tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884559084167523262024-03-14T17:17:14.486+00:00Ribena - Musings of a Crazy WomanRibena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.comBlogger443125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-9896710322107732242018-02-07T09:08:00.005+00:002018-02-07T09:08:38.625+00:00I'm baaaaacccckkkkk<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">....and almost as crazy as the guy that said that in Independence Day! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So so much has happened since I last posted and life has been far busier than I would like it to be. For a while work took over my life - turns out that 16 hours a day, 5 days a week does make you almost as crazy as the guy from Independence Day that flew the plane into the alien ship.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I should go and look at when I last posted to see where we were up to but I really can't be bothered. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instead a quick run down of where we are: </span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beautiful B moved in with her boyfriend and bought 2 Labradors because she is as mental as me - one of which is so big her boyfriend has to walk it as it drags Beautiful B down the street;</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beautiful B's boyfriend proposed to her on their 5th anniversary together as a couple - soppy so and so;</span></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I cried, she cried and her ring was too big for her finger now she has lost so much weight!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hubby and I quite enjoyed the lack of arguments with Beautiful B about leaving the dinner pots for hours before washing them for a while.....;</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hubby's mum has moved in with us - dementia results in the same conversation numerous times but I love her to bits and pieces;</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fredster died.....we all broke our hearts, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Charlie her Lab couldn't cope on his own so they bought Coco who is the maddest and heaviest Lab I know - she has lovely eyes but they do make her look dopey...;</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coco's head accidently hit my nose and nearly broke it - she was aiming to put her head under my chin - I think she may need glasses; </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lily sheep developed a cancerous tumour on her foot - unfortunately one of the most aggressive forms - an operation to remove the tumour and a claw and then Chemo was never going to save her but did give her a better quality of life in her last 6 months; </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prior to that we adopted a Bichon called Pip from an old couple who were ill - she is mental! Just mental! Such a character - 25% annoying, 25% loud, 25% loving and 25% showing everyone that she is now top dog;</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nope, Pip isn't weird at all! </span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have quickly understood that we must change the channel if the Meerkat advert comes on TV as Pip goes mad. As she does with the BT advert and the Royal London advert - those appear to be due to a hatred of the colour purple. She cannot stand the dog on the G Tech advert and any captions result in her going mad. Mind you she also goes mental at.....horses, dogs, footballs (I can join her for that one), cats, any animated character on TV and the seagulls outside our house if they dare to come too close to the garden....</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She throws herself at the TV - if that falls over it had better fall on her head to break the fall....only joking! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I spent about 5 months travelling and staying weeknights in Leeds while supporting the financial evaluations for a contract and found a truly remarkable friend. We are so alike it is scary. I now consider her one of my best friends and we visit each other frequently. Both of us would say that there is nothing better than sitting at home in PJ's doing cross stitching - now that is showing our age! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of my best friends are supporting me through a very difficult time at the moment. R works on the same project as me and so understands the workload - at least I am not talking a different language when we twitter on about work. J visits and I visit her. N, my oldest and dearest best friend visits me when I cannot face leaving the house. K and little E make me laugh when the little one visits to play with the dogs. I would publically like to thank all of them eternally for their love, support, acceptance and understanding - I love you all.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you can see I still juggle all sorts of balls in the air at any one time despite my mind slowly catching up, on occasion, with my age.....</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right I am off - door fitters are here to fit a new front door. Large selection of colours - I picked the one colour that Hubby didn't want - shame that because I am going to love directing people to the house with the red front door!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bye for now....</span></div>
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Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-54617331474870722082017-01-18T14:13:00.002+00:002017-01-18T22:42:22.496+00:00A little bit of everythingA nice warm lie-in would have been lovely this morning but it doesn't happen with an Abi sheep in the house! So awake at 5 meant catching up on 24 Hours in A&E before braving the chill. <div><br></div><div>A bit of pottering about because that's what you are supposed to do as you age before tackling the what was dining room which is slowly becoming my mum-in-laws living room. Today was a replacement fire after I hastily moved everything around so the gas engineer didn't have to play mountaineer to get to it. </div><div><br></div><div>Tomorrow will be a quote for decorating the room. I say decorate instead of paint because it would appear that one wall still has a life of its own and is already messing up the new plaster despite numerous professionals assuring g us it isn't damp. I see a feature wallpaper coming on....</div><div><br></div><div>Then I had a sit down with the iPad and POOF two hours disappeared. I'm now sat in the garage while people look at my car to find out why the button for the electric windows is sticking - though of course not right now because my car is alive and laughing its head off at working them intermittently and yes you guessed it they are working fine right now. </div><div><br></div><div>After this back home to potentially clean up after the fluffs who may protest at me leaving them, a bit of dinner and then to the snooker accounts I go. If I get those done early enough I might be able to sit down and finish the cross stitch I'm doing for my mum-in-law! </div><div><br></div><div>There's no relaxing when on a day off work these days.... </div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-41038402470127657332017-01-10T19:31:00.002+00:002017-01-10T22:05:51.948+00:00AlternatingToday has been a day of two halves; the first being so busy I forgot time and it rushed by and the other realising time has flown by because I'm dancing around in my chair desperate for a pee and thinking 'I just want to finish this calculation'. <div><br></div><div>It's been a day of feeling bone tired yet also a day where work has energised me to get through the day quickly. </div><div><br></div><div>It's been a day of wanting to go back to bed to one of wanting another hour at work to finish the job I had to leave unfinished until tomorrow morning. </div><div><br></div><div>It's been a day of desperately wanting to clean the house but also a day of being too busy to do so. </div><div><br></div><div>It's a day where I want fresh linen on my bed but equally I'm led on it half finished because I'm shattered. </div><div><br></div><div>It's a day of feeling so tired I am packing myself off to bed early while equally wanting to spend quality time with Hubby. </div><div><br></div><div>It's not a day where I promise myself that I'm going to spend quality time with Hubby tomorrow but know it's unlikely because I will make that happen no matter what! </div><div><br></div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-78487099757268479412017-01-09T08:09:00.002+00:002017-01-09T08:22:32.431+00:00Such a long dayI've been away for a while and can't get used to this new Blogger app- there's evidence that some 40 something year olds struggle with social media!