What's Rocking My World Friday

Apologies for my recent absences - I know I probably had lots to be grateful for but I've felt myself slipping towards depression and not been able to stop it....which leads into my first grateful....


The healing power of a good cry.
Several days over the past three weeks have seen me getting upset about the silliest things (a passage in a book, a news item..) and simply bursting into tears and not being able to stop....I feel better for a few days afterwards and then it starts up again...


Friends who have phoned to chat, taken me out shopping, lent me books...
Carmen..I loved "Avenger's Angel"...can't wait for the next one...I'll post it back to you next week.
Pat lent me "Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams" by Jenny Colgan..I suppose it's "chick lit" but it was a wonderful gentle story..


Speaking of books....I really need to do my review of "Eat Your Veg"...BUT...I'm not impressed....need to think about this...


Smooth 70's which I listen to on a regular basis.
This is my era.....the disco era.....for any youngsters reading this, disco was our equivalent of clubbing but with stricter licensing laws.
I've heard old favourites that have me getting out my CDs (Janis Ian, Carly Simon..)...I've heard songs I'd forgotten about (Rod Stewart "You wear it well" - gorgeous)......I've boogied in the kitchen (have to hide as Max seems to not like me dancing...he gives me really weird looks!).....and I've heard songs that I wish had never seen the light of day....yes, there was rubbish around even then!


The lovely weather which makes it far too hot to do the "h" word but makes washing almost a pleasure.....can't beat drying clothes in the sun....




The boy who has now finished his final exams and is looking for work in Bristol. We assumed he'd be home with us for the foreseeable future but apparently not...he moves into a new flat at the end of June. 


Crafting which I'm thoroughly enjoying at the moment....even tried a gel transfer and it worked!!! Sadly the second one didn't...:( I'll keep practising..




I'm sure there have been other things but that's not a bad list.
I'm off to link up with Virginia, Queen of the Rockettes...

What's Rocking My World Friday

I would like to dedicate this post to Joanna Urbani, a dedicated follower of this blog and a partner in crime. Thanks for your support and all the laughs and giggles.


p.s. was that respectful enough Jo????


Now onto things that have rocked my world over the last two weeks.....not mentioning the quiz last week (6th) or the football on Monday....


 Friends are top of my list this week.


Thanks to Carmen who pushed me in the direction of Octopus publishing, which led to me receiving a copy of "Eat Your Veg" to review. The review will appear next week. And for also lending me "Avenger's Angel" which I'm planning to read this weekend.


Thanks to Jo and Virginia who reminded me that I too have a copy of "Nothing but the Beat"......I finally found it and now have it on my MP3 player...think the boy must have hidden it as he didn't like it.


Thanks to all three of them for our group on FB - only been running 2 days and we've all had fun!


Thanks too to the author Stacey Espino who I "know" via FB. Started to read her latest release only to find she'd dedicated it to ME. Cool eh??


Thanks also to the other friends who have phoned, emailed, fed me wine and homemade pastries...it's been quite a week.




Random # thingies are next......I won some more stash for one of the challenges on Flying Unicorn....I'll take photos when it arrives. 
I love the site as the challenges are, well, challenging...I'm getting a bit more confident in trying new things.


Carmen also reminded me that I hadn't finished the "Breaking Dawn" saga.
Yes, the boy said he'd watch it with me and we did try...sat down one lunchtime and this time I got to see the first 30 mins.....for some reason we had to pause it and then....neither of us could summon up the interest to re- start it.
I think the problem is that I got into Twilight late. I resisted until I actually saw the first film on Sky. The second one was due for release on DVD shortly afterwards and the first three books were available..so I read them just in time for Book 4 coming out. That was followed fairly quickly by  "Eclipse" releasing in cinemas...and after that......it was over a year before "Breaking Dawn" came out in cinemas...and I'd lost impetus and interest........the Black Dagger Brotherhood may also be to blame.........vampires for grown ups!
I'll no doubt try watching it again but probably won't want to see Part 2.....the second half of the book was dreadful.


Quick break there to talk to the boy who just phoned (and got me to phone him back).


My final grateful is the company that DH works for - they shall remain nameless as they actually employ s'one to check for references to them in the media.
He was away at the beginning of the week at a conference in Croydon. On the second night there was a dinner and they were told "dress to impress"
...side note here: I told him he should hire an evening suit but he didn't...I was right!!
What he hadn't realised was that it was an awards dinner and guess who was first up....yep, my DH. He received a long service award for 30 years with the company.
He came home with a glass sculpture/block? engraved with the company logo, his name and what it was for, a bottle of pink champagne (Laurent Perrier) and some travel vouchers. It all quite cheered him up.
Note to self....renew passport just in case......


And that, I think, is that. Will link up with Virginia tomorrow...I'm writing this on Thursday...

What's Rocking My World Friday

At last!! A Friday when no-one is peering over my shoulder monitoring what I do on my laptop!!


So, here we go...two weeks worth of gratefuls....


#1 has to be the boy. 
It was lovely to have him home for a week...someone to watch the football with. He went back last Friday (to do some revision for his finals) with a food parcel...


#2 I suppose is the quiz...not that we've been doing brilliantly...joint 4th last week and 3rd last night...as ever it's music and "celebrities" that are our weak spots....esp. when you have both on the same night.
Apparently I'm "feisty"....well, that's how I was described to D. last night....as I asked the quiz master to ban mobile phones.....I think you can all guess why.....they'll probably ban me instead for being a troublemaker..


#3 is the ballet last week. Nutcracker (or "Nuts Cracker" as a review in the Oxford Mail labelled it) was wonderful....I can see why the purists hate it but we all enjoyed it. Why was I surprised that parts of it were erotic when his Swan Lake had so many homo-erotic overtones? 
A nice lunch beforehand and the discovery of a stationer's (tucked away down a side street) that sold tins of vintage look postcards  and other goodies rounded the day off beautifully.


#4 is TV. I don't watch much these days but am enjoying "The Apprentice"....what a shower the girls are this year...and "The Voice"... the blind auditions have been fascinating.
I don't watch much because there's not a lot to watch..except for Weds @ 9 when three of my favourites are all on  - we've had to SKY+ "Bones" and "Castle" and watch BBC1 on ordinary TV...at least we have things to watch on other evenings, minus the adverts!


#5 is more success on blog draws....2 more books for my Kindle (and long ones at that) and a bookmark.


#6 is Max who kept me company while D was away in Sheffield..for three days...it was only supposed to be for one.....cue me making hotel bookings on the internet. 
Speaking of Max....he'll be 10 next week on 24th. I can't imagine life without him...and those 10 years have flashed by.


#7 is Waitrose and their recipes..latest one is beef studded with thyme and garlic....oh, so yummy (if a tad expensive but it was Easter) and no potatoes but butternut squash roasted with the meat - super easy if you buy the squash ready prepared...this is not idleness on my part but necessity as one of the things I have problems with is peeling..my hands don't always cooperate.
Which leads to...


#8...pain inhibitors. I ran out this week and couldn't get to the chemist...I had a couple of pain filled days but am back to normal now.....well, as normal as I ever am!


#9 is Flying Unicorn and their design team who are making me push my crafting boundaries..and I'm enjoying every minute!
 All being well I should be making teacup candles this weekend...for an upcycling challenge, using something I found on Pinterest.
As some of you will know I really love candles and messing about with wax.


#10 is my friends...as always....for making me laugh, for being supportive....well, just being good friends really...:)


Off now to post this with the Queen of the Rockettes..Virginia

What's Rocking My World Friday..on Saturday.

Finally....I get to do another "rocking" post!!
Three weeks worth of gratefuls...so where do I start?

The boy is coming home today!!! And he won't have much studying to do as he handed his dissertation in on Tuesday......yay!! And he thanked me for my help.....I copy edited for him so now know lots about the right wing press in Britain and their portrayal of the Spanish Civil War. It's good to know that us Mums still have our uses....:)

The pub quiz for keeping me entertained.....mainly because we're all over the place.....from joint last to fourth to second and back to fourth after losing a tie-break......I refuse to start reading celebrity magazines....on the grounds that I already have enough trivia in my head (as proved by us getting 8/10 on a music round and me getting 7 of the 8...I didn't know I knew the answers....they were just there..)

The weather...well, this week's hasn't been that good but I did enjoy the sun and heat at the end of March.

Friends, for keeping in touch, providing entertainment and good conversation..whether in person, on the phone or in real life.

Flying Unicorn for the crafty inspiration...and the challenges....and for their random number thingy choosing me...for my very first challenge......happy bunny waiting for my prize to arrive.....yummy stash!!!

Blog draws and random number thingies choosing me so that I've won four more books for my Kindle..:)

The Black Dagger Brotherhood book 10.......wonderful!. Rumour has it that #11 is finally going to be about Blay and Qhuinn......in 2013...sigh...

Still haven't seen "Breaking Dawn"....settled down to watch it with DH and 10 mins in he declared he wasn't in the mood for a love story......have a tentative "we'll see" from the boy as to whether he'll watch it with me.

Football!!! We're back where we belong in the Premiership... and I'll have company for the two matches tomorrow....Man Utd v QPR followed by Arsenal v Man City.....

And finally..the joy of crafting...the first  piece is a sneak preview of my LO for a Round Robin...it'll be posted on Monday:

I used Webster's Pages "Your Life - Beautiful" papers (full details on the Twilight Zone on Monday).

The second is my entry for a Steampunk challenge:

Off to check in with Virginia, our Rocking Queen.
Hoping you all have a fabulous Easter Weekend. xx

What's Rocking My World Friday (Saturday Edition)

Hi girls! Sorry for the non-appearance last week..hopefully, as DH returns to full time work on Monday, things will soon be back to normal.

So..two weeks worth of gratefuls...

The quiz has been a mixed blessing...we were second last week (yay!) and then, hangs head in shame, joint sixth Thursday just gone....which means  ...last..:( We were out of the running from round 1...a music round...and then showed that we knew, between us, absolutely nothing about Ireland and Irish celebrities...sigh.

Our weekday trips out which are sadly coming to an end..last week was Banbury....lovely shopping centre,small but interesting museum (I played with all the interactive bits)  which straddles the canal..we'll go back in warmer weather to visit the boatyard and walk along the towpath; yesterday was Wantage. Disappointing apart from a massive second hand bookshop and....The Stamp Attic...(I spotted an ad in Scrap 365)..I could have spent all day in there..DH was so bored the assistant gave him a chair..lol! Now have some lovely Graphic 45 papers and some TH bits and pieces...happy bunny!

And talking of bunnies.....

My mug (won on a blog draw) arrived safely this week...yay!! Thanks to Sarah for explaining what a puck bunny is...although I had guessed!

Thanks too to Janet for lending me the DVD of "Water for Elephants"...it stuck closely to the book and I enjoyed it somewhat more than DH.....but then he wasn't drooling over RPattz.....sigh.

I just had to copy this (my latest FB status) as I relate to it so much:

A real woman always keeps her house clean and organized, the laundry basket is always empty. She's always well dressed, hair done. She never swears, behaves gracefully in all situations and all circumstances. She has more than enough patience to take care of her family, always has a smile on her lips, and a kind word for everyone. Post this as your status if you, too, suspect that you might be a man.

In my defence though we had three days last week with nothing in the ironing basket....lol! I watched Adele at the Royal  Albert Hall (recorded over Christmas) to see me through it.

Music is next..in particular my MP3 player.....Adele, ABBA and the Bee Gees while walking Max....the boy thinks little of my taste in music and can't understand why it's gone downhill..from Led Zeppelin to this!
A little note for Jo who was most concerned that I'm aware of what's going on around me if I use my MP3 player while walking Max...you are soooo sweet Jo. DH will tell you that I'm rarely aware of what's going on....esp. behind me. Even with my hearing aids, if s'one talks to me from behind..I won't hear them....I lip-read an awful lot.
I've never been able to use those "bud" things as I have narrow ear canals and they're useless now because of my hearing loss. I now have special ones that attach to my hearing aids..great that I can actually hear the music..bad in that I can still hear everything else as well...so traffic, TV etc still drown out the music..:(

Not going to mention the football.....Thursday evening was bad all round...:(

And finally ....comfort food...I've resorted to tried and trusted recipes this week...Steak and Ale pie and Enchiladas.....not good for weight loss though!

Off to link up with Virginia...see you next week!

What's Rocking My World Friday

Apologies for my absence last week but I couldn't get enough computer time to post.....
So....two weeks worth of gratefuls....

I continue to be grateful for blog draws..this week I have won a mug (apparently I'm now a "Puck Bunny"....ice hockey terminology) and another book for my Kindle...yay!!

Synchronicity  is my next grateful. The March list of tag themes went up and lo and behold..the first is birds...and I took all those photos of the birds on the river @ Henley.  The second is Mad March Hares.....guess what the free stamp from Craft Stamper is this month?...Yes, hares. Or I could use photos of our beloved rabbits..sadly, no longer with us but remembered with much affection.

I had a day/night home alone this week...unfortunately I  couldn't make the most of it due to the extreme effects of my meds.... but grateful nonetheless....I did manage two phone calls in the evening...both long overdue catch-ups so I'm happy for that.
Also grateful that DH made it home safe from Manchester (although obviously tired).

The boy has been in London for three days visiting various archives....well worth it apparently. I'm grateful he still needs me at times......for proof reading essays, looking up underground lines and connections...addresses, phone #s....all while he's actually there.....

The Ginga Ninjas are getting back on form ...we have been third for the last two weeks....free Sunday lunches....yum!! Last night we were tied for third place but won the tie breaker...:)

New recipes tried (successfully).......peaches with spiced ricotta - almost fat free (no saturated fat) and relatively quick and cheap (I used a tin of peach halves); banana tea bread with cranberries and cardamom (Waitrose Fair Trade recipe).

Saying from my calendar for March:
"I never met a calorie I didn't like"

I'll go and link up with Virginia now....

What's Rocking My World Friday

Managed to do this on Friday for once..woohoo!

So what's rocked my world this week?

Certainly not the quiz last night..we were joint 6th out of 10..:( Round 5 "Music and Lyrics" did for us this week..we only managed 8/20 (should have been 10 but I was ignored on one question..).
It did bring home how rubbish modern lyrics are though - hearing them read aloud with no music. Funnily enough every team recognised Lady Gaga! I think the "gaga, ooh la la" was a bit of a give away! We also managed to guess the correct song.

Crafting has continued to keep me occupied and happy ..my mojo has definitely returned. So much so that I've been twiddling my thumbs waiting for challenges to be posted.

Will post the finished LOs on the Twilight Zone over the weekend.

The boy has made me laugh this week. He went for an interview at a call centre (short of cash like most students) and when asked how it had gone he replied that he didn't think it had gone well as he had problems "reading the script with the necessary enthusiasm". He didn't get the job!

Days out are next up. DH worked for three days this week (and will continue to do so for the next few weeks) so today we went out on one of our trips. Visited Wallingford (Causton in "Midsomer Murders") where we hadn't been for quite a few years. Lots of antique shops (managed to pick up some old books for collage) and quirky independent shops - including a craft shop! DH bought me a pad of lovely Martha Stewart papers. Stash!!!We had a late lunch in Pizza Express - I was very good and had a salad....halo highly polished..lol!
Unfortunately the Tourist Information office was closed. I wanted to pick up the "Walks" leaflets. They have several walks based not only on Midsomer Murders but also Agatha Christie as she lived there for over 40 years and used the surrounding villages in her novels (esp. Miss Marple). Add to this the river and we were hoping to plan some walks with Max. Shall see if I can download them.
The drive home was uneventful.....it would be as I had my camera this time. When we visited Tring we had to stop in Wendover to allow a flock of sheep through the town centre and on the way back from Marlow three baby deer (just like Bambi) jumped across the road in front of us.Needless to say...my camera was safely at home on those occasions.
Next week the plan is to visit Oxford...particularly the second hand bookshops.

The football has made me happy too. We managed to beat Liverpool (thus doing a favour for Arsenal) and last night it was Ajax. Liked the early kick off as it meant I could see the whole match before going out to the quiz. Must check on kick-off time for the return leg next Thursday.

I've managed to catch up with friends this week too and had some "interesting" phone conversations.

New recipes tried...Delia's braised steak-au-poivre in red wine, slim spag bol (using turkey mince) and breakfast omelette muffins - all were very, very tasty and have been added to the "make again" list. I love cooking..and food...and wine.....about to break out the rose..and tomorrow shall be making blueberry muffins.

And there you have it. Off to link up to Virginia's post.
Have a great weekend. xx