Update ...

Doc gave him good exam. Back & knees are really back to normal-ish......for Dad! Ankles have gone down so probably associated more with tummy upset.
Sore on bum - pressure sore! Spending too long sitting down ........ District nurses are being called in to deal and he's going to have to resume his little jobs to get him moving about again. As he's admitted that his back is getting back to normal there's no reason why he shouldn't - lol!
Toes? Well, not as bad as anticipated but big toes need desperate help re toenails and it is a chiropodist job. No infection to deal with - just about 10 years of uncut toenail (yuck!) so, without going into gory details, it may be a bit of an uphill struggle on that one. Oh, what fun but .....................

Tomorrow I have a morning class at the Glitterpot. The orchid class that was full and I couldn't get into before. Looking forward to that one immensely. Just wish Mum was going to be around to see the end result. Orchids were her favourite flowers.

Tomorrow evening I'm off to the theatre! 6 year old grand-daughter is doing her first show. She goes to dance classes and they've been rehearsing for a show for weeks now. They've hired a little theatre (near to where my pal Cally lives) and, I believe, will be putting on 4 performances over the next 3 days. I know they've spent literally hours rehearsing - most Sunday afternoons for about 2 to 3 months now but she's enjoyed it. Just hope all the hard work will be worth it for them.

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Not ...

...looking forward to this afternoon! Dad had a fall just over a week ago and he's been complaining about a 'sore' back. He's also had a tummy upset and swollen ankles. His back and his knees are the cause of his poor mobility and hence the odd fall so, for him to complain about a sore back is not unusual however, he's stopped doing little jobs he has been doing, because of it. We decided to leave it a few days to see if everything settled down and, although the tummy problem has gone, there was little improvement with his back and ankles so I made an appointment to see the doc - which is this afternoon. This morning I asked him if there were any other concerns he had 'cos, if we're going, we may as well get all concerns dealt with. I've now got a list - aarrgghh!!

His ankles no longer look swollen and he tells me that his back is somewhat easier (hooray!) but his knees are now playing up more than usual :o( He has a 'sore' on his bum and, what potentially is the worst thing and I'm too scared too look - he's got a problem with his feet. Apparently his toes are black! He now tells me he's had a problem for a long time with his feet and thinks he needs a chiropodist! By the sounds of it he needs more than a bloomin' chiropodist but I'm going to let the doc have the pleasure of deciding what needs doing - lol! I wouldn't mind so much but ........... guess where I went every month with Mum for the last year of her life? Yep, you got it - the CHI-ROP-O-DIST!!! He didn't want to be a bother, so he tells me, so didn't say even though he knew where we were going! He's very proud of the fact that the docs consider him to be a 'very uncomplaining man'. I consider it to be a real pain 'cos I'm not a mind reader and don't have a crystal ball! I know he's petrified that he may have to go into hospital but I can't make him understand that ignoring something and hoping it'll go away doesn't work and that he's more likely to end up in hospital if he doesn't get things dealt with in the early stages ........... aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Thanks for dropping by .....

... and a prize!

I've never won so much as I have since starting my blogs - lol! I've been a bit remiss as I won this prize before the Wylde Women awards but only just getting round to posting about it - mainly because I've been trying to get a photo that actually does it justice. I've given up!! It seems that neither the digicam or the scanner - which was tried in desperation as a last resort (I absolutely hate scanned images of cards) just do not, for whatever reason, capture the true, beautiful colours.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I put my name in the hat to try to win some blog candy that was up for grabs on Jak's blog - here - and ..... I WON!! The ATC duly arrived but with it came a complete surprise. An amazingly, beautiful card which made the prize exceptional ...

..... here's a photo of the card. It is a beautiful shade of lime green, very fresh and clean, with matching ribbon and the rusty coloured stamping has a beautiful pearlescent sheen. I'm guessing, because I know Jak, that the stamps are PTI and it's possible that the card and ribbon are as well. One thing I know for sure, Nestabilities and acetate have been used!!

