Originally written and attempted to post at 7-05am ( Grrrrrrr Blog.co)

I have been awake for hours,Though I did get a few hours sleep,well two. Still restless but I have somewhere to go today and then I will start to settle down again.
I was singing away this morning while working and suddenly realised I was singing a song that I haven`t heard in years. Of course then I had to find and download the song. Which led to me thinking of other songs from that time. The original song,the one that I was singing was No Matter What by BadFinger,this was the song that the Irish twins and Smiler and Stuart used to sing to me all stood with their air guitars trying to outdo each other. The Irish twins I haven` thought about them in a long time either,Michael and Mark,one so outgoing and full of himself the other shy and quiet except when he played air guitar and sang,being with all of us brought him out of himself a bit,and of course he was protected by the others because he wasn`t a fighter and if others picked on him the other guys would be right there at his side. There was the Twins,Michael and Mark,Smiler ( real name Pete) Stuart who was an ex-Hells Angel,I once beat Stuart at badminton which was a big thing as he was the regional champion,well actually it was twice because the first time he was drunk and he demanded a rematch as he said I cheated,so we had a rematch and I beat him again,he told me I should play proffesionaly but there was no way the Male parent would have gone for that so I told him I preffered to play for fun,he was cool with it,he saw a lot more than he let on did Stuart.Lyndon whose dad was the head of the local mafia, Kev who was another biker and thought he was really hard and had to be continually rescued by Stuart. Angie the loudmouth,Katie the Beauty of the group,Stella who thought she was and had a mad crush on Stuart and of course there was me.I was the female version of Mark the quiet shy one. The little sister of the group though I was the second oldest girl. The favourite song when we were all together and the one that the DJ always had to play was Joy To the World by Three dog night. Drink wasn`t allowed in the disco but there are ways of getting around that little rule One of the reasons I never punished mine when I found them drunk after experimenting with their friends was that I did it myself,not got drunk ( I wouldn`t have dared) but drank under age,I simply sat them down when they were sober and explained to them how I didn`t like it and how it was possible to do things when you were drunk that you would later regret and that I would prefer they wait till they were older and it was legal. I was lucky with my children I guess they had seen what it did to their Father ( who they no longer had contact with,their choice) and they knew I didn`t drink very often and I never got drunk. Once they had done the experimenting with their teenage friends they never got drunk again,of course that doesn`t mean they didn`t do it,just that they were sensible about it. I hoped they didn`t do it of course.
Anyway back to the original subject erm if I can remember what that was,ah yes music I love music I cant remember a time when I didn`t have music in my life in one way or another. It is the stuff that feeds the soul like nothing else can from the Awesome sounds of Vivaldi through the spectrum of rock,pop,dance and soul to the soft mellow tones of Kenny G and the haunting notes of Jazz and blues.
Right now though I am listening to Badfinger,Chicory Tip,The Sweet,1910 Fruit Gum Company and Three dog Night.
It is strange the things that you think of at four in the morning!!!

I am still bored,actually I am taking a break from studying

1) Desktop PC or Laptop?....Desktop both at home and at work.

2)If you had to name one charity that would get £1 mill who would it be?.....NSPCC

3)If you won £1 mill would you still work or laze?..... I would work but for myself more than likely with Downs syndrome children.

4)Like any TV program enough to own all the boxsets?....OOooohhhh yes,just one or two

5)Whats the biggest age gap you`ve dated?......24 years (younger than me)

6)If you were a Greek or Roman God what would you like to be the God of?........Fun

7)On a scale of 1 ( low) to 10 ( high) how would you rate your boredom threshold?.....About an eight,but of course it depends who I am with

8)Is there anyone on blog you`d date?.....That would be telling

9)Do you prefer a holiday at a specific place or do you like to travel around?......Both?

10)Which job would you choose,high pay with low recognition or low pay with high recognition?.....It would depend on what the recognition is for,but I would like my work to be recognised so I guess the second.

List compiled by Juzzzy,nicked by me (and about a thousand others)

1) Close your eyes and instantly tell me what you see? Place,or person? Where or who?.......The Woods

2)You suddenly have a £1000 to spend but only five seconds to decide what on.Whats your choice?......My Kids

3)Ultimate dinner party with you and any three guests?.......John F. Kennedy. Martin Luther King and Karl Marx

4)You MUST be stung by a wasp or a bee which?...Bee ( It only stings once)

5)First name of the person who first broke your heart?......Duncan ( The first and the last)

6)Biggest regret so far?......Leaving school at fifteen.

