We have another Jeannette in J-Land (and you thought I was enough to deal with!) The spelling of her name is exactly the same as mine and, just to confuse you further, she also lives in the South East of England!
She made her very first entry today so please go and give her a great big J-Land welcome at
Thank you all for your congratulations messages on my previous entry today.
I just cannot think of anything to write about today - I seem to have developed writer's block, so I shall write nothing, just leave you with a pretty graphic.
Wait, there is one thing I can write - I have just seen my hit counter has reached 30,000! Amazing to have that many hits in a little over a year. I must have been doing something right to get that many visitors. Wish I had a champagne bottle to pop! Anyone for a party?
So, what have I been up to? Working on the family tree mostly. Over eighty pages to be checked for spelling errors, erroneous dates, regimental numbers etc. It does not sound much but first I had to print off a rough draft and proof read it, altering and amending things which was very time consuming. Then, for every mistake there was or things I wanted to add, I had to bring up the person's details, go into their notes and alter things, scanning backwards and forwards between different lines of the family. It took me the best part of three days and nearly drove me mental!
Although only the rough copy, Mike took it to Staples and got it bound. They told him it would take about twenty minutes so he wandered off and looked around the nearby shops. He was impressed when he picked it up. I had told him to scan through quickly and make sure all was in order. He said he had. It duly went off to my cousin who is now considering providing more information (doubtful). Something made me flick through my copy today (we got a spare one bound as it is easier to work on) only to find that page 19 is missing! Lost somewhere in the bowels of the shop no doubt. And of course, page 19 just happens to contains a few details of this cousin and his family. It could only happen to me!
He would have received it this morning as we sent it special delivery. Response so far - none - although he has both my e-mail and telephone number, he is retired and has plenty of time on his hands.
Wonderful to see that Sandra got so many congratulatory messages on the birth of her Grandson. Sad to see that Tammy got so few on the birth of hers. It is the first time I have been disappointed in the response from J-Landers. I guess it was too much to ask of you to visit two journals one after the other but the babies were born one after the other and I could not mention one and leave the other out. Tammy has changed the name of her journal today by the way (see previous entry for new link).
Apart from that I have been playing online Bingo. Never thought I would as I have always considered gambling to be a mug's game. I started because I wanted a complete break, something totally different where I could just sit back and mark numbers off and give my brain a rest from spinning facts. I am pleased to be able to report that, so far, I am ahead, having won several lines and a couple of full houses!!!! Will my luck last.......................probably not but I can live in hopes.
Poor Becky has now been provided with crutches (yes, her back really is that bad). She is seeing the specialist again next week and we can only hope and pray that they bring the C-section forward by a few days.
Well, I guess I have waffled on enough for the time being. Think I will have a nice cup of tea and then retire to bed with a book, on the other hand, I could just win another line.......... no I must control myself!
Have a great weekend everybody.
Many congratulations to our good friends Sandra and Jim on the birth of their first Grandchild - a beautiful baby boy. Congratulations also to the proud parents, Kerry and Slava.
Please leave your own congratulations at:-
Actually, there are two new Grandmothers in J-Land. Tammy became Grandmother to a beautiful little boy on Wednesday 27th (posted on that day - previous entry to the current one).
So please visit her as well at:-
How wonderful to get such good news and in stereo lol. It will be our turn next, wonder if it is true that things run in threes and our baby will be another boy? We honestly do not know but time will tell.
Now please head over and leave your congratulations. I am so happy for them both!
This journaller has just lost her son, Travis, who has died from wounds he received in Iraq.
Can you imagine how she feels? Yet she was brave enough to write about it. A remarkable woman.
If you would like to leave words of comfort or condolence then please go to:-
As you can see, I have been out with the camera again taking snaps of the various plants in our garden although I did not take any Marigold shots! I will put them on another time. Although our garden does not compare with the garden of the previous entry, we have lots of colour, shape and form and it gives us great pleasure as you know.
Becky's appointment at the hospital did not go well. However, Becky does not want me to write too much about her personal business on here. Suffice it to say that she is not happy and neither am I.