<div><br></div><div>I'm sat in the car park at work after a long drive which was preceded by watching Revenant on ultra HD which was amazing and, as much as I love Christmas, far far too long packing all the decorations away. </div><div><br></div><div>Sat in a traffic jam makes me tired and I already feel exhausted and so a long day at work and the drive home is totally uninspiring. So I thought I would just talk to you guys instead (have a moan......).</div><div><br></div><div>Tonight I have snooker accounts and invoicing to do which is easy enough but after a full day of balancing accounts at work I would rather stick toothpicks under my fingernails. </div><div><br></div><div>I saw my wonderful friend, Rachel, yesterday afternoon and loved it. Work has gotten in the way this last year, I say work I mean my work not Rachel's as she is so much more organised than me. Add to that how much fitter she is than me at the moment and as more energy and last year was a recipe for disaster. I mean honestly, picture the energy levels of a sloth merged with a tortoise and that's me. In fact if you pit me against that combination in a race I would't recommend betting on me. I mean who drives from Bury to Blackpool and calls in at Tesco for a couple of things and nods off in the car?! I do apparently.... </div><div><br></div><div>Sitting in the car watching the rain fall before work is oddly soothing. On second thoughts I'd best get out of the car before it sends me to sleep....</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-31946872062197390992017-01-06T19:05:00.002+00:002017-01-06T19:08:27.560+00:00Sympathetic MotherAfter a long drive home in the wind and rain I checked my phone to see this message from Beautiful B in relation to an engineer visit for her broken fire in the lounge: <div><br></div><div>'Someone's been round to look at my fire. He pulled it out an there was a pigeon skeleton in it!!!!!! A pigeon skeleton!!!!!! In my house. Behind my fire. The poor thing has obviously fallen down the chimney and then got stuff and died. And now it's remains are in my house. I feel sick.'<br></div><div><br></div><div>I texted back: 'Was it well done?'</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-76934103960815645742016-03-13T18:21:00.001+00:002016-03-13T18:21:59.929+00:00Another week, another set of bids and Invitation to TendersWe aren't busy this week. Not at all. There are 4 of us and we have 87 bids to evaluate and another 11 Invitation to Tenders to publish this week. Then someone says I hadn't made clear how busy we were. <div><br></div><div>I'm not sure what the following meant:</div><div>- hi boss, I have 120 hours in credit;</div><div>- do you need anything in particular because we are mad busy;</div><div>- I don't have time to write my end of year report examples or draft report;</div><div>- I have no idea where I will get the time to write competency examples for a promotion exercise; </div><div>- No you can't have bridging analysis reports to look at because I don't have time to do them while I manage compliance on the 87 bids and put 11 Invitation to Tenders together; </div><div>- no I don't have time to take a week of on annual leave, let alone flexi leave between tender rounds because there is no time between tender rounds; </div><div>- I need more staff or the timetable will have to move to the right. </div><div><br></div><div>It is such a good job that I am enjoying the job so much because otherwise when he said 'You didn't make it clear to me how much work you had. You have to manage me as much as the team.' You might have heard my scream in Australia. </div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-81308849781871194152016-03-02T04:34:00.001+00:002016-03-02T04:34:22.452+00:00Eyes open and Wide awakeIt is 4.23 am. I haven't slept yet. My eyes are tired but my brain is wide awake. I've watched 8 episodes of From Dusk til Dawn on Netflix back to back. I'm still wide awake. I've ordered a repeat prescription from the GP, ordered dog food and ordered simmering crystal granules for the oil burners at home. I'm still wide awake. <div><br></div><div>Someone told me that the office is open 24 hours a day. I'm tempted to just get dressed and go to work. I have to buy Mothers Day cards and Birthday cards later today so an early finish at work is needed so an early start would be benefical. </div><div><br></div><div>I'm just grateful Hubby doesn't know I've been awake all night. He would only worry more than he already does. </div><div><br></div><div>And do you want to know what my main worry is now? That it catches up on me tonight and I sleep through Supernatural. I KNOW - priorities......</div><div><br></div><div>I have a financial evaluation report to write today and send to my boss. I've a feeling that some of what I write in it will make less sense than it usually would. The only problem is that my sense isn't great to start with. </div><div><br></div><div>I have a choice - start work now or watch another programme on my iPad. Decisions decisions. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-91907532562628160452016-02-26T06:26:00.001+00:002016-02-26T06:26:15.838+00:00Packing two suitcasesSo having had another really good sleep (categorised by falling asleep at 10pm and waking at 3am) and feeling rested I'm packing....one suitcase to take home with clothes to wash and another to take to the next hotel with all my 'other' stuff in it. <div><br></div><div>Some might say I don't travel lightly....geeez! </div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-32165643058363449522016-02-23T06:00:00.000+00:002016-02-23T06:00:34.119+00:00It's becoming a habit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Says she who is not being forced to work from home late into the night and weekends. Though to be fair I have only done a hour or so this weekend but it has put me on the back foot for tomorrow. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Why am I on the back foot? Well, because I still need to finish a revised Pricing Proposal excel spreadsheet off ready for QA and 2 bridging tools, the latter of which, for those uninitiated of you, is a tool that drops a load of data from a load of spreadsheets into one spreadsheet and populates a ton of tables and graphs that said spreadsheet already holds as blank templates. Which, of course, saves a ton of time than collating it all inidividually but I still don't have time for the fiddliness of repeatedly telling it 9 times which spreadsheets I want it to drop into the file and then rename all the columns and then do that twice.....breathe.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">And I would be at that all day, without the 2-3 hour planning session I have tomorrow for the next 3 cohorts of bids (32 contracts in total over the next 4 months....because we don't do anything simply).</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">So on a train tomorrow at 6am I will start my first bridging tool and then I can get those over to my boss so he can be analysing them while I hold the planning meeting, then I will update the Pricing Proposal and then have everyone urgently QA it....wait, that means I will be updating that on the train too....so I can finalise the document and get it out to the bidders.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Can you see me drawing up the project plan late into tomorrow night? Yes, me too. Oh well, it keeps me out of mischief.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Have a great week everyone. </span><br />
