Happy New Year MMXI

Blydhen nowydh da ragowgh hwi oll MMXI!

Just to get a cornish flavour lol

Busy with work

Not work, work you understand.. but with two assignments due in on the 7th January... my fingers are otherwise occupied with the mountain of paperwork required...

Not too busy not to visit many of you and wish you belated Christmas greetings and premature New Year greetings...

For those that I miss

Here's to the bright New Year,
and a fond farewell to the old,
here's to the things that are yet to come,
and to the memories that we hold.

Thoughts on the end of 2010

As we draw near to the New Year, all of about 48 hours away now, my thoughts turn to what 2010 has meant to me..

1. Started a new job last January working as an Admin Assistant and it renewed my enthusiasm for work.
2. Lived in a touring caravan for 5 months, which made me more appreciative of the space I have now.
3. Sold the house, and became mortgage free; something I never thought I would achieve until I retired.
4. Brought a house in Cornwall, with views from the front over to the coast at Portreath and at the back towards Carn Brae and I still love looking at both views.
5. Adopted Murphy a week before his first birthday, and he has settled in well here at Tre Agan and I think likes us too.
6. Started a job as a Key Skills Tutor in July, and love driving all over the west of Cornwall meeting my clients.
7. Enjoyed a lovely break in the South of France, and went topless on the beach.
8. Starting training for my Post Graduate Certificate in Education in September which will qualify me to teach in Further Education when I have completed both years.
9. Celebrated my first year, living in Cornwall. Don't ever want to move again!
10. Celebrated my first Christmas in the house... and even put decorations outside.. something I never did at the Back of Beyond.

I am sure there have been plenty more ups (and downs) but these were the highlights of the past year and I hope for 2011 that we have plenty more.

I don't know about all of you, hopefully 2011 is a good year for you and may your New Year be peaceful and happy.

Redruth Vs Camborne

On a wet winters afternoon, there was nothing better than to visit the Rugby match down at Redruth.. unfortunately for Camborne they were outclassed but that was made up for by the referee being predominantly on their side.

The final score was 42 to 12 in Redruth's favour... but an enjoyable match though I am not sure I would want to be the person having to deal with the very muddy kit.. it became hard by half-time to tell who was who as they had that much mud on them.

Altogether a good thing to do post Christmas and for a further treat, Bedford are coming down to Cornwall to play the Pirates at the Mennaye, and it will be my first time at that venue.

.. and it's all over for another year

Well Christmas is over and done with for another year, today it seems the sales are on but I can't help feeling sorry for those people who have barely had Christmas Day off from work.

We as a nation can't seem to have a holiday season to spend with family and friends relaxing and preparing ourselves for the long haul to Easter (which is the next break after New Year).. time to take stock, to enjoy the company and the presents that have been received.

I was lucky to get a couple of cornish tin christmas tree charms, something which I saw two years agot but had never quite managed to get hold of myself. So they were unwrapped and duly hung on the tree after Christmas they will go back into their boxes and into the display cabinet which has now a cornish shelf.

Murphy loved his presents among which was a postman's leg (a rather large beef bone), he has powerful jaws but he has such a good temperament that he will even tolerate the neighbours children near him without a growl or other sign of possessiveness. SOH seemed to like his, even the daft ones like the fly gun,

Dinner should have been a three course meal, but both of us were stuffed part way through the main course which was a three bird roast so skipped the pudding which we will have on another occasion.

Saturday Satire : Christmas Post

A Belfast blonde goes to the post office to buy stamps for her Christmas cards.

She says to the clerk, “May I have 50 Christmas stamps?”.

The Clerk says, “What denomination?”.

The blond says, “God help us, has it come to this? Give me 22 Catholic, 12 Presbyterian, 10 Church of Ireland, and 6 Baptist”.

Have a good Christmas everyone, may you get what you don't expect but what you need.

Merry Christmas to you all

Click here

Cornish Christmas Stocking - the pics

I mentioned these in an earlier post, and wanted to have something that was better than the ones in the shops which ranged from the cheap and nasty to expensively trashy.

I had a rummage around in my craft box, which has a miscellany of materials and found some black suede like fabric that I brought but never used, some black stretchy velvet fabric also came out and I hunted high and low for the ribbon which I brought last year but couldn't find it.

So a trip to the fabric shop at Lemon Quay in Truro saw me buy some cornish tartan fabric instead which I think looks attractive but you tell me what you think?

Each one is hand sewn, partly because I enjoy doing things the hard way sometimes and partly because the sewing machine is not conveniently placed at the moment. Each one takes about two days/evenings work to put together and so far I have done two due to the amount of work I have to do for my college course.

Tis the Season

I don't know whether it is just me, but people are being meaner this year and I don't mean of the financial kind... supermarket trolleys are jam packed with all sorts of goodies, bags of swag are being carried down the streets of Truro (where I am based this week) but the milk of human kindness has turned sour.