The weather has been grey and overcast all day and heavy rain is forecast for tomorrow which can only do the garden more good. As you can see it is looking very colourful right now.
Margaret and Brian were so pleased with the pictures Mike took of their garden and we were happy to give them copies. In return I have been given some plant cuttings so this evening I shall be preparing them and potting them up.
I hope to be visiting more of your journals tomorrowwhich is why I have done this entry this evening - to give myself more time as I have to do some work on the family tree, putting the finishing touches to it before it is sent out to selected relatives.
We had Nathan again today. Where does that boy get his energy!!!! Becky gave me a photo frame some time back with his name on it and an explanation of his name. It also say "a dynamo". Well, he certainly is.
Well, I hear plants calling.............
We had the much needed rain yesterday and again overnight although it is brightening up now and the sun is trying to peep through between showers.
We are so glad for our neighbours, Margaret and Brian, that people still braved the weather to see their beautiful garden - such is its reputation.
They do not have a huge plot. It only measures seventy-six feet by seventy feet. It is what they have done with it. It really is a paradise. Because of the lay-out, it was impossible for Mike to get a shot of the whole garden in one go - instead he had to take "scenes". Everywhere you come across little arbors, hidden seats, ornaments. They have water features, an aviary, arches and pergolas. It has taken many years to establish and requires a lot of hard work to be kept weed free but it is a labour of love for them and they have raised so much money for the local hospice.
I promised I would show you some pictures. Mike took around fifty and it has been very hard to pick which ones to put on here. I shall probably add a couple more another time - close-ups of little corners.
How they manage to keep it like this with two Lurcher dogs amazes me!
You can see the rain hitting the water on this one. It was quite misty as well.
Notice the Hostas. Not a mark on them, no sign of snail damage. Even with copper strips around the tubs which are supposed to deter them, mine look like lace curtains!
The last picture I have chosen is taken in their conservatory and shows that their houseplants are every bit as good as their garden plants. How wonderful it must be to sit there and look out onto scenery like this.
They are to be applauded for all the work they do for charity and for creating something as wonderful as this for so many others to share. Would I like a garden like this? You bet. However, I would not like the work involved so Mike and I are happy with our own small efforts.
We are having Nathan today as Becky has appointments to keep, one of them being the specialist. As it is too wet for Nathan to play outside, he is certainly going to keep us on our toes as he is into that touching and picking up everything stage.
Have a good week everyone!
I love Dolphins which is why I have used this graphic today. Water, Dolphins, what could be more peaceful.
I think we in Britain could do with some peace at the moment. With another near bomb disaster on Thursday and a man being shot dead by police yesterday....... we seem to be living in a world gone mad right now, a world I am sure our parents, even ourselves, could never even have envisaged.
It looks at long last as though we might get some rain, most probably tomorrow and it will be nice not to have to water the garden. I feel for our friend and neighbour, Margaret, though. She and her husband , Brian, open their garden to the public once a year in aid of our local hospice. Tomorrow is opening day. Those of you who think my garden is nice should see hers, it is like something from a magazine! Over the years they have raised thousands of pounds to help sick and dying children. Obviously, if we get heavy rain, people will not attend and Mike is hoping to get photographs so that I can share with you. Well, I am sure Margaret will rise to the occasion whatever the weather.
Talking of the garden, our little local nursery is selling plants very cheaply. Because of the very cold Spring and the late start to the Summer, this is the first year I remember when Roy, the owner, has had a glut of plants. Usually the greenhouse and forecourt are empty of summer bedding by now. Five boxes of plants for £10. Cannot be bad. I saw them on a little drive out yesterday morning and I was tempted by Marigolds and spent all of yesterday afternoon planting up tubs of those, a real bright splash of colour which really glow on a dull day such as this. Of course, snails like Marigolds very much and must think we have provided them with a take-away meal so I shall now be on snail watch. We have thousands of them here and all attempts to rid ourselves of them has failed.
