.

We did go out every day and visited some wonderful places in Dorset, Lyme Regis was glorious and we had a very pleasant spot for our picnic lunch on the South West Coast Path. This was our view as we had our lunch.

Part of the 'Jurassic Coast' - the Dorset coastline.

I just liked the picture of these clouds, proves that the weather was not too bad!

This is The Cobb in Lyme Regis, we were lazing on the grass overlooking it.

Socx enjoying the sunshine and below with his 'sunnies' on!

I really do love Dorset, one day I will live there next to the beach.

Sandbanks Beach

2011-07-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

Socx & Ellie

Every year Ellie and I make a date to go to the beach, taking the dog with us. Come rain or shine we have this one day out together just to enjoy ourselves. With our hectic diaries we have to book the date months in advance and we never know if the weather will be good or not.

This year it had rained each day right up to the Saturday but on the Sunday the day was just gloriously hot in Wiltshire and we set off for the beach. We always go to Sandbanks beach opposite Poole Harbour, even in the summer they have a small section of beach where dogs are welcome all year round and this is where we headed for.

First dip in the sea!

We were disappointed when we arrived at about 10:30am there was a sea mist just shrouding the beach that came inland about 1/2 mile. So a quick visit to my neice Debbie to have a cup of tea and bask in the sunshine in her garden, which is only about 2 miles from the beach.

We were very lucky that the mist did slowly lift and we had a glorious afternoon on the beach.

Lunch first with a proper picnic basket and tablecloth and napkins, glasses of juice and sand in the sandwiches!! I love eating out of doors and this is just the perfect beach for us.

Socx has never liked going in the sea but we put him in and he ran out.
Then he went in again and ran out..............you get the idea!!

Ellie and I just chatted and made plans for visiting, I have always wanted her to live about 20 mins away from us but she thinks 2 1/4 hours away is fine!! It does stop me from popping in for a 'cup of tea'.

We did get some sleep in the afternoon sun, with appropriate shade for Socx

A perfect Sunday with daughter and dog!

I hope there is more sun to come.......

Theatre in the Rain

2011-06-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

On Saturday evening David and I went with friends to see Much Ado About Nothing by the Rain or Shine Theatre Company. It was an outdoor event and with the rain we have been having recently we dressed accordingly, waterproof trousers and coat, woolly hat, gloves and scarves - I know it is the middle of June!

We were very wise, it hammered with rain but still the actors continued into the dark and stormy night!! Sounds lyrical but it was very soggy and great fun. Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy and quite 'light' for Shakespeare so even David understood and enjoyed it. The audience were laughing at all the right places and we all enjoyed ourselves.

Rain or Shine Theatre Company, Much Ado About Nothing

The play was staged at the Manor House in Corsley so we did not have far to travel.

Started the evening with a supper of casserole and potatoes with chunks of bread. The casserole contained 1 wild boar, 2 deer and 3 haunch of beef. Apparently some wild boar had escaped locally and had to be shot as they are a danger in the local woods, so he was very tasty.

Later in the evening we had coffee and hot chocolate with Drambuie, with apple and rhubarb cake (home made by me!)

Great evening out, even with the rain.

A May Sunday

2011-05-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

Well what a wonderful day!

A friend called and asked if I would like to take Socx (our dog) for a walk with his ferret. I did not know that you could walk a ferret on a lead but that is what he does now he has a small harness that fits the ferret. So Socx and I went round to his house but that is where the problems started, Marcus could not catch the ferret and when he did Socx decided that a small furry creature needed to be attacked and shaken to death - which is after all what Jack Russell dogs do. I am so glad that Socx is small enough that I can just about hang onto him and the ferret only got a nip on his back.

Needless to say the ferret and dog walk did not take place and I took Socx to the town park for a good run around, sorry ferret!

This afternoon the weather did not really know what it was doing and it was just a bit too windy to snooze in the garden after lunch so I retired to the summer house and 2 hours later I woke up! So up for a cup of tea and get the garden ready for Lyn & Fraser who came round for a drink by the chiminea. We were lucky that the thunder did not arrive until later and then the best bit of the day in the low evening sun with all the rain, a rainbow just glowing in the sky.

There is a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow and it is the friends we had just been drinking and chatting with, just grand!

Garden

2011-04-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

I do love my garden and this Easter we have been blessed with the most amazing weather so I have spent the last 2 days working in the garden.
Well not working all the time, yesterday I did fall asleep after lunch and woke about 2 hours later but that is what gardens are for!