7)Favourite cocktail?.....Hehehehe Bombshell,dont ask!!

8)Reccomend a book I probably haven`t read and tell me why I will like it?...... The Talisman..Stephen King. My all time favourite book why would you like it,because it is funny,sad,heroic and moving.

9)A film you have always meant to see and deep down know you probably never will do?......Cant think of one.

10)You`re on death row. Its your final meal. What do you ask for?.....Consumme and then Lamb with all the works and apple pie with cream to follow.I am a slow eater it would take me a week to get through it

I go off on Tangents and today is going to be one of them I think.
Firstly Blog.co,what is the point in paying for a pro account enabling one to have extra blogs for other things if you cant access them? And what is the point in being a member of a blog site that keeps going down?more frustrating when you have just written a particurlarly flowing post and then it is gone into cyberspace,it really makes you feel as though you dont want to bother.

My town is still suffering from shock at the Murder at the beginning of the week of Taxi Driver and family man Mahmood Ahmed. I haven`t mentioned it before as I was hoping to write it and say that they had caught the killer/s. Alas that is not so,Mr Ahmed was murdered on monday night and his killer/s are still at large with no clues to who they are five days later. I knew Mr Ahmed,he often took me home in his taxi and was,in my eyes anyway,a true gentleman. One of the few taxi drivers who would take your shopping to the doorstep for you and even inside if you were struggling. Rarely refused a fare even though there have been incidents of taxis being called out purely to be bricked in certain places. He has a baby that is only a few weeks old,as well as older children. I am hoping the fact that Mr Ahmed is asian is not the reason his killer/s have not yet been apprehended.
It is a beautiful day today,the sun is shining,the sky is blue and I soooo want to go wandering,I cant take the destructor though as it is too far for him.Of course this annoys me,not that it is his fault,but that my children at his age walked for miles with me. Every sunday we would set off and just walk,sometimes to the next village sometimes to a park that they loved which is over two miles away from where we lived. We would be out most of the day and when we got back I would make the dinner while they played in the garden on nice days or read indoors on not so nice days. This was family day,weekdays they were in school and I worked.Saturdays was shopping and cleaning day. Sundays was the day when we did things as a family,walked,played games read books. As the children got older we started having video nights. We would choose films to watch,buy in goodies and spend the whole night watching films and laughing and generally being nuts. Every so often we do that even now they are grown. They all tell me how they miss those things.
April is a pretty bad time for me,the last week especially. But having a new job and having so much to learn this week has helped,the job has also helped in another way as it has served to remind me that no matter how bad you think life is treating you,it is treating somone else worse.

Friday morning already,where has the week gone. Though it has been an interesting week,I have spent it learning all about different types of financial dealings.And I have to admit yesterday was my most illuminating.I spent the entire morning with a woman who is not only an ex bailiff/debt collector but is also a magistrate!! I learnt things I didn`t know and things that I think most people are unaware of when it comes to things like debt and the people trying to collect that debt. What has been an eye opener to me is how people that are bringing in jointly over three thousand pounds a month cannot manage to live without running up debts of hundreds of thousands of pounds!!!! People are amazing. And what is even more amazing is that credit companies do not check the ages of their customers they only check to see if they are under eighteen. We have a gentleman of 74 who has only been in debt for the last five years because crredit companies targeted him because of his clean credit score. When they were contacted by our company and asked how come they gave credit to a 70 year old who has little or no chance of paying it off in his lifetime they admitted they dont check ages. As it happens our MD got most of his debt wiped because A few of the credit companies admitted they were at fault and cleaned it off.
And on to my mundane life. I finally completed and sent off my assignment. Seven pages of stats and a 1000 word essay,fingers crossed that it was good enough.
Last night my son rang as I left work and invited me for tea,he only lives round the corner from work and it meant he would give me a lift home. We had pork casserole with creamed potatoes and carrots and it was quite tasty. Nicer because I didn`t have to make it. I went for a little walk when I got home,not too far,just went up into the fields by the woods and sat at the top of the fields,where I used to sit when I was needing to clear my head when I was young,the times when I could escape from the others and just be on my own. The lady I was with today has a phobia about being alone,in a room or in the house. The total opposite of my phobia,I think when you have been raised in a housefull of people ( there were ten in the house if we were all at home) then alone time becomes a precious thing,something you cherish. Being alone has never bothered me,in fact I welcome the peace and the space.When I was married it was no different,I have always had an open house anyone and everyone would pop in for coffee and a chat,anytime night or day. Usually when they had something they needed to talk about,concerns they were having be it about husbands/wifes children whatever,they would come and sit and have coffee and talk.And even if I said nothing they always said they felt better when they left. I sat for a little while just letting the sun warm me and not purposely thinking,of course that is when you do think,all sorts of things because your mind goes off and does its own thing. Hehehehe my mind does that anyway,my ramblings are proof of that!!
Well time to get ready for the daily wage earning a whole weekend off this week,well off work anyway.I expect the family will be down and of course I have the destructor. Now where did I put those leg irons and that cage?

