Daddy's Home!...................

Hello my dear Bloggeroos!

Thank you so much for your get well wishes for my dear old Daddio, following his minor stroke.

The doctors were well pleased with his progress, and passed him fit to return home yesterday.

He is now managing to walk without his stick. Apart from a bit of numbness in his leg, there seems to be barely any after effects.

I've mentioned before that Mumsie has had a few operations, so luckily they already have a stairlift and a bath seat.

We are all so pleased to have him home again.

Mumsie did make me laugh on Monday...........................

ME: Is Dad having another brain scan?

MUMSIE: He's already had one.

ME: And?............

MUMSIE: Oh they didn't find anything.

I swear she gets dafter every day!

Hopefully normal service will resume as soon as possible.

Three Wheels on my Wagon...............

Where have I been?...............

You may well ask!

I've not really been anywhere much, as it happens.

Mainly between Car Dealerships and the Hospital. (More on the Hospital bit further down the page.)

Anyone who, like me, is on limited income and drives around in an old banger will know the fear and trepidation and that 'knot in the stomach' feeling that strikes us when we see in our diary.............

M.O.T. due on car.

The M.O.T. tester had said that he didn't think it would go through this year.

My friendly mechanic Brum, said it wouldn't go through this year.

The bangs, rattles and scraping noises told me it wouldn't go through this year.

But, as usual, my optimistic, positive attitude got the better of me.

"Oh well, chuck it and chance it. Yer never know."

I should have known better.

On my way to the mechanic, I switched on the radio.........................

First song playing was..............

"(I was lost in a) Fool's Paradise"

So I gulped and shivered.

Even though I was alone in the car, I gave that silly little nervous laugh we give when feeling foolish.

The next song on the radio was.................

"Three Wheels on my Wagon."

I groaned at the thought, remembering that lovely day last Summer..............

............when the weather was warm and sunny. I'd had a lovely lunch with my family.

I'd been driving home. I turned the steering wheel, it turned...............

Unfortunately, one of the wheels didn't!

Brum my mechanic tenderly replaced the thingummy jig on the whatsname, and I was mobile again.

So whizz forward six months to last week................

Driving the car to be tested, I felt as though I was taking a beloved pet to be put to sleep.

The car had belonged to my late partner, Liam.

Apart from his guitar, it was the only thing that I had of his.

It was a 1994 red Nissan Primera 1.6. Following Liam's death, I sold my own car, also a Primera, as his car was the better of the two.

So, now both cars have now gone to the great scrapyard in the sky.

Maybe it's a good thing. Just one more milestone telling me to keep moving forward.

(sniff, sniff)

Now to find another one......................

I could have probably managed with a smaller car. But, I do like running Mumsie and Daddio around. It's more practical to have plenty of room............Mum has a bit of difficulty as she's had trouble with her joints and has had loads of operations............

I also have to take into account that I need to have a car with a very adjustable driver's seat to accommodate my gammy legs and a dicky back............

Hey, I've just had an idea, maybe I should have got .................

an Ambulance!

On second thoughts, there'd be nowhere to sit my nodding dog!

Oh YES!

As luck would have it, after much searching, I found the perfect car......................

Yet another Nissan Primera.......................

Do you like it?

It's a bigger engine and it's the Sports version.

It's really nippy. Mumsie's had a couple of rides in it......................

she says the g-force made her face feel like this......................

Ha!Ha!Ha! Mumsie, you're priceless!

***************

On a more serious note...............

Daddio had a mild stroke on Thursday morning and was taken to hospital.

He is doing really well. The main problem was that he had problems with his left leg.

He is using a stick, but he has already recovered most of the feeling in it now.

Luckily Mum acted quickly.

The stroke has not affected his speech or thought processes.

He is in good spirits, and is flirting with all the nurses!

He is taking part in a drugs trial, and it certainly seems very effective.

We are hoping that he will be discharged on Wednesday.

Hopefully, I will be back here blogging soon with some photo's of Mum and dad's 60th Wedding Anniversary Party!

And a Good Time Was Had by All, plus Auntie Moo Strikes Again!