When Stuart and Eleanor were young children we would go out every weekend for a walk in the countryside or visit an English Heritage or National Trust site. We lived in RAF quarters and the gardens were never inspiring, mostly a green space with a green oil tank, so they never took a lot of looking after and we had plenty of time to go out every weekend.

Patio and summerhouse in our garden

Now my garden is so interesting that I am glad to have the weekends to spend in the garden without having to go out. On a bank holiday weekend it is wonderful to have the weather to just sit and read the newspaper or like this evening we had dinner outside by the chiminea and then I sat out for the rest of the evening just feeding the fire and lighting candles. I have a lot of candles and lanterns in the garden and it takes about 1/2 hour to light them all but then the glow is magical.

I sit in the small summerhouse next to the patio, light the candles and drink a glass of wine just watching the sky and trying to spot the bats as they leave their roost.

Tomorrow I will have to have a bonfire with all the wood that I have cut down today, my hand is rather sore with using the secateurs all afternoon, so I will have to rest it tomorrow.

Or I could use the chain saw but then there will be more to burn!

Perhaps I will do my sewing in the garden, or sit next to the pond and watch the tadpoles and newts - another favourite activity of mine. I know that I am very lucky to have such a wonderful garden and this Easter we are all lucky with the glorious weather.

Happy Easter.

Night at the Gin Joint

2011-04-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

What fun we had on Saturday evening, The Sahara Sisters danced 4 routines at Broughton Gifford Community Hall in aid of charity.

A 'Night at the Gin Joint' was a cabaret of talent and we were honored to be asked to close the show with 'The Hot Sisters' routine Hot Stuff.

Helen did the routine and found the red sparkly material for our outfits.

This is Helen ready for the 'Little Egypt' routine which she also choreographed.

Just after dancing 'Buttons' the only place we could take a photo was in the car park

This was our swan song, the last time we performed Hot Stuff - we think enough people have seen it and will get bored seeing it too often.

Buy 'Hot Stuff'

Birthday Party

2011-04-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I had organised a 'mid decade' birthday party for my friends and family. I so enjoyed the chocolate fountain that I had 5 years ago that I wanted an excuse for another one.

And I was not disappointed!! It was lush.

Me sampling the fountain!

The Sahara Sisters were kind enough to come and dance for us, with me joining in of course!

'The Hot Sisters'

We danced burlesque, Bollywood and Egyptian. The Sahara Sisters are very versatile.

Birthday cake

A very kind friend made me a wonderful Birthday Cake which was mostly consumed that evening along with the Sausage & Mash with Red Onion Gravy served up by Melanie.

That evening we collected money for a Flour Mill for Ameena & Abult in Luxor and we raised £355.50 which with the money I have already saved means that we can buy the mill and truck it back from Cairo. So a big thank you to everyone who has made this possible, I am looking forward to telling Ameena & Abult when I visit them in May.

The Perigee Moon

2011-03-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday evening I was driving to Swindon with 3 friends to dance at a 'Hafla' (party). Part of the route took us along the M4 motorway heading east as I drove over a rise in the road there in front of us was the moon but not an ordinary moon, it was HUGE in the sky.

We were all amazed how beautiful the moon looked and no-one had a camera, so I have found the best photos to show you what we saw.

David said that it was a 'Perigee Moon' which refers to how close the moon is to the Earth. It was such a wonderful colour and we had caught it just as it broke over the horizon. The moon was just so orange with red craters and marks, even later that night it was hard to realise that the silver small moon high in the sky was the same object.

This really is the closest colour I can find to what we saw.

It was very distracting trying to drive and look but we were lucky on the motorway to drive towards the moon as it rose in the sky for about 15 minutes.

How lucky we were to see such a moon!

Paintings

2011-03-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

Last weekend David and I visited the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and whilst David went off to see the Ancient World section I headed to the Pre-Raphaelite gallery as this is my favourite period for art.

I do not like all Pre-Raphaelite paintings but this one really caught my attention.

The Afterglow in Egypt by William Holman Hunt

I love her face and the colour of her dress and it looks so rustic and being set in Egypt it also appeals to me. I would love to have a print of it and hang it in the flat in Luxor, so I was looking on the web to see if I could order a print online and I found that Hunt went through several stages with this painting and that there is a slightly different one, that may have been earlier.

I think that I prefer this one as her dress looks richer and I like her carrying the wheat on her head.

Silver Favourites by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

My love of Pre-Raphaelite paintings started years ago in France when I spotted a poster that really had me fascinated.

