George Mansions: 2008

Tuesday 30 September 2008

Another New Beginning.

Well! AOL have just lost a customer. Tomorrow will be my first day working from home and my first job will be to sort out a new Internet provider.

Not only have I had to put up with interminable waits while I attempt to open my AOL emails, I have now received a missive from the idiots at AOL UK saying they are going to delete all our Journals with effect from 31st October. That's the way forward isn't it? Seeing as Blogs are becoming ever more popular.

So, I shall be finding somewhere else to write my occasional wafflings and doing it via, a faster and more efficient Internet provider.

Saturday 20 September 2008

A New Beginning.

I am on the verge of a new life.

For the last twenty four years I have gone out to work. Until six years ago it was full time work. None of it was easy and much of it was working to tight deadlines.

While living in Cardiff I left home at 8 am , either travelling by car (nightmare) or train and bus (different kind of nightmare). I would return home at 6.15pm to a family that needed sorting with homework, scouts, difficult friends, dinner to be cooked, gardening and once a month returning home for a weekend with parents (Father who had had a stroke and was totally disabled) then there were other serious health issues in the family. Not to mention the logistics of two children that had to have a weekend with their Dad in Worcester and two other children that needed to come to spend time with their Dad in Wales.

When we moved back to Worcester life was not much easier. The children, who hadn’t wanted to move to Wales, now didn’t want to be back in Worcester.

Unfortunate choices in boyfriends and girlfriends led to court appearances for stalking/assaulting partners and ineffectual court orders left us, bemused, tired, frightened and fearful.

The stalking girlfriend ended up in prison, where oddly she was able to ring us, even though she was in prison for doing that same thing (270 time in one day alone) and all the time I was working for a large company that allowed workplace bullying. No, I will correct that, encouraged workplace bullying.
This week some of the buildings from the company were demolished.! I don't think Mr Kay would have wanted his company to become such a blot on the landscape and a thorn in the side of so many.
I was signed off with stress for five weeks at that time and I was one of many in the company to be signed off with the same cause. I’d never heard of such a thing before.

Moving to work at school was a great relief but even that has become a stressful environment now.

It will be wonderful to not have to spend forty minutes travelling just over four miles. WORCESTER NEEDS ANOTHER RIVER BRIDGE!!!! And I won’t be a punch bag for children under the age of ten any more.

So, from the 1st of October, I shall be working from home and for the first time in a very long time I shall feel in control of my life. (I hope)

Two weeks ago I went for a weekend at The Mercian Gathering. A Pagan Festival. It was as Satanic as Morris Dancing or dancing round The Maypole.

There was some ritual stuff, which was to celebrate the old Gods but it was just dressing up and , well, it’s hard to describe but it was just about loving the earth and the way the earth provides for us.

Nothing sinister and the whole weekend was about peace and harmony and love for the world we live in and the people around us.

There were talks and workshops, where you could learn how to make things like garlands,

(Hair care didn't feature much over the weekend and all over baby wipes was the best alternative to the muddy showers.)

or instruments and different types of healing. There was the Healing Tent, where you could go for free treatments in Reiki. Spiritual Healing, Reflexology, Indian Head Massage and probably other things that I have forgotten.

It rained most of the weekend apart from the time of the rituals.

Then it stopped raining half an hour before each event and started again soon after we finished. People said to us, "The Goddess won't let us down" and they were right, she didn't.

The rain and the mud didn’t spoil things at all. We just wore wellies and got on with it.

Saturday night was brilliant with two bands playing. Ehdless Knot were superb and I would definitely go to see them again. It was the first time I have ever spent the night dancing in my wellies. I had a fantastic time. Unfortunately Catherine was more tired than I was and she went to bed when the band had a short break at about 11.30. So when I went back to the tent at 12.30, she was fast asleep.

I then found I couldn’t remove my wellies!! Having worn them all day, they'd now become welded to my socks! No matter how I tried, they were stuck. I didn’t want to wake Catherine, as she was obviously tired and I seemed to be somewhat incapacitated by the wine I had drunk and the blackberry leaf cigarettes I’d smoked. Not quite sure why I did the latter, it just seemed a good idea at the time!!

So, at 1.15 am I was getting rather agitated about my still, tightly attached wellies and was getting a serious stich in my side from the contortions on the end of my camp bed. I had a pair of sharp scissors and was seriously thinking of cutting them off but as they were Hunter’s and cost £50, I was a bit loath to.

I then hit on the idea of kicking my heels viciously into the ground and thankfully they gradually they came free.

I had gone to the event with my sister, niece and daughter and we all agreed we had such a great time, we have to go again next year. Surely, if we could have a wonderful time in such appalling weather, it could only be better next year?

