A very special present and ''I've Been Tagged by Kai''.

I had the lovliest present this Christmas from my Mum. It is so unusual and something to treasure. It's ''A Year of Wishes for My Daughter'' vase. The lid has a musical winder that plays ''Have I Told You Lately That I Love You''.
Inside there are ''365'' wishes, one for every day of the year. You take one out to read each and every day.

Today's little printed wish says ''I am filled with joy for all you've been, pride in all you are, hope for all you plan to be and lots of love for always''...aaww.

The vase is a limited edition and has its own certificate of authenticity.
Thanks Mum, I love it...lots.x



Well, it looks like I've been tagged by Kai and I have to make lists of the following...


8 things that I am passionate about

8 things before I pass away

8 things I always say

8 books I've read

8 songs on my ipod

8 things that makes me attractive to my friends

8 people who should do this...

Gosh! I will give it my best shot...here goes...in no particular order.

8 things I am passionate about

1. My family and children.
2. Richie
3. Music
4. Poetry
5. Nature
6. My church
7. My pets
8. Equality

8 things before I pass away

1. To re-visit my birthplace of Changi in Singapore.
2. To travel to all the continents of the world.
3. To marry Richie.
4. To become a grand-parent.
5. To see ''U2'' live in concert and meet Bono.
6. To go to a ''mission'' in a foreign land.
7. To go and see all the ''West End Musicals'' in London.
8. To make ''peace'' with certain people.

8 things I always say

1. ''I'm going for a rummage''...
2. ''I can't stand it''.
3. ''Have you got anything exciting to tell me?''
4. ''You never know your luck in a raffle''.
5. ''Do you really love me?''
6. ''It's only me''.
7. ''Just listen to this!''.
8. ''I just want a bit of peace''.

8 books I've read ( The latest books I have read )

1. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell.
2. Anne Frank, Roses of the Earth by Carol Ann Lee.
3. Is it me or is Everything Great? by Geoff Tibballs
4. Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
5. My Lover's Lover by Maggie O' Farrell.
6. Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult.
7. Angel by Colleen McCullough.
8. Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman.

8 songs on my ipod

1. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol.
2. Home by Westlife.
3. No You Hang Up by Shayne Ward.
4. Cannonball by Damien Rice.
5. Fields of Gold acoustic version by Sting.
6. Songbird by Fleetwood Mac.
7. Silent all These Years by Tori Amos
8. Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

8 things that makes me attractive to my friends...this is difficult to do but I'll do my best. Hey friends, if any of you beg to differ just let me know...ha.

1. I'm good with their children. I love kids.
2. I'm reliable.
3. I have a good sense of humour.
4. I have their trust.
5. I'm fair.
6. I care.
7. I'm interesting.
8. I try to have a sense of community spirit.

8 people who should do this...

1. I will ask my Mum!
2. I will ask my friend Angela.
3. Annie
4. Berenice.
5. Richie
6. Imran
7. James
8. Pris...don't you all just love me? Ha.

This Christmas Time...a prayer-poem and my completed slideshow.

As a church let us shine like the star on the tree,
Be a beacon of hope in a troublesome sea.

Let us stride out and manage that one extra mile,
Replace every frown with a welcoming smile.

Be approachable, open, be patient and kind,
Be that person whom others are trying to find.

Hold a friend for whom touch, has been lost on the way,
Lend an ear to that person, who dreads one more day.

Raise our voices in song, not in harshness of word,
Let the music begin and the message be heard.

Throw our doors open wide, light a fire in the grate,
Reach out for the lost who are passing our gate.

Take a moment to chat with the folks on their own,
Break the silence they live with, in being alone.

Invite them along to a service or two,
To be part of a family that is nurtured by You.

As we open our gifts, let our thoughts drift afar,
To those places on earth that are ravaged by war.

Hear our prayers for those nations, for horrors to cease,
And pour down your blessings of true Christmas peace.