... and here's a photo of the ATC I actually won - STUNNING!

Thank you sooooooooooooo much, Jak!

Enjoy!

An award and a prize ...

... what's the difference? Well, nothing much I guess 'except one's physical and the other's not but - both mean I've been very lucky!
Firstly, the award - given by Liz last week and directed via this blog. I have to apologise for not acknowledging it on here sooner but I've been in 2 minds about displaying it. Reason being, and I don't want this to sound ungrateful, but there are sooooo many of them around they're in danger of overtaking everything else - LOLOL! It's not that they're not appreciated, because they are ... immensely ... but I'm not too keen on all the 'rules' attached however, I can see that there probably needs to be some else they're not likely to be passed on. Anyway, rather than ignore this one, I've decided to post it and follow the rules but it will be the last. I will always acknowledge, appreciate and say thanks for any future awards that may be given but I won't be passing them on - it's toooooo blooming difficult to choose who to pass on to and I always feel guilty about leaving people out - LOL!

Wylde Women Award
the rules are as follows:

1. You can give it to one or one hundred or any number in between - it's up to you. Make sure you link to their site in your post.
2. Link back to this blogsite (http://www.tammyvitale.com/) so Tammy can go visit all these wonderful women.

The Purpose of the Award:
To send love and acknowledgment to women who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy.

I'm passing this on to my good friend of 20+ years - Cally

Now for the prize! There's a separate posting for this one. The clue is ..... blog candy!!

Thanks for dropping by .....

TUTORIAL - Box-Pleated card

Here is a tutorial on the box-pleated card and a couple of tips that Greta and I learnt whilst making the card.

Tools and Materials:- (click on any image to enlarge)

~ Ruler & pencil or scoring board (M&F or Eazi Score)

~ Bone folder or embossing tool
~ Double sided tape (DST)
~ Wet glue (PVA, UHU or similar)
~ A square card blank - made or bought - measuring 150 x 150mm (approx 6 x 6 inches).
~ A5 card (148 x 210mm), matching or contrasting (your choice depending on result aiming for - see tips at end)
~ Embellishments to finish.

Method:-

It is easier to do the scoring for the pleats using a score board but if you don't have one you can do it without by using a ruler.......

~ Working with the piece of A5 card in landscape mode, measure 2.5cms from the left hand edge and score from top to bottom of the card.

~ Measure and score in the same way, 0.5cm from that score line.

~ Now measure and score 2.5cms from the last scoreline and then, again, 0.5cm from that one.

~ Continue in this way across the full 210mm width of the A5 piece of card. You should end up with 12 score lines. You may now find that you need to trim a little from the edge of the card (approx 0.5cm) to match the left hand side.

If you are using the white M & F score board ....

~ The A5 card should be laid with the left hand short edge lined up to line #3 [marked 3 Gate A4].
~ The first score line is done on line #4 [marked 4 Z-Zag leaflet A4] and the second on line #5 [marked 5 Half A5].

~ The card should then be moved left until the 2nd score line (done on line 5) is lined up with line #3 (pic on right) .

~ Score again on lines #4 and #5

~ Continue across the whole width of the A5 card for the 12 lines.

The method is exactly the same on the blue Eazi Score board but the lines used on this board are #A4 Gate to line up with and lines #5 and #6 to score down.

From here on the method is exactly the same no matter what method you used to score the lines ...

~ Starting from an outer score line and with right side facing, crease a valley fold followed, on the next score line, by a mountain fold.

~ Continue creasing and folding, alternating between valley and mountain folds across the width of the card. You should end up with 3 pleats on the right side and 2, with sides flat, on the reverse.

~ Turn the card to the reverse and attach DST to the 2 outer short, flat edges.

~ Apply the wet glue of your choice to the 2 centre pleats. The reason for this will become obvious

~ Take your card blank and attach one short, flat edge of the pleated card to the blank ensuring an even border shows around the pleated card.

