At last! I am back on line after a long argument with those bastards of Sky TV aka slowest broadband and crappiest phone service in the world. I have to say though that I cracked first and caved in as I could no longer stand talking to myself.
Honestly, I have spent nearly four weeks muttering to myself under the Duvet. I had no outlet you see and there are only so many conversations you can have with a 12 year old. It isn't that I am 'Johnny No Mates', merely that in this busy world you rarely get the chance to have a totally random conversation. The other night I was so bored that I was laying in bed (under the duvet) with The Gits ipod stuck in my ears singing quietly, or so I thought, to Ellen Miller, this was after scrolling through loads of Michael Jackson stuff. It was about 2 am and I had left it too late to take a sleeping pill. I opened my eyes to find a very cross 12 year old at the the foot of my bed. 'Give up the ipod now' he growled, holding out his hand. 'Now for gods sake go to sleep and don't ever sing again, even it is just to yourself'. With that he stomped back off to bed. Oops, bad mummy!
I thought I was going quite mad. Talking to myself, answering myself and even debating with myself. It struck me how much Blogging had become part of my daily life. Even if I don't post, I usually draft something. There again, I hear you ask, isn't Blogging the worst form of vanity publishing? Isn't it just for nutters who just can't shut up? The answer my friends is an emphatic NO! If I am honest, I had thought about axing Donut Child before my accidental break. I felt it was too nice, too preachy and some of the early posts gave me so much angst, I nearly gave up entirely. I sit here tonight, proud of my achievement and happy that I persevered.
If you are programmed with an English rather than a Math brain then you should Blog. It is cathartic, soothing, amazing and gives so much satisfaction for no cost. You don't have to publish it, you can keep it locked and private. As for reading it back, then that really is the fun part. I don't mean recent posts, I mean something that you wrote a year ago. Satisfyingly, we now have a little thing called the World Wide Web which means....ha! ha !!!, you can SHARE! Reading personal Blogs is a bit like watching Coronation Street, you can always change the channel if you don't like it. Every single person that comments on this Blog, be it via FB or email, likes it and enjoys the theme. I had not realised this until this month, so thank you to all of you that have contacted me asking 'Where is Donut Child?'
Anyway as well as having a rant at the great god SKY, I want to talk about those Facebook Posts that you are supposed to 'Copy and Past' to your status. Some of then are okay but others just stink. They are the modern day equivalent of the 'chain letter' and I hate the insidious little blighters. Are we all Sheep?? If your mate jumped off a cliff into shark infested custard, would you? Facebook was created for people air their opinions, not for people to wander around repeating stuff like the Moonies. If someone posts an opinion then react to it , in your own words, don't just paste it. Are you a brainless moron? Can you think for yourself? Doesn't look like it to me. The ones that really get my back up are those of the 'Do you have the guts to paste this on your status' ilk.
I got into a bit of a row on FB (via my phone) last week and it taught me a lesson. Assume nothing, expect the unexpected. An acquaintance posted a Copy and Paste on his wall about the lack of funds for the British Serviceman. This is a subject I am passionate about and have long campaigned for better kit for our Forces but HIS friends did not know that. I said that I had my own views on the subject and wasn't interested in being a sheep. I was verbally attacked by three ex forces guys. One of whom went into a racist rant about Terrorists in the UK. I could not leave it there. Some of the stuff he said was so shocking. When I tried to explain that bigoted remarks wasn't the best way to go about tackling terrorism he went into orbit and I honestly thought he was going to track me down, put me up against a wall and shoot me. I had the last word though, when I asked him if he knew quite how small the Human Gene Pool actually was and his 10 times removed great granddaddy was probably a Persian Goat Herder! He didn't like that one bit and limped off to lick his wounds....
I guess what I am ranting about is the power of words. Post your own thoughts. encourage debate and however passionate/misguided/safe/liberal/stupid or thoughtful your views are, they deserve to be heard. So stop bleating and banish those bloody awful copy and paste, 'Cop Outs'.!
Namaste
Muse xx
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Saturday, 23 October 2010
A Bit of a Nuts Day!
I was woken at 4 am this morning by The Git. He was in pain with his tooth. I had to take him to the Emergency Dentist last month. He has to have one little filling. I am a Dental phobic. I have had too many bad experiences with Forces Dentists. Enough about me. Fortuitously we had an appointment for Joshys first filling today. I did manage to be a good Mother and got him to the Dental surgery. I did not mention the fact that I had fainted at the last appointment. He was rather polite and did not mention it, also. He was quite relaxed, got into the chair and was fine with a really lovely Irish Girl....until she started the drill!
