Comment … You are such a fine storyteller.  Oh, please write a book!

Babs:  “No way! - Far too difficult.”

Comment … Yes, you should write a book. You’re an amazing storyteller.

Babs:  “It’s far to daunting.  I wouldn’t know where to start”

Comment … I agree with those above who think you could write a book.

Babs:  “No way! Couldn’t do it”

Comment … Sounds like something I would read in Reader’s Digest.

Babs:  “I wouldn’t know how to approach it…. Oh YES!  That’s how I could do it”

The first chapter is finished!

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It all started many years ago, in 1915, when two little children met for the first time.

The children were just 5 years old.  They played together under a kitchen table, while the grownups did what grownups do, chatted and drank tea.  Sidney, the little boy, was in awe of his new found friend.  He had never seen such a pretty little girl and he made a promise that day.  He promised himself that he would marry the girl that they called Jeanette.  Unfortunately life has a way of spoiling the plans of little children.  Jeanette was whisked away, by her parents, to live in America, where she became a child actress in the movies.  Sidney had lost his new found sweetheart and with her, his chances of fulfilling his promise.

Many years later, in fact about fourteen years later, Sidney, now a young man, was out with his father and they were rather surprised to bump into Jeanette’s father.  They were back from America.  He suggested that Sidney might like to meet Jeanette again, and gave him their address.  Sidney tucked the piece of paper into his pocket and after a short exchange of pleasantries, they went on their respective ways.  A short time passed and Sidney thought about that little girl he had met, all those years ago.  His curiosity got the better of him and he decided to visit.  He wanted to meet his childhood sweetheart again and see how she’d grown up.  See if she was still as pretty.

He arrived at the address, knocked nervously on the door and waited.  The door opened and the tiny frame of Jeanette’s mother stood in the doorway. Sidney could see that she was distraught.  “I’ve come to see Mr Fordham”  Sidney said. Mrs Fordham was crying as she led him into the house.  There was Jeanette! He recognized her immediately, though her face was pale and drawn and her eyes red from crying.  The sparkle had gone from those beautiful eyes. They led Sidney into the front room, to a scene that shocked him.  Jeanette’s father had just died quite suddenly, and was laid out in the front room. Things often don’t go as you expect them to, but this was not the time for Sidney to be thinking of himself.

Jeanette’s mother was French and couldn’t speak any English, and Jeanette’s sister, at 16, was the younger of the two girls.  It was obvious that they would find this a very difficult thing to deal with.  Although Sidney didn’t really know them, he decided that he couldn’t possibly leave them to see to all the necessary legalities alone, so he dealt with everything for them.  In fact he moved in, as a lodger, and looked after the three women, helping out wherever needed.  It was probably the best timed visit possible, in order for Sidney to be there when he was most needed.

In August 1930 it was a time for celebrations. Sidney fulfilled the promise he made himself under that kitchen table, when he was just five years old.  Fifteen years on, he watched eagerly as Jeanette, his childhood sweetheart, walked down the aisle of the church to become his wife.

This was the beginning.

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We were sitting in the waiting room. Mo had already had her mammogram and we were waiting for me to be called in.  There were two women sitting opposite.  Both held a slip of paper in one hand and a mobile phone in the other.  Both were squinting at the paper and tap, tap, tapping on their respective mobiles. Woman #1 finished what she was doing and slipped her mobile and piece of paper into her bag.  Woman #2 was not having as much luck.  It went something like this.

Woman #2 - moving her piece of paper back and forth to focus it…

“Mumble, mumble….This is too long…..” tap, tap, tap…..”I can’t see it…..mumble, mumble”…..tap, tap, tap…..

Mo and I chuckle.  Woman #1 looks our way and smiles…..

Woman #2 “How can I see what I entered?….it’s too long…..mumble mumble…..Look! It’s far too long …..Oh that’s nice!  They hung up on me!…..”

Mo and I laugh out loud.

Woman #1 - looks sheepishly our way and smiles again, while woman #2 mumbles on.

Mo and I  “What’s she doing?”

Woman #1 “Topping up” She smiles again and looks nervously at woman #2 who is mumbling for England.