Silver Favourites was the first poster I bought for our home

Closely followed by these pictures

Coign of Vantage - Alma-Tadema

Flaming June

Nausicaa

The Music Lesson

I get a thrill when I get the chance to see the real paintings. 'Flaming June' is a massive painting over 20ft high and wide, I have seen it once in real life and was just mesmerised at the shear scale of the art. Wonderful.

Party in Wantage

2011-03-13T04:21:00.000-07:00

Last night Ellie, my daughter, organised a surprise birthday party for her boyfriend Tom. She had a local venue in Wantage near Oxford and had taken a lot of time getting posters of Tom enlarged for the walls, organising lots of food and drink, DVD of Tom from his parents archive and music.
Lots of Tom's uni friends, work colleagues and relatives were there and right up until he walked into the hall he really did not know about the event! Well done to Ellie for keeping it secret for 9 months.


Ellie and Tom

David and I had helped her during the day and in the evening I was clearing up as time went on. The shock for me is that I have turned into my sister!

Geraldine would spend entire parties or family gatherings clearing up, donning the rubber gloves and washing up and I was doing the same thing yesterday evening! But I remember thinking Geraldine should just enjoy the party and we would all clear up later. Now I am like my sister and I hate that.

When did I get like that?? I never wanted to be like either of my sisters (no worry they will never read this blog). Still I was thinking that as Ellie had put so much effort into last night that she should enjoy it with Tom and I could keep things tidy and make the final clear up easier - perhaps that is what Geraldine was thinking all those years ago....hmmmmmm...........makes me wonder.

Early mornings

2011-03-09T13:45:00.000-08:00

Every Wednesday morning I have to get up early for a Business breakfast meeting. This morning as I left the house the road was quiet and all I could hear were the birds singing. It was a lovely sound to hear; I suppose it is the sound of Spring in the air.

Warminster Town Park

Later as I was walking Socx in the local park I saw the mallards chasing a lone female duck; a more aggressive sign of Spring.

The local water meadows are one of our favourite places for a walk and the dipping pond has masses of frog spawn in it; a wonderful sign of Spring.

Smallbrook Meadows, Warminster

What Socx really prefers to do at Smallbrook Meadows is run in the sticky mud and of course he did that today. He has still not learnt that when he is that dirty I dump him in the stream to clean his feet.

Still for the first time today he had an appointment with 'Pampured Pooch' so he came home really clean (it will not last long!)

I was a very proud dog owner when Angela said he had been a very well behaved dog whilst he was with her.

Cinderella, ballet

2011-03-06T01:18:00.000-08:00

Last night I was fortunate enough to go and see Matthew Bourne's ballet Cinderella. Set in the London blitz of 1940 it was an amazingly different interpretation of this ballet and such fun to watch. There was so much going on on stage that I am sure I missed half the action and the fact that Cinderella was really plain was wonderful.

Here is the angel Fairy Godmother

Cinders off to the Cafe de Paris in the motorcycle sidecar

Wicked stepmother, her hat was a shoe, very appropriate!

Cinders dancing with her angel

Cinders dancing with her Prince

The Fairy Godmother was a white angel and when Cinders went to the Cafe de Paris she went in a motorcycle sidecar. All the different story telling made this a wonderful treat to watch.
I was also lucky enough to go with a very good friend Lyn who made the whole event so much fun. It is amazing what you can chat about with a really close friend and it made the journey fly by. 185 miles round trip and so worth it.

I would love to have a dress like Cinders just for 1 night

Life in Luxor

2011-03-03T14:19:00.000-08:00

At the moment would be a wonderful time to visit Luxor, Egypt because it is so quiet. But that also creates big problems for most of the locals who rely on the daily monies from tourists to live.

As I saw mentioned on the web yesterday behind every man in Luxor is a very large family who rely on him for their food and essentials. There will be mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, wife and many children, then the brothers and their wives and children and the cousins.... well you get the idea. So life at the moment is not at all easy in Luxor and probably over other parts of Egypt where they rely on tourists.

I did have a couple who visited about 10 days ago and they said that they were the only people staying in the hotel. He said it was strange to have 2 for breakfast, 2 for lunch and 2 for dinner. When they visited the sites they had a wonderful time, with no-one getting in the way of the photos. Karnak temple normally has about 6000 visitors a day, the average at the moment is 45!

I personally cannot wait to go out and see my friends and my 'second family', just to sit and drink tea and talk. I would also do a couple of tours with my favourite guide Mansour. After all the photos would be amazing.

