The Norty Corner

i seem to have missed the whole of july and august...aaah well. Well what have i been upto.... 1 thoroughly enjoyed the Olympics and watching all the dedicated athletes perform. Thought Team GB did fantastic, what a fab effort by everyone taking part in whatever area. The opening and closing ceremonies were amazing. i cant believe tho that it is now nearly all over . The Para Olympics has been a fabulous success with even more medals... what truly amazing athletes and people there are in this world, they should be on the front pages every day not all the horrendous other things that sick people do. i have been busy at the Gym im trying to go 3-4 times a week around looking after my family and home and working the weekends. i have so thoroughly enjoyed it, setting myself new targets each week. i have managed to lose 1 stone 10lb so far, and have had the satisfaction of retrieving all the clothes that were resigned to the loft several years ago as they were far to small for my incr

July is here!! July has always been a special month in that it is the month i said " I do", and also that my first and oldest son was born. all within a day of each other although 2 years apart. So this month we are celebrating our 22 wedding anniversary and my son will be 20.... 20...my gosh am i old enough to have a 20 year old son when i still feel like i am 18 myself. i will never forgot the moments after he was born and they laid him in his fish tank and he just lay there looking around with those big brown minstrel eyes of his sucking his 2 fingers, taking it all in. I was so scared just looking at him, thinking i was going to be responsible for him for the rest of my life, and contemplating asking for them to put him back. Well what a journey i have had with him over the years, he is just wonderful. He has been through many things in his early years and has remained solid and grounded despite what tragic things life has placed along his path. He is funny and kind,

for some reason whenever it is miserable and wet and raining i always think of Winnie the pooh and piglet when piglet was bailing his home as it was flooding and the song went .."he was unaware stood on a chair..whilst bailing he was sailing"...... Quite random i know but i thought i would blog about it on this late cold miserable evening in June!!! We are on alert for gale force winds as well....no BBQ's in the foreseeable future it would seem as rain is forecast for the next 10 days, so we will most probably be doing "the Piglet". I have little news...i'm beginning to think that my social life is non existent as my diary for the next few months consists of nothing more than school reminders for various activities and the odd birthday reminder.lest i forget through the fatigue of what is known as my life....Although wait..stand by your beds.....we have a wedding evening do to look forward to... i can dust off the cobwebs and rejoice!!!! i have been surfin

what a glorious week we have had although as i now type the sun has all but disappeared behind thick cloud on this dull Friday morning. However this will not dampen my mood as i am on holiday from work this weekend yippee!!! Got a busy weekend planned as well... dinner with the Bonds tomorrow evening and then nephews birthday and BBQ at the parents on Sunday...although Sunday could well be spent indoors as rain is forecast lol. Had a good week , hubby and i went for a walk along the seafront.. something we rarely do considering it is less than  2 miles from where we live. The sun was beating down and everything looked vibrant and fresh...even our sea had the sky reflected in it giving it a hint of blue instead of the usual brown. Birnbeck pier was first opened in June 1867, that's some 145 years ago!!! People used to arrive on steamers to the jetty and spent many hours in the cafe , and amusements and on the funfair. The pier fell victim to a fire on Boxing Day 1897 and desp

Well what Glorious weather we have had, i confess that although i had to work the weekend i did get to enjoy the sun in all its glory the week leading up to said weekend. I couldn't believe just how warm it was yesterday when i finished work and went and sat up on the decking with a cup of tea and not an alcoholic beverage, i could feel the sun sizzling me and that was at 5pm. As we have had a marvelous heatwave...my fridge freezer decided to go bang...fortunately i took out extended warranty on it...unfortunately the problem is down to a manufacturers error and the earliest an engineer can get out to look at it is Tuesday...so we are living out of a cool box at the moment. Alongside that everything is good. i had a good sort through some of my old photographs early this week, it was lovely as memories came flooding back from them and sad because many of the subjects in my pictures have now passed over, i confess i did blub quite a bit, i am so thankful now for all the pictures

I am pleased to announce that despite Minnie the cats best efforts at trying to get to my little nesting birdie babies that they are still in the bird house and i managed to get some pictures of them today. We found in the end that a plant sprayer was a valuable learning aid for Minnie...much more effective than me running around frantically in the garden yelling " Minnie GET DOWN NOW!!!". I can't say how chuffed i am to have managed to snap these pictures and that these little birds actually came to live in our garden.  Have had quite a busy last week in that my parents went away for a week and my brother and sister in law wanted to give something back to my parents for their wedding so decided to update their bedroom for them. I have no before pictures although  sister in law did take a couple but i'm gathering they would have to be censored as it had not been decorated for over 30 years and the stuff they had accumulated...well i won't

