Archive for the ‘Leisure’ Category
Posted by Shirley Anne on July 27, 2011
Well yesterday I wanted to purchase some materials for the garage so after breakfast and a short session with my computer I asked E if she would like to accompany me, which she did but first I had to wait for her to get dressed! She always has her breakfast before getting dressed whereas I am the opposite, I get dressed first! In the meantime I went out to the garage and measured what I would need in the way of timber on which to fix the metal guides for the roller door. Soon E was back downstairs and ready to go so off we went, first to the timber depot and then on to the electrical supplier to buy a fluorescent light fitting for the garage before returning home. It was still only 11.30 and the weather had changed for the better, bright blue sky and warm sunshine which remained so for the rest of the day. I said to E that it was such a nice day, too nice to be working and would she dine out with me instead. Before we could do anything else I wanted to move out all the plywood sheeting we had stored in the new garage and place it in the old garage instead. E wanted to hang out some washing too but she stopped with me for a short while so that we could move some of the plywood. Most of these sheets are 8′ x 4′ and some thicker than others. There were also some smaller display boards measuring about 5′ square in plywood too, quite a lot to shift when one of us is having difficulty in simply walking about most of the time. I refer to E who unfortunately cannot help me as much as she would like to these days but any help is better than none. We struggled but eventually managed to move most of it before E had to go and hang out the washing. I moved the last few pieces by myself all but one seven-ply 8′ x 4′ sheet which looks almost new and will be just suitable to lay on the floor in the proposed new wet-room before we lay the floor tiles. Although the present floor is very solid it is simply floorboards nailed to joists and unsuitable as it is for the direct laying of floor tiles. That will now save us having to buy plywood for the floor. When we began clearing out the garage we discovered more large logs which we have been giving to our next-door neighbours as they have a wood-burning fire which they use in the colder months of the year. These logs are what remained of our tree-felling activities late last year. Well we found a couple more and they came to collect them. They were admiring our recent work in the garage and asked who had done it all. When we told them that we had done it ourselves they were very impressed, probably thinking we were not capable! So E and I went indoors, got changed and off we went to have our meal, this time at a carvery about eight miles away. Today however I shall be working in the garage doing mostly electrical work which I hope I shall finish completely at some point in the day, unless of course I get a call to do work for someone else! Yesterday was simply too nice a day to waste on working. When we got back home I took my guitar out onto the patio and sat playing some songs for a while in the warm sunshine. You see, I can relax when I’ve a mind too!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Enjoyment, Entertainment, Leisure, Lifestyle, Rest and relaxation | Tagged: Lifestyle, Rest and relaxation | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on July 21, 2011
I got out of bed fairly early yesterday and was out working in the garage by 9.30. I began by fitting a lock on the second door and then cut and fitted most of the architrave and skirting board to the new partition wall. Whilst I was doing that I had a visit from my eldest son and his wife who had dropped by to see us both. We chatted some and I asked what they had planned for the day. They had nothing planned but I had planned dining out with E as we hadn’t dined out for a while. I asked if they would like to join us at my expense and they said they would like that but L had a routine appointment with her doctor to attend first. We agreed to meet at their house later and then go on to our chosen venue. We had a great afternoon wining, dining and generally having a ball before following them into a supermarket whilst they did their weekly shop and then on to their house for a spell before driving back home later. Today I have two small jobs to do so I guess I won’t be doing any more work in the garage for the day. No problem, it is nice to have a break now and then.
