This is a picture I took of our christmas tree in the back garden. Please excuse the mess there, I forgot to move it!

We brought this tree for christmas about 10 years or more and it was a lot smaller then. After christmas we didn't really know what to do with it so I suggested we planted in the back garden, I must admit we were laughing when we did this as we didn't expect anything to happen. Well, it didn't for about 5 years and we kept saying we should dig it up but of course never got round to it, and then, suddenly, it sprouted. Up it came and it has just rocketed, it must be 6ft or more.

But the reason I took this photograph was because it looked so pretty with the snow on it and we had put christmas tree lights on it. However, the photo hasn't come out as nice as I thought it would, but what I love is if you look to the left of the tree you can see the moon and even better the bright stars.

It's the best photo I have ever taken of the moon!

So, although my intention was to show off the christmas tree, I'll leave you with the moon!!!

(LOL)

Last sunday geoff and I decided to pop down to Oxford to see the family.
My mum, Ruth and my step father, Bruce, my sister Yvonne who is 55, her daughter Dawn and Dawns husband Simon and their beautiful daughter Keira.
Yvonne has a son Darren but he has moved away from Oxford now.
Dawn and Simon live in Merton, a small village on the outskirts of Oxford and we always pop in to see them on the way down to see my mum.
Geoffs daughter Laura and her husband Martin also live in the same village, and they only live about 5 doors away from each other so thats really nice.
However Laura and Martin were out so we popped down the road went to see dawn and simon.
Yvonne was there, because unfortunately, she had slipped in the snow a couple of weeks earlier and broke her arm.
Not once, but in two places, poor girl she was in agony.
She had been to hospital and they had put a sling on it,they don't plaster it now apparently, and she was staying with dawn and simon because she couldn't do anything with only one arm working.
She couldn't dress herself, wash her hair, nothing.
At first she was reasonably happy and laughing and joking with us, but then she started to get a bit depressed (not surprisingly really) and kept mentioning Jeff.
Jeff , who was 59,was her husband for about 25 years, I can't remember exactly how long they were married, but it was a long time, when suddenly, two years ago, he had a brain haemorrhage and died. Totally,unexpectedly, out of the blue.
One day he was fine, the next day he had gone.
It was such a shock, no-one could believe it.
We were devastated.
And that is the problem, it was two years ago now, and although there is no time limit for grieving, yvonne cannot let go at all.
You will always remember the person who died and the things you used to do together,you would remember the good times and the bad.
Yvonne, I'm afraid, cannot except the fact that Jeff has gone.
She says the same thing everytime we see her:
"Huh, what about his mum and Trevor, (Jeffs stepfather) they are still alive.
It's not fair."
Please don't get her wrong, she does not mean any harm to them, not at all, but she just feels it is unfair that they are still alive and Jeff is not.
We looked at each other and I told her that no-one can answer that because (thankfully) no-one knows when they are going to die and who decides where,when and how.
I told her we were all devastated when it happened and although it has been two years now, we still can't really believe ourselves that it has happened.
She should now look ahead and respectfully put that behind her and think about tomorrow.
That was greeted with:
"What have I got to look forward too?"
Geoff then turned to her and explained that she had a lot to look forward to. She is young and attractive, she could easily find someone else and settle down with them.
That did not go down well, she looked at geoff and almost choked on her drink.
She couldn't imagine being with anyone else.
And thats the problem.
Thats what worrying me and geoff.
We are both concerned that she will never let him go, and never get on with her life.
I know that Jeff would want her too.
But we cannot convince her of that.

I do not mean to sound hard or uncaring to Yvonne, but I am so worried that she will end up a bitter, angry woman, with no life of her own.
Her children have their own lives now, so whats going to happen to her?
It is a worry.

Saw this and thought it funny!!!

Well, how nice it is to finally have time to sit here and speak to you all.
I must admit that as much as I enjoy Christmas it is a busy time, not just seeing all the family, but at work as well. The overtime is neverending.
I have never been so tired, the week before Christmas Asda was open from 6 a.m. till 12.00 p.m.
they asked quite a few of us to start at 6 a.m. and so I did, finished at 1.p.m. so it wasn't that bad actually, but by the end of the week we were all shattered.
New year's eve we opened at 6.a.m. as well.
The silliest thing happened New years eve, we were so busy!!!!!!
It was worst than Christmas week and to this day we don't know why.
We were only closed for one day,New Years day, but you would have thought we were going to close for a week.
Anyway, we are now, finally, back to normal.
In fact on Wednesday they were sending people home(me!!!) because there was no customers.
We do not have to go, and we don't get paid either, but it is better than stting there doing nothing.

Anyway, will look forward to doing some more blogging from now on.
Trying to read yours of course but haven't been able to read all of them, so a lot of catching up to do, wishing you all the best for the new year and I hope you are all well.

I WOULD LIKE TO WISH MY DEAREST FRIENDS, A HAPPY NEW YEAR AND ALL THE BEST FOR 2010.

XXX

In memory of a dear friend....Elaine.

May I wish you all a very merry christmas

and a happy new year.

Please listen to this most beautiful music I have ever heard.

SUSAN BOYLE

HOW GREAT THOU ART

Isn't it funny that this year it has taken me longer to get into christmas than last year.
I don't mean the meaning of christmas, I mean the buying presents the wrapping of them and delivering them.
Most years I like to get all the present buying and the wrapping done by the end of November so I can just relax and enjoy December, although there is a lot of overtime then, I don't mind doing it, it adds to the atmosphere as most people are in really good moods, all looking forward to christmas day.
But this year, I'm still buying presents now,and there's only 2 weeks to go.
I'm all behind. As they say.
I haven't even got to do a lot of food shopping because this year Geoff and I are going to our favourite Indian restaurant for christmas dinner.
We've done this before and it's great, a hot curry and no washing up.
Brilliant.
On boxing day, we're going to Oxford to see the family and we will be having lunch at my mums.
That will be a traditional christmas dinner.
I won't be cooking until sunday, so that's great.
We never have guests on christmas day because all of my step children (now adults in their 40's!) are married or have partners and they go to their mums or their mum-in-laws, for christmas day.
We don't mind, as long as they enjoy themselves, that's great.
It's been a funny year what with geoff being ill with his heart and then with his gout.
I think I will be happy to get this year over with really and start a new year.
There's always one year isn't there?
Talking about geoffs heart problem we went to the hospital last tuesday for his check-up and they told him they did not want to see again. We were very pleased with that.
No more going there, which is a relief really because the car parking is awful and we do wait quite a while to see a doctor
So, we should enjoy christmas now, and I've still got one more present to get!

For thoughts:

My Boots!!!!!

lovely, aren't they?

This is the only reason I love the winter!

Geoff and I were going on holiday tomorrow.
Thats right, I said were.
I came home from work on wednesday to find geoff in his chair (thats not unusual actually!) with his foot up on a chair.
I looked at it and nearly screamed.
It was huge.
His foot had swollen so much you could hardly see his toes.
We knew exactly what it was.
GOUT!
He had this a few years ago in his right foot, now he's got it in his left foot.It is so painful.
I got a cold compress on it which helped with the pain but when we took the compress of it hadn't done a lot of help with the swelling.
We knew it was going to take more than one compress to relieve that.
So, for 48 hours geoff stayed in his chair and even slept in it,but we knew he wanted tablets for this,so went to doctors and got a prescription, tablets,and they have helped a lot.
Geoff went up to bed yesterday (saturday) and he's stayed there all day and today.
He is more comfortable in bed.
I am keeping very fit, running up and down stairs.

We were going to Eastbourne, I love that place and was so looking forward to going there. We haven't had the best of years, have we?
Never mind, these things happen.

Look forward to the new year and we'll go next year.
We both need a holiday then!

Having read one of Dickiebos post I did say I would do a blog about that particular one he had done.
In fact, I had written it under another one which was nothing to do with his blog.
So, I apologise for that, my mistake.
The one I was referring to was called:
Britain edging closer to a banana republic.
What he was saying was that britain has become worse since labour got in, but I tend to disagree with that as britain has been like this for years.

I felt I had to say something about it, but I couldn't say it on the comments page because my reply would be too long to write it in there.

Lets take the first paragraph about drunken/drug crazed yobs.For which he is blaming 24 hour drinking. We did not have 24 hour drinking but there was still the drunks.
There are drunken/drug crazed yobs around, but it isn't a recent happening. It's been going on for years. And I mean years.
I remember when I was a teenager, many years ago now, when I used to go out with my friends at the weekends there were always drunks around.Every friday and saturday night, mostly men, they would just get blotto, because it was the weekend and they did it every weekend. Some just got drunk and somehow managed to get home and others were arrested, although you weren't actually arrested for being drunk in those days, but if they became violent, and many did, then they were arrested.
We used to keep away from them as they weren't our friends and not in 'our group'
Not so sure if there was so many druggies then, but there were probably a fair few.
But can't really comment on them as I'm not sure if they become violent like the drunks.
But there were druggies in those days.

