Bloody People

I am still having disturbing dreams. That man is haunting me. Aargghh!!! Other folk are annoying me as well. I am local organiser for Contact the Elderly. Good God!! It's only voluntary but another person is taking it so seriously. A few days ago she was organising things behind my back. Margaret used to be organiser and won't let go. I was so cross that I penned what I think is a very diplomatic letter and sent it her. This gives a flavour of what I wrote. "I’ve noticed an ‘under current’ in the group which is totally unnecessary. People are not working together and there is an element of back biting and sniping. As a group we might not want to choose each others as friends. We only meet for a couple of hours so I want everyone involved to do their very best to work together and put personal feelings aside. I need you to keep me in the picture as to which guests you are collecting. I understood that you could only pick up two. When I organised a driver for Pat I learned that arrangements had already been made and that you were picking up three people. I would like to carry on as local organiser because I enjoy it. But there is a possibility I could step down from Portsmouth and start organising a new group for Havant." She left a message on my ansafone requesting a meeting. God God!! I already have enough on my plate. Does she think I have the time or the inclination to arrange one. I can't warm to her, she's just a big lump with a permanent look of disapproval on her face. I just get the feeling she's waiting for me to put one foot wrong and I will be swallowed up!! It is Tea Party Sunday tomorrow so I have to socialise with her . She has to learn that I am in charge and I do the organising!!

How Others Live

As a supporter of my local MP, I was asked to deliver the latest newsletter in the streets near my house. I have delivered just over half and I am absolutely whacked, it took me a couple of hours. As I live on the side of a hill it involved negotiating lots of steps Being a slightly unfit I didn't realise that all this step climbing would take it's toll. And I nearly came a cropper on a slippery path. I am an owner occupier and live right in the middle of a pre war council estate. Luckily for me my road is a small cul de sac. The properties are old peoples bungalows, maisonettes and 2 bed houses. In general my neighbours keep their gardens clean and tidy and I think I live in one of the nicest streets. Houses in roads nearby are a bit different. The sights and smells I encountered this afternoon were quite off putting. Today was refuse collection and recycling day. We are not supplied with bins for general rubbish so most people use black sacks. Recycling bins need to be put out on the the pavement, people don't bother and those that are never put out overflow with un-recyclable stuff. Some gardens were even strewn with fresh rubbish. Some of the houses have lovely big gardens and most are overgrown and uncultivated, such a shame. While pushing leaflets through letter boxes I encountered some disgusting smells wafting out. I heard dogs barking but didn't get attacked. Years ago I had an embarrassing encounter while doing market research. I knocked at a house and through the glass door I saw a dog come running up. It hurled itself at the door and came crashing through the glass, it didn't stop and just ran off. The owner opened up what remained of the door while I stood totally paralysed, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me.

Sweet Dreams

Coffee is the culprit. I am sleeping better and the dreams are toned down. I am aware that I have been dreaming but I can't remember the content.

Girlies Get New Home

Last year my daughter and son in law decided to give some battery hens a new home. They put in their order and got everything ready. The Wendy house was designated as hen house. It was a big disappointment to be told that the farmer was holding on to them for a bit longer. But as the weather had become bitterly cold maybe this was a good thing. The hens have now arrived, they have lots of feathers and are in a much better condition than expected. They’re still timid of humans and had a settled first night. In the morning the adults were woken up by the noise of excited torch wielding children outside. Much to the children's delight they found their first egg which was a bit bigger than usual. While it is still cold the hens will be kept indoors. When they have settled down they will be introduced to the outside world. Unlike me my daughter and husband are vegetarian. I am very proud of her for doing this. My compassionate side encouraged me to do the same but my sensible head took over. Keeping chickens is a big responsibility and they would be too much of a tie.

Dreamland

I'm trying to resolve my early morning nightmare problem by setting the alarm clock to wake me at 6am. This morning I was in the middle of a silly dream which if I had carried on sleeping would probably have deteriorated into a disturbing nightmare. Once the sun rises earlier I will wake naturally anyway.

