Well, what did you used to do on a cold winter's evening before you discovered blogging? I used to watch loads of old crap on TV...and I was always tucked up in bed by 10.30... come to think about it I felt much better first thing on a morning then
I learnt how to use a computer but I didn't know about blogs...i'd heard of chat rooms but didn't like the idea of them so I used to play lots of this:-

It seems like light years ago now
Blimey, I bet i've even forgotten how to play it.

You might have seen this before
---

ALZHEIMERS' EYE TEST

Count every " F" in the following text:

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS...

(SEE BELOW)

HOW MANY ?

WRONG, THERE ARE 6 -- no joke.
READ IT AGAIN !
Really, go Back and Try to find the 6 F's before you scroll down.

The reasoning behind is further down.

>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The brain cannot process "OF".
>>>>>>>
Incredible or what? Go back and look again!!

Anyone who counts all 6 "F's" on the first go is a genius.
Three is normal, four is quite rare.

How did U do?

I got only four first go ....not a genius then

Can you guess which ballet i'm going to see this Xmas time then?

TCHAIKOVSKY'S 'THE NUTCRACKER SUITE'

performed entirely on bicycle parts

PEDALS CLIPPING
SPOKES TURNING
DERAILLER CABLES PLUCKING
FREEWHEEL SPINNING
CALIPER BRAKES CLAMPING
PEDALS HAMMERING
DISC BRAKES HITTING
SPOKES PLUCKING
SHIFTERS CLICKING
CHAINS A PULLING
BRAKES SQUEAKING

Who needs a Glockenspiel?

click below and enjoy this tune
http://www.specialized.com/bc/microsite/holiday/

btw.. I have wittled this blog down from 753 posts to 685 663 so far but have a long way to go

On Saturday afternoon one of my regular female customers aged about 50 came in and I greeted her. She didn't look very bright so I asked her ..in passing..if she was alright.
"No" she said "My step-dad was found dead in his chair the day before yesterday" then she burst into tears "the funeral is on Thursday".
I put my arm around her to comfort her and offered my condolences, then through her tears she went on to say "My brother found him and phoned his daughter to come around and the first thing she said as she came through the door.. while he was there dead in the chair was .. "where's his wallet"
I'm used to the general gossip and chit chat from customers but I was genuinely concerned that in her time of grief this was the first thing she could think to say to me..a casual aquaintance.
I told her not to fret so and off she went on her way.

Goodness me the hatred must run deep

Time to resurrect this old pic again

I'm having a tidy up of my blog. I am deleting some posts and making my main blog more manageable...no-one reads old posts anyhow...do they?

Are they a TOY or a SHOE? ... Roller shoes, that is!

They are accidents waiting to happen
These trendy wheeled sneakers that let kids zip along across playgrounds and through crowds could also send them rolling into emergency rooms on a stretcher, say doctors who blame a rash of injuries on them.

A few months ago in the supermarket foyer where I work I noticed a gradual increase in the amount of kiddies coming in who were wearing these so called shoes. I ignored "it" at first; for whereas we don't allow roller skates, roller blades, skate boards or bicycles into the store the odd child with these on seemed quite insignificant.
BUT NOW They are driving me CRAZY

Ours is an extremely busy store and at the weekends there is a constant stream of customers filtering in and out with no let up. There are customers with trolleys, buggies, invalid scooters, old ladies in wheelchairs....and...it seems, every third or fourth child comes zooming in with a pair of these things on their feet.
Do they really belong on regular shoes so that kids are skating alongside walking kids and adults?
Why should we allow kids to skateboard in supermarkets...admittedly I feel like a killjoy when I request that the child refrains from rollering in the store as the surface is ideal for this pastime, but how come parents can't see how dangerous it is?...both to them and to others.
With roller shoes there is no warning that suddenly a kid will come zooming down an aisle and around the corner where there could be any number of obstacles in the way.
We are having an increasing number of customers making official complaints about the children bumping into them when in 'flight'
If a parent wants their kids to wear these by all means go ahead, after all I loved my roller skates when I was a child but PLEASE get them to roll responsibly on bike paths, in your own drive, in an open park...anywhere but not in MY store....thankyou.