Be close by us this Christmas, and help us we pray,
Share the news of Christ's birth with who passes our way.

At last my ''Seasonal Feelings Slideshow'' is finished. Here is the shorter version as the one I will be using at church in January is a bit longer, length of time wise.
I would like to share this with you and wish you all a Peaceful Christmas.

Home...

I don't normally listen to ''Boy Bands'', but every once in a while, something they create appeals to me and this is one them occassional moments. Ha.

Here is ''Westlife'' (with a few more wrinkles of late), covering the song ''Home'' by Michael Buble.

I like the song, but more than anything, I LOVE the video.I first saw it last week whilst standing in a very long, boring, Post Office queue! It was a nice distraction...believe me!

See what you think. Sit back and lose yourself for a few minutes, in the moment...ha ha.

Smiles...

''We will remember them...''

This and that...

It's been a while since my last post so I thought I would write a quick update.
I have just returned from a caravan holiday in the Welsh hills with my youngest daughter Becky, my Mum and her hubby Tom.
We hired the caravan for 4 nights and had a traditional family break. We played good old fashioned games, like ''dominoes'' and ''card games'' as well as enjoying the facilities there...swimming, evening entertainment etc etc.
We were close to the sea, only 2 minutes walk away which suited me just fine. We also took the dog along and she had a great time. The campsite was over-run with rabbits and she thought she was in doggy heaven!!!
I spent a whole hour one night in the pitch black trying to catch her after she escaped through the back door to the caravan...I won't go into details, but bear in mind there were two thousand caravans on the site and I have no sense of direction!!!

I am posting my favourite picture of Fizz, to date, of her sitting on the beach on a windy afternoon, enjoying her holiday. I just love it.

It's that time of year again, and I have just finished packing our ''shoeboxes'' for the Operation Christmas Child Appeal. I have managed 4 this year, with help from Becky and Nicola. They are taking them in to school tomorrow, as it is a collection point.They are crammed full of goodies and will hopefully put a smile on the faces of 4 little children, somewhere in this big wide world of ours at around Christmas time.

Tonight, we attended the firework display to remember the 5th November.It is an historical event that we commemorate every year with a bonfire and fireworks.The display was set off from the end of the pier and the majority of people watched from the promenade. I always love going and never miss if I can help it. The weather was windy and cold as it usually is, a far cry from the fireworks I watched with Richie when I spent July 4th with him in 2006! Then, it was very hot and we shared the field we sat upon with a million mozzies! What a contrast.

So that's an update of my life of late. I hope you are well, my friends out there in blogworld. I will be visiting you all soon to see what is happening in your lives.

So, here are a few pictures I'd like to share with you.The one of Becky dressed up in fancy dress came out just as you see it, with no editing...spooky!!!

Until the next time...smiles from across the miles.

Far Away...

Where In The World?

I have just visited Imran's Blog, and he has given me this idea, of posting a map of the countries in this big wide world of ours, I have either visted or lived in.

How exciting it would be to be able to say you have visited all the continents of the world, experienced each one...sigh. However, I am grateful that I have been able to live in or travel to the places I have.

If you click on the map it will show you the countries, although they don't all show up very clearly so I'm going to make a list. You can enlarge the world map using the buttons in the top left hand corner.

England
Ireland (North and South)
Scotland
Wales
France
Belgium
Spain
Netherlands
Cyprus
Germany
United States
Canada
Singapore

How Bizarre!

I have just had a bizarre encounter with a total stranger and feel I must write it down whilst it is fresh in my mind. Every now and again I have incidents like this and have to document them in some way. So here it is...

I was on my way home about an hour ago, after a walk on the beach with my dog, munching my way through a sandwich en route! I decided to take a short cut down the back streets of town when I noticed a man acting somewhat strangely on the opposite side of the road. He was about early 30's, fairly well-dressed in an artsy sort of way and was hopping up and down!!! I carried on walking as it's quite an isolated part of town. My rational side told me to walk by quickly but my curiosity was very much aroused.

The only way I can describe this man, is it was as if he was ''lost and found'', if that makes sense.He didn't appear drunk and wasn't aggressive or intimidating either but I was still very wary.

He called out to me suddenly and said ''come in here and see! I've done it.!''

He was standing in the doorway of some kind of work-shop.

I kept my distance and told him that I was firmly sticking to society's rules of not accepting invites to see things from total strangers and kept walking. I felt safer than I would have, had my dog not been with me. (When I was about 10 years old a middle aged man in a car asked me for directions and when I approached the car to tell him, he grabbed me and tried to pull me in through the passenger window. I escaped with red scratches along my arm and a lesson learned, early)

Then he shouted after me saying ''I have finished my art. It has taken half a year to complete and I need someone else other than me to see it''!

I told him I wasn't coming any closer and would look at it from a distance. So he opened the door of the workshop wide for me to see better. I was expecting a painting, just finished and still wet. Intead, I saw the most amazing piece of sculpture I think I have ever seen. It was of a male torso, with one hand pulling back the hair from the forehead and the fingers formed in the ''v'' sign. It was set upon a serpent's body and it was huge, about four feet tall. The clay was still wet and looked like it had just been completed, like he said.

I was more than impressed and asked him about the inspiration behind it. He said it was based upon himself and represented self respect after having had two years of hell in his life. It didn't have a name, but didn't really need one I thought, as it spoke for itself. Apparently an academy has accepted it although it wasn't a commission piece. I have memorised the detail of this sculpture and may even come across it again in the future.

I didn't ask the man's name, I didn't delve into his history, just discussed the art piece. He was so elated, the reason being, he had created something amazing, was having a creative ''high'' and needed to share it. What a talented guy.

He apologised for ''unerving'' me and I said goodbye and carried on walking home.

Life is so unpredictable, the unexpected happening when we least expect it. Ha.

Who knows what will become of his creation. I have documented it here for future reference.

I hope you have all had a good week-end. Signing out.

Smiles.

Together...

High School Highs...

Hi there folks
I am sorry I haven't been around for a while. So much has been happening, I don't really know where to begin, but I'll try. Smiles.

I had the best time ever during my stay in the U.S. with Richie. Watch this space as I will posting some more pics of us together very soon.

At the start of this week, my youngest daughter Rebekah started high school, year 7 and my eldest daughter Nicola went into year 11. I was feeling old turning 40 last year!, but now I feel ancient with both my girls at high school.

Becky was offered the chance of a scholarship at a local private school at the end of last term as she was tested academically by the head teacher and it was discovered she was in the top 2% of British primary school children.Our church offered a part-grant as she is an avid member, if she wanted to attend. We had lots of discussions about the possibility of this and in the end, she decided she wanted to go to the local high where her big sis goes and most of her friends too.

I just want her to be happy and honoured her decision. She is only 11 but she knows her own mind.

Nicola has done really well at school this last year, despite recent problems, and has recently had some great exam results. She has been living with her dad for a few months now and stays at home with me about once or twice a week.It is not ideal, but it's how things are for now.She will be 16 soon and also knows her own mind, just like Becky!!!

Our exams, taken at Nicola's age are called ''GCSE's'' (General Certificate of Secondary Education''.)They were called ''O Levels'' when I took them, back in the Dark Ages.

Nicola gained an ''A'' in English Literature, an ''A'' in Physics, an ''A'' in Chemistry and a ''C'' in Biology. I am really proud of her and next year she takes even more. Go Nic!

So here is a pic of my girls on their first day on Tuesday of this week and a pic of Becky, modelling her new school uniform.The girl in the background is my friend's daughter, also at the same school.

Oh, and one of their Mum with the love of her life, Richie! Other people who have seen this say the likeness between Nicola and me is amazing! What do you think???

I will be back again soon with more news and pics of my trip.

Meanwhile, take care everyone.

When Dreams Come True....