~ Attach the other short, flat edge of the pleated card to the other side of the card blank, ensuring the border matches the other side.

~ You now need to press the centre sections (which have the wet glue on) down into place and manoeuvre them into position so that the pleats are evenly distributed.

~ Hold in position until the glue takes hold

You have now finished your basic box-pleated card. Decide which way you would like your pleats - I chose to have them horizontal, Greta had hers vertical - and embellish as you desire!

with thanks to Marjie (Her Marjiesty) and Dora on the ex-imag-e-nation forum ....

Tips:-

Take care which card you choose to make the pleats from. We used Bazill Bling and the coating cracked when we did the folding - take a close look at the photo above (click to enlarge) and you can see where the coating cracked and split. If you want to use a coated card check the coating is pliable enough to take the folds without cracking.

American sized card that looks like A4 is not A4 and a sheet of Bazill, for example, folded in half does not give you A5 (148 x 210mm). It is slightly smaller. There are several ways to get round this other than specifically cutting the piece of card exactly to size... a) Adjust the side borders slightly, b) trim the base card or c) keep 3 base borders the same and have the 4th larger (which is what I did). Greta found a slightly smaller card blank.

Apart from the largest in the sets, which are too wide, the new Cuttlebug borders fit the pleats really well and make quick, but effective embellishments.

Play with different card sizes, adjusting the size required of the card to pleat and the number of pleats if necessary - or even the size (width and/or depth) of the pleats. The possibilities are endless.

Enjoy!!

I've made a start ...

... on sorting out my home as planned while I was sorting out Dad! I've spent the last couple of days going through my wardrobe. It was pretty obvious which stuff I was not going to keep for one reason or another but a lot needed to be tried on and, if fitting, then needed to be seen in front of a mirror. (How come what didn't fit was too small and not too big????) It's been so hot here the last few days that I couldn't be bothered to keep dressing and undressing so the job has been done in undies! Not a good sight but at least I was comfortable...

Very little has made it through to the 'keep' pile and the currently remaining clothes can now move on the rail - lol! Still more to go through before it's finished though but, looks like the Dogs Trust will be coming in for some more goodies. With what I've found, well - let's say like mother, like daughter - lol!! Seems Mum wasn't the only person who had stuff in her wardrobe still with the shop labels on, totally unworn and never will be, by me, now. Mind you, don't think any of mine have been in my wardrobe as long as some of hers were -lol! Some of it (the new, unworn stuff) I will try on eBay but what doesn't go on first listing will be passed on.

I think I've decided what shrubs to plant in the new bed. I went on t'internet (what did we do before it???) and got lists of plants that grew well in coastal regions on chalk soil, or at least, didn't mind it. I then researched each one, making a shortlist of those that were evergreen. I've made my selection from those, based on how little upkeep they needed once established so - I shall be doing some plant shopping shortly, along with a bit of compost to improve the soil and to raise the level in the bed a little. I was going to plant bamboo as a screen from our rear neighbours but not sure now as there are other plants I've found that would work as well but for a lot less dosh! Still, no rush.

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Now there's a surprise!

It's hard to believe but I actually christened some stamps yesterday morning - lol! I didn't make anything but did a fair bit of stamping. Had eldest grand-daughter so, after shopping and the morning visit to Dad, we set about going through some of my crafty stuff that was in the lounge and found some stamps and inks. Had plenty of card offcuts available so we ended up stamping. She took quite a lot of bits home with her - lol!

We had fun today as well. Went on a plant recce to the local garden centre. Came home with quite a list to check out on t'internet and I now have a pretty good idea of what I might go for as the main plants. Took my camera which she commandeered and, although she was supposed to be photographing the plants I was interested in, I ended up with some(no idea which plants are which though, except the 1st one) and plenty of the garden centre seagull babies and photo's of flowers.... most of which are all blurred! Oh yes, and then there were the ones she took of herself - at arm's length. Did I say she was a poser (although I can't repeat what her Dad calls her)...lol!

Oh yes, I finally got to the dentist for my check-up on Monday! Not bad considering it was the 5th appointment made ... the dentist having cancelled all the others since May.

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I'm really ...

... beginning to feel old - lol!!
My eldest grand-daughter has just finished her primary schooling and moves to high school in September. She's going to the school that grandson has just left :0(( Her year - Year 6 - put on a musical drama on Monday and I went to the evening performance. It had a very serious message and probably quite timely considering their move. It was about bullying and I believe it was called 'Bully'. The kids obviously enjoyed doing it and they put on a very good show. Here's a piccie of part of the offending 'gang'. Grand-daughter is the one, centre of piccie, in white jeans and black waistcoat. Couldn't believe how old they all looked for 11 year olds - scarey!! (Lordy! Now I'm sounding old ... lol!)

Got home to find that we were being visited by our seagull family. The youngsters are soooo funny! One regularly mistakes the roof of hubby's car for a pool of water and yesterday I found one sitting in the water feeder that is on the corner of the patio, right outside the patio doors. Because it was sitting in it I thought the water may have dried up so went to check - much to it's chagrin - but no, there was water in it and the baby stood up to have a drink occasionally and then sat back down again. Well, I know it was hot yesterday (although hotter today) but ......... are animals stupid?? Me thinks NOT! LOLOL!

Parent - Monday evening. 2 of the youngsters were sitting on the roof of the dormer on the right hand side of the photo. Haven't seen 3 since I took the photo from our dormer window and now it's only one that's a regular.....

Youngster Tuesday afternoon - So, just where IS the water? and ....






... yesterday afternoon, sitting in the water bowl, in full sun, panting to try to keep cool! OK, perhaps they're not that bright after all - LOL!

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The nearly after ...

Remember the nearly before? ... if not check here

Here's the nearly after - nearly because it's bare except for the rare tree in the middle of the paving. I think it's called 'black-rubber broom' - LOLOL! It's also nearly after because it's to be hosed down (recycled paving slabs) and the decking, which has been down for around 3 years, needs freshening up. OK, this is another stitched photo to make a panorama - 4 photo's this time.

Here's a view from the bottom looking up towards the house. Guess what it is that would have wound me up if it hadn't been put right - which it has now! What you can't see are the 2 sheds that are behind the raised car hardstanding. One is a 12'x10' - intended as a workshop for hubby but currently being used as a storeroom - and a 7'x7' one for the garden. There's also one of the big green & cream plastic stores between the sheds but, it's not a big garden compared to the one we left when we moved here - lol! - especially as we've lost about a third of it to the hardstanding, extension and ramps. You can just see one of the seagull parents sitting on the chimney.... which my 'craft room' (if it ever gets finished) goes around - and no, it's not the dormer.

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Superrrrrrrrrb!

Our garden was finished on Monday - yessssssssss! Well, all the hard landscaping was finished apart from a couple of little snagging bits I found (one a potential trip hazard so it's got to be sorted and the other 'cos it'll wind me up if I keep seeing it!!) and the clearing up. Now I've the fun part of finding plants, furniture and a bar-be and getting it planted and installed - lol! They're coming back to clean up this afternoon then we'll be hosing everything down with the powerhose. It looks soooo much better ....

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and so ...

... to Saturday and my day of Floral Punch Craft classes at the Glitterpot with Jane Gill. I had remembered correctly. It was azaleas and camellias and ..... a day of tips and techniques. Learnt a lot and not just on the FPC side of things. More detail will be posted in the next day or so but here are the flowers we made (click on images for larger view).....

The day was rounded off beautifully by eating out with my youngest son and his eldest daughter, who was having her first meal out in a 'grown-up's' restaurant. She did us proud - bless! Poor Mum, who should have been going, is now heavily pregnant and it's not been a good one. Think she'll be relieved, and very pleased, for the new arrival to actually be here - lol!