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Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-12306387131846402102016-02-21T08:00:00.000+00:002016-02-21T08:00:10.227+00:00Orange is the new black<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So I didn't have Netflix. I didn't want Netflix. I didn't want to have to pay more money to watch films and programmes I don't really have the time to watch. I heard about Orange Is The New Black was brilliant many times. I still wasn't getting Netflix.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Then I started working on a major procurement at work, delivering 34 contracts in 6 months. I am working away from home more than I am at home. Freeview is rubbish and the only thing most hotels offer as daily viewing. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I figured I get a month free with Netflix. I did a advantage / disadvantage list in my head and figured I could watch Orange Is The New Black on my tablet in a month sat in a hotel room most of the time.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I watched 2 episodes and I was hooked. I laughed at the prisoners antics, I sat in shock at some of them. I loved every minute of every episode. I watched episodes regularly until 2 - 3 am in the morning every night. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I even managed to go over my data allowance last month because I was insistent I wanted to watch it in a hotel without great reception so used my phone as a mini hot spot - don't do that, it eats the data allowance like you would not believe!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I quickly whizzed through series 1 and 2. I loved series 3. I was ready to watch series 4 and there isn't one. I was gutted. I am hoping they do more episodes.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">So I had to watch something else. I'm half way through Making A Murderer. I'm guessing some people are seeing a theme....</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Anyhoo, get Netflix for a month free of charge and watch Orange is the New Black - you will love it!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span> </div>
Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-36599006459757938902016-02-20T08:00:00.000+00:002016-02-20T08:00:19.552+00:00Ribenaisms - May 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I have been told on more than many an occasion that I use the silliest phrases ever and randomly spout what is in my head at the time and honestly if you could see all the tiny aliens bouncing around my head then you would realise just how much rubbish I can spout and why.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I thought it might be an idea to try and log at least some of my Ribenaisms over the past few months, hopefully what will be, your entertainment.</span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"When Hubby's hair grows it resembles a furry golf ball."</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Hubby: Really, a furry golf ball? So pray tell me, what does a furry golf ball look like and what would it's use be?</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"Oh look! C has a fridge exactly the same as ours!"</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Hubby: Really? Not a freezer then?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Me: No a freezer! Oh, did I say fridge?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Hubby: Yes </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Me: Well, it began with an F.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Hubby: (Walks away shaking his head)</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"Dada da dada PUPPY POWER!" (anytime I manage to solve a problem I have been trying to solve)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"I didn't forget the handwash when I came upstairs! I have remembered it but just left it on the table downstairs."</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"I may have to investigate prices for garden sliders at lunch time."</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Hubby: For what?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Me: Price and delivery time of course!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Hubby: Nooooooooooooo, you barm pot! I mean what are they and why do we need them?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Me (thinking he was being forgetful as I clearly told him about them at the weekend when sat in the sun in C's garden): They are a garden swing but not on a swing, they are a rocker. Oh wait, I meant glider not slider.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Hubby: (No response, just a knowing look) </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While watching a game show:</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Me: The young bloke may well be quite intelligent but sitting with his mouth open catching fish through most of it sure makes him look the opposite</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hubby: Do you mean 'with his mouth open catching flies' by any chance?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Me: Oh yes.....</span></span> </li>
</ul>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While driving and discussing why Beautiful B when out a different security gate on the left rather than the one nearest our front door (on the right):</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Me: I guess it makes sense for her to go out the left one as it is nearest to Preston Old Road which will get her to the hospital quicker than going out the right one nearest the front gate.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hubby (when we got to the end of the road): Why are you turning left when we need to turn right to get to work?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Me: Oh, it is because I was talking about Beautiful B going out of the gate on the left.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hubby: That makes sense then.....(while rolling his eyes)</span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">While replacing the sheets and duvet cover on our bed after coming upstairs and putting a brand new sheet down ready for use:</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Me: Now where have I put that sheet?! I only put it down 1 minute ago.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Hubby: You mean this one? (as he reaches for the sheet I had balance on the fan no more than a minute before).</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">On answering an email to one of my work colleagues on Friday and then receiving another email from him:</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Colleague: Aren't you supposed to be off work today?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Me: (Having furiously checked the team's work calendar on line and realising I had booked the day off 2 weeks ago......) Yes, but I needed to make sure that I did not have to re-allocate a tele-conference next week for my project.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Colleague: You are too dedicated.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Me: Nooooooo. Just didn't want to have to sort it out on Tuesday and risk people's calendars getting booked up by then. Now I am going to QA my daughter's latest assignment.</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There are more.....and there are bound to be even more by the end of the day....</span><br />