Let us go back a bit shall we. I met a Trainee Dentist when I was about 17. His name was Heppleston. He hung around with our Rowing/Waterski-ing/Running crowd and was frankly, completely Bonkers! His Ma ran a B and B in Scarborough and he would entertain us after drinking too many beers at The Cask by taking us back to his Ma's in Scarborough. His Ma had an enormous ( for the front room) Organ. Yeah, okay, do all the jokes you want. Seriously there was this massive Organ in his Ma's front room and he would play Led Zep on it! He was jailed in 2006 for four years for a £450,000 fraud.
I always remembered 'Hep ' and shuddered, hoping that he would never, ever work on my teeth. He was training in London, committed to his cause and utterly mad. Onto my work as a care worker, some 25 years later. I encountered a 'Flying Dentist'. I met him a few times on my rounds in Plymouth. He was gregarious, flirty and suggested to me at one point that I would 'pay him in kind'....eeuugghh! Paul Carlin, defrauded the NHS of £100, 000. He may have upset me but he was wonderful with the elderly. I do remember how gentle you were Paul, despite your love for money.
Back to the surgery. Waiting in that room. Trying to keep Joshy calm. Him, smelling the smells and listening to the sounds. The smells and sounds always upset me but I managed to calm him and got him into the room where a lovely Irish Girl was speaking to me. Erm....seems that I was so upset and concentrating on The Git that I could not manage to hear ANYTHING! Yep that's right...Miss Geraldine Kehoe had to deal with me dribbling and pretty bloody bonkers. I had temporarily lost my power of speech and hearing!
I managed to hold on to reality for a moment and her words made sense at last. It was rather like finding a voice through a fog. Her lovely Dental Nurse was a Star. We managed to get Joshy on the chair, but that was all. He was so badly stressed, poor little man. Josh is going to be referred to a specialist clinic as he has ADHD, ODD and is Autistic. I have to say that he was a very brave boy today though! We managed to stumble down the stairs. There were four people coming up. None of them nodded or said thank you. They all had a terrible look of fear in their eyes.
Going downstairs, we were pretty raw. A very young girl said. 'Stop, do you need to sign any forms'! After the gentle care we had experienced in the surgery, I asked her to say 'PLEASE'. Another, more experienced Receptionist, managed to communicate with me.
Why? in this world of technology do we still have to go through so much? I suppose it a bit like asking 'Why Do Women Go Through Childbirth? Can we trust our Dentist. It really is a big thing to trust him or her. Can he/she understand how hard it us for us? I guess I'll find out soon.
Nite All
Muse xx
.
Let us go back a bit shall we. I met a Trainee Dentist when I was about 17. His name was Heppleston. He hung around with our Rowing/Waterski-ing/Running crowd and was frankly, completely Bonkers! His Ma ran a B and B in Scarborough and he would entertain us after drinking too many beers at The Cask by taking us back to his Ma's in Scarborough. His Ma had an enormous ( for the front room) Organ. Yeah, okay, do all the jokes you want. Seriously there was this massive Organ in his Ma's front room and he would play Led Zep on it! He was jailed in 2006 for four years for a £450,000 fraud.
I always remembered 'Hep ' and shuddered, hoping that he would never, ever work on my teeth. He was training in London, committed to his cause and utterly mad. Onto my work as a care worker, some 25 years later. I encountered a 'Flying Dentist'. I met him a few times on my rounds in Plymouth. He was gregarious, flirty and suggested to me at one point that I would 'pay him in kind'....eeuugghh! Paul Carlin, defrauded the NHS of £100, 000. He may have upset me but he was wonderful with the elderly. I do remember how gentle you were Paul, despite your love for money.
Back to the surgery. Waiting in that room. Trying to keep Joshy calm. Him, smelling the smells and listening to the sounds. The smells and sounds always upset me but I managed to calm him and got him into the room where a lovely Irish Girl was speaking to me. Erm....seems that I was so upset and concentrating on The Git that I could not manage to hear ANYTHING! Yep that's right...Miss Geraldine Kehoe had to deal with me dribbling and pretty bloody bonkers. I had temporarily lost my power of speech and hearing!
I managed to hold on to reality for a moment and her words made sense at last. It was rather like finding a voice through a fog. Her lovely Dental Nurse was a Star. We managed to get Joshy on the chair, but that was all. He was so badly stressed, poor little man. Josh is going to be referred to a specialist clinic as he has ADHD, ODD and is Autistic. I have to say that he was a very brave boy today though! We managed to stumble down the stairs. There were four people coming up. None of them nodded or said thank you. They all had a terrible look of fear in their eyes.
Going downstairs, we were pretty raw. A very young girl said. 'Stop, do you need to sign any forms'! After the gentle care we had experienced in the surgery, I asked her to say 'PLEASE'. Another, more experienced Receptionist, managed to communicate with me.