As you know, I am not doing my journal every day now. I should have explained that I will not be visiting journals every day either, it is just too much. I spend much longer reading journals than I do writing mine. So expect a visit from me every other day or every couple of days. I wanted to explain that so you would not think I have deserted you! What with looking after Nathan and jobs being neglected around the house, I simply had to cut down my computer time. Take this morning, I logged on to find over 250 items in my mail box and this happens on a daily basis, sometimes there are more than this. So I end up on the computer for hours and hours because I do not want to miss anyone out or delete something by mistake. I want to get back to being more active, enjoying my garden, keeping the house in reasonable condition and helping Becky as much as I can. I know that you will all understand. Journals have the habit of taking over our lives and there comes a time when you simply have to put the brakes on.
As I mentioned Becky, I am asking for your thoughts and prayers for her at this time. As you know, she has been suffering severe back pain. She saw the midwife last Wednesday and when the midwife realised how bad it actually is she made an appointment for Becky to see a specialist on Monday afternoon. So please send out your good thoughts that this specialist can recommend something that will ease her pain. She still has five weeks to go.
Now I am off to do housework. Yes, there is a price to pay for cutting down on journal time!
If you have read the entry I posted earlier today you will now see that Mike and I always know how to tire Nathan out!
Firstly, I would like to thank all those people who left such lovely comments on the lst Birthday of my journal.
As you know, we have been looking after Nathan every day this week. It has been a joy and we have had a lot of fun. We do have a day off today but we need that to catch up on other things that have been neglected whilst we looked after the little man. We shall be having him more often as Becky gets nearer her time so, I shall not be posting every day for the foreseeable future. Much as I love being on the computer, it does take a lot of time, not only writing myself but reading all the journals I have on alerts, plus my normal e-mail. Before you know it, the day has gone and when Nathan is here, he has to be my priority.
I did get this nice shot of Mike and Nathan:-
Of course, Jesse just had to get into the picture. Unusual because it is normally Pip who loves the camera and tries to get himself into everything we take!
Becky now has a roof on her home. I saw the latest pictures yesterday (unfortunately I do not have them to show you at present). The builders are doing a first class job and are well on schedule.
We still have not had any much needed rain but we live in hopes. Reservoirs are drying up, the ground is cracking but surely, it has to come soon. If any of you know a native American rain dance, please do one for us!
Not much else to write about today so I shall leave you with a joke:-
A little old lady answered a knock on the door one day, only to be confronted by a well-dressed young man carrying a vacuum cleaner.
"Good morning," said the young man. "If I could take a couple of minutes of your time, I would like to demonstrate the very latest in high-powered vacuum cleaners."
"Go away!" said the old lady. "I haven't got any money!" and she proceeded to close the door.Quick as a flash, the young man wedged his foot in the door and pushed it wide open.
"Don't be too hasty!" he said. "Not until you have at least seen my demonstration." And with that,he emptied a bucket of horse manure onto her hallway carpet.
"If this vacuum cleaner does not remove all traces of this
horse manure from your carpet, Madam, I promise I will personally eat the remainder."
The old lady stepped back and said, "Well I hope you've got a darn good appetite, because they cut off my electricity this morning."
Scotty (James Doohan) has finally been "beamed up". May he rest in peace.
JOURNAL
Yes, my journal is one year old today! I can hardly believe it. When I first dipped my toe into the world of journals, I never thought I would be able to keep it going for a month, let alone a year. To be honest, I did three entries. No comments, no reaction. I then did a fourth entry (now deleted) actually stating that I was giving it up because obviously nobody wanted to read what I had to say. That is when people came forward with words of encouragement that decided me to keep going.
After I had, with lots of help, mastered the art of adding pictures and graphics, I knew exactly how I wanted my journal to be and have tried my best to accomplish it. I wanted it to be bright, friendly, welcoming, not sticking to one particular subject. That is why I called it a miscellany - because there are pieces on all sorts of themes. I wanted it to be like a favourite magazine, something people could pick up, sit back and enjoy. Of course, just like a magazine, you cannot please all of the people all of the time. Some like one thing, others like another, but on the whole I have tried to vary it from week to week or day to day. I hope in the past year I have made you smile, laugh, choke back a tear, that I have pricked your own memories, given you ideas.
