Farewell to LPW/B&NES

A bright and sunny Sunday morning to all my beautiful family and friends :) I'm sorry I missed a blog last week, a case of no credit, no post :( but after receiving a pay this week, I was able to purchase a £25 top up which should last me the month :) providing I don't go berserk on the pics! (Which is likely! Lol) they are what chew up the data, I have found :( oh well it's all worth it, in the long run, I am making you all happy I say to myself, reading my stories, ever so eventful at times. at least you get a taste of my journey and what life is like in the land of Blighty! It also brings me a lot closer to you, as I think of many of you when I write this and when I am doing certain things, I think of the special people in my life and how you would love to be with me sharing some of these experiences :)

In the last few weeks I have heard a couple of speeches, one by the late Rik Mayall and the other by Jim Carey both have been in the lime light and tv and movies and portrayed comedian's, the joker, the funny man. I have to say WOW I was totally blown away by both of them, in there quest or thirst for life, both were actually speaking to young graduates at Universities, Rik, quite unique in his own way, had the floor lol could see a few stuffy academics in the audience feeling a tad uncomfortable, but basically both of these men summed it up brilliantly, "don't be afraid to live your life, go out there and do what you have always wanted to do, in other words live in "love" and not "fear" follow your dreams, yes, you might get knocked down a few times, but life can like that, but choose to get up and enjoy life! Focus on the what would I like to accomplish, not the "what if's" (this is my interpretation, by the way)

So armed with those positive speeches this week, it has given me the momentum, to strive onwards and upwards as they say! In this last week I finished my job at Bath & North East Somerset Council, where I was working for an extended period after going to Australia for Dad's funeral. Before my time at the Council, I worked with the same team, but it was called LPW or Learning Partnership West. This job finished on Wednesday and it felt so weird after eight months, that I would not be going into work on Thursday morning.

All the crew gave me a bit of a send off, so that was lovely :) we all headed to The Bear Hotel, on Bear Flats in Bath (sounds like we were somewhere in Canada lol) a pub all painted green and on the roof is a white bear. (Polar bear it must be, thinking now!) Anyway, it was such a beautiful barmy evening, we all sat outside in the beer garden, yes you heard right, they actually have them here in England! Lol it was so lovely, guess what? No flies! We ended up staying outside for our meal and it was still light at 10.30pm when a few started to head off, but it was a great night and I felt very much appreciated. I was presented with a nice bunch of flowers and a selection of nice tea's with a pretty cup (which I happen to be drinking out of now).

A lovely pic of Sue D and I, Sue is from B&NES who I had the pleasure of working with for a few weeks in Keynsham

 

All smiles :) Lizzie and Ceri who has since moved on, but came to my send off, was lovely to see you both xx

Mary (my team leader), Julie and Helen, who was here on hols from Vietnam (Lizzie's old flat mate)

Couldn't see how beautiful this was, but in the background was a balloon making it's way across the sky, the second in the week! I saw another one at 7.30 in the morning on my way to Keynsham this week, the weather was perfect, and it was amazing I could almost see the people's faces in the balloon, I wanted to be in it! Not so keen on the landing though! Maybe I will get up some Dutch courage and take a flight soon xxx

Awww they bought me a pressie :) flowers and a gorgeous cup and three packs of drinking tea :) They all know I'm on a health kick, so no choc's for me! I could have shared them though with them xx I almost cried as there sitting in the flowers, were some purple Statis (not sure how you spell that?) but Mum use to grow them in the front garden and that was like the last thing I remember her loving in the front garden, unfortunately it died and I haven't seen it much since, it was like mum, bringing me some again :) it is so pretty almost fake looking, but very purple and looks so pretty in the flowers. Thankyou everyone, I feel very grateful for having had the opportunity of this job and more so for having met all of you wonderful people. You have enriched my life and made my journey here even more special. I know that we will stay in touch xxx

Awww thanks Mary xx

Gorgeous Louise from LPW/BN&S (plus her little 5 month baby bump :) and of course sitting next to her Adam from B&NES, who has made it so much fun working at Keynsham, thanks for keeping us all in stitches of laughter Adam :)

Hello Ruth xx got ya!

That's better :) which one are going to have first Ruth, the wine, or the water? Lovely workmates Ruth and Ros, Lizzie and Ceri.

My pretty gift!

