A Case of Mistaken Identity, or Mumsie puts her foot in it again!

Thank you very much for your comments on my previous post.

I have had walls knocked down before in three of my previous homes, so I know just what I'm letting myself in for. (eek!)

But.......as Baldrick would say, I have a cunning plan.

1. Take as much stuff as possible out of the kitchen and dining room.

2. Make sure the builders only use the back gate/back door.

3. Use broad masking tape to seal the dining room door that opens into the hall.

4. Go up to stay with my son 200 miles away whilst it's being done!

so...........here's my funny story about mistaken identity...........

A few years ago, my Uncle Des died. This story took place at his funeral.

He was a lovely man, Mumsie thought the world of him.

He had married Mum's eldest sister just after the War and because of the housing shortage at the time, they had all lived together at my Nanna's house.

He was like an extra big brother to Mum and he would pick her up from dances and vet her boyfriends.

He had a great sense of humour and would always make us laugh at family get-togethers with his impersonations of Norman Wisdom.

Obviously, Mumsie wanted to attend his funeral. Daddio was ill and I was at work, so my sister Mandy went with her.

When everyone spilled out of the crematorium, Mum went over to speak to Uncle Des's mum, Granny Hughes.

GRANNY HUGHES: Well how lovely to see you my dear - it's been years since we last met.

MUMSIE: Yes, I was just thinking that myself.

GRANNY HUGHES: Who's this then? (Looking at Mandy.)

MUMSIE: It's one of my daughters.

GRANNY HUGHES: You've certainly grown since I last saw you. But I DO remember that you were such a very pretty little girl.

MUMSIE: Oh, that can't possibly be this one - you must mean my OTHER daughter.

Totally crestfallen, Mandy dragged her away...........

MANDY: Well - thank you very much! You really know how to wound a girl, don't you!

It took Mumsie ten minutes to placate her and explain that the last time she'd seen Granny Hughes was in 1960, Mandy hadn't even been born, so therefore Granny must have been referring to me.

You certainly got out of that one, Mum!

And just to prove to you that Mandy WAS a very pretty little girl..............

Mandy will kill me when she sees this, but isn't she adorable? Blonde hair and beautiful brown eyes...........aaah!!!

My Next Project.................

Here's a picture of one of my spare bedrooms.

Apart from the fact that it's now looking a little 'tired' - I am planning to completely change the use of this room.

You may remember I mentioned that I will be having the wall taken out between my dining room and kitchen.

This bedroom is directly above the dining room and the wall that's being removed is beneath the one where the headboard is now. It will be quite a job as it will need a RSJ (reinforced steel joist).

To allow for sorting out the electrics, the floorboards need to be lifted right where the bed is.(groan!)

I am taking this opportunity to change the use of this room to a work room for me, as I am hoping to get back to restoring my little 1950's dollies......................

I love making their little outfits!

I also collect 1940's Topsy dolls..............

and very occasionally, bears..........

As well as using it as a work room, I will also need to make space for a foldable single bed.

When my son and his family visit, they use my bedroom as it's a better size and there's room for the travel cot.

I don't need a double bed in here (unless I get lucky! ;O) so a single will be fine for me to use when they're visiting.

These wardrobes are opposite the bed, these will be moved from here.

See all these cases and boxes on top?

These are absolutely full of vintage dolls' clothes, hand knitted dolls' clothes, and the large white polystyrene box is crammed to to the top with vintage dolls' shoes!

There are also some large size coffee tins, these are excellent for storing other useful bits and bobs.

I cover them in pretty wrapping paper, here's some on the shelf in my bedroom..........

The work room will be light and airy, and there will be plenty of room for my desk and sewing machine. The room is approximately 3.2m x 3.5m, (10ft 4ins by 11ft.)

I've also got plenty of free standing bookcases that will hold all my fabrics. (These are currently stashed in another bedroom under my granddaughter's bed!)

I'll try to keep my camera handy, so that I can give you updates.

In the meantime....................

Can any of you dear bloggeroos tell me the best way to paint my vintage suitcases?

Next time, I have another funny story about my dear old Mumsie, so don't forget to pop back.

Dollytub Cottage

You made your bed - now lie in it...............

I bet you didn't know that there have been times in my life when I have shown enormous physical strength.

(Now I know my BFF Carol and my Ickle Ditder Mandy read my blog, so you two -------STOP LAUGHING, IT'S TRUE!)

My late partner, Liam lived in his own house round the corner from mine. (Although we were a couple for 8 years, we could never decide whose house was best!)

