Mid September already

Went to see my uncle last Saturday, after scrapbooking. He looks well, considering what he has been through!!! He didn't know who I was, even when I explained. He kept shaking his head and thinking, and then saying "No"

Will go back to see him soon




Chris and I went to Biddulph Gardens on the 10 September, this is the pathway up to the door, the colours were lovely, considering it is almost autumn now.











The second photo is of the house from the other side of the lake















We had such a good time that we dicided to join the National Trust, that way we can take photos of all the beautiful gardens, and it won't cost us to get in.

We went to Erddig in North Wales on the 17th September, and took a lot more photos, with the aid of our new tripods. We did feel a little bit silly the first time we used them, but ended up using them most of the time.


















This is the first picture I took using the tripod, I like it and changed it to B&W

Update on my Uncle

His operation to complete the leg amputation went well on Monday. They tried to bring him out of the coma on Tuesday, but he got very agitated and they had to sedate him again.

He was transferred to Arrowe Park hospital in Birkenhead yesterday, and needs an operation on his pelvis, but he has now picked up a chest infection, and is having trouble breathing. I have asked my mum if she wants to go to see him, but she said she will wait for him to get a bit better, I think she is probably scared of getting upset when she sees him - my mum is not one for showing her emotions - I have NEVER seen her cry, not even when my dad died!!!!

I go to the wirral crop on Saturday, and have to pass Arrowe Park hospital, and I feel that it would be disrespectful, if I didn't call in to see him, so that is what I am going to do.

Had some bad news this week

My uncle, my mums yungest brother, has had a dreadful motrobike accident, and his leg was crushed, and his pelvis broken into little pieces. He has had to have his leg amputated 4 inches above his knee.

He had an op on Friday, which was completed on Monday to his leg, and they are keeping him in a drug induced coma at the moment, to keep him still and to minimize his pain, we have been told that to repair his pelvis, he will have to lie flat on his back for at least 6 weeks. They are hoping to move him to a hospital with staff and facilities to cope with his broken pelvis as soon as he has recovered sufficiently from the op on his leg.

We don't know where that is likely to be yet, but Arrowe Park in Birkenhead and a hospital in Stoke have been mentioned. Arrowe Park would be better for the family, as my aunty has a sister who lives in Birkenhead, so she could stay with her, and we would know that she was being looked after, as she has severe arthritis, and my uncle is (or was) her main carer.

They live in a house at the moment, but we don't know if they will be able to cope back home, so they may have to sell their house and move into a bungalow.

It is all a bit grim at the moment, but hopefully, as the weeks progress the news will get a bit better.

Will keep you informed of his progress

We've been "Hanging off motorway bridges"!!!

Chris and I decided to go on a photo shoot at the weekend, so off we traipsed with our trusty Fuji S9500's and went to the nearest bridge crossing the motorway. NOOOOOOOOOO we weren't going to throw ourselves off, we wanted to see if we could take a time lapse photo of the passing traffic. Welllllll we managed it, and here is the proof............


















We also went along to Chester Cathedral to see what we could take photos of, and here are some of the photos from our afternoon out.











My Daughter Vikki is in Sri Lanka at the moment, she is there on holiday, and also to be a bridesmaid for one of her friends. Her friends' father is Sri Lankan and she is having a traditional Sri Lankan Wedding.

she is getting married on the beach, in a red sari, and she will be arriving on an elephant. The three bridesmaids are going to be wearing coral coloured saris!!

She has taken my old digi camera and is going to get someone to take photos, as soon as I have any, I will post them here in my blog.................. She comes home on the 31 august.



I have been back to the Dr's about my knee, it still isn't back to the point before the operation, and that was almost 6 months ago. So she took a look and we have decided to give it another 6 weeks, if there isn't a significant improvement by then, she said that she would refer me back to see the consultant.

I had my review at work on Tuesday, and everything seemed to be going fine at first, until he said that if he didn't know me better he would have given me a verbal warning!!!!!! It appears that someone has been snooping in my office and found out what one of the managers' earns!!!! The only way that that could happen is if someone was looking over my shoulder, or I have left a spreadsheet open on my PC while I went away from my desk!!! I am SOOOOO annoyed that someone I work with could be so nasty, and to tell someone else what they had found out!!