I cant believe it is wednesday already!! I went for a bit of a wander after work,just to see a new nest that has been built up by my sons,looks like a pair of magpies are nesting,I couldn`t see how many eggs there were but Magpies rarely have more than two.I shall be keeping an eye on it to see how they fare,I say its a new nest I think it is this pairs first nest as it looks fairly new,dont know exactly how long they have been on the eggs but my son is going to lwt mw know if they hatch before I get the chance to get back up there.
I was quite bemused today,I have been doing welcoming calls,you know the kind welcome to the company if you have any queries or concerns we are here to help you. Well we ( That is the person I am training with and I ) rang this number and we got an answering machine,not unusual we have quite a few of those today,the message on the machine went like this " Hello we are at home,but we are cleaning our weapons ( sound of gun safety being taken off) please leave your name ( sound of gunfire) and number ( sound of more gunfire) and your address ( chuckle and sound of gunfire) and we will get back to you when the voices tell us to "! Now when I first heard it I just sat there,it is faintly amusing the bit about the voices anyway. But in this day and age you would think that people would think twice before leaving a message like that on their machine. Someone may ring that decides this person must be a terrorist or some such thing and call the police etc.
Some of the messages people leave on their machines are quite amusing though " If we dont answer the phone we are out??"
Anyway,on to better things.I decided when I got home to take a walk down by the river,just for osme fresh air after being cooped up indoors all day ( apart from lunch time of course) it is starting to look really spring/summery down there,a lot of the buds have opened and the trees are starting to get a fresh new cloak of leaves,I love that bright green colour of leaves when they have first opened,and the lovely smell of new growth,I didn`t stay too long the workers from the factory were starting to come through on their way home,most of them dont bother me ( they all think I am nuts anyway) it was when the local drug users decided to start walking down there that I decided it was time to come home.I really hope that they are not going to start using that for their hangout,they usually stay upriver by the factories. I shall just have to go to the other side if they do,where the ducks were the other week.
Last year there were days when I couldn`t walk the woods because of the drunks and the druggies,I am not scared of them but crazy I may be,stupid I am not!
Time for tea I think before finishing the essay that needs finishing,never mind only four hundred words to go

I spent all morning in a lecture,and then all afternoon learning about the different stages that clients go through before their debts start getting paid off. Now I made the mistake of calling the firm I work for a debt consolidation business apparently thats not so,they are called financial protection,which is apparently different. Did you know that these firms that offer this kind of financial help/advise are not regulated? Unlike banks,loan companies etc. But believe me after reading the histories of some of these clients and seeing the amount of debt they are in I no longer feel so bad about my little bit.
I think the nicest thing though is the walk to work and back. I am really enjoying it,of course it helps that the weather has faired up,though it was raining this morning it was only that very fine stuff and this afternoon it was beautiful and sunny as I walked home. One added advantage is the fact that my son lives round the corner from work and I have an hours lunch,so guess where I am going tomorrow for my lunch

Before I set off once again into the land of the employed. My head is full of figures,statistics and variables and Quasi-experiments and descriptive statistic outputs.That was what I was doing when I should have been sleeping. And now I shall get ready and go do SAO`s and check standing order placements. Apparently we have a dress code,which means a business suit or at least something close.This is because we have visitors the like of Investors,Insurance directors,bankers,potential clients and existing clients.So we have to produce an air of business like efficency,good job I have one!!
The sun is struggling to peep through the rain clouds and hopefully will manage it at some point today before lunch so I can sit outside,with a bit of luck.
Have a good day whatever you are doing

And it was good,not half as bad as I thought it would be,in fact nowhere near what I thought it would be. I really enjoyed it,getting paid to sit in front of a computer and answer the telephone all day. Of course there is a lot more to it than that. It is a debt consolidation firm and I take calls from existing clents and answer their queries and any problems they may be having from creditors,if they need creditors dealing with i.e telling to lay off politely,then I log the creditors name and number on a call back sheet and pass it on. And believe me not all the callers are nice either,but the majority just need reassurance that things are being done.Of course today I just listened in and got a general idea of the callers and the computer system set up ( no Internet I`m afraid,which is probably a good thing ) So I am looking forward to tomorrow a with a lot less trepadition than I did today. And they supply all the coffee,and they have sky in the dining room andd benches outside for to catch the sun.
Now I need a coffee and some food and then I have an essay to write!