Why? in this world of technology do we still have to go through so much? I suppose it a bit like asking 'Why Do Women Go Through Childbirth? Can we trust our Dentist. It really is a big thing to trust him or her. Can he/she understand how hard it us for us? I guess I'll find out soon.
Nite All
Muse xx
.
Sunday, 17 October 2010
The Power of Words
Words are such powerful things, even when we are little and not quite sure how to use them. All of my children and siblings have used words to express themselves. They are not the words we would use but far superior and more amusing. All of them used these words in innocence.
My little sis Jax, now a school nurse in Australia, called me 'Netty' when she was a baby as she could not say my name. To this day it sticks and my granddaughter Angelina calls me Netty. Her words were indeed powerful things, even at her young age. At school, a boy called Paul Brewer would call me 'toilet' and make me feel so small and ashamed as 'Netty' is Geordie slang for 'Toilet'.
Enough! Onto the funnier ones. My son Joshua was born 11 years apart from his siblings. He could not say Sian and to this day my lovely Sian is 'Nin', which is all he could manage at the time. 'Nin' only comes out when he is telling her in a roundabout way that he loves her.
When Josh was little we lived in a seaside town and the local Seagulls were ferocious. As a toddler he would hang on to his ice-cream for dear life and tell us all that that the 'Ski- Gulls' would try and bite it! Josh also loved something called an Armerica. We spent ages at the toy shop with him, trying to find out what it was, then it finally dawned on us that it was a Harmonica! Sian and James spent a lot of time on Ascension Island with my parents and when Sian (now 25) was a toddler she would ask her Bampy to collect some 'Shallows' with her - shells in our language, but a wonderful description don't you think!
James (now 22) had a few of his own. When he was little we would plant a garden together and I would name the flowers he was growing. He decided that Marigolds were Garimolds, which is what they are to this day. I still grow them for him. A recent one of James' was hilarious, forgive me son, I know it was just a slip of the tongue...but it was wonderful. My mum is a member of the Mormon church and I was talking to James about it last year. 'Yeah' said he ' The Moomins.........' That was me howling with laughter and having to dash to the loo! Think about it..Mama Moomin, Papa Moomin and each and every episode a parable of faith and good deeds. I have to say that he hit the nail on the head with that one.
Josh came up with a new one last week, even at the age of 12. He said how great the 'Stun Glasses' his sister had given him were. Again, what a brilliant description. Think Aviator Specs/ Tom Cruise (shudder) /being cool....hence Stun Glasses!
So here I am thinking about the words we use in society today. There were no labels or words to describe people when I was at school. No Gay/ Disabled /ADHD /Autistic /Transvestite /Black /White /Yellow. Ad Infinitum.
Words remain powerful but perhaps we have let them become too intrusive in our lives? Think about it.
Namaste
Muse x
My little sis Jax, now a school nurse in Australia, called me 'Netty' when she was a baby as she could not say my name. To this day it sticks and my granddaughter Angelina calls me Netty. Her words were indeed powerful things, even at her young age. At school, a boy called Paul Brewer would call me 'toilet' and make me feel so small and ashamed as 'Netty' is Geordie slang for 'Toilet'.
Enough! Onto the funnier ones. My son Joshua was born 11 years apart from his siblings. He could not say Sian and to this day my lovely Sian is 'Nin', which is all he could manage at the time. 'Nin' only comes out when he is telling her in a roundabout way that he loves her.
When Josh was little we lived in a seaside town and the local Seagulls were ferocious. As a toddler he would hang on to his ice-cream for dear life and tell us all that that the 'Ski- Gulls' would try and bite it! Josh also loved something called an Armerica. We spent ages at the toy shop with him, trying to find out what it was, then it finally dawned on us that it was a Harmonica! Sian and James spent a lot of time on Ascension Island with my parents and when Sian (now 25) was a toddler she would ask her Bampy to collect some 'Shallows' with her - shells in our language, but a wonderful description don't you think!
James (now 22) had a few of his own. When he was little we would plant a garden together and I would name the flowers he was growing. He decided that Marigolds were Garimolds, which is what they are to this day. I still grow them for him. A recent one of James' was hilarious, forgive me son, I know it was just a slip of the tongue...but it was wonderful. My mum is a member of the Mormon church and I was talking to James about it last year. 'Yeah' said he ' The Moomins.........' That was me howling with laughter and having to dash to the loo! Think about it..Mama Moomin, Papa Moomin and each and every episode a parable of faith and good deeds. I have to say that he hit the nail on the head with that one.
Josh came up with a new one last week, even at the age of 12. He said how great the 'Stun Glasses' his sister had given him were. Again, what a brilliant description. Think Aviator Specs/ Tom Cruise (shudder) /being cool....hence Stun Glasses!
