My niece has requested that for his birthday we buy my grand nephew another of those lovely fleecy dressing gowns that we bought for him last year from Mothercare only in the next size up of course.  So as yesterday was again blessed with some gorgeous sunny weather we immediately decided to go in search of another dressing gown for him as his birthday is later this month.

I actually didn't hold out much hope of finding any as I am well aware that shops tend to change their ranges from year to year, but as we had bought said dressing gown from the branch of Mothercare at our favourite Shopping Centre in Bradford, and as this Quest conveniently lent itself to also do one of our favourite 'runarounds' that we enjoy but haven't partaken of recently because of the horrible weather we have been experiencing, we duly set off.

Taking rolled up raincoats in our bags just in case, we were easily quite warm enough with just our t-shirts on.  We arrived in Bradford and proceeded to the Forster Square Shopping Centre where our potential purchase might be found.  Just as I suspected there were none of the aforementioned dressing gowns anywhere in sight, and following a consultation with one of the helpful assistants who informed us that we might be lucky if we try again later on when their new winter stock arrives, we then retreated back to the Forster Square railway station to find the Leeds train already in so we boarded for our journey to Leeds.

Once there we decided it might be worth checking out the Mothercare store in the Plaza Shopping Centre which is luckily just a short walk from the station only to find that it isn't there anymore, so we returned to the station for our lunch at K's favourite restaurant McDonalds, where I had my usual Caesar Salad and she had her Sweet and Sour Chicken meal.

We then bought our tickets home and after a quick nosy around W.H Smiths where K bought a magazine so that she can suss out what films are due out on Blue Ray in the future, we made our way to Platform 12A to await our train home.

Luckily the weather held out for us and it was just beginning to spot with rain as we alighted from our bus. However it did absolutely pour down later on when we attempted to set off for our exercise class, and as it doesn't take much for K to have an excuse to give any sort of physical effort a miss, we ended up back home dripping wet through and have now missed another!         I was most upset but K quickly reassured me with 'Never mind Mum, you can go next week!' (she won't be partaking of said exercise class of course as she will be in respite care which naturally suits her fine!)

So a rather wasted quest which will have to be repeated later on this year sometime although it was a very enjoyable one thanks to the weather being kind!  You just can't afford to waste such days as they have been so rare this year.

TG 

Yesterday following a firm insistence from K about ‘We’re going whether it rains, snows or blows’ we duly set off to York.  We have been discussing this ‘Back to York’ trip for quite some time as we wanted to visit the York dungeons and catch up on the progress of my favourite steam train the Flying Scotsman which is currently being renovated in the Railway Museum.

I had booked the train tickets on Thursday and they duly arrived by first class on Friday morning.  We had to be down at the station at 08.17 am to catch the train to H and then board the 8.45 am Trans Pennine Express to York.  Our seats had been reserved so we had no problems in getting a seat for the journey.

We soon arrived at York station and after consulting the very helpful staff in the 'Information Office’ as to our route to the York Dungeons the very helpful assistant  also informed us that we could purchase our Dungeon tickets from her at a reduced rate so we did just that!   She kindly marked out the route to the dungeons on our map that she had given us (K and I like using maps as it then authenticates our ‘quest and adventuring’ pretence!) and so we duly left the station and marched off following her guidelines on the map.

Its a very attractive and pleasant walk from the station as you transverse the bridge which crosses the river Ouse.  There were a couple rowing in a kayak type canoe up the river but better still the sky had cleared and the sun had come out!   Also it was quite warm and as a matter of fact K and I walked around in just our t-shirts all day!

So after following the route marked on our map we finally arrived at the Dungeons.   Now we had already been warned by a fellow passenger who was sat next to us on the train that the Dungeons were quite scary so that K was already a little apprehensive to say the least.  On entering it was pitch black and you couldn’t see a thing!   K clung onto me like a limpet during the whole time we were in there.  The staff go out of their way to terrify you with sudden loud shouts, manic laughs and blood all over their faces.  They really hammed it up for all they were worth!   I think K was glad when we finally emerged back into reality!

Then onwards to the Minster itself.   After paying at the entrance we then walked around the main area and took lots of pictures especially of the stained glass windows which are a sight to see.  If you have never been to York Minster then you must try and pay a visit as it is unmissable and there are guided tours around the Minster for visitors to partake of if they choose but we just wandered around by ourselves.

After emerging from the Minster, we caught the little ‘puffer train’ which runs between York Minster and the Railway Museum.   Now to find out what progress has been made on the rebuild of the Flying Scotsman!   You don’t pay to go into the actual Railway Museum itself but we decided to ride on the Big Wheel attraction first which is housed in front of the museum.  It wasn’t too busy and we were soon sky high above York railway station getting some fantastic high views of York Minster in the distance.  Once alighted from the wheel we then had some dinner and then returned to the museum.

K had a quick chat to Queen Victoria as she usually does, followed by a walk around the many exhibits which if you are at all interested in trains and their history are well worth a visit.  The royal carriages dating from Queen Victoria’s time are in the exhibition and these are really interesting to see as they vary from the quite opulent and luxurious (Queen Victoria’s coach) to the downright austere of the royal carriages during the war.  One of them was even equipped with a bath!

Then onto the workshop.  I was very apprehensive about what state the Flying Scotsman might still be in.  Was it still in complete bits as before when we visited?   Well actually no!  Hurrah!   Some wheels were back on the bogey, and some progress at re assembly had taken place!  It looked to me as if it is awaiting the new boiler replacement to arrive but they are still going to have to work hard at it as it is supposed to be back running the York to Scarborough run next year which we will definitely be going on and that begins in May!

Following that reassuring glimpse of my favourite steam train, we decided to ride the puffer train back to York Minster so that we could then make our way to the Jorvik  Viking  Centre which is one visitor attraction that previously we hadn’t visited.  Good!   There were not many people queuing outside so in we went.  Once you have entered the centre you are transported back in time which quite amused K (she kept likening this to the ‘Back to the Future’ film) and then you ride around ‘old York’ in some quite nifty ‘pods’ complete with head speakers which are used for a running commentary about the exhibits as you go past them.

Once you alight from the ride around ‘Oldie York’  there are various exhibits to see such as the skeletons found in the excavations which were made under York and also to K’s delight some helmets to try on.  Then back outside into the glorious sun we decided to walk back to the station as the weather was so enjoyable.   Just before reaching the station we purchased a sandwich for K and a salad box for me which we devoured sat on a seat on station road.   As by now my back was playing up we decided to catch an earlier train than the one actually booked and so we made our way to platform 4 for the journey home.

We arrived back in B only to find one of our taxi friends picking up some passengers outside the station and he very kindly offered to run us home as his fare was near to our house!   How lucky is that and I was very grateful as my feet were aching by now.  So all in all  a wonderful day!   Fantastic weather, we managed to cram  a lot into our York visit, far more than we have ever been able to do before.  The next time we visit York, I hope that it is in order to ride the famous ‘Flying Scotsman’ back doing the York to Scarborough run!