Last week I had an interview, as many of you knew for an Architect in Bath. Well I had to wait a whole week before I would find out any result, as there was another applicant and she was on holidays and wasn't due back till this Wednesday. Unfortunately, I was not successful at this time, I had kept telling myself I was the one, I had the job, I felt that I did have it, right up until this week, probably until they had seen the other candidate. Oh well, moving on Alana, as gutted and disappointed as I was, I also believe that there was a rason that I didn't get the job, that a better one still exists for me somewhere out there! As scary as it is with only a couple a hundred pound in the bank, I have to have faith, I will be looked after :) Rent and Council rates not due for a few weeks, a lot can happen in that time. I am putting the energy out there right now, to help me find the perfect job for me on the perfect salary, with the perfect team, that will be right for me at this time! I have been saying my Mantra "May all of life, come to me with Ease, Joy, Love and Bliss" morning and night :) I have also been saying some other Mantra's with Rani :) if you would like to send positive vibes my way, they will be gratefully received :)

After hearing the news of the job, Rani took me out and we went to the shops (bless her xx) it is what I needed, just to get out and focus on what a beautiful day it really was, we went into Shepton Mallet and went to Kilver Court and went to all the retail outlets there for a mosey :) but of course, I had to have the blinkers on, but I did keep a look out for any bargains :) I did find a top that would be good for work, so that cheers me up. We also went to this super cheep discount store called B&M Store :) which gives some of the other chain stores a run for their money. I know now where to stock up on tin food when I want it, unfortunately they don't have fruit or veg, meat or cold items but everything else.

We also went for a gorgeous walk outside, we are going to join up and become members so that we can get into the beautiful gardens here, they are sooooo amazing :) only got a glimpse as we would have had to pay, didn't have the cash on me today. We are both finding it cheaper to join things as friends together, we did that also with the National Trust as well, so we can go visit them :)

As soon as I have a job, I will be taking the next weekend and going to one of many national trust sites :) there are hundreds :) free parking and free to get in then if your a member, have a picnic in the grounds, go exploring the grounds, got to love that!

This week I'm getting excited as my friend Lita is in England with her mum Barbara and is due to catch up with me next weekend :) we're off to Port Isaac (or Port Wenn) to all those avid Doc Martin followers :) yes I have been there before, but I'm so excited about being there again, it's such a beautiful part of the country.

 

It's Sunday and the weather is still lovely, not as warm as yesterday, but I woke up and cooked myself, one of my favourites :)

I decided to have a nice pancake this morning and made a nice chai tea with honey :) "yes Mum I am looking after myself" I would love to go out for the day, but my back is really very sore, have to treat it kindly today, so I think a nice rest and later a nice walk with Lizzie somewhere and take some pics :) I took some pics earlier in the week, before I left Keynsham, down by the river, as I thought it was so lovely don there, my phone didn't take great pics, but you can see that it is quite pretty down there :)

The grounds near work at Keynsham, near the river.

 

Part of the steep incline I walked everyday! You can't see the hill lol but believe me it was there and then two lots of stairs and another steep incline and then up four lots of stairs and then I was at my work!

 

Thursday when Rani and I visited Kilver Court, this little guy Baby Champ was looking at us from across the road (a little out of focus, as I had to leap off the road before getting cleaned up by a Lorrie) am I starting to sound like a Pom yet? Lol I still have a problem calling Truck's - Lorrie's! Anyway this little guy is the mascot for Baby Champers (Champagne glasses) think that is right? Think the factory was here, now the sell Cider!

 

Well my lovelies, going to leave you this week, with a pic of the lovely roses outside Kilver Court. I hope you all have had a wonderful week and are relaxing in front of the fire at home, while we strip off over here! I love English summer :) I was made to live here! 25-30 perfect!

I am relying on temp work during next week, until a permanent placement comes up :) but of course next weekend is play time in Cornwall and in Bath, so until then, love to you all and keep on doing what makes you happy!

 

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Walk's, Concert, and other weekend activities :)

Hello my lovelies :) welcome to my blog for another week. The week's seem to drag, when I'm at work, then come the weekend, where did that go then? Lol I Wouldn't be alone, I know! It seems every person on the planet seems (not everyone in reality!) to feel the same, we all work like Trojans through the week, do our weekend chores, rush around do the weekly shop, and then by the time we sit to relax - oh wouldn't you know it, it's Sunday night, and the alarm is set and looming for 6am Monday morning or whatever time you need to rise!

We all try and pack in as much down time as we can, or fun time to ensure we have balance in our lives and that is what is important - balance! I have had soooo many job's where ther definitely wasn't balance! I am sure if I had of kept going in those roles, I would be like my parents and many of my much loved family and friends, no longer of this life :( so now I'm on the hunt again, my contract is almost up, I have a receptionist job coming up hopefully, so that should give me some more of that balance I need. I am planning to either move into a room sit or get a boarder, so I can go travelling again.

Anyway without getting to deep and meaningful on you this post, as I find I am getting on a lot of my posts (maybe that's the writer, wanting to come out?) I am just going to share my lovely weekend in Bath with my beautiful friend and neighbour Rani, whom quite some time ago was eager to get be to go to Corfu with her on retreat to see Deva Premal and Miten. With my funds being a bit restrained this year, I decided that I wasn't able to go to Corfu, so as a compromise, when tickets for a concert came up in Bath, (being on my door step practically) I couldn't pass them up!