Caffeine Makes Me Wakeful

Coffee is easier to make than tea and I was consuming too much. I've stopped drinking it and am no longer waking during the night. I am even sleeping until about 7am. But I am still experiencing nightmares just before waking and this affects my general well being. The dreams are so real it's hard to shake off. I am going to set the alarm for 6am, wake up before the dreams start and hopefully avoid feeling awful. I left paid employment last April so why do I continue to dream about my previous employer harassing me? 'Heads' he wins, 'Tails' I lose.

A Successful Afternoon

I am a member of the U3A which is best described as shared learning for those no longer in full time employment. I joined WaterloovilleU3A in 2007 , my claim to fame was becoming their 200th member. As volunteers didn't step forward, when the position fell vacant, I became Vice Chair in 2008. I am also 'Groups Liaison'. I am good at getting people to do things so I organise the monthly refreshment roster. We held an open afternoon today which turned out to be more successful than we envisaged. St Georges Church Hall buzzed and people made nice comments about the friendly atmosphere. Our intention is to be friendly and approachable, there are no 'stuffed shirts' on the committee. Imaging a lady being newly widowed, suddenly the person who she did everything with has gone. She has to build a new social life which means summoning the courage to enter a hall or room where she knows no-one. We do our best to spot people we don't recognise and have a little chat about interests etc. Then we introduce them to like minded people. Apart from Waterlooville I belong to a U3A nearer to home. The atmosphere there is totally different. Stuffy, cliquey and not very friendly. The chairman has poor social skills, the atmosphere must emanate from him as he doesn't engage anyone in conversation.

Sleep and Dreams

I've slipped into bad sleeping habits. I don't have a problem with drifting off. It's that I keep on waking up during the night. If I wake at 4am I have a problem deciding what to do. If I go back to sleep I have nightmares, if I stay awake I get tired during the day. The nightmares are always the same ones based on two themes. The most frequent is to do with an employer who was never satisfied with anything I did. I really despised him and still do. He wanted his female employees to be intelligent and at the same time subservient. I scored on the first but failed miserably on the second. The other is to do with animals suffering and I can only stand by and watch helplessly. Years ago I used to dream that I was hiding in a house where the occupant - always a man- didn't know I was there. My mission was to get out without him finding me. A bit like 'Jack and the Beanstalk.' A friend she says she's not too good in the mornings because she's recovering from persecution nightmares. They are so real she feels traumatised. I don't feel traumatised but it gives me an insight into what is bubbling on the surface of my subconscious.

Toxic Debt Killing UK

UK taxpayers will be left exposed to £200bn in potential losses under the biggest Government bailout yet for Britain's banks. The Government will underwrite 'toxic' assets built up by the banks during the credit boom which are now seen as high risk. If companies and individuals default on these debts, the taxpayer will be left to foot the bill. The latest lifeline for the City - put to bank bosses late on Saturday night - came as the PM vented his fury with the banks for lending vast sums to foreign investors who are now unable to pay the money back. Treasury officials checking the books of the Royal Bank of Scotland now controlled by the Government, were shocked to discover that £2.5bn had been loaned to Russian oligarch Leonid Blavatnik in his attempt to build a massive business empire. The RBS has had to write off the entire debt because one of Mr Blavatnik's foreign companies faces going bust - with British taxpayers left to pay the price. The PM believes some banks have deliberately concealed the scale of their bad assets. Read what the experts think.

Surviving Gazza

I watched this last night on 4OD and it brought back some unhappy memories. It's a documentary about a family trying to cope with a father and ex-husband who has issues with mental health and alcohol - and who happens to be one of the most famous men in the country. Living with an alcoholic is generally a roller coaster of a ride. It’s hard for those living with the drinker to understand that actually they can’t help themselves and will usually find themselves affected deeply. When things are good and the drinking is under control, then everyone is happy. But when alcohol takes over again, chaos and disorder reign. It really does depends on how the unpredictable behaviour will affect those living with them. But the alcoholic can never be relied upon to behave in a proper fashion. In a house where alcohol abuse occurs, there will be arguments and mental abuse. When the alcoholic is drunk, they are very often emotional and sometimes aggressive. It’s a home filled with turmoil and confusion. Nobody knows from one day to the next what is going to happen. Living on my own I can predict what is going to happen from one day to the next.