TG  

Following K's departure to day care and ignoring the gray looking skies wind and spots of rain, I set off to town to post a letter.  We do have post boxes nearer than town, but I had decided that I would use the Post Office one and take some photos with my camera on my journey.   Besides which I had some rent to pay as well.  It really was looking very ominous but with raincoat suitably attired I thought 'what the heck, its only water!'

I took some snaps of my walk down into town which suitably shows some of the route we take when walking down. It was bleak but warm and as usual by the time I reached the town I had worked up quite a sweat!  Took some pictures of our two supermarkets just to show the contrast of the two buildings. The Sainsbury's building was very strictly controlled by the council at the time that it was in the planning stage, with Sainsbury's being given very strict instructions about how it had to 'blend in' with the other buildings in the town, etc, etc and I think you will agree that this was accomplished.

The Tesco's building on the other hand despite the fact that none of us were in favour of its placement (its out of the centre of town and right next to our beautiful park) was allowed without so much as a 'blend in, look attractive' or any other pre-requisite as you can plainly see.   There were many reasons why we didn't want it,  one of the main ones being that it would take business away from our small shops located in the centre of town, as they wouldn't be able to compete price wise with the addition that as the supermarket is sited on the main road which skirts the town, most shoppers visiting the supermarket wouldn't bother to visit the town centre itself. Unfortunately all our fears have since been proved right causing many of our local small shops to close.

Not only that but the whole main road which runs alongside the town had to be altered with the result that it often becomes 'bottlenecked' especially at peak times. Its a so and so to cross as well for we lesser mortals who are pedestrians requiring you to have to negotiate a total of three green men traffic lights to get from the supermarket side to the town side.   Why they couldn't have provided us with an underground passageway I don't know.

So into the Post Office which thankfully wasn't full as it often can be, money paid in, letter handed over, and up to the bus station which is in turmoil at the moment as they are renovating it with the result that K and I  got on the wrong bus the other day!   After alighting I spotted the ponies out in the field at the bottom of the hill, so I trotted (ha ha!) down and took some more pictures of them.   The one nearest the fence had a gash under its eye which although it looked as if someone had stitched it did appear quite sore and he/she didn't like me touching its nose.   There are three foals and they are so cute!

So after arriving back home I cleaned the kitchen which is so tiny  it doesn't take very long to do and then plenty of time to write this blog!   I am glad that I risked it actually because it didn't rain once whilst I was out and I always enjoy the walk into town.   It's funny how since my heart attack I keep feeling that I have to be constantly exercising, walking or doing something.  Anyway that's all for now folks !

TG   Keep Blogging won't you?

As is the norm for me prior to journeying anywhere I had spent a restless night waking up two or three times before finally rising at 5.00  am in order to get ready for the trip. K arose about the same time.  We duly packed our cameras, mobiles, food for the journey, drinks, my tablets, placed in a suitable container purchased for that purpose, then a quick breakfast devoured in my particular case as I have to have some breakfast or I get the ‘shakes’, and K’s breakfast bar packed in her backpack for later consumption on the train (a little too early for her at 6.00am!) a last minute toilet visit at 6.30am  then out the door into sisters car and down to the station.

Following some careful parking by sister as she bumped into someone's car whilst parking up when we went on the last trip, the boot was unpacked of contents and we ventured onto the platform. There were not quite as many people going on this tour as had journeyed to Canterbury on the last one, but still quite a few considering our small town. (240 in total as we were to be informed later on in the day! That’s just about the whole town going then!) 

It was due in at 7.00 am but did not arrive until 7.15 am which meant of course everyone continually placing their lives in dire jeopardy by constantly going to the edge in order to peer down the track looking for it. (Don’t they know that as in ‘A watched for delivery van never arrives, then a watched for train never arrives either!)  I was getting rather annoyed as I was determined to take  a picture of the train as it pulled in and they were blocking my view/aim, but as it turned out I never got the picture anyway as with this new camera you have to press the button firmly down so I ended up making a mess of it and not getting the snap anyway. Doh!

As usual once on board we had quite a trek down the train to reach our particular carriage and our seats. The journey from there was actually quite speedy and uneventful and we didn’t have to stop for the normal East Coast traffic until well past Durham so good going. Once arrived and embarked from the train, I made a bit of a  boob and led us all out of the wrong entrance accompanied by much ticking off outside from sister.  Craig my eldest son and Claire his  partner who had earlier arranged to meet up with us had rung me to state that they hadn’t yet reached Edinburgh and would be about 10 to 15 minutes, so I told them whereabouts we would be found(stood at the top stop for the open top tour buses in Waverly Bridge)

Eventually they arrived and after a little weep from me(haven’t seen my two grandchildren for quite some time in the flesh) we all climbed onto a tour bus and duly began the tour.  This time of course, we knew that we could ‘hop on and hop off’ so as K spied a t-shirt shop which looked promising, we all hopped off the bus in order to accommodate her.  The first shop that she went in was a no go, as the t-shirt was £15  and she wasn’t prepared to pay that amount, but sister and I bought our usual fridge magnets of Edinburgh Castle in there, and then we crossed the road to another shop where she purchased two t-shirts for £12.00!  One is about Scotland and the other shows ‘Braveheart’ from the film. (pictures forthcoming)

We then had a short discussion about where to go next and Craig my son went to ask one of the bus drivers for the directions to the Dome facility which we were interested in visiting last time.  We all set off to walk and after a short distance one of our tour buses pulled up and we climbed back on board.  After passing the Palace of Holyroodhouse‘ the royal residence we came to the Dome.  As we were disembarking, I casually asked the bus driver how much it was to enter the dome and he very kindly calculated the total cost for all of us. A hastily held conference and we decided that it was rather costly and there was the additional factor that Craig and Claire would have to be setting off back home soon so we decided against it and all climbed back upstairs in order to continue the tour.

The tour buses are much improved since our last visit by a tour guide complete with microphone and tannoy who is suitably housed upstairs on the top deck and fills all passengers with useful information about each attraction/building as the bus passes by which made the whole experience much more informative and interesting.

Once back at the Waverly Bridge stop, we disembarked and after another consultation we made our way through the many attractions and performances which were going on in the East Princes Street Gardens. There were lots of little stalls selling craftware and other goodies.  Craig and Claire then said they would have to leave to get something to eat before returning home and so we said our goodbyes which was quite sad, but I am hoping to make a visit soon to their abode in Alexandria and have that to look forward to.

The remainder of the party, sister,K Adam and I wandered over to watch a performer trying to get out of a straight jacket, there was quite a crowd around and you couldn’t really see much of what was going on, but he did eventually escape to lots of loud cheers.  By now it was about 3.30 or thereabouts, so we decided to saunter over to the railway station both for a toilet break and some tea before we had to ascertain which platform our train would be leaving from.