So here I am thinking about the words we use in society today. There were no labels or words to describe people when I was at school. No Gay/ Disabled /ADHD /Autistic /Transvestite /Black /White /Yellow. Ad Infinitum.
Words remain powerful but perhaps we have let them become too intrusive in our lives? Think about it.
Namaste
Muse x
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
1970 to 1980 Donut Kids / KRS Reunion. London 09/10/10
I have finally recovered from the Donut Child Reunion. The 1970 to 1980 Donut kids got together in London on Saturday courtesy of Mr Tim 'Cricket Jumper' Grace. What an effort he made. His thoughtfulness and PPPPPPP was pretty impressive. If you don't get the 7 P's then you have no business on this Blog! The venue was great, a sports bar, with lots of space, high ceilings and for us ladies that blush a little more often than usual, double doors wide open! Tim had also made an amazing DVD which played photos of us 'then and now'. He provided food, a Disco and also lots of memories, things like a 'Horseshoe Hike Card' for us, scattered amongst the tables. A large Flag of Cyprus, completed the look. Well done Philio Moo!
Tim and Michelle had also (heroically) offered to put me up. I arrived after a 5 and a half hour coach journey. My seat was behind The Nutter...why do I always tangle with the Special People of this world? He had an Eden Project baseball cap on his head, a large pair of very expensive cans clamped on his ears and was singing along loudly, and very happily to his 'toons'. Bless! About 5 hours in, I was a bad impatient Muse and kicked the back of his seat...bad girl! Tim picked me up at Heathrow and the London Smog hit me like a wall as I disembarked. Nothing like the smell of London for a Country Mouse like me.
I was supposed to go for a power nap but was too busy catching up with Tim and Michelle whilst they cooked and put together all the food. I was Chief Taster, which is just as well as I did not eat that evening. I was a little nervous before we went out so Tim poured me a large glass of wine. Tim was doing a good job at holding down his nerves as he was stressing about the numbers and Michelle was busy teasing him!
He need not have worried as 27 of us turned up. The food was great, the venue wonderful but despite me trying to chat up the DJ he didn't know his 60's from his 80's! Never mind he was soon set upon by various ladies and played all our requests.
I know you are probably tired of hearing this but it was as though all the years had fallen away. 32 for me and 40 for others. All of us, like minded people, in the same room having a wonderful time. It was a blast and I would not have missed it for the world. The Donut Kids were together again but only six of us (I think) had made the first one in Manchesta' last year. Me, Maggie, Marie, Jackie, Caroline and Jo.
I went to the reunion, thinking I would only meet the other five but was bloody delighted when I found so many others. Clare, Ken, Jackie, Elza and more. Elza and I actually met on Ascension Island about 13 years ago and it was fantastic to see her again. I could see someone talking to my best friend Marie and went over to find my class mate Clare Tellis....oh, oh, oh - it was a wonderful moment in time. She looked just the same. The only one I got confused with was Ken Kirkham...he looked so young. He has obviously a) led a quiet life or b) been at the Botox! Please tell us your secret Ken!
The ladies started groovin' to a few toons and Jo Bluck shall be named the best and most prolific dancer! I managed about five grooves but had to sit and manage the breathlessness due to stupid anaemia. The photo call was done...I hate having my pic taken and sidled up to Tim asking him to join the melee and give me his camera. Just a note to this, I have been camera shy all of my life and Tim managed to find a great pic of me at sweet 16 - probably the only one, well done Tim, for your detective work! Kath Farrington was a prolific photographer at KRS and I even managed to duck her shots!
We had two 'clubs' going on outside. The first was 'The Smokers Club' and the second was 'The Ladies Who Blush Club'. There were a few of us ladies cooling off to the latter out there. Thank god I am not alone in that! I was, of course a member of both.
Time was so short and I am sure I did not manage to talk to everyone but I did try. We needed at least another 24 hours! All of us have been successful and are like minded. There is nothing like a Donut Child to remind you that we HAD IT ALL, used it all and became determined, untouchable and are still resolute in our lives. We have this determination because we were so challenged as kids, moving around all the time and managing to deal with that, despite being children.
It was sad to say to goodbye to everyone but a few of us piled back to Tim's place and 'mixed our drinks'. So we managed to have a couple more hours together. A tipsy end to a fabulous evening. Thanks to Tim and Michelle for organizing this. Thank you for giving me a bed and for your hospitality.
Thank you to all the KRS/Donut Kids that attended. I think the best comment of the night was when one of the coolest boys at school, Ken, admitted he read my Blog!
Rock on you Donut Kids
It was a Wonderful moment in time.