Dickiebo then went on to say about the Eastern European immigrants.
Well, this is where I actually agree with him.
There are far too many immigrants here, if fact, I have never agreed with anyone so much.
I am sick of them, and I am not the only one.
Enough said about that I think.

Another comment he made was about the courts and their lenient sentencing, in some cases he's right, but there aren't that many but when it does happen it's headlines in the papers and, of course, we think all cases are like this.
They aren't.

Smoking.
Now, this is close to my heart!
I am a smoker and I loathe having to go out in the bitter cold to have a ciggie.
At work we all have a fifteen minute break and that turns into 25.
The reason is because we have to go to our lockers and get our coates, have a wee, wash our hands, and then walk down a rather long corridor to go out into the cold.This all takes time from our breaks.
The non smokers have caught onto this now and they now have at least 20 mins break, and who can blame them?
They don't blame us because they know it's the law but it is still infuriating.

The whole point of this is to say that it isn't since labour came into power that these problems have started, the problems have been here for years.
Who do we blame?
I don't know.
Sometimes I think it's the parents fault, for not discipling their kids and letting them do what they want or is it society????
Whatever that is.
No-one has ever explained to me what 'society' means.

I'm old school and believe you should discipling children, even smack them.
My god, I sound like one of those strict school marms, but that is what I believe.
Dicipling starts from when you are a child.

Geoffs cakes.

Geoff makes these cakes for friends, it could be for birthdays or anniversaries.

He does it all, makes the cake itself and then spends hours decorating it.

beautiful, aren't they?

I thought that this year I would make the christmas log.............

(pictured below)

I think I'll let geoff do it next year.

Poor, poor snowdrop, she looks so relaxed and cute in this photo but right now, she isn't! shes petrified.

Everybody has decided to do their bonfire night tonight!

All you can hear is bangers, and sizzling noises coming from all directions.

Snowdrop is hiding, cuddled up behind the sofa, shaking.

I remember our first dog, Lady,she was a cross collie alsation so she was a big dog but we had to give her valium!

She wouldn't go out in the back garden for a week after bonfire night, because she thought she was going to come across some more fireworks.

Bless her.

Our second dog, Becky, who was a butterfly dog and not very big at all,was the exact opposite. She wasn't afraid of anything or anyone.

She looked out the window in awe of the fireworks.

She loved it.

So, I'll go and give snowdrop a big cuddle.(thats my excuse!)

and just be thankful it's only once a year!!!

Aren't coincidences funny?

Last week I was working on my checkout when suddenly I saw Rosaleen and my brother Bob in Asda.

It was a shock as they actually live in Brighton.
They laughed when they saw my face as I just looked in total shock!

Well, they came to the shop because they were going to Birmingham to see some friends. They had lost their son, in Afghanistan a year ago in a road side bomb. As you probably remember bob and rosaleen lost their son, sean, in a road side bomb attack, also in Afghanistan.

I was finishing at I p.m. and as it was about 12.45 they waited for me to finish and we went for a coffee in the town.
We were laughing and chatting away, and they were openly talking about sean and what he had done whilst there in Afghanistan,and how he helped a lot of the children as there was no schooling, and how the soldiers all gave them books to read and just generally helped them in any way they could.

Suddenly rosaleen said about how sometimes she stands in the living room and cries for her son and wonders why it had to be him.
Well, yes, we can all sympathise with that.

She said that on one occasions she was feeling particularly sorrowful and was just sitting on her own in the living room thinking of sean when she had noticed a robin in the garden.She stared at it thinking how beautiful it was when suddenly it seemed to turn and look at her and then, quick as a flash, it flew off.
She didn't see it for a few days and really had forgotten all about it.

One sunday they were both doing the gardening when suddenly a robin flew down and landed on a tree they have in their garden.
It took her breath away, and she stood their staring at it as she remembered when she had seen it before.
She didn't say anything to bob and carried on doing the gardening and every now and then she would turn and look at the robin, watching its every movement, suddenly after about half an hour, it chirped, flapped it's wings, and flew off.

That night bob knew something was bothering Rosaleen and he asked her what was wrong. At first she was a little hesitant about telling him about this robin as she was worried bob would say that it was just a robin and that was that.

After a couple of hours they were sat in their living room having a well earned cup of tea when rosaleen just came out with the story about the robin.Bob, being bob, asked why she thought it was important that a robin had come into the garden, and she said she wasn't sure exactly but it wasn't the first time, and she had seen it before.
Days went on and no more was said.

