That Sunday Feeling.

Love Is....

when you’re in the driver’s seat.

Sunday Morning and it is oh so ummmmm wet and windy. Yep it is blowing a hooley and chucking it down. Deep Joy ;0). If the weather forecast is anything to go by, it is not going to improve much today. But hey we are getting away with it lightly, because those poor people in Chile are having to put up with the devastation the earth quake caused yesterday. So many deaths and people made homeless. Mother nature is really hitting back at the moment. My thoughts are with them all and the relatives who are trying to find out what is going on.

I had another restless night again last night. Because the other half is poorly at the moment, I have spent the last couple of months, keeping one ear open, in case he is taken bad. The problem with tossing and turning all night, is my ageing body aches all over. It must be a sign that I am getting old. My head says I am 21, but my body feels all of it 47 years and in fact older. So there I am dozing on and off, listening to the wind and rain and things begin to rattle around in my head. I got to thinking about what will I be doing in another 10 years. I am not wishing my life away honest I am not, but hey it does not hurt to plan ahead ;0). I did nod off to sleep again and managed to dream like always. I am a huge dreamer and many of them I remember. This one had me leaving my mobile phone in a lift. (Goodness knows why). I spent what seemed like hours trying to find it. Whilst doing so I was constantly being followed by a blonde haired little boy. How strange is that. I woke up having never found my phone. If anyone knows the meanings of dreams, please tell me, because I constantly have dreams that I remember. I used to have a recuring dream, or maybe I should say it was a nightmare, where I was being chased and then I fell into a hole which I could not get out of. I would wake up crying. That actually scared me, as I would get that one quite often.

So having crawled out of bed to walk the dog. I left the other half in bed with the cat. Paddy hates walking in the rain. He gets very depressed when he is wet. I on the other hand, do not worry about the rain. I find it really refreshing. Paddy's eyes did light up when he spotted another dog playing ball, because he thought maybe he could join in. Paddy will do anything for a tennis ball. Breakfast this morning was mushrooms on toast mmmmm with a nice warming cuppa. I relit the back stove, as I let it go out over night as it was a little to hot in the back cabin for sleeping. There is so much I should do today, but with it being a Sunday, I really cannot be bothered. So I reckon I will watch the end of the Winter Olympic Games, which have been excellent, then see what film delights we have today. I do not know about you, but the TV these days is so boring. I am sick of all the repeats and soaps. Unfortunately where we are moored, we cannot get digital, so we are stuck with just the five normal channels. I am a Film4 fan, but we cannot get it here ;0(. I will be watching 'Dancing On Ice' later to see who goes home this week. What ever you are doing today, I hope you have a lovely day.

Love Is...

Love is

a sign that spring can’t be far away.

The Height of Rudeness

Good morning.

Wow it is raining and blowing a hooley outside today. Infact it has been doing so for most of the night. It is on mornings like this Paddy hates going for a walk. This morning was no exception. He walked as quick as possible to find a place to do what he had to do, then legged it quick smart back to the boat. I cannot say I blame him, but that is life on a boat, you do have to put up with allsorts of weather. Because it gets thrown at you all day everyday and when on the move it can be even worse. Even when we are moving on very wet days, it never bothers either of us. So dog walked and fed along with the cat, so they were happy. Having had breakfast and a warming cuppa. I donned my raincoat and rucksack and headed off down town, with my earplugs in my ears, listening to my MP3 player. I find listening to music as I walk, makes the jaunt fo much quicker. First port of call was the Gp's to collect hubby's prescription for his pain killers. I then headed for Boots, where I had to wait for the tablets to be dispensed, which was not a problem. I have all the time in the world. There was a queue after me and they all waited patiently to be served, when a young woman barged in front of the queue and demanded to know where her tablets were. She told the pharmacist that he had promised her they would be ready 15 minutes and she wanted them because she had a coffee going cold at Costa Coffee next door. Now I know that in retail the customer is always right, but I wish he had told her to get to the back of the queue and wait. Instead he told her they would be another 5 minutes. She shouted at him that she had a coffee waiting and she wanted them now, so he obliged and went and did her tablets, which meant that everyone else had to wait longer, including me. I am not one for causing a scene, but now I so wish I had pulled her up about her behaviour, because she was so very rude. Not just to the pharmacist, but to everyone waiting patiently. having got my husbands tablets I walked past Costa Coffee to see if she was actually having her coffee and yep there she was sat in the window with a friend, both drinking coffees. I hade rudeness, I feel there is no need for it. I did a food shop whilst in the town and then trudged back to the boat, looking like a pack horse, being blown about by the wind. I looked glorious when I glanced in the mirror with my hair plastered to my head by the rain and wind. Lunch consisted of toaster teacakes with Butter and Marmite on them mmmmm yummy. I have relit the back stove as it is rather chilly with this cold wind blowing. The rest of my day is going to be much more relaxing. I am going to sit and watch the Winter Olympics and we will then see what the evening has to offer.

Survey of the Day: 8 in 10 men and almost 7 in 10 women will be what by 2020??
The answer was Over Weight.
I think this is so shocking. This will come back to haunt us and cripple the NHS you just know it will. My solution would be to close down all fast food places, such as KFC, McDonalds, etc, etc, this would certainly help.

Just a quickie.

This was posted by someone on my facebook and I thought it so apt, that I am posting it here.

Life's too short to regret so love the people who treat you right, forget the one's who dont, believe that everything happen's for a reason.
If you get a chance take it, if it changes your life let it.
Laugh when you can, forgive when you need to, let go what you can't change.
Love deeply and forgive quickly.
Life is ...too short to be unhappy.
People change, thing's go wrong, but always remember,'life goes on'.

This is certainly true in the way my life has turned out.

What have you done with your day today??