McDonald’s had since been replaced by Burger King which meant I wouldn’t be able to have my Caesar Salad, so I had just some breaded chicken pieces which were okay. Then after a toilet we went in search of the correct platform, or should I say K and I went in search of the platform, sister went for a smoke as she had to stand outside the station in order have one. 

We eventually found out the correct platform would be platform 8 which actually was the same one that we left from before on our last visit to Edinburgh and which entailed a climb up some steps and a walk  across the concourse up above. The train should have left at 16.57 but instead was about 15 minutes late and in addition we had waited at the wrong end of the platform to where our carriage actually stopped (we’ll get this right one of these days by actually waiting in the right spot on the platform!) so we had quite a rush down to the other end before climbing on board our train.

Phew!  It  was good to be back on board as my feet were really hurting by now, and sisters ankles were swollen badly. The journey back was uneventful apart from nephew knocking over two cans of cola which spilt all over the floor, causing me to end up down on my knees under the table with a tissue mapping it all up.   We did have more stops during the return journey and ended up running about 30 minutes late by the time we reached our station.   Just before we reached Hebden Bridge we were all instructed to wait until everyone had disembarked at Hebden Bridge and then to make our way up the train to the first four carriages in order to be ready to disembark.

“Its a short platform and I have 240 of you to disembark at B” announced one of the train staff.  Oh blast! Another repeat of the ‘train trek’ that we all had to endure last time!  (see Trip to Canterbury’ post for details of this)   Well as you can imagine, we were all moaning, grumbling and playing heck about the whole thing again!  Talk about déjà vu!  So coats on, bags picked up, faces like thunder again and much ‘why can’t the driver do this and why can’t the driver do that?’ suggestions from everyone.  last minute check to make sure that no items are left behind and then after Hebden Bridge the now familiar walk up the entire train ( 12 carriages) to wait our turn to get off.  This was made worse by the fact that we had to go through the buffet car which was in complete darkness much to K’s horror.

Off the train saying our usual goodbyes to friends/fellow travellers and then bags back into the boot, K and Adam parked in the back seat followed by the short journey home.  Both K and I were very tired, so we just emptied bags of their contents, put our pyjamas on, cleaned our teeth, tablets taken and literally fell into bed!  All told a wonderful day enjoyed in some lovely weather,  and so till the next trip………………………..

TG 

As many of you who read my blog are aware, I am into role playing games in a big way. Now before you now stop reading at this point thinking 'this granny is mad/strange/round the bend, etc, etc,' please bare with me as I try to explain.  I have loved playing video games for some considerable time, I became hooked when I bought my eldest son a Master System for his 18th and had a go playing 'Wonderboy5' all those many years ago.

It may seem strange to many that a 64 year old such as myself enjoys partaking in video games at all, but all I can say in my defence is 'each to his own' it wouldn't do would it for everyone to only be interested in the same things, as life would be very boring indeed in my opinion.  If I were a male then none of this would be frowned on or thought strange although I admit that I would probably be considered a geek! You don't know how thankful I am to Nintendo and the Wii for now making video games much more mainstream and acceptable as a form of entertainment for all ages.  Mind you, I am very particular as to what sort of games I enjoy playing, they must be either role playing games such as Oblivion or Adventure games.

So in complete unison with other role playing fans I am eagerly awaiting the arrival in October of Fable2 which is a role playing game made by Lionhead Studios right here in good old England, and as a new and exciting concept and addition to the actual game itself, Microsoft and Lionhead have produced some content which is now available to download via Xbox Live for us Fable fans to partake of and this extra content is in the form of 'Pub Games.'

The main idea behind these 'Pub games' is that you play them and win thereby accruing  gold which you will then be able to use in the game once you obtain it in October.  So of course in order to help wile away the time until the actual game arrives, I downloaded them and began playing. There are three of them in total and when you first begin playing them, only one of each is unlocked and available to play alongside a tournament version of each game which is free and where you pit your abilities against other players. 

I read the rules and at first found all three games rather heavy going and hard to understand, but more importantly I was soon in debt!  Cripes I thought, by the time I get my mitts on the game I will be owing pounds ten! (or gold as it is the currency in use)

Ahh, I reasoned, perhaps this is the intention as then you will have to take on jobs in the game in order to pay off your debt!  All three are strangely addictive  and as I continued to play other versions of each game became unlocked plus in addition you are awarded achievements and other goodies which you can use in the game.  In other words you are rewarded for gambling!  But of course as is usual with this type of game, I also began becoming more proficient as I continued and at last I began winning!

Hurrah I won't owe anything and I might even have accrued enough by the time that the game is published to buy my own house/cottage/business etc!  So as because I was not the first in the queue when Luck was dished out and as I never ever gamble in real life (well only the lottery) I shall be continuing to play and hopefully have become a Fable rich person by the time that October arrives! Yippee, now deal that deck, roll those dice and spin that spinner!

TG  (Actually since posting this I have nearly lost all my money again! Doh!)

For all of you familiar with my journal and my musings, you will be aware of my daughter K who is Downs Syndrome.  Now living with her is certainly never dull, despite having its ups and downs (no pun intended!)

Our relationship has certainly changed over the years, and to a certain extent our roles have somewhat reversed over a period of time. This particular post is intended to give you a small insight into what life is like living with my wonderful daughter and is not intended to belittle her in any way or criticise/make fun of her, but merely to illustrate one aspect of our relationship and how funny it can be.

I had to go shopping this morning for a few bits and pieces, and as usual K wrote me a shopping list. Luckily I am obviously used to the spelling method that she employs, but even I was somewhat flummoxed by this mornings list.

It reads as follows and I will translate......

2 dircks................................................................................................................................2 drinks

TV glide ..............................................................................................................................TV Guide

Salnbarys cholalte mllk .........................................................................Sainsburys Chocolate Milk

papers.........................................................................(don't have a clue as to what papers she means)

milk...........................................................................................................................self explanatory

cholalte morse ..........(a chocolate effigy of Inspector Morse??) well actually no, its chocolate mousse.

tip..............................Hmmm, does she mean here that I give the checkout girl a tip on my way out??

Smooth Juice..............................................................................................Orange Juice without bits.

Notice also how all of the items are for her? The chocolate milk, chocolate mousse, the two drinks are for her to take to day care.  Where is there anything for Mum?  Do I live on fresh air? She writes these shopping lists for me (as she would quickly tell you herself) so that I don't forget any of the essentials (namely her stuff!) 

TG 

Yesterday we enjoyed a sunny day for once. We had to emerge from the flat anyway whatever the weather as I had a doctor's appointment which I had already postponed once and so taking my new camera with me we set forth. The walk down was pleasant and after my visit to see the doctor we then sauntered down to the park to take some pictures of the occupants, which mainly consisted of children and Mums all making the best of a rare opportunity to enjoy the sunshine and probably in the case of the Mums a welcome respite from having to remain indoors with bored children.