On the friday of that week rosaleen had just finished work and was walking towards her front door when a robin flew over her head.
It made her jump because it came so close.
Thats when it hit her, she had seen this robin so many times, and on occasions it got quite close to them.
She looked at me and said:
"I swear thats sean."

Well, I sat there and I felt quite strange to be honest. I wasn't quite sure what to say. I asked her if she thought it possible to which she replied:
"Oh, I don't know, it's just strange that everytime I think of sean, this robin appears."

Where's the coincidence I hear you ask?

Well, there is a lovely lady called sheila who I have known for years. She comes to Asda first thing in the morning to collect her bit of shopping before going to work.
Sheila, who is in her fifties, came in one day looking particularly unwell, I asked her what was wrong and she said she had lost her husband suddenly a week before.

There was tears all around.

Now, I have never met her husband, but she told me he had cancer but he doing so well with the treatment, that the consultant had praised him only 2 weeks prior, saying just how well he had done and they were thinking of realising him from the hospital.

Although he would be an out-patient there was no need to keep him in anymore.

They were both delighted with this news.

Unfortunately, just after being released he died unexpectedly.

She was devastated.

A few weeks went by and she came in to Asda, always putting on a brave face but you could see that she just couldn't really come to terms with his death.

One day, she turned to me and asked me if she could tell me something that had happened, I ,of course, said yes.

I thought perhaps I could help her in some way.

She then went on to explain that since her husbands death they've had a robin in their garden every day. At first she took no notice of it but after a while she realised she was looking out of the window waiting for this robin to appear.

And it always did.

I saw her last week and I asked her about the robin, I think I was expecting her to say it had gone, but, no, it was still there.

In her back garden.

She swears that it is her husband come to see if shes o.k.

So you see, thats two people telling me about robins in their gardens, who they believe to be their loved ones.

I know a lot of people will say it is a coincidence and you see a lot of robins everyday and because of whats happened you put too much of an emphasis on it.

But, it just makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Last week geoff had his usual annual anti-flu jab.
He's now got a stinking cold.
So have I and the cat, Snowdrop.
Last friday geoff said how ill he felt, he was dizzy and hot and cold and kept sneezing. I reminded him that every year when he has his jab, he always feels ill for a few days afterwards.
On saturday he woke up and nearly blew the house down with his sneezing, and thats when we realised he had a cold. He was rough for the weekend but felt better by monday.
Or so we thought.
Monday night he went to bed and he didn't get up until wednesday.
Luckily tuesdays is my day off, so I could see to him. Geoff asked me to ring the doctors and check that it wasn't going to effect his heart problem,and also to ask if he could have some anti-biotics for his chest. I spoke to the doctor and he told me he wasn't happy giving geoff tablets without seeing him, well, geoff could not gte to the surgery that day as he was too ill.
The doctor did not offer to come out and see him.
Although geoff wasn't very happy with that, but as I said, it was just a cold, nothing too serious.
So, all day I made cups of tea and only cooked a little dinner for him tuesday night, as he wasn't very hungry, and believe you me, that must mean geoff is ill for he never gives up his food.
Tuesday night I went to bed and woke up wednesday morning, and felt dreadful!
I had picked it up, thanks geoff!!!
I rang in sick for that day and went back to work on thursday,as you can't have a lot of time of sick at Asda,but I was still feeling rough.
Everybody was asking me how I was, in particular Matt, who is new to Asda but we are really good friends and we have a good laugh.
When I got home, geoff sad he was worried about Snowdrop as she wasn't eating.She was also dribbling like mad from her mouth. I told him that she hadn't eaten a lot on wednesday but I admit I was too ill to worry too much about her.
We tried to feed her again, just to see what she did, and she sniffed it and walked away.
Well, you can't leave that alone, so a trip to the vet was in hand.
Getting her basket out of the cupboard I picked her up and of course, she struggled. She scratched me which made me jump, then she struggled and manage to jump out of my arms and she ran away.
She was gone for over an hour!!!
We ran the vets and explained and they told us to wait and see if she comes back, if she does, then just bring her down.
She did come back, very slowly, and a little on edge.
However, we did get her in her basket and took her down to the vet.
They were laughing when we got there, because, once you get Snowdrop in the basket, she is so docile!!! they couldn't believe she would react the way she did.
The vet examined her but couldn't really work out what was wrong, her temperature was a little higher than normal, but nothing to worry about.
The vet examined every inch of her to see whether she was in pain, but she didn't flinch, which meant she wasn't in any pain at all.
While we were there I sneezed a couple of times and apologised for doing so. So did geoff.
The vet then announced that she thought Snowdrop may have a bit of a cold herself!
This surprised us as she has her yearly injections for the cat flu etc.
The vet explained that she could still get a cold,and thankfully we brought her in straight away so they could deal with it quickly. She gave Snowdrop an antibiotic injection and gave us 10 tablets to give her twice daily for a week. She is making good progress now, and beginning to eat again.
That will clear everything up, she explained.
We laughed actually because as I said to geoff, that is exactly whats happened to him. He had his antiflu jab and still got a cold. He gave it to me and then gave it to Snowdrop.
So, what a week it's been.
All three of us bad and what about matt, you may ask.
You've guessed it:
I gave him my cold now!!!!
Well, theres nothing like share and share alike between friends, is there?