PS My mouse has got a squeak!!

At work. Had a bit of a rough night,I was hoping to get a good six hours at least but I guess I am out of the habit of sleeping for more than two at a time. I was good and went earlyish,well for me anyway.Took a book of methods and statistics with me,that should have been guarenteed to send me off,but I managed to read a whole chapter before my eyes began to close.Ah well,better to be up early than late.I cant believe how nervous I am,first days are always the worse though,or first weeks,because you are the newby but by the end of the week it should be ok,I hope.

Many of you will know of my fascination for wildlife,and my passion for Birds of Prey so you can imagine my delight when a friend sent me a link to a live cam feed attatched to the nest of a pair of Bald Eagles. There are eggs in the nest it is about three days to the hatching,the birds take it in turn to sit on the nest.
Here is the feed if anyone is interested in having a look http://www.infotecbusinesssystems.com/wildlife/
Please be patient when first going on sometimes it takes a few seconds,other times a couple of minutes,all you may see to begin with is a black screen but it will open up.
A few facts for you about Bald Eagles.
Male and Female birds have identical plumage,the female is actually larger than the male,one of the few species of birds of prey where this is the case.All eagles have four toes,three facing forward and one backwards,females tend to have longer rear-facing claws,they also have deeper beaks.The call of the birds is different too,the females call is lower pitched than the males,the males can tend to sound like a scream.
Gee I am a mine of fascinating information

My son bought me my film `Streets of fire` Michael Pare,doing his mean brooding ` I am a tough guy with a heart` act,the acting is naff,the storyline is,well erm naff,the music is brilliant. A rock and roll fable it is called,and I love it. And it kept the kids entertained while I got some studying done. I must have been having a brain seizure moment when I agreed to have the elder two,but they didn`t do so bad.So no wandering outside last night or this morning,which is probably just as well as it is raining,has been all night.
It has been a long night,just drifting off at one point to be woken by a phone call from my daughter,who was supposed to be coming back here after her night out as her kids are here.To inform me that she wasn`t coming back and would be here this morning nstead. That was at ten past three.Then the son phoned at ten past six asking me to waken him for work,he had just finished work when he phoned he has to be back for eleven.I had already given up any hopes of sleep and was back with the grumbling books. I was thinking of the people that have passed through my life and have touched it in many different ways,the wonderful Geordie man that had taken me into his family,the reason that I support the football club that I do.My haven away from the torment of home,a short lived one as they had to move,but one that showed me not all families were like mine.The little old lady from down the road who taught me the secret of baking a good cake,that rose and was light as air. The one across the street from us who saved her threpenny bits and every year when the fair came she gave them to us to go to the fair with.The scots family four doors up who wowed us with his tales of poaching before coming to England and yorkshire.And later the Old scots lady we all called granma,my children loved her,she would wander across the road with a plate full of scots pancakes,with the excuse she had made too many for her lot,she was living with her son and his wife and their children. My children would spend hours over there. These were all people that touched my life in good ways,leaving precious memories behind.People that taught me there was a different way and encouraged me to find it. Not by anything they said but just by being who they were. Sometimes the people that teach us the most valuable lessons are the ones that dont try to.

