MEMORANDUM MONDAY

Hello my friends!......the calendar tells me it's the first Monday in May but my brain finds it difficult to believe!

Being Monday, it's time to consider what 'firsts' might have occurred in the last few days and to try to remember if I learned anything new...all at the behest of the lovely SIAN.

No first time doing anything for me this weekend......BUT the first cherries are beginning to ripen on my net-covered tree 

I also said farewell to my first houseguest of the season....I've had a lovely week with my friend Lyn; it does however mean that I MAY have over-indulged on the eating and drinking front:

just ONE of our outings!

I suppose I could say that I've learned (though actually it's  RE-LEARNED) that after a week over overindulging, the body most definitely needs a bit of a detox!....so it's been lots of fresh fruit and water today Lyn...my sensible head is most definitely attached!

Wishing you all a good week....

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

ME ON MONDAY

Today saw me making my first visit of the year to FONTILLES....between the sore foot and other commitments, I just hadn't managed to get there.

This lovely old gentleman is a resident in the Geriatric Unit ...a Scot like myself, so we always manage a good old 'blether'...he didn't know what had hit him today as my friend Lyn (visiting from Scotland) was with me and was intent on finding out as much as she could about him  (genealogy is her 'thing')

The weekend?.........it was a house-tidying (for my houseguest arriving), food-buying (for my houseguest arriving), curry-making (for my houseguest arriving), wine drinking, laughing , exchanging news and watching 'call the Midwife' (when my houseguest arrived) kind of weekend.

Waving to everyone....especially SIAN, whose great idea this meme was.

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

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SIPIDI

YES!...as usual I am slightly very late with my link up to FIONA'S monthly meme over at STARING AT THE SEA.

Believe it or not, this was actually prepared  in good time...then, as usual, life got in the way!!...I thought seeing as NSD has been this weekend, and I haven't actually had any scrapping time this was a good time to post it!

I had a particular photograph I had printed off and that was badly needing scrapped...so I had a look through my pinned sketches for inspiration and I found this sketch (from a year ago!!) by my South African bloggy friend, HELEN and decided it was perfect:

This is my interpretation;

Thanks Helen for the inspiration, and Fiona for encouraging me to actually look at my Pins!!!!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison  xx

STORY TELLING SUNDAY- PICK YOUR PRECIOUS

It's the first Sunday in July (JULY?!...how can it be?)....making it time to join a merry band of Bloggers over at  FROM HIGH IN THE SKY. You can find us there on the first Sunday of every month, gathered together by the lovely SIAN and telling stories...the stories that make up our lives: long, short, happy or sad- you'll find them all and you are very welcome to leave a story of your own...the more the merrier!

This year, Sian has suggested that we 'pick our precious'. .....celebrating the little things we love: those souvenirs, bits and pieces, things from your past you can't bear to throw out. 

Every time I open my jewellery box, I see this little brooch......

I have to confess to not having worn it for many years, but it makes me smile each time I set my eyes on it.

It was given to me by the mum of one of the little boys in the class in which I was a Classroom Assistant (in the days before you had to have a qualification to do so). 

At that point, that's what Marilyn was- Christopher's mum, and also the Depute Head in the school....but as time went on, Marilyn and |I became very close, and by the time we moved to Whitley Bay in 1997, she and her family often came to visit.

In 1999, Marilyn was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy...sadly though, the cancer spread and she died in November 2000, leaving behind her two lovely boys and a devastated husband......she was only 45. 

In all, I actually only knew Marilyn for 5 years but she really touched my life....I am always reminded of her when I see this quote:

Some people come into our lives and quickly go.

 Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, 

and we are never, ever the same

I have thrown out (or recycled) many pieces of unworn jewellery over the years, but this little brooch is with me for life...not only does it make me think of Marilyn, but it stands as a reminder of all the friends I have been blessed to have in my life ...thank you for being one of them!

Why not pop over HERE and enjoy some more stories....or add one of your own!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

HELLO MONDAY (LATE AGAIN!)

This week I'm saying :

HELLO and 'THANK YOU' to friends everywhere who send best wishes and inquiries about my dad's health

HELLO to my dad being home from hospital again, but with the knowledge that with his lungs being in the state they are, he is likely to be spending a fair bit of time in said hospital.

HELLO to my two brothers really having stepped up to the mark and  not only looking after mum while dad's been in hospital, but also laying the groundwork for getting a suitable care package organised to give dad a better quality of life at home...now we need the 'professionals' to step up to the mark!

HELLO to seeing them all this coming weekend...I am on the move again!

HELLO to my oldest friend's Silver Wedding party (hello Morag!) on Friday.....hence the reason I am off to Scotland again.....so looking forward to a good night out!

Hoping there are good things in your life to look forward to, and be thankful for this week

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

SIMPLY A MOMENT

FRIDAY APRIL 19

It's 12.11 and we are sitting at the table in the dining room (Elizabeth's dining room, as that is where I'm staying while I'm in Scotland) The sun is streaming in the window, and I am happy just sitting here, basking in it!