I now want a meeting with the MD again, so that we can discuss my office security, I have thought about getting a "split door" so that if anyone needs Petty Cash or something, they do not need to come into my office, and if I leave my office, I want a security push button keypad lock put on my door. IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN!!!!!!

I have been nagged by my friend Chris to post on my blog, as I have been a very naughty girl, and not posted for a LONG TIME

So what have I done since I last posted way back in MAY............................

I told you that Chris and I have joined the gym, well we go 4 times a week. On Monday nights, we go to pilates, and I have stretched muscles I didn't know I had, I can tell you!!!!

On Wednesday nights we go straight from work, and do our 1 to 1 and a 1/4 hours of our work out, then go into the hydrotherapy pool for a lovely soak in the hot water, and give my knee a massage with the water jets, it is SO soothing!!!

On Friday nights we also go straight from work and go into the hydrotherapy pool afterwards.

On Sundays, we get up really early, and get to they gym as early as we can, it opens at 8am. We do our workout and the hydrotherapy pool, and then have breakfast in the cafe, or back at our local craft store, which is in a garden centre.

The first weekend in July I went to Center Parcs in Sherwood Forest with my DD and her partner, my DS and his partner. My mum, my sister and her husband, their two sons and two of their mates. We had to chalets, and had a wonderful time. The weather started off really, really hot, but as the week progressed the weather deteriorated, but it wasn't too bad. I found walking aroung the Park a little painful, so I hired a bike..................I haven't ridden a bike since I was about 12, so it was quite a sight!!!!! :lol:




Here is a photo of my DD Vikki and her partner Adam












And this is my DS Keith and his partner Gemma







The first weekend in August, Paul and I went to Thoresby Hall again, it was lovely and peaceful, and we didn't want to go home!!!

On the Sunday morning my DH decided to go for a bike ride before breakfast, so off he went..................I decided to go and have a play with the camera around the grounds, and wait for Paul to ring me when he came back, so we could go for breakfast.

At about 9.30 he rang me to say that he was lost, but had found a road sign to say which road he was on, and the village he was in. He asked me to go and get him, so off I go, back to our hotel room to get the car keys.

BUT when I go there I couldn't find the car keys, so I rung Paul to see if he had them ;)

Of course, he did, so I couldn't go to get him. He had to cycle back!!!! So I went down to breakfast, and got him some toast which the staff kindly wrapped in some foil. One of the staff, who knew he was diabetic, offered to make him a bacon butty.

At 10.30 he arrived back at the hotel room, tired, hot and hungry. He ate his breakfast out on our patio, and then had a shower!!!! We went out in the car and retraced his steps..............he had gone about 24 miles!!!


Tomorrow, Chris and I are going to go to the Zoo (if the weather isn't too bad) to play with our cameras, I haven't been to the zoo in about 15 years, and I know that it has changed a lot since I last went!!! So I will try to take some good photos!!

We went to West Kirby tonight just as the sun set, and took some photos - but they didn't turn out very well This is the best..............



Any how, I am getting tired now, and I promise, I will come and post on here at least once a week!!

It's the end of May already!!!!

Where is the year going to?!?!?!?!

It only seems like yesterday, that we were shouting Happy New Year!!!!

What have I been up to for the last 10 days???

Well, we have eventually booked to go to the Gloucester Retreat with Scrappers Unlimited, having worked out how many holidays we would have left, and if the Egg Card would stand it!!!

My DH works at Vauxhalls plant in Ellesmere Port, and the Company have announced that they are to go from 3 shifts to 2. Which means they have to lose 900 jobs. As my DH is 52, he has put in his request for early retirement, we have worked out how much he would get, and after paying of the mortgage (it finishes anyway in 2010). We will continue to pay the endowments so that our funds will be "topped up" again in 2010. He will probably look for a little part time job "to keep him going", it isn't worth getting a full time job, because the tax man would take too much!!