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More ...

... catch-up - lol!!
Friday was probably the last day I was able to get all 3 of the babies together as it was the day they started to defect! Have to say it's extremely quiet, mostly, around here now but they are still around occasionally and have given us a few amusing moments, to say the least.

Here's where we realised they'd managed to fly more than a couple of feet - it's our non-attached neighbours next door and next to them! ....

... and this is probably the last time we've seen them all together-ish! This was taken from our dormer window. They're on our extension roof and our attached neighbour's sunroof.

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Well ...

... where to start! It's been such a busy few days I've not found time to update properly since last Wednesday so guess Thursday would be a good place to start - lol!!

It was a really enjoyable day as I spent most of it with Greta, whom I met via the imag-e-nation forum. It involved me making a round trip of just over 100 miles but it was worth it! Last September the journey to Greta's took me just an hour, leaving home at 6am. This time it took me an hour and 20 minutes having got caught behind the obligatory tractor for a few miles - lol!

We spent an hour or so just playing. I Cuttlebugged some card using Greta's new Cuttlebug folders. I did find a few problems, particularly with the Lace Christmas tree and it resulted in a bit of wasted card. If you don't want creased or ruffled card/paper, or the white core of your card to show after embossing, then be careful what media you use. The card that I found worked best was the kids metallic card from Tesco - 99p for a pack of 12 A5 sheets!! Better quality card tended to be ruined. Greta punched a few shapes from my Woodware Flower & Leaf punches and had a play with my nestabilities (another convert made - lol!).

After lunch we thought we should actually make a card - or at least go through the motions - lol!. Nothing planned other than we thought we'd have a go at a pleat card that some of the forum members had seen demo'd at one of the recent Northern meets and - grateful thanks to Marjie for supplying the instructions using the M&F board. We had no idea how we were going to decorate them so they were made up as we went along and, I have to say, I was very happy with the end result. We learnt several things that would be worth bearing in mind in the future, while making this card and I'll post about that in the near future.

Anyway, here are pictures of our finished cards. Visit Greta's blog - Greta's Spot - to see some cards she's made using the punched shapes and nestabilities that she gathered that day - :0))

Thanks for dropping by .....

Pssst: Greta reckons she'll be getting a Christmas card now I've got all these pieces of embossed card - ho, ho, ho!! Don't think she's actually cottoned on to the fact that I'm really a collector so not sure which Christmas she's expecting a card for ......... LOLOL!

The Angel & the Devil ...

... well, that's what their Dad has named them. Guess who's who - lol!! Don't think it'll take an Einstein to work it out :o)) This was taken yesterday and the eldest was all dressed up for her first visit to a 'grown-up's restaurant'.

I've a lot of 'catch-up' to do on this blog. Editing photo's takes it's toll but here's a bit of tease ...

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Oooops, got waylaid ...

I was going to update my blog this evening following my crafty day with Greta yesterday but I've been waylaid playing in Google! OK, it was blog-related and I'm pleased with what I've done but I need to find out how to get it on my blog! I've also got, possibly the last photo's of all 3 of our babies together - lol! Haven't even emptied my camera yet and .............. I'm excited!

I've got a WHOLE day of crafting at the Glitterpot tomorrow. A whole day doing FPC with Jane Gill - yummy! Without checking I think we'll be making azalea's and camellia's. I feel spoilt this week with so much crafting.

Oh well, will just have to do some catch-up in a day or so......

Thanks for dropping by .....

Doolally??

Well, I thought he was! Dad, that is, when he told me he was at Doolally! Where? says I. Doolally, says he! No such place, says I. Yes there is, says he! Right, OK, says I and left it at that thinking he'd finally, totally 'gone doolally' but also thinking - t'internet will sort it out ........... and it did and he hadn't nor wasn't, not really - LOL! This was how the story I referred to here started that day - after I'd told him about his Dad's WWI war medals.