Woman #2 “They hung up again!”…. tap, tap, tap…..”mumble, mumble…..”  She shifts agitatedly in her seat….. tap, tap, tap…..  “They hung up again!!!….”  silent pause….. “Oh I din it me sen” (Yorkshire for did it myself) A guilty, half smile crosses her lips as she realizes she’s been hanging up on herself all along.

Mo and I are in stitches now.

Woman #1 - while still looking nervous about laughing out loud, plucks up the courage to speak “She can’t even answer a text”

Woman #2 “well!…..tap, tap, tap…stupid things!…..mumble mumble…..”

Eventually woman #2 finishes and puts her piece of paper and mobile away, looking satisfied with herself and still mumbling about stupid mobiles.

I got called in for my mammogram.

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How’s your day been?

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Last week, something happened and I said to Mo “I’ll blog this”.  A day or so later something else occurred and I said the same thing.  I had plenty of material just waiting for the moment.

When the time came to write the post, my mind went blank.  It’s still blank. It’s been blank for a week now!  I have no idea what was so interesting that it deserved publishing here, all I know is that it’s lost forever now.

Those who know me personally would probably say “Your mind’s gone blank? Nothing new there then”  I have often been talking to someone and gone to mention, either a family member, or a close friends name and just stopped mid sentence, waiting for a prompt.  Thankfully I usually get one, though it has been known for me to have to give an account of the person’s (with the increasingly elusive name) life story - including their family tree, before the person I’m speaking to prompts me!  Whatever possessed me to start a blog?  Who was I kidding, that I would be able to hold stuff in my head for long enough?

To be really honest, I have a very good memory.  I can even remember expressions on peoples faces, where they were in the room in relation to me - I can see every little thing quite clearly.  It’s like watching a recording playing back in my head.  I can see things that happened forty years ago just as clearly! Why can’t I remember little things that happened just last week then?

Oh, I almost forgot.  The purpose of this is to tell you - Sorry, no post today ;O)

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I don’t usually post about things like this, but this is close to home, and made us very sad.  We are to lose our local  Yorkshire Television studios. They are closing it down as a direct result of the credit crunch, having lost a huge amount of advertising revenue.

They have produced some excellent programmes like, ‘Rising Damp‘, ‘The Darling Buds of May‘, ‘A Touch of Frost‘, ‘Heartbeat‘ and one of the long running soaps ‘Emmerdale‘. Those are just a few that Mo and I always watched. There were, and are many more.  Emmerdale will continue to be made, but I don’t know where.

It will be a big financial loss to the area too. Complete villages were used in the filming of some of these programmes. Not only were people paid for the use of their homes and land, but the crew and actors spent money in the village shops and bars.  Many stayed for long periods of time, in the local hotels and boarding houses.  It will be a huge financial loss to the area. To say nothing of the 400 jobs to be lost by the closing of the studio!

These are sad times.

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When I was in my mid twenties, I joined our company net-ball team.  I enjoyed playing as I was quite keen on sports.  Companies throughout London, and the surrounding areas, played against each other and made their way up (or down) the league tables.

Being based in the centre of London, our home ground was at Lincoln’s Inn Fields where all the ‘White collar workers‘ would spend their lunch hour during the fine weather.

The net-ball ground was always surrounded by row upon row of little ‘Home Pride’ men as we called them, that had no interest in net-ball whatsoever, but had come to see the young women running around in tiny little skirts and showing their knickers (panties).

Some of the matches wouldn’t be until after we finished work, so the Home Pride men were cheated out of their display.  This particular evening, I had just finished a match and was changing my shoes in readiness to go home, when someone approached me and asked if I would join their team as they were a player down.  After a days work and already having played a match, I wasn’t too keen, but being the soft touch that I was, I agreed.  Wrong decision!

I played goal attach and that’s exactly where they put me.  Wrong decision!

I stood and waited for the players to come to their positions and that’s when I saw it…..I saw her!  The tallest, most gangling girl I had ever seen, who’s arms were so long that she could easily graze her fingers on the floor as she walked.  Her legs were just as long!  She was like a walking daddy long legs (that’s a spider with long skinny legs).  She made her way up the field and stopped….right next to me!  Now for those of you who don’t know, I am 5′1″.  When I stood facing her my eyes rested on her navel!   This was the girl who would be ‘marking’ me.  Well, I was small and nimble so maybe it would be OK.