Last weekend was the annual Black Country Boating Festival and this year Mike was able to come with me. Again, like most things this summer, it was muddy underfoot but we still enjoyed it.

In the week we went toHergest Croft where they open their gardens daily to the public during the better months of the year (What are they please?)

Mike did an interview with the owner and we had a bit of a mooch around. They have a tearoom, where you can get a very nice cake…so we did.

I’m off to see my team, West Bromwich Albion, play Aston Villa tomorrow. There will be a huge crowd, as it’s a local Derby. Just hope it’s worth the petrol!!

PS Here's a wedding photo from my last entry.

Monday 1 September 2008

That Was The Summer?

Yes, it has been a long time!

I missed my 3 year anniversary of George Mansions, that was on the 20th August. I’m not going to make excuses for the dearth of entries. It has been for various reasons but the chief one is I’ve been ill for almost the whole of the six week summer holiday. I’ve been suffering from a virus, at least, I think that’s what it was and I’ve been in a very dark place for weeks.

The school holidays started so well, the first week the weather was good and I spent hours at a time working on the allotment and was feeling really good, there were so many things I planned to do. On the Wednesday Catherine and I took Isabella to a Teddy Bear's Picnic in aid of the local Hospice. Isabella had a lovely time and went in the paddling pool.

The weather at the end of that first week was wonderful and on the Saturday night I went with my friend Lucy to the open air Bretforton Silver Band Concert. We took a picnic and watched the fireworks that went on until after 11pm. I don’t think I got a chill but somehow I didn’t feel right after then.

On the Monday Catherine phoned me from Pembrokeshire and said how wonderful the weather was and to get down there with my tent. So off I went, with the top down on my car. Got as far as Raglan and the heavens opened and that was it. Three soggy days in a tent and on the second night a gale blowing. Several tents blew down and I was woken at 1am by the inner part of my tent buffeting me and then I realised there were flashing lights , grown ups shouting and kids screaming. I’m thankfull that my tent withstood it all perfectly and Catherine’s had some small leaks but nothing too serious.

This is my tent

The next weekend was the Hen Day & Night of an old friend. I went to her first wedding 20 years ago. By day we had a minibus out to the Cotswolds for a country wine tasting experience. I have to say Carolyn, it was certainly that!! What a laugh!! Carolyn had booked it through the Internet. There was no charge, they just hope you’ll buy some of their products.

We arrived and the minibus driver thought he’d taken us to the wrong place and got out to check but no, it was the right place. How would I describe it? Overgrown, disused, derelict? Yep that would be about right.

The owner looked like he was prematurely old, or, was quite youthful for someone who was old. Can’t be sure on that one. Ageing hippy would describe him well and his socks and sandals were the topic of conversation for hours to come.

In the evening we went to a Ball at the Worcester County Cricket Ground , a beautiful setting, where Catherine and I got dressed up in posh frocks and then got quite drunk. I danced for hours, something I haven’t done for years.

Above, my usual, frozen, hurry up and take it pose!

I found at the end of the evening I was being chatted up by a chap with no front teeth. We’d been looking at him earlier when he was ’Dirty Dancing’ with someone that looked old enough to be his Dad in drag!!! Don’t know what happened to him/her. But we’d been told the chap with no teeth was Hungarian. When I found he’d joined my table I asked him where he came from, he replied Dudley, which nearly caused me to choke with laughter. He didn’t help matters when he apologised for the way he looked and explained ‘I’m in between teeth’. Actually, I know someone else from Dudley who has no front teeth, I wonder if it’s the latest thing back in my home land?

On the Monday it was obvious this slight unwellness was getting a grip and I’ve suffered from a sort of gastric flu, which turned into a sinus and chest infection ever since. It really turned bad when I went down to Plymouth the following Saturday, I was only a bit sniffley then but of course it was the second weekend of Factory Fortnight and it took SIX bloody hours to get to Plymouth. I normally do it in under three! But I had a lovely dinner out with Simon and Tori, even although I couldn’t taste much of it.

Then, coming back on the Sunday, I think it was while I was parked in the fast lane of the M5, somewhere near Weston, I decided to get out and get a magazine from the boot and my bottle of Conovia Cough Medicine and much to the amusement of the vehicles parked around, I started swigging cough medicine from the bottle. It was at that moment that I realised I was really not very well and was wondering about the possibility of getting the Air Ambulance to come and get me out of that five mile car park. So that was another six hour journey back home.