Looking back, if I had to pick the entries I am most proud of I would have to say they would be:-
written on the 19th August 2004
and
My Grandmother's House - a series I did that ran from the 21st August - 6th September 2004. If and when you access "Johnny" you will see the links to these entries on the same page.
I do hope some of my new readers will take the time to go back and read them.
In the end though, no matter how our journals look, no matter what we write about, none of it would mean much without the readers. A lot of you have commented faithfully almost since day one, new people have come along and surprised me with an unexpected comment. I know there are people who do read and never comment. A couple of people have told me they have been encouraged to start a journal because of mine. I felt honoured. That is what matters in the end, you, the readers.
So to all of you - known and unknown, seen and unseen, I would like to say a very very big
You have made it all worthwhile. You are the ones that keep me writing.
I have made some wonderful friends through blogs (I am not particularly keen on that word) and I have read some wonderful entries, seen beautiful photographs and artwork. This is the best community there is.
From the bottom of my heart I thank you all for your support, your comments, your friendship and your love. God bless you all.
Yes, it is actually quite misty here this morning although the sun is trying to burn it off. But there is a coolness and a freshness to the morning that we have not had for some time.
Mike had to take a tree down on Saturday. I was very sad. I hate to see trees die, it is almost like a physical pain to me. However, there was nothing we could do to save this one. It was in our front garden in a small circular bed, a beautifully shaped conifer. It had been our companion for ten years. It was the first thing we saw when we drew back the curtains in the morning, standing like a sentinel guarding our home. I had watched it grow from a six inch sapling. I had seen it covered with snow. It really came into its own each Christmas when it was hung with festive lights. Firstly it developed brown patches, then the brown patches spread until in the end there was more brown than green, the branches were brittle and without sap. I could not watch Mike take it down.
Now it is gone. I have a better view of the street, I can see more of the people passing by but I miss our woody friend. We can only put it down to the climate. This is the second tree we have lost in a year. We are having unusually dry winters and much hotter summers. I think many more trees will disappear across the country if this trend continues. We have decided not to replace it. Instead we have placed a large flower-filled tub out there.
Yesterday we did a lot of pruning. At least I did some but Mike did the majority. Considering the lack of rain it is amazing how things have gone berserk with growth this year. We already tidied things in the spring but we had to severely prune about four shrubs and a couple of trees.
Mike has just gone to the local tip with fifteen very large bugs of cuttings. Yes, fifteen bags which will give you some idea of the work involved.
Both evenings I have sat by the pool, the t.v. has not even been switched on. Early last evening I watched a dragonfly make endless circles above the water and spotted several more butterflies. We have our pool lit at night so I was out there until quite late. Here are a couple of shots taken just as it was getting dark.
When it gets too damp to stay outside or I decide to come back in, we can still see it as it is directly outside our lounge. We often have the lounge lights out and just sit by the light of the pool. Very relaxing.
We are having Nathan for the afternoon today, again tomorrow morning and then Wednesday afternoon so I am going to be quite busy this week. It gives Becky a much needed break. She is suffering so badly from back pain this time and what with Nathan and the builders, she is very tired and looks very pale. We will be happy for her when baby arrives and she no longer suffers this endless pain. Obviously, she is not allowed to take anything for it.
Well, much as I love sitting here writing and reading, I had better get on and get the place tidy before our little man arrives. Hope you all have a good week.
I entered my full name as it appears on my birth certificate. Interesting. Other people would have to judge whether it is accurate. I have highlighted the parts which I feel apply to me.
There are 21 letters in your name.
Those 21 letters total to 94
There are 8 vowels and 13 consonants in your name.
Your number is: 4
The characteristics of #4 are: A foundation, order, service, struggle against limits, steady growth.
The expression or destiny for #4:
Order, service, and management are the cornerstones of the number 4 Expression. Your destiny is to express wonderful organization skills with your ever practical, down-to-earth approach. You are the kind of person who is always willing to work those long, hard hours to push a project through to completion. A patience with detail allows you to become expert in fields such as building, engineering, and all forms of craftsmanship. Your abilities to write and teach may lean toward the more technical and detailed. In the arts, music will likely be your choice. Artistic talents may also appear in such fields as horiculture and floral arrangement, as well. Many skilled physicians and especially surgeons have the 4 Expression.