My day began with Marmite walking over me, having slept on the bed all night. We went to bed at 10.30pm having watched the Winter Olympics. Geesh those people who do the Ski Cross are compltely barking mad. It is fantastic viewing though, which made me cringe, when there were falls. So it was off to bed, Marmite decided that she was going to join us. At the foot of the bed, she scrabbled and fussed to get the crocheted blanket as she wanted it, before finally settling down. On closer inspection this morning, Marmite had made it into a nice cosy bowl, which she had curled up in. With the bed rolled up and the cupboard door shut, it was time to have breakfast and a nice cuppa. Oh for those that do not know about boatmans cabins beds. They are in a cupboard which you pull down into a bed. There is no need to make and tidy the bed every morning, you just roll it away and close the door behind it. Yayyyyyyy easy peasy.
Paddy as always got his walk, but this time I took him on another route, which completely cofused the poor darling. Paddy is coming up to 6 years old, and this past couple of weeks I have noticed that he stands in the middle of the room and goes off into his own little world. It is almost as if he does not know what to do with himself. I wonder if this is a sign of getting older?
Boat jobs were the order of the day, these included emptying the toilet cassette at the sanitary station. We also needed to empty the bins and get rid of the fires ash. Whilst emptying the rubbish, friends Mo and Nessa on NB Balmaha arrived on their boat to fill their water tank. Of course we stood around chatting whilst their water tank filled. it is always wonderful to catch up with such good friends. I invited them around for coffee, and they said they would come later in the afternoon. So I swiftly put the hoover around, as the dog hairs were beginning to build up yet again. Once the boat was tidy and lunch was eaten, Mo and Nessa arrived, which ment the chocolate cake came out and coffee was made. We spent a couple of hours catching up on news, gossip and travel plans. it is always fantastic to see them. All good things must come to an end and Mo and nessa headed off back to their boat on the towpath, with a bag of Supertherm to try. I like to get feedback from customers. It enables me to decide what I am going to stock or not. Whilst getting this bag of coal out of the hold hubby managed to lose another pair of glasses. They fell from his waistcoat pocket and fell into the water, never to be seen again. We did try and fish them out with a strong magnet and a fishing net, but to no avail. This means he will have to visit Specsavers again and get another pair. This is the second pair he has lost in the past month arghhhhhhhh. Men what can we do with them???
Later in the afternoon Ann a facebook friend arrived. We have corresponded on facebook, because she and her husband have a working boat, infact they have three boats and sell coal and diesel. it was wonderful to meet Ann. We discussed business and the idea of selling some of their products, which we will be doing once we know what is happening with hubby. Working boaters try and help each other out when they can. So we look forward to getting to know them better and doing business with them. Dinner tonight has been late, due to a busy day with visitors. It has been fabulous to have friends these past few days visiting us.

The survey of the day today is 94% of people do this in the car?
Now there are quite a few rude answers I can think of, but the answer was Daydream. Which I find a little worrying, because it means the person is not concentration on what they are doing. Maybe this is why there are so many accidents on our roads. I am so glad I am not a driver, not even a back seat one.

12% of men do not know what???

Good afternoon.

It is snowing here again, which does not surprise me because the sky has looked very threatening, not only that my hair has been very static. Don't laugh. I always know when snow is coming because snow is on the way. The photo above was from a few days ago. I love the blue look to it.

So 12% of men do not know what???
This may surprise you, 12% of men do not know the colour of their partners eyes. I can honestly say my husband knows mine and I know his.
How can you not know what colour your partners eyes are?
Don't people look each other in the eyes anymore?

Today has been taken up with entertaining, the Dentist and fine dining. After the usual morning stuff. Another boating friend came to visit us with his dog. We all settled down with a coffee to catch up on all the latest news and gossip. When boaters get together for a natter, chat can be about anything. We do not just talk about all things boating. Come 10.30am I had to get ready to go to the dentist, so our friend left as he had shopping to do. Hubby and I walked down to the dentist, where I had my check up. We then went to the Angel Hotel for a scrummy lunch. You can have a two course meal for £7.95, which is excellent, because the food is amazing. Hubby had roasted Pork Loin, with roasties, veg and apple sauce, then Sticky Toffee Pud with Custard. I had Chicken Fillet with a Peppercorn Sauce on a bed of Mash with veg, then a Lemon and Blueberry Square ( like cheese cake) with Clotted Cream Ice Cream. To say it was scrummy is an under statement. Definitely a place to eat. We will go there again without a doubt. We were then supposed to go back to the dentist, as one of hubby's fillings has fallen out. He was told his appointment was for 2.20pm, but when we got there, they did not have him down grrrrrrrrr, so we have to go back on Thursday. With nothing else to do in the town, we walked back to the boat, just as the snow began to fall once more. So many people are moaning and groaning about this weather now, but I love it and will always love it. It is so wonderful to have a proper winter for a change.

World Think Day

Good morning.

Did you know that today is World Thinking Day??
I certainly did not and I was once a Girl Guide. That was back in the 70's though, so maybe they did not have this day then. I was also a Brownie and remember those days very fondly.
The World Thinking Day theme for 2010 is girls worldwide say "together we can end extreme poverty and hunger" and the aim is to raise awareness among everyone about the situation and improve the lives of the poorest people in the world.
I think that these days the Brownies and Guides do a heck of a lot more than we ever did. We used to gain our badges and go on Guide camps, which were fantastic. To have a successful camp you had to have a midnight feast, which consisted of you getting together with other guides in one tent, which was rather cramped. Each person had to being a long something to eat or drink, so you would end up with allsorts of food, from crisps, biscuits to apples and fizzy pop. One thing was certain it would be a blast. The aim was not to alert the leaders you were having a party and when done we all had to get back to our tents without being detected. To us it was a big game. The leaders of course knew exactly what we were doing, but they were young guiders once and did exactly the same thing, so would always turn a blind eye. Ohhh those were the days. Cooking over a camp fire, digging a hole in the ground for the toilet and being up to our knees in mud. The thought of it being World Thinking Day, made me think about my time in the Brownies and Guides. I even remember who the leaders where. In the Brownies, it was Mrs Wilkinson and Mrs Barton. I still keep in touch with Mrs Barton'd daughter. In the Guides it was Mrs Culley. Would I like to go back to those times, ummmm sometimes I think I would, because it was a fun time, but I do not miss my school days.

Sunday.

Sunday's these days are no longer a day of rest, and I guess living on a boat means that is also the case for us. Our morning began with me looking out of one of the portholes, like an excited child to see if we had anymore snow. Not only did we have more snow, it was still snowing when I took Paddy out for his walk yippee. It really was so beautiful, walking in the snow. I have some pics on my big camera and will try and post some tomorrow. it seemed that every dog and walker was out early this morning, so Paddy had to meet and greet them all on our way back to the boat. Breakfast was being cooked by hubby and on the menu was bacon, poached eggs, baked beans and toast. he always does a cooked breakfast, because he does it much better than I can. (That is what I tell him). No it is his speciality. The usual stoking of the fires then took place, as it was still well below freezing. Overnight the temperature had got down to -5.2c, so brrrrrrrr it was cold.