I have completed an album for my God daughters' little girl Olivia, a bit like a brag book for them to record her first twelve months.


































On Saturday, Chris and I went to Bodelwyddan Castle, as the North Wales Flower Festival was being held there.

We were very disappointed as we paid £7 each to get into what was in effect a market, with a childrens' fairground!! We left the event and went into the castle for a coffee. Whilst in there we noticed a signpost to the walled garden. When we got there, the sun came out, and we took lots and lots of photos of flowers, which is what we wanted anyway, but we could have got them for free!!!





These are the three favourite photos of the day!!

I can't believe that it has been over a week since I last came on here. I have won first prize on UK Scrappers with my photo of the mandarin duck I took at LLangollen on Good Friday.

Aprils' theme was patterns, and the colours on the duck were truly beautiful. It wasn't until I upoaded it that I thought that I could enter it into the competition, never thinking that it would actually win!!!!

The prize arrived on Monday, and it was fabby - lots of papers, fibres, embellishments of all sorts!!!

That makes three prizes this month, and I don't usually win anything as a rule.

I went to the Wirral crop yesterday, and we do a monthly challenge, this months' challenge was "Long lazy days" We all vote for our fave LO, and I won this too!!! Can't believe it, maybe I should submit a LO for publishing!?!?!?!?




















My God daughter, had a little girl on the 1 May, and I was emailed a photograph of her, and decided to scrap it yesterday, thought you might like to see it

I have tried three times now to attach the photo of the layout I won "Best of the day" with, hopefully this time it has worked!!!

It was National Scrapbooking day on Saturday, and the girls at the Wirral Crop decided to have a 12 hour mega crop!!

We had a fabulous day, we ate plenty, chatted plenty, scrapped a little!!! There were three challenges throughout the day, with prized for the best LO. Raffle prizes, and prizes for the best LO and card of the day.
Our lunch was provided - and boy, what a lunch that was!!! Cream cakes for afternoon tea, and we had a choice of Chinese, Indian or English takeaway for dinner. By 7pm I was stuffed!!!

We were all asked to put what we thought was our best LO of the day onto a table, and we all voted as to which one was our favourite!!

I was busy packing away all our stash ready to go home, and heard my name........... I had won the Best LO of the day prize, which was a 6 x 6 album, papers, embellishments and fibres to start me off!! (I have attached a picture of the LO for you all to see)



I was absolutely gobsmacked!!!! All I have to do now is decide what I am going to use it for!! It will be a challenge, as I usually do 12 x 12 LO's. Maybe I will make an album of our holiday to Center Parcs in July, or our holiday at Thorseby Hall in August, I really don't know!!!


Chris and I have joined the Gym!! We went for a look around on the 1st and had our inductions recently. So I am starting off very gently on the exercise bike, doing 5 minutes 4 times a week, and building up the time I do gradually. I don't want my knee to flare up again!!

I then do some upper body work on the weights, just to burn off some more calories, and then finish it off with 20 minutes in the hydrotherapy pool.......bliss, this is my reward for joining the gym...........never thought I would see the day!!!!

Went back to the physio yesterday, and she seemed pleased that there has been a little improvement in the movement in my knee. She has given me some more exercises to do, and said that to begin with I should just walk around in the water, and if I want to try to swim then just to use front crawl kick (gently) for a while. I cannot do breast stroke just yet as this would twist my knee joint and it would hurt!!

Will keep you posted on the exercise and weight loss, the weight loss seems to have slowed down, so I had a blood test today, and she is testing my thyroid as well as everything else!! Having an MOT blood test!!

Lost 1.75 lbs this week

Just weighed myself, and I have lost 1.75lbs this week!!! That is 24.5 lbs since January!! Mini target of 35 lbs by the end of June.

Went to the Drs on Tuesday, she said she would be happy to sign me off for another 2 weeks, but I told her that I would only worry about the work that will be waiting for me when I got back, that I suggested I ask my boss for part time for the next 2 weeks. If my knee starts feeling better, I can always extend my hours gradually. She said that she would allow that, but if my boss said no, then she would sign me off for 2 weeks.