I have been seriously considering officially retiring from my electrical work lately but every now and then I get calls for the odd electrical job which is fine but it is making retiring all the more difficult to achieve! Perhaps just winding down is the better option but the taxman will still require his cut! The way things are going though the tax man will be owing me money!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Leisure, Lifestyle | Tagged: Life, Lifestyle | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on July 4, 2011
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I got up very early on Sunday morning with another view to do some work in the garage once more. I get these urges to do things but as I mentioned in my last post I also promised myself that I would only work for a couple of hours and take a break for the remainder of the day. Again I was dressed and downstairs by eight o’clock, had my breakfast and went straight out to my van and donned a pair of overalls and boots. Really looking the part (lol) I proceeded to carry on where I had left off the day before. I spent four hours finishing off the woodwork and giving it all an undercoat of paint both inside and out. True to my word I packed everything away at one o’clock and prepared some salad and fruit to go with the steaks E was going to cook on the barbecue once I’d help her get it out and on to the patio. There was only the two of us this weekend, ten less than came last week but of course we hadn’t planned on entertaining this week! The weather has been glorious and it would be a shame not to enjoy it whilst we can. For two people who actually like working at home doing different things we find it difficult to just sit and relax sometimes. We took time over our lunch and sat chatting for a while but I could tell E was biting at the bit, eager to start doing something once more. I insisted that she stay put and take time out and relax. She had been busy in the morning but doing different things than I had been doing so she deserved a break. She saw sense and sat a while longer in the heat of the sun. I kept out of the sun as much as possible and stayed in the shadow of the awning. I had caught too much sun last time and my chest was sore for days so I wasn’t about to do that again! Sitting there looking at the barbecue E couldn’t resist giving it a clean. She went indoors and came out with a hot bucket of soapy water and a cloth and proceeded to clean away the dirt and grease. It wasn’t long after we had put the barbecue back in storage (we keep it in the old garage, there’s plenty of space in there) when we had a visit from our eldest son and his wife who, when they realised we’d had a barbecue bemoaned the fact that we hadn’t invited them. They were and are always welcome but they came rather late and we hadn’t told them we were having a barbecue, we didn’t know ourselves until we suggested having one on the spur of the moment. They didn’t stay long, about an hour, and then they had to get home. I didn’t do any more work but E continued to potter about in the garden for a couple of hours. I stayed indoors and played my guitar for a while and did other things after my evening meal. Today, if I am not working as an electrician, I plan to go out with E and buy in some things we need to complete various jobs around the garage. And so………..life goes on.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Leisure, Lifestyle | Tagged: Barbecue, Garage, Home and Garden, Leisure | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on July 2, 2011
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And so it was that Shirley Anne got up late on Friday morning, a habit that is so unbecoming of her normally but lately seems to be the way to go. Anyways, I got up late, missed my breakfast, although I did manage to eat a small banana. I had received a call to do some work but it was nothing much and I was back home within the hour. I asked E if she would like to dine out and as usual for her she had to wash her hair first! She does tend to get greasy hair whereas mine is the opposite and takes days before the natural oils work their way down my tresses. I was in no hurry to eat so I sat and played my guitar whilst waiting for her to come downstairs. Off we went to a carvery about six or seven miles away, a place we often visit. I had a full bottle of red wine with my dinner, again something I do probably far too often! I can handle that much wine with no adverse effects and especially if I am eating. We drove back home after a couple of hours and sat around in the patio for a while. I have plans to work on the water-butt base and also the garage passageway roof but they can wait for a day. In fact I propose to do them both today unless something else turns up in the meantime. Today is supposed to be my sabbath day of rest but I have had so much free time lately it wouldn’t be right to just sit around and do nothing. The principle remains the same, don’t work 7/24/7 but take a break as you are supposed to do! I like to work but I also like to chill out, especially with a bottle of red wine!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Enjoyment, Food, Leisure, Rest and relaxation | Tagged: Drink, Entertainment, Food, Philosophy, Rest and relaxation, Wine | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on June 30, 2011