Because we are stuck at the moment, there is little excitement going. We get the occasional boat coming into the basin to wind and use the sanitary station, but with the weather the way it is at the moment, not many boats are moving. Those who were due to leave here after staying over the Christmas and New Year period are staying put until this weather settles, as they do not want to be caught in the middle of nowhere. Now for us that would not bother us, as we make sure we have everything we need onboard and therefore like last winter we have no worries about being in the middle of nowhere. Infact we relish it. But because hubby is waiting to go into hospital, being here is more practical, otherwise we would be gone.

Another of my jobs this morning was to clear the snow away from the boat and off of the sheeting, ready for the customers. I have to think about Health and Safety, not just for the customers but also for myself, because it was extremely slippery. So with very little excitement expected today, it meant I got on with my knitting.

Yep I am knitting dishcloths. I can hear you saying "Why". Well believe it or not they are better than any dishcloth you buy from the supermarket and last a lot longer. I am knitting a stock of them to hopefully sell in the summer, along with hubbys rag rugs. it has given us both something to do.

I am a huge Tatty Teddy fan and have my own small collection. All of these have come from charity shops and market stalls. There is something so sweet and endearing about the Tatty Teddy.

During the day, people came and collected their coal and kindling, which gave me a good opportunity to catch up on any gossip from the towpath telegraph. It seems the biggest topic on everyones lips is the weather and the snow. I love it, but a lot of people are beginning to get fed up with this weather. I am not though.

At the moment here there is a big issue with people allowing their dogs to fowl the footpath. Yesterday morning, someone allowed their dog to crap alongside the boat grrrrrrrrr. I feel very strongly about the fact that people should pick up after their dogs. There is no bad dog, just very bad dog owners. We have Paddy and we always pick up after him. What is so frustrating, is the fact that we have two dog poo bins near us and yet people will still not sue them.

As the afternoon wore into evening there was a knock on the boat, a gentleman wanted to borrow a hosepipe connector. I did not know the gentleman, but am always happy to help anyone in need. He said he would come back with it and also buy some coal and who am I not to trust someone. He did as promised and came back and bought some coal, with a view to coming back again. So that is another new customer.

it is now 7.15pm and already -2.3 c, so another cold night and more snow forecast. I will be awake and peeking through the porthole in the morning, to see if we have anymore of the white stuff. I do hope so. I am now going to settle down and watch 'Dancing on Ice' and the Winter Olympics. So stay safe out there.

Oh what a beautiful day.

It has been a fabulous Saturday. Overnight the temperature got down to -4.6c, but inside our boat it was a very warm 22c, so we were not cold at all.

Having enjoyed a much better nights sleep. I was up just after 8am, along with the dog and cat, who seemed determined to let me know that she had no food left in her dish. Marmite would have to wait, because Paddy needed his walk first, otherwise he would be crossing his legs. I have never fathomed out how he can go from 6pm until around 8.30am the next morning. I am sure he has hollow legs. But bless him, he always waits until I have my boots and coat on. he then leaps to his feet and stands at the back cabin door, awaiting further instructions. Due to the hard frost overnight, the ground under foot was very crisp. As I walked along the towpath, my feet scrunched into the ice and snow, which was now quite firm due to the frost. Paddy as always loved his morning stroll and the fact that he could no relieve himself. he has a nasty habit if weeing over his front legs. This is because more often than not, he is not looking what he is doing. With the dog walking over for me for the day. I then had to stoke the fires back and front. I always start with the back cabin stove. I start with riddling out the ash, which is laid on top of the fire overnight to keep it in. Having done that I shovel in some more coal, open up the bottom and away it goes. The saloon stove is much easier to get going, it just needs a riddle and further coal added. Breakfast this morning was rice crispies and milk with a nice cuppa and then it was time to put the hoover around. It is such a luxury to have the hoover going and has really made a difference with keeping the dog hairs under control. Paddy sheds his hair all year round, so it gets everywhere. Neither the cat or dog like the hoover, and always find places to hide when I drag the hoover out. I think it is the noise the Dyson makes. With that done, I then made a minced beef curry for dinner, which has spent the whole day slow cooking in the back stove. Yesterday I baked a chocolate cake in the back stove. it is the one in the picture above and very yummy it is, even if I do say so myself. We had a piece each with lunch. Over the next few days the temperatures are expected to stay below freezing, so I decided that it would be worth topping up our water tank. When the weather is this cold we store the hosepipe in the engine room, to stop it freezing. The outside tap was frozen and took a large kettle of boiling hot water to breath it into life. Once it had coughed and spluttered, water began to pour from the tap and the filling of the water tank began. This took over half an hour, so I had time to chat with some of our neighbours. During the afternoon, I got a phone call from one of our customers, asking if he could collect 6 bags of housecoal, so hubby and I unloaded that from the hold and I waited for the customer in the warm afternoon sunshine. After he had gone, I then served ben a customer in the basin with some Supertherm, which he is trying for the first time. I have told him if he does not like it, he may bring the bag back and I will give him something else to try. So today has been a busy old day, but a pleasant one.

Good news of the day was the fact that we won our first individual Gold Medal for 30 years at the Winter Olympics. Congratulations to Amy Williams who won the Skelton Bob overnight. lets hope this spurs our other athletes on to great things.

Would you buy this?

This morning whilst in th town, I spotted this in the window of a shop. They want you to pay £2.99 for a load of rusty old nails welded together.

They are calling it Nail Wall Art........... To me it is a load of rusty nails lol.

Would you buy this and hang it on your wall?

Snow and more snow.

Good afternoon.
As you can see from the photo above Marmite knows exactly how to get comfortable in our back cabin. She will always find the warmest place like most cats. She did spend some of yesterday afternoon watching the snow fall. it kept her entertained for ages, as she tried to chase it down the perspex window.