It was a perfect day and after some snaps of the children's play areas, we then made our way past the flower arrangements which are absolutely beautiful at the moment.  This is a favourite with our older town residents who like to park themselves on a bench and wile away the time watching the world go by, and why not?

By this time, K had a rather black expression on her face as she had realised that we must be also walking home and not catching the bus. (She is a very reluctant walker, she will tolerate walking down but not back up as well!) I ignored it (the black look I mean.)

"I might go back out after dinner and take some snaps of the ponies in the field." I stated as we arrived home. "It's too good an opportunity to miss when the weather is so nice." I added to K. Anyway I did just that and K accompanied me as its only the field next to the Estate and she loves horses, so no muttering that she wouldn't bother. The horses were all stood under one of the groups of trees, sheltering either from the sun or the flies and I took advantage and took a few snaps of them.

Then back home we settled down to watch our newly acquired HD DVD versions of the Mummy and the Mummy Returns.  Sister called at 6.00pm for a natter, now returned from her recent holiday abroad but still as pale as ever.  When I enquired about this she stated that she can't stand it in the heat and sheltered all the time! (No comment here from me no matter how tempted!)

The we resumed our film watching which we had paused during sisters visit.  I just hope that our forthcoming visit to Edinburgh enjoys the same weather! (although sister reported that she has not yet received the tickets yet! Gulp!)

TG 

• Apr. 7th, 2008 at 1:18 PM

Or the Battle of the Ages

For as long as I have had a Messenger account, I have had a Weemee.  What the heck's a Weemee I hear you cry.  Well its a little Avatar meant to represent yourself on Messenger, in mail, on forums and anywhere you like to post on the Internet but don't want to use a photo of yourself. The idea is to try and make the Weemee look as much like yourself as possible, although you don't have to do that if you don't want to. You could make your Weemee look like you would like to look in real life, but I made mine as near as it was possible to do look like me.

At first I think that it was only available to Messenger users, then also AIM users could access and use it.    You had to pay for it at the beginning , but then particularly on Messenger it became free to use.   And since then everything about Weemee and the subsequent place that evolved after called WeeWorld, has absolutely snowballed! 

Your Weemee can have a room that you can decorate as you wish and then invite your Weemee friends to visit (and comment on your room) the owners of WeeWorld also now run many competitions that everyone can enter, such as 'Who has the best Xmas decorated room'' and 'who's Weemee is the best dressed', etc. Then all of us get to vote for our favourite room/Weemee and it is all very good clean fun.

However, recently the bods at WeeWorld decided to open a Weemee forum. And that was when all the trouble began!  It was around about the same time that Weeworld decided to run another competition where every Weemee had to try and get as many new friends as possible.  Now up until then, I just had mainly family on my Weeworld, and most of them I had done myself (sad but true) but suddenly I was inundated with requests from other Weemee's to be their friend, and of course I joined in with this with great gusto.

But then I decided to have a look at the newly formed Forum and to my horror realised that most of the people with Weemee's were on average about 15 years old!  Someone else had obviously found the same thing and had begun a thread requesting us older Weemee's to post for friendship.  So I did and again made some great friends nearer my own age, but not quite!  Most were in their 30's 40's or 50's but........ no-one in their 60's!  So it looks very much as if I am the oldest Weemee on there! 

But things were to get worse.  Us older Weemee's then began getting accused of being 'perverts' and posts were made stating that the younger Weemee's thought that we shouldn't have a Weemee as they were only meant for them!  In fact someone then began a thread entitled 'For over 25's only'! Over 25!  That is considered old!  Cripes!  What a can of worms launching the forums has turned out to be and there have been some very nasty and rude remarks made since!  Its daggers drawn and pistols at dawn.

But do you know that when I first made my little Weemee, the thought that it was aimed at only the youngsters never entered my head, and I am sure that it never entered the minds of the Weemee bods either!

TG

Apr. 3rd, 2008 at 10:10 PM

  Or a Day  at Daughters Dentists.

Well it's certainly been a none stop day today which is why I am only just getting round to writing my blog.  Beginning with this morning , up, showered, dressed, porridge made and eaten, cappuccino coffee drunk, bag and daughter grabbed on way out of door, down to town, into Tesco's, basket grabbed, filled with purchases, through auto checkout, card swiped, receipt grabbed, 3 lucky lottery dips bought for Saturdays lottery, bus caught, and in, shopping scanned then sided, just time to check e-mails, lunch eaten then down to catch the limited stop bus to Leeds for daughters dental appointment. Phew!

Leeds?  I hear you cry, that's a long way to go for a dentist!   Well yes it is, but I will explain.  Down's Syndrome tend to have different problems with their teeth from the rest of us, (I'm generalizing here by the way) and daughter did have a problem where because her teeth were very small to begin with, coupled  with her tendency to grind them, she ended up with hardly any teeth left as they had nearly disappeared completely.

The local health centre dentist who had been keeping a check on K's teeth (she has never had any fillings or teeth removed) said that she felt that the Leeds Dental Hospital (which is also a teaching hospital) and in particular one of the consultants there a Mr B.N, should see her as he was very familiar with treatments for people who were Down's Syndrome.

To  cut a long and very boring story short, we saw him, he began her dental treatment, put some fantastic caps onto the 'stubs' that were left of her front teeth, and coated all of her biting teeth with gold.  He did an amazing job and her front teeth now just look as if they are her own.  (Her mouths worth a bob or two as well and I keep pulling her leg that if I get really short of money, then she had better watch out!)  God knows how much it would have all cost if we had to pay for it all!

Anyway, to get back to this afternoon, we had an appointment for a check up at 3.30pm, but even on the limited stop bus it takes nearly an hour from where we get on, and then when we get to Leeds we have a very long walk up the hill from the Town Hall where the bus stop is (you might know that the Dental Hospital building is the very last one that you come to!) and therefore  we have always had to make a day of it when she has had previous appointments.

We were only in his surgery about 5 minutes at the most and happily he doesn't need to see her again for another year as he is so pleased with her.  Then out and onto one of the free buses that luckily run past the Dental Hospital, and which deposit you (eventually) right outside the train station.   Bought our tickets, the train home was just about ready to leave, but with the last escapade where we rushed to catch it and I ended up having a choking fit, we both agreed that we were certainly not repeating that episode again!   So  we sauntered into W. H. Smiths for a look at some of the paperbacks on sale, bought a drink for the train and a tube of Maynards fruit pastilles each, a leisurely stroll through the ticket checkout (no shouts of 'run ladies run' today!)  and across the concourse to platform 13A.

We had at least half an hour to wait so we busied ourselves listening to the conversations taking place around us, on one side two ladies discussing train journeys to Liverpool and how long the journey had taken, and on the other side five young girls taking photo's of each other accompanied by loud fits of laughter as they showed each other the pictures. (I made daughter laugh by calling them Girls Aloud!)