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They say variety is the spice of life and I tend to agree. Doing the same old thing day in and day out has got to be boring. People dream of long holidays in the Bahamas, the Seychelles or the Maldives and to be sure these places are paradises on Earth but I’ll wager it gets boring being there for long periods even so. In our day-to-day living it is nice to have something new to do or at least a change from routine. Yesterday I had some variety in my day. I got up with nothing special to do in my mind and out of the blue received a call to fix a light fitting. A very small job, a short distance to travel (four miles) but easy money. Just as I arrived at the house I received another call to replace an outdoor floodlight at a house some five miles from home. I did the first job in a matter of minutes and drove back into town to purchase a replacement floodlight. Driving along the coastal road there isn’t really much to see except sand dunes but as the road nears the town there are open views of the beach and sea. It was late in the morning but there was hardly a soul about. As I got into the town centre there were very few people on the streets. Quite eerie! I purchased the light and drove home. It would be another hour before I would go and fit the light. The job took a little while to do but there was no hurry as I worked in the bright sunshine. Driving back home was pretty much uneventful but the route took me across ‘The Moss’, open fields and countryside just around Southport. It was a pleasant drive with no other vehicles ahead of me and none behind. I got home and prepared my lunch. It was now one o’clock. E had been doing some chores and was now sitting at my old computer mumbling about how she was having trouble connecting to the Internet. This machine was never constructed with Wi-Fi but did have a Wi-Fi unit that utilised a spare port, however even that ceased to work a couple of years ago so the computer has to be physically connected to the router using an Ethernet cable. I ceased using the machine once I bought a new one but it is handy in an emergency and in this case whilst E is waiting delivery of a replacement battery and charger unit for her own computer. She joined me for lunch and we watched tv in the process. E had to do some shopping in the afternoon so I set about clearing some rubbish in our front garden and bringing in the waste bins from the street. Wednesday is garbage day for us. I then went into the rear garden, cleared some weeds from a flowerbed and set to with a hammer on some bits of concrete we had stored in order to make some rubble to put into the brick base I constructed the day before. I did that and ceased doing any more work. Back into the house to collect my guitar and fix myself a soft drink and out again to play some music whilst sitting in the patio. Some of my songs were being accompanied with birdsong, at least it seemed that way. I am sure the birds enjoy the more melodic and quieter songs and join in with me! After an hour of that I took the instrument back indoors but returned to sit outside in the sunshine. Later I did some reading and sewing. Yes sewing! I can sew. Have been able to sew since childhood. Today, who knows what may happen? I do know that I have a job of work to do locally and I’ve no idea how long it will take or what it will entail but I am sure it won’t be like any other job I’ve done. That is the beauty of my work, although jobs are similar at times they are always slightly different and challenging. Yes, I like variety in my work and in my leisure time too.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Enjoyment, General Chat, Leisure, Lifestyle | Tagged: Bahamas, craft, Maldives, Sewing, Sewing machine, Seychelles, Southport, Wi-Fi | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on June 28, 2011
Our first barbecue on our new patio went down extremely well even though some of our guests had to back out because of other pressing matters. One friend, who was supposed to be bringing his mate, turned up with his daughter and her husband and two (grown-up) children instead assuming we wouldn’t mind! Well, as he is a friend and we did have the space and food we didn’t mind. As it turned out they were very good company and were the last to depart. It seems they enjoyed it that much they didn’t want to leave.
By the time this photo was taken three of our guests had gone home. Peter, the friend I refer to is being his usual self by giving my camera the sly fingers! He is a real character and once he starts to tell stories about his life we end up in stitches with laughter. A real life-and-soul of the party type is Peter. We put away some wine between us all and the beer was hardly touched. You can just about make out the little drinks fridge on the left of the picture which had been stacked with different beers but only four bottles got drank! There was plenty more in the cellar which didn’t see the light of day. It is handy being able to use the fridge outdoors, it saves having to dash indoors every time you want a drink! The red wine didn’t need refrigerating of course and the white wine wasn’t on the table long enough for it to warm up! We did have to make a couple of trips indoors to replenish the white wine which is kept in the kitchen fridge. Anyway a splendid time was had by all.
Yesterday I went to do a job in a house some eighteen miles away where I had been asked to disconnect the wiring to a large garden shed and to trace the fault that had cut off the supply to the power outlets in the kitchen. The strange thing was the power was leaving the distribution point but not arriving at the kitchen! Obviously a break in the cable somewhere along the way. This meant a physical trace on the cable, lifting boards and such to find perhaps a broken connection in a junction box. Unfortunately, having determined that the fault probably lay beneath the bedroom floor, the client was reluctant to allow lifting the boards until she had spoken with her husband who was at that time in work. The problem is the large amount of furniture in that room which makes lifting floorboards extremely difficult. It appears they will clear the room themselves and decide on any further action later. I was able to locate were the supply to the shed was connected within the kitchen and I disconnected it. So the job has been left only half done! The circuit itself requires altering in any case, even after the fault has been located and rectified. It is one single cable presently supplying about eight power points! The limit for that size cable is two and they have to be in the same area! Converting it to a ring circuit is relatively easy though but requires an extra cable be run under that same bedroom floor!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Enjoyment, Family, Food, Friendship, Leisure, Work | Tagged: Food, Home and Garden, Kitchen and Dining, Recreation, Wine | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on June 4, 2011
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Yesterday morning, as planned, E and I went to buy the windows for the garage and the plastic trim and the sill (for one of the windows), which we will fit ourselves. The day was hot and sunny, a day for relaxing and doing nothing. I had plans to dine out with a friend and she arrived a few minutes after midday. E was staying at home, though I had invited her to come along. We left around one o’clock and drove the fifteen or so miles to a place E and I often go. My friend has been there too whenever we have chosen to celebrate a birthday or other event there. We enjoyed a lovely meal together and were in no rush to return home. When it came to pay the bill my friend went to the toilet whilst I paid it. She had given me her share in cash but I intended to pay by card, a debit card rather than a credit card. I opened my purse but could not find the debit card. I have three debit cards and one credit card but the card I wished to use just wasn’t among them! The previous day I had used the card to buy the telephone extension lead and I know I had it with me when I returned home. Not wishing to use either of the other two debit cards I was forced to use the credit card instead. No problem, it just meant that I had to transfer funds from the current account I would have normally taken the funds from to the one that pays my credit card by Direct Debit. I do that via the Internet. I am at a loss as to where the debit card might be but rather than worry about it I telephoned the bank and had it cancelled. They will send me a replacement in a few days. I was a little annoyed that I had misplaced the card but that is just one of life’s minor problems. I paid the bill and we both left for home. My friend stayed for an hour or so as we sat in the patio and chatted over a couple of drinks. E was busy at the other end of the garden doing some weeding and planting but she joined us after a short while. The weather remained warm and sunny until sunset but my friend had returned home and we had returned indoors. Although I like the weather to be warm and sunny I am not overjoyed about it being too warm. I get hot and bothered if it gets too warm. Today looks like being a hot day and I have work to do in the garden. I am not looking forward to that. Fortunately the work I want to do (sifting the soil in the vegetable plot) will be done in the shade if I do it in the morning. Having said that I am signing off to do it!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Food, Friendship, Leisure, Rest and relaxation, Weather | Tagged: Credit card, Debit card, Direct Debit, Food, Friendship, Rest and relaxation | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on June 3, 2011
I struggled to get out of bed yesterday morning even though I’d been ‘up’ several times in the night. That however was to pay the little room a visit! When the time came to get out of bed for the day ahead I simply didn’t wish to move. I hadn’t been especially busy the day before although I had been busy enough. A guy was to arrive sometime between eight o’clock and one o’clock to install the dish and wiring for ‘Sky‘ reception. It wasn’t for myself but for our youngest son who has moved back with us for the forseeable future. I have no interest in Sky and probably will not watch any television in the rear lounge. One thing was needed to enable Sky ‘on demand’ reception however was a telephone line and a router close by for the ethernet connection. None of these were available in the rear lounge. After a quick breakfast I went online and searched for a local supplier of telephone extension cables and found that our local Argos store had just one in stock. I was able to reserve it online. E drove me there so there would be no problem with parking. I would go into the store and she would collect me after a short while. As it happened there was a vacant parking space close to the store. I collected the cable and we drove back home, merely a mile away. I began to install the cable when the guy came. After deciding where he was to place the satellite dish I left him to it and continued to install the cable. I had other jobs to do in the garden and before long the guy had finished. E joined me in the garden and while she was pottering about in the greenhouses I mowed the lawn. After lunch E went shopping as usual and I took the afternoon off! I grabbed my guitar, my drink (an alcoholic and soft drink mix, one of many different ones I like to drink, Cider/Cola, Wine/Cola etc.) and sat in the patio for an hour or so. My neighbour tells me she often listens to my playing and enjoys it. Who am I to disappoint her? Before too long E returned with the groceries and I took it all indoors. She has been suffering a lot with her back lately and cannot do much lifting. She was with her mum and her sister whilst shopping so she didn’t have to do any lifting. The rest of the day involved cooking our evening meal and relaxing. Today, this morning, we are going to order and purchase the windows we need for the garage. It appears they will cost £196 to buy them and £517 if we have them fitted. No argument there, I shall fit them myself! I will be dining out with a friend for lunch. E has decided to stay at home.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Activity, House and Home, Leisure, Music | Tagged: Argos, Law, Shopping, Telephone line, Youngest son | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on February 28, 2011