Rani and I went into Bath early in the afternoon around 4.30ish and the weather was divine:) considering it was meant to be thundery showers and hail and storms, we were blessed :) we took a long walk along the Pulteny Bridge, where all the Alfresco Bar's and Dining are and found a cute little Italian Restaurant, which the name escapes me at the moment. We both had a very nice Chicken Caesar Salad, nice coffee, both watching what we are eating and feeling quite happy with what we were served, decide to settle the bill. Ohhhh wait a minute, mmmmmm what is that divine aroma? (Damn he is cute too!) Rani and I would have to agree, there definitely is nothing more sexier than a young Italian man walking past you, wearing the most exquisite after shave! You can smell it, girl's can't you? Lol mmmmmmm I thought I had died and gone to heaven, just removing the dripple from my mouth, making sure, no one saw me, we paid the bill and sadly, we had to exit the restaurant :( none the less, a little springlike in our step! If I had longer hair, it definitely would have been flicked back! Lol aaahhhh it's nice to feel alive isn't it? It's been such a long time!

Rani and I :) in Bath, prior to concert.

Beautiful Avon River in Bath, such a lovely City.

Standing on North Parade Road, on the bridge, overlooking the river.

Near the Pultenay Weir

 

 

This beautiful flower (which I don't know the name of, is not actually in Bath, although I have seen them everywhere, it was just in the grounds near the Nursing Home, near my place and the Dr's surgery, so pretty!

It's Sunday morning, I have woken with a headache :( anyone would think I have had a night on the tiles! But I think I am actually hungry, so I am going to cook a nice brunch for myself :) because it's my Sunday treat to myself :)

Oh my it was as good as it looks :) that will keep me going till dinner time now, with some fruit and some water.

I have just had a call from Lizzie, we're going for a walk :) as the weather is still lovely today, so going to clear the cobwebs out of my head, as I have had a bit of a headache when I woke up :( It will be Sunday night before too long, lol remember what I said earlier!

Lizzie and decided to walk locally around the village, so we took off and enjoyed the sun and the breeze and the birds singing in the trees, such a beautiful day to be outside!

For those of you that enjoy a spot of Gardening, I have a new project for you, to scare away unwanted birds from your veggie patches or garden's (see pic below)

I don't know if I frighten them away more than the topiary person above!

So cute!

This pretty flowering bush is just in front of the other flats near the fish pond, where I live :) I just love the bright colours :) I'm not up on the English names of the flowers here, I have a lovely neighbour who try's to keep me up to date with them, but my memory fails me when I try to remember their names!

Well my beautiful family and friends, it's time for me to go into Shepton Mallet now and buy a paper for the jobs, come home, write out a few, job applications and maybe cook up a bit of a storm in the kitchen for this weeks meals, then it will be well and truly my time to sit and relax I front of the telly for a while or I might even go to bed early and read my book.

 

Until next weeks blog, lots of love to you all xxx. A very Happy Birthday to my girlfriend Sue B on the 10th, you know who you are xxx hope you have a wonderful day :) love you heaps xx. Also lots of love to Jan, after your operation, lots of love and healing being sent your way and to my gorgeous kids, mum misses you lots, think we need a catch up soon, maybe next weekend xxxx

Keeping everything crossed for this job this week :) and for a room mate in the very near future xxx

 

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Scrooge McArcus

Hehe hello my lovelies, you may question my title this week lol but I feel a little bit like Scrooge this week. Where is my wonderful Mum and her war time and depression saving tips! I hear you read my words, with puzzlement! Don't panic everyone, it's just been my week where all my bills have come at once and I immediately go into panic mode, and it takes all of my will to try NOT to do exactly that, PANIC!

I remember several conversations with Helen whilst she was over here, where she didn't know what was going to be her next meal sometimes and I have to say, it gets a bit like that for myself at the beginning of each month, but I won't let it defeat me! I came over here for adventure and damn it, I will get some in, somehow :) if nothing else, you get to read my blog each week, this will give me enough courage to write my book one day!

When I was having a bit of a meltdown the other day, feeling a bit low, I started reminiscing of years gone by and when I was a kid. As kids we never really thought that Mum and Dad were rich, but we did alright. They had five kids to feed and I never really appreciated what my Mum went through to put a good meal on the table for us as a family. I remember turning my nose up at several things my mum would be preparing in the kitchen, that would look disgusting to me, but Mum being Mum, was able to turn her hand at anything and make even a sad belly flap, a beautiful pot roast with stuffing. We would always have plenty of potatoes and veggies. I don't remember a lot of veggies grown in the garden, because the ground was clay and Dad couldn't even get the shovel into it sometimes! We always had dessert, all beit rice pudding or rolly Polly or choc frogs eyes as we kids use to call it (tapioca). Not one of us were obese growing up either, funny that! It was later on in puberty and teenage years where all the goodies came in from outside the home that we had, some weight problems, I'm sure. We had fruit trees down the bottom of the block, near the shed, we always had eggs because we had chickens, Mum would always give one of us the job of feeding the chickens. I was always scared of going down to the chicken shed, as Dad had wood in there and once we found a snake skin in there, that was enough for my younger sister and I, we were off!

