Easter Bonnets

Today, I`ve got to decorate two easter bonnets for the girls. I`ve been out this morning and bought bunnies and chicks and flowers to plonk on the hats.
I`ll have to get them ready by this evening cos they`ve got an easter bonnet parade in the Rainbows tonight, at the Salvation Army. Then they`ve got another parade in school on Wednesday. Better get cracking cos I`m going to my creative writing group this afternoon and wont have much time.

Photoshop course finished

I finally finished my level three photoshop course yesterday. It was a bit of a rush getting all my pieces of work finished - but I just about managed. I suddenly realised that I`d missed one piece of work - a piece of text made to look like marble why hadnt I done it?) so I had to knock it up in a hurry.
So the files are going in to the moderator now - so hopefully, I`ll pass my level three and get and chance to do level four in September.

Dirty Old Town.

Down by the canal today near Bootle Strand, I glanced down into the murky water after posting a letter outside the post office. It was a horrible sight. The surface of the water was practically covered in debris - in fact the ducks were walking across the water as they were unable to swim in all the muck.

Some people really are pigs. What a state!

Open University

I`m feeling a little better about things this week. I still feel a bit stressed and this is making my neck so stiff. Last night I had terrible pains in my head and neck, but things are a bit better after a good night sleep.

Yesterday, I decided I`d better get on and do something. I`ve been busy with my competitions and the kids and the house and so forth, but I need to do something a bit more. My photoshop classes finish in two weeks and I`ll be lost without these cos I love them so much. And theres no guarantee of a level 4 place next year which is disappointing. Still - fingers crossed.
So, I decided to crack on with my open university plan. I want to carry on with the English Language and Literature degree I made a tiny inroad into last year. I aleady have a dgree in Health but have always wanted to become a competant writer and I would love to do a creative writing degree really, but this degree has some writing componants which I like. I`ve already done a Writing Fiction module. The next one I have enrolled for is Writing Poetry.
Maybe I`ll make a writer yet.

Raised ESR

Went to the doctors for the result of a blood test I had done a few weeks ago. Initially, I went because of pain in my groin and hips which went on for several weeks. Most of my blood test came back fine - including my cholestral levels which had never been checked (Very pleased about this) but the ESR rate was considerably raised. Not too worried, I`ve had it checked again and its come back again still high. I don`t know whats causing it, but I do feel a bit achy and tired.
I`m going to have it checked again in two weeks. If it remains high after a few more checks, the Dr. is going to refer me to a rheumatologist. Fingers crossed it comes down. Apparently, the ESR is an inflamation marker and can be a sign of arthritis or some other inflamatory disease. However, it can be just one of those things and some people just have a raised ESR with no real problems associated with it.

Full of cold

Feel dreadful today. I`ve suddenly developed a horrible cold - complete with piggy eyes and big red nose. I know - I`ve got them anyway! Just sipping mournfully on a Lemsip with feet up on the sofa and a pained expression on my face.
Going to do a couple of competitons before I go to bed. Won a pot of face cream worth ten pounds today. Hurray!
Only three weeks to go on my level three photoshop course left to go. I have to finish all the work for my folder by then. Then hopefully, Level 4 next year.
Going to watch Benidorm and Skins on the TV afterwards. Its all go isnt it?

Liverpool FC

Well done Liverpool FC V Barcellona

Benitez so proud of his Euro stars

Mar 7 2007

by Nick Peet, Liverpool Echo

RAFA BENITEZ paid tribute to his players and the Anfield fans for the team performance which put Liverpool into the Champions League quarter-finals. On a night of wild celebrations in front of the club’s new owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, Liverpool produced a display of defiance that saw them reach the last eight on away goals at the expense of reigning champions Barcelona. Barca dominated long periods of possession, but could not recover from a 2-1 first leg defeat, despite winning the return 1-0 thanks to an Eidur Gudjohnsen second-half strike. “I am really proud of my players, they produced almost a perfect performance, but the fans too played their part,” said Benitez.

The closing of Lewis`s

I cant believe that Lewis`s is going to close. After all these years of being in Liverpool, the staff were told yesterday to stay behind to put Closing Down notices on all the windows. Its a real shame as Lewis`s is a real pleasure too amble around on a Saturday afternoon. And some of the staff have been there for years - it`ll be a wrench for them to leave after all this time.


Lewis’s doomed

Mar 7 2007

by Neil Hodgson, Liverpool Echo

LIVERPOOL’S famous Lewis’s shop appeared doomed today as store closing signs went up. Every window in the 151-year-old store was covered in closing down posters – less than a week after administrators pleaded with shoppers “use us or lose us”. Yet today administrator Kroll insisted it was still trying to sell the business as a going concern. Staff were ordered to stay late last night to put up the huge posters.