A gloriously sunny day at last. I’d like to think Saturday was the real beginning of Spring but feel Winter still has a few aces to deal yet. I am keen to get out in the garden and finish all the jobs there. The path surrounding the lawn is finally started and some flags have been laid. Part of the vegetable patch has yet to be filtered of weeds and other foreign bodies! The greenhouse will soon need erecting too. I have a few weeks left and propose to do the greenhouse first. Thankfully I don’t have to do the pathway or the laying of the patio as they are being done by E’s nephew and his friend but there is plenty left for me. I do hold down an occupational job too remember. It has been a nice weekend though and I have been able to relax and play a lot of guitar. I had been ill during the week and had a couple of hard jobs, that is tiring work on Friday which left me a little drained. My youngest son has been over for a couple of days, he comes back home most weekends at the moment, E met with her ‘comping’ friends and went down to the NEC in Birmingham on Sunday but I stayed at home. I’ve no idea what the coming week will bring but hope there will be progress on all fronts.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Garden, Leisure, Life | Tagged: Garden, Landscaping, Leisure, Outdoor Structures | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on January 22, 2011
Friday and nothing to do but to enjoy the day. I got up around 9.30 and after a while had a nice soak in the bath, something I love to do when I get the chance, especially if I have been working hard. This however was morning but I took the opportunity to soak anyhow. My friend and I were going out to lunch but she didn’t collect me until 1.00 o’clock. She had chosen a place where E and I like going, some miles north of where we live. My friend, Jane, lives in Liverpool. She is presently going through the early stages of transition after many years of denying herself. Now I wonder where I’ve heard that before? We had a lovely afternoon spoilt only by the fact that I began to suffer from trapped wind after the meal which thankfully didn’t last long. It was pleasantly sunny when we drove to the restaurant but the fog returned on the way back home at around 4.00 o’clock. Today I shall be resting but hopefully will be working once more in the garden tomorrow. I have to fill the newly constructed ….Mmmm.. I’m not sure what you would call it but it is essentially a totally enclosed walled area we had built recently in which we intend growing vegetables. It needs some hard-core to fill the base for drainage before we top it with soil. It is quite a large area to fill and fairly deep too at almost two feet (600mm). When that is done there is the pathway to continue. So lots more to do yet. I may get the chance to do more during the coming week so that we can start erecting the new greenhouse soon.
Shirley Anne
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Posted by Shirley Anne on January 11, 2011
Yesterday was pretty much a miserable and wet day preventing any further work outside. I mustn’t moan about that on two scores; one, I was rather tired on Sunday after digging a root-infested ground, with more still to come so I am glad for a rest and two, at least it isn’t snowing or freezing cold! I spent the day expecting calls for work which didn’t materialise and doing the things I usually do about the house when I am forced to stay indoors. We received a late Christmas card from a niece which had ‘Have a Magical Christmas‘ emblazoned on the front! How nice was her thought but how blind she is of what that message really means. Had we received the card before Christmas it might have made sense but only to E as I no longer recognise the festival. As it is, what is ‘magical’ about the supposed Christian event anyhow? Even most Christians are blind to it all. I shan’t go into the subject here again so soon after my recent postings but if the reader wishes to explore further I have posted much on the subject during December. E has kept the card because she wants to use the front of it again. I cannot fathom why somebody, who doesn’t want anything to do with Christ, still wishes to observe Christmas, be it a relevant festival (which it isn’t) or not. This is how Satan deceives the world, this is why people dismiss the Truth, this is why people feel challenged when presented with The Gospel and therefore make every effort to ignore it. People do not want their lives changed by Christ. They don’t want to be told that their lifestyles are an affront to God so they choose not to believe in Him. Why should it rain on their parade? I like the rain. It prevents me doing certain things but there are always other things to do. Gods spiritual rain is good, if I am kept from doing things I ought not be doing then it is good rain. Same goes for the earthly stuff, it persuades us to do something else instead. It is mid-afternoon as I write this to be scheduled for publication tomorrow morning so the day hasn’t finished yet. Two guys are outside posting circulars and the postman is now delivering mail to the other side of the road. Life goes on rain or not. I cannot see anything dramatic happening between now and bed-time. Such is life. It is raining but it shouldn’t make any difference. I think we know different don’t we?