Just a little play for a change

I love playing dress up

Where has the week gone??
Last night I went walkabouts again.I would have blogged this last night but my darling son wrenched me out of the house to go to his house to babysit,a whole night with no computer!!! Even though I wouldn`t have been on as I was studying,the fact that it is there when I take my breaks if I want to use it.
Anyway I went walkabouts but this time I didn`t wander far from where I live. I had the windows in the apartment open because it had been so warm,and then it started to rain.One of those April showers that seem to come from nowhere and last about ten minutes. It was the smell that drew me outside,that beautiful fresh smell you only get after rain,I dont believe a word has been invented for it,it is so green like standing in the middle of the woods and actually smelling the grass and leaves growing. I needed to go to the little shop anyway and decided it was as good a time as any. Refreshing spring rain was falling as I set off. The shop is less than five minutes away but,between my apartment and the little shop is a whole array of shops. I cross the little street and there is a Motor parts shop,sells everything from tools for fixing to things for placing in, Cd players/steering wheel clamps etc. Then you cross the two delivery roads,they lead to the back of the local Do-it-all. next is the Bluebird cafe,local greasy spoon that opens really early but also closes really early,they make a mean bacon and mushroom sandwich though then the wash and vac shop,next to that is the Italian restaurant,Piccolo Mondos, then the pub,then a travel agents,the Chinese take away,a hairdressers,a flower shop,a tropical animal shop ( snakes and lizards etc) another hairdresser and the little shop.On the opposite side of the road to the Chinese is the Indian take away/restaurant,another hairdresser,a private tutors,and Sainsburys garage. On leaving the shop and walking very slowly back to the apartment,I marveled at the different smells just in that one little piece of road. The beautiful green smell,and then the smell of the Chinese food,and the Indian food mingling,a bit farther on and the smell of the pub was outweighed by the smell of the Italian food,and as I passed them the Green fresh smell took over again. It really is amazing how much there is right outside your own front door

It has been a beautiful day,despite being inundated with family again. They have for some reason decided I neeed company,every day!!!
Anyway I decided to check the lottery numbers and I won!! A whole Ten pounds!! Now I know you are all sat there saying is that allWell when you have done the little act of impulsively,with a what-the-hell attitude of putting your very last pound on the lottery,winning a tenner is magnificent. Now it`s not much on the grand scale of things,but,if you look at it more as I put my last hundred pence on and made it a thousand,well it sounds much better.Empirical evidence perhaps of the old saying ' Look after the pennies and the pounds look after thamselves' .So yesterday I had a pound to my name and now I have ten!! whoohooo. Of course I will spend it wisely

Sleep yet again having eluded. Mister Sandman decided not to sprinkle golden dream dust into my apple green eyes and went instead to find more worthier eyes to sprinkle. I finally gave up even the pretence of trying to find that elusive land of nod and decided to go for a walk. Once work begins again I will be unable to do that often so thought I would make the most of it.
The sun of course is rising earlier so I set off about quarter past five,taking some apple pieces for my little Squirrelly friends and some bits of biscuit for the birds ( and the Squirrelly friends ) The Owls were calling their goodnight calls when I got to the woods,it was still dark so I went along the little path that leads to where I was going to watch the sunrise.It wasn`t pitch black dark,it was that strange light/dark you get just before dawn,as the sky is preparing to lighten.I was about half way along the path when I heard rustling to my left,where the path to the little valley is. I stopped and looked that way thinking I may get to glimpse the fox on its way home from a nights foraging.I had taken the bag of apple out of my pocket ready for when I reached the bench and was holding it in my hand.There just coming down from the valley were three deer,what looked like two does and a fawn. I stood really still hardly daring to breath,they were coming directly towards me and I didn`t want to scare them.They stopped a few feet away,just looking at me their long noses in the air sniffing,I was waiting for them to bolt,after all the man scent is not a pleasent one for them after the culling a few years ago. But they didn`t,the fawn came nearer,sniffing,and nearer. I have to admit my heart was beating like a drum,this was so exciting. His little cold nose touched my hand and it took me all my time not to jump it was so unexpected. He could smell the apple,when I moved my hands to take the apple out of the bag he jumped back and ran back to the females.But they didn`t bolt,they just stood looking,I took out some pieces and held out my hand,I never expected him to come back I thought at this stage he and they would be off,but tentatively he came back and sniffed at the apple in my hand.I dropped it on the ground and he retrieved it.Then he lifted his head and sniffed at my hand again. I took some more out and this time he stayed where he was,I held out my hand and he took the apple right out of my hand!! I repeated this till the apple was gone,being able at one point to actually stroke his neck while he was eating.When the apple was gone and he was nudging for more I laughed as I was telling him it was all gone.The does had made no move at all,but the minute I made a sound they made a snorting sound and he ran back to them and they were off.I stood and watched them trot down the path,just before they dissapeared out of sight one of the Does turned and looked right at me,just for a few seconds.Then they were gone. And I just stood there,awestruck,not believing what had just happened.The Sun was already rising and I had missed the first part,but I wasn`t bothered,what had just happened was just as awesome.I went and sat on the bench for a little while to gather my breath. I left the biscuit for the birds and the Squirrels ( none of which I had seen) and made my way home. Anyone who saw me would have thought I had lost it walking home with a great big smile on my face,shaking my head in wonder.At just going on seven in the morning.
It was a great start to the day,and tired as I might be I wouldn`t swap this morning for the sandmans bag of Gold dust