The following weekend was Caroline’s wedding, that was a blur, couldn’t taste a thing. I hardly knew where I was. The wedding was at 4 and we went home at 8.30. But she looked lovely, as always. I would show you a photo but for some reason AOHell won't upload any photos from the day!!!!!!

Since then I got worse and now I am slowly getting better.

So that was my miserable summer. I could mention the weather but that’s a topic best avoided.

Actually, it wasn’t all doom and gloom, I did manage a day out last Sunday with Lucy. It was our annual girlie day out and I was determined to go, dead or not!

We had planned to go to West Wales but I knew I couldn’t cope with the distance, so we went to Tyntesfield, only an hour away (well it is with my driving <LOL>) . I think it was a bit mind over matter because I felt fine mostly, only half way round the house I had a little sit down and fell asleep!! I don’t think anyone noticed though. <LOL>

Then we went a couple of miles down the road to Clevedon, a great favourite of Sir John Betjeman . It was a little windy but some rare sunshine too. We walked along the restored Pier. What a treat, it doesn’t have the usual amusement arcades. Every plank has 3 brass plaques of names of people who donated to the restoration. Not to mention larger plaques over the benches. You could spend the day reading the stuff that’s there and some are famous people, like John Craven, from his Newsround and Mike Read. Some of the comments are really amusing. Marriage proposals and all sorts

There's a two story building at the end of the Pier and as we approached it, we were delighted to find it was the Pagoda Tea Room, with a balcony that ran all the way around it.

They offered Cream Teas. Well, it would have been rude to decline, wouldn’t it?

Tomorrow I go back to school. I don’t feel at all rejuvenated but I shan’t worry about that because I shall be handing in my notice. At last I have the job of my dreams, I shall be working from home doing music research and at last, without it being in the slightest bit scandalous,….I get to sleep with the Boss!!!!!

Saturday 19 July 2008

Much Marcle Steam Rally

Today we went to the Much Marcle Steam Rally. Much Marcle means three things to me. It’s where Weston’s Cider is made, it’s adjacent to where my father in law was born and lived his young life and it’s where Fred West lived and buried his first wife and child. (in the Finger Post field)

It’s sort of in the back of beyond but near to the M50 and if ever a place was rural, then this is it.

We arrived for Mike to open the Rally and he was invited to enter the ring on Lord Lascelles, considered the finest Traction Engine in the world.

Here are some of the other exhibits

Good to see that it's not just old men that have a love for these machines.

Not everything is exclusively steam, there is room for petrol,

diesel

and even paraffin,

oh, and not forgetting pedal power.

But my favourites were the farm machinery.

I loved the way two Traction Engines pulled this plough up the field, with two extra people for ballast.

I remember a combine harvester like this on the farm where I used to spend my school holidays, this one is from 1963!! It makes me feel a bit of an antique!

It was one of the best days out we have had in a long time.

It continues tomorrow, 20th July, if you are near enough to visit.

And next weekend is the Welland Steam Rally (next to the Malvern 3 Counties Showground) which is even bigger. 25th, 26th & 27th

http://www.wellandsteamrally.co.uk/index.htm

Sunday 13 July 2008

I am still here!

It’s been more than a month since The Race for Life and I have been told off for not getting an entry in about it. Where has that time gone? For those who were wondering, no, I wasn’t hospitalised after the event, just madly busy. A big thank you to all those who sponsored me, I raised a total of just over £200, an amount matched by the other members of The Black Country Gob team.

It was a beautiful day

and everything went well for us. We didn’t do a wonderful time, due to the vast number of us cramming into paths, that were only wide enough for two at times.

The Black Country Gob team did it in an hour. My sister and niece went off with the runners at the front (very ambitious) and they got round in 35 minutes. Not bad but I don’t see the 2012 Olympics beckoning.

I would definitely like to do it again next year.

The Race coincided with the arrival of Catherine’s In Laws, Vera and Biff, so the next few days were taken up in entertaining them. We did Cream Tea in the Cotswolds (Chipping Camden),

a real Indian food night out and then I had them all round for dinner here at George Mansions. So it was a busy few days and then at the end of the week, we had Isabella’s second birthday party.

The following week there was the annual Year trip to The Butterfly Farm at Stratford upon Avon. We also went on a boat trip on the River Avon, this is how the Royal Shakespeare Theatre is looking at the moment.

It rained almost all the time we were outside but it didn’t spoil the day. It was just a little annoying though to find ,when we returned to Worcester, only about 20 miles away, that it had been dry there all day! So I still had to go and water the allotment!

Then I went on a Year 2 trip, all day to Worcester Cathedral. I must say that I think a morning would have been enough, we were all flagging by half past two.

Two Friday’s ago it was the School Summer Fayre.