At last our train pulled in, by which time the platform had really filled up as it was busy with work people returning home, we managed to get a seat but there were quite a few had to stand during the journey, then eventually we arrived at our station and because we had just missed our bus home (for us par for the course) we decided to walk as the weather was so pleasant plus we would have had a half hour wait for the next bus at least.  So after such a busy day I am quite tired and to be truthful I  wasn't going to bother with my blog at all, then I changed my mind!  And so here it is so I hope it's not too boring to read.

Hopefully a much more relaxing day tomorrow.

TG 

Mar. 25th, 2008 at 6:22 PM

Whenever daughter and I are setting off for a specific thing that we need to buy, we often (told you I was bonkers!) make it more interesting by referring to it as a quest, rather like the 'Quest for the Holy Grail' that King Arthur's knights embarked on.  This I suppose has something to do with my love of fantasy, role playing games and myth, and daughters penchant for acting which means she joins in with great gusto.

So this morning we set off to Bradford on the quest for the Canon Printer Inks.   Bradford was our choice because we both like the Forster Square Retail Park where most of the shops that you are interested in are to be found all together in one long line, and for anyone with a car there is free parking to boot!   For us mortals who are car-less it is handily by the Forster Square railway station, and if, as we did this morning, we travel on the bus from our humble abode and then alight outside the Town Hall square, it is just a shortish walk on fairly level ground to reach by foot (a lot don't like Bradford for shopping as they complain that it is too hilly)

This is Bradford Town Hall Square. As you can see it now has a Bistro type Restaurant which has all been done recently, in fact if you only go to Bradford once or twice a year, you can guarantee that you won't recognise it the next time that you visit, there is always building work of some sort going on and it is a city that never seems to stand still.

I have always loved Bradford for shopping and I became a fan in my teens because my best friend came from Bradford and we used to go nearly every week to C & A's (sadly no longer around) for a new dress or outfit.  The wall in the first picture has a massive TV showing all the time, and they have had all sorts going on in the square, festivals, and an ice skating rink, plays etc, and during the summer it is lovely just to sit and watch the world go by.

I should have been alerted as to the events that were to occur during the rest of our quest when I passed my bank and went into the wrong one!   Now that usually means that from then on, the rest of my day will be bound to take a downward turn.  So, bills paid and off we went, firstly into Comet looking for a 'remote holder' for my sister who in her usual fashion of delegating every task to others, had asked us to look for one because "we are always out and about" which isn't true of course.   Anyway they didn't have any or any inks either and so onward to Curry's, did they have any remote holders or any Canon inks?   No, well soldier on to PC World.   Aah, now  here were the inks, well some of them, and yes, after a kindly shop assistant went to the back for a search we had all of them.

I had sent daughter to get a basket for the following, two containers of screen wipes, a can of air duster for blowing and cleaning my keyboard, and of course the boxes of printer ink.   She returned with this purple pull along thing which made me laugh.   So everything solved!   Well, no.  We paid for the things and I nearly passed out when it came to £81.45 and the inks were on offer of buy one get one half price!   Began to exit the store and the alarm went off, so back we came, he scanned everything again but no, alarm went off again!   At the third attempt we finally managed to exit.

Then we decided to go into TK Max to see if they had any remote holders.  Crang!  Their alarm went off!   No! Not again!   An assistant quickly hurried over, have you got your mobiles on you, no, have you been in PC World?  Yes!  Oh you will have to go back and let them sort it out, so the upshot was we couldn't go in TK Max!

Admitting defeat, we went for the train to Leeds (one of our frequent 'runarounds' is to go to Leeds and then back home.)  Blast it the train was in!   So we pelted down the road and onto the train and paid the conductor for our tickets.  The journey to Leeds from Forster Square happens to be one of our favourites as you ride in one of the electric Siemens trains and they are very comfortable and being electric, very quiet.  They can touch 100 miles an hour  on the stretch between Shipley and Leeds.

These trains are marvelous and comfortable, also being electric, they are whisper quiet and very fast!

So into Leeds station for a quick bite to eat at daughters favourite eating place, McDonald's where she had a large Chicken Legend meal and I had a Grilled Chicken Caesar salad (Yes! they do serve salads in Mac's!)   Our meal was spoiled by a man who got very nasty because he had to squeeze past my daughters chair to go to the toilet.  Honestly what is the matter with people today?   So bought our tickets home and the ticket man said "You have five minutes to get your train, its on platform 13A!"   Well you might know that's at the far end of the station , up a flight of steps/escalator, across the concourse, then down a flight of steps and a fair run on the platform! (And I must add as an addendum that daughter and I are not as fit as perhaps we should be!)

So we pelted through the ticket checkouts to a loud "Run ladies run!" from one of the ticket guys, daughter up the escalator, me up the stairs (this being a dead giveaway as to who has the brains in this duo) across the top, down the stairs and along platform 13!  Onto the train only to be greeted by  the remark "don't know why you've run, he's having a smoke" here obviously referring to the driver.

Damn and blast! I couldn't get my breath!  Deep breathing and then as the train set off ........whereby  I was seized with a truly awful coughing fit that lasted until we hit Dewsbury at least, and we had no drinks with us, no cough sweets, nothing!   I was very nearly sick during this coughing bout and daughter looked worried sick!   Finally we arrived at our home town, straight to Sainsbury's for some  food shopping and then thankfully home!   Had I known what sort of day it was going to turn out to be then I think that the Quest for the Cannon Inks would have been postponed!

And I am certainly getting too old for this dashing up and down lark.   Well hope that you have enjoyed reading about our little quest, and by the way , the printer now has brand new inks in, so that's alright then!

TG 

Well we have had quite an indecisive day today my daughter and I.  As usual when I peered out of the window this morning it was throwing it down.  As it was only about six o’clock, I still readied myself for the intended shopping expedition planned for when daughter had got up and dressed. ‘It might have stopped by the time that K gets up’ I reasoned to myself.

Eventually she got up out of bed, showered and dressed, we had our breakfast and by that time it was raining even heavier!  ‘What are we going to do?’ I enquired of the boss of our household ‘It looks as if its here for the day’ (this based on peering out the window at the overcast gray sky.)

‘Oh lets leave it till tomorrow!’ said head of house, and promptly got undressed and re-instated into her pyjamas.

‘We have enough for dinner and we have the tuna risotto for tea’ ( food takes priority with K, if there is nothing in the flat to eat then we must go out shopping  in hail, wind, snow or storm as in her way of thinking, she will die if she ever had to miss a meal)

So I busied myself instead with washing and cleaning the bathroom.  Just as I was about to take a well earned breather I was greeted with ‘I think its stopped Mum.’ So before I could blink  she was dressed again, backpack on her back, shoes on and down the steps!  So instead of having a break, I was out the door with shopping bags and walking down to town to do the belated shopping.