I always wanted to say that,I dont watch it honest
The Survival game was apparently thought up by the S.A.S? Now the fact that I know an ex-S.A.S personally and he roared with laughter when I showed him this paper and the answers has nothing to do with it. I will give you the answers as they were told to us.
In order of importance your items are.
Ciggarete lighter ( without fluid) Number 1...This is because you would use the spark from the lighter to create a fire.which is to keep you warm and make a signal.
Ball of Steel Wool No2........This is because the steel wall can be used as a conducter for the spark to create the fire.
Extra shirt and pants for each survivor no 3....To keep you warm and can be used as bandages or for signaling with.
Newspapers ( one per person ) no 4....This has two uses one for the fire of course and the second. Newspaper when placed between clothes and skin acts as insulation and keeps the body heat in thereby keeping you warm ( Anyone who has seen 'Day After Tomorrow ' Knows that one)
A small Axe no 5.....for firewood to keep the fire going.
20x20 ft piece of heavy duty canvas no 6....To make a shelter with
Family size bar of chocolate no 7......Of course for sustenance,and the surmise that it will in turn keep you warm.
A loaded 45 caliber pistol no 8.....For signalling with the international code for needing help three sharp shots. Also for scaring off wild animals. There was also this lonf fangled explanation of how you can start a fire with it.
One Quart of 100-proof whisky No 9.....This has little use beyond helping to get the fire going and maybe soaking cloth for signals. Drinking it at that temperature would freeze your throat and stomach.
Compass No 10....Could possibly be used to signal with ( Sun bouncing off glass)
A sectional air map made of plastic no 11.....According to the person that made the test this has little use beyond using it to sit on.
The reason for these answers. The surmise is that you will stay where you are,therefore you will have to keep warm and dry untill rescued,the plane was on a designated flight plan and as such the search will begin on that route.
So how many did you get right and what was your idea,stay put or head to town???

I had a Basic idea where the place was that I was having my assessment day. I dressed smart but casual,minimum of makeup,which was a good job really as it decided to rain as I walked through town.I put my long unruly hair into a single plait that hung down my back. I felt a little nervous,it is a long time since I have been on this end of the interview table. I was met at the door and escorted to the 'room' I was the second to arrive. By ten everyone that was going to come had,and it was decreed that we would start. There were eight of us out of the fifteen that had been summoned for the assessment. There were only six jobs available,3 part time and 3 full time.five of the people there wanted full time and the other three part time. We started with a run down of how the company started,yawn boring,I already knew all this. I had researched it before I went.Then we did what they called an exercise designed to assess how we solve problems and work as part of a team. These are basically Psychological exercises and eventually all firms will use these in interviews. The exercise went like this.
Survival Game
You and your companions have just survived the crash of a small plane. Both the pilot and c0-pilot were killed in the crash. It is mid-january,and you are in Northern Canada. The daily temperature varies between 5-10 degrees,and the night time temperature is 5-10 below zero.There is snow on the ground and the countryside is wooded with several creeks criss-crossing the area.The nearest town is 20 miles away.You are all dressed in city clothes appropriata for a business meeting.Your group of survivors managed to salvage the following items.
A ball of steel wool
A small axe
A loaded 45 caliber pistol
A compass
Ciggerate lighter( without fluid)
Extra shirt and pants for each survivor
20x20 ft piece of heavy-duty canvas
A sectional air map made of plastic
One quart of 100-proof whiskey
Newspapers ( one per person)
Family size chocolate bars ( one per person)
What we had to do was in five minutes list the importance of the items to our survival and then as a team take fifteen minutes to go through it together and list the ones we thought was important, Divided into two teams. I am not going to give you the answers here lets see if you can work it out.
After this we did some role play,which was linked with the job,this was individual to test your customer service skills. Then we had lunch. We had been told if you were invited for lunch you were through the first stage. After lunch came the interviews. My interview was the very last one. Which was fine because I was busy talking to the woman that had organised it all,turns out she supports the same football team as me so that was quite fun.
As I left at half three they told me they were now having a meeting to decide and we would hear tonight within the next two hours.
I waited and at half six decided that I obviousley hadn`t got the job. Just before seven the phone rang and it was they.
I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!
As of monday I am once again part of the workforce

Well dressed casual anyway.today is the day I attend an assesment day to get a job.if I pass the assessment I get an interview,strange ways they have,used to be you just went and had an interview,for some jobs two. Never mind things move on I guess.
Catch you all later