The snow fell pretty much all afternoon and evening and we were left with 6 inches. I love the snow and everything about it, so was so pleased when it began to fall. I am a child when it comes to snow and would love to spend all my time outside playing in it.
This morning when I took Paddy out for his walk, it was not snowing, but the sky looked full of it and it was not long before the heavens opened once again. Hubby and I were up early after another restless night, as he had an appointment with the GP. We took a steady stroll down to the surgery and got in to see our GP on time, which was an added bonus. unfortunately he had no real good news for us on hubbys situation. We will have to wait like the rest of the queue, unless of course he gets called in on a cancellation, which we have to hope for. We did ask about changing hospitals, but like the GP said that would just mean starting the process all over again and that will take up more time. So hubby remains in pain and we remain stuck. It is beginning to look like we will not be cruising at all this year, which is a real shame. But at the end of the day hubby's health is far more important.

The snow has stopped for the moment and the sun is trying to pop out. I have been out and swept the snow awat from the hold, just in case people should need to come and collect coal. Last night a couple came to collect a bag of coal, on their way home from work and it took them over and hour to do less than a mile, conditions were so bad on the roads. There is a lot of slush on the roads and pavements at the moment, which could be really awful if it freezes tonight as they predict. I have just baked a chocolate cake in the back cabin stove and it smells yummy. I will post a pic of that tomorrow if I remember LOL.

Survey of the Day. 42% of Brits, say they would like to do what?
The answer was emigrate. That is such a sad reflection, on what people feel about this fabulous country. I can honestly say I would never emigrate, but I have never been abroad anyway, so I do not know if I am missing anything. I think personally every country has it's faults and problems, so really your leaving one problem for another. Every country has its ups and downs and just because we are economically going through a bad patch, does not mean we should abandone the boat just yet. (No pun intended). If I were to go abroad for a holiday I would love to go to Canada and New Zealand, but I really cannot see me ever leaving Britain for good. I love the life I have in this wonderful country and there is still so much of it that I have not seen yet.
Would you emigrate?

Blood beginning to boil.

Good afternoon.

Before I blow a blood vessel, I am going to have a massive rant. Hubby is in a lot of pain as I think I have written before due to what has been described as a rare condition. We saw the consultant last week and were told they wanted him urgently for an exploritory operation, to see what could be done. Having not heard anything for a week. I rang the hospital to find out what the situation is, to be told that he is 13th on the list and he will not be seen until April/May. So that is their Urgent arghhhhhhhh. Apparently the consultant is away much of March and April. Why bother to tell us it is urgent if this is going to be the situation. I completely understand that there are people far worse off than my husband, but they are not watching him in tremendous pain. Not only that I am worried about the amount of Morphine he is on, as it is addictive. No sooner I got off the phone with the hospital, we made an appointment to see the GP in the morning, to see if there is anything else that can be done. I bet if we were to go private and money was to pass between us, they would have him in quick smart. I am so annoyed grrrrrrrrrrrr arghhhhhhhhhh.
At the moment it is snowing here, but does not look likely that it will settle. So I will have to keep watching the Winter Olympics to get my snow fix. I am loving every moment of the Olympics. Watched the women's downhill last night on BBC2 and was so impressed with Chemmy Alcott, who skied really well and came home 13th overall in the Downhill after others failed to stay upright. Will be watching her in the combined later. There is something so magical about the Winter Olympic Games.

Today's Survey of the Day. Men spend 83 minutes doing this while women take just 79 minutes?
The answer was getting ready to go out.
I thought that women always took longer than men. It must mean that men are taking better care of themselves. It may came as a surprise. But it seems that men are spending longer getting ready to go out than women. Shock horror. Apparently, men spend 83 minutes a day on personal grooming, including cleansing, toning and moisturising, shaving, styling hair and choosing clothes. I reckon it just the fact that us girlies have got it down to a fine art. When I say us girlies, I cannot really put myself in that same bracket, because I very rarely doll myself up to go out. If you were to see me right now you would go arghhhhhhh. My hair is scraped back into a pony tail and I am not wearing makeup. I never wear much makeup anyway and I do not moisturise. I usually wear mascara and eye shadow and thats it. My nails are ummmm in a dreadful shape, but that is due to the coal dust and soot from the chimney. The other half does not moisturise either, infact he does not do much at all, but always looks well groomed when we do go out. I reckon between us we do not spend more than 20 minutes getting ready, I am not indcluding a shower in this though.
Does your man spend longer than you getting ready???

What Kind of Storm Are You??

You Are a Blizzard

You are both dangerous but beautiful. People both welcome you and fear you. You can cause a lot of trouble and even destruction. Some would argue that you're worth it though! You tend to overtake people and change everything. You aren't subtle, but you are sometimes hard to see through. There is a quiet and stillness that you sometimes bring. Some find you to be quite peaceful.

What Kind of Storm Are You?

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

Becareful what you say.

Good morning followers.

When I say good, I say it through gritted teeth, because not only is it raining, when they promised snow, I did not get a huge amount of sleep again last night. Lets tackle the first point about the rain. Last night on the local weather forecast, they said we would be getting snow. So we have ended up with rain arghhhhhh. There was I hoping to go out with the camera. No point taking photos of the rain, that would be way to boring. Now to my second point, the lack of sleep again last night. This was due to the other half, not feeling to well and announcing that he felt sick. We both sat up for a while, whilst his stomach decided whether it wanted to throw back its contents. I was so glad that it decided not to bother, as I am not great at deal with the contents of someone stomach in the washing up bowl. When I was pregnant I always hated having morning sickness. I just don't do being sick. Having sat up and had a cup of tea, we both crawled back into bed for some needed kip. He has got up this morning and feels ok now. I reckon he over ate last night, and his stomach was complaining. Whilst he was not feeling his best, our cat thought yippee everyone is up, so this must mean I will get fed. She kept walking over us both whilst we tried to get back to sleep. In the end she gave up moaning and curled up between my feet.

I have been listening to the local radio and the survey of the day is 1 in 5 workers hate what??
It appears that they hate their work colleagues. It would seem that they may greet you with a smile and ask how you are. But behind your back they are being everso slightly nasty. Life in the work place is not all sweetness and light. it is rife with back-stabbing and women are worse than men. The claws come out when it comes to getting on with other women colleagues. Now why does this not surprise me?
I used to work for a very well known store. I was taken on as Christmas staff to begin with, but after the festive period was over, I was offered the job on a perminant basis. Oh boy then I really found out who I could trust. I was asked to take charge of the early morning fill, and that was when the claws came out. Some of the women felt, they should have been given the job, as I had been there five minutes. I told them to take it up with the management. The job entailed making sure staff had their areas to stack, and they had give me the tray tickets after they had stacked the shelves. It was supposed to help with productivity. The only thing it helped with was to get their backs up at me. At one point I was being bullied by an older member of staff, so badly that I spent an hour in the toilets crying. One of the women I got on with very well, made sure that I went to the manager, who was young enough to be my daughter. Warning were issued to the bully, but it was never the same after that. I felt I was being talked about behind my back. I was just doing the job I was asked to do, but in the end it was made impossible for me and I asked to be taken off of it. Funny how they scraped that post completely after I left it. I love the job and the customers were fantastic, but some of the staff were cruel.
A typical female employee will spend around 20 minutes a day moaning about someone they work with, either by email or by instant messaging online they say.
I like to live and let live. I am not a confrontational person. I would rather get on with people, than argue with them. Life is to short I feel. If I have something to say about someone, I would rather say it to their face. Get it out in the open and then move on.

