Morning all! Well afternoon now. Woke up bright and early and went for a run, spent the rest of the morning recovering! having a spot of lunch then going to ride the giant ginger ex-racehorse or super-cob, can't decide (they are owned by the same girl who'll ride the one i don't) lovely day for it.

oh and then i have to revise. bah humbug.

Afternoon Bev sorry to hear that headache is troubling you still.
I really think as the diabetes has been ruled out maybe they should be running blood tests for other things not sure what but a full blood panel you can't keep on like this and having to work.
The only other thing I can think having been through it is hormonal you are not a great deal older than me I started my change at 40 quite young but I do know the head aches and dizziness would send me to bed some days. A blood test can see if you are in your change or not and how far in.
Afternoon Gerri your day yesterday sounds lovely especially the apple crumble.
Glad you had a nice day and that it made your cousin smile.
Sometimes the family thing niggles me but not as much as it did.

Afternoon Malka. Glad Pereg only you got out once.
I have many cousins most on dads side we kept in touch with but since he has died and everybody has got a lot older we all seem to of lost touch so another dysfunctional family here too.
Afternoon Jenny. Hope the sun is with you now we have beautiful clear blue skies here today. Also that of you are back form your walk it was a nice walk.

Afternoon Mini. Have you decided to get the beans in ?
Clever Chloe carrying mums tools for her.

Afternoon Moyra I hope you have had a nice lunch in fact you may still be out having lunch so hope it is a good one.

Afternoon Pat. ouch
Must say i'm not a fan of TKM either I can never find the bargains.
My bio mum may not be alive now she would be 95 saying that mum is 93 this month so she may be but one mum is enough thanks. I don't want to meet her just know who my dad is and if my suspicions are right. I think only she holds the clue to that one and it may of gone to the grave with her.
Afternoon Linda hope the tummy feels better soon. Hopefully Loki will soon be back to normal it must be tiring all those fits.
You will have to ask some of the mums later what you missed if anything.

Afternoon June that was a nice surprise you needed something to cheer you up.
See you all at Pat's then.

[QUOTE=Helena54;2690029] Afternoon Helena. Rubber manufacturers hey.
I didn't doubt you would of come from good stock.
Fingers crossed you have a rise like June has. You can pop off to Dunelms.
Enjoy your lunch sounds yum.

Afternoon E. Enjoy your ride just the weather for it.

Well Dillon and I had a lovely walk round the woods when we got off the field. We went left today and walked the whole perimeter of the woods met Robyn and his dog Poppy for chat they were coming the other way other than that it was just us. When we got to the end of the woods and onto the field again making for home he had a good run round and got rid of some more pent up energy.

I dropped Michael at Epping then went to Lidl and popped into see Mark and Tracey for a cuppa watched Shameless now catching up with Dogsey.
When I have done this off to do some housework. Will have to keep fingers crossed its still sunny when Gorden gets home to take indoor piccies he took the camera to stop up the lane and take some more outside photos on his way out this morning.
When we rewrite the spec for the agent we are going to ask him to put in that we have all this on our doorstep but can you believe we are only 15 minutes away from the M11 and M25 with good links to the London and Cambridge and the North. Also 1/2 hour away from Stanstead Airport. Plenty of back ways through if the M11 and 25 are jammed.
Dillon is on the sofa snoozing all this walking is waring him out.
Michael got his first pay today from his part time job so is staying in London at Macca's and they are going out for a meal and he wants some new shoes. So no having to pick him up later and take him in the morning.

There has been a rise in the state pension Helena, I also paid graduated contribution, so I get taxed for being sensible of course. I also paid into a works pension, which I am taxed (or was) a ridiculous amount) and a smaller personal pension, which again (at present) is taxed at nearly a quarter of it. Sooo it is the works pension that has miraculously stopped (or more or less anyway) being taxed!!!!
Lovely warm day here, Mabs and Keshi onto the field and had a couple of nice short sessions with them after Keshi had found the shredded tuggy and Mabs had chased her round the field with it, lots of mock fighting and growling, training session then more hurtling round as we went back to the car. Then Cariad and Lona up to the woods, where I again sat on a fallen tree whilst girlies rooted and rolled, came over for kisses and kissed me back, lots of cuddles, was out there for ages, came back and have had a big clean outside, taken down the puppy ramp to the puppy palace, but left the other ramp up to the smaller kennel still as it is quite high up off the ground.
Not quite sure what is going on, but Lona has stopped eating bones, now she always does this a week before she has babies, she is also nest making (which I keep tidying up telling her there are NO babies) she keeps wagging her tail and laughing when I say this. She isn't bagged up or anything, but 2 people have said to me they wouldn't be surprised if she had one, just to be her Not too bothered this time if she did have one outside as is it is all warm and dry and I keep it all clean as well, it has always been winter before, but weather is OK if it did happen, would rather it happened with me there with her, but she is a law unto herself is that one.
The lady that TM found near to me is not the right person, I thought it was strange as I knew my mother's family came from South Manchester, and TM has now found the marriage cert which gives my grandmother an entirely different father, she is off searching again but it is the right area this time. Have found the streets where they lived before their marriage and 'stood' outside them.

