Playing Around Again .........

As you can see I'm playing around with the colour scheme and template for this blog - I think this might finally be it.

I've been chomping on Quality Street again whilst sitting here playing around - I do love the chocolate toffee fingers - unfortunately I think I may have lost a bit of filling from a tooth - no more Quality Street for me.

New Year

I'd like to wish you all a very Happy New Year - may God's peace be with us all.  Thank you for taking the time to read my blog(s) and I hope you'll find something to interest you here each week.

Had a little trip to London yesterday - visiting family and a little shopping at Westfield in Shepherds Bush - we drove home along the embankment and took a few photographs as we drove along at dusk.

Before we got to the embankment we noticed this swan - who appeared to be a little lost.

New Colour Scheme

I just can't make up my mind - so this colour scheme is on trial for the day until I make a decision.

Great Expectations concluded this evening and even though I know the story and how it would end, the ending still had me in tears.  What a great story.

A Tale of Two Cities goes slowly not because the story is slow but because I've been busy.  I thought at one time that I had read it but I now know that I have not read this book but have seen the film!  Aah, enlightenment.

I've been busy having a good clear out - eldest daughter has excelled herself in de-cluttering her room, but there are so many bags for the charity shop, and with rubbish day tomorrow the recycling bags are stretching way up the street!  I'm trying to make space for new kitchen equipment - pasta machine and electric steamer - yet  where I have been ruthless in clearing clutter I seem only to have made everything much more tidy and regimented but not created space - why does this happen?  Tomorrow is the turn of the understairs' cupboard - who knows what lurks in the depths.  I could be gone for quite a while.

Just Playing Around ...............

I'm trying to either re-design this blog for the new year or scrap it completely and just go with my other blog L'heure du the - can't decide ................ so this may change several times this week ......... that's if there is anyone around to read it.

I'm fiddling on the computer whilst trying to also watch the film Charade - I just love this film, Audrey Hepburn is so stylish and beautiful and so well suited to Cary Grant.

We watched the second episode of Great Expectations this evening - as a family - it's not often now that there is a programme we all want to watch but this has been rather good, I'm surprised that the girls like it so much.  Watching Great Expectations has prompted me to pick up A Tale of Two Cities which I have had on my shelves for years and have NEVER read.  So far, so good.

Downton Abbey - oh how I had been waiting for this Christmas Special and it did not disappoint.  So much better than the second series - not that I didn't enjoy that because I did.  I read an article in the newspaper today which said that servants would not have been this clean and their relationship with the family of the house would not have been as it is in the series.  Isn't that what works of fiction are all about?  Does it matter that it's not 100% accurate?  Isn't it enough that it is entertaining?  Do we really want to watch authentic looking servants who (apparently) stank!

Speaking of stinkers - the husband wanted to watch Ben Hur on Channel 5 - three and half hours of tv with ad breaks - not me thank you very much - just as well we recorded it.  It didn't last long though, there was the one scene being highly unsuitable for children and, to my mind, completely unnecessary.  The husband was all for telephoning Channel 5 to complain - we cancelled the recording and deleted what had already been recorded - good riddance to bad rubbish, can't tell you the relief that I don't have to sit through that.

I'm contemplating New Year's Resolutions (you notice I have used capitals) and I think after all the Quality Street I've been munching over the past few days, not to mention trifle and mince pies - I had better start with losing weight.

Happy Christmas

Merry Christmas to one and all - have a wonderful time.

For The Fallen by Laurence Binyon

On 19th September I posted about my Great Uncle William Madden who died on 19th September 1917 - on that post you will be able to read the whole poem - but here are just a few words that everyone seems to know, which were taken from that poem:

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.



And we do.

WARNING

I received an email from a friend this evening - one of those emails that do the rounds and are sent to numerous friends at one time, requesting that the message be passed on.  Well, I did this, and now I am going to reiterate this message here - hopefully I will manage to get all the details correct - anyway, the message had originated from the Police, warning all females to beware of this latest danger either to ourselves or to our property.  A young woman was at a petrol station filling her car when she was approached by a man who offered to assist her, she declined his help, upon which he then offered her his business card saying that he was a painter and decorator should she ever have need of this service.  She took his card, paid for her petrol and got back into her car and went on her way, however, she noticed that the man got into a car with another man and their car followed her.  She began to feel strange and unable to breathe properly and noticed that there was an aroma on her hands which was causing this feeling - which had been transferred to her hands by the business card the man had passed to her.  Feeling that she was in danger she drove onto the driveway of the nearest house and honked the horn of her car, at which point the car containing the two men continued on its way.

I cannot remember the name of the drug that was on the business card although the Police said that it was stronger than the "date rape drug" and they are not sure whether the men's intention was to steal her car, property or do harm to the woman, they suggested that women should be aware of this latest scam and not accept cards from just anyone when they are on their own or in vulnerable situations.

So often we accept leaflets and cards which are handed to us as we walk along the High Street and think nothing of it - we must start thinking about it now.

Stay safe and take care.