General Chat

Susan dear I had got you and Lesley's names mixed up. You are both such elegant ladies and its easy to get you muddled :-D :-D :-D

I am chuckling to myself about fireworks. Many moons ago in the 1970s my dear Papa loved to give a firework display in the back garden, as did many Papas of the time. I remember that the fireworks were sold in a cardboard box and then deposited to a sturdy old biscuit tin from the shed. The Papas of our estate could also have a good old bonfire in the garden (this was before health and safety was invented :-D)
Well one year Pa dropped a match into the tin box by mistake and whoooosh off they all went :-( now this is a true story but one I believe happened to many a Pa on the 5th of November. My Mama in law said the very same thing happened to her Pa for two years in a row!

We had a wonderful view of a public display sitting in the warm in the back bedroom on Saturday. It was on the horizon and put on by the local Primary School at the local football club :-D :-D :-D
It's very quite here tonight. I think everyone has had their displays. I hope all the pets have settled.

Now Cherry dear. My tutting and more tutting yesterday paid orffff. FTY was given a test on what they had learned through reading to page 90 of To Kill a Mockingbird :-D :-D :-D :-D how fortunate I had attended the task of mucking out the school bag and finding said book :-D :-D :-D
FTY was a little happier knowing I had tutted and tutted some more. Many of FTYs classmates had not read to page 90 or sadly past page 1.

Now where is Aunty? I expect she is out organising displays and jacket potatoes for the firework going public
:-D


Toddle pip for now


Teresa

Morning,

Our grand puppy was traumatised by the seeminlgy never ending barrage of fireworks......

She got to sleep by her 'mothers' bed until all the 'hoohar' ;-) had died down.
About 11pm she was put out in her kennel.

Wonder where she thinks she might be sleeping tonight :-D.

I wonder how many dollars went up in smoke last night, by the debris about, a pretty large sum..

I am very pleased to report all my walking is finally paying dividends :-). Hurrah.

Fruit and I are quietly planning our Christmas menu :-D. How quickly is the 'good' undone I wonder?

The sun is finally showing its face, tis a coolish morning with gusting winds. Good day for pegging out the washing. Shame I have to go to work :-|.

Orf I go,

Susan

Susan you had 5th November shortly before we got it here ....... for the last week there has been nothing but BANG and WHIZZZ and WHEEEEEE, starting at dusk and going on most of the night. I feel so sorry for the animals as they have such sensitive hearing. Our cat has been very much a homebody, much to my relief. Safe in the house, the noises dont seem to alarm her too much, she just curls up and sleeps with one eye open. But the dogs we had years ago, used to bark and whimper.

I would like to see the day dawn when all fireworks are banned from public sale, and only properly supervised Ticket Admission fireworks displays held by authorized and licensed organizers, are allowed. This would prevent a lot of accidents and vandalism.

I am dreading tonight, when the inconsiderate ones start up again. No doubt it will continue until after the New Year. And start up again next spring/summer, every time someone has a birthday. Oh for the silent days of catherine wheels and sparklers, when November 5th was on one day of the year only.

I read The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings when I was in my 30s, as the books had been bought for one of my Offspring wot have now sprung off. I quite liked the stories, but I like a bit of fantasy anyway.

I didnt mind doing "book reviews" in English lessons, although I used to worry that I couldnt do an adequate precis and assessment. An English teacher introduced me to Middlemarch, a book I eventually bought and very much enjoyed.

Hoohar is a word I often use myself. I dont believe one will find it in the Oxford English dictionary but it is a delightful "catch all" which covers many rumbunctious situations.

CC

Teresa, to want to know the end of a book, without reading said book, is cheating !! :-D

Dill went home, and Boo Radley came out .... make what you will of that!!! ;-)

CC

Lesley I could not have been biffed on the head by handbags at dawn. I was back at Motie Towers, keeping up with the news broadcasts.

I see that dear Petunia has still not admitted anything. After sharpening all the knives in the kitchen, she went out to do some more Good Works and did not return home. All night. Now, what do you make of that?

Ah Mrs Berry has arrived and the lovely aromas of freshly brewed ground coffee and bacon and eggs are wafting up from the kitchen. I will return ...