Elizabeth is sitting to the left of me, whispering to Mylo - her blue roan cocker spaniel- as she works. She is making a pair of earrings for me, to match the top I am wearing to the wedding tomorrow. The table is strewn with wire, beads, fabric (she is very crafty, my friend Elizabeth and she not only makes jewellery, but also quilts and knits!) and patterns.




Mylo moves to try and find a spot in the sun. After he throws himself on the wooden floor, all I hear is his contented breathing and the snip snip of the wirecutters......."Are these OK for you?"- I am jolted out of my reverie by Elizabeth's question and after her assuring her that they are perfect, look at my watch. I realise that time has flown as usual, and that I have to get moving...I am supposed to be picking my MIL up in fifteen minutes, and taking her for lunch!

This post is in conjunction with ALEXA'S lovely meme 'SIMPLY A MOMENT'


Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

THAT WAS THE WEEKEND THAT WAS!

I may have lost my reading glasses and I may have felt colder than I have  for a long time...but those were mere trifles when compared with all the  fantastic experiences I  had this past weekend!


 I left Alicante Airport at 7.30 on Friday morning, and by about 11 am was checking into my hotel in central London. I knew I was meeting up with DEB TURTLE and her daughter CARRIE, but that was to be later in the day; their plan was to take one of the 'official' bus tours that morning. Imagine my total surprise and excitement when I happened to turn round and see them walking through the Reception area...after a bit  a lot of frantic waving and jumping up and down, they caught sight of me and the first (but certainly NOT the last!) of the weekend's hugging began.

When we eventually calmed down and I got checked in, we decided that I should join them for their City Tour.

It was FREEZING on top of that bus, but after a stop at the Tower of London we re-boarded and got off at Piccadilly to hit the HARD ROCK CAFE, where -despite the weather- Deb and I shared a long-promised Margarita!

Saturday saw us heading off to meet up with DENISE and KAREN at DEB'S house, where she graciously hosted a mini-crop for us! Karen and Denise provided a kit for each of us, and after Deb's long-suffering husband took JUST the right photograph of us all, we each scrapped a page using it.

Deb provided a yummy lunch and Karen brought a variety of her DELICIOUS cupcakes (yes, I DID have to sample all three varieties..but please don't ask me to choose a favourite!). After much chatting, laughing,eating and tea-drinking we set off to one of the local Pubs and had dinner...then, sadly, Deb, Carrie and I headed back to London.

On Sunday morning, HELENA met us for breakfast in our hotel, then she, Deb and myself had a  wander round Covent Garden...I especially liked the  Giant Easter Egg display!

Then it was time for me to check out and for the four of us to head off to MAGGIE JONES'S RESTAURANT in Kensington..

to meet up with Karen and Denise again (unfortunately Deb couldn't make it!), along with six more blogfriends.....BECKY, HELENA, JACKY, MEL, RUTH and RHONA.

For all that this was a first meeting for many of us, it was amazing how quickly and well we all 'gelled' ...it was as if we had all been friends for years.....and in many ways we have. Through our blogs, we have shared many of the joys and sorrows of everyday life: our triumphs and adversities...we had just never met in real life! That has now been rectified, and I for one sincerely hope there are many more meet-ups to come!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

HELLO MONDAY (on Sunday)

This week I'm saying:

HELLO a little early, as I'm off to chilly Scotland tomorrow

HELLO to hopefully seeing an improvement in my dad when I get there

HELLO to the house being totally decorated for Christmas!

HELLO to spending time with family and friends, both in Scotland and (weather permitting) the NE of England

 HELLO to some serious Christmas shopping

HELLO to seeing Craig on Thursday :)

Whatever you're doing this week try to find some time just for YOU....we all know how difficult that can be at this time of year!....my 'me' time will be on the plane tomorrow :)

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

SIMPLY A MOMENT

It's 10.50a.m. on Saturday 17 November and I have just sat down with a cup of coffee, after having my 'in-laws' here. My FIL and his wife (who is NOT my MIL) rang to ask if they could come and shower here- they live fairly close by and had been without water for 24 hours.

As I sit listening to Josh Groban singing Christmas songs and looking at the ironing board....which has been in the same position since yesterday in the hope that I may actually DO something with it!...

.....I am pondering upon the fact that they didn't just use boiled, bottled water to wash, like everyone else does when they have water problems, when I am distracted by Kirsty and her friend Imane (who we picked up last night) looking through my 'baking cupboard'- they are checking for ingredients for some cupcakes they plan on making later today. There is much hilarity as they discuss what toppings they want to make for said cakes.....it makes me smile to hear their banter, and I am grateful that Kirsty has always had good friends around her, both in Spain and in the UK. As they go to get their shoes, Boo works out that they are about to go out and I can hear the little bell on her collar jingling as she follows them down the hall.

 I go back to pondering the water situation.......most people here keep spare bottled water in case the water DOES go off ; it is not a totally unknown phenomenon here! All it takes is some roadworks to be taking place and for some odd, inexplicable reason we lose water for half a day or whatever! 

The girls leave, and poor Boo has been left indoors with me...she jumps up to her spot at the window (on top of the sofa-back, which is wrecked by said activity!) and cries as she watches the car reversing out of the driveway. When she jumps down, I know they have gone so I let her out...she will now sit like this at the gate till they come home.