I got to thinking on my birthday that however old I got I would never be as old as the two people in this video.

I went searching for some pics of when they were young and came across this.. I remember them very well from the time this vid was filmed but cannot remember them pairing up for this rendition
of I GOT YOU BABE

Ah, well..enough reminiscing for one day as I have to go to work soon...chow

As I enter the beginning of my 60th year on this earth

It's birthday time again for me
Another year's gone by,
I'm older than I used to be
The thought could make me cry.

For getting older is not such fun
As it was some way right back,
It’s agony now if I have to run,
And a pleasure to lie in the sack.

Yes getting older is quite a bore,
But not to get old is worse.
So "Bring it on!" I shout once more,
And to heck with our ride in the hearse!

He started out this way

Then he progressed to this

and finally he was reduced to this :

He was very lucky if it was only his legs that were missing

It has been a sort of 'you're getting to be an old lady' sort of a day today
Firstly I decided to act upon the information given to me in my state old age pension forecast.
I phoned a very nice young woman in Newcastle who was very helpful when I asked her why I had to pay voluntary class 3 national insurance contributions for some past years. I had been given a pension forecast of 71% and if I paid them some money then it would make it about 84%.
We worked out (the woman on the phone and I) just how many weeks of receiving my pension it would take before I recouped the amount paid and we concluded that it was well worthwhile to pay
She explained this with clarity, which was useful, but then I suppose she is used to dealing with elderly people 'cos we can't usually grasp things first time round you know

T'old man's showing his age too...he hasn't been to the pub for a week again (although he has arranged to meet a mate tomorrow) so this morning he popped down to the shop and came back with two bags of boiled sweets, 'Yorkshire mixture' they're called and he's sat downstairs sucking one as I speak
Finally I have noticed that I am going to the loo more frequently today I hope it is because the weather is getting colder which is causing me to urinate more...either that or i'd better cut down my caffeine consumption

Look closely...it's not us

Maybe the inner pictures on the old couples faces is how they really feel.

BRITAIN GOES BONKERS FOR BIRTHDAY BANGERS!
Celebrate 10 years of British Sausage Week
What: British Sausage Week
When: Monday 15 th – Sunday 21 st October 2007
Where: Nationwide
Who: Organised by the British Sausage Appreciation Society in association with the Cystic Fibrosis Trust

http://www.britishsausageweek.com/

I thought to myself "How is the traditional british sausage and the British Sausage Appreciation Society connected with the Cystic Fibrosis Trust"? seeing as they are once again joining forces to help raise vital funds for the UK’s most common life threatening inherited disease.

On researching further I read their blurb and it stated that
"The partnership is a perfect fit as people with Cystic Fibrosis often have poor appetites and require diets high in calories and protein to maintain a good body weight, which helps fight infection".

I guess all charitable work is commendable so look out for fundraising events up and down the country.
------
In our household alas, we will not be eating any sausages (unless they are quorn) as we have been trying hard to lower t'old man's cholestrel levels to avoid the doctor prescribing even more tablets to add to the ones he already takes. He loves fatty meats so it is no mean feat but so far he has been very good
I remember posting a pic on here when it was British sausage week last year, so just for a bit of fun i'll post it again!lol

I hope you get the joke

The organisers of blog action day suggest we choose a topic related to our usual posts. As I work in a supermarket I chose ..CARRIER BAGS

When you buy something from a shop, there is a good chance you take the items home in a plastic carrier bag. Most of these plastic carrier bags are thrown away and end up in landfill sites, even though they could be used over and over again. The problem with plastic carrier bags ending up in landfill sites is that they are usually made from polyethylene, a type of plastic which is non-degradable. The plastic bags you dispose of could therefore take tens, if not hundreds of years to break down.
Although it is not always possible to avoid using plastic carrier bags completely, there are many ways to either reuse or recycle them. The supermarket where I work (along with many others) provides recycling collection points for you to return your used plastic carrier bags which I suppose is a start.
Here are some tips you can try to reuse and recycle your plastic carrier bags, all fairly obvious really but nevertheless :-

Keep a supply of carrier bags in the boot of your car to reuse each time you go to the supermarket
Use the plastic carrier bags as bin liners( this is what I do)
Use them to pick up dog mess from your garden or when you take your dog for a walk
Use old carrier bags to double bag food waste before disposing of it in your wheelie bin - this will help to reduce smells that can attract flies and vermin
Place old carrier bags at the bottom of hanging baskets and plant pots as this acts as a good drainage system
When going on holiday use some plastic bags to keep dirty or wet clothes and shoes away from clean clothing.