Boss said yes, so I am working 10 - 2 for the next 2 weeks, must say I could get used to these hours!!

2 more days until the Wirral 12 hour crop on Saturday, National Scrapbooking Day!! We are all so looking forward to it!!!

Anyway, got to run...............ok maybe not run, perhaps just limp! As I want to get some photograph paper on my way to work.

Hopefully I have managed to attach a photo of the LO now

WOW!!!!

I have just found out that I have won second prize in a LO competition set by Chrissie of Scrappers unlimited over the Bank Holiday Weekend!!

We had to do a LO featuring ourselves in our teenage years!! As there are not many photos of me during my teenage years, as our photos are on slides!! We also had to use heat in some way on the LO.

I made a heat embossed background on plain pink cardstock, and layered a number of oddments of basic grey papers, and hid some journalling under the quote using hinges.

Unfortunately, I am unable to upload a photo of it at the moment, but will try again later on.

Whilst at my friend Chris's house last night, we were doing a little bit of experimenting with our scrapbooking skills, and I managed to do two kaleidoscopes using 4 photos, and 4 mirror image photos. I think only one of the photos has posted, I will try again later with the other one.

All I need to do now is do a LO using one of them. I might leave that to do on Saturday, at our Wirral crop - 10am - 10 pm.

We are all so looking forward to it, we have all been so excited for the last few weeks.

We know what papers we are using for the challenges now................all I need to do now is find the photos I am going to use, and I will be OK.

Dragon fire

Dragon fire

Sorry I haven't been on my blog for months, but I chickened out!!

Plucked uo the courage to come on-line again after my friend Chris persuaded me to.

A lot has happened in my life since January. I have had to have an operation on my right knee, an arthroscopy, to repair a damaged cartlidge, and to re-shape my thigh bone at the knee joint, due to arthritis damage. That was on 8th March........... went back to see the specialist on the 22nd March, and was feeling fantastic so went back to work the following day.

As the weeks went by I was in more and more pain, until it got to the point 2 weeks ago when I was in agony!! I thought that it was just me being a "whimp" and refused to give in to the pain, but in the end, I had to go to see the GP and she referred me immediately back to the consultant. So there I am sitting in the hospital waiting room a week today, waiting to see the consultant, thinking the worst (as you do)!!!

He was wonderful, he looked at the offending knee, and said that the joint wasn't infected (thank goodness) and said the he thought that my brain still thought that my knee had an injury and my body was trying too hard to repair itself, and the knee was being supplied with too much blood - which was making it swollend and hot!!

He proceeded to give me a painkiller and steroid injection in my knee, and told me to rest it for the next 48 hours, and to see the physio later in the week.

I went to the physio on Thursday, and she has told me to take it easy for a couple of weeks, and the only exercises I could do were exercise bike, and basic physio exercises.

So on Saturday Chris and I went off to join the gym and we had our health checks this afternoon, I have to go to my GP (again) to get permission to exercise, as my BP was high - I knew that it would be, it always goes up when I am nervous, it is normally well controlled with medication!

So I will be ringing for an appointment in the morning. I really want to start exercising as soon as possible.

I have also lost 23lbs since Christmas, which is fantastic, seeing as I have been relatively imobile for the last 2 months!!!

I have prattled on so much that this is getting a bit long, so I will carry on this story at a later date - see you soon

Day one my new blog

Where do I start, I am an avid scrapbooker, and have been at a crop all day today, with my good friends at the Wirral crop.

I completed 3 LO's today, one of my mum and dad and 2 for a LO competition on UK Scrappers at www.ukscrappers.co.uk. I am in a team called the Dolly Mixtures, which was formed on 8.1.05, so we have just celebrated our first birthday....Our team is in the newly formed Green Buttons House, we have been set a challenge to do a LO with photos given to us for this task, the photos are of a new chick, a bunch of daffodils, and a group of sheep. I played around with the photos for a while in a photo software package, and have managed to do 4 LO's for the competition. So watch this space!!!!!

I hope that this is what I am supposed to be doing, haven't really got a clue what I am doing you know!!!