The pushing and shoving that takes place when I venture out into the shops leaves me speechless. The careless way that people occupy the pavements forcing the elderly and infirm into the road or near the shop walls for security beggar belief. The lack of helping others through the door even when they are laden with heavy shopping, where did all our manners go?

The last straw for me was the person who, as I was mulling over a decision between two items, pushed me to one side so that they could grab the goodies first.

I love Christmas, the sense of excitement growing (despite the snow and ice), but the thought of venturing into the shops leaves me cold...still I am lucky I am finished shopping except for local produce which I can walk down into Redruth for and luckily the town still has small shops and a pleasant feel which makes up for the likes of busier Truro.

I remember well the shopping trips to the Centre MK, it was wise to get there by 8.30 not just for a space but because the shops by 11am were stacked three high with people all intent on a bargain.. I used to leave before then but even so neither Truro or Redruth are quite as bad.

Thought I had got away with it...

Looked out this morning to see two feet of snow

They aren't here at Tre Agan of course, but whoever did this was damn clever and I thought I would put it here to amuse.

Busyness

I have been a bit busy over the past two weeks, hence my lack of posting for which I would like to apologise.

Work has been busy, and evenings I have been trying to finish my Cornish Christmas Stockings.. I cut out three (one for Murphy, one for SOH and one for me) needless to say I have only finished the first two... but they look nice and I promise to put photos up.

The weather has meant everything takes longer, journeys, getting to places to pick up things and even college got closed one evening which was fine except we were supposed to be doing our presentations. Still we managed to get them done eventually but the Microteach now has to be done and after the official hand-in date of 7th January which is looming ever more close these days.

Tre Agan is jollied up for Yuletide, plenty of greenery and suitable figurines adorn the house and Murphy has been purchased a set of reindeer horns complete with bells.. it has taken a little while to get him accustomed to wearing them but he happily trots round now with them on and the neighbours think he's great.

First christmas in the new home, it is going to be good one.

First Anniversary

Today at 5pm I will have been living here in Cornwall for a year, and it has gone really quickly. I came down with hope and expectations that were more than surpassed. I have a job that I love, I get to meet new people everyday and I hope am making a difference in some people's lives.

Could I ask for more? Probably, but actually I don't want more than I already have with one exception. To those who are not at home, or with their loved one's for whatever reason, may the christmas season be full of the joys of human kindness whether it is a smile, a kind word or fufulling a need for you.

Oh and one more thing.. need the weather to be a bit kinder to everyone... thanks for the snow n all, and it has been really nice.. but can we go back to having blue skies and sunshine without the artic chill lol

Saturday Satire : Bus Drivers

A mother and her small daughter, were in a not particularly nice area of town. They were waiting for a bus, when her daughter noticed several wildly dressed women who were loitering on a nearby street corner.

The bus finally arrived and they both climbed on, at which point the young daughter asks her mother, "Mummy, what are all those ladies waiting for by that corner?"

The mother replies, "Those ladies are waiting for their husbands to come by and pick them up on the way home from work."

The bus driver, upon hearing this exchange, turns to the mother and says, "Ah, come on lady! Tell your daughter the truth! Just tell her...... they are prostitutes!"

A brief silence follows, and the daughter then asks, "Mummy, do the prostitutes have any children?"

The mother replies, "Of course, dear. Where do you think bus drivers come from?"

Saturday Satire : One Sunday Morning

One Sunday morning, a priest decided to do something a little different.
He said, 'Today, in church, I am going to say a single word and you are going to help me preach. Whatever single word I say, I want you to sing whatever hymn that comes to your mind'

The pastor shouted out
'CROSS.'

Immediately the congregation started singing in unison,
'THE OLD RUGGED CROSS.'

The pastor hollered out 'GRACE.' The congregation began
to sing 'AMAZING GRACE, how sweet the sound.'

The pastor said 'POWER.'
The congregation sang 'THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD.'

The Pastor said 'SEX'
The congregation fell into total silence.

Everyone was in shock.
They all nervously began to look around at each other afraid to say anything.

Then all of a sudden, way from in the back of the church, a little old 87 year old grandmother stood up and began to sing .........................


'MEMORIES.'

Saturday Satire : Chinese Meal

A couple go into a Chinese Restaurant and order their meal, Chicken Surprise.

The waiter brings their meal over, served in a lidded pot.

Just as the wife is about to serve herself, the lid of the pot rises slightly and she briefly sees two beady little eyes looking around before the lid slams back down.


'Good grief, did you see that?' she asks her husband. He hasn't, so she asks him to look in the pot. He reaches for it and again the lid rises, and he sees two little eyes looking around before it slams down.


Rather perturbed, he calls the waiter over, explains what is happening, and demands an explanation.


'Please sir,' says the waiter, 'what you order?'


The husband replies, 'Chicken Surprise.'





'Ah! So sorry,' says the waiter, 'I bring you Peeking Duck!'