Muse x
Tim and Michelle had also (heroically) offered to put me up. I arrived after a 5 and a half hour coach journey. My seat was behind The Nutter...why do I always tangle with the Special People of this world? He had an Eden Project baseball cap on his head, a large pair of very expensive cans clamped on his ears and was singing along loudly, and very happily to his 'toons'. Bless! About 5 hours in, I was a bad impatient Muse and kicked the back of his seat...bad girl! Tim picked me up at Heathrow and the London Smog hit me like a wall as I disembarked. Nothing like the smell of London for a Country Mouse like me.
I was supposed to go for a power nap but was too busy catching up with Tim and Michelle whilst they cooked and put together all the food. I was Chief Taster, which is just as well as I did not eat that evening. I was a little nervous before we went out so Tim poured me a large glass of wine. Tim was doing a good job at holding down his nerves as he was stressing about the numbers and Michelle was busy teasing him!
He need not have worried as 27 of us turned up. The food was great, the venue wonderful but despite me trying to chat up the DJ he didn't know his 60's from his 80's! Never mind he was soon set upon by various ladies and played all our requests.
I know you are probably tired of hearing this but it was as though all the years had fallen away. 32 for me and 40 for others. All of us, like minded people, in the same room having a wonderful time. It was a blast and I would not have missed it for the world. The Donut Kids were together again but only six of us (I think) had made the first one in Manchesta' last year. Me, Maggie, Marie, Jackie, Caroline and Jo.
I went to the reunion, thinking I would only meet the other five but was bloody delighted when I found so many others. Clare, Ken, Jackie, Elza and more. Elza and I actually met on Ascension Island about 13 years ago and it was fantastic to see her again. I could see someone talking to my best friend Marie and went over to find my class mate Clare Tellis....oh, oh, oh - it was a wonderful moment in time. She looked just the same. The only one I got confused with was Ken Kirkham...he looked so young. He has obviously a) led a quiet life or b) been at the Botox! Please tell us your secret Ken!
The ladies started groovin' to a few toons and Jo Bluck shall be named the best and most prolific dancer! I managed about five grooves but had to sit and manage the breathlessness due to stupid anaemia. The photo call was done...I hate having my pic taken and sidled up to Tim asking him to join the melee and give me his camera. Just a note to this, I have been camera shy all of my life and Tim managed to find a great pic of me at sweet 16 - probably the only one, well done Tim, for your detective work! Kath Farrington was a prolific photographer at KRS and I even managed to duck her shots!
We had two 'clubs' going on outside. The first was 'The Smokers Club' and the second was 'The Ladies Who Blush Club'. There were a few of us ladies cooling off to the latter out there. Thank god I am not alone in that! I was, of course a member of both.
Time was so short and I am sure I did not manage to talk to everyone but I did try. We needed at least another 24 hours! All of us have been successful and are like minded. There is nothing like a Donut Child to remind you that we HAD IT ALL, used it all and became determined, untouchable and are still resolute in our lives. We have this determination because we were so challenged as kids, moving around all the time and managing to deal with that, despite being children.
It was sad to say to goodbye to everyone but a few of us piled back to Tim's place and 'mixed our drinks'. So we managed to have a couple more hours together. A tipsy end to a fabulous evening. Thanks to Tim and Michelle for organizing this. Thank you for giving me a bed and for your hospitality.
Thank you to all the KRS/Donut Kids that attended. I think the best comment of the night was when one of the coolest boys at school, Ken, admitted he read my Blog!
Rock on you Donut Kids
It was a Wonderful moment in time.
Muse x
Thursday, 7 October 2010
Cornwalls Bermuda Triangle
Forgive my whiny Blog of yesterday. Sense of humour has been just about restored and I am feeling a bit more like my usual self. I took The Git to the Doc's today as he is suffering from that well known malady...skivitis! Poor little man is having a bit of a hard time of it at school at the moment and would prefer to stay home with his mum. Bless his heart, at least somebody loves me!
I drove him over to Ma and Pa's new pad to cheer him up. It is the first time I have driven there direct from Bodmin. I never ever get lost (just temporarily misplaced) I can read a compass and a map and what's more I CAN stop and ask for directions. They live 13 miles from me and I was confident I knew exactly where the place was even though it in was deepest Cornwall. I had to stop the car at one point as I had a brake failure. First time it has ever happened to me and believe me I have driven some bangers in my time. One of my first cars was a little white Triumph Herald who I named Nancy Astor. The drivers seat wasn't actually attached to the floor and you had to hang on the the steering wheel for dear life every time you went up as steep hill for fear that you might end up in the back seat. Ah...those were the days! A friend of mine pulls no punches when naming his cars. 'Effin', 'Shite' and 'That Honda Bastard' are a few examples of the imaginative names he has chosen!