On Dieting

Since the age of thirteen I have struggled with my weight. Striving to wear a certain dress size gets harder as one gets older. In the 50's around the age of 11 I was fat, a real Bessie Bunter. I had a voracious appetite, I was on the 'See Food Diet' - see food and eat it. As a teenager I managed to maintain a size 14. I have maintained that size for most of my adult life. At one time I was even a size 12. It has taken a lot of discipline and backbone. During pregnancy I had a tendency to balloon which took ages to shed. When I reached my late 50's I had nervous breakdown and let myself go. I don't know how much weight I gained during this time but when I walked my chesticles wobbled and my bra hurt because it was far too small. I had constant heartburn so I took control and put myself on the Slimming World Green Plan. I didn't sign up and followed it on my own. At the present moment I am a 16 and will do my very best not to 'grow' into a larger size. If I lost weight I would have to get a whole new wardrobe which would be impractical and uneconomical.

Free Blogger Templates

The standard Blogger templates are boring and I wanted to give mine a bit of gloss. I googled for free templates and spent ages trawling through lots of lots of offerings I eventually found one site that I was happy with. Click on the link and take your pick http://btemplates.com/

An Excess of Cornflour

Every so often I like to sort through my food cupboard. When it gets untidy it bothers me. For sometime I have been putting it off. The morning sun shine today gave me the inspiration to get on with it.

Why had I bought so many packets of cornflour? Goodness knows! I have a weakness for stewed fruit and custard so I will make vanilla sauce as a substitute.

I can also mix in cocoa powder to make chocolate blancmange

Posted via email from Liz's Posterous

Slumdog Millionaire or 'Questions & Answers'

I have been reading this book since Friday and finished it at an ungodly hour in the very early hours of this morning.

It was an easy read and found it hard to put down. This must be an indication of how much I enjoyed it.

I heard it as a radio play in 2007 and will see the film at Port Solent this Thursday. My New Year's resolution was to not buy books if I could get them from the library. When I searched the on-line catalogue, I was surprised to see it was available so I bagged it.

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My Friend Joan

Joan is 80 and carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. Yesterday evening she phoned because she was in a right old state. It took ages for her to come to the point. She hated asking as she wanted a 'huge favour', her words not mine. Could I collect her from Gatwick on 8th Feb? When I confirmed that I could she burst into tears. Just like the 14 year old Paralympic swimmer when she won her gold medal. Oohh!! I'm sooo happy, blub blub!! My Mum passed away in 2001 so Joan is my surrogate Mum. Doing things for her is a pleasure. When I am 80 I do so hope that someone will look out for me.

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Stansted House

I recently joined The National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies and put myself forward for conservation volunteer work. I was invited to attend an induction seminar at Stansted House, on the Hampshire - Sussex border. It took place this morning and I enjoyed it immensely. I'm hoping to get involved with textiles and costumes. Stansted is the seat of the Bessboroughs and is part of the Historic Houses Association. It is a lovely house and quite close to Uppark which is owned by the National Trust.

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Smoldering Hearts of Oak.

I did not know until recently that Oak is not suitable for burning in a little tiddy wood stove. It's really difficult to get going and just smolders. The other logs burn OK, the oak is not damp, just unsuitable. The guy who sold me this firewood included quite a lot of oak in the load. I'll make sure that the next lot doesn't contain oak and I won't order from him again.

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The Queen and I

Not only do I have the same name as the Queen I also have the same sense of style.

During this recent cold spell I've dressed to kill - passion that is!

I hate the cold but I resent spending too much money on heating. I'd rather spend it on doing things I enjoy rather than line the pockets of power company executives.