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Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-83941431085350269972016-02-19T11:31:00.001+00:002016-02-19T11:31:34.674+00:00It's been such a long time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So hi there!</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">It's been so long. I'm not the only one that wanders around busy as a bee thinking I must find time to do a,b,c am I? I know I'm not - stupid question. Anyway that's what happened.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Work got busy, not as busy as it is now - it's none stop with 12 hours days at least and I am away from home more than I am at home. Hubby is living a student life while I am away. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">You know when you call your Hubby from a hotel room and have a conversation about the day and you get to....</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Me: What did you have for dinner?</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Hubby: Nuggets.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Me: What did you have with the nuggets?</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Hubby: More nuggets.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Me: Please tell me you didn't just eat nuggets. (incredulous)</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Hubby: Yep. I couldn't be bothered making anything to go with them.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Now, at Christmas we always buy some party food and we had bought a huge bag of chicken nuggets and by huge I mean huge and we had about half of the bag left. So the rest of the conversation went like this:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Me: You ate the whole bag of the popcorn chicken nuggets in one go?!!!!1</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Hubby: No (laughing) I had the bag of turkey nuggets. I was duped.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Me: Please explain....</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Hubby: There were only 22 and there should have been 24.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Me: Seriously you ate 22 nuggets in one go....</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Apparently they were tasty.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">So this week I was away with work again and he had more nuggets, a different brand and chicken this time not turkey. The packet said there were 25 nuggets and there were actually 26 nuggets so now he says he is just owed 1 nugget.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">At least shopping will be easy this week - 2 bags of nuggets, 1 chicken, 1 turkey and 2 pizzas. The man is going to have a heart attack by the time he is 50.</span><br />
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Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-53363586200867416342015-06-06T16:35:00.001+01:002015-06-08T08:52:24.535+01:0021 years went by in a flashSo.....Beautiful B's 21st was yesterday but we have had 2 days of celebration and today is the first chance to post before we have another day of celebrations on Monday. <div><br></div><div>When I first found out I was pregnant, initially I did not know what to feel. It was only 2 months after I finished contraception to try for a baby and I hadn't expected it to be so quick....you know, being 20 and naïve. That soon changed though when I thought about how much love I was going to shower her with. And yes, I said boy because I only ever wanted a girl and if she had been born a boy I may have asked them to put her back. </div><div><br></div><div>Beautiful B was incredibly easy to carry, at least until the heartburn started with a vengeance. I can thank Beautiful B for teaching me how to sleep sitting up as a result of the heartburn. Thanks to worry that she may have a blockage in her oesophagus I was scanned monthly up to 32 weeks pregnant and had some lovely scan photos as a result. </div><div><br></div><div>30 hours of pain and I had a baby girl, who clearly wondered what all the fuss was about and I was lucky enough to share the moment with her dad and my mum. She defied so many expectations, needing baby rice at 4 weeks because she wasn't big enough for all the milk she needed, to being in 18month old clothes until she was 3 1/2 years old. </div><div><br></div><div>Since then she has been so incredibly strong. Yes, she's had moments where I wondered if I could put up with another tantrum and she was more stubborn that me and her dad put together but we loved her for her independence and we couldn't have the best of both worlds. </div><div><br></div><div>Like all of us Beautiful B has had her struggles but thanks to the help of some incredibly talented people she learned to cope with her feelings and to verbalise them in a grown up and adult way and she was able to see both sides of a discussion, something few people her age could. </div><div><br></div><div>It helped her to deal with the loss of her father and 3 year old sister at the young age of 17, well as best she could and though she still struggles with missing them she can verbalise it and get the support she needs. I felt guilty for not being able to help her through it better at the time but looking back I know I did all I can and Beautiful B would tell me she couldn't have gone through it without me. </div><div><br></div><div>Beautiful B has had a lovely boyfriend for over 3 years who was amazingly supportive through the grieving process and he continues to support her in so many things. Secretly I hope they get married just not for a good few years and babies even later because hello I'm grey enough as it is! </div><div><br></div><div>It hard to look at Beautiful B and know what she has gone through to make her who she is today and while I wish she hadn't had to go through all those things they have helped to shape her into an incredible young woman. Like all of us at her age, she doesn't know what career she wants to do for the rest of her life but whatever she eventually settles on I know that she will enrich it with her empathy, compassion, and love.</div><div><br></div><div>Beautiful B's ability to smile at the worst of times, and on those bad days gives others a reason to do the same; she is an example for us all to follow. Yes, she has her bad days and like me she constantly doubts herself and her abilities and I wish I had a magic mirror that I could hold up to her so she could see what others see in her. It's a pity that, for us women, that sort of confidence comes with age and so she is a few years off yet. In the meantime, it's my role to remind her often. </div><div><br></div><div>I look at Beautiful B and struggle to see how 21 years has gone by. It doesn't seem like 18 years ago she was toddling around with bright blonde pigtails and posing for photos with one hand behind her head, striking a model pose. Or 18 years ago that she had us in stitches at Busch Gardens in Florida playing in the water fountains. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Or 16 years ago that her first ever uniform was the smallest size but still far too big for her and Nanny had to take in a tiny little school skirt so that it would fit. Or 5 years ago that she took our breath away in her school prom dress. </span></div><div><br></div><div>I hope that I did what I set out to do and tell her often that I love her so much so that the times I did discipline her she still knew I worshipped her. In fact, I know she did because she tells me often that she knew and knows I love her so much and has thanked me for being strict with her, to have taught her respect and manners. </div><div><br></div><div>I smile now, to see her in her own home, keeping it clean and although the constant reminding to be tidy and clean up after herself drove me mad when she lived her obviously was worthwhile. </div><div><br></div><div>This last week we have both been on annual leave and have had the chance to spend time together on days out, stay home and watch films and laugh. One of the best things about Beautiful B having her own home is that there is no discipline now, just the laughter side of the relationship, the best parts; those that the relationship building over 21 years has achieved. </div><div><br></div><div>Hubby and I cannot express just how much love and pride we feel for Beautiful B, for everything she has worked hard to achieve and for how incredibly strong she is to get through what she has. Somehow, Hubby, me and my mum and dad have managed to instill some wonderful values in her and I feel such love and pride every time someone tells me how lovely my daughter is. </div><div><br></div><div>One day, she will make an amazing wife and mother. Just as much as she is a wonderful daughter. Never do I doubt her love for me because, just as I tell her often she also tells me how much she loves me. </div><div><br></div><div>I know that I have struggled to articulate my love for her on this post but I do know that it is endless and will continue to grow. I used to think that I needed and wanted a successful career but you know what I worked out a couple of years ago? That Beautiful B was my career, that my biggest goal in life was to fetch her up, her knowing that I loved her, to teach her to show love herself, for her to be a productive member of society and to forever strive to help her to become who she wants to be. That became what is important to me. No, it won't make me rich in monetary value and it doesn't pay the bills. I do worry that she is a worrier and I blame myself for that and yet that is something we can work on together because becoming successful in that is better than any promotion I could get at work. </div><div><br></div><div>My legacy will be Beautiful B and do you know what, if she didn't grow emotionally any more than she is at this exact moment in time I have achieved that legacy and I'm very very proud of that because she is beautiful, caring, loving, sweet, empathetic, gorgeous, respectful, giving, hard-working, and a proud young woman and has so much to give to society. While she may currently be questioning whether she wants to be a nurse all her life I know that whatever she decides on it will be something where she can give back to those who need help. </div><div> </div><div>So, to my Beautiful B, you are my world, always will be and you are my legacy. Nothing else I ever achieve in my life will be better than what I have achieved with you. You are the best daughter I could ever wish for. </div><div><br></div><div>With all my love and heart, until all the stars fall out of the sky. Xxxxx ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ xxxxx</div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-59234527241700594922015-06-02T07:50:00.001+01:002015-06-02T07:50:32.732+01:003 days and counting3 days and my baby is 21 years old. 21!! Still not sure where the time has gone. <div><br></div><div>We had a lovely day in Bury on Saturday and today we are out with my Mum and Dad at somewhere called Bygone Times. </div><div><br></div><div>It is like an indoor antiques market but it also has things collected from house sales so there are some good deals to be had. </div><div><br></div><div>I love a good mooch around as long as it isn't clothes shopping; unfortunately my bank balance doesn't so today is likely to be window shopping. </div><div><br></div><div>Beautiful B is an old soul in a young body and so also loves this sort of thing so is tagging along with the 'old folk'. </div><div><br></div><div>This week is time to spend with my baby as she is on leave from work too. Tomorrow is a film day where we intend to watch all 3 Jurassic Park films in preparation for the new film released on the 11th. </div><div><br></div><div>Thursday she is out with her Dad's family for her birthday which will be bitter sweet as her Dad won't be there. A huge cake has been bought. </div><div><br></div><div>Friday is her actual 21st and thank goodness I reserved her cake for Monday when she is at mine for a family meal. It gives her chance to eat / share one cake before she gets another! Friday will be a day of visiting relatives. </div><div><br></div><div>Saturday Beautiful B, being an old soul, didn't want a huge party. Instead she wants to visit York to go to the museum and the old prison. Sadly I can't be with her because Abi fluff is due to have babies that day so I am on birthing duty. </div><div><br></div><div>Monday Beautiful B is at our house for a family meal. The birthday cake is far to big for the number coming but I figured she would want to share it with her Dads family, friends, nursing colleagues and her patients. Yes, I did order it before I knew her Dads family had also ordered her a huge cake and yes, I am either mad or too kind hearted to think about her work colleagues and patients. But hey ho, who doesn't like cake?! </div><div><br></div><div>Is it selfish of me to hope for this so called Spanish heatwave to hit the UK on the weekend and Monday so we can have a BBQ on the Monday? Not least because Hubby can be responsible for making sure no-one is poisoned being the better cook of the two of us? </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-16132323973206082762015-05-20T09:51:00.001+01:002015-05-20T09:53:04.201+01:00On 'holiday'Today I am in Sheffield for a team event. Driving instead of going in the train costs less for work with the added bonus of allowing me to listen to an audio book while driving. <div><br></div><div>A night away from home has given me a good nights sleep without the need to share a bed with a Hubby that is currently coughing all night (bless him) and 4 dogs: 2 of which seem to be battling to either sleep attached by my side or round the top of my head on the pillow. </div><div><br></div><div>I have had some breakfast, something I rarely do when staying in a hotel. That must be the nagging I get every 2 weeks at my health meeting to eat breakfast. At least subconsciously I am listening. </div><div><br></div><div>My attempt to complete some training courses last night in preparation for the Negotiation Skills course on Thursday resulted in failure. I suspect my laptop is finally giving up the ghost but it is a great excuse. Pity I will have to do it at home tonight in my desktop to have any idea what they are talking about on Thursdays course. </div><div><br></div><div>Finally; the vanilla Danish is staring at me and speaking! - 'it's okay I'm on a small and concise perfectly formed specimen. I don't contain many calories....well, okay but I don't contain as many as a full size vanilla Danish. Go on, you know you want to.'</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-41799014293065689632015-05-08T16:53:00.001+01:002015-05-08T16:53:04.557+01:00Princess who?.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtmCPU9Z27zDmDiV2F7loLrlxDh5mCGbDVqDsDgfsS7AyDKDNGLDtgdy1z0FWR4u0pHWX0VbQc8sUwjh5uzstfGiMT93HhDIvm9U0kknouzRcPr2noxgeX20pU1U8U-Mz6ubzcT6wp6U/s640/blogger-image--147414831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtmCPU9Z27zDmDiV2F7loLrlxDh5mCGbDVqDsDgfsS7AyDKDNGLDtgdy1z0FWR4u0pHWX0VbQc8sUwjh5uzstfGiMT93HhDIvm9U0kknouzRcPr2noxgeX20pU1U8U-Mz6ubzcT6wp6U/s640/blogger-image--147414831.