Back home now later than usual, I had to warn that the dinner would now be later. So back went K into her pyjamas again!  At this point I  had better explain that if we aren’t going out anywhere, K doesn’t bother getting dressed, she stays in her pyjamas all day and has done this for quite some years.  I can remember one time when we had to dash out unexpectedly for some reason and because it was unplanned she actually put her clothes on on top of her pyjamas purely I suppose so that when she returned it would save her time, as all she would have to do was take the outer garments off!  I kid you not!

So a strange ‘shall we shan’t we day’ all told, with K popping into and out of her pyjamas like a jack in the box!

TG   

• Apr. 8th, 2008 at 3:52 PM  Please note that this was originally published to my old blog on Windows Live Spaces.

Cos this one's rubbish!

Nearly every time I visit my doctor I laughingly ask her for a new body.  Of course she can't comply, at least not yet, and I suppose that if it does ever happen then it will  not come to pass until after I have departed this mortal coil.  This one has had it I'm afraid!

The knees are on their last legs ( ha ha) the brain can no longer multi-task as it used to be able to, and the memory doesn't work most of the time, just doing a short run for the bus consisting of about 30 paces and the whole thing nearly comes to a standstill, the wrists are now packing in (no wonder with all this typing to blogs!) the outer covering needs completely  renewing as this old one has become too dry/sensitive and can no longer cope with outside influences such as soap, perfume, air, wind, cold etc, the hair is thinning, and just about everything on it and in it has over time gone downhill!

In fact I have become totally fed up with this particular shell that I reside in and I want a new one!    I, me, this entity that unfortunately currently resides inside this clapped out frame still feels like dancing, running, swimming, climbing trees, doing somersaults and handstands, but I can't!   I am restricted from doing so by this useless garbage of a body that has seen better days and needs renewing urgently.  Sit down in it for five minutes and it locks up!  Try to run and it quickly tires, the legs stop working and the lungs are gasping for air!  Do some hoovering and cleaning and within about half and hour it has to sit down in order to recuperate!

Why can't we trade our bodies in for new models rather like people do with cars?  Just go to hospital, have an operation, wake up, and Yippee!  It's still you inside, but you look in the mirror and Wow! everything's new, hair,skin, intestines, bones, eyes, you name it, the whole body that you wake up in is a new young one about the same age as you yourself feel you are inside!  Wow!  Get home, throw away the reading glasses, the E45 cream, the thyroxin, the wide fitting 'comfy' shoes, the aid memoirs around needed for the old clapped out memory, the hydrocortisone cream, the Gaviscon Tablets, The Dove pro*age Shampoo and Conditioner, the size 16 to 18 clothes, oh heaven!

But hang on a minute, thinking  things through logically, if I also had a new brain implant along with the full body replacement then would I still be able to remember all that I know now?   Or would I be like Arnold Schwarzenegger in 'Total Recall' able to recall nothing?  Hmmm, so in other words I might not realise that I was still me in which case I wouldn't really be able to fully enjoy the benefits of a full body replacement, as I wouldn't be able to recall the old one and how clapped out it had become or appreciate the new one!   Also, I would then probably go on to repeat the same mistakes as before because my memory will have been wiped with the new brain!   Oh bummer!   Not quite the dream that I had envisaged is it?  For if they could just put me/myself into a new 'frame' as it were so that I didn't forget everything that I have learned over these 63 years, I would be in a younger more able body but with a memory like a sieve and unable to think of more than one thing at once! for two seconds at a  time!

Oh well, never mind then I'll just trundle on in this broken down thing.

TG

As I have had to begin from scratch on Live Spaces, I just thought that I would re-publish some of my older blogs especially the funnier ones for my friends and acquaintances to read, so hope that you enjoy them.

My Canterbury Tales.

• Apr. 13th, 2008 at 1:51 PM

Or there and back again.

Daughter and I had a very early night in preparation for the trip, but as usual because my brain knew that I had to wake very early, I didn't really get a good nights sleep.  Woke via the alarm at 4.30 am, quick shower, dressed, food packed, cameras in bag, last minute checks to make sure that we had everything (although I still managed to leave my Gaviscon tablets on the kitchen worktop!) then sister arrived, and we duly set off for the station.  She saw a vacant spot to park in and hastily drove into it but we felt a soft 'bump' as she did so. Man in the next car got out, quick examination of the front of his car for damage, sister left him her address, but we had hit his wheel tyre which was sticking out from his vehicle so I don't think that she will hear from him again as the car itself was untouched.

I was thinking to myself 'Oh no!  I hope that this is not a foretaste  of things to come.'  All crowded on the platform (must have been most of the town going as well!) it was raining, so everyone huddled in raincoats with hoods looking darkly at each other, occasionally peering down the line to see any signs of the train.   Now when we have gone on these trips before the train has always pulled in on time, and as it had stated 6.00 am, when that passed and it became 6.10, then 6.20 then 6.30 everyone began to get a little worried and of course moods were not helped by the weather.  Why is it that when it was pouring down with rain and cold, your mode of transport always ends up arriving late?

Eventually (but a good half an hour late) the Green Express pulled in and this time with the coach that most of us were assigned to more or less adjacent to the platform.  (Must just fill you in here, the train is about 12 to 13 coaches long, and what has tended to happen in the past is that when pulling into our tiny station, the train driver had stopped the train with coach M opposite the  platform and we would all be in coach F for example, which meant getting on and then walking a mile through all the other coaches in order to arrive at our allotted coach, accompanied  by much muttering and moaning from most of us!)  So everyone installed in their respective seats and off on the long journey south. 

The train driver did eventually make the  time up going down which is no mean feat when our train has to be slotted into the normal train traffic, and we landed in Canterbury more or less on time at 12.30pm.  Not bad going for an old diesel engine pulling 12 to 13 coaches!  All passengers were informed that although we had pulled into Canterbury West Railway station, we were not going to be departing from there but instead from Canterbury East.  Good job that one of the staff went down the train checking that all passengers were aware of this, as we weren't despite the fact that it was stated in VERY LARGE capital letters in our itinerary but of course sister and I hadn't noticed this and therefore we would have gone to the wrong station at 4.00 and missed our train so I would not be writing this blog this morning as I would still be stranded down in Canterbury!

I wanted to go straight to the Cathedral but was out voted by sister and we went instead to the Canterbury Tales attraction, where we were all equipped with headphones and a 'remote' whereby you can hear the story of each 'Tale' as you walk around the separate 'rooms' and it was very enjoyable.  We bought some souvenirs from the Canterbury Tales' gift shop and then we went to the Cathedral 'entrance' which to my disappointment was in an external gate.  There was quite a queue of people waiting to get in and the lady was warning everyone that part of the Cathedral was to be closed off in half an hours time!   Blast!   If only we had come straight here from the station!   Plus you couldn't even see the Cathedral properly or take any good photo's!  So I was most disappointed as this was really the main attraction for me.