I keep one room very warm where I enjoy sitting in front of my log fire.In the other rooms I wear lots of layers.

On my bed there are two goosedown duvets and a lambswool throw. If it's very cold I sleep in a down sleeping bag under all the bedding.

Eccentric? Yes.  

Silly? Maybe.  

Frugal? Absolutely.

Sensible? Probably not.

Posted via web from Liz's Posterous

Cold Weather Payment

For the first time in 10 years, Portsmouth pensioners will receive a cold weather payment from the government.

The weather has stayed consistently cold for the last week, dropping to -10C overnight last Tuesday.

This means that I will get a £25 payout. Yay!!!

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So Near - So Far

Last November I took myself by train to Glasgow. It's a great city, I had a good time and plan to return. 

Little did I know that someone I'd lost contact with many years ago was living in a village nearby.

Elin, of Icelandic origin, lodged with my family in Hove while she learned English at one of the many language schools. 

We were both teenagers and got on like a 'House on fire'.

She's now married to a Scot and lives in Houston, Renfrewshire. I really do hope I can see her this year.

I am so excited, it's almost as if I've found a long lost relative.

Posted via email from Liz's Posterous

Sloping Shoulders Syndrome

I am Vice Chair and 'Groups Liaison' of Waterlooville U3A. We have been going about three years and now have over 300 members.

"U3As are self-help, self-managed lifelong learning co-operatives for older people no longer in full time work, providing opportunities for their members to share learning experiences in a wide range of interest groups and to pursue learning not for qualifications, but for fun."

Last summer the vice chair announced she was stepping down. I volunteered because others did not come forward. 

What really annoys me is the apathy of our members. It is easy for people to criticise the efforts of others. But when push comes to shove they are reluctant to lend a hand.

As a member of the walking group I made an offer to lead a walk if there was a gap in the programme. Yesterday I had an email asking me if I could take the January slot as no one had come forward. 

I had nothing planned but found a 5 mile walk around Old Portsmouth on the internet. It will have to do.

At our monthly meetings members expect refreshments but no one wants to do it so I have volunteered to 'arm twist'. People will find all sorts of excuses to get out of it. Comments have been made about me bullying members into doing the tea. 

But I'm a big girl, I can take it.

Posted via email from Liz's Posterous

Text 'Hot Girls' TV Ads

While watching a film I recorded on late night ITV4, it struck me that the adverts were mainly inviting the viewer to text 'Hot Girls' in your area.  So you have to to text in your post code to 'talk to hot women in your area,' and they're 'waiting for your texts.'  These adverts are just crap, does the company expect people to believe that there are girls in the customer's area sat waiting next to their phones with their friends? 

These ads are more annoying than the afternoon ones selling funeral plans!

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Friends Reunited

I've been registered on the FR site for ages but haven't had much luck. 

Yesterday I had an email from someone who had been to the same school as myself. Being a year younger than me we never knew each other.

We'd both been pupils at Lourdes Convent in Brighton. She reminded me of the awful school food when very often all we got for pudding was a wormy apple from the orchard. 

One of the girls must have complained to their parents because one day we were given a lecture by little Mother Mary. On how grateful we should be when half the world was starving. 

She remembers coming in late from games many times (not her fault) being thirsty, and going to get her free little glass bottle of milk frm the kitchen counter. Then being told she couldn't have it because she was late. The nuns were very hard in that way.

Today I added more streets and work places. 

I found Elin Jonsdottir who lodged with us in 1960 while learning English at one of the language schools.

I found Fiona Campbell who worked in the Lindt sales force at the same time as myself.

I'm a big fan of social networking.

Posted via email from Liz's Posterous

Naughty Kitti

I previously posted that she wasn't bothered about the birds using the feeder. I thought she was more interested in mice & other rodents. Well this morning she caught this little Dunnock and left it as a gift on the back door step. The corpse was still warm and almost perfect. I don't often get this close to the garden birds so I posed it in the Jasmine to take this photo. At least it won't have to worry about keeping warm.