The positive attitudes of the 4 Expression yield responsibility; you are one who no doubt, fulfills obligations, and is highly systematic and orderly. You are serious and sincere, honest and faithful. It is your role to help and you are required to do a good job at everything you undertake.
If there is too much 4 energies present in your makeup, you may express some of the negative attitudes of the number 4. The obligations that you face may tend to create frustration and feelings of limitation or restriction. You may sometimes find yourself nursing negative attitudes in this regard and these can keep you in a rather low mood. Avoid becoming too rigid, stubborn, dogmatic, and fixed in your opinions. You may have a tendency to develop and hold very strong likes and dislikes, and some of these may border on the classification of prejudice. The negative side of 4 often produces dominant and bossy individuals who use disciplinarian to an excess. These tendencies must be avoided. Finally, like nearly all with 4 Expression, you must keep your eye on the big picture and not get overly wrapped up in detail and routine.
Your Soul Urge number is: 4
A Soul Urge number of 4 means:
With the Soul Urge or Motivation number of 4 you arelikely to strive for a stable life. You tend to follow a rather orderly pattern and systematic approach in your endeavors. You have an inner desire to serve others in a methodical and diligent manner. You want to be in solid, conventional, and well-regulated activities, and you are somewhat disturbed by innovation and erratic or sudden changes. Excellent at organizing, systematizing, and managing, you have a way of establishing order and maintaining it. You are responsible, reliable and in the final analysis, practical. Highly analytical, you can see your way through all sorts of situations and generally have a clear understanding of the issues. You are a very honest, sincere, and conscientious individual.
The negative side of the 4 is rigid, stubborn and somewhat narrow-minded. There is a tendency to hide feelings, or to really not be aware of real feelings. Avoid being too rigid and stubborn in your thinking, and try to always see the big picture rather than becoming to involved with the detail. Don't be afraid to take a chance once in awhile.
Your Inner Dream number is: 9
An Inner Dream number of 9 means:
You dream of being creative, intellectual, and universal; the selfless humanitarian. You understand the needy and what to helpthem. You would love to be a person people count on for support and advice.
To find out what your name says about you visit this site:-
http://www.paulsadowski.com/Numbers.asp
If you do this (and it is a bit of numerology fun) please let me know so that I can visit your journal and have a look. Alternatively, you can post your character analysis under comments here.
I have snagged this from Ashley, with her permission. Thought you might all like to try it
I'm still trying to
figure out how they do this - amazing!
Go to the site below (click on the link)
and see if you can find some old school photos. They actually have photographs of almost every School in the Western World.
Unless you went to School in China or cameras weren't invented, you will find a photo of yourself or at least your classmates.
http://www.worldschoolphotographs.com
Isn't this a pretty graphic? No, it is not me. Were I to stand on that balcony it would probably collapse under the strain! Our garden is not that romantic and dreamy either. We have never followed the advice of professional gardeners such as Gertrude Jekyll and colour co-ordinated our plants. Mike and I both love vibrant colours and we really do not care if they clash or not. We have quite a few trees and shrubs in the garden so there is much green and bright colours look wonderful against them.
Here are a couple of pictures I took yesterday evening.
A little hazy because I was taking it against the sun. You can see a real mixture of Geraniums, Busy Lizzies, Roses, Mesembryanthimums (wish I had thought to remove the dead leaf).
Here is how an impressionist painter would see it:-
It was so pleasant sitting out there yesterday evening watching the clouds tinged with pink and gold, the fading of the sun. I sat by the pond listening to the sound of the waterfall and fountain, watching the fish glide silently through the clear water and catching glimpses of butterflies (the first I have seen this year). The air was filled with the scent of Roses, Lavendar and Heliotrope and the birds were lifting their voices to the heavens. I sat for a long time. Then it was time for watering and once again I revelled in the smell of damp earth and the freshness . After that was done, I sat by the pond again. The spraying must have seemed like a shower to the frogs because they all emerged from under rocks and stones to sit by the pool edge to feel the droplets fall on them from the overhanging plants.