Well I've said it many times before and I'm a gonna say it again...doesn't time fly!! So have i been up to much since i last blogged..well yes and no and none of it is very exciting.  Geraldine the witch has got a buddy now, she has her little cat called Emily. I almost think it sounds like a child's book and did think about writing a little story about the adventures of Geraldine and Emily... another project for another day to do . I have exciting news, in the bird box we have babies, baby blue tits to be precise. We love listening to them chirping every time mum and dad blue tit  pop in and out which the poor little birdies do constantly to feed them. we are having to watch the box as Minnie the Minx had got on top of it last week and was trying to get her paw inside the bird hole. We have got a water spray on the side in the conservatory and after being squibbed with it a few times, we only have to yell her name and she runs away from the box, so she has ass

Well i have been clickety clicking away ... i have felt a bit under the weather this week so after doing all the chores i have been ensconced on the settee wrapped up in my nice throw watching the box set of friends that my eldest son bought us all last December as an early Christmas pressie. Inspired by Mrs Bond of woolly words i have been busy knitting and then re knitting as things regularly went wrong...odd sized legs, knee joints in thighs..head knitted in wrong color wool...(typo pattern error that one) , but finally.. not perfect by any means of the imagination, i have knitted my first ever project...so with great Tralaaaa's i introduce Geraldine... She was knitted in Dk wool that i picked up nice and cheap from the Range, and the pattern is a King cole Halloween one, there are also patterns on the sheet for pumpkins, cat and spiders.... i may knit a cat to keep her company as now my project is finished my hands are twitching for something to do. I must admit despite the

Its already the 15th of April and the month is half gone, who has the last 14 days??? So i'm trying to rack my little brain cells and think what has passed since i last blogged. well the wedding and the pictures are still at the forefront, such a lovely day that you cant just forget about it in a hurry. i have found an album in my stash of crafting goodies that will be a perfect little keepsake so i shall start working on that soon, I've managed to get some really nice pictures so with a little bit of cropping and editing i think i will have a lovely album to give as a special gift to my brother and sister in law. The boys have been home from school but i have been at work on and off so once again i have done boo diddly squat with my little men. They have contented themselves mostly with bouncing on the trampoline that hubby rebuilt... the springs are a bit rusty where they had been hiding in a black bin liner, but it is working well, i just need to get a cover to go over

Well the wedding was now 2 days ago and what a fantastic day it was. Groom and Bride looked fantastic, location was amazing, food was just divine and there was plenty of wine so it just couldn't get any better could it? well yes it could because the weather was glorious as well. The wedding was held at Wyck hill house and spa at Gloucester,  which is definitely a very special place indeed, especially the grounds and all the little places you can just sit and chat. We didn't stay over as we had to be back as hubby had work in the morning plus we needed to pick up our puppy dog.Many of the guests booked rooms though and we did see my parents room which was just beautiful, and so spacious . I think my lounge and conservatory would have fitted quite nicely inside their bedroom!!! here is a picture of the very happy couple; Mr and Mrs Speller. I was a tad embarrassed because i was thanked like a billion times for the bits and bobs that i helped with, and for the reading th

well what simply gorgeous weather, i cant believe how wonderful it is to wake to Mr sunshine and feel his warmth all day long. Well a week of activity has passed and i have gone through and still going through several stages of learning to walk again...or so it feels. The Gym membership is as i feared torture!! Well the first lesson was a bit of a nightmare to be honest, mirrors everywhere so it didn't matter where i looked i could see this overweight wobbly red faced person who looked straight back at me with horror on her face. I kid you not i was knackered half way through the warm up and only sheer determination and the fact that i was stuck right at the front of the class and couldn't escape without trampling down much fitter and toned people than me, saw me survive my first class... did i happen to mention that i HATE SQUATS!!! LBT  is code for squats !!! I never liked them in my fitter days so now they are just evil personified. I struggled to walk when i had finishe

so am i!! Today i had my epiphany... is that the right word??? i think the normal saying is my light bulb moment...when i realized after years of going through the same feelings and emotions especially at the full moon stage of pmt, that i do not value myself highly enough..and i should............. and i have (as i'm sure to document over the next year..because that is my commitment to pain and torture),joined a health club . i know it sounds stoooooopid but it takes me quite a lot of courage to divert from my usual routine of school drop off run and home and the school pick up  run and home with a little bit of diversity to the supermarket on a Friday morning, so actually wandering along the road and into the health club was a little bit of a challenge..no i'm not kidding because i think i'm a bit of a phobic.. but i'm not sure which one i fall under. Anyway they asked what my main reason was for joining... well to be honest i couldn't even think of a reaso

Well here i am at the end of another week and i am feeling shattered, probably due to the fact that i didn't get to bed til 1am this morning as i had to make my youngest sons party invites for him to take into school  today and i did PROMISE... plus as it is Mothers Day on Sunday, i am hoping that the love and toil i have shown will be rewarded... i am saying that with a tongue jutting out my cheek ............... Anyway he was pleased with me this morning and had his invitations clutched tight in his hand as he wandered across the playground feeling all important. Here they are.. excuse the mad pixel-ling on them you don't know who is reading in cyborg land. i will have 8 around in total, i am consoling myself that  it is only a few hours and not a sleepover as middle son had last month..so i am going to have a trawl through the internet for a few more wacky games to play. I went shopping today and bought the party food and loads of sweets which i have divided out in

OMG and once again with a mahoosive sign of drama...OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well the bird cage and candles have arrived from sister in law to be... so love getting her random buys and hearing hope in her little voice saying work your magic on it... well as is expected, the gems aren't flat backed and as luck would have it refused point blank to stick to anything...well i lie.. i managed with a whole tube of glue to fit them in the flower recess on the cage. then the candles proved non stick able to the gems... however double sided tape and crystal headed pin tips were a big success....plus i have added some nail gems to the ribbon around the candle just cos i thought it would look cool lol....although it isn't shown in this picture. For the little void up in the the roof of the cage  i had the brainwave of creating some turtle doves... i know these flashes if inspiration really alarm me sometimes. i haven't entirely decided on the finished cage yet..

Well hasn't today been beautiful. The last 3 days have been warm enough for me to get the washing out on the line and virtually dried which as anyone will know with a house full of males, the washing machine is always on! I took some pictures of the first sign of spring in our garden...Look!!!! I have some lovely little daffodils. although on closer inspection it looks like a caterpillar has already spied them and gone over for a nibble!! I decided to prune the clematis today as it had flung its tendrils all over the poor bush next to it and it did look like it was slowly trying to strangle it, so i lurched to its rescue with my secateurs in hand and with some elaborate snipping and trimming freed the bush and managed to tidy up the clematis in the process.  i had a helping hand or should that be claw with the gardening today, as Minnie the Minx was in a frisky mood and how she managed it i do not know but she was in the bush clawing me every time i pulled a piece of waywa

Hubby on returning to work the day after his Dad's funeral last week was asked by one of his 4 staff...."enjoy your few days off?"

Well here i am perched on the edge of my settee..just finished earning some pennies for the day..only tomorrow to go now and i'm all finished again for a week.....Did i mention that i am that person that has a 2 day week and 5 days off..yes people i live the dream :) Of course i do hold down a full time role in the week of housewife and mother and as many mums will agree... its the most over looked job and the rewards aren't monetary, and yes we do it for the love of it!!! My brother and his future wife's wedding is now less than a month away and i have the role of " pretty it upper", its the job where by i add some sparkle and some sort of magic to the place names and the table plan and the table centerpieces, and i get to make a wedding guest message book...and no doubt a keepsake wedding photo album as well... i am feeling a bit bad actually cos they popped in with their little ones last night to go over some stuff and i completely forgot that i had said to m

Well what a whirl wind of 5 days... i awoke this morning after what seemed to have been a bit of a nightmare dream to realize that  the nightmare had indeed been true and it was all over. Middle son celebrated his 11th  birthday on Sunday, and as dear Daddy in law had been so poorly we hadn't known what to organize, so the sleepover won.. it was my first and possibly my last at that. The children that all came were so very well behaved and had a lovely time... but i like my home lol... i like quiet and i like tidy ...none of these elements rate high on the list of sleep overs...and just for the record... aren't they supposed to sleep at some point at a sleep over or am i missing the point??? it should be called a wake over!!! Well i packed them all off home with a cooked breakfast inside them and a make shift party bag full of sugary rubbish and a dinosaur egg to grow.. :) then i collapsed for 30 mins had several cups of coffee and then started on the curry ready for the gran

well this week has been very long and very emotional. My lovely Father in law passed away Wednesday night , he was a wonderful positive man, and will be so very missed as we come to terms with the fact that he isn't going to be popping in to see us anymore, as they say our loss is indeed heavens gain, heaven is doing very well with my family. I am in the middle of organizing and designing his order of service. its lovely to be asked to make this tribute to him... mum in law has also asked if i will do a reading or something as well.... so i have been writing a poem to read...and finally finished it so at least i'm sort of organised. Half term is over and as is the normal i have done nothing with the boys.. i suppose you could at least say i'm consistent.... Its my middle sons birthday a week today and we have settled on a sleepover for him... it will be our first one so i'm busy searching the net for games and things to occupy them... we aren't having many the

Well we are through half term and as is tradition in our household when the kids are off...we do nothing at all apart from chill. My shifts at work have changed just for this week so I've got some early starts and some early finishes..which i have to say is quite nice. We didn't really celebrate Valentines day due to sad family times, however the boys helped clean out the chocolate bowl from  the valentine chocolate heart shortbread that i made, and they helped me make some heart  decorations to pretty up the conservatory. dangling hearts. We didn't have an elaborate meal, just some roast chicken and fluffy jackets and some salad ..oh and as is customary and most essential in our household a glass of something pink and fizzy. Chocolate heart shortbread.

Haven't been on here for a bit, we have had some very sad news concerning my father in law who has been battling cancer for the last 5 years.... unfortunately he has taken a turn for the worse and is currently being cared for by our local hospice, and now sadly it is just a matter of time. We have been reading all the reports of Britain in the big freeze and that the entire country is frozen or covered in snow.... well that would be all of Great Britain then..apart from Weston super mare... where i have not seen one little flurry of whiteness!! Not that I'm complaining because it does cause traffic problems and minor injuries, but a pretty sprinkle would have been nice. I've been  baking in the  week, I've made several loaves of bread..plus .some bread rolls that could have been used for throwing at coconuts..i didn't give them to the birds they would have probably choked. i did make some chocolate nut brownies which were a success, and i made some lemon meringu

OOOO how i love 6pm Sunday when i have done my weekend of zapping n ordering and date rotating n reducing and i now have 5 whole days off before i have to go back and zap things again. Cant believe how quick this last week has gone, i had a quick glance in my diary and the boys are off in 2 weeks for half term, they have only just gone back after Christmas!!! Not got much planned in the week ahead, have a trip to the hairdressers in the morning which is kind of a pamper session for me..hubby has done his usual " don't have much off its growing nicely", i don't want a lot off any way but i'm looking forward to being able to see again once my fringe has been attended too. Got a meeting at school tomorrow as middle son is sitting his stats this year, so will find out when they are scheduled for and then hopefully will be able to try and arrange a few days somewhere with all the kiddies and puppy dog!! Got to have something to look forward to i think... Have got t

Having a rather sad day in that i keep thinking about death...... obviously how and when it arrives and ultimately what it is like for those left behind. My eldest is into keeping fit and through researching stuff on the net came across a chap who dedicated his life to eating the right stuff, training, looking good etc etc.... i say dedicated his life...he died last yr of an undetected  heart condition ....he was in his early 20's. I find it pulling on my heartstrings in that there is widely available footage on this handsome chap, so full of life.... living his dream...and then the stone cold fact that he is no longer here and it was gone in less than a heartbeat. Of course death comes to us all, i'm not frightened of it coming for me..i don't particularly want to suffer shud i have a choice, and i would most like to be on this earth to see my children grow, be happy and have the blessing of children (and the worry) of their own. People , young, old, fit, sick,  face ba

oh my!!! I am so tired..but i thought i'd better have a little ramble on my blog before i head off to the land of slumber. Well i had a play on the sewing machine yesterday..took me forever to work out how to thread the thing.. but once you have done it ..once, twice and about thirty times its quite straight forward. Talking of straight i have managed a few straight lines now and a rectangle and a square... i was most impressed with myself. i had a few disasters in that i didn't realize that the cotton spool actually extended so when trying to load up the bobbin the cotton did fire off the spool n hit the cat, who then proceeded to pat it around on the floor for a few seconds as i scrabbled to my feet.Took me a little while to wind it all back up but then i was back in action. The only other thing i forgot was to put the foot down to keep my fabric in place... and the over zealous excitement of the foot pedal meant that i nearly stitched myself  via my sleeve to the fabric i w

Well i have finally purchased my very own sewing machine. The last time i believe i came into close contact with one was in my first year at secondary school, so you can probably guess i am a complete and utter novice. I have got as far as opening the box and oooing at it, and then found the instruction manual that i sat and tried to read and absorb. To be honest it made as much sense to me as it would had i been reading all the other language versions that were next to the English bit. However i am inspired by the fab reviews that my little machine has...its a Brother X5 and its apparent ease of use for even the most novice beginner so tomorrow will be test day after i have dropped the kids off and  popped to the local  haberdashery .My list includes sewing machine oil, pins, threads and some chalk or pencil oh and some fabric scraps. I will confess here that i do have a bit of a cushion fetish...and have found a tutorial on here that will (it promises) teach me how to sew and my fi