So what will I be doing today. Ummmm not a lot if this rain continues. I really want to clean the brass, but no point in the rain. I have hoovered and tidied, stoked the fires and got rid of the rubbish, walked the dog, fed the cat, who had no food in her dish, which in her mind is a complete disaster. With the way that she creates anyone would think she is never fed. So made a little progress, even though I feel washed out today. I certainly hope you have a wonderful day.

Hugsss and love to my best friend Tina, who had an operation on her knee on Monday xxxxxxxxxx

Sex

Hi friends.

I bet the title of this posting got your ears pricking up. Or if the latest survey is to be believed maybe not. Because today it was announced that more than a quarter of women aged 35+ say they 'never' have sex. Is this true I wonder?
Apparently women in the Midlands are most likely to make love regularly, with 32 per cent saying they have sex every week. Wooo hoo I am in the Midlands, but hey I am not in that 32 per cent.
You know being a woman of 47 going on 48, I am not surprised with the outcome of this research, because look what us ladies have to put up with. PMT is probably the biggest turn off and Menopause has to be high up there for many women. Not to mention the fact that we are the ones giving birth, so have our nether region stretch to within an inch of their lives. That is enough to put anyone off sex. Whereas most men have high sex drives and would do it anywhere, anytime of the day if they had the choice. Men do however get the male menopause (Andropause), but lets be honest men have it easy. I was think that maybe this is just Girl Power and we are saying NO for a change and if that is the case then go girls. After all we are not all sex crazy are we?

Well it is Pancake Day and I have made some of the little darlings for pudding today. I cooked them on the back cabin stove and they will be put in the oven later with a coating of sugar and lemon. I just hope I have room for them after dinner, which today consists of beef cobbler, with potatoes, cabbage and carrots with a beef gravy. I love cooking on our back cabin stove and it is ideal for slow cooking. The beef was left in the oven overnight to simmer and has come out nice and tender today.
As for the rest of my day, it has been busy with customers for coal and I walked down the town to get some fruit and veg for the next few days. I have managed to knit a couple more dishcloths as well. So not an exciting day, but one which has been nice for me.

Personal Torture.

I guess we all go through some sort of personal crisis at least once in our lives and it causes us to feel as if we are being tortured. I have had my fair share of personal torture through out my life.
This morning I woke up to the sound of a neighbouring boats dog yapping and I could not help but think, I wish it would just shut up. It is everso cute, but it has an annoying yap for a bark.
So there I was awake lying in the semi-darkness of the back cabin and my thoughts gravitated to my family and what they must be doing with their lives. I don’t know what is happening in their lives right now. When I say I do not know, it is because I am not in personal contact with any of them. But yesterday I found out, through the wonder of the internet, that one of my girls is getting married. It bought back allsorts of emotions. I could not help but think, should I have done things differently?
It is said that you should never look backwards, or even go back and that is correct, but it does not stop you thinking.

The Seven Most Important Men in a Woman's Life.

Good morning friends.

I have just been sent this by a male friend and could not resist posting it.
If your easily offended then pleased do not read it.................................... But hey you know you must. It made me laugh out loud. I dare you not to at least smile.


1. The Doctor - who tells her to "take off all her clothes."

2. The Dentist - who tells her to "open wide."

3. The Milkman - who asks her "do you want it in the front or the back?"

4. The Hairdresser - who asks her "do you want it teased or blown?"

5. The Interior Designer - who a...ssures her "once it's inside, you'll LOVE it!"

6. The Banker - who insists to her "if you take it out too soon, you'll lose interest!"

7. The Primal Hunter - who always goes deep into the bush, always shoots twice, always eats what he shoots, but keeps telling her "Keep quiet and lie still!"

So its Valentines Day tomorrow. Are you doing anything romantic??

Survey of the Day.

Hi friends.

This survey really did surprise me, knowing how people seem today. The survey on the local radio this morning was:

68% of men say they always do this for women??

Now whether they were telling the truth or porky pies, the answer was Open doors was the answer :-).

Your wondering why it surprised me. Well in this day and age, people seem to be in so much of a hurry and have little repsect for others. But it seems Oh thee of little faith. My other half always opens doors for me, but then he is of the old school, when people had better manners. There was a day when gentlemen always opened doors, and pulled out chairs for their loved ones. I do however wonder if generations to come will keep up this tradition.

After the past couple of days, it has been a blessing to have a quiter day today. I did get a better nights sleep, even though I woke up early hours, I did manage to get back to sleep. A nice cuddle from hubby did the trick. When we did get up at around 8.30am, it was business as usual. Fires stoked, dog walked and breakfast eaten. We then started a clean up, as we had a guest coming to see us. I put the hoover around, whilst hubby got rid of the rubbish and emptied the toilet cassette. Because we have a cat and dog, there is always hair everywhere. Our collie seems to moult all year round and his hair gets into places we rather it did not. So being able to use the hoover is an absolute gift. When we are on the move I only use a dustpan and brush. So it is a luxury at the moment. After hoovering it was time to give the floors a wash. That bit does mean I have to get down on my hands and knees. These days that is done with a groan and a lot of creaking. Our guest was due at midday and we were more than ready for him, when I got a knock on the boat for coal. Taybrite and Housecoal were hauled out of the hold and money exchanged hands, as our guest arrived. We always enjoy inviting people on to our boat. Those who have never been on a boat before, are always amazed at how warm we are and how much room we have. I suppose you can look at it as living in a long thin flat, but this one moves and is harder work. Our guest left at 1.30pm and we immediately had some lunch. I then had to go and collect more tablets for hubby. I hope he comes off of them soon, because it is costing us an arm and a leg. At £7.20 per item and he had three items, you do not need me to tell you it was expensive.
The weekend is almost here and of course Valentine's Day. May I wish you all a wonderful weekend and if you celebrate V Day, have a lovely one.