CC

Err Teresa, I think you meant Lesley :-)..

What goings on in my absence :-D. I feel totally safe being do far away from all the hooha :-S, is there such a word?.

Well, tis November 5th and the 'nosie' has started already, tis still daylight :-|. I hope all the cats and dogs about are put away safely for the evening....

OH and I won't be partaking in the 'festivities', no little people to play wth here anymore :-(.

I am still toiling with our fence and am on to my second bucket of paint. To say I am over it, is SUCH an understatement :-|. I want a handyman to do all these jobs that I seem to be landed with....

Teresa, I too hated some of the book reviews I had to do whilst at school. I remember on one occasion, reviewing "The Hobbit". I have never read the book through and am certainly not interested in the movie version or any LOTR guff....
Oooh, I might be shot at dawn for such utterances ;-). Believe it or not, I do love to read.

I am orf on Wednesday with my fruit, to the big smoke. We are shopping for bridal materials :-).Here is another area in which I am the odd one out. I can barely thread a needle and have absolutely no idea about fabrics etc... Hopefully lunch will be nice :-D ;-). Wish us well. It will be a very long day.

I had better get on and think about dinner - no one else will cook it.
Lucky CC, being waited on :-). I should be so lucky..

Toodle pip.
Susan

PS. Lesley, a Pinky bar is a slab of gooey pink marshmallow coated in chocolate :-). According to the wrapper, they contain 50% less fat... Less than what I have no idea ;-)

Cherry dear, he wants to know the end so he doesn't have to read it :-D


Susan I always wanted Paddington from the teddy bear shop but never had the funds to buy him :-(


Orffff to bed now,


Teresa

Good Evening Ladies

Oh dear what a day I have had :-( it started so well with the offer of a lift from Auntie Petunia :-) by then I was in desperate need of a drink of water was there any........... no..............water water everywhere and not a drop to drink :-( the scuffle that followed :-0 I am trying to erase from my mind along with words beautiful lady and pretty blonde :-S Auntie and CC you both must have taken a knock on the head from Pat-trish-aaaaah's handbag as these words do not describe me well :-S

Teresa I liked the bear shop in Eld Lane for a tiny shop there was so much choice :-)

Chelmsford v Colchester I was surprised at the result but I didn't mind which team won, my loyalty is split. :-D :-D

Teresa dear, I have no idea what is going on. Petunia merely looked a trifle shifty and didnt answer my question, and I think she is sharpening the kitchen knives now. Pat rish aaaah has retired to her room, looking decidedly sulky. And there is only me in the dining room with the candelabra, alone with Mrs Berry's delicious dinner .......

Ah yes, To Kill A Mockingbird. Many moons ago, when the world was young, I saw the Gregory Peck film version, which was made in b&w even though color movies could be made. I believe it was decided to do the film in b&w, to illustrate the starkness of life during the Depression years.

I thought it was such a lovely story, that I dashed out and purchased the novel, which I still have. And, I now have a DVD copy of the Greg Peck movie.

This is a story which knows no age limits, and a book I could give my dear Grandmama to read without incurring her censure ... which is more than I can say about the Mills & Boon library book she caught me reading when she came to visit (in the days when M&B was very "tame").

What would FTY like to know about Mockingbird?

May I please offer the dear child a word of advice - which is :
never lag behind on reading novels for set course work. Some of these books are far better than you might imagine, once you get into them. Many novels pass the test of time which is why we are still reading books written in the 18thC and 19thC, and they make better reading than some of the pulp fiction being churned out today. These old stories illustrate that human nature hasnt changed in over 150 years. A good book will never let you down, and will enhance your vocabulary - always useful when you start chasing the girls!!! Young females prefer young men who have a way with words!

Please try to overlook that you were given the book for school work/course work, and aim to appreciate the world of literature - one day, you will be glad of it.

CC

Goodness me, what a carry on. Cherry dear what is going on.

Now on the delicate matter of shell suits, tis not quate the thing to wear at the moment really ladies, not in the current climate. Mind you FTE said a couple of people were decked out in shell suits and big medallions on the ships Halloween crew party!!!!! :-S

As for Pat rish aaaaaa, well shame on her. I have two spare rooms here. FTEs and the spare which is now a bedroom and not a junk room any more. She can come here and I will set her to work on good works.