Myself and Mansour - 2007

Helpful People

2011-03-02T15:09:00.000-08:00

I have just spent the last hour talking to my web designer at 10 o'clock at night! Mike loves the challenge of changing websites and when I asked him to link this blog to my website he was up to the task.

I consider myself lucky to have such enthusiastic people to help me, I can do accounts but Mike does all my computer stuff, file server, pc's and laptops.

Each year in August we have the Corsley Show here in the village and Mike has now produced a quick and easy way to record the judging of the Horticulture & Craft classes. We get over 1000 entries, have a group of about 12 judges and well over 40 cups and prizes to enter; so it is a major task to record all the judging and get the right results for the competitors. Last year we ran with Mike's new computer programme and it was wonderful, easy and the job was done quickly.

So here are 3 cheers to Mike Green from Rose Computers for all his help and expertise. I am glad to know you - thank you.

The cups & prizes that we award at the Corsley Show

Mike and myself hard at work recording all the results for the Corsely Show

Mornings

2011-03-02T03:49:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday mornings each week I attend a Network Business Meeting that starts at 6:30am. This morning when I left the house at 6:15am I was greeted with birds singing brightly and the heady perfume from the shrubs around the front door. It was a wonderful start to the day.

As I drove over to the meeting the sky looked almost deep purple as the sun was rising. Not as good as these photos but inspiring all the same. Have a wonderful day!

Breaking News!!

2011-02-26T03:17:00.000-08:00

2 items of breaking news:

We have frog spawn and I have spotted 3 frogs in the pond this morning.

It is warm and dry enough to hang the washing outside today - hurrah. Spring is on its way!

Home

2011-02-26T00:26:00.000-08:00

I love my home.

In my job I am lucky enough to work in other people's homes, houses and offices and it never ceases to amaze me how different they all are.
I work in a warehouse where there is a large hot air blower and small heaters provided at each desk, all in an effort to keep us warm as we work. Then I visited a town centre office where I could not detect any heat on at all and my hands got so cold I had trouble using the computer. Aren't people strange?

I have also seen houses where there is a flat screen TV in every room on the wall, even the bathroom has one. Well I do not think I could find enough to watch on TV for one in each room!

It made me think about my own home, which I love. The internal glass wall in the lounge, which was one of the first features that we liked when we first saw the house and the large and varied garden at the back and the front. In April this year we will have lived in this house for 10 years and I am amazed how quickly the time has gone. When David was in the RAF we moved quarters about every 2 -3 years and each one was a home but did not belong to us. So this is our first home that we have owned and lived in as a family.
When we arrived 10 years ago I was so sick of RAF colour schemes (magnolia, ivory or deep cream) that every room in this house was painted with colour. Purple in the hall, gold in the lounge, yellow in the master bedroom - you get the idea. Eleanor painted her bedroom ceiling navy blue with glowing stars stuck all over the ceiling and walls. Now that this room is our office it must look a bit strange to visitors!
Any visitors to our home will know that the downstairs loo has Star Trek wall art. I was planning on painting a scene scape all along the hall, up the stairs and along the landing but in the end I painted just the downstairs loo. (I think David was quite relieved that it was just the loo). The bottom half is black and shows an alien landscape with the sky above. Those who are observant will also notice in the corner the shape of Cley Hill our local beauty spot!

So thank you to the Universe for allowing me and my family a wonderful home, we are lucky.

Nature

2011-02-25T14:23:00.000-08:00

I love this planet that we live on and try each day to say thank you to the Universe for the day. Even if the day is grey and rainy - well if you can see and feel the rain then you must be alive and there you are fortunate.

The devastation in Christchurch is awful, causing so much pain that is clearly etched on the faces of family and friends who have lost loved ones. Nature and the Universe are more powerful than we can ever imagine and still have the power to devastate our lives. My heart goes out to all people who are hurting, frightened and destroyed - wherever they are

If you have roof over your head, food on table and your own free will then you are better off than 75% of the people on this planet. Shocking and sad.

Funny Incident!

2011-02-23T04:31:00.000-08:00

I was working late on Monday evening, just making sure that I had all the little things done for clients that often take a long time. So David was already asleep when I had finished and in order not to disturb him I switched off all the lights in the house as I went to bed.

I am very used to finding my way around the house in the dark without problems but I was looking for my PJ's on the bed when I found a hairy bundle asleep on my pillow! It was the dog who had not been put in the utility room for the night; he gave me a fright, I had not seen or heard him and I was not expecting him to be on my pillow - and I still could not find my PJ's.