Cream Crackered.

Hi Folks.

Phewwwwwwww. What a couple of days I have had. Not only have I lifted 5 tonne, I have walked flippen miles and miles. I suppose I should elaborate somewhat.
It all began yesterday morning very, very early and when I say early I mean 2.45am arghhhhhh. Yep I was awake at 2.45am, infact we both were, because it was like an oven in our back cabin, where we sleep. There was nothing for it, but to open the hatch and allow some extremely cold wind into the boat. Whilst the cabin cooled down, I made us an early morning cuppa. Which certainly quenched the thirst, we were suffering from, due to the heat. Having cooled down, we snuggled back down beneath the duvet and got a little more kip, before the alarm went off at 5.30am. Why so early your thinking I know? Well today was the day, when 5 tonne of coal was being delivered, as our hold was almost empty and with the weather still cold, coal is needed. I got up first and made us another cuppa and some breakfast. Whilst the other half got up, I sorted out the fires and then took the mute for a stroll beneath the street lights. I will not walk the towpath in the dark. Once it was getting light outside, we then started preparing the the hold for our new delivery. The sheeting was rolled up and the hold floor swept. At 8.15am, I heard a lorry turn up and low and behold our coal delivery had arrived and the hard work begain. Because the other half is not well at the moment, (More to come on that subject) it was down to me to stack the coal, all 200 bags of it. Each plastic bag holds 25kg of coal, and is neatly stacked in the hold. It took me just over an hour to stack the coal, with the help of the coal merchant lads, who bought the coal to the boat on barrows, ten bags at a time. Whilst I did the hard work, hubby made us all a well earned coffee. The lads left for their next drop and we closed the sheeting again to keep the hold dry. We did very little for the rest of the day, just the usual boat jobs and cooking, and cleaning. You know what I mean, the list is endless for a woman. I fell into bed last night and yet was wide awake yet again early.
This morning we were awake at 5.30am, because we had to go to the hospital to see hubbies Consultant. With a hope that he would decide to take him in. Once at the hospital for an early appointment, we waited for almost an hour to see the Consultant, but we so pleased to see that we were seeing the head man. He did agree to take the other half in and do an exploratory operation, to find the root of his pain, which is now getting out of hand. The consultant admitted that what he has is very, very rare and he does not really know how to treat it. So we are covering new ground with the type of Prostatic Xanthogranulomatous he has. This could be a long and bumpy ride. After leaving the consultant, hubby had to have an MRSA swab taken and we now wait for the letter to come, which tells him to go in. We both hope it will be ASAP. The consultant did put it down as Urgent. We took a walk around the town, had some lunch and then caught the train back to the boat. Which is where we have stayed. I did deliver 3 bags of coal to a customer, but as I feel completely cream crackered, I have no energy for anything else and hope that I will sleep tonight without the aid of Nytol. I will wish you a goodnight.

Covering up our dignity.

Good evening friends.

It has been another chilly day, with some wintery showers. When the sun did come out, it was lovely and was like a breath of Spring. The sun is now setting and the temperature dropping, so I guess we are in for another chilly night. I have spent the day, organising the boats hold, ready for a coal delivery tomorrow. I finished re-waterproofing our outdoor wear, so we are ready for whatever the weather can throw at us. I enjoyed a lovely stroll down into the town this afternoon and was amazed to see how quiet it was. Even the market was very quiet. Maybe everyone was huddled in front of their fires. The most exciting thing I have done today, was fill the water tank ha ha ha. Tomorrow will be much more exciting, when our coal delivery arrives in the morning and we have to load it into the hold.

Changing the subject completely. I have been watching the Alan Titchmarsh Show and he goes through the newspapers. The first topic was about Hospital Gowns, so thought I would follow it up.

It official hospital gowns are hideous and leave us with our dignity hanging out. So what have they done?
They have asked top designer Ben Delisi to design a new hospital gown at the cost of £25,000 to the Design Council, and undoubtly to the British tax payer. Now whilst I think it is wonderful that they are going to do something about the horrendous gowns. I cannot help but feel they could have done it a lot cheaper. Why did they not ask design students to come up with a new gown design. After all it is not rocket science. Surely getting a Hollywood designer to the stars in, is going to cost a lot more in the long run?
It would have surely been a good exercise for design students and would have kept the costs down?
But hey what do I know, I am just one of the tax payers who is going to end up helping to foot the bill. We all know how embarrassing and ill-fitting hospital gowns are. No one likes their nether regions hanging out, especially in a mixed ward. But I fail to see how bringing in a top designer is going to make a difference. It will be interesting to see what he has actually come up with.

63%................... what????????????

Hi friends.

Someone opened the freezer door and has left it open it appears, because it is freezing outside. We have snow falling once more woooooo hoooo. But we are nice and cosy inside the boat. Do you know the first question people always ask us?
Aren't you cold in winter. The answer to that is NO. If anything we are to hot, so have the doors open and the other half, sits without his shirt on all evening (Cover your eyes ladies). Well insultated narrowboats are extrmely warm in winter and on ours we do have two coal fires, so we will never be cold. Not to mention a hold full of coal, or it will be when my coal delivery arrives tomorrow.

So I titles this post 63%, why your asking. Well it seems in a poll today 63% of people do what, whilst in town. The answer was drop litter. I found that quite appauling, but not surprising unfortunately. Isn't it sad that despite the fact there are always litter bins, people are to lazy to put their litter in them. When I was growing up, I was taught to either put my litter in a bin, or put it in my pocket and put it in the bin when I got home. If I had dropped litter, I would have got a clip around the ear. But of course that is deemed as child abuse these days. I can honestly say I never drop litter knowingly, because I personally hate to see our hedgerows and street covered in other peoples litter. It takes all of a few seconds to put litter into a bin or pocket and yet we all see people doing it everyday. A couple of years ago, I was walking behind a couple of teenagers and I actually asked the youngman to pick up his sandwich wrapper and put it in the bin. he walked on as if he had not heard me. So I walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder, and spoke to him face to face. After him trying to tell me it was not his. He did go back and pick it up and put it into the bin he had walked past. I must have been feeling brave that day, because when I see some people drop litter, I really feel quite scared of asking them to pick it up, because they usually look quite unsavoury. Some towns and cities have fines for dropping litter, but when do you ever see a warden???
The same goes for dog owners who allow their dogs to poop and the owner does not pick it up. But do you ever see a dog warden NO. Still that is another posting, because I usually end up on my soap box with that topic. I do realise I am sounding like a Grump Old Woman, but I love this country of ours and would like to see it kept tidy. Where we are at the moment, I see a woman go out every morning with a carrier bag and she always comes back with it full of other peoples litter. No one pays her to pick it up, she chooses to because she is fed up of seeing it lying all over the place near her home. So that is my rant for the day.