Few random thoughts while I cool off in front of the fan. High 30s today. (My sis is going to melt!!) Hotter than usual for the beginning of May - summer usually kicks in about halfway through. I've been cheated of a bit more time in the comfy high 20s.

Lidls. We have Lidls now. What a con. They don't sell HALF the same stuff they do in the UK. I don't bother. It's full of bleedin' breadsticks and other Cypriot favourites - could get them everywhere anyway. They don't sell any meds and don't even sell their famous Bratwurst! Oh and when complaining about the queues forming coz the cashiers were 'packing bags' and I mentioned that is not their business model - was told - Cypriots are used to having their bags packed. Wimps. They also have car park attendants and all sorts of unnecessary extra staff - like they do everywhere here - which is why the country is going skint!

Bubble & Squeak. I LOVE IT. I never make it here - dunno why. I was making it in the UK again when over there last year. Used to be a firm fixture for Boxing Day in our house. Not leftovers - I'd made a big bowl up before Xmas Day ready to fry up on Boxing day with leftover meat (if my boys left any). I like it made with either dark greens or even sprouts for a stronger flavour and always put grated onion in too. (The only time I eat sprouts!)

Pension Helena when you say you don't 'use' yours do you just mean you don't 'spend it'? Or do you mean you've 'deferred' it? I would NEVER defer! Sod that taking the chance of the govt getting it if you kick off early! (I'd imagined you were too young to be eligible for a pension - another illusion shattered lol!)

Bolshie Non EU 3rd party Nationals
Not even THINKING about that scheming little minx and her sob stories today.

Poor Romanians
I bought 3 10L pots of White Magicoat from someone leaving the island for a bargain price. Sabby had told me he wanted to repaint my old apartment white. I said at the time 'no chance it will take so much paint to cover the terracotta - and at €23 per 3L pot - no. I might fork out for similar colour though.

So, having got the cheapo paint, I went down to see him and said 'Hi Sabby - found a job yet? No? Well you'll have plenty of time to paint the apartment then! And when will you be paying this month's rent?

He said he was paying it next week (this is perfectly reasonable cheques take ages and with about 5 bank holidays coming up I know it will more than likely be end of May(ish). I said come with me I've got your WHITE paint you wanted! Off we traipsed. I told him if he paints the apartment I will reduce his rent by €50 this month (didn't say anything about more than that - let's see if he gets on with it first - not like he's got anything else to do!)

He was happy with this (so he should be - I paid most of his soddin' lecky bill last month!) but he is a GENUINE case of hardship. He said he told his girlfriend she might have to pay his rent lol! I said - better still - move her in with you! I doubt this will come about - she is Cypriot - her family will kill him lol!

Bella is lying under the fan bless her. Sense at last. Up until this summer she blerdy SUNBATHED when we were hiding from the heat. Still only a tiny head not much room for a BRAIN in there.

Hydrangeas
I believe in 'talking to your plants'. I've told them if their performance doesn't improve very soon they are going in the wheelie bin - we will see. Blerdy waste of about €80 they were!

The two new 'outfits' I got for €90 in the sales to wear when my sister is here are now consigned to a spare wardrobe. It was at least TEN DEGREES cooler than it is now when I bought them. I will DIE if I wear them in this heat! Duh! Told you I was useless at choosing and buying clobber.

Local funny shop is doing a deal on B&H for €3.50 until June. I've told them to 'get them in' I will buy the lot lol!

It's Orthodox Easter here this weekend - their biggest holiday, bigger than Xmas. Fasting will stop and they will all end up at the A&E ill from gorging on Souvlaki and other overcooked BBQ'd meat! The constant firecrackers at night are peeing me off. I like the carnival stuff and processions but our Municipality cancelled Larnaca Carnival this year saying they were going to give the money instead to the poor and needy? Yeah right. They didn't specify who the poor and needy are or how much they will give them?