We saw each other every day, his first visit here was usually around mid morning.

To be honest, neither of us had full physical abilities, so we would help each other with various chores. Both of us had good days and bad days, so sometimes jobs would wait 'til we were both having a good day.

I had been wanting to move my bed to clean beneath it for a couple of weeks. It's a double bed, with drawer space in the base.

One morning, I decided to start the job in the hope that Liam was having a good day by the time he arrived. I tried to move it myself, but it was too difficult for me to push.

LIAM: (as he came in the front door.) Where are you, Swamp?

ME: I'm up here! Come 'ere I want you.

LIAM: (chuckling) What for, is it my birthday?

ME: Look, just get yer arse up here, will you?

He ran up the stairs two at a time, remembering the time that I went up in the loft, accidentally kicked the ladder over, and got stuck up there for 2 hours!

When he got upstairs I was standing by my bed,waiting expectantly.

LIAM: Oh, so it IS my birthday.

ME: No, I need a hand.

He gave me a round of applause.

ME: Very funny. Can you help me to move the bed? I want to clean under it. I can't push it on my own.

LIAM: Can we do it later? My shoulder's giving me hell today.(I pulled a face). Is it just the bed that needs moving? It can't be that heavy.

ME: Well it is. The storage drawers are full of books.

LIAM: Take the books out then you daft 'apporth! I'll go down and put the kettle on.

How daft - I'd not thought of taking out the books!

I took out all the books. I gave the bed a push..............

Hurrah! I managed to move the bed.

Just as I was about to turn on the vacuum cleaner, Liam appeared at the door with my coffee.

He started laughing. He was laughing so much, he had to quickly plonk down the coffee, and he was squatting down on his haunches, wiping away the tears from his eyes with the heel of his hand.

LIAM: Do you know what, Swampy? I've said it before, and I'll say it again................. Sometimes I think that you're not quite right in the head!

I had no idea why he was laughing. I looked around me. It was then that I realised all of the books I had taken out of the drawers in the bed base were now sitting on top of the bed!

For more funny stories about Liam and Me, you may also like these posts...........

Laughter is the Best Medicine and Any Old Iron? but for the daftest tales of all see......

I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours Part One

and

I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours Part Two

Be warned..........you may need your Tena Lady!

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree..............

The other day, the family and I were commenting on how much alike all the children look when comparing their baby pics. See what you think.

Here are baby pictures of the "little ones" in our family.....................

Here are the latest pics of my beautiful granddaughters................

July 2010.

She's such a little poser, I wonder where she gets that from?

July 2010.

The hat is her latest fashion accessory, she doesn't like taking it off!

She inherited her beautiful blonde hair from her Daddy.

But I had to laugh at the family resemblance when I saw a further pic of the eldest granddaughter............

She looks just like someone else in the family..........................

Me 1995

We look like we're fly-catching!

Many, many thanks for your kind comments and messages for my 100th bloggiversary and my bedroom makeover. I am truly grateful!

Sorry, Ladies - I can't pop round and do your decorating - I'm saving my strength for tackling my Living Room!

My next post is one of my funny tales, so I hope you'll pop back!

If you missed my previous spooky post, please scroll down...........

Sometimes, Life's so 'Dam' Spooky!

I know you all like my humorous posts, but I hope you'll indulge me and read this post with interest.

Throughout our lives, we each experience strange coincidences that are completely inexplicable, if not downright spooky.

This is a true story, and it really happened to me.................

During World War Two, the county of Lincolnshire was known as "Bomber County" due to the large number of RAF airfields here.

"Operation Chastise", subsequently known as The Dambusters' raid was launched from RAF Scampton Lincoln and carried out by No. 617 Squadron.

On the 50th anniversary of the raid, 1993, I was working as a Promotions Co-ordinator for the Lincolnshire Echo.

All sorts of events were set to take place, and our department had a very busy year indeed.

Pete Reynolds, one of the Echo's sub-editors, produced an award winning publication, called "Dambusters". It was extremely well researched and written.

It was reprinted several times to keep up demand, and I personally, posted out more than 3,000 copies all over the world!

One of the commemorative events was a huge evening concert at the Lincoln Ritz Theatre.

Royal Air Force Senior Officers were invited along with the Mayor and Sheriff of Lincoln and other "chain wearing officials."

There were also members of the original 617 Squadron there too.

As well as the actor Richard Todd who had starred as Guy Gibson in the 1955 Dambusters movie.

As was usual at such events, our department was on hand to serve champagne and canapes to the VIPs during the interval.