So far today I have relit the back cabin stove and stoked the saloon stove, so we are lovely and cosy. At the moment the washing machine is working overtime, because I am re-waterproofing our outdoor coats and trousers. Earlier on I went down the town to buy myself a new pair of brown trousers from Peacocks for £12.00. Every shop I have been in has black or grey trousers, but no Brown. I don't need Black or Grey, but I do need Brown, so Peacocks got my custom. Thank you Peacocks. We have just had lunch with comprised of warming Tomato Soup with Bread and Butter and for afters an Eccles Cake. I love Eccles cakes and the market does some lovely ones. I found out Saturday that the best time to visit the market is around 1.30pm to 2pm, because they are beginning to sell everything off cheap to get rid of it. So I managed to get two packs of meat for £5 and two packets of Eccles cakes for £3, both bargains. I think I may well fill my freezer, when it gets low from the market butcher.
Well it is still snowing and my first lot of washing is almost done, so I am off to set the drier in motion.
Have a fabulous day,

You Know You're Getting Old...

~ When it takes you all night to do what you used to do all night.


~ When you have all the answers ~ but no one asks you the questions.

~ You stop looking forward to your next birthday.

~ There's too much room in the house but not enough in the medicine cabinet.

~ You get winded playing chess.

~ The candles on your birthday cake are a fire hazard.

~ You look forward to a dull evening.

~ When you're disturbed in the bath and you don't know which bits to cover first.

~ You're still chasing women but can't remember why.

~ You finally get you head together but your body falls apart.

~ You and your teeth don't sleep together.

~ There's nothing left to learn the hard way.

Soap or No Soap????

Hi Friends and followers.

It is a dull and damp Sunday morning and yet onboard it is cosy. It does not look like we are expecting any sunshine today. According to my horoscope on Facebook. My mood is supposed to be stressed, Lucky Colour is Navy Blue, Lucky Number 38 and lucky time of the day is supposed to be 10am. Well I guess one out of the four is not bad. My Lucky and favourite colour is Blue. I really do not do stress, there is no point, life is way to short already. Number 38 means nothing to me. The last time it has anything to do with my life was on my 38th birthday. and 10am has just been and gone and the only thing that happened was my hubby said I had spelt something wrong on my Facebook, so no joy there either. I am not an avid horoscope reader and therefore it will not affect my day hahaha.

Yesterday I got into a conversation with someone others on Facebook about watching soaps. You see the last time I watched a soap. Emmerdale was Emmerdale Farm. Coronation Street still had Annie running the Rovers and EastEnders was a happier place. So it has been many years since I sat and watched them. I was told by one lady that I was not living if I did not watch the soaps, duhhhhhhhh excuse me I think it maybe the other way around. I am actually living by not watching the soaps, which are full of death, and despair. They are supposed to reflect real life. I do not think so. One lady said it is escapism. If that is the case, I can do without them. These days they dominate the TV. Firstly they are on 3,4,5 times a week and then you get to watch them repeated. I have named Thursday soap night, because that is all that is on. Not everyone wants to watch soaps all day and evening. There was a time that they did reflect a touch of real life, but these days it is so depressing and lots of shouting going on. No wonder when you see people talking to each other in the street, they feel the need to shout at each other. It is because they see it on the soaps. Nothing about any of the soaps, makes me want to watch them. I would rather watch paint dry.

So it is Sunday and I am now off to collect sticks for the fire. I dare say I will get some odd looks from passing motorists, but hey it will brighten there day. Apart from that it will be a quiet day I think. Whatever your doing today have fun and stay safe out there.

That Friday Feeling.

Good afternoon friends and followers.

Well what a contrast to yesterday, which of course was Thursday. Dank Thursday was what I called it, because it was so miserable. Today is Friday and it has been a fabulous day. I woke up to warm Spring sunshine, to give me that wonderful Friday feeling. I find that when the sunshines, I always want to get on and do job, and today was no exception.
Have you noticed that when the sunshines, it always shows up the dirt and dust?
That was the case this morning, and so it spurred me on to get some Spring cleaning done. It will snow next week, I just know it will. I am never normally this early with Spring cleaning.
Having not slept to well again last night, I still had a spring in my step, and even the dog was on his toes for his walk this morning. He must have sensed it from me. Having walked him, and fed him and the cat, I set about getting some jobs done. First on my list this morning was a wash..... No not me silly........ a clothes wash. With that doing, I relit the back cabin stove, which I let out last night as it was way to hot in the back cabin to sleep. On the back cabin stove we use good old house coal, so usually end up smoking people out to begin with. Whilst the washing was doing, and the fire was springing into life, I cooked meatballs in a Sweet and Sour sauce for dinner tonight. I am so glad I am a woman and I can multi task. Ha ha. With that in the back cabin stove. The first load of washing was done and one of the crocheted blankets from the back cabin was then put in for a wash. I did break for lunch and a refreshing cuppa. Before deciding on my next task. Whilst eating lunch, I went on my facebook page, to see what everyone was up to. Whilst on there the survey of the day from the local radio station came up. It was 66% of people consider themselves to be what??? Think about it and I will answer it towards the end of this posting.
After lunch I decided it was time to tackle my brass work outside. I have not bothered to polish it for a couple of months now, due to the weather and the smoke from the chimneys which tarnish it. The mushroom vents and portholes were looking very sad and forgotten. There was nothing for it, they needed some TLC. Firstly I wiped them over with some Cillit Bang, which is great for getting off the grime. It then took some elbow grease and Brasso to get the shine back. They are not perfect yet, but looking much better. Whilst I was sat on the roof polishing away in the sunshine. I got chatting to passers-by. Oh the joy of being out in the fresh air. We always get to chat to some lovely people. The only problem with cleaning brass is the fact that it ruins your nails. I am not one of these women who can wear rubber gloves. mainly because I have an allergry to rubber (long story) and I cannot work properly with gloves on of any sort. So my nails look dreadful. In fact my hands are a mess at the moment, what with humping coal and cleaning brass. One of these days I will have to get some TLC for my hands and nails, but that will have to wait until I end my days of moving coal around. Talking of coal, I have a customer coming tomorrow to collect coal, so I will be up to my elbows in coal dust again in the morning I guess. A coal delivery is also due next week, so I am hoping the weather is kind to me that day.
Ok so did you work out the survey?
66% of people consider themselves to be what???
The answer is Middle Class.
I am not sure what class I am and I really do not care. Is there such a thing as class anymore?
I supposed if I was pushed to say what class I maybe, I would have to say working class. But I really hate that term. We should all be equal. Ok I realise that there is a distinction, because there are those who have lots of money and they have never done a days work in their lives, but I do not like the fact that we are put in classes. The last time that happened to me, I was at school. LOL.