The time I spent in the garden last evening really fed my soul and filled my heart once more with the wonder of nature.
I feel privileged to have a garden. It is hard work sometimes, our choice of plants would not be to everyone's liking, but it is our little bit of heaven, our own paradise. Out there we can forget we live in a built up area, we can forget the troubles of the world. We can be at one with nature.
Thankfully, it is cooler today. Still bright and sunny but with far less humidity and we should be able to spend more time outside.
I hope you all find your own little bit of heaven this weekend.
P.S. Stuart is not the only one who can come up with "groan" jokes. How about this
Why was six afraid of seven?
Because seven eight nine.
Why have I used today's graphic? Well, I have always been a nature girl at heart although I have always had to live in towns except for when I was very young and lived in the beautiful hills and valleys of Wales. I love nature, I love trees, the sky (especially the night sky), water always calls to me and I love to sit beside it and I always loved to be on the sea in the days when I was able. Owls are amongst my most favourite birds. I love the look of them and even the sound of them. When I came across this graphic, I knew I had to use it.
It was heartwarming and touching to see the whole country and Europe come to a standstill at noon yesterday for the two minute silence in remembrance of the victims of the London bombings. Mike and I kept it here at home. I still feel so sad for all those poor people who have lost loved ones.
I am grateful to Stuart for pointing me to the Weather Pixie that now appears on my journal. A great idea, thanks Stuart! Now you can all see what the weather is like where I live - especially my American friends. I was lucky, one of the locations that appears on the weather pixie site is only three miles from me, I am getting my weather forecast from there, so that is about as accurate as you can get. If any of you would like your own weather pixie then just click on my little weather lady to go to the site. It is worldwide so anybody can have one.
I am also grateful to Stuart for pointing me to audible books audible.co.uk®. I have been a listener of talking books for a long time. Our library is quite small and I have exhausted their supply. Now I can choose my books online and download them onto my computer! I have not tried burning to disc yet, but that will come soon as I also like to listen to them in bed and my computer is in the lounge. I also listen whilst I am doing housework. I already have about eleven hours of listening material so I shallnot be stuck for anything to do. My only trouble is that I have seen so many I want!!!!
Going back to the weather, it is quite a lot cooler today but still humid. I think we all feel like limp rags after the last few days.
Sadly, a wonderful journal ends today. Our friend, Josa, is closing her journal because she is leaving aol. and moving on to pastures new . She was a great help to me when I first began writing, encouraging me to continue, in fact, I would have given up after three entries had it not been for her and another journaller and I know she has supported others. I wish her all the best in the world. I just know she will do well. Hopefully she will have a new journal up and running soon but the current one will be sorely missed.
I hope that the journal will still be available after today because I am asking all of you dear people to visit her journal and wish her well in her new career. This is the nearest I can do to giving her an online "leaving party"
So please go to
and leave some good luck messages for her. I know you would all want the same done for you!
Well, I think I have waffled on enough for now. Hope everyone has a good day and a great weekend.
It is unbearably hot today, no breeze whatsoever and well into the nineties. I shall be glad when it cools off!
As promised I am posting some pictures of the park. Not very established at present. They have planted many saplings so as the years go by and they grow, it will be lovely. All Mike managed to see were some seagulls but it is a bird sanctuary. I think the birds just have to get to know that.
Anyway, as you will see, the dogs loved it!!!
Trust Jess to find half a tree! Mike was very careful with Pip because of his back and hips but he seemed to love it and swimming is supposed to be good exercise for joints. I doubt they will be going today, the park is approached via a very long footpath (not exactly user friendly) and Mike says it is just too hot for him to walk it today.
I am still very tired and I guess the heat is not helping. Been very down in myself lately, and certainly not bouncing back like I usually do
I hope to be back to ghost stories and other more interesting entries soon. I would like to thank all the new people who have been visiting. It is nice to know that your journal brings pleasure to others.
Now I am off to have a rest and to try and get cool.