Dad joined the Territorials before war broke out, at the age of 17.
When War was declared he was in Dover digging trenches for coastal defence and he spent some time on coastal defence, including shooting at doodlebugs as they came over - can you imagine shooting at doodlebugs with a little rifle?? He actually spent all of his time on defence, mainly guarding airfields while the bomber crews were out on raids then he was sent to Scapa Flow. He says he loved it there because it was so quiet. Not what you'd expect to hear from someone who spent around 18 months defending the place - lol! He was billeted near the Old Man of Hoy so he spent off-duty times walking to the Old Man and watching the seals. He was allowed to wear the Naval anchor badge, despite being Army, because he spent so long there guarding the base.

He was sent to India approx 1943 where he remained until the War was over. He missed the draft to the Khyber Pass due to fever and, once recovered, he was transferred to the Royal Infantry where he spent the rest of his time on guard duty’s and schemes (guess these are what we'd now call manoeuvres) preparing to go to Japan as part of the Army of Occupation. Before he could be transferred to Japan the Japanese surrendered and he received his demob. He spent quite a long time in India after the end of the war as he had to wait for transport home. He and his mates celebrated the end of the war by going to the pics (movies)!! Although offered the possibility of a flight home he chose, with the majority, to wait for a ship and that is when he went (to) ................ Doolally!!

Doolally is a place but not really called Doolally. It is actually called Deolali (where there was a British Army Camp) about 100 miles north-east of Bombay (Mumbai as it's now known). It was, from the 19th century, a transit camp where military personnel were sent to await transport home when they came to the end of their tour of duty. That wait could be long and boring and some servicemen suffered 'camp fever' - apparent madness caused by the long wait with nothing to do. The Brits - as ever, but why :o{{ - found Deolali hard to pronounce and it became known as Doolally and the slang term for going mad - Doolally Tap - was born (tap being the urdu for fever). Eventually it was shortened to 'doolally' meaning mad or eccentric. Here's a bit of trivia - Deolali was also the camp that was used for the location on the early series of the sitcom 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum' which was set in 1945. So ..... he hadn't gone 'doolally' but was sent to Doolally - LOL!!

That's a really brief version of Dad's wartime story, which never involved combat, else he may not still be here!

I knew he'd spent time in India because of the photo that I'd seen, as it was of him sitting in front of the Taj Mahal. I was soooooooooo looking forward to seeing that photo again and being able to use it, only to find that it no longer exists - :o((. When I mentioned the photo to Dad he remembered having it taken. I asked about the Taj Mahal - one building I'd love to visit - and I was really surprised to find that he couldn't tell me anything about it! He'd never seen it - LOL! Seems, even in those days, people were out to make money. You found a native taking photographs in the street, sat on a stool and you chose the backdrop curtain that you wanted and your choice was just pulled across behind you. There's me, with all these romantic images of Dad exploring the Taj Mahal and the nearest he got to it was about 300 miles away - lol! He did get to see a bit of India while he was there though, just not the Taj Mahal.

Although the photo of Dad in front of the Taj Mahal - not! - is no longer with us, I found this one of him. Taken in August 1943, it must have been taken just before he was sent to India (he may have been on embarkation leave) and it's the oldest photo there is of him .....

My Dad, August 1943, aged 21½

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Our babies ...

... are not so little any more and can each fly about 4 to 6 feet! Difficult to get them together now as they've started taking steps towards leaving home - lol!! I found all 3 of them surrounding our neighbour's chimney this afternoon and then 2 of them ventured down onto their sunroom roof at the rear of the property......

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Why??

Well, I'll never know now but to say I'm upset, disappointed and yes, angry with my Mum, wouldn't be an understatement. No matter how well you think you know somebody there's always something that is a mystery and makes you realise that perhaps you never really knew them at all.