Suffice to say Socx stayed the night in bed with us as I was too tired to move him downstairs. He tends to sleep across the top of my pillow so I get the bottom half. Good thing he is such a small dog.

For all non-dog owners: you will not understand how I can let my dog sleep with us: just me, I love it and I still sleep soundly (Socx does not snore!)

Socx and David in the garden

Old Photos

2011-02-18T15:02:00.000-08:00

I am compiling a book of photos of my life, not many words, just lots of photos.

This is me on my 8th birthday

I am not sure about my 'styled hair' I think my Mum had used her curling irons on it!

I think Mum probably made my dress. I have always loved sewing and I remember Mum's Singer hand sewing machine. When I was 18 Mum & Dad bought me an electric sewing machine and I loved it. I upgraded my machine when I got married and I still have that machine today.

Some of my more recent items have been 2 kimonos which are now out in Luxor and are great for covering up and a new dress based on a 1950 'tea dress' pattern from the V&A.

When David was in the RAF I would make 2 ball dresses each year, a grand one for the Summer Ball and another one for the Christmas Draw. Most of these dresses are now hanging in the loft - I do not think I would fit into any of them now LOL

Dog Walking

2011-02-17T08:03:00.000-08:00

I have been out this morning to a breakfast meeting (I really went because I wanted to see the hotel where it was held) then immediately after that I went to see my first client in his house to get his VAT return done. I finished there and got back home about 1:30pm and had some lunch.
Now really after lunch I should have got back to work in the office (4th bedroom) but Socx started to howl and whine when David put his shoes on as he thought he was going to have a walk but NO, David was only going into town. So I should be working, Socx is giving me a hopeful look he really wants a walk and he makes me feel guilty for not walking him. So there really is no option here, I get his collar and lead and we are off out.

We just walk across from our house, down country lanes and up bridleways to fields where Socx can run and I am pleased that I took him out. The sun has warmed my face and with so many snowdrops around it does rather look like spring is on its way. Even the temperature has risen a little and our walk is lovely.

Socx is a bit naughty as he woofs at the cows; I rather wish they would moo back at him and frighten him then he would leave them alone. We are very lucky that the cows are used to dogs and walkers and take no particular notice of him.

Now I am still feeling guilty................ well I am writing a blog instead of working!! Back to my clients, bye.

Egyptian Riot Gear

2011-02-15T08:21:00.000-08:00

I had to share these photos, spotted on the streets of Cairo during the recent unrest

Egyptian people are very resourceful as I have seen firsthand!

Your classic 1979 ‘Tribottle rag’ helmet – a must in any type of combat

A renaissance period piece of brickwear teamed with a black and cream scarf. Textbook

I love this man's pose - 'I am fine now and very secure' - wonderful

Weight Loss

2011-02-15T06:12:00.000-08:00

I always weigh myself on a Tuesday morning, first thing and I only weigh myself once a week. I have lost 1lb this week and am now down to 12st 3lbs. This is from a starting point of 14st 2lbs in March 2010. I fluctuate around the 12st 2 - 12st 3 mark which over the winter here in UK is fine.

But in the past week we have eaten an M&S meal (the Valentine meal that cost £20 for 2 people) and I have personally eaten a whole very large box of Jelly Babies. - well they are under 5% fat. So why have I lost weight? I suppose I have walked the dog more; one morning it was sunny and bright and Socx and I were out at about 8am (which is very early for me) and a bit of a shock for Socx. Hopefully as the weather warms into spring we can have more of these early morning forays into the lanes around our house.

Still there may be no walk today as the rain is still falling very hard and I should be working! I aswage my guilt by playing games indoors with Socx.

Crocus

2011-02-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

Over the past few days I have been reading blogs from all over the world as I try to find out what is going on in Luxor, Egypt. I am fascinated by how people live their lives and the world that we live in; for that reason I am trying out this blog as a way of reminding myself of the wonderful things I see each day.

I was walking Socx (my small dog) in a meadow in the centre of Warminster today and we passed by a small steep garden, under the trees was a carpet of crocus all pale lilac and glowing in the low sun of the late afternoon. It made me smile.

I work at home and I am still working often late into the evening, so why do I feel guilty about taking Socx for a walk? I am leaving my work/clients, he is a dog and he needs a walk. I also benefit from the walk - so why the guilt? Then I get home and snap at David because I ask him to do some work but it gets passed back to me to finish - ho hum!