Many, many, many thanks for your lovely comments for my Mum and Dad's 60th Wedding Anniversary.

The party was great fun!

About 8 years ago, Daddio had to have a Triple Bypass Surgery. Instead of presents our family requested donations to the British Heart Foundation.

We raised almost £500!

The BHF contacted our local newspaper, The Lincolnshire Echo, and they called round this morning to take some photo's of my parents.

The photo will hopefully be in tomorrow's paper.

Long term followers of my blog may remember that we also did this for Daddio's 80th Birthday party a couple of years ago, when we raised almost £700!..............

Dad's pic in Lincs Echo 2008

My eldest son, Alistair teaches Photography. Mumsie designated him "Official Photographer".

Ali took dozens of pics, but he has yet to edit and crop, so watch this space!

He even got some great shots of Mumsie and my Auntie Moo messing about.

************

Speaking of Auntie Moo.............

I was chatting to her and Mum at the party, and asked them to remind me of any funny incidents regarding the pair of them.

Here we go..................

In the 1960's one of the first shops to become a self service supermarket was Lipton's.

(Better known nowadays for their speciality teas.)

Not long after the one in Lincoln opened, Mum, Auntie Moo and I went in to do some food shopping for Christmas.

We had never seen anything like it!

Foods piled high, new exotic food and drinks begging to be tasted.

There were ladies on almost every aisle offering free taste samples to shoppers.

Among the foods we sampled, never having tried them before were.............

Edam cheese, although Auntie Moo thought the red bit was awfully chewy!

(I am rolling my eyes here!)

Mum tried and bought some Ski yogurt. Although she didn't allow us to eat a whole pot in one go, convinced that it was 'too rich' and would make us sick!

Mum was keeping a close eye on Moo. She had a rather hefty bag slung over one shoulder and Mum could see that this was an accident waiting to happen.

After they'd bought their food, they decided to look around the alcoholic drinks.

This was unusual as Mumsie's family were Salvation Army and neither of them drank alcohol.

There was a very nice lady offering glasses of......................

Mum took a small sip.....................

Moo gulped a glassful.

Moo then realised that she'd forgotten to buy some bacon,

so we walked back into the Food Hall.

At the end of one of the aisles there was a huge display of eggs.

Aunty Moo popped the bacon into her bag,

and proceeded to fling it over her shoulder, like Santa with his sack.

We heard a crash..........we put our hands over our eyes............

Me and Mum hardly dare look.................

We peeped through our fingers..................

The eggs were all over the floor!........................

Well we must have had our Guardian Angel with us that day, because...............

Not one egg was broken!

We were asked to leave the shop though..............

************

Any Excuse for a Party.....

Hello, my dear Bloggeroos!

Thank you so much for your comments on my Conspiracy Theories posts.

My dear mate Penny at The Henhouse thinks I'll give her one of my free pens, just for leaving a comment.

Fat chance!

I'm not around in Blogland this evening...........

Why's that?................

You may well ask!.............

As you know, our Family loves to Party.

So there's things to do, beds to make up for visitors etc.

I don't just mean "Have a get-together."

After all, we do that most weeks when we all head up to Mum & Dad's for Saturday Lunch.

There's usually about 14 of us!

No......to us "having a Party" consists of a suitable venue, disco, and a buffet.

(Which Mum insists on pronouncing it BUFF-ETTE)

Any excuse will do...........

It's someone's birthday..........let's have a party.

A wedding?...........a party.

A Christening?..........a party. (We've had loads of those lately.)

We're a bit like the Waltons..............

Except there's more of us...........

.......and our clothes are posher!

Speaking of the Waltons, on New Year's Eve, I went out with my Ickle Ditder (Mandy) and her hubby David.

The three of us decided to join the throngs around Lincoln Cathedral welcoming in 2011 to the sound of the Cathedral bells.

A truly magical experience - bells ringing, chinese lanterns lit and sent aloft.

(A very magical experience for Mandy, as it happens.

She insisted on kissing all the policemen who were on duty!)

.