We were also selling relevant merchandise in the foyer. This consisted of a documentary video, some "Bomber County" pewter tankards and the afore mentioned Dambusters publication.

It was a fantastic success, and I'm so pleased that I was there. I cannot possibly describe the atmosphere that night!

After encores of both "There'll Always be an England" and "Rule Brittannia", the concert over-ran, so our Boss told us to leave our merchandise secure and return the following morning to collect it. We put the cash we had we taken in the theatre's safe.

The Boss and I returned the next day. I handed the money to him.

BOSS: How much of this money is for publications?

ME: Oh no! In all the rush and confusion, I forgot to take note on which sales were tankards and videos and which was for the publications.

BOSS: You silly girl! (That's not quite what he said!)You should know by now that promotional sales and publication sales go into different accounts.

ME: Hang on, I've got an idea......................

BOSS: Well I hope it's a better idea than the one you had that ended up with the Echo's Santa losing the kids' presents off his sleigh on the A1!

(Oh, dear bloggeroos, that's a post in itself that I must write for you another time!)

ME: No, this one is a good idea! Right, I brought 1000 copies with me last night, so all I have to do is count the copies I have left, take that figure from a thousand, then I'll have the number sold!

BOSS: Big head! Go on then, count 'em.

(He whistled tunelessly whilst I counted.) How many then?

ME: Let's see that's 1000, take away 383, that's...........Oh my God - I don't believe it!

I sold 617 copies.

The Boss stared in disbelief!

Do you remember which squadron flew the Dambusters Raid?

Yes, that's right - Squadron 617.

fade to the tune of the Twilight Zone............doo doo, do do, doo doo, do do................

Have any of you had strange coincidences happen?

Update on My Bedroom.......Before & After

Do you like my little Fairy Doll? I gave her a little makeover whilst taking my little breaks from decorating my bedroom. She has taken up residence on my fireplace.

The bedroom is now finally finished!

Yes, I know it's taken me ages - but these days, I need to work 30 minutes, take 30 minutes break, and then start working again. But, even on a good day it's hard to work for more than a couple of hours.

Due to my lack of physical ability, (I have Fibromyalgia,)I can no longer run up and down step ladders with gusto, paint roller in hand, flinging emulsion hither and thither! I now find, that more often than not - I have to "get a man in" to do such jobs.

All of my adult life, I have loved painting and decorating and get so frustrated that many tasks are no longer possible for me, but I was determined to do my room myself.

I'd like to feel proud of myself, but a couple of times I had to put the paintbrushes down and just have a couple of days off. Once, I wished I'd not even started it!

Sometimes, I can't help thinking back to the time before my Fibro started, when no amount of renovation or hard work could faze me. Still, I am grateful that I am not as incapacitated as many other "Fibromites".

The "before" pics are quite misleading - the colour of the walls was a VERY dark pink, this closed in the room, and it seemed dreary to me. When I originally moved in ALL the walls of the room were in this colour, so I'd "magnolia-ed" two of the walls - but I was never really happy with it.

It is now bright and spacious, and so much more peaceful to spend time in.

So, here we are, several packets of painkillers later, the finished bedroom..........

BEFORE

AFTER

Ooops! taken before I'd finished making the bed.

The cream wedding dress now hanging on the wall is to remind me of a lucky escape I had many years ago!

BEFORE

AFTER

Do you like my Cherub statue? I got her for £1 off ebay!

Close up of the "half hatstand." This fits flat to the wall, I bought it in a Charity shop about 10 years ago for 75p!

BEFORE

AFTER

The "2nd angel" banner was the sash I wore at Daddio's 80th Birthday Party. All the girls in the family wore one, obviously Mumsie is 1st angel!

Dad is called Charlie, so we're all "Charlie's Angels"

FIREPLACE

The house was built in 1948, the fireplace is cast iron and original. The little cherubs are fridge magnets that I bought in "Athena" shop 13years ago!

I have also changed the curtains from vintage velvet to cotton, floral ones. The carpet is clean and neutral so that has stayed.

I will be having builders in soon to knock down the wall between between my dining room and kitchen, so I wanted to have at least one room in which to escape!

Now, about my living room, I have decided to keep the existing carpet in my living room for a couple of years, but thought it was time to have it cleaned professionally.

The lovely chap came to do it last Tuesday, and I'm very impressed!

As I have moved out some of the furniture for him to make his job easier - before I put it back in place, I'm just wondering if I'm up to giving the walls a coat or two of emulsion.

Now! Where did I put that paint roller and the medication?