Arabsat TV Dunno wot's going on the Arab World but my Arabsat TV movie channels are alternating between Christmas Movies (LOL) interspersed with the haunting ' Call to Prayer'?? Funniest one ever was when (on Brit Mothers Day) on the family movie channel they aired Mother's Day (a particularly nasty and violent horror type movie lol!) The heat is affecting the Sat channels at the mo - always affects them more than storms and bad weather. Oh well it won't be on at all from Saturday when my sis gets here! Yippee!

Lol, sorry I've shatted your illusion Pat, but I WAS wearing well ya see, my profile pic was my 60th birthday, but after 3 more years of toil, trouble and stress I look and feel bdooly 90!!!! No, I didn't defer, I like to see it there and if anything happens to me, then it's Dave, not the Government's

Yeah, bubble and squeak has to be made with sprouts and a few onions thrown in, but I ate so much of it (a whole frying pan load of it ) I felt so bloated and it's now repeating on me lol! I didn't even bother much with the cold turkey I bought cos that was tasteless, so Zena had that.

Look at you baking in 30 degrees already in May, what's it gonna be like over there in July and August I dread to think Far too hot for me thanks, but then you have a pool don't you? I'd be sitting in the flat with the air con full blast, order my food online, and only go outside for a quick dip and back indoors again, I just hate it that hot.

What will you do if these people don't cough up the rent then?? Why should you pay their bills Are you mad woman, or has that heat really got to you???

It's still beautiful here, not a cloud in the sky, about 21 deg which is perfect for me. I've just had an e-mail that they've plonked some dianasuer manky old van next to mine up at the park (the original van) and it's 10ft up in the air cos it's too big for the plot I'm going to get on the phone and see what's going on, I don't want my guests put off with that eyesore next to them!!!!

Always summat isn't there

Hi June, what a lovely walk with the girlies you had there, especially with lots of kisses and cuddles whilst you sat yourself on a log! That wouldn't be allowed with Zena

I will go and check my pension cos it went in the other day. The reason your other pension isn't getting taxed is because we're now allowed to earn £10K a year before tax which is great!

I don't quite understand my pension, cos I worked my entire life, never once claimed dole, never had kids, and yet I don't get as much as a friend of mine who only ever worked 2 weeks of her life and then had a family She gets £40 a week MORE than we but why???? It's probably cos I never added to the population isn't it and went self employed most of my life, they like to penalise us for that! Hey ho, at least they gimme summat for sitting on my backside now

Amazing! Your profile pic looks just like a GSD to me lol!


Here's a piccie of me on my son's boat in the Cayman Islands on my 59th - has to be the BEST birthday ever. He got the champers out moored just off Rum Point and then we waded in and got sloshed!



I'm told I am wearing well - 5yrs on now! (but it is not on account of having had an 'easy' life I can assure you!) my hair is now much longer than that - down below shoulders - in fact I am going to try to get it cut a bit shorter before Sis gets here on Saturday

*my last two victims (err I mean exes) were both younger than me - the first was older (not hard to be older than me then - I was 18!) I have no intention of ever committing again in or out of wedlock. But do not recommend younger blokes - these days if I want to be seen in the company of a younger man - I go out with one of my sons!

my ride was lovely , lovely weather, giant ginger ex-race beast was lovely. Been living out 24/7 since the nice weather picked up and the change in him is remarkable. totally mellowed out, usually one of those horses you are constantly having to sit back and think calm and slow! today was having to actively gee him along at points. Popped a couple of fences which again, usually involves getting very strong and letting him go, today had to ride him into a couple.

not complaining mind.


aaaand back to revising :'(

Glad to hear you enjoyed your 'chill out' time and relaxed before getting down to the nitty gritty again.

There we have something in common, I've always liked my men younger than me too, especially Dave who is 10 years younger (probably cos I can boss them around lol!)

Here's me on my 60th, where we did the very posh hotel bit just the two of us, and not a wrinkle in sight (then!!!!)


It's now almost 3 years on, and I never get glammed up like that anymore (clothes all sitting in the wardrobe along with the killer heels ), still no wrinkles as such though, and I'd probably scrub up ok (ish!), but probably not as good as you look in a cossie! All this walking, I don't know where this flabby belly has come from I must stop eating, I must stop eating......

I tell you what though, we both probably look younger (from behind anyway!!!) on our daily trip to the supermarket looking at some of these young scruffbags I see with their trackie bottoms hanging off their fat a*ses, guts and flabby backsides hanging out over the top, straggly hair, some of them just don't care nowadays do they. When I think back to their age, I wouldn't have been seen dead outdoors without any make up or looking respectable, the world has changed hasn't it.