K and I weren't particularly hungry as we had eaten our sandwich lunch on the train at about 11.30 but there were numerous cafe's dotted about the place if you did want something to eat.  So what to do now?   Well we walked around the shops, all the time keeping an eye on the time and moving in the general direction of the other train station.  The narrow streets of Canterbury reminded us of York as they are very similar especially being surrounded by the old city walls.  Eventually we decided to make our way to the station via the walkway on the top of the old city wall which surrounds Canterbury , and on arrival at the station we purchased some sandwiches for K and myself for tea ,  a bag of Maynards fruit pastilles which we prefer to Rountrees, and two delicious cups of Cappuccino for sister and myself.

As it turned out we were so glad that we had decided to arrive at the station in good time, because no sooner were we on the platform than the heavens opened and it absolutely poured down!   Then things went a little awry.  Our train pulled in, but not far enough, so that the coach opposite where we  were all standing  was only coach E.  This then meant a long trek down the platform in order to reach our coach J.  So everyone began walking down together despite the fact that the train staff wanted us to get on the train and then walk down to our respective seats down the aisle, but this has its problems in that other passengers get to their seats and then block the aisles taking their coats off etc!

So being your typical Yorkshire people, we all ignored the staff and plodded down the platform only then to find that the platform ended long before reaching our coaches!  Damn! 

" Everybody step back away from the edge!" we were all instructed "he's going to pull forward!  Stand back and shut that bloody door!" this last remark to some idiot further down the train who had opened one of the carriage doors.  By now we were beginning to get annoyed.  Why hadn't the driver had the common sense to pull the train in so that the middle coaches were aligned with the platform, then we could have all got on with half going down the aisles in one direction and the other half the other?   Anyway's after much shouting (by the staff) and much huffing, grumbling and moaning from us passengers still stuck here on the platform, he moved the whole shebang forward a few coaches and we all got on and fought (and when I describe it as fought, that's what I mean!) our way through and past the other passengers to our seats.

By the time you park your weary bot onto your seat, your beggared!   So tea eaten, drinks consumed, toilet visited (I have to add here that daughter cannot use the toilet when the train is moving, so she has to dash to it when she thinks he is slowing down and if this entails the train not actually stopping, she has to return and try again later) 

On the journey back we fairly flew along as forced stops to let the normal route trains through are not as frequent at 8.00 at night, so couple of bottles of wine to round off the trip, and then all of us who had got on the train from our station were told that we had to make our way to the front of the train.  What?  What was all this about?   We had never been asked to do this before?  So lots more muttering and grumbling from everyone, coats on, bags picked up and with faces like thunder, we all slowly shuffled up the aisles past staring faces of the other passengers who had further to go, to the front coaches of the train.

At last we pulled into our station, waved a tired farewell to the remaining passengers and said our goodbyes to any friends travelling with us on this trip, into the car and then home.  I was so tired and jiggered that I just put my jamas on, teeth brushed and into bed.  What a day!  Thank goodness that we don't do these trips very often and so that's it for now until the Edinburgh trip in August.  I just wish I had been able to go around the Cathedral but maybe next time eh?

Please note that this trip was made in April of this year.

TG

What if besides having a blog on Windows Live Spaces, you also have another one on another blogging site?  And what if you would like to publish the same post to both of them?  Well using Windows Live Writer this is very easy to accomplish.   Of course you will need to have both of your blogs set up in Windows Live Writer beforehand and then using the settings for one of your blogs, compose your blog in Windows Live Writer and then publish it as usual.

Here I have finished my post and I have published it to my Windows Live Space. As you can see at the moment it is in the format and style of my blog on Windows Live Space.  So now I need to return to Windows Live Writer.

In order to also publish it to my other blog on LiveJournal, I then click on Weblog, and then select my other blog, and hey presto, it all completely changes to my other blogs format including the colours, the header and  everything!  Now I just click on Publish to then send it to my other blog on LiveJournal!

So how easy is that?

TG 

After keeping myself very busy this morning doing some washing and ironing just simply so that I wouldn’t be ‘delivery van watching’ I was rewarded by a ring of the bell at about 11.30 this morning.  A quick inspection of the bag before signing to make sure that it had not been tampered with, and then I unpacked everything and had a quick read of the enclosed manual in order to familiarise myself with the new layout and controls.

To allow use of all the different features of the camera and set it up, you use ‘push buttons’ which are allocated around the screen, and once I had fathomed this out, I took some quick snaps to check that everything is working okay (the battery had some charge in it!) before putting the camera on charge.

The first thing that struck me was how much smaller and thinner than my old camera the new one is, but of course, my old one had to be rather wider in order to accommodate the AA batteries.  For its size it seems fairly heavy as well. The viewing screen is the same size as my old camera. The pop up flash automatically ‘pops up’ when it is needed as you press the ‘shoot’ button which is handy, but you are told not to force this open or you could damage it, so I will have to be wary of this in use.

As it is a much better pixel camera, I had only taken a few photo’s before being told that the internal memory was full!   Hmmm, a trip needed to buy a decent sized memory card methinks!  It takes a MMC/SD card up to 1GB so how much one of those will set me back, I haven’t a clue but I will probably go for the largest that I can afford. 

It has all sorts of other features that will no doubt take me ages to fathom, and yes, it does take videos as well.

I am also including some pictures of the Olympics that I tested the camera on (taken without flash so’s not to get flashback in the picture) and this is on the Auto setting, which I shall stick to for now until I become more accustomed to its use.

So I am really pleased with it, and look forward to taking lots and lots of pictures with it and a much longer battery life that I previously enjoyed!

TG 

My new camera is being delivered tomorrow and I am really looking forward to its arrival and getting to grips with it.  What is wrong with your other camera I hear my avid readers ask?    Well, the blasted batteries that’s what!   They are AA size rechargeable ones but they last about five minutes!   Every time that I pick up my camera with the intention of taking a picture I get the ‘Low Battery’ in the screen and it switches off.  They seem to be permanently on charge!

This fact is made worse by a comparison with my daughter K’s camera which has the flat type battery and which despite the fact that she has owned a camera long before I did, lasts ages and ages.  I might not have noticed the battery life in mine if not for being able to easily compare it with hers,  and so I have been on the look out for a suitable replacement for quite some time.

After reading some very good reviews online about this particular Samsung camera (we both have this make of camera and apart from the stupid batteries in mine, we really like them as they are easy to set up and use) and so I ordered one from www.martindawes.co.uk who were selling this particular model at a very good price.  In fact this one despite being far superior to the one I have at the moment, will actually have cost me less.  It boasts 10.1 megapixels, so should be picture sharp, a nice big screen for viewing and a rather nifty pop up flash.   I shall most likely be spending all my spare time tomorrow trying to get to grips with it as I plan to put it to good use during our forthcoming trip to Edinburgh.