Cancer Screening

I recently received in the post an NHS bowel cancer screening test.

The instructions were convoluted and this put me off. In reality it was very easy but not suitable for the easily disgusted.

If one has dealt with a nappy one can deal with most things. To harvest samples one is given suggestions but I just had to decide the best way for myself.

Two samples had to be taken over three occasions and recorded on a card with three sealable flaps.

I'm not worried but will be pleased when I get the results.

Posted via email from Liz's Posterous

This afternoon I attended a local NADFAS lecture. The subject was art forgery and speaker was excellent. 

His appearance amused me. His age was sixtyish and he wore a dated 70's style wide lapel lounge suit jacket. If it had been made from ordinary fabric he would have looked dated and mundane. But he looked quite eccentric as the jacket was constructed from a patchwork of different tweed suiting in muted colours. I immediately warmed to him.

I chatted to a friend while he was setting up. She said the jacket reminded her of a childhood incident which happened in the 1940's.

Her grandfather was incredibly frugal. When he redecorated the living room he papered the walls with the contents of wallpaper sample books and left the wall behind the piano undecorated.

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Spam

I have Gmail and BT-Yahoo email accounts. BT-Yahoo is my favourite and doesn't attract much spam, it costs me £1.50 a month. 

Gmail is free but attracts lots of spam. It is good at filtering this rubbish directly into the spam folder.

Over Christmas the spam completely dried up. Maybe it's because the spammers are too busy celebrating?

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LG Viewty Phone

I'm very pleased with it but one aspect is driving me mad. I bought it on Ebay but it came without software.

I thought, 'No probs, it will be easy to get hold of!' is it heck. The phone contains photos and I can't transfer them to my computer.

I am going round in circles on LG's website looking for downloads, it is 'pants'. I have googled with no results.

A way round it would be to transfer via Bluetooth so I have just bought a micro USB dongle. I found this handy bit of advice on Mumsnet.

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It's Science Jim But Not As We Know It

It's not often that I look at a man and think mmm, you look rather nice. The chap in view was absolute eye candy!! Not only tall dark and handsome but he's a professor so he has a brain as well. Last night physicist Jim Al-Khalili was presenting 'Science and Islam' on BBC 4. He traveled through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain telling the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries. Its legacy is tangible, with terms like algebra, algorithm and alkali all being Arabic in origin and at the very heart of modern science - there would be no modern mathematics or physics without algebra, no computers without algorithms and no chemistry without alkalis. For Baghdad-born Jim Al-Khalili this was also a personal journey and on his travels he uncovers a diverse and outward-looking culture, fascinated by learning and obsessed with science. From the great mathematician Al-Khwarizmi, who did much to establish the mathematical tradition we now know as algebra, to Ibn Sina, a pioneer of early medicine whose Canon of Medicine was still in use as recently as the 19th century, he pieces together a remarkable story of the often-overlooked achievements of the early medieval Islamic scientists. His Father is Iraqi and his Mother English.

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Small Acts of Kindness - 4th Jan 2009

During spells of cold weather vehicle batteries have a tendency to give up and die. 

Two of my neighbours had this problem so I helped them out with my big 'Power Box' . I keep it on permanent charge.

It cost a lot but has come in very handy. It's not same as the ones in Halfords. 

Posted via email from Liz's Posterous

How Would I have Coped?

I feel alive when the sun shines and the reverse during the dark gloomy days of winter.

But the weather we experience these days is nothing compared to the period of 'The Little Ice Age'.

It was a time of cooler climate in most parts of the world. Although there is some disagreement about exactly when the Little Ice Age started, records suggest that temperatures began cooling around 1250 A.D. The coldest time was during the 16th and 17th Centuries. By 1850 the climate began to warm.

Western Europe experienced a general cooling of the climate between the years 1150 and 1460 and a very cold climate between 1560 and 1850. The colder weather impacted agriculture, health, economics, social strife, emigration, and even art and literature.