Damp and Dank.

Hi Folks.

Why is it, when the weather is miserable, it can make you feel the same way?
This morning it has been so miserable, with low cloud, causing drizzle. All around is damp and dank, and no matter who you look at they look miserable. It has been a busy coupld of days for me, what with selling coal to new customers, who are always welcome. The hold is now looking a little empty, so hoping my new delivery of coal arrives soon.
Yesterday I took the opportunity to black the boats bow, which is now sitting very high out of the water, due to being almost empty. It is now protected against the elements, when it goes back down in the water, once the coal is onboard. The blacking got chipped off, as we ploughed our way through the ice before Christmas. I kept hoping for a half decent day to apply a coat of blacking and yesterday was my chance. I did however have to warm the backing up first, as it was stuck in the tin. Still all done now thankfully and I can forget about it for a while. I also took the opportunity to clean the back cabin chimney, as the fire was getting a little sluggish. I could see why when I checked the chimney. it was particially blocked by the tar from the coal. So it was time to strip it all down and give it a good going over. I ended up looking like a coal miner, but the chimney was clean and the stove was then relit. During the evening it seemed to go into overtime and would not shut down properly, so it was a rather warm night on our boat.
Today as I said before started out damp and dank, but jobs have to be done. So first of all it was walking the hound. Then we sat down for breakfast with a nice warming cuppa. With the cupboards and fridge looking so pitiful. We donned our coats and rucksacks and headed for the supermarket. I am sure food prices are going through the roof. We just do not seem to get much for our money these days. Back onboard the boat. I put the shopping away, whilst hubby went and paid for the mooring we are using at the moment. Whilst eating some lunch, I was listening to the local radio. Everyday they have a survey of the day. Today's was 36% of men admit that they have no what? Some of the answers were.
No Idea what to do with a ladys nether regions.
No romance. As in are not romantic.
Idea where babies come from.
Personal Hygiene.
Pension.
The answer was Dress Sense.
It got me thinking. Does it really matter how someone dresses?
Do you really care what your other half looks like?
To me someones dress sense is not important. It is the person under the clothes that matters. If anyone was to look into my dress sense, they would propbably die, because I spend most of my time dressed in cord trousers and shirts. I do however dress up when we go out, but again that involves trousers. I don't own a dress, because we have no hanging space, everything is kept in draws and cupboard and anyway I am not a girlie girl. I hate pink but love blue. I dress to be comfortable and not to keep up with the fashion of the day. So to me a man's dress sense is not important. The first time I met my now husband, he was wearing dark blue jeans, a white shirt and a yellow fleece and I thought he looked fantastic. We are getting way to vain I think. But thats just my personal opinion. I do not dress for anyone else but myself. I guess I am lucky my husband loves me, no matter what I wear, and the same goes for him. I would still love him if he wore a bin bag.

Do we really care??????

I do not buy newpapers or magazines. The reason being is because I am fed up with reading all their lies and tittle-tattle. I personally think there are more important things going on in the world that should be reported. But at the moment the media is having a field day with John Terry. Terry who plays for Chelsea and is the England Captain, is being ripped apart by the media, because of his alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the ex-partner of Wayne Bridge.
Now come on we all know that affairs have been going on since the beginning of time and they will continue to happen. As long as man has a penis, affairs will always happen. I know us ladies also enter into affairs. Infact we are all as bad as each other. What gets my goat, is the fact that the media seem to think it is in the public interest, when it is a celeb. You do not see them reporting the affair Mr S is having with Mrs M from Manchester. Because they are not celebs they just work in the same building. I just wish the media would leave these people alone to sort out their problems with their other halves. The media see fit to hound these people, until they have destroyed their lives. I realise that some of these celebs are supposed to be role models, but that does not mean they do not have feelings. Not to mention their families and children. Lets take John Terry for a moment. How must his children and family be feeling, with his private life plastered all over the media. I say leave him alone. He needs time to rebuild bridges (No pun intended). I am quite sure they will hounf him, until he is forced to give up the England job. Maybe he can save his marriage if he is allowed to be left a lone. I really don't want to read about this sort of thing, when you have the Haiti disaster going on and people dying all over the world.
Ok rant over with. I just had to get that off my chest.

Feeling like a wet weekend.

How is it, that I took two Nytol last night, to aid some much needed restful sleep, only to wake up several times through the night. How can this be?
I thought Nytol was supposed to help you sleep. Not in my case it seems. I wish I knew why I cannot sleep. Maybe it is because I am worrying about hubby, as he is poorly. Or maybe it is my age, as I am menopausal, which has its downside. If your a menopausal woman, you will know exactly where I am coming from. I have been going through the menopause since 2007, after having a hysterectomy in 2004. To be honest it has not been to bad. I get the night sweats and my joints ache, but it has not been to bad. If this problem with not sleeping is part of it, this may become a problem, because I cannot operate unless I get my full quota of sleep.

The weather is a bit unsettled at the moment. After three days of ice, we now have rain again. Someone was telling me that after a few days of milder weather, we are expected to go back to the cold weather for a month. Wooo hoo, alls I can say is bring it on. I love the cold weather, as long as it is dry. Coal sales have been very good this past month, and I am expecting a new delivery this week, so that will keep me busy.

I thought I would leave you today with this little gem.

Brain Teaser for you. This is as light as a feather, yet no man can hold it for long. What is it?