I am not competent enough at this stage of my photography efforts to contemplate buying one of the more expensive SLR type of camera as I am just not good enough to warrant such a purchase at this point in my snapping career.  I have really only been taking photos in any great quantity these last few years that I have owned a computer. 

So its the Samsung NV10 for me so look out for my renewed efforts at taking decent photographs which will be appearing both inside my blog and also in my photos here on Spaces and my Live Journal.                                                                             

Oh, and I think that you can use it to shoot videos as well which might prove interesting ……but of course knowing me I could be wrong.

TG  Keep Blogging !

When you want to compose a blog to your space, there is no better tool to use than Windows Live Writer.  Not only does it help to make your blog look more attractive, but it also helps you to insert extra content into your blog to help you illustrate your story and make it look professional into the bargain. Once you have downloaded Windows Live Writer onto your computer, then you need to associate it with your Windows Live Space. We shall assume here that you already have a space.

To do this, when you first begin Windows Live Writer, it will ask you whether or not you have a blog and if it is a Windows Live Space then you just need to input your usual live identity that you used to create your space.  Windows Live Writer will then go to your space and cleverly copy all of your spaces settings the style, the layout, and the text colour you have set up. (If you change or edit your blog then don’t worry, you can also change it in Windows Live Writer!)

Now you can begin composing a blog to insert into your space. You can take as long as you want and not publish the blog until you are completely satisfied with it. In addition there are lots of fantastic extras that you can insert by using Windows Live Writer in order to compose your blog, rather than using the inbuilt blog editor on Spaces itself. And because of the way that Windows Live Writer allows you to see how it will look in the finished article, then you can easily adjust things or remove things from the blog that you are not happy with before actually uploading it to your space.

So lets try some additions to this blog shall we so that we can show you what is possible. Lets say we are talking in our blog about a journey that we are planning to make and we want to illustrate this with a picture. So lets insert a picture.  Click in Insert a Picture in the Insert area on the right hand side of Windows Live Writer.

The picture has now appeared in the blog area, but it doesn’t look right. It is not placed where we want it so lets move it by clicking the picture and now we have some options appear on the right hand side of the blogging area. I will click on the layout inline tab and place the picture on the right hand side of my text.

Hmmm, that is better but now the text is butting right up to the edge of the picture and it looks untidy so, I click the picture again in order to bring up the picture layout box and I will insert some margins around the picture so I select margins, then click on the down arrow and select custom margins. 

I will set the top margin to 10 and the left margin to ten. Now see how much better that looks now! The text is not butting right up to the picture and it looks much neater than before.  Now lets put a border around the picture so click on the picture again and in the border area which by default is set to ‘drop shadow’ click on the down arrow and select a different border. I will select the photopaper border. Yes that looks very nice!   Oops my writing is going right next to the bottom of the picture! I didn’t change the bottom margin! So I will correct that and set the bottom margin to 10 as well.

Of course you can add as many pictures to your blog as you wish to help to illustrate what you are posting about you can place them anywhere inside your text  and it is made so easy with Windows Live Writer as you can see the result as you compose it.     I shall be posting some more ‘how to’s about making your space look attactive and interesting by using Windows Live Writer so watch out for them!

TG Keep Blogging!

For those of you who have followed my blogs up until now you will be aware that we periodically go on a day tour to various interesting places up and down the country.   We have in the past been to Edinburgh, Ely and Great Yarmouth and recently all the way down to Canterbury. 

We are due to return to Edinburgh on the Saturday the 23rd for the festival.    As I missed taking a picture of the train that takes us on all of these day trips, I am posting some info and pictures about the company.  They do actually operate in different parts of the country and run both diesel and steam locomotives.

It is actually quite interesting to find out just how hard it is for them to organise these tours, as they have to be slotted in with the normal timetable and the normal day to day services run by all the other companies using that particular track.

For example, when we go up the East Coast main line to Edinburgh, we will have to keep stopping on route to allow the normal ‘London to Edinburgh’ and any of the other trains that frequent that particular line to pass through as they have priority  and this is apparently par for the course.   Each trip that we make on the train, they inform us that it is becoming harder and harder to organise them with Network Rail.

The one that we made down to Canterbury was particularly difficult as we had to transverse London, which is obviously very busy, but we were allowed to use the line that is usually reserved for freight trains.   Of course it is somewhat easier as these tours usually take place on a Saturday when some of the day to day train traffic is slightly eased.

Their website is http://www.greenexpressrailtours.co.uk/ where you can read all about them if you want. 

The actual tour to Edinburgh has been organised by the Green Party but we don’t have any contact or anything to do with them, its just that they have booked the train, but you don’t have to be a member or anything in order to partake of the tour.  It is a very long train, and we always get lots and lots of attention from everyone as we pass by. The coaches are quite old, but they are comfortable to sit in.

Anyway I thought that some of you might be interested and when we go I shall  remember and take a picture of the train this time!

TG 

I just thought that I would let you all know about a fabulous new author that I have recently discovered.  His name is Simon Beckett and his novels are right up my street. His main character is a forensics expert who although following a tragedy in his past has tried to begin anew as a doctor, finds himself reluctantly having to return to his former vocation in order to solve a murder.

I literally could not put either book down (he has only two books published with a third due next year) as I have become fascinated by forensics for example, I never miss a series of Silent Witness when it is broadcasting and Simon really does seem to know his subject.  Not only that he manages to keep you guessing right to the end as to who the murderer is which in my particular case is no mean feat as I have read so many murder mysteries in my time that I have gained a penchant over the years for being able to predict ‘who done it’ fairly easily.

You can tell how much I enjoyed reading it, I went straight out and bought the other book in this series before I had finished reading the first!

He originates from Sheffield, and when I e-mailed to enquire about the next book in the series, he very kindly answered me by e-mail, so I am now a true Simon Beckett fan!

His website is at www.simonbeckett.com and all I can say is that if like me you are into murder mystery novels, then you must try these!

TG

Want the latest news about the Olympics delivered straight to your desktop by the BBC's monkey mascot?  Only interested in news about your favourite sports?  The hop over to http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/monkey/7479984.stm and download the desktop monkey!  Once downloaded you can choose up to five favourite sports that you are interested in and Monkey will then pop up on your desktop and inform you about the latest happenings!

You can also choose either Monkey himself, or Pigsy or the other one (can't remember his name!)  Once downloaded to your desktop you will be asked to choose up to five events that you are interested in, and then you are all set.  You will then receive the latest news and updates about your favourite sports onto your desktop, and you can also set up alerts as well for any of the events as they take place.  You will then be reminded about the events that you are interested in.

I adore these little desktop gadgets, being a 'down on my desktop is where I would rather be!' type user, and this is not the first desktop gadget that I have made use of from the BBC either.   So if you are going to be interested in all of the latest Olympic goings on, then you could do worse than install this!

TG  Enjoy!