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Does this slightly blurred photo of Lily remind you of a doggy version of Princess Leia or is it just me and Hubby? </div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-19036784253874020222015-04-05T13:45:00.001+01:002015-04-05T13:45:33.315+01:00One day it's February and the next it's April!My excuse - busy and tired. <div><br></div><div>I've travelled all over the country and worked all hours. I'm past the first week of a two week break from work and all I did the first week was sleep. Pesky brain shutting me down to rest. </div><div><br></div><div>Finally I'm happy my house is clean again after having to rely on Hubby doing a bit here and there which never includes hoovering or polishing. Apparently it 'will only need doing again' for which we could use as an excuse to do nothing surely? I've given up trying to explain with a woman's reasoning. </div><div><br></div><div>So much has happened that I don't feel I can talk about yet as I'm still trying to process and I'm trying to do one thing at a time rather than jump around numerous jobs at the same time. </div><div><br></div><div>The dogs are looking very cute after a cut yesterday though I can see Cala's Puss in Boots begging eyes at me now all her hair has been cut off. I'm being very strong and not giving into her seem as she has to drop some weight on vets orders. </div><div><br></div><div>We have Hubby's mum over for the weekend which means Easter eggs we would never normally buy each other and boxes of chocolates my hips (and everywhere else) doesn't need though I have to admit the Lindor Strawberry and Cream truffles are divine. </div><div><br></div><div>Hubby has cooked a Sunday roast dinner so I am guessing it will be time for an afternoon nap soon. </div><div><br></div><div>How have you all spent Easter? </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXL5lSuthj42QXIREn9Apalu3QWaMyG0BTukJbuTLP6F2k16My2Tbx7Xj52pfpVEEFEZC-r_SbRcbrv02BnZUvwBXXY4gFPApDao94JaEt1f-ccy_7GW1sV32wh3MPBHj1HuQ2mTcwfrg/s640/blogger-image-1525945911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXL5lSuthj42QXIREn9Apalu3QWaMyG0BTukJbuTLP6F2k16My2Tbx7Xj52pfpVEEFEZC-r_SbRcbrv02BnZUvwBXXY4gFPApDao94JaEt1f-ccy_7GW1sV32wh3MPBHj1HuQ2mTcwfrg/s640/blogger-image-1525945911.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Abi sitting still for more than her usual 10 seconds. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ126nOLFrsvBqbKrkklZiaMAILclXtPxagiHB0AjC8DGbJrVfOyOKCRLSTD6kkCNQcYCKgpjBd0diFA7gxJWFRTGq6hIomo41y37ZHgPpqMCFYbtpsGZK4Mj1DIHM6JzLpwu2bHXqgog/s640/blogger-image-1316230228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ126nOLFrsvBqbKrkklZiaMAILclXtPxagiHB0AjC8DGbJrVfOyOKCRLSTD6kkCNQcYCKgpjBd0diFA7gxJWFRTGq6hIomo41y37ZHgPpqMCFYbtpsGZK4Mj1DIHM6JzLpwu2bHXqgog/s640/blogger-image-1316230228.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Cala - clearly her mum has been cleaning her eyes far more than is required! </div><div><br></div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-80646329214355137692015-02-16T07:10:00.001+00:002015-02-16T07:10:41.066+00:00Wish me luck update3 pairs of jeans now have patched right side front pockets. <div><br></div><div>It only took 5 1/2 hrs of my life and they are not the tidiest pockets sewn by any stretch of the imagination but I have made sure the stitching is study if nothing else. </div><div><br></div><div>Hubby is happy and that is all that matters. </div><div><br></div><div>That and I do feel a little proud of myself for persevering with something I was scared of. </div><div><br></div><div>Next steps: save up for a sewing machine and take lessons from my mum on how to use it..... </div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-57944931471719633192015-02-15T09:04:00.001+00:002015-02-15T09:04:20.873+00:00Wish me luck!First of all I would like the manufacturers of Clonodine for making the smallest pills imaginable and the hardest blister pack to go with them. My bloodied thumb would like to thank you also.<div><br></div><div>Today is my first attempt to put a patch on my husband's pockets. His keys and coins wear the inside of his pockets away. Up until now I have relied on my mum and his mum to sew them up. Yes, I know I'm 42 and I should be able to do it myself but I am useless at sewing. </div><div><br></div><div>I am old enough to have had home economics classes in school which included cooking and sewing classes. I was that useless at sewing, so useless that the teacher separated me from the rest of the class thinking I was just messing around. That was around the time I was attempting to hem a square and I finished the class 6 months later still trying to hem a piece of square material properly. Everyone else was making peg bags. My teacher told my mum and dad she despaired of me. Needless to say I have remained useless. </div><div><br></div><div>I can just about sew on a button and hem a pair of trousers with the stuff you iron into the hem (badly). </div><div><br></div><div>I have decided I would quite like to make a patchwork quilt. Which requires the ability to.....yes, you guessed it, hem and join pieces of square material together. So I need to practice. Yes, I am aware that really I should desire to be able to patch my husbands jeans pockets more than make a quilt but I am more scared of putting a patch on a piece of existing material than attempt to hem a square. </div><div><br></div><div>So this morning I am going to attempt my first patch. Wish me luck. </div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-91485677741261710182015-01-28T03:00:00.000+00:002015-01-28T03:00:01.063+00:00What I learned this week<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Firstly, life gets in the way - of blogging. And work gets in the way of life. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It has been another busy week with overnight stays in Leeds & Sheffield. Thankfully, the overnight stays are almost over with only day visits to offices - albeit long days but I can cope with that. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Lessons learned this week. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. According to the Myers Briggs Personality Indicator I have a an introvert, intuition, feeling, judgement personality. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. An introvert isn't necessarily a quiet person (trust me I am evidence of that) but instead gets their energy from doing things alone - that is true - I get my energy from reading or watching TV alone. Working out or walking the dogs also works. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Introverts don't get their energy from social occasions and like a small amount of time alone after a social situation to re-energise - again true for me (unless with my 4 best friends who I could spend ages with). </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. You can move along the indicators with time. True for me - I am not as much of an introvert as I was 10 years ago. Something I have learned to change to to help my career. I also use intuition rather than base my decisions on solid fact - a serious move over 10 years. Learning to use my 'guy' in work decisions as I do in my personal life. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. I am proud to be a feeling rather than thinking person. It means I put my colleagues and staff feelings before the tangible business decisions. It doesn't mean those feelings override business decisions just that I find a way to do it while keeping people's feeling forefront and centre. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. Judging rather than perception - use facts and detail to back up the big picture. Makes sense lol.</span> </div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. Finding out what the whole teams personalities are can be great fun. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">6. Charlie, Beautiful B's 6 month old black Labrador settles down quicker than Fredster fluff dies when he comes visiting. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">7. Mini Toblerones are a much friendlier eating size than a normal size Toblerone. I suspect the manufacturer is missing a trick in not selling them this way regularly. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">8. Hubby's mum talks her way through TV programmes and shouts at the TV when watching football matches her son does the latter too. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">9. Hubby's mum has moments when she gets confused which worries me. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">10. Cala fluff will sit in her daughter in order to stay comfortable. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So what have you learned this week? </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Usual rules apply - see below. I would love to hear from you if you also leave comments on my blog.To join in Julie's What I Learned This Week carnival, simply follow these steps:</span> </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. Any time this week, publish your What I Learned This Week post on your blog and comment on my blog hyper linking to your blog.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. Then go and visit Julie’s blog at </span><a href="http://www.frominmatestoplaydates.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">From Inmates to Playdates</span></a><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">, find her latest “What I learned this week” and link up with the Mr. Linky form at the bottom of the post. Please put the link to your POST, not the front page of your blog.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Then visit the other participants and see what they learned this week.</span></div>