Some bad things happening lately

 We`ve had a bit of a run of bad luck lately. Firstly, we got ripped off on ebay. Phil gave me his Christmas money to bid for a Nintendo Wii for £200. Turned out, the guy was a conman and we lost the money. Well, us and another 630 people. And paypal would only cover us for £105 pounds, so we lost £94. I reported it to the police. Made a statement, but think the guy is going to get away it. Some of the people on Ebay have formed a group called the Missing Wii`s to try to get some justice, but don`t think it`ll do any good. Ebay have been particularly unhelpful.

Had my hair done yesterday. I finally ventured into a hairdressers after putting it off for 6 months and was in dire need of a do. I wanted a trim, a fringe cutting in and some highlight, which were on offer. Well ended up being talked into having my hair darker and still no fringe but just straggly bits in my eyes. Didn't like it much, and tonight, hacked a it with the scissors as usual. Ahh well. Another £60 down the drain.

Today, I had a bill from the Inland Revenue saying I hadn`t filled in my tax return and was getting fined £100. So there's another £100 down the drain.
Then I gave Phil some money to make up for the money he lost to buy an XBOX, which promptly broke after two days and destroyed two games which he had just paid £40 each for. Not good.

Other news. Went to Alder Hey with Evie for speech therapy and we worked on Huffing Harry - the breathy H sound. Made a bit of progress and promised Helen the speech therapist we`d work on huffing Harry this week.
went to Costco this afternoon to return a 19in flat screen HD ready LCD telly my mum had bought for the bedroom. She didn't like it cos the volume was too quiet so we got the money back. I bought a new memory foam pillow for Phil as I`d been promising him one for ages.

We had mince for tea and I`m finally relaxing as Phil and Tony have gone to play football. I`ll watch Shameless later on and do a few bits and pieces on the computer.

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day

Have you seen Noah photographing himself everyday for 6 years?

Sick Jokes

: What has 4 legs and one arm?
A: A Doberman in a playground

Q. What do you call an Ethiopian with a swollen toe?
A. A golf club.

Q: How do you know if you're at a gay picnic?
A: The hotdogs all taste like shit!

In a hospital serving victims of land mines, a little girl wakes up from surgery.

Little Girl: Doctor, something is wrong... I can't feel my legs!

Doctor: Yes, we've had to amputate both your arms.

Three vampires walk into a bar. One orders a blood on the rocks. Another orders a double blood. The third simply asks for a mug of hot water.

"Why didn't you order blood like everyone else?" asks the bartender.

The vampire pulls out a tampon and says, "I'm making tea!"

This man pulls up in his Merc beside a little boy.

He opens the door, holds out a brown paper bag of sweets and says, "Hey kid, if I give you a sweetie, will you come in my car."

To which the kid replies, "Gimme the bag and I'll come in your mouth!"

The McCartney kids are at the family ranch anxiously awaiting news of their mother. Paul emerges from his wife's bedroom "Kid's.... there's good news and bad news."

"The bad news is your mother's strength and will to live has been sucked away by her awful disease and she died a few moments ago"

"The good news is.... It's steak and chips for dinner!"

A leper walked into a bar and sat down. The bartender glanced over and promptly threw up all over himself and the floor.

The leper looked hurt and said, "Hey, I know I'm not exactly handsome, but I do have feelings and you could be a little sensitive about them."

The bartender, wiping his mouth on his sleeve, looked up and proclaimed, "I'm sorry as hell man, but it wasn't you. That guy sitting next to you keeps dipping his scratchings in your neck."

Two sanitary pads were floating down a sewer drain, and were approaching two tampons. Before the pads and tampons reached each other, one pad said to the other,

"Should we say hi to those 2 tampons?"

The other pad responded, "Err... nah... they're stuck up cunts."

The teenage granddaughter comes downstairs for her date with this see-through blouse on and no bra. Her grandmother just pitches a fit, telling her not to dare go out like that !!!!

The teenager tells her, "Loosen up Grams. These are modern times. You gotta let your rosebuds show!" and out she goes.

The next day the teenager comes downstairs, and the grandmother is sitting there with no top on, With her old wrinkled pair on show. The teenager wants to die.

She explains to her Grandmother that she has friends coming over and that it just is not appropriate .....

The grandmother says, "Loosen up Sweetie. If you can shown off your rosebuds, then I can display my hanging baskets."

A man walks past an ice cream stand that advertises, "Every flavour ice cream in the world."

"Bullshit," thinks the man and walks in. "So you say you have every flavour ice cream in the world?" "O.K., I would like three scoops of cunt flavoured ice cream please."

"No problem sir." The assistant gives the man three scoops of ice cream in a cone and the man takes a good lick.