OK...now you've decided not to use so many carrier bags you'll need a strong shopping bag...so why not recycle a pair of demin jeans and make your own.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Pair of jeans
Scissors
Sewing machine or needle and thread
Cotton belt

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Zip the jeans and turn them inside out. With a pair of fabric scissors cut off both jean legs 3 inches from the crotch. Set aside. Next, fold the cutoff jeans, matching up the side seams as you would to press front and back leg pleats.

2. Using a sewing machine (or a close, even hand stitch), sew closed each leg opening 1 inch from the cut edge. Trim the denim 1/2 inch from the stitching.

3. Turn the jeans right-side out. For a handle, thread a cotton belt through the belt loops and tie the ends together.

Here is a pic of a completed bag being used for school books etc. but one could easily carry bottles of wine, chocolates etc. in it

I remember when my my little sister was a teenager she made a 'jean' bag maybe 35 years ago now and she really liked it a lot

I missed national poetry day the other week and now it seems that I have missed La Spice's competion... just as well really 'cos i've hardly ever written any.
Nevertheless, seeing as the subject was 'nightmares'
here's my little effort for myself
------

GO AWAY

I had a little nightmare
terror was its name
it haunted me by night
and daytime was the same

Nothing would erase it
it really was a pain
kept right on haunting me until
I believed I was insane.

Or maybe the last line could read "I nearly went insane!

At the closing ceremony the monks did a cultural performance, here are a few pics I took.

The completed sand mandala

A piece of merchandise the monks were selling

If you double click on the pic you might just read the 'monk's message'

I never got to see the Tibetan monks at work on the sand mandela yesterday so i'm heading out there now to try a catch a glimpse before they scoop the sand up again.
My sister went to leeds uni to take a look on wednesday and said it was very pretty and worth seeing. She said that when it is finished today they will break it up straight away(approx. 3pm) and give handfulls to the spectators who will then process to the river Aire to ceremoniously throw it in...a bit like scattering ashes eh.
It's not that i'm overly religious or anything it's just that I like to see different events as they unfold.
Catch you later then as it is work again this evening

Patricia, the 9 year old daughter of my hosts came home with her school reading book. It was a colourful children's picture book version of the classic Don Quixote de la Mancha.
I have to admit to never having read the book fully but I had some knowledge of the storyline. Patricia's book reaffirmed to me that Don Quixote is a book about imagination.
A middle-aged man goes mad after reading too many books about chivalry, he imagines he's a knight and that windmills are giants. His old nag becomes his steed 'Rocinante' and in his mind a farm girl becomes the lady whose honour he must defend 'Dulcinea'

This afternoon I met a friend to attend one of the Thursday matinee productions we enjoy at the Leeds Playhouse.
I was eagerly looking forward to today's show as it was an epic production of 'Don Quixote'..."Goody", I thought "I will be able to fill in the bits of the story that i'm not too sure about".
Well it doesn't work like that does it?? 'cos when a piece of theatre portrays imagination and fantasy it is best if one knows the story before-hand !...and when the the scenes which are set firmly in the 21st century but nonetheless successfully captures the spirit of the seventeenth century original, albeit in a surreal way, then it is even more important to be on the ball.

I THINK WHAT I SAW WAS SHEER GENIUS ..although many of the people in the audience were somewhat baffled and I can't say I blame them;
there were some wonderful moments, but a lot of what was happening on stage was downright baffling to the uninitiated.

One newspaper critic of the production said

Don Quixote is not the familiar comic figure, but is presented as a late middle-aged man dealing with delusions and despair. This is a theatrical misadventure of such epic proportions that the only charitable explanation is that everyone at West Yorkshire Playhouse is suffering some collective delusion.