Mum was always very 'proper' and houseproud with everything having it's place and the house was always really neat and tidy so the first thing that surprised me was with what she'd 'collected' (said very tongue in cheek). I always knew that she had an awful lot of clothes in various sizes (stored immaculately and a lot were under suit & dress covers) so that didn't come as a surprise at all but I've been trying to figure out, ever since I went through the house for Dad, why she would have wanted 23 rolls of bin bags (dustbin bags, pedal bin bags, swing bin bags, rubble bags, wheelie bin bags etc. etc.). Then there was the collection of freezer bags, sandwich bags, greaseproof bags, chewing gum, toothpaste (several opened tubes and squirreled away in odd places), toothbrushes (ditto), balls of string & twine (a dozen or more of them)...... breathe ..... telephones (every one they've ever owned by the look of it), washing up bowls, wooden spoons (more than anyone could ever need in a lifetime), hooks (screw-ins, stick-ons, suckers, big, small, indifferent) and so the list goes on. Puts a new slant on the 'My Favourite Things' song that was one of our choices at her funeral - lol!! but .........

........ all that makes it even harder to understand and, I guess, doesn't help my disappointment/upset/anger - whatever you want to call it - in finding that she'd destroyed most of the photographic family history! I've been waiting to tell Dad's story because I knew there was a photo of him in his Army tropical kit, taken from the time he served in India during WWII. I thought it would make a lovely illustration to go with his story and it would have done (especially as there's a little story about that photo as well), if it still existed but it doesn't! It's gone, disappeared, vanished ............ destroyed! It's not the only photo that no longer exists either. There are less than a dozen photo's left that were taken before 1950 and there is only one that was taken before 1940 (one of my great-grandparents). I've found only one photo of my paternal grandparents (looks as though it was kept as the token photo and taken in 1963). There are no photo's of me and my brother through our teenage years, with the exception of a few of me taken in my NTC* uniform- it's as though we didn't exist after the age of around 10. I know there were photo's of us 'cos I remember one that I loved of me at around the age of 14 - in my first 'grown-up' shoes and looking all 'mod' (well, I thought I did at the time). There's a few of my maternal grandmother and a couple of my uncle but my maternal grandfather has been cut out completely, other than in Mum & Dad's wedding photo's. Mum disowned Grandad a year after my Nan died and never made up with him before his death 4 years later so - he didn't exist! There are, however, loads of photo's from the birth of my eldest and onwards - most of which I've got already 'cos it was mainly me that supplied them - lol!

Why did she do it? I have no idea and, as said, will now never know although, I have my theories ....

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* NTC = Nautical Training Corps ... which I belonged to from the age of 8 to 19

3rd time lucky ...

I hope!! My balloon flight is now rebooked for the 19th August. Unlike a good few areas of the country we've had a few nice days and - balloons were flying yesterday 'cos I saw one! Not sure whether they would today or not. Although we've had wall to wall sunshine all day, it is pretty breezy. Anyway, the weather now has another month to sort itself out. Hopefully we will see more summer over the next few weeks and it will become more settled.

I've quite a busy week this week and it's one I'm looking forward to. I'm spending the day with a friend made via the imag-e-nation forum - Greta - on Thursday and on Saturday I've a day of classes at the Glitterpot. I've also been invited to dinner with youngest son and his eldest daughter (my middle grand-daughter). I should actually have really been babysitting her and her sister while son and dil went out for a meal but she's in the later stages of pregnancy and it's not been a good one. She feels ill more than she feels well so I've been invited out instead. It's a freebie as it's an R&R (reward & recognition) from son's firm 'cos they're really pleased with his work! Can't let a freebie go to waste now, can we ....... LOL!

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I've been awarded ...

... again - LOLOL!!. This time by Greta of Greta's Spot who's just bounced it back to me after I gave it to her .... hehe! As I've already awarded 14 people over the last couple of weeks I'm just going to say thank you very, very much Greta but I'm not passing it on at this precise moment however - who knows what I will do in the next few weeks!!

Thanks for dropping by .....