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Activity, Leisure, Weather | Tagged: Christ, Christian, Christmas, Christmas card, God, Holidays, Opinions, Satan, Weather | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on January 9, 2011
Yesterday was one of those days which found me sitting down on a chair must of the time. I had a severe bout of wanting to lie in bed, which I managed to do until 11.30! I eventually dragged myself to my feet, did my ablutions and came downstairs for breakfast………well actually, lunch! I had a couple of salad sandwiches, fruit and fruit juice; I like the healthy option! I sat down to eat it obviously and during that time I watched the television. Why not? There was nobody to talk with. E had just gone upstairs to get washed and dressed; she likes to eat her breakfast before getting dressed, whereas I cannot go downstairs without being fully dressed and with my make-up on. You never know who might call! Our youngest son is at home this weekend but he was busy getting ready to go out. So I remained alone having lunch. As is usually the case whenever I start watching television I begin to get interested in whatever is on, whether it is a good program or not. So it was this time too. I remained in a seated position. Afterward I went into the rear lounge and played guitar for a while, seated again of course. I then went into the front lounge and did some reading as that room was filled with the bright sunshine of Winter which is always nice to see when it is cold outside and I am warm inside. I was drinking some wine which I had opened a few days ago and enjoying the book when the sun finally dipped behind the house opposite. I prefer to read under natural light so I closed my session with ‘Billy Bray‘. The wine was by then four days old but it had kept well. As it was a red wine it hadn’t been refrigerated but it did have a vacuum plug fitted. A handy little device which you put into the neck of the bottle which enables you to pump out most of the air creating a partial vacuum allowing the wine to keep longer once opened. I sat down with the wine and the book and the went online with my laptop computer, still remaining seated! So most of the time I was awake I was sitting down. Now you might be getting the wrong impression about me here, talking as I am about sitting on my backside all day but I’ll put you straight, I don’t usually do that, I am usually far too busy to be sitting down all day. It makes a change though doesn’t it? Today I shall be digging in the garden preparing the way to lay that path I have been writing about recently. Now digging heavy soil is hard work as you will appreciate and I will always remain grateful for the presence of chairs in my house! I am sitting on one now! I must get up and start that digging.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Leisure, Rest and relaxation | Tagged: Billy Bray, Juice, Leisure, Vacuum, Wine | 4 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on October 26, 2010
Over this past year E and I have made three attempts to fly in a hot-air balloon. Our fourth attempt yesterday finally realised our wish. E had won two tickets in one of her competitions last December but each time we tried to get the ride the weather caused a cancellation, We had however to drive 160 miles down to Hereford which meant a trip down three motorways go get there. We were doing fine until we reached a spot half-way down the M6 when all traffic almost came to a standstill. We had left home in plenty of time, or so we thought but it only takes a couple of hold-ups to eat away at the time. The flight was arranged for sometime after 3.30 and we were just leaving the last motorway but still thirty something miles away from our destination. We thought we would be too late but as it happened the balloon had yet to be inflated. We had though a more pressing need before we climbed aboard for our flight. We needed a toilet! There were no facilities at the meeting place but E had an idea. Next to the entrance to the field were some houses so we went there to plead our case! One house was being renovated and looked like a building site but it did have a portable toilet standing outside. We asked the guy inside if we could use that toilet and he allowed us to. That done we returned to the balloon. They were just beginning to inflate it which didn’t take long. We had to climb into the basket, there was no ladder, no set of steps, just some footholds. Have you ever tried climbing into a basket wearing a skirt whilst trying to hold on to your dignity in the presence of a dozen onlookers? I do not wear jeans or trousers, I don’t possess any! We all managed to climb inside and slowly the basket left the ground. Before we knew it we had reached 5000 feet! The view was amazing and we were treated to a fine little journey which took us about fifteen miles from our starting point. Up there you don’t notice speed which I guess must have been 15mph because of the time we were up there. We made a brave attempt to return to our take-off point but we got no closer than ten miles. It was beginning to get dark and we had to land where we could. After choosing what seemed the ideal spot we drifted down to land. Assuming the landing position as instructed we came down with a rather heavy bump and the basket landed on its side with all its passengers looking up to the sky and hanging on tightly to the hand-holds. It was quite amusing to see the efforts to disembark! Eventually we all got out and then collectively started to pack away the balloon to aid our pilot. We had to be careful not to stand in any of the cow-pats! After a short while the ground crew arrived and placed the balloon and basket on to a trailer. Meanwhile we were each treated to a glass of Champagne before returning to our set-off point in a mini-bus to collect our own transport. It was almost eight o’clock before we set off homeward. On the way we stopped by a restaurant and had a much welcomed meal. We hadn’t eaten since breakfast time because of the journey down. We arrived home at 11.45 and went straight to bed. Altogether a rather lovely day.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Enjoyment, Leisure, Lifestyle | Tagged: balloon, Hereford, Hot air balloon, Recreation | 4 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on September 12, 2010
It has been one of those days where you just drift along through. I got up reasonably early, bathed, dressed, went down for breakfast then spent a short time reading. It has been a beautiful day, filled with sunshine and one of those days you feel you ought to be outside enjoying it but there I was sipping at my red wine and chatting to E who was doing something on her pc. ‘We ought to be out somewhere’, I said and made a few suggestions. Before I knew it we were sitting in her car and driving down the road. I like being chauffeured so I sat there enjoying the passing scenery but not asking where we were destined. E drove as though she knew where we were going but as it turned out she didn’t! We ended up in the outskirts of Liverpool and even drove down the little road where I lived when we first met. She wasn’t familiar with the district so I ended up giving her some general directions. The Satnav wasn’t being used because we hadn’t a pre-determined destination. The idea was to drive somewhere and later stop somewhere to eat. E had other ideas and we ended back home instead! Well it was something different to do, just go for a drive and something we don’t usually do just for driving sake. Now I am at home again, obviously, writing this…………
Time to go play some guitar.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Activity, Enjoyment, Leisure, Motoring | Tagged: Guitar, Liverpool, Motoring, Recreation | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on August 29, 2010
I managed to get up early today. I normally do get up early when I have work to do but I usually try to have a lie in when I’ve nothing planned. So I got up and looked out of my bedroom window. It was raining fairly heavily and there was a strong wind blowing. Not much chance of that BBQ so I resigned myself to normal meals. Anyhow breakfast came first but by 1 o’clock it was very sunny although the wind hadn’t eased any. It is late afternoon now and the sky is almost completely blue and the wind is beginning to slow down as forecast. E and I had our main meal at 1.30 which I had cooked so we are not in the mood for a BBQ now and the wind although much less strong is still too strong to for us to be sitting outside. We’ve had enough food anyhow! Maybe tomorrow we’ll get the chance but I’m not banking on it.
It’s our eldest son’s birthday on Wednesday, he will be the ripe old age of 28. Gosh I remember when I was 28……yes, I can remember that far back…LOL. Much has happened in my life since he was born and now I am at the stage in life whereby I should be retiring and having lots of Barbies but I’ve too much to do. Oh well………
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Leisure, Weather | Tagged: Leisure, Weather | Leave a Comment »