Not being a journalist or even a writer of any description I couldn't possibly do justice in describing the play, all I can say is that the actors were first class with Don Quixote being played magnificently by Greg Hicks a well respected Shakespearian actor and his side-kick Sancho amusingly played by Tony Bell (with a northern accent).
The rest of the cast play multiple roles with great enthusiasm, changing characters as easily as they changed costumes creating a parade of exhibitionist chavvy characters and using a dispensing coke machine, blow-up dolls and flickering TVs as props.
Why is Don Quixote's niece dressed as a St Trinian's schoolgirl? Why did we have to see Sancho's bare bottom, why was there a 'gay' kiss, why did they do a Madonna routine mid show, why were two grown men bouncing about on two giant bouncy balls in nowt but their underpants.
Why was there so much passion and emotion at times, in the classical way from Don Quixote (Greg Hicks).. and why do I want to go see it all over again ??
Is it because of the tremendous acting or is it because maybe second time round I will make more sense of the story-line?

On the way out my friend remarked to me
"Well, that was certainly different!, good but puzzling -lol"
I turned to her and said somewhat condescendingly
"Look,if Quixote's imagination can turn inns into castles, windmills into giants and prostitutes into princesses then so can yours"

She nearly walloped me.

I've been watching breakfast TV again! BBC breakfast today.

New hoodie menace?... just what we don't need as if there isn't already enough intimidation in society already as it is!

Hooded jackets which zip up to completely mask the face are on sale in Birmingham shops, they zip up to completely mask the wearer's face.
Katie Rowlett, her face covered with a Hannibal jacket by clothing company Criminal Damage took to the streets of the city centre

She asked are the new 'hoodies' menacing, and an ideal cover for criminals? Or are they just the latest harmless fashion item

While most people just laughed and thought it was simple childish humour, others crossed the street and could barely look into the mesh eyes
.
This following comment would be my first reaction

"Some posed it would interfere with CCTV footage if the hoodies were used in criminal acts"

while others thought that it was up to an individual what they wanted to wear and that it would be rude to judge.

we are already advised to approach "plain" hoodie wearers to ask them to put their hood down if they enter the store with it up as it helps conceal identity.

I hope they don't catch on but I fear they might

I'm set up for the next couple of hours, i've eaten home made potato and leek soup for supper and am now listening to extracts of the Original Radio Ballads from 1958 to 1964
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/radioballads/original/ontheedge.shtml

I've listened to the audio of the "travelling people" and am half way through "On the Edge - Teenagers" and am identifying with it bigtime.

I think i'll listen to The "Big Hewer - coal mining" next and while i'm listening i'd better do some research on Gdansk 'cos all I know about it is Lech Walesa and the labor unrest in the Gdansk shipyards in 1980 and the creation of the Solidarity trade union, which soon led the push toward democracy
Here's a list of the tapes one can listen to.

The Ballad of John Axon - Railwaymen

Song of a Road Motorway- building

Singing the Fishing - Herring fishing

The Big Hewer- Coal mining

The Body Blow- Poliomyelitis

The Fight Game - Professional boxing

Travelling People - gypsies

On the Edge - Teenagers"

Did you see that nice Aled Jones on GMTV this morning? He sang a duet with the funky Cerys Matthews..an unlikely pairing I would have once thought..although they are both welsh I suppose.
I like Cerys and I loved the duet she sang with Tom Jones
"Baby, it's cold outside"

Well there I was tucked under my duvet when Aled and Cerys begin to sing, I was going to get up right then but corny as it is, their rendition of 'Some Kind Of Wonderful' was rather nice so I stayed, t'old man popped his head around the door and he agreed too

ON Wednesday 10th October 'Some Kind Of Wonderful' is released on the
Universal label as a single and I can see it being a big hit (especially with the oldies ).

I can't find a video of it yet on youtube but this version by Peter Cincotti performing on the streets of New York is pretty cool
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSHvsxWCqE0

------------- AUTUMN IN THE GARDEN-------------

After being at a loose end this morning it became obvious that t'old man was stopping off in town to partake of a couple of pints so I thought to myself that seeing as it was a lovely crisp autumnal day I would go for a little outing myself.
I walked through some country lanes and past some big houses with long drives, I've walked this way before and in november 2005 I posted a photo of a "sentry" at the bottom of one of the long drives,
A year later it was still there and then again when I walked past a couple of months ago, still doing its job.
So today when I strolled by I did a double take...I knew my eyesight was fading somewhat but I didn't think that I had double vision to this degree

Yes the cow has a mate..and don't they look just swell together

They have been Moooooooved back a little and now adorn the ornamental lampost....baah!!