If you have a few minutes then please listen to this, it is so relaxing and peaceful, and the music is beautiful.

Here's a few jokes for us to enjoy:

A married couple in their early 60's were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary in a quiet, romantic restaurant.........
Suddenly a tiny, beautiful fairy appeared on their table.
She said:"For being such a wonderful married couple and for being loving to each other for all this time, I will grant you each a wish."
The wife answered:"Oh, I want to travel around the world with my darling husband."
The fairy waved her magic wand and-POOF!- two tickets for the Queen Mary 11 appeared in her hands.
The husband thought for a moment:
"Well, this is very romantic, but an opportunity like this will never come again. I'm sorry, my love, but my wish is to have a wife 30 years younger than I."
The wife, and the fairy were deeply disappointed, but a wish is a wish.
So, the fairy waved her magic wand and- POOF!- the husband became 93 years old.

The moral of this story:
Men who are ungrateful bastards should remember fairies are female!!!

A Frenchman, an Englishman and a New Yorker are exploring the jungle and are captured by a fierce tribe.
The chief tells them:
"The bad news is that we've caught you, we're going to kill you, and then use your skins to build a canoe. The good news is that you get to choose how you die."
The Frenchman says:
"I take ze poison."
The chief gives him some poison,and the Frenchman says, "Viva la France!" He then drinks the poison.
The Englishman says:
"A pistol for me please."
The chief gives him a pistol, the brit points it at his head and says:
"God save the queen!" He then blows his brains out.
The New Yorker says:
"Give me a fork."
The chief is puzzled, but he shrugs and gives him a fork. The New Yorker then stabs himself all over-the stomach, the sides,the chest, everywhere. Blood gushes out from every hole.
The chief screams:"What are you doing?"
The new Yorker turns and looks at the chief and he says:
"So much for your canoe!"


A lady calls the police to report her husband is missing.
The police arrive and asks for a description.
"He's 6ft 2ins tall, blonde wavy hair and has a smile that makes everybody love him."
She says.

The police then go next door to verify this report and the lady next door tells the police:
"You can't believe her. He's 5ft 4ins tall, has no hair and he wears a perpetual frown on his face."
The lady then goes next door and asks the lady why she had given the police such a false description.
She replies:
"Just because I reported him missing, does not mean I want him back!"

Well, I returned to work after my hols to uproar.
There had been a noticed put up on the notice board that all persons who normally work on mondays would be expected to work on monday 28th December 2009 and we would be on normal pay, not time and a half and no day in lieu.
Now,this is a bank holiday because christmas day is friday and boxing day is saturday. sunday is a normal working day and monday is the bank holiday.
We all agreed that if they did this we would not turn up for that monday.
We have not been told this officially by the management by the way, it was just a notice and it has now been taken down.

Everyone, and I mean everyone is in uproar about this.

I am in the union (GMB) and I rang them and spoke to Andy, I asked him if it was possible they could do this and he said: YES.
It was possible.
I explained that we had all said we would not turn up for that day and he was silent for a few seconds and then he advised me not to do that as we would be 'awol' and it will lead to serious disciplinary action.
He explained that of course they knew what Asda was doing and they were in negotiations with them to stop them from doing this.

Asda has tried this once before, with the bank holidays.
I have worked there for 19 years and they tried to get us to work at least 2 bank holidays a year. When before it was purely voluntary. But if you did work a bank holiday, you got time and a half and a day in lieu. They have stopped that now and only pay you normal hours and no day in lieu.
The union was in negotiations with them and they stopped us from having to do any bank holidays. It is voluntary, like it was before.

It's only been a couple of weeks now and nothing has been said by Asda about the monday, and we are waiting to hear from the union.

We work hard enough as it is and I'm sure you can imagine what it's like at christmas time, and they want to take away our holiday.
How dare they!!!!

So, I will let you know what happens when we hear from them.