One of the teachers I work with got the chance to put into practice the 'Positive Handling' Course we went on recently, whilst restraining a truculent, oversized bear.

What hard work that day was was. Humping tables and putting up Gazebos and later dismantling them.

We had the annual Family Picnic on the last Sunday in June. It rained but were we deterred, no, of course not, we’re British!

I would show you some pictures but AOL has decided to not let me. I'll try to put those in later.

Catherine and I have bought tickets for a sort of festival weekend in September, We shall be camping. The first time I have ever been to a camping event. I did have a tent on a farm in Mid Wales when I was eighteen but to be honest, the only thing I remember from that was the sex!! LOL!!! And being woken at 6 am by a sheep that had climbed onto the roof and was licking the canvas. I was with S H who was the first love of my life and we were together for nearly three years.

Anyway, Catherine and I are going to a sort of mystical, healing weekend, which also celebrates the Old Gods and therefore the seasons. I was talking about this in the Staff Room at school. We have a couple of ‘Happy Clappy’ Christians. They like to go on Christian camping weekends, yet you would have thought I had said I was going on a boil a baby weekend. I am totally tolerant of other people’s beliefs and religions but it strikes me that the more zealous you are of your own beliefs, the less tolerant you are of other people’s. This opinion was reinforced by watching Louis Theroux (sp?) recently who spent some months with a truly horrid religious group in America. They were billed as the most hated family in America. I can understand, after seeing the programme, why people would think that.

So when I return from the weekend, I shall take pleasure in showing off my photos of the Wicker Man ceremony because I believe I have as much right to my beliefs as anyone else and as we won‘t actually be hurting, or killing anyone, (unlike the film) and only trying to heal people and this ravaged land of ours, why would anyone have a problem with it? Who is to say who is right?

Saturday 7 June 2008

Race for life Day!!

I’m up really early, as today is Race for life day. As Mum used to say, what’s the matter? Wet the bed?

I need to leave here before 8.30 and when the dawn chorus of Bird Scarers, on neighbouring farmland, woke me at 4.40, I just couldn’t get back to sleep.

If anyone wants to sponsor me, it’s not too late, or just follow the link and see my sponsorship page. Race for Life Thank you for those who have already sponsored me.

I did think a couple of weeks ago that I might not be able to take part today. That was because we went to Bath to see Chloe, Mike’s grandaughter was in a play in the theatre there. Blackbird and whilst there I did something very silly.

The play was very, powerful and the acting excellent. The two characters are exhausted and sweating by the end of it, as it involves fighting and sex. But it’s not without moments of humour. Chloe had a short role at the end of the play and comes on to gasps from the audience because her appearance is so unexpected. I won’t say any more in case it spoils it for anyone who may be going to see it.

We were very proud of Chloe. I know Mike was a bit uncomfortable about the content of the play, his baby is only 13 after all. I asked her if she had heard the whole play and she said yes. I said, well I expect there was nothing that you haven’t heard before. She said, No, I hear it all the time at school. As she goes to a private all girls school in Bath, I found that rather amusing. Kids! They’re the same everywhere, regardless of wealth, background and social position.

We went for an early dinner afterwards, on the way back to the car, Chloe and her sister Abigail were in front and doing that thing where you bring your foot up behind you, while you’re walking, to kick the person you are walking alongside, on the bottom. I used to do that to Mike years ago, when we were first married and I was still young and supple. I thought I’d have a go again. So I did. Now the fact I was wearing high heels should have deterredme. But it didn’t. Mike, who should have known better said, that wasn’t very good, you used to be better. So of course I did it again, harder. As I put my foot back down, Mike side stepped, so I stepped on his foot and fell over! I really thought I’d broken my ankle but thankfully it seems I only sprained it! Dear me, will I ever grow up.? Hopefully not. LOL!

I’ve had a lovely day out during half term, with a ‘girl’ I used to work with, we met again through my Black Country Gob website. We spent the day walking round Halesowen photographing places of interest for The Gallery on the website.

Simon was put on standby to be transferred to another submarine and could have gone to sea last weekend, so they gave him a few days off. He asked me to go down and stay with them for a couple of days. The weather was atrocious but it was good to see them and we had some lovely fish meals out while I was there. Platters in The Barbican is excellent. In the end he wasn’t transferred but he will be going to sea soon. I hate that. My step son-in law is away on his boat at present (That’s what they call submarines) and we don’t expect to see him until late summer. It’s hard having family in the forces.

Must go and get showered now and have some breakfast. I know we won’t be making a fast time but at least we are going to do our best and hopefully will be home before dark!!