How loose is 'at a loose end'?..as loose as you want to make it I guess.

Meantime i'm home alone and at a loose end.
What shall I do
I know i'll go on the computer and blog
What shall I blog about
I know i'll try to find a smiley to match my personna/persona or personae

I was so impressed with Lonemum's wonderful profile pic and how it matched her personae that (as I remarked to Adamantixx) I wondered if I could find one for me.

Unfortunately the image I found does not provoke the same feel good factor as LM's does..
it is definitely ME though

Well, I thought I can create a pic of my own with a smiley man in it so I said to Popeye and Olive Oyl.
"Come on you two..it's time you had an outing. get that smiley token out and get yourselves a trolley.

can you spot the smiley token in the pic?

They're coming to take me away haha...............

What smiley persona are you?

ps. i've found a nice smiley pic I might give you as a present later

Here it is

Have you ever seen this Lisbon tram Kiki.

I had to laugh when I came across it as we have just been talking about Coca cola...err.. I mean Cola cao

Anyone for Lisbon???

I witnessed the eclipse in Strasbourg, I saw the Pope in York, I even happened to pass by Tower Bridge when David Blaine was in his box so when I saw that a unique event is going to happen at Leeds University Parkinson Court, I thought that perhaps it would be worth taking a look.
The university will play host to six Tibetan Buddhist monks, who will be making a sand mandala. A sand mandala is an important ritual in Tibetan Buddhism, where the monks use a variety of tools to lay the sand in the intricate design of a mandala. The sand mandala will be a colourful, beautiful and mesmerizing spectacle for all those who visit the Parkinson Court from 8th-12th October.
As I have arranged to go to a Leeds theatre on that day, it would be easy for me to pop down there in the morning to take a look.

"Do you want to come and watch some Tibetan monks building a sand mandala" I asked t'old man.
"Do I what" was the reply
"you heard me, you're always complaining of not having anything interesting to do"
"No thanks" came the reply "doesn't sound too interesting to me"

Huh!! how does he know? I bet he doesn't know what a mandala is...my blog friend 'Astronut' probably does as he is going to see The Dalai Lama in person next year...

examples of sand mandalas
http://artnetwork.com/Mandala/gallery.html
the blog where I read about the event
http://freetibet.blog.co.uk/2007/10/02/news_from_the_network_drepung_gomang_mon~3075048

hope you all enjoy the day and that these get rid of all the blues

Look what Bella bought me.

When Bella came to visit yesterday she was full of beans as usual and was excited to give me my birthday present.
It is three weeks early but I guess she thought she'd give it to me now just in case she didn't get to see me again before then.
She has been working 'darn sarf'on and off for the last few weeks and popped into a "vintage" shop whilst there and saw this.

I could have told her it wasn't vintage but that's not important.

"I thought you could wear it out at a dancing 'do'" she said enthusiasticly "look after it won't you" she went on "as I may borrow it around xmas time to wear with "the little black dress".
I had to smile, it's not all that long ago when she used to laugh at mother's cheap and glitzy dressing up clothes

Lulu looked on po-faced..not her style at all-lol

It will look great on especially when paired with one of these
Viennese ball mask

I haven't been able to bring myself to blog the last day or two
A case of the moody blues
No reason to be like this
We had a full house yesterday as both of my 'girls' came to dinner, t'old man stayed in and everyone was happy and gay
I've had a few phone calls from some members of the dance troupe..a lot of "in-house" politics going on..don't know if I can be bothered with it all...besides the cold weather is already making me feel like hibernating
I'll only be in partial hibernation though as i've got a wedding to go to next Saturday and there are a couple of plays coming up that I am planning on seeing. The first one on the 11th is 'Don Quixote' at the Leeds playhouse.

There, i'm bucking up all ready ....not really but i'm trying