During this period it was so cold the Thames froze over and was thick enough for Frost Fairs to take place on the ice.

Increased glaciation and storms also had a devastating affect on those that lived near glaciers and the sea.

In the UK. 1683: ... "the cold was so intense that the trunks of oak, ash, walnut, and other trees, were split apart, so that they might be seen through; and the cracks were often attended with noises as loud as the firing of musketry".

One of the worst famines in the seventeenth century occurred in France due to the failed harvest of 1693. Millions of people in France and surrounding countries were killed.

1816 became known as the year without summer. Gloomy cold rains were continual in Europe. The weather didn't seem like summer weather at all. It was cold and stormy and dark. They didn't have the technology to know that it was caused by a volcano on the other side of the world.

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Matt Smith as Doctor Who

I should have placed a bet on Matt being chosen. When his name was mentioned as a possibility I just knew it would be him.

I was very impressed by his performance in the BBC Drama 'Party Animals' which presented Westminster from the ground up - the young researchers and advisors shouldering huge responsibility in a frantic, high-stakes world.

His face is quirky enough to play the part perfectly and he has lots of hair.

I never believed all that rubbish about Catherine Zeta Jones being the next Dr. Can you imagine?

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Getting Down And Dirty

I don't have a problem with general tasks like washing the dishes, changing the sheets and general tidying up. But thorough cleaning is something I have to be in the mood to do. I find any excuse to put heart sink tasks off until 'later', whenever 'later' may occur. My bedroom needed a good 'bottoming out' but I just couldn't find the enthusiasm to do it. A full day of sun was forecast for today. I got up early, stripped and changed the sheets then I gave the duvet a good shake outdoors. I put the washing on early so it would have a chance to dry outside. As January days are so short it hasn't dried properly so it will be finished off in the dryer. I have given the room a good clean, except for right under the bed, it's an easy task for another day. I have pulled most of the furniture out so I could clean behind, the wardrobe being the exception. Where does all the dust come from? I must record this on my Google calendar so that next time I'll know how long it's been.

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Acts of Kindness - 2nd Jan 2009

If they knew, my friends would be horrified and tell me off for taking risks.

These days how often does one see hitchhikers?

On a trip up to Farnham yesterday, on the outskirts of Waterlooville I saw a man attempting to get to the M25.

I stopped and picked him up. He introduced himself as Brian and thanked me profusely.

He said he was a general handyman. As there was no work locally he was going to London to try his luck there.

I asked him where he lived while seeking work. He sleeps in Bus Shelters

I dropped Brian off at the only roundabout of the A3, where one can branch off to go to Selbourne.

The paradox being that he warned me to be careful about who I gave lifts to.

Over the years I have given lifts to various strangers and I have also hitched. Am I foolish? Maybe?

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New Year, New Start, New Me? Not Likely!

Once again "Diet and Fitness" are the buzzwords of the month along with resolutions which we may or may not keep up.

January: Fitness centres look forward to the annual boom in membership sparked by post-indulgence guilt.

February:Countless wannabe fitness fanatics revert to their usual lazy routine while continuing to pay up to £80 a month for a gym membership they will rarely, if ever, use again.

The psychology is simple: you feel a bit fat and unfit so you join a gym in the belief that paying all that money will make your exercise regime doubly effective. You don't go very often, so you feel guilty (as well as fat and unfit). Yet to cancel the membership - thus saving hundreds of pounds a year - is to admit defeat, after which there's nothing for it but to accept life as an unfit bloater.

Today the Government started targeting 'Fatties'. Do I think it will work? No, because most people think it doesn't apply to them.

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Arbiter of Bad Taste

While rummaging around the £1 bargain bin in a local charity shop I came across a lovely velvet cushion. Someone with extremely bad taste had sewn this Readicut carpet panel of a dogs head on the back. Who am I to say it's bad taste? But I grabbed my bargain. Later on I unpicked the offending panel. Voila!! I now have a lovely addition to my sofa.