Grimacing, he says, "This doesn't taste like cunt, it tastes like shit!" The assistant replies,

"Of course it tastes like shit when you take such long licks!"

Steven Spielberg has a talent for making memorable movies, merchandisers have a knack for turning those movies into products for the kiddies to buy, buy, buy, and Hollywood executives will do just about anything (no, make that anything) to squeeze every last nickel out of a picture. So I dread what must soon be arriving on the toy store shelves, just in time for the holidays:

The Schindler's List E-Z-Bake Action Figures (lightbulb not included).

Two men are sitting in a restaurant. There is also a gypsy woman sitting opposite to them with her legs wide spread.

One man says: "Look, she has such dark hair on her genitals!" the other says: "Oh no, it isn't hair, it is dark panties!" Then they made a bet - £100 . A waiter goes by so they ask him to find out for them.

He did so, but takes all the money and walks away. "What happened, why are you taking the money?!" Asked the waiter.

He replies: "Neither of you was right! She had her period and there were flies on her!"

What do you call an annexic with a yeast infection?
A quarter pounder with cheese.

Captains cocktail Party on the Athena

Jade Goody on Celebrity Big Brother

What a terrible debacle the whole thing is? I dont know if anyone has been watching CBB - but I found it quite unpleasant watching. Jade Goody behaved in a very unsavoury fashion, but so did Jack, Jo and Danielle. I`m sorry that Danielle has been such a poor ambassador for Liverpool. I think she let herself down badly which is a real shame.

I wonder whether the whole thing is blown out of proportion though. Shilpa has behaved with dignity up to now and made me feel ashamed of the behaviour of the British girls. The sad thing is, theres probably a Jade, Jo and Danielle in every classroom in Britain (and elsewhere) making someones life hell, but theres no cameras there to highlight it, so they never stop. I dont suppose Jade would have thought twice about her behaviour if hadnt been witnessed by the nation.

The sausage song - must listen to this

WATCH THIS MOVIE!




You`ve just got to watch this clip. Click link above.

School Trips

Your know what? School trips are a pain in the backside!
The school trips of my day were something like a nice, uncomplicated visits to Chester zoo or the like. You might perhaps - buy a pottery torotise with a compass in its back - and maybe a packed lunch may be required. But the extent of parental participation ended with that.

But these days, school trips are so much more. Take for example, the impending school trip at my twin girls school. (Yes - you were expecting that).
Well, my girls have just received a letter to say that there going on a school trip to Croxteth Country Park - a nearby park complete with gorgeous grounds and a Stately home. Not that this isnt very nice - it is. But the problem lies in the parental obligations. Firstly - the trip cost £11 - 50p each - £23.00 for the two of them. This is a bit steep for the average mum. But no - thats not the end of it. Then each child has to wear a Victorian Costume! Where do you get them from?
Ebay perhaps. Another twenty pounds each. . So now we`re talking around £63.00 for this school trip. Not an easy thing for most families.
Its just a thought, but why doesnt Croxteth Park accumulate a store of costumes
that the children can wear for their visit and then leave there at the end of the day for the next lot of children ? I just dont know!

The Madiera Balloon - Athena Cruise

The Madiera Balloon - New Years Eve - 2006

Hugging and Kissing with Lions

I couldnt believe it! Lions are meant to be big, snarly type things - and heres one a hugging and a kissing like a pussy cat. You`ve got to take a look at this link. Its so sweet!

Lion Hugging

The Athena - some photos

Our ship - The Athena

Norman Wisdom on the Athena - December 2006

As we ascended slowly in the lift of the Athena, an elderly man and his companion got in with us, and we chatted amicably as the man tickled our daughter, Evies chin.
On reaching the floor we wanted, we said "after you" to the pleasant couple, but the old chap said, "no, after you!" And out we got.
As soon as the couple were out of earshot, Tony looked at me, face glowing with amazement. "Do you know who that man was? I think it was Norman Wisdom."
Now, Tony is one of Norman Wisdom`s biggest fans - often doing a mean Norman impersonation. MR GRIMSDALE!
Well sure enough, it was Norman Wisdom, travelling with his lady companion - reputedly a friend and also carer. In the course of the 2 week cruise, we got to see a lot more of Norman. At almost 92, he is remarkably fit, still doing his laps around the deck of a morning - always on the front row of the caberet - always pleasant and funny, stopping for a joke and a smile with everyone. What a great man. We saw many of his films which were shown daily on our in cabin
televisions - and once on the cinema.
One day, he even did a chat show, with the cruise director prompting him to tell us about his life. He finished off with a few songs, including, dont laugh at me cos I`m a fool. Finally, he patiently sat and posed for photos with his fans - and we were amongst them having ours taken. What do you think?