Lesley such a shame that The Teddy Bear shop in Eld lane is no longer there. I'm sure they would have had a merry thought bear. I have one who is as old as my tounge and a little older than my teeth :-D. I have just seen on the news that Chelmsford beat Colchester 3-1 yesterday, my goodness how did that happen?

OH, FTY and I had a lovely view of the local firework display yesterday. We stood in FTEs room, nice and warm and watched them on the near horizon :-D :-D :-D

FTY is in the dog house and I'm am tutting like Junana with a pair of castanets. :-|
I thought I had been on the ball with the GCSE revision, a cross between Miss Jean Brodie and a pit bull terrier however Ladies do you know what I found when getting FTY to muck out his bag?............................................




To Kill a Mocking Bird :-| :-| :-| :-| :-|


Yes that old chestnut which pops up on a regular basis for GCSE English. "Oh you have been given the book for your coursework" said I..........."oh yes"said he "we have to read it to page 90 for the holidays"



Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr tutttttttty tutttty tutttttty tut.


FTE is ploughing his way through a rather unpleasant book as we speak, I am off hunting for a whiskey based cream tot to calm my nerves.



Yours, a very cross Mama


Teresa

I see the police were called out, because of an obstruction on the roads somewhere between Southampton and South London. An old lady, and two slightly younger ladies, had stopped on the hard shoulder. The old lady was shaking one younger lady by the shoulders, telling her she could not contact her daughter or there would be dire consequences, and in some cases Time Was Not A Healer. The other lady, a pretty blonde wearing an orange shell suit and trainers with flashing lights, was trying to separate them. An innocent lorry driver who had stopped to ask for directions to the nearest Happy Eater, narrowly escaped being biffed with handbags, and fled the scene. This incident was filmed on little Freddie Bloggs new video phone that he just received for his 2nd birthday, and is now the Hot Topic on Youse Tube. Freddie was a back seat passenger in a four wheel drive vehicle being driven by his Daddy. On being interviewed by a reporter, little Freddie answered "I watch Noddy an' Big Ears when mummy gives me bweakfast". The bemused reporter was also assaulted by handbags and is presently recovering at Alfonso's Wine Bar. The three ladies mode of transport has been impounded, pending investigation into insurance and road tax.

Well fancy that. Petunia dear, this didnt have anything to do with you, did it? You were rather late home. Where did you park the tuktuk?

CC

Coming along the B-roads now. Pat-trish-aaaaah is motoring nicely. She is fine. She is made of sterling stuff.

Now who is this I can see in the distance. A beautiful lady in a tracksuit.

Hop in Lesley, we can give you a lift home.

Wrap yourself in the tartan rug and keep warm.

Home James, and dont spare the horses.

Auntie Petunia

oh Lesley we have missed one another yet again ....... I only returned from Suffolk just last week. Darn.

Yep, sun glasses, fur coat - and dont forget the big floppy hat holding my rapidly depleting strands of hair in place :-D

Alas I find myself in the situation where I have to do some online ordering now, but am very careful about my purchases, and Amazon is very good, and for the most part I haven't been disappointed. But do agree, there is nothing like examining the goods in person, before one pays for them!

Shell suit and new running shoes on check, map with NEW direction to Southampton check, I'm orf Auntie Petunia and I should be with you by Friday...................................... at the earliest :-D

It seems there is a shop in Bacton near Stowmarket that sells Merrythoughs bears :-) some even have a growler :-) I can order online but I think I would like see the bear rather than go for the easy option so failing all else I'm orf to Suffolk after I return from Southampton. :-)

Yes CC it was Steiff bears that were in Selfridges :-(..................I must say you are looking very distinguished in your sun glasses and fur coat ;-)

I stand corrected ... no, I sit corrected, Petunia dear. I have redrawn the map for Lesley and she will be on her way to Southampton soon, in her new running shoes and wearing her best shell suit.

Breakfast, ah yes, a sailor's hearty breakfast. Eggs, bacon, tomatoes, fried bread, baked beans ....... tie your hat on firmly, it might be a windy day :-D

CC

Good morning dear Ladies,

CHERRY STOP, STOP. Please dont send dear Lesley to Portsmouth, I am in Southampton!!!!!