The whistle sounded and the game started.  I moved around waiting for the ball to be passed to me.  It was, I caught it, and that’s when daddy long legs moved in, like a spider about to wrap her prey up, trapping it in it’s web.  She stood, legs astride, bent over me with her arms wrapped around my body.  She left just enough room for it not to be a foul, and just enough room to force me to foul her.  I couldn’t move.  If I did I would touch her.  I moved -  “Foul!” She grabbed the ball from me.  The game progressed, and every time I caught the ball she repeated her ritual.  I couldn’t shoot for goal because she bent over the top of me, I couldn’t pass the ball as I was trapped by her great, gangly arms.  It went something like this.  I breathed …… Whistle…..”FOUL!” I turned my head…… Whistle…..“FOUL!”…… Whistle….. “FOUL!”…… “FOUL!” “FOUL!” “FOUL!”

I don’t anger easily, I’m usually very placid.  I HATED her.  I REALLY hated her!  I could have punched her quite easily.  I’d never felt such hate for a person.  I wanted to smash her face in, if I could have reached it (and that makes me feel bad now).  She took the sport out of the game.  She took the fun out of the game.  She took the rules of the game to the extreme and sneakily used them to her advantage.  Did I say I hated her?  She didn’t even play the game.  She did what all spiders do - stood and waited and then came in for the kill!  Needless to say we lost!

The captain, who asked if I would fill in for her absent shooter, immediately came and apologized to me for having put me through that ordeal.  She couldn’t have known - or did she?  Was that why their player hadn’t turned up?   Of course it was!

Daddy long legs was probably the most hated player ever!

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I was so surprised that two people were only one away from the correct number of Maltesers in the jug, and that they were either side of the correct number!   Now, without any further ado…..

….. the winners are …..

JenniJ From in the Bubble - who guessed 184

Kathy The Junk Drawer - who guessed 182

The correct number was 183!

As JenniJ was the first to make her guess, she can choose if she wants the Magnebeetle or the EC’s.  Kathy can have what’s left!  No, not really.  Kathy can also choose.   Can anyone tell me how many EC’s I need to send for the recipient to actually get 500?

Well done both of you and thank you all for taking part.  It’s been such fun - especially having to eat the evidence!

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My somewhat depleted box of Maltesers

I won’t be around much (if at all) on Sunday, so I thought I’d give you an update on the Maltesers Competition.

We have two people who have guessed within one of the correct amount!  Unless someone comes up with the correct number it looks like we have the winners!

I’ll let you know who they are on Monday.

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It’s here! My 1st Blogoversary. I know I had a false alarm once before but it’s one year today since I started blogging publicly.  Drowsey Monkey sent me this cake a long time back and I bet she thought I’d forgotten it.  There’s also some cute little cupcakes, I baked myself - remember, I lie!

What a year it’s been.  I found lots of great blogs to read, made many lovely friends.  I’ve learned a lot of American talk, and probably left a lot of British talk around in comments too.  I’ve become confused as to how to spell certain words like humor…er.. I mean humour, and Mo recognizes the back of my head more than the front now.  She’s acclimatized to the sudden outbursts of laughter that interrupt her TV viewing at regular intervals, and often pauses her programme so I can read her whatever it was that caused such laughter.  It’s been a great year.

As it’s my blogging birthday, It seemed fitting to mark this milestone with something, so let me introduce you to the Magnebeetle!

Yes it’s a Beetle fridge magnet, and you can win one of these - you know you want one….. don’t you?  Oh oka-a-y, if you would rather, you can have 500 EC credits.

I thought I would make this even more yummy by having a ‘How many Maltesers are in the jug’ competition.  I have to admit, it is more yummy for me than any of you though!

I don’t know if you all have Maltesers, so to help you get an idea of the size, here’s me holding one.  The jug is 7 1/2 inches from top to bottom.

I will also tell you that Mo bought a large box, so there are quite a few in the jug.

I think I will have two prizes, well I’m like that.  The first two correct guesses will win.  If there isn’t a correct guess, the first two people who guess the closest to the correct number will win.

I will keep this post up for a few days, to give everyone a chance.  Happy guessing!

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