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Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-40235745228022544182015-01-27T11:09:00.003+00:002015-01-27T11:09:18.224+00:00Spare cables galore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I am a bit of a neat freak. Some would say a bit more than a bit. Cable management is something that occupies one of my nerves. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I find spare cables everywhere. Probably because Hubby doesn't throw anything away and keeps cables when the electrical equipment they belong to are thrown away 'because you never know when they will be needed.' </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have heard this argument before. For example; Hubby has a number of jumpers - enough for 2 neat piles on a wardrobe shelf. Except......I have seen him wear a jumper only once in 9 years! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So I distinctly recall opening a drawer a few months ago when cables jumped out like they belonged in a Jack in the Box. I sorted the ones we needed and threw away the ones we didn't such as mobile power cables with attachments that no longer fit our phones. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I know this is a dangerous thing to do. Evidenced by Hubby asking where one of his caps was. Of course I had 'no idea (on the local refuse tip) because he hadn't worn it for years.' </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Dad bought a new TV a few weeks ago. He asked if we wanted his old one. There was no way I was turning do a 42" smart flat screen TV. Our old one is now in the spare bedroom as it is too big for our bedroom. I phoned Sky because it gives me an extra box to record the multitude of programmes I watch. All was well. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The new viewing card arrived and I was primed to set up the new TV.....</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">......no power cable for the spare Sky box. After all, I wasn't keeping ugly cables with the box which was nearly stacked in a cupboard because it would have ruined the neat organisation. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Not only that no scart lead either. Evidently I had thrown them away when organising the spare cable drawer. Hubby was smart enough not to ask what had happened to the originals when I bought replacements yesterday.</span> </div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On the plus side you can buy a new scart lead with gold sockets for only £3 in one supermarket - what a bargain! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Lesson learned? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Label the cables so I know what they belong to before they go into storage. That's not a 'bit OCD' as someone has just claimed. It good management...... </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Anyone else thrown something away they shouldn't have done?</span> </div>
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Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-36050628667390924742015-01-25T08:57:00.001+00:002015-01-25T08:57:19.468+00:00Sickness alertHubby has just informed me that Marmite and Pot Noodle Easter eggs are happening. <div><br></div><div>What is wrong with this world?! </div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-45778392489065679942015-01-25T08:54:00.001+00:002015-01-25T08:54:55.091+00:00With bated breathAs I type all 3 fluff bags are watching their Grandma eat toast and hoping that she will save them a sliver. <div><br></div><div>Lily is disgusted, Daddy has just given Cala and piece and there is none to be seen for she and Abi. Little does she know that Daddy is buttering another slice in the kitchen. </div><div><br></div><div>What he should have done was saved 3 pieces to give them all at the same time. You can tell he has never had more than one child to learn how you have to be fair to them all at the same time. </div><div><br></div><div>At the same time I'm sat here harping on at him with 'It's no wonder Cala is fat!' Not that I have room to talk about being overweight. </div><div><br></div><div>Now Grandma is passing pieces of toast out. I can see Cala's waistband expanding as I watch. </div><div><br></div><div>I think I will have to alternate gym sessions with long walks round the trail so Cala gets enough exercise to start reducing said waistline. Mind you, I have reduced their food by 10g in the hopes that it compensates the human food they eat. I suspect it may compensate in only a slight way. </div><div><br></div><div>Daddy has now given them all another slice and I have decided harping on is being ignored entirely. </div><div><br></div><div>The little fluff bags are now hoovering up any crumbs they can find. After all, they have a whole 30 minutes to wait before Hubby starts the vegetables for the Sunday roast when they will be treated to some much loved raw carrot. </div><div><br></div><div>All food gone and all 3 fluff bags have settled themselves around me with heads on my lap for a quick forty winks. </div>Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-41951587134334969252014-12-30T16:39:00.005+00:002014-12-30T16:39:37.669+00:00What I learned this week<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Well firstly, it has been a looooong time since I found the time to post on this blog! I am sure that I managed to get the 6 hits I did yesterday purely by accident!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Work has been manic; in fact up until I finished for my Christmas leave on the 19th I spent 10 of those days away from home and away from Hubby. The dogs even sulked and made sure I knew I had upset them by spending more time with daddy for a day or so when I returned. Poor little things don't trust me to stay at home anymore.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">At last I have caught up on my sleep and much of that has been needed to sleep off all the Christmas food and treats that have been in our house as a result of hosting the family Christmas dinner here.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So....this is a belated What I learned this week and so some of these lessons may be more than a week old, the first of which being....</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">....it is really stupid to be looking at an incoming text when walking down 5 stone steps outside a hotel because I may miss the step and fall down all 5 of them.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">sprained ankles (yes, that is a plural) don't always manifest themselves straight away. In fact, I can sit in a meeting at work and feel the pain increasing to the extent that when I stand up I can hardly walk</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I found out just how great some of my work mates are when they walked slowly up a hill to the Christmas party with me just so I could hobble there with company</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Not only that they also walked me slowly back to the hotel so they could give me some support because 2 Amaretto Sours didn't dull the pain</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sprained ankles can recover and then suddenly become very painful again</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Apparently sprained ankles can take up to 8 weeks to recover and physio may be required</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If you over extend the ligament that runs around your ankle to the front of your foot you can experience sharp pains up the front of your ankle more than 2 weeks after the fall</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Stairs are very painful when you have over extended that darn ligament around the ankle</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Tramadol helps if only to send me off to cloud cuckoo land</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In other news:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">obtaining a copy of Supernatural season 9 from abroad because Sky stopped showing it is a pain in the butt</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Jenson Ackles looks so much better in Season 8 than he did in Season 1</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The sale at the garden centre for Christmas decorations is just great if you are there on the 27th waiting for it to open. Father Christmas at his workbench making toys agrees with me</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Beautiful B cries her eyes out when she receives a present that she loves</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hosting Christmas dinner for my parents, aunty and uncle and hubby's mum is so much fun and Hubby makes it so much easier for me to do the entertaining because he does all the cooking so I can't accidently poison anyone</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My mum in law has fallen in love with Amaretto Sours and lemonade; I'm now going to experiment with other cocktails for her to try over the New Year</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hosting New Years Day buffet means I enjoyed shopping for food especially cakes</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So, what have you learned over the Christmas period?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span> </div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Usual rules apply - see below. I would love to hear from you if you also leave comments on my blog.To join in Julie's What I Learned This Week carnival, simply follow these steps: </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. Any time this week, publish your What I Learned This Week post on your blog and comment on my blog hyper linking to your blog.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. Then go and visit Julie’s blog at </span><a href="http://www.frominmatestoplaydates.com/"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">From Inmates to Playdates</span></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">, find her latest “What I learned this week” and link up with the Mr. Linky form at the bottom of the post. Please put the link to your POST, not the front page of your blog.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Then visit the other participants and see what they learned this week.</span></div>
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Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2188455908416752326.post-43509366364178454662014-11-17T05:33:00.000+00:002014-11-17T05:33:00.406+00:00Holidays are coming, Holidays are coming....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I don't need shops and supermarkets to tell me that Christmas is around the corner immediately after Bonfire Night. What I look forward to is my first viewing of the Coca Cola advertisement with the great big red truck with flashing lights alongside the tune 'Holidays are coming....Holidays are coming'.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I'd like to say that I don't go around singing it for days afterwards but I do. I won't say that it annoys Hubby but it does. I won't say that this week while shopping in Morrisons I filled my trolley singing along with Christmas carols but I did. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And I love it!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Hubby doesn't - he loves Christmas Day but hates all the fuss that goes on up to that day. I do. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">How did we get together and adore each other so much.....</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I ignore the 12 days before and after Christmas rule when it comes to decorating my house. After all, it seems unfair to ask Hubby to take 20 boxes of trees and decorations from the attic and put the empty boxes back and then repeat the process just for 24 days. So on the 1st December I stand at the bottom of the ladder gleefully stacking boxes as he passes them from the attic. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Without a days leave it takes me two to put them all up. Hubby doesn't help - he leaves me too it, wisely.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Each year I try, and mostly fail, to remember that the lights must go on the tree first. I move things around the house to make room for Christmas trees and the rocking chair is consigned to our bedroom for the period of the 1st December to the 5th January.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Last year, I was frustrated at the inability to put up the Christmas tree in the dining room now that the replacement freezer is taller. Removing the computer station is impossible and so this year again I may have to forgoe it. However, Beautiful B could make use of it and the accompanying decorations for this year to remove the need and cost for buying her own. She can then choose to keep it but I suspect, knowing my daughter, that she will keep the decorations and buy a new tree for next year.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Usually the Christmas advertisements from the big companies pass me by however this years John Lewis Christmas advertisement managed to get an 'aaaaahhhh' out of me. A very clever and sweet advertisement where even penguins can yearn for love.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This year we are entertaining 5 people, well I do the entertaining and Hubby cooks; though I may attempt a nice desert for this year. Cue plenty of practice and puddings for everyone else to eat in the run up to Christmas. Mum is staying with us on Christmas Eve and Day, Mum and Dad and my Aunty and Uncle will join us for Christmas Dinner. I am sure I will have all sorts of items all over my bedroom as I remove them all from within the storage area under my bed to get to a table insert or two.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Beautiful B and Ryan are working on Christmas Day, the former looking after some of the ill folk in our society and the latter sending emergency services to people who need them. I am so very proud of them both for giving up family time to help others.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Unusually I have only bought one gift so far which is more than niggling on my OCD nerve but finances and the urgent requirement for house repairs have gotten in the way. Small gestures will have to surfice this year as our finances have been more than stretched; hopefully our friendship and love for family and friends will help make up for it until next year.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As Beautiful B and Ryan are working on Christmas Day they will have to visit us a day or so earlier so we can give them the present we have bought and when I can be ready with a camera to film the moment as I am sure that my Beautiful B will cry with joy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This Christmas is going to be a good one; I can feel it in my bones! </span></span></div>
Ribena Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03021143252276256219noreply@blogger.com0