Lesley dear, I am delighted your little one is doing well. Give her a big smacker from her Auntie Petunia.

Ah the West End, my local shopping centre. Tis no wonder there are no English Bears. Most of our toys seems to be imported. I would have said John Lewis, but as you have had no luck there, there is no other suggestion I have.

House of Fraser? Debenhams? These two have sister shops in big towns, they are not solely in the West End. Maybe try those?

The hospital phoned this morning, and said that apart from swallowing a gallon of seawater, Pat-trish-aaaaah is well. So I can pick her up today.

I think I will get back to the Captain before I pick her up from the Hospital, to continue our fundraising business. She can wait.

Cherry dear, I am still undecided about Juana. She did me wrong and I find it hard to forgive such underhanded carrying ons. We will see.

Off to breakfast now ladies, then a perambulation down to the quayside.

All the nice gels love a sailor.......................................

Auntie Petunia

actually, sun glasses and a fur coat isnt as daft as it seems. While I was away, languishing and lost, trying to find Georgianna and the wisteria, I noticed several children walking along the prom in the bitter cold wind, dressed for Antarctica, munching merrily on ice cream cones !

CC

good morning all, its a bright one here. Someone pass me my sunglasses and a big floppy hat please!! and a fur coat ..... :-D

Hello Lesley that is good news regarding the baby isnt it, and how reassuring the hospital will monitor her.

Teddy Bears. I wont ask "what are they?" Have you tried searching in Amazon or Play for the English-made ones, or generally Googling? Whatever you do - dont buy one from Danbury Mint or Bradford Exchange, they sell bears but both these companies have been "advertised" on Watchdog BBC1.

Were the ones in Selfridges made by Stieff?

When I was knee high to a kipper, there was a huge teddy bear in the family which I think had belonged to my mother when she was a child. I remember this bear well. Around 1960/61 Mama decided to dispose of said bear as it was falling to pieces but it was too big for the dustbin and could not be burnt on the coal fire in the morning room, for the same reason ... it was bigger than the grate. The council were building a block of flats on a piece of ground behind our street, so one dark night my oh-so-correct and respectable Mama took the bear for a walk down the garden path and threw it over the party wall into the building site.

Hoping you all have a good weekend :-)

CC

Hello One and All

All went well today and E doesn't have to return to London until 11th December :-D

We had time to shop in Oxford Street before the appointment, eldest and youngest fruit shopped till they could drop :-D I just dropped :-D all I wanted to buy was an English made traditional Teddy Bear I think I was asking to much :-( Selfridges only had 4 decent bears all made by the famous Germany company :-( House of Fraser Teddy Bears what are they, zilch :-S John Lewis had John Lewis or John Lewis bears :-0 unfortunately we didn't have time for Hamleys :-(

Has anyone got any ideas where a English made bear can be bought? ...... .................. Teresa please don't tell me Colchester as I think I will cry:-|

~~~~~ back to Teresa, at least your Offspring are asking for something, so you know they haven't forgotten you ! ;-)

*

Well Petunia dear, I did warn you to get some bromide and put a few drops in Pat rish aaah's tea, didnt I. Now, you know that gel is easily led - and why were you not keeping an eye on Pat rish aaaah during luncheon? Did you not notice she had slipped away. I trust she changed into her "outfit" in the discreet environ of a first class cabin and not behind the big funnel.

As it happens, that bag she always carries makes me think of Vera Giles, the thin pasty sniffly lady who is related to Grandma Giles with whom I was once acquainted. I do miss Grandma. And the twins .....

But I digress - tell me, pray, when that gel bounced into the ocean, did the ocean get out? I trust no one mistook her for a whale? You really must consider forgiving Juana and taking her back into the fold. She might just help Pat rish aaaah to keep out of mischief.

I am sending you a virtual flask of coffee, as we speak, laced with a little Restorative to keep your spirits up. And I will arrange for Lesley to travel to Portsmouth and bring you back home in the tuktuk. Pat rish aaaah can always catch the train when she is recovered.

CC