Both my sister and I live "downhill", the Cathedral is "uphill". (The posh bit of the City!)

Mum and Dad live "uphill", so we all stayed the night there.

This was rather a novelty for me. I've only stayed at their house a couple of times since I left home to get married in 1975 aged 19. But this was the first time that I'd slept in my old room.

Mum and Dad's a.k.a. HQ

My room is the one with the two little windows.

I bet you wonder how we all fit in this house on a Saturday! It's like a cross between

Pass the Parcel and

Musical Chairs; anyone holding one of the three smallest babies gets a seat!

After seeing the New Year in and singing "Auld Lang Syne",

we got to Mum and Dad's at around 12.45am, they were waiting up for us.

Of course, Dad couldn't resist...............

"What time do you call this?"

We sat around talking and laughing 'til 2.10am!

We all went upstairs together, in and out the bathroom, bumping into each other on the landing.

With loads of whisperings and giggling like little kids, tablets were taken, lights went off, and we all settled down.

"Goodnight, everyone." I shouted. Mum and Dad were still giggling.

I shouted to Mum "Is that your headboard I can hear rattling?"

(I was joking of course.)

in reply, Mumsie started singing.....................

"Memories, like the corners of my mind.

Misty water-coloured memories

of the way we were........"

Mum's no Barbara Streisand, but she raised a laugh!

Then all was quiet..................

...........until Daddio shouted....................

"Goodnight John Boy, goodnight Jim-Bob."

We all joined in calling goodnight to any other members of the

Walton's family whose names we could remember!

**************

The party we've got planned for this evening, Saturday is a really, really Special Day.

Mumsie and Daddio are celebrating their Diamond Wedding Anniversary........that's 60 years of marriage!

They have received a card from Her Majesty, The Queen.

(For any of my Bloggeroos outside UK, the Queen sends a special card for 60th Wedding Anniversaries and 100th Birthdays. I did have to request it via the Palace website.)

It's quite dog-eared already with Dad proudly showing it off to friends, neighbours and tradesmen!)

Mum & Dad with GGD Evie

Summer 2009

Everyone will be there, not just our immediate families, but cousins, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews.

As always Mum and Dad have also invited friends of mine, my sister's, and my brother's.

These are our oldest and closest friends, who still pop in to Mum and Dad's when they're passing.

There's over 80 of us, so far.

As well as the disco, we've also booked a singer who sings those great hits of the 1940's. (He's very talented and he sang at our previous family party last month for my brother's birthday.)

So, there will be four generations of us.

Our family realise how very, very lucky we are that Mum and Dad are still with us.

We would never take them for granted.

We know that one day, we will look back on this time as

"The Good Old Days."

The Good Old Days TV Show

*****************

My Dad's name is Charlie, so he calls all us girls "Charlie's Angels."

We're all getting our sashes ready that we had made for Dad's 80th birthday.

My sash

I'm 2nd Angel, Mumsie is 1st Angel, obviously.

Charlie's Angels at Dad's 80th

Mum, Me, Mandy, nieces Laura & Emily, DILs Annmarie & Claire, SIL Kath and GD Hollie

(2 more Angels have been born since this pic was taken.)

Mum & Dad

As well as family, there is one honorary angel, Janet.

Her and her husband, Jim are friends of Mum and Dad.

He calls her his "girlfriend." But she has to wait her turn!

Dad and Janet

I'm so looking forward to it, and hope to have some great pics to show you.

(I might even take one of Auntie Moo!)

Conspiracy Theory? PART TWO

Happy New Year!

So, my dear Bloggeroos, as promised, today I will tell you about my recent changes in consciousness, regarding much discussed government conspiracy theories....................

If you missed PART ONE click here

**************

You may remember that I said I would tell you all about the strange visitor who arrived

here at Dollytub Cottage, last week.

Now read on.......................

So.............

I'm sitting there..............

.............on the sofa.............

...............I'd finished sipping me cocoa.............

...........and chomping on a Wagon Wheel............

I am dozing by the fire.............

..............which BTW is switched off 'cos I'm such a tightwad............

Beep!..........Beep!...........Beep!

"My goodness," I thought, "Brad's early emptying the bins today."

For those of you who don't know, Brad Pitt is my dustman.

He got the job on account of him already owning suitable clothing, and a need to do a bit of moonlighting to pay for the upkeep of his 6 children.

He also makes large donations to charity

My Hero

............Where was I?...........

............oh, yeah!..............

Beep!...........Beep!...........Beep!

I looked out of the window..........

......it wasn't the dustbin lorry......

"Oh no! Not again!" I said to myself...........

"They're blocking my drive!"

I live on a very long avenue,

yet people continue to ignore all the suitable places they could park,

and insist on leaving their cars in a really dangerous place.

i.e. Blocking my driveway.

Dangerous?

Have you never seen me when I'm angry?

No?

Well - you wouldn't like it!

"That's an unusual vehicle," I thought.

"I wonder if it's the new Nissan everyone's talking about?"

I went to look for me specs..............

..............not on the mantelpiece...........

...........not on the chair arm..........

Eventually, I find them.............

..........on top of my head!

I put on me specs.........

It wasn't a Nissan, it was much, much bigger...........

It was a HUGE spaceship!!!!!!

A cute little guy stepped out.............

He reminded me of Ronnie Corbett

Ronnie C is on the right

Well,.......a bit............

"Hello, Missus," he said. "I'm Oozo from the planet Zog. Pleased to meet you."

He extended his hand to shake mine.

"My oh my!" I said, noticing the length of his fingers.

"You must get through an awful lot of Nivea."

"Yes, I do," Zog said. "But I know their CEO, and he gives me a good deal."

"What are you doing here?" I inquired.

"I'm doing a study on Humans. Mrs Got-it-all at number 26 sent me."

"She was sure you'll be able to help me."

He continued..................

, "According to her, you've got nothing better to do all day

than eat Wagon Wheels and drink cocoa."

"That's not strictly true," I said, with disdain.

"I also read certain pages from several back issues of the Radio Times.........

.........and a much dog-eared copy of "Firefighters for You."

I also told him about my other hobbies. About getting engrossed in separating the vowels from the consonants in my Alphabet Soup, plaiting the tassels on my curtain tie-backs, and other equally exciting pastimes.

"What would you like to know?" I asked him.

"All sorts of things, really. I just thought that if you carry on with your usual everyday tasks, I could make notes and ask you questions. Is that OK?" he asked.

"I'm happy to oblige, but nothing much happens here."

I continued...............

"If you don't mind my saying, you speak English beautifully."

Slightly embarrassed, he licked his finger and straightened his non-existent eyebrows.

"Thanks. I bought a Linguaphone language course off ebay."

By now, I was shivering. "Come inside, you must be frozen," I said.

"Not really, it's -15 centigrade on my planet." he said.

About the same temperature as Dollytub Cottage I mused.

He should really feel at home.

At that moment, Elvis came up the avenue towards us.

Not the real Elvis, obviously. (I don't take that many tablets. Tsk!)

and anyway...........

Everybody knows that the real Elvis works at McDonalds in Chicago.

I'm talking about Elvis, my Postie.

A very talented man.

Although his "Return to Sender" jokes wear a bit thin after a while.

"Morning, Duck," says Elvis. "Loads of post for you today."

He walked past Zog and me and pushed a huge wad of mail through my letterbox.

Zog scratched his huge shiny head. "Isn't that mail for you, then?" he asked.

"Of course it is." I replied.

Zog took out a notebook and licked his pencil.

"Why didn't the postman just hand it to you?"

"It's the law. Even if the postie knows you really well, like he knows Mrs Legover at number 35," I give a slow wink, "he still has to shove it into your letterbox." I said.

Mrs Legover at No 35

I could tell by the look on his face, studying Humans may be more difficult than he thought!

.....to be continued......................

This post comes courtesy of Almus Pharmaceuticals who provide the necessary means to keep me healthy and happy beyond description.

I openly applaud them.........

(but not too loudly, as I've got a bit of a headache)

*******

For my post about Brad Pitt Dustbin Man click here