A very good and lovely friend and I were chatting about music last night.Mainly eighties music,I loved the eighties music. That was my time of revelation so a lot of the music was particurlarly significant to me.Great tracks like 'Relax' Frankie goes to Hollywood and Wild Boys Duran Duran.Artists like Huey Lewis and the News,Spandau Ballet,Curtis Steigers,Ultravox oh wow when Midge Ure sang vienna Phew!! Kajagoogoo,Bad Manners, to mention but a few.
I have to admit though some of my favourite tunes from the eighties came from a film entitled Streets of Fire,it has to be one of the naffest films ever made and I love it!!! I have been trying to find the film for ages but it has dissapeared into the land of obscurity. I do however have some of the music from it. Tracks like ' Tonight is what it means to be young' and 'Nowhere Fast' the classic 'I can Dream about you' by Dan Hartman and 'Blue Shadows' by The Blasters.
I wonder how many eighties songs you lot can remember? And what were your Favourites

For the second day running I have had the entire family here,including my Brother.All day not just for a little while. Today I decided it was time for my grandaughter and I to have some quality time,she is my only grandaughter whereas there are four boys. She is a beautiful child,and yes I am prejudiced but she really is,she has beautiful golden hair that falls into natural ringlets.It is the same length as mine halfway between shoulder blades and waist So today I decided to pamper her,she is at that age where she hates mam brushing her hair,cos it pulls.She is seven in May. So I said why dont you let me wash it and do it.Just you and me we will do it like the hairdressers do.She was all for it,so off we went. I had her sat with her head leaned back and used the shower attatchment we have on the taps ( posh bath taps ) I gently washed and conditioned her hair,massaging her scalp.She loved it,I towel dried it and then sat and brushed it till it shone and the ringlets were bouncing back.She was almost asleep by the time I had finished. Grandson was feeling a bit left out,her brother the older one,so I let him help with lunch and he was happy again. I really enjoyed spending some one to one time with her and making having her hair done fun for her as well as me. Trouble is now she wants me to do it every week.
What have I started?

I used to be a little mouse wouldn`t say boo to a goose and everyone and anyone could walk all over me. At least thats what people thought.The main reason they thought this is because I was raised in a household where the male came first,whether it be The male parent or the brothers they came first,in everything. The word of the male was law,he was the head of the household and as such he was served first at mealtimes,he was given the best of everything and the most. This continued into my married life,dont think I didn`t answer back or argue etc,but in the end for the sake of a quiet life and to be allowed to raise my children in peace I put up with the derisive comments from him and his freinds,the never saying please or thankyou. Never a word of praise for the meal that took hours to prepare and cook.
My freedom didn`t come in a blinding flash,a wondrous moment of revealation. I had suffered a traumatic event and a year later I was still suffering from it,believing things could not get worse than they already were I was stunned when a series of tests revealed that I may have a life threatening illness. The speacilist in his matter of fact voice in a matter of fact tone said "we are not unduly worried but you must come in today we operate tomorrow" I made some feeble sounding excuses about having to sort the kids out and some other equally feeble stuff,in the end he said "fine go home but you will be here tomorrow by ten have nothing to eat or drink"
I went home having summoned the brother-in-law to come give me a lift. This is when it started,the dawning,the realisation if you like. All the way home,which was quite a distance he kept saying how upset his wife was ( my husbands sister) how upset he was,what this would do to the family. Not once did he ask how I felt,not once did he ask if I was ok. I got home and rang my sister to see if she would have the children,they came down her and her husband. And I went through the same rigmarole,what a shock it was to her,how it was affecting her. Now I am not an insensitive person and yes I know it was a shock to them all,yet not one of them asked how I felt,how this had affected me.After all it was me it was happening to. She agreed to take he girls but would not take my son the youngest the baby ( he was two ) so it was agreed that he would stay at home with husband. Who was already moaning about how this would affect him and his plans. Which made me laugh he had never had a plan in his life!! My brother T when he found out,was only concerned with how this would all affect his wedding plans as he was to be married nine days later.
I duly went into hospital the following day,was I scared? I was petrified!! That day was a no go I had my op and dont remember much. The following day my doctors lovely sidekick came to me ( she wasn`t beautiful just a lovely person which to me made her beautiful) and she said we have had to send the tests away and it will be a few days till we know,you have to stay here in case anything is needed to be done and so we can discuss treatmenst etc. So there I sat in hospital for a week,not knowing if I was going to live or die or how long I had or anything really. And I began to think about all the silly things. Not what I was going to do with my last few months but what I hadn`t done with the last few years. My husband came to visit and tell me how I was ruining his social life by having to stay in. I sat and looked at him and I thought it doesnt have to be like this,I dont have to do this,or put up with this anymore. At the end of the week I came out of hospital with the all clear,and a firm resolve to be me. It took time to make people understand that they could no longer walk all over me,I would no longer meekly stand by and allow them to say/do what they wanted. It wasnt a new me,it was the real me,the one that had always been hidden because I had to. She had come out for a while when I was alone with my first child but then she was hidden again.
Only once since then has she been hidden.
Someone asked me what blogging meant to me. This is what blogging means to me. It is a release for all this stuff that goes around in my mind,that is filling up the file cabinets and needs sorting.
It is also a place where I have read some wondrous stories,that make me realise that my life wasn`t so bad it could have been worse.
And of course where I have met some wonderful people.