As the brakes failed, I pulled into a car park, drove around it for a bit and satisfied the brakes were working again, nervously pulled out onto the road. I say nervously as there is usually nothing nervous about my driving. I am White Van Man in disguise and all three of my kids have learned very bad swear words in four different languages whilst sitting on my back seat. ( I am a terrible mother!) I must have missed the turning as I was concentrating on managing to stop the damn car if I needed to. 'Its all right Mum' said The Git 'You can always do a handbrake turn if you need to.' 'I would do' I replied ' if the fecking handbrake worked!'
So the evidence for there being a Bermuda Triangle in Cornwall does exist. Major systems failure, hazy sunshine, and no idea where the feck you are. I glanced at my mileage counter. The 13 miles had turned into thirty and it took me another half an hour to find the place. Failing that I was stuck in a wormhole and a victim of the space time continuum ??? I was completely and utterly lost, no sense of time, direction or mileage! Very strange indeed. I drove back okay - 13 miles, no problem at all. I think next time I visit the folks I had better take a full survival kit, manual and a weeks worth of water!
I am really looking forward to the weekend as I am attending a Donut Child reunion in London. Luckily one of the other Donut kids is meeting me off the coach so I shouldn't get too lost!
Take Care - Its a Jungle out there!
Namaste
Muse x
I drove him over to Ma and Pa's new pad to cheer him up. It is the first time I have driven there direct from Bodmin. I never ever get lost (just temporarily misplaced) I can read a compass and a map and what's more I CAN stop and ask for directions. They live 13 miles from me and I was confident I knew exactly where the place was even though it in was deepest Cornwall. I had to stop the car at one point as I had a brake failure. First time it has ever happened to me and believe me I have driven some bangers in my time. One of my first cars was a little white Triumph Herald who I named Nancy Astor. The drivers seat wasn't actually attached to the floor and you had to hang on the the steering wheel for dear life every time you went up as steep hill for fear that you might end up in the back seat. Ah...those were the days! A friend of mine pulls no punches when naming his cars. 'Effin', 'Shite' and 'That Honda Bastard' are a few examples of the imaginative names he has chosen!
As the brakes failed, I pulled into a car park, drove around it for a bit and satisfied the brakes were working again, nervously pulled out onto the road. I say nervously as there is usually nothing nervous about my driving. I am White Van Man in disguise and all three of my kids have learned very bad swear words in four different languages whilst sitting on my back seat. ( I am a terrible mother!) I must have missed the turning as I was concentrating on managing to stop the damn car if I needed to. 'Its all right Mum' said The Git 'You can always do a handbrake turn if you need to.' 'I would do' I replied ' if the fecking handbrake worked!'
So the evidence for there being a Bermuda Triangle in Cornwall does exist. Major systems failure, hazy sunshine, and no idea where the feck you are. I glanced at my mileage counter. The 13 miles had turned into thirty and it took me another half an hour to find the place. Failing that I was stuck in a wormhole and a victim of the space time continuum ??? I was completely and utterly lost, no sense of time, direction or mileage! Very strange indeed. I drove back okay - 13 miles, no problem at all. I think next time I visit the folks I had better take a full survival kit, manual and a weeks worth of water!
I am really looking forward to the weekend as I am attending a Donut Child reunion in London. Luckily one of the other Donut kids is meeting me off the coach so I shouldn't get too lost!
Take Care - Its a Jungle out there!
Namaste
Muse x
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Menopausal Madness!
I am just recovering from a busy weekend with my lovely parents and meeting some old friends. Jo is my Mums Best Friend in the Whole World. She held me as a baby and continued to love me well into my Forties. David (Jo's Son) and I continue to be friends and our "Ma's" met for the first time in 24 years last year. It was an emotional event but Jo is just one of those people that you can spend 20 years away from and just pick up and chat to as though you both met each other yesterday. Jo is someone that is, and always has been in my heart. I adore her.
This time her hubby of 25 years came with her so it was a totally different scenario. Jo and Stuart (the hubby) were staying at a lovely Hotel on Porth Beach (gorgeous place, quite close to nasty Newquay). Stuart is a big intelligent bloke and meeting him for the first time was fun. I drove the folks to their Hotel on Friday afternoon. We all had a cup of coffee together. Seeing Mum and Jo together was fantastic. I will post the beautiful picture I took of them that afternoon.
I have to go back a bit. Ma and Pa have just moved into a really beautiful Lodge not far from Newquay. It is absolutely gorgeous but right on the railway line. Only five little 2 carriage trains come through a day. I drove out to see them and then drove them to Newquay. We had a great afternoon with Jo and Stuart and were invited to dinner at The Mermaid Inn at Porth with them. It was a fun family place. Great beer and Stuart thought I was terrible for drinking a pint of beer. Tough mate, I love my beer. Jo got into the spirit and was matching my beer with a wonderful apple cider. Josh was a bit tired and hungry but fairly well behaved. We all had a brilliant night until Stuart came outside and told me off for smoking. Jo knows that I do not pull any punches on my Blog. I think I had managed to smoke the grand total of 6 cigarettes that day. I felt quite irritated but chose to ignore him.