Getting back to Mum in the kitchen, she saved everything! I suppose she had to, with five kids! If there is one thing I have learnt from Mum, it's the art of making a good soup :) Mum would clean out the fridge making her soups lol I don't mean she would ever put anything in it that would harm any of us, but she had left over gravy, stock, old veggies, she never wasted a thing! If there was left over rice in the fridge, that would go in or macaroni, but it was mostly veg and the roast left over from Sunday, the meat would be cut up small and the bones would be put in the broth to flavour the soup.

Thank you Mum for making me take a few tips from you in regards to not wasting food! Since I have been doing the Paleo food regime, this also brought me back to the basics of "how it used to be" quite simple really, nothing processed, good food, meat and veg and for me now, I avoid the grains and lactose because of issues in the gut, but it doesn't mean that I "don't ever have them", I Simply make the choice 80% of the time and I have to say! my health has never been better! my weight is dropping of me! my diabetes is practically "normal" I am still trying to reduce my blood pressure and a few other issues, but all in all, this old girl, is getting younger and younger, each day!

All this talk of making soup and the like, got me thinking of what we buy each week for "our groceries" and what an absolute waste, in general we "can" have of our food, if we don't "plan" our meals and I guess this has been a necessity for me, as I have to look what I have left in the fridge, freezer and cupboard and conjour up recipes for the week in my mind of what I can cook ahead and freeze and just pull out when I get home when I'm tired from work. I know what I would prefer! A spunky guy in nothing more than an apron in my kitchen, cooking up a storm haha. Ahhh my mind wanders :) oh well, I can dream, it seems like that was such a thing of the past, but it's time it was in my NOW I reckon! I read a great saying the other day on F/B, I know, there are so many, but this one I think I will have to say each night and morning :) "May all of my life come to me with Ease, Joy and Bliss!" I really love this :) So I now open the door to love and am ready to receive :) I haven't actually voiced that in a very long time, so I think that is progress for me!

This weekend has been as you can tell by the food story a non event on the travel :( due to funds. But I have had a nice relaxing weekend no less. I needed it. Rani gave me a nice Indian Head Massage on Friday night, which was extremely nice, although I had the remains of a headache which just wouldn't budge, massage helped, but Rani would have been doing it all night, so I ended up having a nice long bath afterwards, relaxing all the muscles and had some nice cool gel on my head and neck. I read somewhere, it's good to have it very cold on your head and neck and then hot around your feet for circulation. Well that seemed to help, I then went to bed and read some of my book, "Call The Midwife" I would have to be the slowest reader on the planet, but what I read when I read, I thoroughly enjoy :) so that is all that matters.

Sunday morning cook off in my kitchen, I made my favourite :)

Banana and Brazil Nut Bread

 

This doesn't look as nice as it actually tasted :) the tricky part now is to ration myself over the next week!

Apart from the obvious chores one has to do on the weekend, washing which has to be done and then look for a nice sunny spot in my kitchen to place my smalls! The only drawback of not having anywhere to hang your washing outside. Although today, it was lovely outside, so I snuck outside and put up my clothes hoist near my front door, in the hope that none of my neighbours would see :( we aren't suppose to hang washing anywhere outside.

After 4pm I shared some Banana bread with Rani and a cuppa and we checked out some Palmistry sites, trying desperately to read the many tracks on our hands, ending up, in fits of laughter, making up stories as we went along, we felt like we had a good life line, what does that site, know anyway? Haha

Time to take a few pics of my front garden, it is looking so pretty at the moment :)

Don't know what this flower is, but is right outside my door.

This blue flower is pretty too.

Near the steps down to my front door.

I thought this fern was dead a few weeks ago, doesn't look like it now!

 

From my loungeroom window

This is a bit dark, but it is 8pm after all!

Well it's Sunday night folk's and I have had a nice relaxing weekend, I will have a very busy week looking for work, I have emailed my work email, a dozen or so jobs, that I plan to send off tomorrow. I am going to do my very best to apply for as many jobs as I can that I feel are worthy of my expertise and time for the money :) I'm working for £10/hour > , just putting that out there! right now!

All my love to you all until next week's blog xxx Good luck Jan with your op on the 5th, I will be thinking of you and sending you lots of love xxxx Lita and Barbara, you must be off soon, really looking forward to seeing you when you get here :) xxxx

 

 

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