Ah well...my coffee is finished and that ironing calls....

Hope you've had a good weekend!

Thanks to ALEXA for the inspiration to 'Share a Moment' every month

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

IN GOOD COMPANY WITH GLITTER GIRL ...AT CAMP AND THEN A SOIREE!

Before I did the 'Great Scrap Area Tidy', in honour of my friend Elaine's arrival ...and she KNOWS how honoured she is ;) I managed to squeeze in one more Layout, 

The inspiration for the paper choices came from SUSANNE'S IN GOOD COMPANY challenge,  for which this month, she is looking for PINK PAISLEE products. My background paper and the striped one are both from the 'VINTAGE VOGUE' collection..everything else is from my stash.

The sketch itself is the one used by GLITTER GIRL HERE....and I did use both Washi Tape and ribbon!

The CAMP FRIENDZY challenge was:

 to use the colors of the rainbow as your inspiration and use at least 5 of those colors. And yes, to make it easy, the colors can be any shade you want. Just make sure you have at least 5 of the 7 main colors found in the rainbow on your LOs or cards

...and finally, I'm linking up to JENNIFER'S SCRAPBOOKING SOIREE!

Have a great week my friends!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

AND THE BOOK GOES TO......

As promised, I got around to picking a name out of the hat bowl, and 'HOW I LIVE NOW' is about to continue its journey.....this time to my homeland, as LIZ from  LIFE AT THE GABLES is the recipient! Congratulations Liz...will you email your mailing details to me at alison290atlivedotcodotuk and I'll get it on it's way.

I have just had a lovely week with my friend Elaine, who came over for some R&R after some surgery. We didn't do much...just caught up with each others lives and enjoyed the sunshine. She left yesterday, returning to Scotland and it has only occurred to me this morning, that if I had been more organised she could have taken the book back to post, and Liz wouldn't have had to wait for the Spanish postal service to 'get into gear'! 

Mum and dad arrive tonight...I haven't seen them since January, so am looking forward to them arriving. As regular readers know though, much as I love to see them, because of the distance for travelling they stay for about five weeks, which when you are used to living on your own most of the time is a bit stressfull. That sounds really mean and selfish, especially as dad suffers from Parkinson's Disease and Emphysema and the sun and heat are so  good for him, but I suppose that because I DO live so far away, I don't see the deterioration in him and suddenly I have to live with it 24/7 for five weeks. It's very difficult to see our parents growing old, with all the implications that brings. Am hoping and praying that both he and mum's health benefit from their visit , and that I can cope with whatever issues the visit throws at us.

Anyway,hope you've all had a great weekend...especially those in the UK who are enjoying some much-awaited sunshine!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

(BELATED) THANKS!

On reading JEMMA'S POST today, I was reminded that I have been a very bad Blogger! In February..yes you did read that correctly....I  was lucky enough to receive two Blog Awards. 

 In the space of a week HELEN over at SCRAP ADDICT  and  LISA-JANE at INSIDE MY HEAD both awarded me 'The Liebster Award'

....seemingly the idea of this one is that it is to bring attention to blogs with less than 200 Followers and the rules are as follows:

1. show your thanks to the blogger who gave you 

the award by linking back to them.

2. reveal your five picks for the award 

and let them know.

3. post about the award on your blog.

4. bask in the love from the most supportive people

 in the blogosphere!  {aka your followers}

5. finally have fun and spread the love!

I read so many great blogs, and hate making choices of any kind...so you can imagine how long it's taken me to write this! I have chosen five lovely bloggers who I have been following for almost as long as I've been blogging...and to whom I haven't passed an award before.

1. GINGER from GINGER'S LIFE OF SPICE...not only does she have wonderful projects to drool over, but she organises the fun MAIL ART EXCHANGE!

2 JACKY  from SCRAPPY JACKY.....makes the most beautiful cards (and just scrapes in, as she is so popular!)

3.DEB FROM DEB'S WORLD.....who not only shares her crafty makes, but also gives an insight to her world.

4.RINDA from GALLO ORGANICO...who produces the most amazing artwork, and always leaves you with something to think about! 

5.MELISSA from DAILY LIFE-BITS AND PIECES.. one of .the MOST organized people I have ever come across- and she's pretty creative too!;)

I have actually received another award this week, from ESTELLE, over at TWINKLES, TUTORIALS AND TWIRLS,

 but shall pass that on soon..my poor brain hurts just now!!

If you  pop over to Estelle's other Blog  RUSTIC STAR DESIGNS though,you will find a fabby Giveaway going on!

Belated thanks to Helen and Lisa-Jane...and more recent thanks to Estelle!

Hope you all have a great weekend..mine is going to be spent cleaning, as my friend Elaine is arriving on Monday to do some recuperating from some surgery she's just had.

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

Uplifted!

A very quick post to say thank you to everyone who left a comment on Saturday...they were all so very much appreciated, and I was able to go into Stuart's birthday feeling very uplifted.


We have survived another anniversary, with the love and caring thoughts of family and friends as always...not forgetting our memories!


Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx