WAVING ON MONDAY......

....NOT Tuesday, but actually on Monday!

It's been a couple of weeks since I joined SIAN and her merry band of 'wavers'.....life has been busy here in 'the slow lane'....Christmas Bazaars, Carol Concerts, shopping for the local  Food Bank and - of course- decorating not only my own house but the Drop-In Centre are a few of the things which have been going on.....not to mention my Ornament Exchange last week. 

Me on Monday?

Labelling these packages for the FOURTH time!....they have been the bane of my life for two weeks (at least!) now.....Craig and I packaged them up when he was home a couple of weeks ago....FEDEX have been supposed to be picking them up, but every time the very patient, non-English speaking lady turns up the labels I have printed off have been wrong!! Another set has been printed and the pick-up was supposed to have been today....guess what?!- it didn't happen...hey ho!!

Whilst waiting for the pick-up I managed to spend a little time in the garden....and look what I found:

who would believe it?!...even here!

Some other pretty sights in my garden:

the Bizzy Lizzie is still flowering...it's struggling a bit now but valiantly still producing flowers even after our long, hot summer

and of course my trusty nasturtiums, which just self seed and spread everywhere if I'm not careful!

Hoping your week-before-the-week -of Christmas holds good things and not TOO much stress!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

PS....I'm hoping to get around to some blog reading this week...looking forward to catching up with you all!

WAVING ON TUESDAY.....

....after having been MIA for a few weeks.

Our temperature has dropped by ten degrees since Saturday, but the sun is still shining and today saw me doing this:

When I dropped a friend home today she invited me to pick some grapefruit from the tree in her garden.....I couldn't believe how many were on it!

The weekend?...our Charity Christmas Bazaar was on Sunday, which meant that Saturday was spent preparing for it....and on the day itself a grand total of just over 5000 euros was raised! 

One of the highlights of the day was one of our Craft Group ladies (a self-confessed 77 years of age) performing the splits after a very entertaining dance routine!

A special wave to SIAN and her Monday Wavers.....and hoping the week brings good things to one and all!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

ME ON MONDAY.....

..... on Tuesday yet again!


After a morning at the Drop-In Centre and then going to the Mall to get a few bits and pieces for Kirsty's Christmas ( I'm heading over to see her and want to leave her Christmas presents wrapped, as she's not spending Christmas here this year!) I managed this:

....a cup of coffee in the sun!

The weekend?...... a group of us had lunch made by another local Charity which works with adults with  special needs; they are a Spanish Charity and to say the food was interesting is an understatement! Saturday night saw me start to write my Christmas cards whilst watching 'Strictly..! 

Sunday morning I baked for our monthly Afternoon Tea, which is where I went on Sunday afternoon.... I overdosed on sugar on Sunday, without a doubt!

Waving to SIAN and the ,Monday Wavers' and wishing you all a good week!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

ME ON MONDAY....

....but waving to SIAN and her merry band on Tuesday (so what's new?!)

Yesterday saw me booking flights to and from the UK...I'm off to visit Kirsty then up to Scotland to have a few days with mum.

The weekend?.....Saturday saw me spending the day in my PJs- scrapping and watching 'THE VAMPIRE DIARIES' on my laptop....I discovered on Friday that NETFLIX has come to Spain and after getting over my excitement, I signed up right away!  I did manage to have a shower and change into clean PJs before 'Strictly'..then went back to scrapping and Netflix!

On Sunday I spent two hours in a 'hoarder's house' trying to encourage him to declutter before moving to a smaller home...I see many more hours there! I spent the afternoon  working in the garden and, after completing  another layout, tidied my scrap space before settling down for more teen Vampire adventures!...do I know how to live or what?!

Hoping you've all had a good weekend and have good things to come this week.

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

ME ON MONDAY

I KNOW it's October, I KNOW it's early but it's me we're talking about here..... so this morning saw me doing THIS on my IPad:

The album is 'ON THIS WINTER'S NIGHT' by LADY ANTEBELLUM ....well worth downloading or buying the CD

The weekend?....there was a fun Quiz Night, a funeral, a Village Street Fair (in which the Charity was involved) in aid of Breast Cancer  and a meal out with friends.......mixed, eh?

Waving at SIAN  and the other 'Monday Wavers' and wishing you all a good week.

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

ME ON MONDAY

Having been MIA for a few weeks now, I thought it was time to return to Blogland!

Mum has been here for a couple of weeks and left last Thursday; she was the last of the Summer visitors and it really is time to get a grip of myself and lose some a lot of weight. With that in mind I have bought a little pedalling machine (good old Lidl!) so here I am today, having managed to put it together, having a little practice:

My plan is to use it while either watching TV in the evening or even while writing blogposts...I'm using it as I type here!....it's GOT to be better than doing nothing at all!!

The weekend?.....after seeing mum to the airport, it was  re-organising bedrooms and cupboards, creating a 'proper' craft space, packing Summer clothing away at the Charity Shop (and some here too) and bringing the Winter stock in to the shop...at times like these I am grateful to have my little Ford Focus-it folds down to give me lots of space to transport boxes! There was of course time to watch 'Strictly' and even to get some scrapping done!

Although Summer is officially over, it's still very warm during the day though cooler in the mornings and evenings...perfect weather except that we still have the blasted mosquitos.. and various other biting insects...I am SO fed up smelling of mosquito repellant and the worst of it is that I'm STILL being bitten and therefore scratching...I'm sure they lie in wait for me to venture outdoors!

Waving to SIAN and all the Monday 'wavers'......and to you too of course!

Wishing you all a good, bite-free week!

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

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ME ON THE LAST TUESDAY OF SUMMER.....

.....and therefore the last day of the 2015 SUMMER SCAVENGER HUNT


21. A photograph of you with a sign reading "2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt".

The weekend?...I'll get to THAT in a minute, but first my final photos:

11. A cellular tower or television satellite dish

I had something more interesting than the satellite dish on top of my house...but can I find it?!

18. An overloaded truck, car, bicycle or other vehicle

my car after a trip  to the cash and carry (on behalf of another Charity) to get food for our local Food bank

12. A public restroom, bathroom, or toilet

the Public Toilets in our local Shopping Mall

3. A person walking a dog (or other animal)

NOW for the weekend to finish off my Scavenger Hunt :


I flew to Bristol Airport, where I took this photo:


19. A ticket booth

 

the Ticket Booth where I bought my Bus ticket to get to the Train Station to get to the next Train Station where I caught the taxi which took me here......

10. A college or university

  

.......to join a group of wonderfully talented and genuinely lovely ladies- most of whom I have met in this marvellous place called Blogland! (more photos of that on another post!).

After a weekend of scrapbooking , chatting, laughing and eating it was time to head home and grab this pic from the plane:

20. A natural body of water

.....no, NOT the Mediterranean, as I'm sure most people would have expected me to post, but the Bristol Channel taken from the plane!

By my reckoning, given that I posted someone with an umbrella in my last SSH post which I shall use to replace the dratted three flags pic,I have managed all but one ...4. People playing a board game or card game!

As always, it has been great fun RINDA.....thanks so much for giving us all something to focus on for the summer and for organising the link-ups.

Waving to SIAN and the weekly wavers too...have a great week!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

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ME ON MONDAY

Today you find me with Teal Toes .......it's Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and there are a group of us in Blogland who have our toes painted in honour of MARTI, our friend DEB TURTLE'S late mum :she fought brave and hard, like so many others who suffer from this awful disease.

The weekend?....it was a wet one...as in VERY wet, which allowed me to get an item for the SCAVENGER HUNT....it's one of the 'alternatives', as I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get that Ticket Booth 

my friends Rosita and Margaret...taking shelter under an umbrella whilst waiting to go into Mass for the dedication of our village's Patron Saint....followed of course by the  usual loud, frenetic get together in the local Civic Centre

.

Before that, there had been Afternoon Tea at our Drop-in Centre and Saturday had seen me getting the house ready for THE GIRLS arriving this week......which meant clearing all my craft things away- I'm sure you can imagine how long THAT took me! - but  there was time for a bit of reading in there too and making final travel plans for a Blogger's weekend which is fast approaching!

Waving especially to SIAN and the 'Monday Wave' team

Thanks for dropping by!

take care of you

Alison xx

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ME ON MONDAY......

Well actually Tuesday......making the most of an overcast day to sit outside with my book!

The weekend?......it was time with Craig, buying some new garden furniture, looking for a new sofa (unsuccessfully!), booking a trip for Craig and myself at the end of September, booking a flight for mum to come over and generally eating too much kind of a weekend....not to mention being eaten alive by mosquitos- they are really bad this year...i have NEVER had so many bites as I have at the moment!

Hoping you have had a mosquito-free and fun weekend my friends.

As always  sometimes on a Monday (or indeed a Tuesday!) waving especially to SIAN and her merry band of 'wavers'!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

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ME ON MONDAY

A very good Monday morning to you all......and especially to SIAN and her merry bunch of 'wavers'!

This morning sees me in that very rare position over the summer months .......alone and able to make as much crafty mess as I please..even in the kitchen which is the coolest room in the morning! In any other room I need to turn a fan on, and you can guess what THAT does to paper and embellishments!!

The weekend?.....it was a waving farewell to good friends, sheet and towel washing,then  ignoring the housework and immersing myself in a trilogy of books which have been calling to me for ages ( BELLE, THE PROMISE and SURVIVOR by LESLEY PEARCE). I hadn't read any of her books before but I was really drawn into this family saga....the final one has still to be finished, but I'm working on that! There was time for a hospital visit and a visit to my LITTLE OLD LADY, whose Birthday it was on Saturday......obviously some scrapping too!


I'm looking forward to a visit from Craig later in the week....and hoping to be planning a holiday with him at the end of September...I do hope you've all got something to  be looking forward to!

Thanks for dropping by!
take care of you
Alison xx

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ME ON MONDAY...IN TWENTY WORDS

Duster and polish in my hand can only mean one thing......the next lot of houseguests are on their way!

Waving not only to SIAN and the 'usual suspects' today, but also to the lovely and newly engaged ABI who came up with the great idea of ONE PICTURE TWENTY WORDS

have a good week , my friends!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

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ME ON MONDAY

Do the scarf, cardigan and grey sky give enough of a clue that I am not at home on this Monday morning ( yes, I'm posting on Tuesday but the picture was taken yesterday)

 

 

 

I arrived in Scotland last Wednesday night, and the scarf and cardi have been almost permanent fixtures since then!

As you can tell, I'm feeling ever so much better and the shingles rash has gone. It's the oddest feeling though, as if even my makeup brush touches the area which was affected the nerve endings tingle...not painfully now, but I'm still aware of it!

The weekend? It was a travelling with mum and Craig to see Kirsty and HER Craig's new house, loving the house but being dismayed at the state of the garden....thus pulling weeds and strimming the almost foot-long grass.....trying to explain the difference between weeds and flowers to my daughter, having a bit of retail therapy and eating too much kind of weekend.

I head home tomorrow, so today will be spent with mum....I took her for a 'proper' grocery shop yesterday; the first she's felt like doing since dad died....she is slowly adjusting to her new situation, but it's hard seeing her so sad......I'm just glad to have been able to get over this week and spend some time with her.

 

Waving to SIAN's 'Monday Wavers' and to everyone else ....have a good week!

 

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

 

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WAVING......

...to the lovely SIAN and the ever-growing group of 'Monday Wavers'...and to you too of course!

Me on Monday?

Sporting a bite from 'something' at the top of my nose, which has caused a reaction all round the right side of my face ....I have since taken antihistamine and am feeling somewhat better.

The weekend?.....a charity function on Friday night from which my poor feet took two days to recover (the sign of a good night in my eyes!), food shopping, baking for and going to Afternoon Tea at the Drop-In Centre and trying to keep cool in the 35 degree heat......I also found a few items for RINDA'S SUMMERTIME SCAVENGER HUNT


Here's this year's list:


1. A bouquet of flowers
2. An ornate door knocker
3. A person walking a dog (or other animal)
4. People playing a board game or card game
5. Architectural columns
6. A metal bridge
7. A turtle
8. Someone "plugged in" to social media 
9. A tent
10. A college or university
11. A cellular tower or television satellite dish
12. A public restroom, bathroom, or toilet
13. A merry-go-round or carousel
14. A traffic signal
15. A flag pole with at least three flags on it
16. A panoramic view, taken while standing someplace high in the air
17. At least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms
18. An overloaded truck, car, bicycle or other vehicle
19. A ticket booth
20. A natural body of water
21. A photograph of you with a sign reading "2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt". Note: you may not use a substitute for this item.
If you find something on the list too difficult, you may substitute one of the following items for any one item on the list, except for Item #21:
Alternative A: People eating outside
Alternative B: Someone holding an umbrella
Alternative C: A rocking chair 

So far:

17. At least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms

The band at our village's Fiesta last week

7. A turtle

I thought this would be really difficult to find.....until I realised this is my pool thermometer this year!

5. Architectural columns

Another one I thought I'd have a problem with....but these are part of the balustrade around our pool terrace

8. Someone "plugged in" to social media 

After waving mum and my sister off last week, I had a cup of coffee in the airport and sat behind this girl who was 'plugged in' to both her laptop AND phone

14. A traffic signal

I drew up to these lights when returning from shopping and quickly grabbed my phone before they changed!

6. A metal bridge

I remembered about this bridge just before I got to this bend in the road and had my phone poised for action...I was a passenger at the time, I hasten to add!

As always, thanks to Rinda for coming up with another great list.....!'m looking forward to seeing what everyone else who's participating comes up with for the prompts.

Wishing you all a good  week

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx 

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ME ON MONDAY....

....late, surprisingly enough!

Monday saw me spending quite a bit of time in the car,

between general chores and then taking Mum and my sister down to the airport...... Fortunately the chap who had been assigned to give mum Special Assistance through the airport turned up very quickly, so there were no prolonged farewells; my sister was filling up with tears ......she returns to NZ tomorrow, so there's no knowing when we'll see each other again ....I can only imagine how many tissues she'll go through this week!!

The weekend?....trying to keep mum cool- she found the heat very tiring, so spent a lot of time indoors sitting as close to the fan as she could get,reading. We managed a visit to the Mall (yes, we DO have a mall, which blessedly has AC!), a trip to the coast on Sunday evening-which of course meant a visit to the ice cream 'parlour' and lots of dips in the pool for my sister and myself throughout the course of the weekend.

Waving to SIAN'S little band of 'Monday wavers'...and of course to everyone else......hoping all's well wherever you are in Blogland!

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

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ME ON MONDAY

I've been back home for a week now....and it's taken me till now to find my Blogging mojo again.

It's been a difficult and emotional couple of weeks, but by today I have managed to find the time and inclination to sit in the sun, in the shade of my new parasol:

The weekend?..... It's been mainly house tidying and cleaning, as my mum and sister arrive tomorrow for a few days. My sister came back from New Zealand about seven weeks ago and has spent all of that time either at hospital with dad or looking out for mum...she returns next week, and we felt that it would be good for the three of us to spend some R&R time in the sun. Mum is looking forward to it, but with mixed feelings, as it will be her first time here without dad; I am discovering that my mum is a very strong and resilient lady....I think I take after her...I hadn't realised quite how alike we were until these last few weeks and I'm grateful that I have seen this side of both of us.

Thank you to everyone who has been in touch in these last couple of weeks.....as always the Blogging community has been so supportive and caring!

Waving to the other Monday Wavers, spurred on by the lovely SIAN

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

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ME ON MONDAY

Waving to you today from sunny California.....yes, you read it correctly! I am in San Jose with Craig.....a trip that I knew might be upcoming, but which I wasn't at all sure I should make, given the situation with dad.

In the end though, Craig decided I needed a break and booked for me to come over with him....so here I am, sitting in the sunshine outside Starbucks!

I'm still at the jetlag stage, but managed to sleep for a few more hours last night than the previous one so I'm feeling ALMOST human.

The weekend?.....I met up with Craig at Amsterdam Airport, spent around ten hours in the air (I had a window seat,which I like) during which time I read a book ( THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS by M R Carey; highly recommended by Kirsty and I thoroughly enjoyed it) and played Sudoku, as well as watching out said window- I am always amazed at how vast and empty Canada is as you fly over it. Between Passport Control, waiting for luggage and standing in the Car Hire queue,it was another three hours before we left the airport. Once Craig got the meetings he needed to organise set up, I was able to get in touch with RINDA and make arrangements to meet up with her on Wednesday ( so looking forward to that!)

As always, thank you all for your kind comments and promises of prayers and keeping us all in your thoughts ; there's no real change in dad, but then I'm not expecting there to be.

It's been a holiday weekend both sides of the Atlantic, so hope you've all had a great one!

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

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WAVING ON TUESDAY

Once again, I'm joining in with SIAN'S merry bunch of 'Monday wavers'.....and once again it's on a Tuesday!

Today has seen me unpacking from my trip to Sotland...I arrived home late last night, having decided that I need to get some sort of 'normality' back in my life.

is it just me, or does everyone find random items at the bottom of their cases?!

The weekend (and indeed the last week) was a round of hospital visits, spending some time with both Craig and Kirsty , taking an overnight trip to the NE of England- allowing a (very) brief catch up with friends and a little Retail Therapy! - and then saying my farewells before heading home.

Thanks to everyone who left a comment on my last post ......dad is still not ready to give up, and the Consultant says we could be looking at weeks or even months of this phase, hence the reason I have come home....with a heavy heart, but knowing that dad- and mum- are in good hands.

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

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ME ON MONDAY

After arriving home on Sunday night, having spent a week visiting mum and dad in Scotland (where the sun DID actually shine for two days!) I enjoyed my first cup of coffee sitting in the sun

The weekend?......I travelled south for a funeral, spent twenty four hours with Kirsty, drove back to Scotland, visited dad in hospital, met up with friends for lunch and coffee and flew home!....a very mixed bag this time!!

A day late waving to SIAN and her merry band of Monday 'wavers'...but I know she'll forgive me for that!

Hope your week holds lots of good things!

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

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ME ON MONDAY

A day late again, but this was me yesterday...still catching up with laundry after all my visitors of the last few weeks had left.

The weekend? I saw Kirsty and the boyfriend on their way back to the UK on Friday, spent some time pruning and weeding in the garden, visited MY LITTLE OLD LADY who has ended up in hospital after a bad fall, had a very pleasant lunch at a local restaurant with good friends on Sunday....and  finished my last Layout for my FIVE FAVOURITES for February..... I"m hoping to get the photograph taken of that tomorrow and then I'll share them with you.

We also had word last week  that, after having an MRI scan, the doctors were pretty sure that dad had gallstones...he had surgery today during which they removed two rather large stones without complications.... he is now in Recovery and we are all hoping and praying that he will be able to start eating again and  build some strength up.

Waving at SIAN (whose idea ME ON MONDAY was)... and her merry band of wavers - and of course YOU!

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

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