Saturday morning - I managed to make it out of bed by 10am as I knew that I had to cook a full vegetarian Meze for Jo and Stuart. Ma and Pa went over to Truro to pick up Angelina, my granddaughter. Angel and Josh got back and were absolutely bloody hyper. I managed to cook despite the dreadful noise. Ma just sat there, sewing a table cloth and being patient. I was utterly maddened by the noise. Josh was fantastic with Angel and I was bloody grumpy! I finally realise why my mother was so great with five kids as she is deaf in one ear!
I prepped, got everything organized, bossed everyone about and was having a mini nervous breakdown just before Jo and Stuart were due to arrive. My mother commented that I should have a bloody drink and relax! At this point I was soaking wet. Hair, T-shirt (changed twice) trousers and eye make up sliding down my face. Ma put a gentle hand on me and made me calm down. She poured me a glass of wine and told me to "have a bloody drink and get over yourself". My mother is anti - drink so I must have been bad!
I am not used to this. Yes I do manage to panic when Dinner Guests are due but this is an unknown to me. I am fed up with soaking wet hair, soaking wet T Shirt and trying to entertain Dinner Guests when cooking with my eye make up sliding down my face! I am not ready for this, I am too young!
Ma and Jo understand and were very sympathetic. I was angry with myself and curious as to what they went through? My lovely Jo went through this at 29 and Ma did not as she had a serious medical condition and was put on HRT at 40. Both of them were so lovely to me.
I am fed up. This was supposed to be funny but I suppose night sweats should not have happened for a while
Yours
Avery Irritated and Frustrated Muse xx
This time her hubby of 25 years came with her so it was a totally different scenario. Jo and Stuart (the hubby) were staying at a lovely Hotel on Porth Beach (gorgeous place, quite close to nasty Newquay). Stuart is a big intelligent bloke and meeting him for the first time was fun. I drove the folks to their Hotel on Friday afternoon. We all had a cup of coffee together. Seeing Mum and Jo together was fantastic. I will post the beautiful picture I took of them that afternoon.
I have to go back a bit. Ma and Pa have just moved into a really beautiful Lodge not far from Newquay. It is absolutely gorgeous but right on the railway line. Only five little 2 carriage trains come through a day. I drove out to see them and then drove them to Newquay. We had a great afternoon with Jo and Stuart and were invited to dinner at The Mermaid Inn at Porth with them. It was a fun family place. Great beer and Stuart thought I was terrible for drinking a pint of beer. Tough mate, I love my beer. Jo got into the spirit and was matching my beer with a wonderful apple cider. Josh was a bit tired and hungry but fairly well behaved. We all had a brilliant night until Stuart came outside and told me off for smoking. Jo knows that I do not pull any punches on my Blog. I think I had managed to smoke the grand total of 6 cigarettes that day. I felt quite irritated but chose to ignore him.
Saturday morning - I managed to make it out of bed by 10am as I knew that I had to cook a full vegetarian Meze for Jo and Stuart. Ma and Pa went over to Truro to pick up Angelina, my granddaughter. Angel and Josh got back and were absolutely bloody hyper. I managed to cook despite the dreadful noise. Ma just sat there, sewing a table cloth and being patient. I was utterly maddened by the noise. Josh was fantastic with Angel and I was bloody grumpy! I finally realise why my mother was so great with five kids as she is deaf in one ear!
I prepped, got everything organized, bossed everyone about and was having a mini nervous breakdown just before Jo and Stuart were due to arrive. My mother commented that I should have a bloody drink and relax! At this point I was soaking wet. Hair, T-shirt (changed twice) trousers and eye make up sliding down my face. Ma put a gentle hand on me and made me calm down. She poured me a glass of wine and told me to "have a bloody drink and get over yourself". My mother is anti - drink so I must have been bad!
I am not used to this. Yes I do manage to panic when Dinner Guests are due but this is an unknown to me. I am fed up with soaking wet hair, soaking wet T Shirt and trying to entertain Dinner Guests when cooking with my eye make up sliding down my face! I am not ready for this, I am too young!
Ma and Jo understand and were very sympathetic. I was angry with myself and curious as to what they went through? My lovely Jo went through this at 29 and Ma did not as she had a serious medical condition and was put on HRT at 40. Both of them were so lovely to me.
I am fed up. This was supposed to be funny but I suppose night sweats should not have happened for a while
Yours
Avery Irritated and Frustrated Muse xx
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
For The Donut Kids Attending The Reunion.
Imagine what my life has been. Imagine how special, sparkly and fantastic it is to grow up as a Donut Child. I write this a couple of weeks before the 1970-80 reunion. We were so bloody lucky. We attended and 'pretended' at school. We sat the London University Board of exams. Note to you all GCSE'rs out there we had it tough. Your exam board was EEEASY! Yeah! so tough that I sat all of my O'levels with dripping wet hair as I managed to arrive 5 minutes late for every exam, fresh from the Water Ski Club that I had opened at 4.30 am. It wasn't always an early start for me as a couple of nights a week I had been wandering around CESSAC, Larnaca and occasionally the George Club until I had to open the Ski Club. Decent memories of waiting for the shift bus at 4.30 am, talking to Ken R, carving out initials into the bus stop, wondering if it would turn up and being joined by a couple of the saddle club lot - smelly people!
We had the most fantastic teachers, the only one I can remember being up her own arse was Miss Smith, Domestic Science Teacher. The rest were pretty cool. I think they enjoyed the environment as much as we did. We had Keith Thomas as Headmaster, he was terrific and having married one of his own sixth formers in his previous life was able to understand us. The best bloke was Ron Norster - he kept a few 'Knuckle Dusters' in his desk drawer and when he disciplined the Boys he would deliberately open his desk drawer and watch their faces pale! He was always wonderful with me but I do remember he used to drive a big white Volvo...very badly. Ron loved his brakes! Max Brown....oh I was so in love with Max! Dave Abraham's, one of the most forward thinking teachers of his time - I was just too young to realise this. Pete Corr, brilliant musician, great bloke who got me through my O Level Art and part of The Corrs Dynasty (not a lot of you know that!) The list goes on.
How many pupils did we have to a class- I think the max was about 15. My little boy, who cannot bear to be in a classroom with 38 kids would love this environment. All he does is watch the outside world and wish he was there, running free, as we did.....
I lived in Belmont Village. One of the best things about living in Belmont was the bedrooms were very low to the ground and the kitchens had lots of slatted windows that you could break into. This meant that we could jump out of our bedroom windows when the parents had gone off to bed. I had a bit of an obstruction in the guise of a 'bugger off' large Cactus Spiky thing. The Cactus did not scare me, just the resident within it. A very large grass snake that I nicknamed Charly. Unfortunately Charly would stick his head out just as I had put my lip gloss on and was lowering myself from the bedroom window to go out for the night! He scared the shit out of me, but despite his size he was harmless!
Lots of great times at BFBS - Wireless for the Blind, Marc Tyley, Simon Guettier, Charly Lowndes, Alan Grace . They were young men doing their job but putting up with all of us Donut Kids that wanted to be Radio Stars!
I am going to post this Blog on most of the Donut Kids' pages. Please tell me your memories, even if you are not attending the reunion.
Namaste
Lynette xx
We had the most fantastic teachers, the only one I can remember being up her own arse was Miss Smith, Domestic Science Teacher. The rest were pretty cool. I think they enjoyed the environment as much as we did. We had Keith Thomas as Headmaster, he was terrific and having married one of his own sixth formers in his previous life was able to understand us. The best bloke was Ron Norster - he kept a few 'Knuckle Dusters' in his desk drawer and when he disciplined the Boys he would deliberately open his desk drawer and watch their faces pale! He was always wonderful with me but I do remember he used to drive a big white Volvo...very badly. Ron loved his brakes! Max Brown....oh I was so in love with Max! Dave Abraham's, one of the most forward thinking teachers of his time - I was just too young to realise this. Pete Corr, brilliant musician, great bloke who got me through my O Level Art and part of The Corrs Dynasty (not a lot of you know that!) The list goes on.
How many pupils did we have to a class- I think the max was about 15. My little boy, who cannot bear to be in a classroom with 38 kids would love this environment. All he does is watch the outside world and wish he was there, running free, as we did.....
I lived in Belmont Village. One of the best things about living in Belmont was the bedrooms were very low to the ground and the kitchens had lots of slatted windows that you could break into. This meant that we could jump out of our bedroom windows when the parents had gone off to bed. I had a bit of an obstruction in the guise of a 'bugger off' large Cactus Spiky thing. The Cactus did not scare me, just the resident within it. A very large grass snake that I nicknamed Charly. Unfortunately Charly would stick his head out just as I had put my lip gloss on and was lowering myself from the bedroom window to go out for the night! He scared the shit out of me, but despite his size he was harmless!
Lots of great times at BFBS - Wireless for the Blind, Marc Tyley, Simon Guettier, Charly Lowndes, Alan Grace . They were young men doing their job but putting up with all of us Donut Kids that wanted to be Radio Stars!
I am going to post this Blog on most of the Donut Kids' pages. Please tell me your memories, even if you are not attending the reunion.
Namaste
Lynette xx
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