I am according to my friends and family a very fussy person. I see it more as knowing what I do and dont like. For instance I will not eat tinned chicken and very rarely will I eat frozen chicken either,in fact I rarely eat any tinned meat or for that matter anything else in tins,all those E numbers and colourings not to mention the salt content.I very rarely eat beans or spaghetti tinned.But,every now and then I really really fancy spaghetti on toast.Like tonight. Now being the erm discerning person that I am on those few and very far between occasions when I partake of this delicacy I naturally insist on a certain brand. I never ever eat cheap brands of the long stranded stuff because, well it isn`t is it? I mean they chop it up,little tiny pieces! Yesterday my daughter had bought some spaghetti for me,she knows I will not eat the little tiny baby stuff. So she tells me I bought name brand mam. Thats fine I didn`t check she put it away. So tonight I gets out the pan and goes and gets the stuff out of the cupboard.And I am horrified nay gutted when I discover that it is HP,and it is cut into little baby strands. I tried it,but no the enjoyment was gone,the whole idea of spaghetti on toast that I was looking so forward to,those long,long strands curled up on those toasted pieces of bread. Smashed gone and all because it wasnt Heinz. I mean its not a lot to ask for really. Is it??

And so it does ( thats the Irish in me coming out) On wed as my friends do know my nephew rang me to try to locate his father,my brother. Who was apparently missing and had been since tuesday morning.Yesterday he was located,in hospital,seriously ill. Now for the full story which has had my nephew and myself totally stunned.
On Monday my brother T had a blackout,he was rushed to hospital. These blackouts are a regular thing at the moment,and untill they do the tests we have been pushing for will continue to be so, Not unduly worried knowing he was being kept in overnight my nephew sets off to work Tuesday morning,on a break he rings the hospital to find out when his father is coming home.They tell him we are releasing him this morning about ten. Believing that he would do what he normally does and get a taxi to mine untill son has finished work he is still not worried. Gets home from work,and then goes out with friends. Gets home late decides not to disturb his father as not hearing TV on he thinks he is asleep. Sets off for work wed,as he starts at the ridiculous time of six am,he doesn`t say bye just goes. Gets home from work and realises his dad hasn`t been home since the Tuesday when he was released from hospital.Rings me,then rings everyone he can think of. Rings hospital,no he isn`t there.Wed night we go out searching all the notorious spots. All night wed and all morning thurs he rings the hospital,every couple of hours. Thurs afternoon at half two he rings and they say yes he was admitted half an hour ago,he is very poorly. Nephew goes on to hospital. they takes him to this room and he couldn`t see his dad properly because he is in an oxygen tent and there are machines and tubes and god knows what surrounding him.He stays a little while,noone tells him anything apart from the doctor will be back later. He goes home to have some tea,gets back to the hospital and now he can see the guy in the bed as they have removed the tent,its not his dad!!! It takes him half an hour to get it through to hospital staff that this isn`t his dad,then they find Dad still in A& E. Apparently they hadn`t discharged my brother on Tuesday after all they had discharged him Thursday Afternoon they brought him home in an ambulance as he went to get out of the ambulance he slipped,they took him back to the hospital for a check up ( for fear of being sued) and left him sat in A&E waiting. When my nephew had rung my brother had been admitted to A&E half an hour before after being taken there by the ambulance bringing him home. He was never missing he was in hospital all the time,while we were traipsing the streets looking for him he was tucked up safe and sound in ward 9!!
Needless to say My Nephew and I have being having very serious words with the admin and heads will roll!
It really does beggar belief!