Hi everyone,
It's a while since I've posted, so here I am. And where am I?
I'm where I long to be, where I dream of being, where I need to be...I'm with Richie.

I arrived on Sunday night after a long and tiring journey. This time round I had my stop-over in Atlanta, just for a couple of hours, and thank goodness it was only a short time because the heat was unbearable. At first I thought it was the heat from the plane engines....oh no, it was the actual temperature there.

I arrived in Chicago (scheduled this time...ha) and there was Richie, waiting for me...I saw him straight away and the tiredness I felt just melted away. Eight months is a long time to be apart and I beathed the biggest sigh of relief when we had the longest, tightest hug ever. Long over-due too.

The days since my arrival have flown by as they always do, but we still have another 9 days together. Every minute is precious and we are well aware of that. Last night we went to play pool in a little bar close by after eating out. Then we watched one of my favourite movies, a British film called ''Brassed Off''. We are taking it in turns to watch our favourite movies with each other...aaww.

I have met Sprinkles, Richie's cat and we seem to have bonded well. He is a cute little furball, but since I have been here he has proudly presented two mice!!! Being as I have a rat and mice phobia, it has been a bit stressful, but that's nature I suppose.

I have a few mosquito bites already and the collection is growing!!!, not to mention a growong phobia of the ants here. I have never seen ants as big as these...ever!!!

It is too hot for me to go outside, and all I can say is, thank goodness for air conditioning.

Richie has to work tonight so I am going to be home alone! I might have a little clean-up as I have made a good old mess with all my stuff. His place was nice and quiet and tidy before I came...now it isn't! Ha.

Well, what more could a girl want than to be with the man of her dreams...in the same time zone.

A special hello to Berenice who has been a friend indeed. Putting up with my permanent state of anxiety prior to my departure and keeping my friends and family back home updated on how things are at present. Thanks B.

Hope you are all well and enjoy the pics...there will be more!

Big smiles

From us

Click click click....

It's a while since I've been here and have a lot to catch up on...so I'll make a start with a post about knitting...ha ha.

For 15 years I have been making knitted hats for charity. I started with a pattern I was given by an elderly lady 15 years ago when Nicola was born, knitted a couple and never stopped. I don't know how many I have made over the years but it's a lot.

Every now and again, I sew them all up and parcel them off, and always make a selection to go inside the shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child each Christmas.

I remember once buying a bag of wool and there was a little message written on the packaging. It said ''Warning! Knitting can induce relaxation.'' It made me smile. If you have a familiar pattern, nothing too complicated, it can be a very relaxing hobby.

I always try to choose wool that is brightly coloured, as some of the children that receive these hats live in the darkest places with the greyest of skies.

Here is a picture of my latest batch which I have already posted.

I have lots more news, but will sign off for now and I hope you are all well.

Smiles from across the miles.

The slideshow...under construction.

This is the first draft of the slideshow I've been working on. It's not finished, as I have yet to add some more pictures, but this is how it's looking so far. Watch this space!

Thanks to Richie for letting me use his music and to Glenys for letting me include some of her pictures.

I hope you like it.

Smiles.

The Grace Singers...

Hi all,

On Tuesday evening, we went to watch a musical at our church, performed by an excellent choir.
They were called ''The Grace Singers'' and the musical was called ''Evidence of Grace''.

They are currently doing a tour of the U.K. and we were lucky enough to have a performance scheduled for our town.

What a treat it was too. Our church is reknowned for its great acoustics and we have many concerts and musicals held there throughout the year.

The choir were from West Virginia and some members of our church were playing ''host'' to the choir members, offering somewhere to stay and hospitality during their stay.

Our church was filled with the most beautiful music and we were mesmerised throughout the whole event. Being very British and somewhat reserved, we, the locals, sat quite still, with the occassional foot tapping observed...ha.

Their enthusiasm was amazing and their social interraction so fluid and natural,...it was such a moving and inspiring experience and I kept thinking, ''I am so glad I have the opportunity to be here and experience this''.

We call our Ministers in the Methodist church by the title of ''Reverend'', and a communal smile broke out when the visiting Pastor called our minister ''Pastor Mike''. It was quite charming.

May God Bless them on the remaining part of their U.K.tour...and a big thank you to each and every one of them.

Working hard with the Summer Slideshow...

Well, I have been a busy little bee this past few weeks working on the slideshow...and with some of the flower pictures I have been working with, ''bee'' is an appropriate description, ha.

My Mum's friend Glenys who is in her late 60's has let me download her contribution of pictures towards this joint project on to my computer, and I have edited and added text to them. The words I have used are of course personal to me and my interpretation, but Glenys has given me free reign of what I choose. Lucky old me.

Berenice is in the process of arranging hers but has been very busy with work just lately. I think her poor old pc has been gathering dust judging on the amount of hours she's had recently. Poor B.

I have made a few rough drafts of the collection so far and have been selecting different pieces of Richie's music to accompany it. It has been hard work but creatively, it has been so therapeutic and I have enjoyed it.

So here are some recent additions I would like to share here with you. It is of course a much better experience with the music, but when the final show is ready to go I will post it here.

I hope you have all had a good week-end.

Smiles.

Please click on the image to enlarge...

One door closes...

It's been a while since I've posted and a lot has happened so I will try to get updated.

On Friday, I worked my last day at the little primary school where I have worked for the past two years as a lunch-time supervisor and an after-school club assistant. I didn't make the decision lightly and I was very sad when I walked out of the school gates on Friday afternoon. I was laden with flowers and gifts and struggled to keep the tears in until I was far enough away to let them out.

I loved the job but so much has been going on with me lately and I felt that I wasn't 100% focused, so I've decided to work all my hours in my other job which is in a restaurant. Maybe it's not as rewarding, but at the moment it has less responsibility, something I don't need too much of in my life right now.

Since my last post, things have deteriorated with my eldest daughter and she has gone to live with her dad. For exactly how long, we are unsure at the moment. I am very upset by all that has happened over the past 18 months but we have all agreed it is for the best. She has her exams coming up in the next year and the way things were going, it wasn't looking good.

I love her very much but her behaviour wasn't acceptable and I have my youngest daughter to think about too. The situation was totally out of hand and it reached crisis point. I had to do something. She is doing OK with Keith and seems to be settling down. This time apart will do us all good, give us time to think and reflect.

My friends at work are disappointed that I have left, but I have to do what I feel is right. I feel sad about many things right now, but it's life and we are all living it.

I am so glad I have good friends. The ones who are there through the good and the bad times. B, you are a star...always there.

And then there's Richie, the man in my life. He's still very much there, as far away as he is from me. I honestly don't know what I would do without him. If ever there was a verbal rainbow, he is it. When we talk on the phone, he warms my heart and lightens up my day.I sure can talk, but he can listen, and does so, most of the time, as I pour out my worries to him on a daily basis. No man has ever really understood me, until Richie. He knows me so well. His voice calms me like no other and his ''way'' is what I've waited all my life for. I love him.

So, that's what's going on in my life at present. Lots of changes. Doors closing all around me, some of them slamming shut, but for every door that closes or slams, another one opens, so they say.

I'm doing lots of walking, lots of talking, lots of praying and trying to keep in touch with my creative side...using the coping strategies I've had to use for the last 18 months.

There are still days when I reach for the medicine cabinet...force of habit I reckon...only to find that them little pills that block out life aren't there anymore.

They are no longer an option for ''how do I cope with this?''...

I hope everyone out there in that big wide world is well...I love reading all about your lives.

Until my next post....smiles from across the miles.

Fizz...my four-legged companion.

I thought I would post a few recent pictures of my faithful walking companion...Fizz.

She will be five years old this August and has accompanied me on nearly all of my many walks.

Fizz is a quiet little pooch, rarely barks or makes any noise, but that doesn't mean to say she's not cheeky, she is, just like me. They say pets are like their owners.

Some of the long walks I go on can be quite isolating and even lonely, but I am never alone with Fizz trotting along beside me.

In the pictures of her, we stopped to have a rest and eat some lunch. I swear she admires the view just as much as I do. She jumps up at the wall and has a good look out to sea and sniffs the salty air too, truly relishing it. She is so funny.

I love her to bits and love this collection of pictures I managed to take of her on a recent walk around the mountain.

Her little nose twitches constantly on the way round. There are many sheep and goats and she just loves it.

Thanks Fizz for being my faithful companion.

Smiles.

Preparing a slideshow...

Berenice and myself are about to work on a project, a joint attempt. We are gathering a collection of pictures, haigas and pictures with texts and we are going to create a slideshow!
All the pictures are going to be associated with our hometown and surrounding area and some have a personal theme whilst others have a general theme.

The slideshow will be accompanied by music, composed by Richie (permission granted).

We have two evenings where we are going to show our project, already booked. One at my church and one at a communal centre for elderly people.

We have quite a bit of work to do yet, but are looking forward to putting it all together.

I have already posted some of the pictures that are to be included in the slideshow and am posting a few more here. Berenice is also busy sorting through hers and selecting her contribution.

We will keep you up to date of how this project is progressing.

Wish us luck.

Smiles...

A bit of this and a bit of that...

Well, I thoroughly enjoyed ''The Waterboy's'' concert on Tuesday night. I met a really nice girl, about my age who was from Novascotia(think that's how you spell it) Canada, sitting on my right. She was there on her own too and we shared a drink at the bar during the interval and got talking...she has moved to the UK permanently and has settled well here.

In the second half of the concert she got up from her seat to have a dance in the aisle!!! I was much more reserved (typical Brit) and stayed seated, tapping my feet.
It was over all too soon, and left me wanting more of the same. I would have quite happily sat there all night long! Ha.
I managed to take a picture of Mike Scott, lead singer, although it's a little small and dark...sigh.

I have a list a mile long of the bands I would like to see live, then another list of musicals, ballets and every West End Show that's running.
Oh well, one can only do so much, more's the pity.
A good night was had by all and I felt ''uplifted'' afterwards.
Just looking ahead and looking forward to my next trip...wherever that may be...hmmm.
Maybe one fine day I will get to see ''U2'' live...a girl can dream.
Smiles.

The Waterboys are in town...

I have always been a fan of ''The Waterboys'', since the eighties, and on Tuesday night they are doing a ''one night only'' concert in our local theatre.

And guess who has managed to get herself a ticket? Yes, little old me.

Some of you may not have heard of them, but they had a big hit way back when, with ''The Whole of the Moon''.

A favourite track of mine, is called ''This Light is For The World'' and if you scroll down, right to the very bottom of this page, you can listen to it. Beneath this track is a ''Youtube'' video of a performance of ''The Whole of The Moon'' from the mid-eighties, with a very young Mike Scott having a bad hair day.However, the performance and song far out-weigh the wild locks of this Scottish laddie.

Here are the lyrics...

this light is for the world
this light is for the world

send out from this wooden frame
a beacon made of holy flame
like a bridge across the morning sky
from candle to the hills of high

this light is for the world
this light is for the world

send it out with sword of fire,
with cymbal, drum and angel choir,
music in the heart of it
proclaiming that the lamp is lit

this light is for the world
this light is for the world

bring it down from where the light is born
deep into the world of form
loving, blessing, healing as it shines
in darkened places, darkened minds

this light is for the world
this light is for the world.

I am really looking forward to going, and this is my idea of a good night out...ha.
I will let you all know how it went.

Smiles...

Expression through pictures...

Sometimes the words just won't come but the need to express oneself is still very strong.

I have created this selection for Richie, but would like to share them here.

Again, they are pictures taken at various locations in my hometown.

Please click on each image for enlargement...or just scrunch up your eyes...smiles.