Wednesday 4 June 2008

Black Country Gob

This isn’t my normal entry. I’ve been so busy lately I’ve not had time to write about what’s been happening at George Mansions.

Apart from the allotment and a dozen other things, I have also been working on a website I am a Moderator of. It’s called Black Country Gob, it’s new and expanding, covering all aspects of life in The Black Country now and historically.

My particular interests are The Gallery, Local History, Recipes and Genealogy. My project this weekend was to trace the River Stour from its source to the point where it joins the River Severn at Stourport.

The photos of the Stour can be found here

http://blackcountrygob.com/Photogallery/thumbnails.php?album=80

I also want to help people searching the Internet for family, or historic photos by putting the links in here, as I believe the names should then come up in the Search Engines, at present the photos in the Gallery don’t. So for my regular readers, please excuse this post, I shall be back with a proper entry soon.

Linda x.

Saturday 24 May 2008

The Last Cuckoo (as opposed to the first)

I don’t know why the gaps between entries are so long, I keep meaning to write an entry but there is always so much to do.

Since last entry, I have had another practice walk with my friends for The Race For Life, we picked a hot Sunday afternoon and climbed up, over and around Wychbury Hill . For someone that would struggle to walk more than a mile, I did very well and some of it was very steep, so steep it even managed to shut the four of us up for a while! LOL.

If you want to hear talk, just put three middle aged Black Country women together for a while. It must be genetic.

The Bluebell Woods were beautiful

and the views

The old Obelisk is looking perilous these days and the graffiti refers to the remains of a woman found in a tree in the woods. Rumours abound as to who she was but she is known as Bella and may have been a German Spy in the war, or, more sinister, a victim of witchcraft, which was very widespread in the Clent Hills, of which Wychbury is one. "Who put Bella in the Wych Elm has been scrawled on walls for decades."

When I got home we had a barbeque and my sort of adopted daughter, Lucy came round. Mike is as bad as the children at school for rocking on his chair and it serves him right that I took this photo before I helped him up!

The allotment is coming on well, although slower than I would like. It was just a mass of weeds and clearing it has been hard work. There is Mare’s Tail everywhere, which is the devil itself to get rid of.

I will get some photos this week and of the garden too, which is starting to look good again after it’s drowning last summer.

Catherine, Flo and Isabella have been to seeFlo’s family in Germany for a week, which left me looking after their cats. That wouldn’t have been such a problem but Milly (the one that went missing for a month) got bitten by a neighbourhood Tom and developed an abscess on her hind quarters. So , twice a day I had to drive over there, give her anti-biotics and bathe her wound, remove the ‘lightshade ‘ she had round her head to let her eat and clean herself up a bit and generally clear up the mess that two, bored, housebound cats can make.

I mentioned in the last entry I went on a trip with year One at school. I said how I enjoyed being with the younger children. Guess what, in September I’m being moved to Year Two! I’m a bit disappointed, as I was looking forward to next year in Year 4 but no doubt I shall enjoy myself with the little uns. The teacher I will be with, I have worked with before and we got on very well, so it will be a challenge learning a new curriculum but I think also that it will be a little less exhausting.

Last week we finally heard a Cuckoo, here at George Mansions. This is the latest we have ever heard one and we kept saying how we wish one would arrive. Last year we didn’t have one at all and in previous years, we normally only hear them fleetingly. By careful what you wish for!!! This one has moved in and hardly stops, it’s going from 5am until dusk and yesterday for good measure it flew right past the open office window and cuckooed right in my ear!

From what I know of their habits, they are not a very nice bird, using other, poor unsuspecting birds to raise their offspring, at the expense of their own little ones. I imagine the call is basically, to attract any passing Cuckoos, in effect it’s shouting, here I am, come and get me. Which makes you wonder why we so look forward to hearing the blessed things.

We went to dinner at the new house of some very old friends last night. The bought the land and had the house built, it's beautiful with the most lovely view across Ledbury. Wehad a lovely evening, old friends are always so comfortable.

Catherine returned last night, they had a good time but Isabella was spoiled rotten. She isn't normally allowed too much sugar but she was fed ice cream and cake all the time. Catherine and Flo went out on their own and left Isabella with her german Grandma Vera (Oma) under strict instructions, NO CAKE!!

When they returned and got Isabella into the car, she straightaway volunteered the information

"I did it, cake"

Catherine asked what she meant. She said "Idid it, cake, at Oma's house"

What sort of cake did you have Isabella?

" Stwawbewy Cake" LOL!

I think you got caught out there Vera!!

Were off to see Mike’s eldest grandaughter in a play in the Theatre in Bath this afternoon, so I’d better get myself ready now. I’ll tell you about it next time.

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